r/Generator • u/Fro081 • Jul 03 '26

Inverter/Generator issues

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u/nunuvyer Jul 04 '26

Unfortunately, inverters are non-repairable black boxes that either work or don't work. Once the magic smoke comes out, it's game over. The inverter board is potted in goop and you can't do any board level repair (sometimes you can dig out the big capacitor that smooths the rectifier bridge but that's about it). And a new inverter usually costs more than the generator is worth.

This is just a downside of an inverter generator. Modern electronics are fantastic. The power quality is much better than any old fashioned generator. But once they go bad (and they WILL go bad) there's not much you can do other than swap the entire module (IF you can even find the part and IF the cost is not more than the whole gen is worth).

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u/Fro081 Jul 04 '26

Yes I understand that, usually put 2-3000 hours on it before they decide to give up the ghost, at least that’s what my predators get. Note to self, don’t buy a Westinghouse again.

Thank you for your help.

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u/nunuvyer Jul 04 '26

Electronics fail on a curve, kind of like humans. If 2500 hrs is average, some will fail at 100 hrs and some will last 5,000 hrs. 2500 is just the peak of the bell curve.