Hi folks,
I have a 3.6kw inverter and 9.5kw battery installed outside, next to my summerhouse.
The installer put a canopy over the inverter, one with polycarbonate inserts, to protect it from the weather.
Unfortunately storm Babet decided to remove the polycarbonate inserts 😅
Can anyone recommend a decent canopy that I can replace the broken one with?
Thanks in advance.
Scottishcammy I don't really see how anyone can advise you when they don't know your location/etc?
What will serve fine as a canopy in the East Mids would be a waste of money in NW Scotland as it'd be away with the first gust of wind 🙂
Also does the inverter require shade or just protection from water?
I'm sure if you look online you'll find someone who will make a canopy to order if necessary but there's plenty of overdoor glass/metal canopies available online that'd do the job. Edit - you might be a bit late for in-store stuff but B&Q normally get rid of all the summer things each year like BBQs, and more specifically BBQ shelters/canopies (black metal finish) which might do the job.
I have fitted a Palram Neo 1350 over my outside installation as it appeared to be more robust than others, and states that it can cope with wind speeds up to 90 kmh / 56 mph. It matches what I already had over the kitchen door, and that has been up over 3 years now, and is still in good condition. By chance I do live in the East Midlands, so added some reflective film on the top surface of each canopy for UV protection (as the sun always shines here, not). I got a 3m x 90 cm roll of 'Reflective Silver Film' from Abode Window Films, that covered 2 canopies.
It was not the cheapest solution, but I thought it was worth it to help protect nigh on 5K worth of inverter and battery from the worst of the weather, along with being better looking and easier to fit than a DIY project.
The canopy was available through a number of online suppliers such as ShedStore and GardenSite amongst others.
Thats interesting - I have inverter and 2 batteries outside, installed by Eon and a third party - none of the units have an actual canopy. They are on the more sheltered side of the building (the weather comes typically at the other side of the house) but they do get weathered.
I chose the location of the inverter and battery to be adjacent to my side door, both for ease of wiring access to the main meter box but also so that I could fit a matching canopy to butt up to the existing. No good relying on the installer to get an exact match.
Not sure the canopy is mandatory for the installer, but any warranty claim involving water damage would be rejected by GE and fall back on the installer for not following the published installation guide.