Heat generation from Powerwall+

[dho112]

This might be kind of inane, but I decided to post it anyway. I have a Powerwall+ and 9.6kW Solar system. The powerwall is in my garage and very out of the way. I’ve notice when it’s pulling in the inverter max of 7.7kW from the panels the inverter above the battery gets quite hot, with the radiator fan going full tilt.

Just being curious I popped open the panel and was met by a pretty decent wave of heat from inside, but also noticed that after about 30 seconds the cooling fan on the small radiator spun down to nothing. Much less heat was coming out of the cabinet as well. I noticed that where the radiator and cooling fan is is a tiny compartmentalized area isolated from from the rest of the innards by walls and insulation.

I closed the cover and sure enough, after about a minute, the fan ramped back up to max and the cover became very hot again.

Just a weird thought. My Powerwall is completely out of the way in my garage, so if I left the door open, it wouldn’t be in anythings way. Would there be any benefit at all to the solar inverter staying significantly cooler? Longevity, effiency etc? Probably neglible, but just curious…

 

[slcasner]

Is there a microswitch that detects the cover being open, and if so, did that cause the fan to shut down? If so, leaving the cover open might not allow the unit to cool itself properly. (I'm just speculating here; I have not looked for myself.)

 

[jgleigh]

I don't think it knows the cover is open, but I would guess it will cool better with more airflow. They're often used outdoors so are designed to work with the cover in place. My fans keep running whether the cover is open or not, but I haven't tried to leave them open for an extended time to see if the fan stops when the temps drop.

 

[ptdusn]

I don't think it knows the cover is open, but I would guess it will cool better with more airflow. They're often used outdoors so are designed to work with the cover in place. My fans keep running whether the cover is open or not, but I haven't tried to leave them open for an extended time to see if the fan stops when the temps drop.

Where did they locate your PW? Sunrun put mine on the east side of my house due to us having our bedroom above the garage. It gets sun for part of the day, so I put a shed over them that I painted with an IR reflective paint.

 

[jgleigh]

My gateway is outside, but all of my Powerwalls and Powerwall+s are in my garage.

 

[Chud]

This might be kind of inane, but I decided to post it anyway. I have a Powerwall+ and 9.6kW Solar system. The powerwall is in my garage and very out of the way. I’ve notice when it’s pulling in the inverter max of 7.7kW from the panels the inverter above the battery gets quite hot, with the radiator fan going full tilt.

Just being curious I popped open the panel and was met by a pretty decent wave of heat from inside, but also noticed that after about 30 seconds the cooling fan on the small radiator spun down to nothing. Much less heat was coming out of the cabinet as well. I noticed that where the radiator and cooling fan is is a tiny compartmentalized area isolated from from the rest of the innards by walls and insulation.

I closed the cover and sure enough, after about a minute, the fan ramped back up to max and the cover became very hot again.

Just a weird thought. My Powerwall is completely out of the way in my garage, so if I left the door open, it wouldn’t be in anythings way. Would there be any benefit at all to the solar inverter staying significantly cooler? Longevity, effiency etc? Probably neglible, but just curious…

Just had my system installed. Wanted to take a look under the cover and couldnt figure out how to open it. I felt what seemed like a button with a spring on the bottom center but couldnt get it to release the latch. Is there a trick to it?

 

[slcasner]

Just to the right of the button you found to push is a thumbscrew that can act as a lock to keep out prying fingers. Mine is unscrewed but yours might not be.

 

[Chud]

Just to the right of the button you found to push is a thumbscrew that can act as a lock to keep out prying fingers. Mine is unscrewed but yours might not be.

I know exactly what you're referring to! I'll give that a try when I get home. Assuming that thumb screw backs all the way out?

 

[slcasner]

I know exactly what you're referring to! I'll give that a try when I get home. Assuming that thumb screw backs all the way out?

It's captive so you should feel it be loose once it clears the threads.

 

[CrazyRabbit]

Where did they locate your PW? Sunrun put mine on the east side of my house due to us having our bedroom above the garage. It gets sun for part of the day, so I put a shed over them that I painted with an IR reflective paint.

can you duct the exhaust out a vent...

 

[ptdusn]

can you duct the exhaust out a vent...

It has no back or floor, plus I drilled holes in the sides at the top. So has lots of ventilation.

 

[CrazyRabbit]

It has no back or floor, plus I drilled holes in the sides at the top. So has lots of ventilation.

but does NOT have the required clearances required in the installation manual. so i would duct the fan air out... it sure looks like it fits the wall tight w/ a partial back and less then one inch gap at bottom.

if tesla saw that it would invalidate your warranty.

 

[ptdusn]

but does NOT have the required clearances required in the installation manual. so i would duct the fan air out... it sure looks like it fits the wall tight w/ a partial back and less then one inch gap at bottom.

if tesla saw that it would invalidate your warranty.

4" clearance in back and 3" on bottom. Plenty of ventilation

 

[TBrownTX]

This might be kind of inane, but I decided to post it anyway. I have a Powerwall+ and 9.6kW Solar system. The powerwall is in my garage and very out of the way. I’ve notice when it’s pulling in the inverter max of 7.7kW from the panels the inverter above the battery gets quite hot, with the radiator fan going full tilt.

Just being curious I popped open the panel and was met by a pretty decent wave of heat from inside, but also noticed that after about 30 seconds the cooling fan on the small radiator spun down to nothing. Much less heat was coming out of the cabinet as well. I noticed that where the radiator and cooling fan is is a tiny compartmentalized area isolated from from the rest of the innards by walls and insulation.

I closed the cover and sure enough, after about a minute, the fan ramped back up to max and the cover became very hot again.

Just a weird thought. My Powerwall is completely out of the way in my garage, so if I left the door open, it wouldn’t be in anythings way. Would there be any benefit at all to the solar inverter staying significantly cooler? Longevity, effiency etc? Probably neglible, but just curious…

Same behavior here, FWIW.

Tim