Hello,
We're looking at the H3-10.0 & EQ4800-L9 combination. Having gone through placement options with a contractor and a few companies it seems the only feasible location is on a north west wall. There is another house close to ours so it is not completely exposed to sun, but it would receive direct sunlight in the afternoons in spring, summer and autumn. A few questions:
- Should this be a deal breaker / no go?
- I have seen some UV protection barriers being advertised for batteries and hybrid inverter - does anyone have any experience on whether these actually work to deflect heat?
- We could have the hybrid inverter mounted next to the meter box in complete shade, but this is ~10m away. Is this possible to separate battery and hybrid inverter by 10m?
The inverter / battery are designed to be fitted outside but they do have operational temperature limits - They will be fine with the ambient temp in summer in Sydney the inverter can operate up to 60C but will derate the MPPT power above 45C, the batteries will operate up to 55C.
The inverter effectively self manages itself to avoid over-heating but the batteries must not be used above that 55C temperature or they will be damaged.
I would imagine that in a prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, the local temperatures will get close to those operational limits and so it would be strongly recommended to provide some kind of shade or sun screen for them - something like a hit and miss fence that can keep them out of direct sunlight but let them get the air flow they need to cool.
The battery should be less than 3 metres away from the hybrid and as mentioned it’s more critical they are shaded than the inverter so ideally located together.
It is possible to overrate the DC wiring between batteries and inverter as long as volt drop, resistance etc.. would all need to be taken into account to do it properly - Fox warranty is max 3 metres so your installer would need to get them to sign it off if the distance was greater.
The inverter effectively self manages itself to avoid over-heating but the batteries must not be used above that 55C temperature or they will be damaged.
I would imagine that in a prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, the local temperatures will get close to those operational limits and so it would be strongly recommended to provide some kind of shade or sun screen for them - something like a hit and miss fence that can keep them out of direct sunlight but let them get the air flow they need to cool.
The battery should be less than 3 metres away from the hybrid and as mentioned it’s more critical they are shaded than the inverter so ideally located together.
It is possible to overrate the DC wiring between batteries and inverter as long as volt drop, resistance etc.. would all need to be taken into account to do it properly - Fox warranty is max 3 metres so your installer would need to get them to sign it off if the distance was greater.
Thanks for the reply, very much appreciated! They have offered UV protection similar to this: https://www.simplycovers.com.au/battery-covers/
Does anyone have experience with how effective these are?
Does anyone have experience with how effective these are?
Hello James, I'm also in the same situation & have decided to mount some brackets to the house wall(Bunnings) & put an insulated aluminium cover over the top of both inverter & battery (work has recently done a full upgrade of the ducted A/C system & I've taken some of the old ducting & will modify it to suit) I will then buy some good quality shade cloth(Bunnings) and screw it to the top cover & then just simply use some tent pegs to peg it at ground level. Does anyone see any issues here with this, + about $500 cheaper than the ones in the link u supplied.jamesm wrote: ↑Tue Nov 04, 2025 10:42 pm Thanks for the reply, very much appreciated! They have offered UV protection similar to this: https://www.simplycovers.com.au/battery-covers/
Does anyone have experience with how effective these are?
I also have critical concerns following outdoor installation of a source at my home, particularly due to the manufacturer specifications preventing outdoor installation in the documentation:
Source Materials
Inverter Brochure Source: https://pk.fox-ess.com/download/upfiles ... 241224.pdf
Battery Brochure Source: https://www.fox-ess.com/Public/Uploads/ ... 250915.pdf
Fox ESS EQ4800 Battery Manual: https://www.fox-ess.com/Public/Uploads/ ... V1.0.8.pdf
Fox ESS H3-10.0-Smart Storage Inverter Manual: https://assets.solarbrain.com.au/upload ... 2c27cc.pdf
Issue 1 - Possible Breaches of Misleading and Deceptive Conduct, Contrary to Australian Corporations Act 2001 (Commonwealth Law)
The Fox ESS EQ4800 Battery system and Fox ESS H3-10.0-Smart Storage Inverter has been advertised as IP65 weather proof devices, for installation in indoor/outdoor scenarios.
This however is contradicted by the published manufacturer specifications, which appear to prevent outdoor installation.
The current versions of these appears to contradict the marketing material which states „ IP65 RATED Engineered to last with maximum flexibility. Suitable for outdoor installation.”
I believe this may constitute misleading and/or deceptive conduct under the Corporations Act 2001, and request clarification for the manufacturer to highlight why the error exists between what they published and the manuals for the product.
Issue 2 - The Battery Installation Preventing Outdoor Use
On page 5 of the Battery manufacturer specifications state: „Ensure the installation area is protected from direct sunlight, rain, and snow accumulation, a shelter (e.g., rain canopy) is recommended.”
However further on the same page, the specification requires:
„The installation area must be completely waterproof, with a hard, level floor, and the wall should not have noticeable inclined angle”
And
„Maintain low and stable humility with stable ventilation; dust and dirt within the installation area must be minimised.
Any installation outdoors does not achieve these items. There will be high humidity of up to 100%, under the existing specifications it is prevented from being installed outdoors.
I seek clarification how to correct the installation to ensure it matches manufacturer specifications, or request the manufacturer specifications to ensure they correctly correlate with the outdoor use intended.
Issue 3 - The Inverter Location Cannot be Outside
Page 13 of the manufacturer specification manual for the inverter required the installation to be:
„Not in environment of precipitation or humidity (>95%)”.
Further down the same page, the following is repeated:
„Please avoid direct sunlight, rain exposure, snow laying up during installation and operation”.
Any installation outside is in violation of the manufacture specifications as it is in an area where direct precipitation will occur and in an area where humidity will frequently be greater than 95%, for example every time it’s raining the humidity may be as high as 100%, breaching the manufacturer specifications.
Outdoor locations will inevitably exceed the 95% humidity requirement during rain, fog, or at night due to dew point.
By the existing manufacturer documentation, the inverter can only be located inside the home?
I’m critically concerned given finding these items post installation.
I seek written confirmation from the manufacturer about the correct installation environment for these specific models and ask for clarification on the discrepancy between the advertising datasheet and the manuals produced by the Company.
Source Materials
Inverter Brochure Source: https://pk.fox-ess.com/download/upfiles ... 241224.pdf
Battery Brochure Source: https://www.fox-ess.com/Public/Uploads/ ... 250915.pdf
Fox ESS EQ4800 Battery Manual: https://www.fox-ess.com/Public/Uploads/ ... V1.0.8.pdf
Fox ESS H3-10.0-Smart Storage Inverter Manual: https://assets.solarbrain.com.au/upload ... 2c27cc.pdf
Issue 1 - Possible Breaches of Misleading and Deceptive Conduct, Contrary to Australian Corporations Act 2001 (Commonwealth Law)
The Fox ESS EQ4800 Battery system and Fox ESS H3-10.0-Smart Storage Inverter has been advertised as IP65 weather proof devices, for installation in indoor/outdoor scenarios.
This however is contradicted by the published manufacturer specifications, which appear to prevent outdoor installation.
The current versions of these appears to contradict the marketing material which states „ IP65 RATED Engineered to last with maximum flexibility. Suitable for outdoor installation.”
I believe this may constitute misleading and/or deceptive conduct under the Corporations Act 2001, and request clarification for the manufacturer to highlight why the error exists between what they published and the manuals for the product.
Issue 2 - The Battery Installation Preventing Outdoor Use
On page 5 of the Battery manufacturer specifications state: „Ensure the installation area is protected from direct sunlight, rain, and snow accumulation, a shelter (e.g., rain canopy) is recommended.”
However further on the same page, the specification requires:
„The installation area must be completely waterproof, with a hard, level floor, and the wall should not have noticeable inclined angle”
And
„Maintain low and stable humility with stable ventilation; dust and dirt within the installation area must be minimised.
Any installation outdoors does not achieve these items. There will be high humidity of up to 100%, under the existing specifications it is prevented from being installed outdoors.
I seek clarification how to correct the installation to ensure it matches manufacturer specifications, or request the manufacturer specifications to ensure they correctly correlate with the outdoor use intended.
Issue 3 - The Inverter Location Cannot be Outside
Page 13 of the manufacturer specification manual for the inverter required the installation to be:
„Not in environment of precipitation or humidity (>95%)”.
Further down the same page, the following is repeated:
„Please avoid direct sunlight, rain exposure, snow laying up during installation and operation”.
Any installation outside is in violation of the manufacture specifications as it is in an area where direct precipitation will occur and in an area where humidity will frequently be greater than 95%, for example every time it’s raining the humidity may be as high as 100%, breaching the manufacturer specifications.
Outdoor locations will inevitably exceed the 95% humidity requirement during rain, fog, or at night due to dew point.
By the existing manufacturer documentation, the inverter can only be located inside the home?
I’m critically concerned given finding these items post installation.
I seek written confirmation from the manufacturer about the correct installation environment for these specific models and ask for clarification on the discrepancy between the advertising datasheet and the manuals produced by the Company.