Ben, I really appreciate your thorough explanation. NO ONE else has shown or even explained the mini pdp. This video helped me wire mine and without it, I would have been lost!
Here's a quick reference design guide that breaks it down depending on what you want to do. solar.se.com/us/en/quick-reference-design-guide/ Lots of info on Schneiders website, but it does get a little complicated!
I run the small 4048 to start my 1hp well pump & it does fine. But ive heard they have huge transformers in these things . Def feels it when you have to lift them up & hang them on the wall.
@@thhillbillyinventor105 Any idea your inrush current on your pump. Mine being 37a and 204v, I'm looking at approx 9000 watts to start. Don't think the 4048 can take that hit, but would save me A LOT if it does indeed work.
@@cgutowski471 With my current setup . The batteries trip before the inverter does . Max current the single Ufo can handle is 100 amp. My deep well pump is 1 hp. I tried it with my 2 hp pool pump and the batteries tripped . So I'm not really sure what the inverter can push on startup. I plan to test more when I get the other two batteries on it.
OMG, i have a Schneider Xw + 6848 for six years now, and this things is a beast , when it come to start a load. David he had me laughing so hard too...
Great video. I am glad Schneider is willing to fix things and you are willing to give them another try since they are trying to fix the problems. I have been watching with interest for a couple of years and am wanting to get something going this fall or spring. I require split phase that are low frequency to run HVAC, Well Pump, and welders/saws/misc shop equipment. We live in Texas and I was wishing I had inverter power when we had the rolling blackouts. In fact it motivated me to make sure we are not impacted by the rolling blackouts again since I did have to replace water pipes in the garage apartment. That is another whole story for another time. Haha. All the best! I always love your videos! It is like we are sitting down for coffee chatting about this. Thanks again, God Bless!
After hooking up my Sol-Ark 15k I’m not really impressed with the schnider. The big Sol-Ark has its own everything inside it including a transfer switch. I’m really interested in your review of the new Sol-Ark. So far I give it two thumbs up. I guess what schnider has going for it is it’s modular. If your charge controller goes bad you just slap a new one on.
BEN, THANKS FOR KEEPING US UPDATED WITH YOUR PROJECT, BECAUSE THEY ARE INFORMATIVE! WE ARE IN THE RESEARCH STAGE OF PURCHASING A STRING INVERTER ESS FOR A TOTAL OFF GRID SOLUTION FOR OUR SMALL COTTAGE & LIKE THE SOL-ARK. THE MICRO-INVERTER SYSTEMS HAVE TOO MANY PIECES FOR OUR LIMITED SPACE & TOO EXPENSIVE FOR WHOLE HOUSE BATTERY BACKUP.
The Schneider Conext 100/600 are the best MPPT for simplified installation and you can run 10 panels in series up to 600 watts each. Victron will keep sending code 33 in the winter when the voltage reach 251 volts and it won't charge the batteries until voltage drop below 250 volts.
Schneider tech support still sucks as of September 2023. I've installed a ton of XWs and while they are beasts that will start hard loads I find their integration through canbus to be super glitchy and I've spent way too many hours trying to fix issues that come up. Currently I'm waiting to hear back from some tech in Costa Rica that was useless so far. Unfortunately Solark is not a workhorse and not great offgrid. The Radian is my go to if it doesn't have to run insane loads and I've had less troubles with their integration between devices. Their tech support sucks to though. After doing this 38 years I'm ready to throw in the towel.
Hi Ben, Interesting build. Before settling on my current system 2 years ago I looked at Schneider. All the negative comments and complaints about the lack of support struck them off my list of vendors pretty sharpish. I like that they owned their issues and it seems they want to make good. I'll be following this build closely. Cheers.
I purchased a full house solar system in Oct 2020 from a solar installer with many years of experience with this system. The electronics were all from Schneider Electrical and included two inverters and charge controllers and associated equipment. After two years the system began to experience numerous failures to included getting stuck in a loop, cycling the power on to the house several times before resetting on a number of occasions. The system also frequently shut down requiring me to reboot the system with error codes that made no sense such as fused relays. The system finally completely failed. Despite numerous service calls from the installer over the space of a year and many wasted hours they were unable to get the system to work and would not continue to support it. I replaced the system with a Solar Arc 15. I have made numerous attempts to reach out to Schnider to address this problem and cannot get an answer from their customer support center. The phone rings for an hour and just disconnects. The system is still under the five-year warranty. I went with Schneider equipment with the belief that this established company would be a safe bet, instead it has turned into a living nightmare. I want to return the system to Schneider for a full refund. Since I wrote this several days ago and mailed them a copy they remain nonresponsive.
I have a breadboard wall that I’ve changed over a few times because I like playing with different hardware. I ended up putting a dedicated manual hoist hooked into a frame cross connected in my attic. Made things so much easier.
Excellent video! For some reason, there's only a handful of videos actually showing the installation of a Schneider system (some showing the final product, not many the actual install). Can't wait to hear your results; I'm considering Schneider vs Victron vs Sol-Ark for a 3-phase 120/208 home in the Caribbean that'll be done next year and I don't want something that will flake out or I won't be able to get support on. I know a lot of folks are asking you to test various things so I'll add one more on to the pile - can you let us know how their tech support (email or phone) is? There were really bad reports about their customer service, particularly for DIY'ers, in the past couple years...
Woah… how many individual pieces again…? Crazy that they still have not incorporated some of these to cut down on what you need when compared to a Sol-Ark. it would be good to hear your feedback on the features outside of starting an air compressor and see if they nailed the other out of the box functionality of the 12 or new 15k OR would you need to purchase more addons like a ct clamp or energy meter, etc…. Thanks !
From a different perspective it could be considered an advantage because you only need to get what you actually need. Although they should offer it preassembled.
I mean, the Sol-Ark definitely has the advantage there being only 1 piece. But as pointed out, you only buy what you need with the Schneider, and it's easily added on to.
Here one that I wonder about ... if there is a ground fault on the inverter or dc side is there anything that protects the grid AC from the ground fault? just asking...
@@benssolarandbattery Schneider def needs to have some of those accessories in the unit instead of having to buy so much extra. I use the 4048 & every little thing is an accessory to purchase .
I like your videos. I am 40 years off grid, I am an original TRACE guy, sold a lot of them. I Bought a Xantrex Schneider SW 4024. Has served us well as a whole house unit for 9 yeas. the AC1 Genny connecting input failed 1/17/24. max charging output fell from 120A to 88 A. This coincided with a new battery, Rolls install??? I moved the genny to AC1 grid connection got at 150 Amp charge rate. The issue of course, is when charging the batts, it will not run the pump or induction, no large loads. I assume that option was not added for grid input. As this is a new issue, I am not sure how we will work around it.
Just curious. My understanding is that this inverter uses a low frequency topology, utilizing a toroidal output transformer. In your video, I don't see any output transformer. Is the "toroidal" transformer mounted under the large capacitor PCB located on the right side of the inverter?
@@benssolarandbattery I know it’s a spare time project for you. i just appreciate you taking the time to do this and record it so we can make fact based informed decisions.
Glad your giving them another chance. Agreed the screen should actually control the inverter. I hope you test the grid tie capabilities. Like the ability to discharge battery while grid tie, like the grid zero/limit to home that SolArk can do so well with Cts. I’ve heard a separate device called a wattnode is needed
I have got an issue . I have a Schneider conext SW along with an OUTBACK FLEXMAX. All of the sudden my lithium batteries have stop charging from my solar panels BUT THEY DO CHARGE WHEN CHARGER IS ENABLED. Where should I been looking at for the problem? Is their any COMMUNITY that provides any help?
Sounds like an issue with your outback charge controller. I'd start by turning it off and back on again. There are plenty of facebook pages and forums that cover this kind of stuff.
I was leaning toward solark, but now schneider is my top choice, but need more info on how to design a multi inverter, multi charge controller system, using their products. And would like to see a cost comparison between schneider and solark.
That inverter is identical to our 9 year old Xantrex XW6048, just a different case design in the front, different color paint and stickers. The XW6048 with two MTPP60-150 charge controllers, 1700ah forklift battery and XW-AGS with a Caterpillar generator has been running our off-grid lake house since March 2013 without a single glitch. Before that we had a Trace/Xantrex SW5048 with an Outback autotransformer (for split-phase) that was 14 years old. Of the two inverters, the XW6048 is a much better unit. It will handle overloads up to 7.2kVA for 30 minutes before it starts the genset for generator support. It is one tough inverter, and puts out cleaner power than you can get from utility. We don't have a single complaint with it.
@@benssolarandbattery Yeah, that inverter was actually designed by Xantrex before Schneider Electric bought Xantrex. Schneider had some teething issues after they bought Xantrex that many people weren't happy with. Poor support (compared to what Xantrex used to be). They changed the firmware in the inverter to make it a 6848 without changing one single component in the chassis, and just updated the duty cycles compared to what the XW6048 is. I don't know how they managed to do it, but they screwed up the firmware update. We got tricked into buying their ComBox, which allowed firmware updates without the old gateway. Thankfully, since our 6048 was working fine I never upgraded the firmware to their buggy version. Then our ComBox quit working, but they discontinued that and went with Insight Home (or whatever they call it). No way we were gonna spend another $400 on that and since we had a SCP anyway I just threw the bricked ComBox in the garbage. So yeah, they had their share of problems after buying Xantrex. Hopefully they got it all in one pile now but I've heard their SW-series inverters have a high failure rate. The original Xantrex SW-series was designed by the guys at Trace (who later started up Midnite Solar). Those old Trace/SW inverters are regarded far and wide as one of the best off-grid inverters ever built by the human race, and there's many of them still in use after 30 years. Those are the same guys that designed the original XW before they left Xantrex and started up Midnite Solar. So the XW is not actually a Schneider Electric design.
It will be connected for days then all off a sudden one of the inverters will stay connected an the next will be dropping the connection on an off i just did a update on one of the sites today will run some test tomorrow an see what happens
Trust me i did only the pros do it all off the ones i have installed had the power company come out an make sure the Power coming was good an still do it
Is the XW still running? If it shut down, that would do it. As far as tech support goes, they may be be off for a few days or short staffed during the holidays like the rest of us. They've been good recently though.
@@benssolarandbattery can hear the inverter running when i turn the dc breaker on. Voltage present at inverter lugs . No lcds tho. Only the midnite classic mppt has lcd.. could this be a xanbus issue? Although the bts seems to work.
A little context here is PEG solar went bankrupt few years back which originally installed it. Customer has had a terrible time and bought new batteries and had my company install them @ crown supplied values. And schneider electricngot a very detailed list of voltages and values with pictures, only to tell me to take a video of me doing it.. im jumping threw hoops it seams on a discontinued xw from 2015
I had the XW my sister had the WXPro and the biggest issues I found is the was updating to combox(s) and the major one is the battery cutoff limit maximum is 48v, why on earth would you want to pull your lead batteries to exactly 48v, especially if the device is not calibrated correctly. Also with Lithium 16cell LiFep04 are a nominal 52.*v, they really need to fix this cutoff limit issue
Sry Ben, I may have missed it; what's the max Voc for the charge controllers PV input? Might you also know the max gauge wire accepted on the mppt taps as well? I'll have a longgg run on an up-coming project 🤔 this might be the way to go?? Again forgive me if I missed this in the video.? As always 🙏 thanks for the video!
Yes, it is 600 volts for up to 10 panels in series which can be run with a minimum gage of 12awg and 15a breaker but 10awg are preferred or 8awg for long runs.
@@meganwinters5163 If you buy only the MPPT you will need the Conext-SCP for setting it up otherwise the factory setting may not be the best for your batteries.
Hi Ben, I appreciate your honest evaluations. I installed the XWPro in an AC coupled configuration. One question, when the XW is charging or discharging the battery, mine has a rather loud humming noise. Loud enough to hear it through the wall from the garage to the house. Would you think this is normal?
@@benssolarandbattery I wouldn't mind knowing your settings you use on your xw pro with the ac couple . I have about 5 kw but have to set my solar edge down when I ac couple my sw4048. Due to the grid forming inverter being a little to small
I have been installing Schneider XW inverters and charge controllers for 11 years here in Australia don't have any problems you just have to know how to set them up and understand there software...
The contact from Schneider and the Sol-ark 12 tripping out were the deciding factors for going with this Schneider equipment? How is it still holding up for you?
The Schneider has been doing really well. Haven't shut it down yet! The interface is clunky and sometimes you have to hit save multiple times to get it to save, but overall it's a much more solid inverter than Sol-Ark. Still no functional grid tied self-consumption mode, hopefully soon.
@@benssolarandbattery You keep at that job and eventually you'll find yourself trying to figure out how to get socks on w/o bending over! Had a pole barn business in my 20's and 30's until I got smart..finished my degree at RPI and got a desk job in my old age..I still think age 36 was too late to get out of the trades because I still have disc issues in my back.Be careful..plan and think about your future health!
Interesting... I'm looking for an inverter to add batteries too my existing enphase microinverter system. (yes, they make a battery no thanks, for so many reasons) So far the Sol Ark 15K looks like the best fit (but that price tag, yikes!), but I'm curious if Schneider has fixed their issues.
Hi Erica, I'm totally with you on the enphase battery. Cool tech, not there yet. I'm sure the 15k is great and checks all of the boxes but I have yet to install one. Install is surely simpler than Schneider. Schneider is still a very complicated product, but their tech support has improved by leaps and bounds along with their firmware.
@@benssolarandbattery For me, it's not about the tech with the enphase battery. Enphase dropped an update for their comms gateway that all but removed local access for those of us using home automation to control loads. It was a massive breach of trust. I spoke to their Chief network security officer, top engineer, and another of the top brass a few months ago. So far, they have not regained that trust. The second issue, and biggest deal-breaker for me, is the inverter being part of the battery. You size the inverter to your largest instantaneous load, and the batteries are sized for how long you need to carry that load. I live in NE Ohio, literally the 5th cloudiest place east of the Mississippi. I need a decent size inverter, but the biggest battery bank that is allowed by NFPA and my local AHJ. That just isn't possible with any of the all-in-one-box battery/inverter solutions.
HOWdy B-S&B, ... Thanks for the SCHNEIDER UPdate ... Nice use / applications of FERRULES ... SUGGESTION: have you ever considered applying Heat-Shrink Tubing to the SHAFTS of your Screw-Drivers ? ( the kind with the GLUE / ADHESIVE coating inside ? ) ... ALUMINUM vs COPPER Wire = I hope you chose COPPER ( as an investment for the FUTURE / & / L O N G RUN ) ... COOP the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA ...
@@OldManLawrence I haven’t used a split phase on mine. This is my first build and it’s pretty simple. PV panels, Victron charge controllers, Battle Born Batteries, Victron inverter that goes to the grid panel. Connecting to the panel was over my head since this was my first system, and I barely understood putting it together. So I had an electrician connect to the panel. He had to completely rebuild my panel because it was a fire hazard, so many wires going everywhere in old fuses that were dangerous. Open ended wires that led nowhere. So when he rebuilt it, he just added two 50 amp breakers for solar connection. Using a small little shifter, so you couldn’t turn on the grid or you had to turn off the solar breakers in order to get the grid back on. In other words it was a switch that made sure you couldn’t make a mistake. Like I said when I first started I really didn’t know what I was doing, I just knew I wanted good components because I knew I didn’t know enough to fix a lot of issues that might come up. Mine is a 24 V system, which should be 48 V for a house. It’s probably a good thing it was 24 V, because I shocked myself numerous times. Always make sure you insulate your ground wires while using tools. 😜 I figure I’ll eventually upgrade to 48V when I get the money.
Ben, I appreciate your approach to reviewing things. One recommendation/request, though. Your audio is very low when you're on camera as opposed to when you're behind the camera. It's also much lower than the ads that come up. I'm sure there's a way to use an airpod or similar earbud with microphone so your audio stays at a higher level. Sorry to nitpick. Love your stuff. Thanks for what you do!
I would have hoped the TRACE ethics were inherited by Schneide. i have had one failure in 40 years. A new design TRACE 4024 I had went up in smoke and small flames one evening. I called TRACE. My issue tied in with other reports. Trace overnighted me a new 4024, and service bulletins went out to all 4024 owners. Do not let generator run out of gas and surge with higher voltage. this had not been an issue for other TRACE units, and letting generators run out of fuel was common with the then total off grid folks.
I know Schneider product is good the company will not put out a product that is not just locking customers services and listening to there customers and now they seems to be doing just that. Am look forward to see a better company.
The fact that they make you buy multiple products at high cost is problematic. Why cant they just create a complete solution? PDP is a metal box with breakers amd busbars. Just PUT IT IN THE unit and raise the price just a bit.
This kind of video semi- redeems themselves, one still wonders if I have problems, do I need to curate a youtube channel,get subs, make a video then re-install the original system that failed with the compensating replacement? It's the information age, but it's also the filtering age.
I used to work for Schneider. They boght my company out and completely destroyed our company. Not a fan of Schneider anymore. I found them to be very unethical in the way they ran. Their service is attrocious, as that was where I got put into after they desolved our service organization. They believe that 70% is good enough.
Would be willing to hear more about how this turned out for you. My wife and I are going fully off grid in Northern Nevada and we are considering two XW PRO's for the reasons presented in this video by Dean Abney - ruclips.net/video/-Ez4cbuy7IQ/видео.html
I'd highly recommend them for fully off grid DC coupled systems. The last few I've done have used them and are working well. The system I removed was an older one that was on grid AC coupled for backup only. Pair that with an early Evault, and it was glitchy at best.
Only slightly cheaper if you get one comparable to a Sol-Ark 12k. That is including 2 charge controllers, the Mini PDP, Gateway, Breakers and AGS. Retail Sol-Ark is around $6900, that setup would be around $6500. I'm hoping better.
Ben, I really appreciate your thorough explanation. NO ONE else has shown or even explained the mini pdp. This video helped me wire mine and without it, I would have been lost!
OMG, this is awesome! You had me laughing so hard. By far, this is the best youtube video I have watched in the last 5 months.
Thanks David! That means a lot coming from you!
Thanks so much for posting this! I haven't been able to find a video that really breaks down the different parts of the system and what is needed.
Here's a quick reference design guide that breaks it down depending on what you want to do.
solar.se.com/us/en/quick-reference-design-guide/
Lots of info on Schneiders website, but it does get a little complicated!
@@benssolarandbattery Thanks for that too! Somehow I missed that page.
Had my xw 6848 for 2 years and this thing is rocking
So awesome you're doing this with Schneider. I know that many like the SolArk, but it doesn't have the starting capacity for deep well pumps
I run the small 4048 to start my 1hp well pump & it does fine. But ive heard they have huge transformers in these things . Def feels it when you have to lift them up & hang them on the wall.
@@thhillbillyinventor105 Any idea your inrush current on your pump. Mine being 37a and 204v, I'm looking at approx 9000 watts to start. Don't think the 4048 can take that hit, but would save me A LOT if it does indeed work.
@@cgutowski471 With my current setup . The batteries trip before the inverter does . Max current the single Ufo can handle is 100 amp. My deep well pump is 1 hp. I tried it with my 2 hp pool pump and the batteries tripped . So I'm not really sure what the inverter can push on startup. I plan to test more when I get the other two batteries on it.
My Sol Ark 12k works fine with my 3/4hp deep (550’) 240v well pump., which has a pretty hefty surge load.
@@NeverTakeNoCut-offs That's awesome. Do you know the inrush amps of the pump. If more than 37a (~9000w) you may have me sold on Sol-Ark.
OMG, i have a Schneider
Xw + 6848 for six years now, and this things is a beast , when it come to start a load. David he had me laughing so hard too...
Great video. I am glad Schneider is willing to fix things and you are willing to give them another try since they are trying to fix the problems. I have been watching with interest for a couple of years and am wanting to get something going this fall or spring. I require split phase that are low frequency to run HVAC, Well Pump, and welders/saws/misc shop equipment. We live in Texas and I was wishing I had inverter power when we had the rolling blackouts. In fact it motivated me to make sure we are not impacted by the rolling blackouts again since I did have to replace water pipes in the garage apartment. That is another whole story for another time. Haha. All the best! I always love your videos! It is like we are sitting down for coffee chatting about this. Thanks again, God Bless!
After hooking up my Sol-Ark 15k I’m not really impressed with the schnider. The big Sol-Ark has its own everything inside it including a transfer switch.
I’m really interested in your review of the new Sol-Ark. So far I give it two thumbs up.
I guess what schnider has going for it is it’s modular. If your charge controller goes bad you just slap a new one on.
BEN, THANKS FOR KEEPING US UPDATED WITH YOUR PROJECT, BECAUSE THEY ARE INFORMATIVE!
WE ARE IN THE RESEARCH STAGE OF PURCHASING A STRING INVERTER ESS FOR A TOTAL OFF GRID SOLUTION FOR OUR SMALL COTTAGE & LIKE THE SOL-ARK.
THE MICRO-INVERTER SYSTEMS HAVE TOO MANY PIECES FOR OUR LIMITED SPACE & TOO EXPENSIVE FOR WHOLE HOUSE BATTERY BACKUP.
The Schneider Conext 100/600 are the best MPPT for simplified installation and you can run 10 panels in series up to 600 watts each. Victron will keep sending code 33 in the winter when the voltage reach 251 volts and it won't charge the batteries until voltage drop below 250 volts.
Schneider tech support still sucks as of September 2023. I've installed a ton of XWs and while they are beasts that will start hard loads I find their integration through canbus to be super glitchy and I've spent way too many hours trying to fix issues that come up. Currently I'm waiting to hear back from some tech in Costa Rica that was useless so far.
Unfortunately Solark is not a workhorse and not great offgrid.
The Radian is my go to if it doesn't have to run insane loads and I've had less troubles with their integration between devices. Their tech support sucks to though. After doing this 38 years I'm ready to throw in the towel.
Hi Ben, Interesting build. Before settling on my current system 2 years ago I looked at Schneider. All the negative comments and complaints about the lack of support struck them off my list of vendors pretty sharpish. I like that they owned their issues and it seems they want to make good. I'll be following this build closely. Cheers.
What’s the current system you came up with in lieu of Schneider?
I purchased a full house solar system in Oct 2020 from a solar installer with many years of experience with this system. The electronics were all from Schneider Electrical and included two inverters and charge controllers and associated equipment. After two years the system began to experience numerous failures to included getting stuck in a loop, cycling the power on to the house several times before resetting on a number of occasions. The system also frequently shut down requiring me to reboot the system with error codes that made no sense such as fused relays. The system finally completely failed. Despite numerous service calls from the installer over the space of a year and many wasted hours they were unable to get the system to work and would not continue to support it. I replaced the system with a Solar Arc 15. I have made numerous attempts to reach out to Schnider to address this problem and cannot get an answer from their customer support center. The phone rings for an hour and just disconnects. The system is still under the five-year warranty. I went with Schneider equipment with the belief that this established company would be a safe bet, instead it has turned into a living nightmare. I want to return the system to Schneider for a full refund. Since I wrote this several days ago and mailed them a copy they remain nonresponsive.
Hi Ben, it was not clear if the neutral and ground are connected/bonded in that box. where is/are your bonding points? thank you
What is the maximum number of inverters that can be stacked in parallel?
I have a breadboard wall that I’ve changed over a few times because I like playing with different hardware. I ended up putting a dedicated manual hoist hooked into a frame cross connected in my attic. Made things so much easier.
Excellent video! For some reason, there's only a handful of videos actually showing the installation of a Schneider system (some showing the final product, not many the actual install). Can't wait to hear your results; I'm considering Schneider vs Victron vs Sol-Ark for a 3-phase 120/208 home in the Caribbean that'll be done next year and I don't want something that will flake out or I won't be able to get support on. I know a lot of folks are asking you to test various things so I'll add one more on to the pile - can you let us know how their tech support (email or phone) is? There were really bad reports about their customer service, particularly for DIY'ers, in the past couple years...
Woah… how many individual pieces again…? Crazy that they still have not incorporated some of these to cut down on what you need when compared to a Sol-Ark. it would be good to hear your feedback on the features outside of starting an air compressor and see if they nailed the other out of the box functionality of the 12 or new 15k OR would you need to purchase more addons like a ct clamp or energy meter, etc…. Thanks !
From a different perspective it could be considered an advantage because you only need to get what you actually need. Although they should offer it preassembled.
I mean, the Sol-Ark definitely has the advantage there being only 1 piece. But as pointed out, you only buy what you need with the Schneider, and it's easily added on to.
Here one that I wonder about ... if there is a ground fault on the inverter or dc side is there anything that protects the grid AC from the ground fault? just asking...
I'd assume the input breaker would trip if something in the inverter shorted to ground.
Did they send you a system control panel I think they're phasing them out but you'll like the Gateway it works great
No, they're definitely phasing them out.
@@benssolarandbattery Schneider def needs to have some of those accessories in the unit instead of having to buy so much extra. I use the 4048 & every little thing is an accessory to purchase .
Only one Conext-scp is needed for multiple units which is a better option to keep the price down.
I like your videos. I am 40 years off grid, I am an original TRACE guy, sold a lot of them. I Bought a Xantrex Schneider SW 4024. Has served us well as a whole house unit for 9 yeas. the AC1 Genny connecting input failed 1/17/24. max charging output fell from 120A to 88 A. This coincided with a new battery, Rolls install??? I moved the genny to AC1 grid connection got at 150 Amp charge rate. The issue of course, is when charging the batts, it will not run the pump or induction, no large loads. I assume that option was not added for grid input. As this is a new issue, I am not sure how we will work around it.
Just curious. My understanding is that this inverter uses a low frequency topology, utilizing a toroidal output transformer. In your video, I don't see any output transformer. Is the "toroidal" transformer mounted under the large capacitor PCB located on the right side of the inverter?
Yes, it's in there behind the boards. You should be able to find a cutaway picture somewhere on the internet.
Anxiously waiting for the next part of this video. XW Pro sitting in my cart to buy.
I'm working on it! Will be at least another couple weeks though, sorry.
@@benssolarandbattery I know it’s a spare time project for you. i just appreciate you taking the time to do this and record it so we can make fact based informed decisions.
Glad your giving them another chance. Agreed the screen should actually control the inverter. I hope you test the grid tie capabilities. Like the ability to discharge battery while grid tie, like the grid zero/limit to home that SolArk can do so well with Cts. I’ve heard a separate device called a wattnode is needed
Quiero ver la conexión al grid y al breaker
i thought there is a big round transformer in that thing, i just saw a bunch of capacitors?
Transformer is in the back!
@@benssolarandbattery I'm leaning towards that brand...but....it'll be my first venture into this..and in wanna be grid tied...ugh
I have got an issue . I have a Schneider conext SW along with an OUTBACK FLEXMAX. All of the sudden my lithium batteries have stop charging from my solar panels BUT THEY DO CHARGE WHEN CHARGER IS ENABLED. Where should I been looking at for the problem? Is their any COMMUNITY that provides any help?
Sounds like an issue with your outback charge controller. I'd start by turning it off and back on again. There are plenty of facebook pages and forums that cover this kind of stuff.
Thanks @@benssolarandbattery
I was leaning toward solark, but now schneider is my top choice, but need more info on how to design a multi inverter, multi charge controller system, using their products.
And would like to see a cost comparison between schneider and solark.
Here is a channel that has a large multi Schneider system .
5th Journey Off-Grid Homestead
TY, i have watched almost all of their videos.
That inverter is identical to our 9 year old Xantrex XW6048, just a different case design in the front, different color paint and stickers. The XW6048 with two MTPP60-150 charge controllers, 1700ah forklift battery and XW-AGS with a Caterpillar generator has been running our off-grid lake house since March 2013 without a single glitch. Before that we had a Trace/Xantrex SW5048 with an Outback autotransformer (for split-phase) that was 14 years old. Of the two inverters, the XW6048 is a much better unit. It will handle overloads up to 7.2kVA for 30 minutes before it starts the genset for generator support. It is one tough inverter, and puts out cleaner power than you can get from utility. We don't have a single complaint with it.
Glad to hear it! Sounds like a great system you have there.
@@benssolarandbattery Yeah, that inverter was actually designed by Xantrex before Schneider Electric bought Xantrex. Schneider had some teething issues after they bought Xantrex that many people weren't happy with. Poor support (compared to what Xantrex used to be). They changed the firmware in the inverter to make it a 6848 without changing one single component in the chassis, and just updated the duty cycles compared to what the XW6048 is. I don't know how they managed to do it, but they screwed up the firmware update. We got tricked into buying their ComBox, which allowed firmware updates without the old gateway. Thankfully, since our 6048 was working fine I never upgraded the firmware to their buggy version. Then our ComBox quit working, but they discontinued that and went with Insight Home (or whatever they call it). No way we were gonna spend another $400 on that and since we had a SCP anyway I just threw the bricked ComBox in the garbage.
So yeah, they had their share of problems after buying Xantrex. Hopefully they got it all in one pile now but I've heard their SW-series inverters have a high failure rate. The original Xantrex SW-series was designed by the guys at Trace (who later started up Midnite Solar). Those old Trace/SW inverters are regarded far and wide as one of the best off-grid inverters ever built by the human race, and there's many of them still in use after 30 years. Those are the same guys that designed the original XW before they left Xantrex and started up Midnite Solar. So the XW is not actually a Schneider Electric design.
what was the problem i am having a connection problem when the grid is connected keeps connecting an disconnecting
I haven't had that problem yet. How long does it stay connected for? Have you checked the AC1 and charging amp settings?
It will be connected for days then all off a sudden one of the inverters will stay connected an the next will be dropping the connection on an off i just did a update on one of the sites today will run some test tomorrow an see what happens
@@bugzy2426 weird. I'd check all of your connections too.
Trust me i did only the pros do it all off the ones i have installed had the power company come out an make sure the Power coming was good an still do it
Xw pro lost lcd and on the conext scp lcd. Any ideas? Tech support is still slacking
Is the XW still running? If it shut down, that would do it. As far as tech support goes, they may be be off for a few days or short staffed during the holidays like the rest of us. They've been good recently though.
@@benssolarandbattery can hear the inverter running when i turn the dc breaker on. Voltage present at inverter lugs . No lcds tho. Only the midnite classic mppt has lcd.. could this be a xanbus issue? Although the bts seems to work.
A little context here is PEG solar went bankrupt few years back which originally installed it. Customer has had a terrible time and bought new batteries and had my company install them @ crown supplied values. And schneider electricngot a very detailed list of voltages and values with pictures, only to tell me to take a video of me doing it.. im jumping threw hoops it seams on a discontinued xw from 2015
I had the XW my sister had the WXPro and the biggest issues I found is the was updating to combox(s) and the major one is the battery cutoff limit maximum is 48v, why on earth would you want to pull your lead batteries to exactly 48v, especially if the device is not calibrated correctly. Also with Lithium 16cell LiFep04 are a nominal 52.*v, they really need to fix this cutoff limit issue
I brought that up with one of their applications engineers and he agreed. Hopefully it will be sorted out soon.
Hi Ben where is the part 2 ??
ruclips.net/video/z3U_Y0DIqZw/видео.html
You got customer service to respond! 😃
Sry Ben, I may have missed it; what's the max Voc for the charge controllers PV input? Might you also know the max gauge wire accepted on the mppt taps as well? I'll have a longgg run on an up-coming project 🤔 this might be the way to go?? Again forgive me if I missed this in the video.? As always 🙏 thanks for the video!
I believe max voltage is 600v. I'll have to double check the wire sizes... thanks for watching!
Yes, it is 600 volts for up to 10 panels in series which can be run with a minimum gage of 12awg and 15a breaker but 10awg are preferred or 8awg for long runs.
@@neliosamch3195 Sweet! This could work for the project 🌄 thank you!
@@meganwinters5163 If you buy only the MPPT you will need the Conext-SCP for setting it up otherwise the factory setting may not be the best for your batteries.
@@neliosamch3195 thank you again, so very much appreciated 👍
Hi Ben, I appreciate your honest evaluations. I installed the XWPro in an AC coupled configuration. One question, when the XW is charging or discharging the battery, mine has a rather loud humming noise. Loud enough to hear it through the wall from the garage to the house. Would you think this is normal?
I can hear mine through my garage wall too... I think it's normal?
Hey Ben, could you try it with AC coupling too? I’m really interesting in its AC coupling with grid-tie inverters.
I have the sw 4048 it works fine for ac coupling & solar edge . I think i have vids of me ac coupling with both of my mini splits going.
Yes, I will be AC coupling with it as well.
@@benssolarandbattery I wouldn't mind knowing your settings you use on your xw pro with the ac couple . I have about 5 kw but have to set my solar edge down when I ac couple my sw4048. Due to the grid forming inverter being a little to small
I have been installing Schneider XW inverters and charge controllers for 11 years here in Australia don't have any problems you just have to know how to set them up and understand there software...
The contact from Schneider and the Sol-ark 12 tripping out were the deciding factors for going with this Schneider equipment?
How is it still holding up for you?
The Schneider has been doing really well. Haven't shut it down yet! The interface is clunky and sometimes you have to hit save multiple times to get it to save, but overall it's a much more solid inverter than Sol-Ark. Still no functional grid tied self-consumption mode, hopefully soon.
Looking forward to this .
Keep us posted on results! I really like them on paper with transformer and creaz picks spec. Would be nice if they work :)
Is that a Schneider girdle too?
Hahaha! They should make those! I was attempting to not destroy my back...
@@benssolarandbattery You keep at that job and eventually you'll find yourself trying to figure out how to get socks on w/o bending over! Had a pole barn business in my 20's and 30's until I got smart..finished my degree at RPI and got a desk job in my old age..I still think age 36 was too late to get out of the trades because I still have disc issues in my back.Be careful..plan and think about your future health!
Interesting... I'm looking for an inverter to add batteries too my existing enphase microinverter system. (yes, they make a battery no thanks, for so many reasons) So far the Sol Ark 15K looks like the best fit (but that price tag, yikes!), but I'm curious if Schneider has fixed their issues.
Hi Erica, I'm totally with you on the enphase battery. Cool tech, not there yet. I'm sure the 15k is great and checks all of the boxes but I have yet to install one. Install is surely simpler than Schneider. Schneider is still a very complicated product, but their tech support has improved by leaps and bounds along with their firmware.
@@benssolarandbattery For me, it's not about the tech with the enphase battery. Enphase dropped an update for their comms gateway that all but removed local access for those of us using home automation to control loads. It was a massive breach of trust. I spoke to their Chief network security officer, top engineer, and another of the top brass a few months ago. So far, they have not regained that trust. The second issue, and biggest deal-breaker for me, is the inverter being part of the battery. You size the inverter to your largest instantaneous load, and the batteries are sized for how long you need to carry that load. I live in NE Ohio, literally the 5th cloudiest place east of the Mississippi. I need a decent size inverter, but the biggest battery bank that is allowed by NFPA and my local AHJ. That just isn't possible with any of the all-in-one-box battery/inverter solutions.
"it just had to sit there and do nothing......and it couldn't do that" I actually laughed out loud
Yes hook up Generator. To see how it works
HOWdy B-S&B, ...
Thanks for the SCHNEIDER UPdate ...
Nice use / applications of FERRULES ...
SUGGESTION: have you ever considered applying Heat-Shrink Tubing to the SHAFTS of your Screw-Drivers ? ( the kind with the GLUE / ADHESIVE coating inside ? ) ...
ALUMINUM vs COPPER Wire = I hope you chose COPPER ( as an investment for the FUTURE / & / L O N G RUN ) ...
COOP
the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA
...
Ben put that inverter to the test max it out I heard bad review on them lets see if it smokes 😂 impress me 🤘🤘🤘
Ben, next time set this up for getting money through stickers, etc.
I'll have to look up what you mean. I'm not well versed in this RUclips thing yet... thanks Craig!
From Schneider to Sol-Ark to Schneider.
HEY BEN, NOW THAT YOU HAVE REVERTED BACK TO SCHNEIDER ARE GOING TO SELL YOUR SOL-ARK 12k OR TRYOUT THE NEW 15k?
Haven't decided yet. I should have the Schneider up and running soon for testing.
Ive had so many xantrex products fail when Schneider bought them I was done. Outback all the way
Boy this system is huge, I prefer Victron! My system works efficiently and without any problems.
@@OldManLawrence
I haven’t used a split phase on mine. This is my first build and it’s pretty simple. PV panels, Victron charge controllers, Battle Born Batteries, Victron inverter that goes to the grid panel. Connecting to the panel was over my head since this was my first system, and I barely understood putting it together. So I had an electrician connect to the panel.
He had to completely rebuild my panel because it was a fire hazard, so many wires going everywhere in old fuses that were dangerous. Open ended wires that led nowhere.
So when he rebuilt it, he just added two 50 amp breakers for solar connection. Using a small little shifter, so you couldn’t turn on the grid or you had to turn off the solar breakers in order to get the grid back on. In other words it was a switch that made sure you couldn’t make a mistake.
Like I said when I first started I really didn’t know what I was doing, I just knew I wanted good components because I knew I didn’t know enough to fix a lot of issues that might come up.
Mine is a 24 V system, which should be 48 V for a house. It’s probably a good thing it was 24 V, because I shocked myself numerous times. Always make sure you insulate your ground wires while using tools. 😜
I figure I’ll eventually upgrade to 48V when I get the money.
Where are these inverters made: china, germany, us, ???
Ben, I appreciate your approach to reviewing things. One recommendation/request, though. Your audio is very low when you're on camera as opposed to when you're behind the camera. It's also much lower than the ads that come up. I'm sure there's a way to use an airpod or similar earbud with microphone so your audio stays at a higher level. Sorry to nitpick. Love your stuff. Thanks for what you do!
Thanks for the feedback! I'm looking into a good mic to keep it consistent.
I would have hoped the TRACE ethics were inherited by Schneide. i have had one failure in 40 years. A new design TRACE 4024 I had went up in smoke and small flames one evening. I called TRACE. My issue tied in with other reports. Trace overnighted me a new 4024, and service bulletins went out to all 4024 owners. Do not let generator run out of gas and surge with higher voltage. this had not been an issue for other TRACE units, and letting generators run out of fuel was common with the then total off grid folks.
I know Schneider product is good the company will not put out a product that is not just locking customers services and listening to there customers and now they seems to be doing just that. Am look forward to see a better company.
They've definitely improved significantly in the last year. Like you can call them and they answer the phone immediately!
The fact that they make you buy multiple products at high cost is problematic. Why cant they just create a complete solution? PDP is a metal box with breakers amd busbars. Just PUT IT IN THE unit and raise the price just a bit.
This kind of video semi- redeems themselves, one still wonders if I have problems, do I need to curate a youtube channel,get subs, make a video then re-install the original system that failed with the compensating replacement? It's the information age, but it's also the filtering age.
Unfortunately, that kind of approach does seem to garner more attention than the alternative...
I used to work for Schneider. They boght my company out and completely destroyed our company. Not a fan of Schneider anymore. I found them to be very unethical in the way they ran. Their service is attrocious, as that was where I got put into after they desolved our service organization. They believe that 70% is good enough.
Sorry to hear that. What company was that?
Ben if you don’t like it. I will trade u my 12kw inverter Growatt.
Would be willing to hear more about how this turned out for you. My wife and I are going fully off grid in Northern Nevada and we are considering two XW PRO's for the reasons presented in this video by Dean Abney - ruclips.net/video/-Ez4cbuy7IQ/видео.html
I'd highly recommend them for fully off grid DC coupled systems. The last few I've done have used them and are working well. The system I removed was an older one that was on grid AC coupled for backup only. Pair that with an early Evault, and it was glitchy at best.
@@benssolarandbattery sorry, Ben - I didn't see your response back to me. Hope You are doing great!
Yes, cheaper then sol ack and I hear better also.
Only slightly cheaper if you get one comparable to a Sol-Ark 12k. That is including 2 charge controllers, the Mini PDP, Gateway, Breakers and AGS. Retail Sol-Ark is around $6900, that setup would be around $6500. I'm hoping better.
thanks ben