No clue as to how long things will last.
Even with industrial controls, which have a MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) rating, you occasionally get a lemon. Installed a new 50HP VFD on a project. Needed to run a pump for 48 hours to break in the process, so let it run over the weekend. One of the guy's stopped in Monday morning and it wasn't running. They tried turning it back on, no-go. Checked the fuses and they were blown. WT?. Checked the motor out and that's OK. Put in new 100 Amp fuses, hit the start button and all 3 of the fuses blew! If you have never been around a 100 Amp time delay fuse when it blows, well, it get's your attention really quick.
The further you get into your solar projects, you might want to consider adding some logic controls for various functions.
Sales guy stopped in last week and showed me this:
PLC Logic I downloaded the software and checked it out. Coolest little gizmo since sliced bread. I ordered the starter kit yesterday, which was $175.00.
I use 100's of these relays every year, and now they have a programmable logic module that plugs in. The logic module is about $40.00.
The relays are rated at 6 amps (if you get the right one) and are rated for 2M cycles.
The logic module has 8 inputs and 2 of them can be configured for 0-10V analog.
One thing that caught my eye was the weekly timer, which would be perfect for controlling outdoor stuff like aeration time and feeders.
When it comes in, I'll set it up and show you how simple it is to program. You can program this in ladder logic or function blocks, which are really easy.
Watch the videos if you get a chance.
