I have a few of the phoenix IP43 chargers. two of the units failed. When I went to the reseller (which I will not name), I was treated as if I was incompetent and blamed for the issues I was having with the chargers. I had 3 other units which had the LEDs go out on the face of the charger. They continued to function. Because of the poor response and treatment by the reseller, I elected to warranty all the units just in case.
When the reseller received the units, they claimed that one of them failed due to water intrusion. One of the power output connectors had green corrosion (from my copper wiring). The reseller didn’t even know what IP43 rating was. He had to look it up online during our phone conversation. They had no other proof of their claim that water entered the unit other than the green witnessed on the connect. Mind you, all of the units are installed next to each other. Anyways, I had to get Victron corporate involved to get this one unit warrantied. Even the rep that contacted me didn’t understand what the IP43 rating meant and also repeated what the reseller mentioned (that water must of splashed on the connector). Even if it did, the ‘3’ in the IP rating states that this should be okay.
A few things came out of this
Be careful where you buy your Victron products. Choosing a terrible reseller can sabotage your warranty
Shame on Victron for putting me through this. I never experienced this from Blue Sea system.s
Interesting experience. Can you share what kind of environment the Phoenix charger was installed in? e.g. Marine, House, Garden shed
I’ve been using tinned copper marine cabling for anywhere that potentially gets condensation or damp. I had some other stuff that was regular copper, and mice chewed on it, and then it went green and turned to dust, knocking out some solar panels.
IP22 is officially rated for indoor use only. It will fail eventually when installed outdoor. The problem is simply humidity. The inside is solid, for whatever reason. Not going into that here. I never install a MPPT without additional protection outside. Been there myself. Used a stainless steel box around it, and that started to form fly rust after one year. Two years later, polishing it back up was impossible and we had to replace it. Ergo. Even stainless steel can rust.
Water on copper produces dark brown black on copper, green usually means corrosion - so from salt based elements in the water or environmental from lead acids.
As for salt, standard IP tests do not include saltwater or salt fog. There are separate corrosion standards (such as salt-spray testing) for products intended for marine or highly corrosive environments.
Exactly! Even the bicycles of the children here had to be replaced, due to salty seawater rushing into over land. Each and every protection has its limits.
IP22 is not indoor use only the spec doesn’t mention that. It does allow for splashing at 15 degrees. Anyways, it was protected from the outdoor environment.
An IP22 rating indicates that an electrical enclosure is protected against solid objects larger than 12 mm (like fingers) and is safe from dripping water when the device is tilted up to 15° from vertical
Well I hope it works out for you @peoples - perhaps they can provide some kind of partial coverage or lower cost to repair. It sounds like you tried to be reasonable, and someone at a service centre needs to open up the units and have a look. It may have nothing to do with water ingress.
I appreciate you sharing your experience - gives all of us things to be aware of in our own installs.
It was protected from environmental conditions. Still doesn’t answer the IP43 rating. The unit didn’t get wet. Had some green on the connector. Connector didn’t fail. They had no proof that water got in the unit. It was all based on the assumption that there was some green patina from copper corrosion.
I’m not saying that it was not installed where it was protected from environmental conditions as stated in the manual. It doesn’t mean that it doesn’t see humidity, right? Why even rate the unit IP43
I got it warrantied. They had nothing but assumptions to back up their claim. Again, funny that they claimed ingress on an IP43 rated unit (not talking about the connector which is IP22). Anyways, this is just a heads up to others. I will definitely be mindful of buying victron products in the future if avoidable. Will definitely avoid the reseller
Also, I love how you guys keep trying hard to find reasons that it should have been denied without having ever looked at the unit. [moderator edit: removed inappropriate commentary]
I get it that you are disappointed. Like I was at first when my stainless steen cabinet began to rust. I mean there was absolutely no way normal water or rainwater would get to it. Sitting under a well protecting roof. But what the problem was, humidity. Simple fact. I never use IP65 rated enclosures. Need IP68. Costly. Yup. But the problem went away.
Another example. Got myself some nice comfy garden chairs. I picked them because of the warranty. 10 years. Great. But I made costly mistake. I put a cover over them, and believe it or not, that was my mistake. Dealer pointed to the fine print. Man I was so mad. At myself. Thought to do good, and it turned out that was the mistake.
The new set. Same set. Is doing fine for already 6 years. Spotless. I wish I had read the fine print.
And sure. IP22 may look ok, but only IPX[789] will protected against the environmental impacts such as humidity. And you know what. Really, sometimes weird stuff happens; I have a 6 meter long drip end on a roof, and on half of it the water is creeping up under the shingles. I think we had like 20 roofers here already. They al went; WTF!
Everybody is missing the point. IP22 is for the connector. The connector didn’t fail. Just had copper patina on it. The reseller “claimed” that there was water ingress without any proof other than the patina on the connector. This is an IP43 rated unit. Here is the IP43 rating for others just in case:
An IP43 rating means a device is protected against solid objects larger than 1 mm (like wires and small tools) and resistant to direct water sprays up to 60° from vertical.
It is supposed to be protected against direct water spray at up to 60 degrees. The unit never had water spraying on it. Anyways, the unit was warrantied. They had nothing but assumptions. This is just a warning to others that picking a reseller is just as important as the manufacturer. Case in point, I bought some victron products from another reseller and the warranty process and staff were great to work with. I don’t want to violate any rules here, so I will refrain from mentioning their names.
