Oct 22, 20196 min read

Outback Inverters: A Review

Updated: Jul 7, 2020

OutBack inverters are made by an American company founded in 2001 and headquartered in America. Outback also makes solar chargers, batteries and other alternative and renewable power systems. They make a very wide range of products for the residential, commercial, and industrial markets. In particular, Outback specializes in the manufacturing of solar products suitable for off-grid use.

OutBack products are distributed in Nigeria by an American Energy company African Energy. They have an authorized sales agent who covers Nigeria and Ghana.

OutBack inverters though exotic are extremely costly. Some of their products are not available in the Nigerian market, they have to be shipped directly from America.

General Description

The definitive feature of Outback inverters is that they are built for very rugged power and physical environments.

OutBack inverters are pure sine wave hence appliances that use them do not make a continuous humming or buzzing sound.
They are made for rugged power and physical environment.
They come in grey and deep black colours.
They come in plastic and metal casings.
The FX and OBX Extreme Series have a water-resistant aluminium-cast chassis.
Some of their inverters come in mountable and stackable designs.
Some have marine applications and can be used underwater.
They come with LCD displays that inform the user of the state of the inverters.
Their inverters are built to conform to stringent American and Canadian certification standards.
They come with displays that show the state and performance of the inverters and buttons with which to input information into the inverters.

Product Features And Highlights

All OutBack inverters are pure sine wave inverters. Learn about the differences between pure and modified sine wave inverters here.
Like all pure sine wave inverters, appliances do not run with a continuous buzzing or humming sound. Maximum harmonic distortion is about 5%
They come with incorporated smart chargers hence the manufacturers describe them as 'inverter/charger.'
OutBack inverters have UPS capabilities. Thus they are able to switch without the appliances turning off.
They have battery protection features that protect the batteries from over-charge, deep-discharge and short-circuiting when the terminals are not properly placed during installation or during use.
They also have technologies that protect appliances that use them from damage.
Their inverters with higher output capacities come with cooling fans to ensure that the inverters do not exceed maximum temperature safety limits.
They can be charged with solar panels, grid power or standby generators.
Though they are built to be integrated with other Outback products, they are compatible with all types of batteries, solar panels and charge controllers.
OutBack inverters have graphical LED and LCD displays for monitoring battery charge, mains status, charging mode, etc.

Home, Factory and Office Integration

OutBack inverters come in grey and black colours that are meant to complement both interior home, office and exterior factory designs.
They are noiseless and emit no fumes.
They come in plastic and metal casings.
They are sleek, compact and elegant.
OutBack inverter/chargers are designed to use a battery bank to store energy
They have wall mount capabilities. They can also be placed on racks, desks or left standing.
They are to be placed on desks, racks or left standing. They can often be mounted in any position or orientation.
The inverters can be physically and electrically integrated with their other Outback products like charge controllers and batteries to give a compact look and to help save floor and wall space.
They have displays that can be used to customize parameters.

An Outback inverter integrated with chargers and batteries.

Warranty

OutBack offers 1 up to 5 years warranty and 10 years extended warranty on its inverters.

Product Range, Features and Specifications

OutBack has a wide range of battery-based inverters and solar inverters.

Skybox

The Skybox is a pure sine wave inverter.
It is built to comply with American safety standards and regulations.
The user interface allows monitoring and programming of all items. It can be accessed remotely using a web browser once a local area network or internet connection is established.
The SkyBox interface screen is touch-sensitive. Items will respond or open when tapped with a finger or stylus. Mild pressure is required.
It has hybrid capabilities. The SkyBox can use a battery source to run loads as an inverter, zero the usage of grid, and other applications. It can recharge the batteries. It can also monitor usage and track the battery state of charge (SoC). It however gives preference to solar. If multiple charging sources are available, the SkyBox will use solar power before trying to charge from another source.
It has sophisticated displays that show real time data for all aspects of the system.
The SkyBox operates on a wide range of battery types.

Electrical Specifications

Maximum continuous output: 5000 VA
Nominal input and output voltage: 120/240 Vac
Maximum continuous output current: 24 Aac
Maximum grid input current: 48 Aac
Maximum generator input current: 48 Aac
Maximum PV source voltage: 600 Vdc
Maximum PV input current: 20 Adc
Maximum battery input current: 140 Adc
Battery input voltage range: 42 to 60 Vdc
Charging output voltage range: 42 to 60 Vdc
Maximum battery charging current: 100 Adc

FXR / VFXR Series

They are pure sine wave inverters. Read about the differences between pure sine waves and modified sine waves here.
They come in either sealed or vented models.
They have hybrid capabilities. In other words, they together with power from the utility grid (shore power), generator, and/or solar panels.
vehicle alternator, and/or renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic (PV) modules
They come in water-resistant sealed aluminium-cast chassis.
They have marine applications and can be used underwater.
They incorporate a smart charger.
They can often be mounted in any position or orientation.

The Sealed Mobile Models inverters in this series are designed for dusty and humid environments and can survive casual exposure to the elements. However, enclosed protection is still recommended. These inverters are internally ventilated and do not use outside air for cooling. To compensate, most sealed models are also equipped with the OutBack Turbo Fan assembly which uses external air to remove heat from the chassis.
The Vented Mobile Models inverter models in this series are intended for indoor or protected installation only. On average, the wattage of vented models is rated higher than sealed models. This is due to the greater cooling capabilities of the vented models.
They are constructed with modules that make them stackable for up to 9 inverters in three-phase and 10 inverters in grid-tied.
OutBack offers up to five years warranty on inverters in this series with an optional 10-year extended warranty.
The inverter in this series have output capacities from 2kw to 3.6kw.

Radian Series

The inverter in this series are all pure sine wave inverters.
They incorporate a smart charger and charge controller.
Inverters in this series have hybrid capabilities. They can be used as UPS, with batteries, solar panels, generators or tied into the grid.
Models in this series include the GS8048A, GS4048A, GS7048E, GS3548E and GS8048.
The standard warranty for the inverters in this series is 5 years.

M Series

Inverters in this series are pure sine wave inverters.
They incorporate a charger.
They are built for harsh weather and power conditions.
Inverters in this series have hybrid capabilities. They can be used as UPS, with batteries, solar panels, generators or tied into the grid.
They are constructed with modules that make them stackable.
OutBack offers up to five years warranty on inverters in this series with an optional 10-year extended warranty.
They come with weather-resistant sealed chassis.
They can be monitored remotely or using an app.
Internal components are corrosion-resistant.

OBX Extreme Series

Inverters in this series are pure sine wave power inverters.
The Extreme Series inverters are designed to survive extremely rugged and harsh environmental conditions including shock and vibration.
They incorporate a smart battery charger.
Inverters in this series have hybrid capabilities. They can be used as UPS, with batteries, solar panels, generators or tied into the grid.
They have hybrid capabilities though they give preference to solar.
They come in water-resistant sealed aluminium-cast chassis
They are designed to be mounted in multiple spaces including walls.
They can be stacked in multiples to create a three-phase.
They can be monitored remotely using external communication gadgets or using an app.
They sophisticated tile displays that show the state of the batteries, inverter and charging conditions.

Outback also makes integrated systems. For instance, their All In One, or “Alino” bidirectional inverter comes with MPPT charge controller and wiring compartment, complete with circuit breakers coupled with their Flexware. These pre-assembled and pre-wired power systems, feature the FXR / VFXR and Radian Series inverter/chargers alongside other components. They are directly coupled, easy and ready-to-install systems.