Drake, I am in the middle of debugging a AFCI error on a SMA 5000US-12 inverter. Installed by others. The fault does NOT have to be on the DC side. The inverter checks both AC and DC circuits for faults. There are more specific fault messages related to DC arc faults then just "AFCI", BUT a DC fault can still only trigger the AFCI message. All this is according to SMA. Check the wiring on the AC side also. If all is good, do some of the common sense things, which you may have done already.
If multiple strings are into the inverter, disconnect completely all but one at time and see if any one string faults exclusively. I literally saw several loose MC connectors "blow up" when I was debugging string-by-string and the inverter started to pull current. Why they didn't when paralleled at the combiner I don't know. It can be very difficult to pin down. I agree with others to also check any field-crimped plug-and-play connectors for continuity. Despite all the issues I repaired in my case, the error still exists, and SMA has agreed to send a replacement. Kirk Herander Owner|Principal, VT Solar, LLC Celebrating our 25th Anniversary 1991-2016 www.vermontsolarnow.com dba Vermont Solar Engineering NABCEPTM 2003 Inaugural Certificant VT RE Incentive Program Partner 802.863.1202 From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Drake Sent: Friday, March 25, 2016 9:30 AM To: RE-wrenches Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] AFCI trip on metal roof Hi Jay, Yes, they are the same, MC4. Drake At 11:11 AM 3/24/2016, you wrote: Hi drake. I've been researching problems with using the wrong connectors. Are your home runs using same brand connectors as the modules? Jay Peltz power. On Mar 23, 2016, at 2:08 PM, Drake < drake.chamber...@redwoodalliance.org <mailto:drake.chamber...@redwoodalliance.org> > wrote: Hello Wrenches, We have a project with an array on a large metal roof. The AFCI has been tripping. Investigating the system, there is no evidence of any arcing: the wiring and connections are all very tight. SMA tech support says it is likely that the nuisance tripping comes from electrical noise getting picked up by the large metal roof. What has been your overall experience with nuisance tripping of arc fault protection? What were the suspected causes? What was the solution? Thanks, Drake Drake Chamberlin Athens Electric LLC OH License 44810 CO License 3773 NABCEP Certified Solar PV 740-448-7328 http://athens-electric.com/ <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai gn=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient&utm_term=oa-2115-v2-c> Description: Image removed by sender. [] No threats detected. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai gn=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient&utm_term=oa-2115-v2-c> _______________________________________________ List sponsored by Redwood Alliance List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Change listserver email address & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/maillist.html List rules & etiquette: www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out or update participant bios: www.members.re-wrenches.org _______________________________________________ List sponsored by Redwood Alliance List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Change listserver email address & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/maillist.html List rules & etiquette: www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out or update participant bios: www.members.re-wrenches.org <http://www.members.re-wrenches.org/> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai gn=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient&utm_term=oa-2115-v2-a> Description: Image removed by sender. This email has been sent from a virus-free computer protected by Avast. <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai gn=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient&utm_term=oa-2115-v2-a> www.avast.com
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