who makes the best drives?

[WaveSlut]

Hey all, new here and this is my first post.

I work for a company making surfing machines and we are currently using Emerson VFD's to run 140hp pumps. these VFD's are failing constantly due to low voltage corrosion issues on the circuit boards themselves and the interconnects between the boards and the keypad and whatever low voltage things have connections. the panels usually operate ina humid environment and are suceptable to chlorine and pool acid gasses(they are usually in the filter rooms). We try to prevent this, but drives still begin to have intermittant issues about 4 months into operation and are so unreliable after about 8-10 months that they have to be swapped out. all issues are on the low voltage side. i know that the corrosion can play a huge role in this, but i just think that a VFD should have some level of corrosion resistance built into it. i feel like the emerson vfds are like glass, with anything "out of the ordinary" screwing them up.

i know its not an HVAC application, but i figure you guys have some significant history with AC drives.

so, any opinions on Emerson drives?

I have had a suggestion for Yaskawa drives, any comments?

Thanks for any and all!

[soonerfan]

You might want to try something with a NEMA 12 enclosure around it.

[flange]

x two on the enclosure, and maybe even vent it to outside the room. I am a big fan of the yaskawa drives.

[tkirkpatrick]

We've got ABB vfd's on about 12 150 ton rooftop units, granted they are inside a vestibule with the controls and compressors but these vfds see all kinds of conditions as far as heat, freezing cold, soot from forklifts operating in the warehouse and they hold up to all of it. They are extremely versatile and programmable to work with about any application you would need them for and have a pretty nice enclosure shell around them.

[AiResearch]

Seems to me like any frequency drive will fail under those conditions. Chlorine? Ouch. Pool equipment room? MMMM. That will hurt just about anything with time.

I would see about moving the drives. Electrical contractor as well as the controls. It may not be a monumental change.

Brand is not the issue here IMO.

Yaskawa is certainly a leader though.

There should be nothing wrong with Emerson drives , though they seem to be entry level for simple applications. The problem is your environment.

No enclosure is going to help this so long as the electrical equipment is in that pool equipment room. IMO.

[rmorningstar]

I agree…I would recommend relocating the drive if at all possible. Do you notice any moisture getting inside the drive? Also as recommend, try using a drive that has NEMA 12 rated enclosure if you cannot relocate the drive.
As far as brands go, many drives are the same with just another name or them. I would think the Emerson drive should be able to handle the pump with no problem. I have always had good luck with Honeywell and Johnson Controls (Cutler Hammer makes them for both) and Yaskawa drives.

[secorp]

Freak drive
I know the one I HATED THE MOST....Square D.

[Bluegrass]

Location,Location,Location.......

[allstar08]

Nema like the others have suggested, but bring fresh air into the enclosure. Shoot, you might even try running a duct from another system that is conditioned. keep the cabinet in a positive.

[basshound71]

Nema like the others have suggested, but bring fresh air into the enclosure. Shoot, you might even try running a duct from another system that is conditioned. keep the cabinet in a positive.

Or purge of compressed air being drawn from good air

[viceman]

eaton,honeywell,johnson whatever you want to call them have had a history of keypad display failures. i replaced a ton on a manufacturers extended warranty.

i will concur on the drive location. put em somewhere else.

i too like the yaskawa

[drivewizard]

I agree with all the above, you need to get the drives out of that enviroment, or isolate and duct in fresh outside air.
My vote is for Yaskawa if you need to replace, but they will fail in that enviro also.

[ga1279]

Waveslut; We had a similar problem with 4 drives for a cooling tower application, the original installer put them in a elevator equipment enclosure. It is amazing what carbon dust can do to a drive ! The customer and original installer tried to replace the drives under warranty and of course that didn't happen. So the customer called us for a second opinion and I told them they had several choices 1) enclose the drives with a fresh air purge 2) move the drives to a clean environment. The final answer was both, they walled off an area away from the elevator equipment and ducted clean conditioned air to the room. That was 7 years ago and the same drives are still operating there. For my vote on drives, I would have to say ABB. Good luck and be safe out there. -GEO