Link to the HomeGrid Stack'd Series battery: bit.ly/3ICkgTF Amazon link to the casters I added: amzn.to/3mb700N Let's talk about your homesteading goals: practicalpreppers.com/consult... Order the Sol-Ark 15k inverter: bit.ly/3m7DGYZ
I have an 8-stack at 952 lbs that I'm installing. I love the caster idea, but concerned that 4 of the ones that you recommended just aren't strong enough for the weight. Read some of the 1-star reviews and noticed that some users with heavier loads experienced collapse of the casters. Any thoughts? Also, my base has 1/2" wide slots for 1/2"-13 stem casters. Did you have to drill the 4 holes each for mounting the flat plate casters? I'm thinking, given the weight of my stack that perhaps a 1" thick plywood sheet with 8 casters might be a better idea. Your thoughts? - Update: I just finished building a dolly combining the 8 plate casters from two 1000-lbs. rated furniture/piano dollies. ~120 lbs per caster seems reasonable.
This HomeGrid battery sells for $17,581 and delivers 28.8kwh of capacity, so $0.61/wh. The EG4 server rack kit also shown in this video includes 5 batteries in a roll-around metal box. It sells for $10,194 and delivers 30.72kwh of capacity, so it only costs $0.33/wh. Is there something really great about the HomeGrid battery that makes it worth nearly twice as much money, per watt-hour?
Scott, another awesome video. I have a controller with 8 (1K MAH} batteries that are stackable/interlocking arrangement, but on a hand truck for mobility. Now, I'm waiting for a new module that provides 1200 watts of charging/UPS capability. Currently it's a manual operation if/when the power goes out. Thanks again, for all you do. Cheers, Mate.
I’m the lead electrician for a solar company in colorado. I’ve installed a handful of Sunpower sunvault battery systems and have the process down for the most part. The nice thing about that system is that they send a company rep to our first few installs to help things go smoothly and to make sure everything is installed correctly. Which made the installation go fairly smooth. We are looking at installing a home grid system in the near future. I am wondering if you would be open to lending support for my first install or could put me in contact with someone who could? Awesome content looking forward to seeing what you get into next. Cheers
1:03 Make sure if you're going with Caster wheels, to follow the link he has listed above! It's imperative they are plate casters, and the plate needs to be 2" wide. Difficult to find at your big box stores.
True to a point. I looked at those casters in detail. Didn't like the 1-star reviews (as with most casters). While the HomeGrid's base is milled with slot on the bottom of the "braces" for 1/2-inch threaded stem casters, in reading the reviews on Amazon for a variety of caster models nothing, except perhaps low profile stem casters for commercial refrigerators, has any of the strength to carry a 952-lb. 8-stack of the HomeGrid batteries. For me (as a former P.E.), that's just not enough margin of safety. Four plate casters are questionable at that weight as well. I ended up using 8 casters from 2 x 1000-lb large piano dollies and making my own platform on which the base sits. No drilling the 16 holes into the braces (which could then rust over the 20-year design life), and the weight on each caster (assuming even distribution) is 119 lbs, which I consider reasonable. For smaller stacks, such as this project has, the casters he lists may be adequate.
I am using 11 lifepower batteries with the 15k sol-ark using under voltage. waiting for for the communications to be update for use under percentages. Seems to be working better than I thought it would this way. Had them on a Growatt 12k for a year. liked the communication, but had a couple of hi-cups and shut the power down on me. Looking at getting the panels off the roof on one building right now and buying a Sinclair mount system.
We just installed our Sol-Ark and 8 stack HomeGrid. Ran battery last night and only powered house for 5 hours. Then i saw that the grid was charging it before solar panels started working. Since i am a novice i am trying to figure out if it is self deafeating to have grid change a battery that just was used for home energy. ALSO I made them put the casters on! They said they plan to do that on future installs . Thank you!
I hear you. I have an 8-stack as well. How long the charge lasts all depends on how much energy you draw at night. At 5kW/hour, e.g. mostly running an HVAC unit, the stored energy will only last 10-12 hours. If you cut down usage to 1.5kW/hour by shutting off that HVAC unit, then the charge will last much longer. So it has to do with load management. We do laundry during the day, heat/cool the house during the day, take showers during the day and go to ECO mode at night. A space heater can heat a bedroom for less energy than a whole-house HVAC unit. You may be able to program the Sol-Ark not to charge the batteries from the grid until a certain point. I'll have to look into those settings. How are your casters holding up? An 8-stack weighs 952 lbs (according to HomeGrid's specification sheet). A number of the 1-star reviews of casters suggested that they collapsed under high weight or the wheels developed a flat spot. I made my own dolly using 8 plate casters from two 1000-lbs furniture dollies, so ~120 lbs per caster. I never want to risk a stack tip over, nor rust from where the plate mounting holes were drilled.
For sure, turn off battery when putting together the last cover they need more space. controller/battery input top cover.. good video! Have any inspectors held you up on the EG4 batteries not having all UL listing. Don't think that's just a CA requirement. Seems like the Eg4 cabinet may not have any ul listing. Of course the ca additional UL requirements I bet other states are looking at also
Just purchased the 3 battery setup to start with, very excited. I like your aluminum boxes you are running as conduit replacement. Where did you purchase the boxes from?
Nope. We just have a lot of battery offerings to cover any installation scenario. For some asthetics is a big deal and the homegrid is hard to beat for looks. It's not always about saving money.
That price u can double ur kwh its the same size a a server rack who wants to waste money on a battery that cost almost 19,000 when u can get more from eg4 or current connected..... Makes no sense good video brother but real people want more for there buck... Keep it up brother
@@FJB2020 Trophy battery has some REALLY good looking batteries and a HUGE pack coming out here soon. They do not have the UL ratings required to be compliant in CA but for offgrid usage is a really good option. They have a 15KW/h pack coming out for a little over 4200$ and all their batteries have integrated heaters for those in colder weather. Looks like a really really good battery.
Sorry if I jumped the gun and asked a question before finishing the video but didn't want to forget my question. Can this stackable battery system take voltage feed directly from Enphase microinverters? If not do you have an idea how this system might integrate with a system that only has solar panels--->microinverters--->Enphase combiner box--->Service panel main/meter box?
They cannot couple onto microinverters as they are DC batteries. You would need a hybrid battery inverter capable of AC coupling (like the sol-ark shown in the video)
@@boblatkey7160 you should read up on sol arks emp protection protocol. Its robust and comes with the associated pieces required to protect major (non smart) appliances as well. The 30k is not offered with emp hardening however
I have a question about the connectors between the stacked battery modules - do the connectors have some float built in so that they self align independent of the stacked module? Thank you!
@@engineer775 If you mean 20kWh , that is a peculiar number. That’s an off grid office with climate control here in Texas. It’s a decent short term backup energy supply, of course. 40 kWh would be more fitting for most homes, at least in my experience.
Is this in CA ? are you able to run A/C and D/C in the same gutters? is this up to code? or because it's all part of the same system it is allowed. just want to know. I have installed some Sol Arks like this and got called out. thanks. also a great video.
I want to start by saying i love the videos, I have an SMA Sunny Boy currently but SMA is about to release a Hybrid inverter, but the word is that it will be high voltage DC like the sunnyboy storage, do you have any recommendations on high voltage DC batteries? i have seen lots about BYD, but are there other options that you know of?
@engineer775 if I started with a home grid 5 battery pack and hooked to a solark 15K , then brought an EG4 30kw, what is the best way to combine the homegrid and EG4 ?
We have an EMP rated 15k Sol-Ark. Unfortunately, the Lithion HomeGrid batteries are not EMP hardened. That being said, as a former EMP engineer, putting some ferrites over both ends of the transmission and CAT-5 communication cables to the inverter would be helpful. I suspect there are also some avalanche zener diodes that one could place across the terminals to reduce any pulse between terminals. As far as the HomeGrid case and BMS is concerned, I wouldn't be too worried if the clamping ferrites are put in place. If the case is grounded, most of the pulse will go to ground. Voltage spikes only form over distances / lengths of cable. I'll be looking into further into it.
I have a very small power system in my house in the woods. There is no grid power available here. Would you be willing to give me some guidance on a battery upgrade? Right now I'm using gen 1 Chevy Volt batteries with no BMS. Only a couple of old panels installed... There are a few issues, though I have kept it working. Very old inverter from 1999 that still works. Looking for a cost effective upgrade in the medium to long term future
These types of batteries are not going to be compatible with your older lead acid style inverters and charge controllers. I suggest you get a high end lead acid battery and keep the rest of your equipment as it is if it is still working.
Try adding the cost of the inverters as well as a professionally installed system by a licensed contractor and this system will cost you $50-$60,000 installed.
6 batteries versus 5 . I think I’d stay with eg4 however I do like how they stack but that’s not worth the extra $$$ wish eg4 had stack cells like homegrid that is awesome
Link to the HomeGrid Stack'd Series battery:
bit.ly/3ICkgTF
Amazon link to the casters I added:
amzn.to/3mb700N
Let's talk about your homesteading goals:
practicalpreppers.com/consult...
Order the Sol-Ark 15k inverter:
bit.ly/3m7DGYZ
I have an 8-stack at 952 lbs that I'm installing. I love the caster idea, but concerned that 4 of the ones that you recommended just aren't strong enough for the weight. Read some of the 1-star reviews and noticed that some users with heavier loads experienced collapse of the casters. Any thoughts? Also, my base has 1/2" wide slots for 1/2"-13 stem casters. Did you have to drill the 4 holes each for mounting the flat plate casters? I'm thinking, given the weight of my stack that perhaps a 1" thick plywood sheet with 8 casters might be a better idea. Your thoughts? - Update: I just finished building a dolly combining the 8 plate casters from two 1000-lbs. rated furniture/piano dollies. ~120 lbs per caster seems reasonable.
THESE (the amazon link he provided) IS THE RIGHT CASTERS! - I wasn't sure and took the risk, and YES! they are the correct ones!!!
Installed these at a couple homes. Those batteries are no joke. They're making them look light lol.
This HomeGrid battery sells for $17,581 and delivers 28.8kwh of capacity, so $0.61/wh. The EG4 server rack kit also shown in this video includes 5 batteries in a roll-around metal box. It sells for $10,194 and delivers 30.72kwh of capacity, so it only costs $0.33/wh. Is there something really great about the HomeGrid battery that makes it worth nearly twice as much money, per watt-hour?
its the caifornia thing, id guess
UL9540a certification, CA ESS listed, so can be used in California. Super easy to setup.
Slightly cleaner look? Easier assembly? Normal marketing differentiators (and the UL Cert thing).
@@dangeist2899 - Sure, that's totally worth a 70% price increase and 10% less usable capacity.
Is Homegrid a diy friendly product/company, or is this really only sold through channels/installers?
Clean setup! Never seen a better looking power room.
Are you doing a comparison between the Home Grid and the EG4 batteries.
Scott, another awesome video. I have a controller with 8 (1K MAH} batteries that are stackable/interlocking arrangement, but on a hand truck for mobility.
Now, I'm waiting for a new module that provides 1200 watts of charging/UPS capability. Currently it's a manual operation if/when the power goes
out. Thanks again, for all you do. Cheers, Mate.
I’m the lead electrician for a solar company in colorado. I’ve installed a handful of Sunpower sunvault battery systems and have the process down for the most part. The nice thing about that system is that they send a company rep to our first few installs to help things go smoothly and to make sure everything is installed correctly. Which made the installation go fairly smooth. We are looking at installing a home grid system in the near future. I am wondering if you would be open to lending support for my first install or could put me in contact with someone who could? Awesome content looking forward to seeing what you get into next. Cheers
1:03 Make sure if you're going with Caster wheels, to follow the link he has listed above! It's imperative they are plate casters, and the plate needs to be 2" wide. Difficult to find at your big box stores.
True to a point. I looked at those casters in detail. Didn't like the 1-star reviews (as with most casters). While the HomeGrid's base is milled with slot on the bottom of the "braces" for 1/2-inch threaded stem casters, in reading the reviews on Amazon for a variety of caster models nothing, except perhaps low profile stem casters for commercial refrigerators, has any of the strength to carry a 952-lb. 8-stack of the HomeGrid batteries. For me (as a former P.E.), that's just not enough margin of safety. Four plate casters are questionable at that weight as well. I ended up using 8 casters from 2 x 1000-lb large piano dollies and making my own platform on which the base sits. No drilling the 16 holes into the braces (which could then rust over the 20-year design life), and the weight on each caster (assuming even distribution) is 119 lbs, which I consider reasonable. For smaller stacks, such as this project has, the casters he lists may be adequate.
I am using 11 lifepower batteries with the 15k sol-ark using under voltage. waiting for for the communications to be update for use under percentages. Seems to be working better than I thought it would this way. Had them on a Growatt 12k for a year. liked the communication, but had a couple of hi-cups and shut the power down on me. Looking at getting the panels off the roof on one building right now and buying a Sinclair mount system.
You da man when it comes to solar and you are the solar pioneer
Beautiful install.
We just installed our Sol-Ark and 8 stack HomeGrid. Ran battery last night and only powered house for 5 hours. Then i saw that the grid was charging it before solar panels started working. Since i am a novice i am trying to figure out if it is self deafeating to have grid change a battery that just was used for home energy. ALSO I made them put the casters on! They said they plan to do that on future installs . Thank you!
I hear you. I have an 8-stack as well. How long the charge lasts all depends on how much energy you draw at night. At 5kW/hour, e.g. mostly running an HVAC unit, the stored energy will only last 10-12 hours. If you cut down usage to 1.5kW/hour by shutting off that HVAC unit, then the charge will last much longer. So it has to do with load management. We do laundry during the day, heat/cool the house during the day, take showers during the day and go to ECO mode at night. A space heater can heat a bedroom for less energy than a whole-house HVAC unit.
You may be able to program the Sol-Ark not to charge the batteries from the grid until a certain point. I'll have to look into those settings.
How are your casters holding up? An 8-stack weighs 952 lbs (according to HomeGrid's specification sheet). A number of the 1-star reviews of casters suggested that they collapsed under high weight or the wheels developed a flat spot. I made my own dolly using 8 plate casters from two 1000-lbs furniture dollies, so ~120 lbs per caster. I never want to risk a stack tip over, nor rust from where the plate mounting holes were drilled.
Any thoughts on the robustness of the battery-battery connections?
Really helpful. Many thanks for sharing.
did you have to "custom" make/wire that CAN cable? or just use the standard configuration of the cat6 cable?
HomeGrid supplies a 6ft cable. If you need longer, yes, you have have to make it. It does NOT use a standard pinout.
For sure, turn off battery when putting together the last cover they need more space. controller/battery input top cover.. good video! Have any inspectors held you up on the EG4 batteries not having all UL listing. Don't think that's just a CA requirement. Seems like the Eg4 cabinet may not have any ul listing. Of course the ca additional UL requirements I bet other states are looking at also
EG4 Lifepower4 batteries hold UL 1973 listing and Lifepower LL have both UL 1973 and UL9540a.
how many watts do these 6 batteries consume in a 24 hour period? How do they compare to the others you carry including the eFlex?
Great breakdown on the battery. I think this answers a lot of questions that both installers and homeowners have.
Batery? Sorry the ADHD kicked in for a moment
Really nice looks like you have found your batter. Have you seen the new morningstar charge controller and there new modular inverters???
Really interested in the 30k 3p , hope to see a video on it soon
Just purchased the 3 battery setup to start with, very excited. I like your aluminum boxes you are running as conduit replacement. Where did you purchase the boxes from?
What you’re looking for is wiring/wire trough.
over twice the cost of the EG4?
Hi! Thank you for the video! It’s really helpful. One question. Did you not install the equipment grounding conductor? Or the video didn’t show?
Did they replace the EG4's with the HomeGrid? If so, why?
Nope. We just have a lot of battery offerings to cover any installation scenario. For some asthetics is a big deal and the homegrid is hard to beat for looks. It's not always about saving money.
@@engineer775 I guess not when these HomeGrids are more than double the price per kWh than others.
That price u can double ur kwh its the same size a a server rack who wants to waste money on a battery that cost almost 19,000 when u can get more from eg4 or current connected..... Makes no sense good video brother but real people want more for there buck... Keep it up brother
@@dangoras9152 His clients seem to have deep pockets and not care much about ROI like us common folk lol...
@@FJB2020 Trophy battery has some REALLY good looking batteries and a HUGE pack coming out here soon. They do not have the UL ratings required to be compliant in CA but for offgrid usage is a really good option. They have a 15KW/h pack coming out for a little over 4200$ and all their batteries have integrated heaters for those in colder weather. Looks like a really really good battery.
Great setup!
when can you show us the 30k sol ark?
Sorry if I jumped the gun and asked a question before finishing the video but didn't want to forget my question. Can this stackable battery system take voltage feed directly from Enphase microinverters? If not do you have an idea how this system might integrate with a system that only has solar panels--->microinverters--->Enphase combiner box--->Service panel main/meter box?
They cannot couple onto microinverters as they are DC batteries. You would need a hybrid battery inverter capable of AC coupling (like the sol-ark shown in the video)
That's a strange question, the batteries are DC, but you can AC couple them to a sol-ark inverter.
It sure would be nice if that 30k sol ark could work with a home and be EMP protected. Save a lot of cost for my system
@@boblatkey7160 you should read up on sol arks emp protection protocol. Its robust and comes with the associated pieces required to protect major (non smart) appliances as well.
The 30k is not offered with emp hardening however
great work, thank you.
I have a question about the connectors between the stacked battery modules - do the connectors have some float built in so that they self align independent of the stacked module? Thank you!
This are sum pretty cool 🔋 🔋 🔋 keep up the good work 👍
Can you remind me again, the reason for using 15S instead of 16S?
So they can stay right under that 20kw limit in California with four batteries.
@@engineer775 If you mean 20kWh , that is a peculiar number. That’s an off grid office with climate control here in Texas. It’s a decent short term backup energy supply, of course. 40 kWh would be more fitting for most homes, at least in my experience.
Did you have to charge each battery individually up to 100% before putting them together in parallel?
You do not. They will auto balance just fine. I even added a new stack to my existing 7 without worrying about the charge imbalance beforehand.
@@greg_takacsfacts
by pass the interconnect agreement /inspections and self consume all you make..
off grid in town now..eg4LL we use grid only for emergency... in SoCal
Nice System i like it i like to know more about this system i live in sweden
Is this in CA ? are you able to run A/C and D/C in the same gutters? is this up to code?
or because it's all part of the same system it is allowed. just want to know. I have installed some Sol Arks like this and got called out. thanks. also a great video.
NEC 300.3 (c) (1)
Is there a 120/240v inverter that you like that will be able to pair with the new 400v battery stack?
Is there ever any concern about the batteries tipping?
I want to start by saying i love the videos, I have an SMA Sunny Boy currently but SMA is about to release a Hybrid inverter, but the word is that it will be high voltage DC like the sunnyboy storage, do you have any recommendations on high voltage DC batteries? i have seen lots about BYD, but are there other options that you know of?
@engineer775 if I started with a home grid 5 battery pack and hooked to a solark 15K , then brought an EG4 30kw, what is the best way to combine the homegrid and EG4 ?
I don't believe that you can, as they are of different Voltages. Perhaps someone can educate my in why it could be done?
Those are EMP protected inverters going on a lithium BMS system how did you get around the EMP protection for the battery BMS
We have an EMP rated 15k Sol-Ark. Unfortunately, the Lithion HomeGrid batteries are not EMP hardened. That being said, as a former EMP engineer, putting some ferrites over both ends of the transmission and CAT-5 communication cables to the inverter would be helpful. I suspect there are also some avalanche zener diodes that one could place across the terminals to reduce any pulse between terminals. As far as the HomeGrid case and BMS is concerned, I wouldn't be too worried if the clamping ferrites are put in place. If the case is grounded, most of the pulse will go to ground. Voltage spikes only form over distances / lengths of cable. I'll be looking into further into it.
I have a very small power system in my house in the woods. There is no grid power available here. Would you be willing to give me some guidance on a battery upgrade? Right now I'm using gen 1 Chevy Volt batteries with no BMS. Only a couple of old panels installed... There are a few issues, though I have kept it working. Very old inverter from 1999 that still works. Looking for a cost effective upgrade in the medium to long term future
These types of batteries are not going to be compatible with your older lead acid style inverters and charge controllers. I suggest you get a high end lead acid battery and keep the rest of your equipment as it is if it is still working.
cool batteries we went with SOK
Nice battery system.
Love it! Who can install in MA?
Beacon Solar Construction. Ask for Mike
How much does that stack cost?
must be nice to have the jelly roll for this set up..
The code and regulations have gone too far with the UL9540 thing, IMO.
Now it won't fit under the wireway oh well.
can you please try and balance your audio with the music, its too loud. ty
Installing casters on a HomeGrid stack series voids the warranty. Just FYI
Homegrid does not recommend installing casters and it may void your warranty!
$17,581 damn expensive
Try adding the cost of the inverters as well as a professionally installed system by a licensed contractor and this system will cost you $50-$60,000 installed.
It's too bad the Home Grid batteries are double the price than the EG4
6 batteries versus 5 . I think I’d stay with eg4 however I do like how they stack but that’s not worth the extra $$$ wish eg4 had stack cells like homegrid that is awesome
because of that, you can't mix
I mean the 15 cells compared to 16 cells, Can not run a them in parallel with a lot of other batteries
we can offer you this products~
Batteries are over priced!