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My dad's old solar setup from 2008 still outlasts my fancy new panels
I was at my parents' house in Portland last week helping them clean out the garage. Somehow those 15 year old panels he put on the shed still crank out 80 watts midday like clockwork. Meanwhile I spent $2,300 on a new rooftop system 3 years ago and one inverter already died this February. What's the deal with new gear not lasting like the old stuff?
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matthewgonzalez9d ago
MAN that SUCKS about your inverter! I've heard the same complaint from a few guys at the station who work on their own houses. It seems like everything now has a built-in timer or something, where it just gives up after a couple years. Your dad's old setup from 2008 probably has those big chunky parts that don't break as easy, while the new stuff is all crammed into tiny boxes with no room for the heat to escape. I bet that fancy inverter just got cooked by its own innards over time.
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holly_price9d ago
Yeah I used to think newer tech was automatically better, but hearing about your station buddies having the same problem really changed my mind. You think cheaper parts are the main reason they cook themselves?
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