Inverter high frequency whine causing tinnitus

GivEnergy Products GivEnergy Hybrid Inverters
1

Hi - I’d a Gen 3 3.6 inverter / solar PV and Giv-bat 5.2 installation a couple of weeks ago.

Inverter and battery are installed in attic on the gable wall - conventional double skinned block and brick construction (house built c 2021), 2 storey and concrete 1st and ground floors. Plasterboard ceiling between attic and 1st floor.

The issue I’m now encountering is that my wife (who has been prone to migraines as part of a long covid diagnosis ) is experiencing quite severe tinnitus symptoms throughout the house. This has been isolated to the inverter (by powering down etc). The sound is worst on the 1st floor (our bedroom is right below the inverter installation which now doesnt seem quite so ideal) but is affected throughout the house.

I’ve done what I can to isolate things but am now at the point where more serious money is going to have to be spent either to investigate or trial some solutions. The culprit is confirmed to be the inverter. I’ve isolated the inverter from the wall (propped freestanding on a damped table structure) to try and see is it a resonance issue in the walls, and confirmed it isnt. I;ve used phone apps and there is a clear spike in noise at the inverter around the 1-1.2kHz range but this dissipates quickly. I’ve had my mrs listen to some sound ranges and the sound she is experiencing seems to be in the 14kHz range upwards. I can detect the noise myself when I’m in the bedroom and the frequency does seem to vary depending on what mode the inverter is in, though I’m unable to pinpoint what its doing when it is creating the most peircing noise.

At that frequency point some sort of acoustic cabinet appears likely to be ineffective but the issue does seem to be airborne sound rather than resonance.

Has anyone else experienced similar? Is this a fault with the inverter..? My installer has shrugged - only advice was to turn it off and on again (while forgetting to tell us to turn the battery off resulting in a full discharge and needing to get Giv to reenergise it from the grid - lesson learned there).

I’m at the point of spending ~£500 on acoustic material that has a 50/50 chance of success, or getting the installer back and relocating the battery and inverter to the garage, which I imagine will be £1k+ by the time cable run reinstatement is done. In the meantime I have a £7000 roof ornament.

Any advice gratefully received!?

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I’m quite surprised that your installer fitted the battery and inverter in the loft, I think this is against the latest installation standards as they are (rightly or wrongly) considered to be a fire risk. I believe the regulations changed earlier this year.

So I’d suggest some research to confirm if this is the case, you might be able to get your installer to relocate the kit if it’s been incorrectly (and illegally) installed.

I have heard one other story of someone experiencing high pitched noise coming from their inverter, in their case it was coming through as interference on their hi-fi rather than being audible.

My inverters are in the garage, the DC solar panel cables run under the tiles and down through the loft and into the garage, so in my case it wasn’t a major cabling job.

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Does the tinnitus go away when earplugs are used? If so, then it’s a physical effect, if not, then its a perception.

PAS 63100 is a best practice recommendation, not part of the building regs (the wiring regs are ). It has no legal status unless planning authorities implement it into their requirements.

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It is verified in that when the inverter is powered off the tinnitus disappears shortly after. Have run a few ‘control’ tests (i.e. Not being totally honest when the system is powered on or off) and it is 100% verified. I can detect the noise in the bedroom myself though it doesn’t cause me discomfort though could be annoying in time.

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We had a new GE system installed in the summer with a G3 6kw inverter which made this horrible high pitched whine. Like you it gave us headaches.

My installer was great and swapped it out for a Fox after Givenergy support said it was normal. He agreed with me and said it’s not.

So just be aware that GE inverters may make this sound and they won’t replace it as it’s expected behaviour.

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