Are all Inverters Good for the Job?

Big question. Yet, one that has become pertinent as more inverter marketers emerge on the scene, chasing after the growing demand for inverters.

Inverter sellers were few before now. So were the available inverter brands. Convincing prospective buyers was not easy in the face of the initial skepticism about the new inverter power solution. So, not many sellers were attracted.

Now, selling inverters seems to have become an attractive business opportunity and many inverter sellers are emerging. That’s equally so about brands of inverter in the market. With more inverter brands and inverter sellers, it’s time to be careful about quality, just to be sure you get value for your money. Inverters entail a sizable investment of funds and it’s only sensible to be sure that such huge investment will pay off.

When you need a reliable inverter system, it’s important you search out a reputable inverter dealer, particularly one that is marketing a top-performing inverter brand. As with any product, all inverters are not born equal. The basic engineering technology of inverters may be cut out, but each serious inverter manufacturer introduces proprietary features that bring some uniqueness to their product. Take the PWM-based MOSFET technology used by Sukam in the manufacture of the Sukam range of inverters. When looking for a quality inverter, you must pay attention to the special technology that drives the product.

Sukam explains that it uses MOSFET switching with Pulse Width Modulation controls, for highly regulated voltage and superior performance. Sukam also introduces other techniques that ensure performance optimality as well as protection for the inverter and its battery bank. It lists some of these as:

• Fast mains power sensing circuit - with this, the switching speed is so fast that no break is noticeable when power fails.
• Battery bank protection - batteries are central to the performance of the inverter and a substantial part of the set-up cost goes into batteries. Sukam’s battery protection is based on its CCCV (constant current constant voltage) charging system that ensures regulated voltage to protect the battery plates, extend battery life and give optimal delivery. Using silicon controlled rectifier technology believed to be the best for battery chargers, constant charging and minimum power consumption are achieved.
  
  Sukam inverters are also built with low battery/deep discharge protection to prevent low discharge that can damage the battery bank. There’s inbuilt battery overcharge protection, too. Battery overcharge corrodes battery plates, shortening the life span of batteries exposed to overcharge. Further protection for the all-important battery bank is by way of reverse battery protection, such that disconnection of the battery negative to inverter positive, for instance, will not damage the inverter. That’s a lot of battery protection, really.
• Inverter overload protection – Sukam inverters have an overload prevention mechanism with auto-resetting system. Rather than harm he equipment, any overload will result in a warning, a temporary switch-off and restarting and this continues till action is taken to reduce the load.
• Short circuit protection – any short-circuiting in the wiring system could damage equipment. Not the Sukam inverter, though, because it has inbuilt short-circuit protection to safeguard itself. What’s more, any appliance connected to it is similarly protected.
• Sukam inverters deliver stepped sine wave power of 50Hz, giving no humming in tubelights and equipment and ensuring safety of the gadgets. Transistor inverters produce square wave power that not only gives the humming sound but shortens the life span of appliances.

So back to the question: are all inverter sellers parading quality stuff? It’s easy to figure out that one needs to be wary. The wisdom is to choose carefully. Here are additional points to consider in deciding which inverter marketers to approach when you need an inverter:

1. Is there verifiable information about the inverter brand(s) the inverter dealer is offering you, especially as proof of product performance in use? If you can’t find independent, satisfactory information on the product, it may be sensible to steer clear of such inverter distributor.
2. Are there happy users you can verify with? Any serious seller will have a few names that can be mentioned. While privacy of customers will be important to the seller, they’ll possibly have the permission of some to mention their names. Can the use of any of them be traced back to a number of years of stable service?
3. Does the inverter seller offer you guaranteed product support? Some products may not be well-supported and you are sure to find relics of irreparable inverter products that people mistakenly threw money into. If you can’t get maintenance when needed, that’s not the best product to buy.
4. Is any warranty offered by this seller and is this documented? Besides, does the warranty sound solid, especially backed by the manufacturer. For any guarantee, the value is as good as the capacity of the guarantor. If the warranty is not supported by the capacity to meet its obligations if and when the need arises, it’s as good as no warranty. Ensure you know what you’re getting and that it’s of value.

The point is simple: as more inverter sellers emerge in the market, the number of brands will keep increasing and the issue of quality will become more critical. Quality of products and quality of sellers, that is.

As a buyer, you must protect your money. Not only that, you need ensure you meet the objective of the investment. That requires screening well and as much as possible, sticking to known brands.

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