My install was finished a week ago. (16.7kW solar into a Sol-Ark 15k) Been cloudy every day since but thanks to investing in panels instead of batteries I'm still generating more than I use as long as I watch the loads. EG4 now supports a Sol-Ark compatible CANbus protocol so not too worried about them not being an "official" battery partner. Heck, my installer quoted a Rubix battery for the 15k (10kWh for $10k) I passed but that had nothing to do with Rubix not being an official partner with Sol-Ark. I'd rather put $7k into more panels and spend less than $3k for a pair of LL's. I'm in PA and found shopsolarkits in NY will ship the LL's free. Once again, thanks for the helpful info.
Pretty good! I’m an old electronics engineer with a little construction and wiring experience. So tired of uninformative videos from ignorant people. Your’s is very refreshing because you know what you are talking about and don’t waste time. Thanks! I am currently struggling with a ground mount in a high wind area with poor soil AND restrictive codes. It’s either Iron-ridge(with deep holes) or the ballast plastic ground mount you show. I’d need twice as many as you, but it may be a labor saver.
This is awesome! One downside of the plastic rack mount system though is it’ll prevent Bifacial solar panel gains. It is a really interesting method of getting panels down easily though..
100% of my paycheck has been high-end battery based solar systems for 26 years now. (Flooded lead acid batteries in my early days!) So refreshing to see an intelligent discussion as well as a relatively basic, yet very hardy design. Super good job!
I have pretty much the same setup as yours, just with less solar and I am using the Lifepower4 batteries instead of the LL4's. I can verify that the Lifepower4 can do closed loop with the SolArk 15k, if you use the EG4 Communication Hub. I have been using it for a year now, and it works flawlessly. I was in the same boat as you, in that when I put my system in, the 18kPV wasn't available yet, and the 15k was the best choice, but after working with SolArk support, I think I would still go with the 15k. I have installed an 18kPV with the EG4 wall mount power pro battery for a neighbor, and it is a nice setup as well.
Great vid. Last year, we put the EG4 18Kpv with a 60KWH EG4 battery bank in our suburban home, which is also in Texas. No issues with any of the equipment and no issues with Signature Solar customer service. Definitely recommend the xfer switch... We opted NOT to install arrays and simply use Reliant Energy's Free Night Plan (there are others). We charge at night, and run the from the batteries during the day. Reliant's plan claims to be 100% green. We still use a NG generator when the grid goes down completely for an extended period (Hurricane Beryl) to charge the batteries/run the house, only because installing arrays to cover this case was way more expensive. System will pay for itself in 6.5 years from activation - just based on electrical bill reduction/avoidance.
I've found that the expense isn't the panels themselves, it's the mounting and install! I just picked up 23kw worth of panels (60x 385w panels) for $2100 total! Just basic brackets though easily doubles that and then panel install triples just in labor! Wiring supplies is quad, and misc is times 5! And that's not including controllers, inverters and all that jazz! I'll be building my brackets and installing them myself, same for wiring it all. I'm also going to be building my batteries I'm pretty sure.
I am in Mesa, AZ. I installed the Sol-Ark 15K w/60KW EG4 and 9KW of solar panels. I need more solar panels, which I am in the process of procuring. I spoke with EG4 and Sol-Ark about the close-loop communication with the battery. Sol-Ark stated that the EG4 communication (CAN buss) works, until it doesn't, so they stated that if I have a problem and they see that I have the EG4 batteries in close-loop communication, they will void the warrenty. Hmmm.. well my contractor along with the large utility company (Salt River Project (SRP)) designed and installed my batteries using close-loop communication. It has been a year and I have had no problems. I will say that I have a heat pump A/C for my garage so as to keep the summer temperature at or below 90 degrees F. (usually 84F) I decide to not remove the close-loop communication... I was tempted to trade in my Sol-Ark for the EG4 18K for $1000, but I found that the EG4 inverter does not handle my Time Of Use needs, or at least it is not easily configured if it even possible. So I will stay with the Sol-Ark.
great set up.. for my single person house hold... with no 240 ac loads. redundant 2 inverter system .. each leg is always less than 20 amp draw... fridge/ infotainment is separate leg from toaster/ kitchen /lighting stuff. 2 inverters each with outboard mppt victron { real nice monitor app and Bluetooth ota upgrades } 2 different EG4 batts.. 12 surplus panels.{free!} getting close to 3 grand in parts. all diy... smiling sparky ..off grid all summer in the city... everyone needs/wants a battery!
UNPLUGED TEXAN, WE ENJOY WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS! 1. I AGREE, WE HAVE THE GE 200 AMP TRANSFER SWITCH. 2. IT IS IMPERATIVE TO FIRST DESIGN ANYTHING WITH THE EASE OF MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS. 3. THE SOL-ARK 15K DOES 19.5K D.C. PV & 19.2K A.C. PV FROM MICRO INVERTERS ALL AT THE SAME TIME , SO YOU CAN ALMOST DOUBLE YOUR FREE SOLAR PV INPUT POWER IF YOU HAVE THE SPACE & REGULATORY APPROVAL! 4. I AGREE THAT THE COST FOR CANBUS INTEGRATION BATTERIES 🔋 TO SOL-ARK INVERTERS ARE TWICE THE PRICE & EG4 BATTERIES 🔋 ARE PRICED FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON. I GUESS THAT IS WHY THEY ARE VERY POPULAR & HAVE VERY HIGH SALES TURNOVER! 5. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!
Great job from your part! Well done. We love your videos follow your content almost from the beginning. 😊 We use our DIY system exactly one year now. Very similar to yours. Good journey. Getting a lot of experiences how to manage daily. 17,760W solar array, two 15K Sol-Ark Inverters with two Big Battery 48V KONG Elit Max 19kwh×2 battery banks. We are all electric in the house with a 4t AC unit and a 1.5hp well pump in the garden. All electric needs are covered with good management. Winter time is harder tho when we have less daylight (FL) and the heating is on. Our latest and hopefully last project to complete this solar system is an EMP Shield system against thunder striking. We are waiting any day now the electrician to come and set us up. 😃
Great job explaining your setup, what it's designed to do, and how it's done. Sharing the transfer switch information will be helpful to many in my opinion. We sure love those EG4 LL batteries, and 18Kpv! Great job!
Ha, nearly my exact same setup. 15K, 14K worth of panels and a single EG4 battery, set it up myself and I've had it for about a year and a half! Only difference is my setup is utility then panel and inverter off that. Didn't have an extra $7K to rewire everything. Great video!!
The only advantage to closed loop is better balancing because the inverter will hold the absorbing voltage till that’s done. The problem with this is higher voltage for an extended period of time is not conducive for battery life especially if the other batteries don’t need it. Open loop works fine if the batteries have a bms with a “active” balancer having sufficient balancing current for the cell size. Whether or not you run open or closed loop batteries, it’s best if they are equipped with active balancing to reduce the time at absorb voltage levels for ultimate battery longevity/cycles. Passive balancers can spend many hours trying to balance versus an active balancer can do in minutes.
Good video. I went with a 100a Siemens three pole double throw transfer switch and have not regretted it a minute. I'm looking at upgrading to EG4 18kpv inverters and appreciate your information comparing it to the SolArk 15k. I already have 12 of the EG4 batteries so that's a factor too, as you also mentioned. I hope Signature Solar steps up their customer service. Current Connected does pretty well on that front. Anyway, thanks for the info and your experience!
@@tinysparky The maximum output on my current inverters is 60a. If I go with 2 of the EG4 18kPV which would put me at 100a with a surge capacity above that. Your Sol-Ark output is about 50a also, isn't it? In my case I built out a separate panel for solar and it's also a 100a panel. I have Mitsubishi HVAC which really cuts down on the amp draw as well as surge. I'm running 5.5 tons of AC, 5 freezers, 2 fridges, all the kitchen appliances, all the lights, and most of the outlet circuits in the house. The highest surge I've ever seen was 9kw and most days it barely gets over 5kw, so for me 100a is more than enough. I'm not advising any of your viewers on how to build their system - just sharing how I built mine.
Great timing. I'm a few weeks away from my install, 16.7kW solar into a Sol-Ark 15k. Fortunately my installer suggested the transfer switch, which I immediately agreed with. My panels are going on the roof so no worries there. My state still has net metering and power outages are rare (knock wood) so I'm forgoing batteries at this stage. Probably start adding EG4's next year.
@@Dan-nj8du I highly recommend having at least 1 5kwh battery hooked up. It would only cost around $1,500 and you can install that yourself. Then in a grid down situation you’ll be able to run your home without issue on solar during the day, and at night you could at least run a few lights and 1 or 2 fridges overnight.
@@unpluggedtexan Thanks for the feedback. I was planning to add the first 5kw battery shortly after the install. I just wanted the installer to handle the parts of the job I couldn't (didn't want to) do. Sol-Ark's battery agnostic feature is what drew me to them and I have an old 24u server rack from my IT days that I was planning to populate. Although... I just spotted EG4's new WallMount Indoor 14.3kWh battery for $3299. Hmmmm.....
Ruixu Batteries are the same price as EG4, but the Closed Loop works great with Sol-Ark over RS485. Either 50KwH Cabinet Rack or 16KwH wallMount. They work great!
Nice video. Very informative. I have several manual transfer switches. One that transfers from grid or the generator receptical that I plug my Ford lightning into when I'm powering from that. Another manual transfer that switches from my 11 kw generac or Grid/Ford power. Another that switches between Grid/Ford power and Inverter output. Transfer switches are really nice to have, and I prefer manual over automatic.
I have basically the same setup with the eg4 18k. 17kw panels and 40kw lp4 batteries. I charge my work car (sales) run the house and it automatically switches to grid power at 20%. I love being able to use big strings of panels on this system. I bought pallets of commercial grade left over panels from solar farm installations. I do the firmware updates at night before I go to bed. But working on the system I’m able to isolate the batteries without shutting down power to the inverter/house.
Nice. Thanks for sharing. More information is not necessarily better. Running eg4 batteries without communication with the 6500ex is best from what I am seeing.
All good points, but the Transfer Switch idea is the real winner! If you're shy on solar power for whatever reason, you could switch a few circuits over to the grid, as needed.
I did just upgrade to another 30KWh’ of the EG4 48v LL for 60KWh’s. I drilled one hole for each mount but I built dual axis trackers and have four trackers that each hold 4,000 watts of panels. The EG4 15K has a built in transfer switch, I just upgraded from the 6500es EG4 inverters to dual 6,000 EX EG4. My other system down in Dei Rio has the Growatt 12k transformer inverter and the Gyll batteries which is now EG4 batteries and the system has been running for 4 years now. I am in Central Texas and also the Del Rio area of texas so I feel your pain when it comes to rocky ground.
Great info, another thing I like about Solark is they offer EMP protection, that might be a needed thing in the days to come. I like those plastic mounts, might consider those for future install.
What is the all of a sudden fascination with EMP protection? It's BY FAR the biggest gimmick out right now! It's extremely sad to see how much they are taking people for too!
Thanks for sharing. My experience with inverter and battery as you mentioned is the comm of the invertir and Lithium battery. I installed my system about 2007 and there's no many choice for inverter and the company that I choose used the Schneider xw5548 inverter. At that time my battery bank were AGM 125 A. About two years ago I changed to BCT 20K Lithium battery.. But I was unable to communicate very well with inverter.... So I may change in the near future for a new and Moré powerful invertir.
Great video. Thanks for the update. Subscribed! My only concern about those plastic ballast mounts is they don't support full size panels. and they aren't all that inexpensive.
Nice vid! One change I would suggest is if you add a transfer switch to have it on the input to the main panel and switching between the outputs of the inverter and meter. Placing it where you suggested (on the input of the inverter) risks backfeeding the AC output of the inverter with grid power when attempting to bypass the inverter. The Sol Ark may be tolerant of this (not sure, don’t own one) but most inverters are not.
I run on solar and still have the grid as a backup because it's cheaper than running my 11 kw generac. But instead of all that, I use my Ford lightnings 131 kwh battery as my backup if I get several cloudy days. Then, when the sun finally comes back out, i charge my truck with my solar system. And since I can only charge it at 7 kw an hour, it sometimes takes me several sunny days to get it back to a 90% SOC. But that's never been a problem yet. Currently, I have 13 kw of solar panels & and about 24 kwh of lipo4 batteries. 3 - 4400 watt magnum inverters that power my home and a 10 kw PowerMr that is strictly used to run my EV truck cgarger. 3 - 80 amp outback solar charge controllers. Currently not using the 2 - 100 amp solar charge controllers that are built into the PowerMr. Getting ready to add another 5 kwh of batteries. After a good sunny day charge, I usually end up with at least a 50% SOC before the sun comes up in the morning. I also use excess solar to power a 40-gallon water heater that I use as a pre-heater for my 40-gallon propane water heater.
Thanks for the video. I'm running basically the same setup but I'm using the EG4 communication hub between EG4 batteries and the sol-ark 15K which gives me the closed loop communication.
That's a really good question. I went with the EG4 Lifepower4 batteries due to price and the communications hub gave me the ability to get some of the data back to the inverter. But my guess is that it averages the information that it sends back. The display on the hub shows a lot of information on each battery. Also since they call it the lifepower4 communications hub I'm doubtful it'll work for everything. But maybe someone has more information?
That is great! A couple of months ago I called the Sol-Ark Engineering Support, they were very clear, and strongly suggested to not use EG4 batteries in closed loop comms.
Well done. Other differences: the 18Kpv is a 12kWh inverter, vs the Sol-Ark, which is a 15kWh inverter. The 18Kpv's max AC output current is 50A, vs 62.5A for the Sol-Ark.
Don't forget you can drill into rock and epoxy. Or. And I use these a lot. Concrete ballast blocks and curbs. These are often available from local concrete companies where they take waste concrete and pour into molds. Super cheap. And metal racking isn't much more expensive than other choices but it sure holds up better.
New subscriber. I have plans to build an off grid home on recently purchased property. If for no other reason, the location of the house site is isolated enough from utilities that an off grid system should be much less onerous cost wise.
1. You mean bypass switch not transfer switch. Issue with Sol-Ark is split phase balancing, I believe with the 15K model you limited to about 7.5K per split phase. if one of the halves exceeds 7.5K the inverter will shutdown. I would recommend using 2 or more breaker panels for grid tie use: One breaker panel for your high load circuits that is dedicated to the Grid: Electric Dryer, Central Air, Hot water heater (if electric). And a second panel for everything else that is powered through the inverter (Critical Loads panel): lights, outlets, etc). have the Grid breaker power feed into the Sol-Ark inverter for grid-tie, and a bypass switch between the inverter and the critical loads panel so you can bypass the inverter for maintanence or repair. Add your generator to the grid tie panel using a tranfer switch so you can also run your non critical loads, which can also feed power to the inverter. This will provide the most flexablity If your building a new home, i recommend creating lots of circuits (one for each room). This will allow you to isolate rooms for electrical maintanence work, and allow you to better balance split phase loads so you don't exceed the inverter limit for each phase.
No, with a transfer switch you can completely disconnect the inverters to run you home on grid power. That way you can do a firmware update or (like I did) completely remove the inverters to upgrade to better ones.
Nice video. Instead of an expensive transfer switch, I added two panels, one connects to inverter input and the other to the output and back to my origianal what was my main bonded panel. My bonded panel now is on the first panel connected to the grid meter input.. Then one panel has a 240V pass through CB to CB so everything is isolated.
Installing a GE TC10324 from Home Depot when I do my tie in next month... a single switch and it isn't THAT expensive (~$500 at HD with their veterans discount)
The one thing I'd say for anyone using solar + battery is that you want to split your array into thirds to maximize early morning and late afternoon generation over peak generation mid day. Having east and west tilted panels matters because it extends the hours that you're producing vs consuming which is more important than being able to produce massive power in the middle of the day.
I have tracking panels. Probably cheaper just get more panels, but tracking takes up less room on the ground. I would discourage anyone from putting panels on the roof
First: I thought an _automatic_ transfer switch was a technical requirement for a grid-tie/hybrid system. Else you'd be back-feeding the whole neighborhood until you can throw the manual switch. Second: Those buckets seem like the wrong design for most people. My first thought was they are too low for anyone with livestock. What's gonna keep some large farm-yard critter from sitting on a panel? And then the fixed 25° angle seems optimized for summer production--when (because of the shorter hours) optimization for winter production is the better plan. Also the low angle collects more dirt, doesn't shed snow, etc. The design is clearly optimized for production cost, not usability. Your wooden racks blow away the plastic buckets. Other than those two points, awesome video. Awesome to see solar working so well.
The Sol-Ark has an auto switch but what he is wanting to do is bypass the solark so when he has to do a firmware update or work on the solark his house still has power…so he can isolate the solark.
Any grid tie inverter that meets code requirements for backfeeding will automatically disconnect upon loss of grid power, no transfer switch is actually required for that part. A transfer switch may be required in some applications to continue powering your home without backfeeding the grid.
@@coryvincent6249 Exactly, for ordinary grid-tie without batteries. Surprises naïve system purchasers who believe they have power when the grid goes out. Either some salesmen don't know what they're selling, or they imply it works (or outright lie) to make a sale. There's a "funky" setup I've seen on older pure grid-tie systems, where power is fed into the breaker panel through a 2-pole breaker. Ordinary breaker panels are rated for some overage (20 or 30%) but not double. That is a 200A panel cannot take a 200A feed from the power company (big breaker on top) _and_ a 100A feed from your solar system (via a 2-pole breaker down in amongst the other breakers) _at the same time._ (Illegal, but probably never, ever cause a real problem... see last paragraph.) If you want a big enough solar system (with batteries) to essentially be off grid, using the power company as back-up for cloudy days, use a hybrid inverter and transfer switch. It makes sense that some of the newer hybrid inverters contain their own transfer switch. This would require feeding grid power directly into the all-in-one inverter, then the a-i-o inverter connects to the big breaker on the breaker panel. How much power do we really need? Usually peak demand is well below the 200A service commonly put in new homes. Super (if long) video on this: ruclips.net/video/x0w2-lmCfDA/видео.html
They always say to point solar panels due south. I've found what works best for me was two arrays pointing south, one array pointing east, 3 - 300 watt panels to the west and another 9 - 300 watt panels pointing south. My 15 - 320 watt panels pointing east normally have my batteries fully charged by 11 am or earlier. The rest of the day is used to charge my Ford lightning, heat my domestic water and charge my Ecoflow solar generators.
instead of a transfer panel, I just added a generator interlock kit to my load center. $15 to $50 off amazon they have them for most panels, it's just your load center must have a main breaker.
11:05 ... "now signature solar, they have pretty good customer service" ... Apparently you must have a special number you're calling because for the rest of us SS has the worst customer service of any company i/we have ever worked with ... they never answer their phone, or emails, and they usually have to call the actual manufacturer several time zones away to get info ... SOLARK- has been the best company hands down I have ever worked with. As for the plastic tub mounts its a great idea but when we tried to order they did not fit our larger panels.
@@ghostwriter6699 that has not been my experience with SS at all. They even have people monitoring Facebook pages to help with any issues on products they’ve sold. Sol-Ark was the best a year ago, they’ve been struggling lately with the botched rollout of their app 5 months ago that still isn’t working as good as the old PV Pro. They’ve also continued to try and screw EG4 battery users. While I love Sol-Ark and am very happy with the hardware, they’ve not met my expectations over the last 5 months.
I'm currently installing a system myself as well, and my experience with EG4 was the opposite of yours... I have had multiple discussions with their tech support group about my 18Kpv... FWIW, Signature Solar is owned by EG4's parent company, so they work pretty much hand in hand. And from what they told me, they started Signature Solar to give DIYers an option to using HIGHLY disreputable solar installation companies.
@@icemaniiscott wow, that has not been my experience with them at all. And I’ve been using them for over 2 years now for equipment. I’ve had only good experiences thus far.
USA Sol-Ark | UK SunSynk | EU Deye | India Nitrox - all the same but delivered for differ market :) Very good devices. Remember to protect it by DC MCCB.
@@jws3925 they can stack a lot of them on one pallet to make the shipping more efficient. Not sure on the cost. Depends on weight and where they’re shipping to.
I was paranoid about putting all of my eggs in one basket. For example, if your Sol-Ark fails, you've got nothing working. In my case I went with four separate MPPT regulators, three 5KVA inverters working in parallel, four separate solar arrays and 10 individual 3.4kWh batteries (which talk nicely to the MPPTs and the inverters.) The only point of failure I have is if one inverter fails, I will lose all three, but it's about a 10 minute job to reconfigure the remaining two to work at a reduced available output. My system is off-grid, so I have no grid power to fall back on, nor do I have a backup generator, meaning that built-in redundancy was a no-brainer for me.
I got a 5kw for dirty loads and 1.5k/3kw for critical loads. Thinking of doing separate 24v system for critical loads with charger timer off main array. Same with RV have separate 12v system from 24v 120v ac system. Refundacy is key in life
@@D-Khaz I'd rather have more points of failure than a single point of failure. In my case three inverters and four MPPT regulators would have to fail before I was in trouble. That's the whole concept of redundancy. If one item fails I have time to replace it and still have a working service.This is a major consideration when off-grid. I don't have the grid as a backup.
Respectfully, a problem with this argument is that larger interconnection points can take harder hits than smaller ones. So for example, two 8kW inverters would be more reliable than three 5kW inverters, while still providing redundancy. And then, without a backup generator, you have another weakness regardless of redunancy. So a single 15kW inverter with a generator is more resilient and as redundant as three 5kW inverters, for a similar budget all things considered (including costs to wire those inverters together).
Well done presentation. I am surprised SolArk doesn't have a feature which allows changes to the system without a full disconnect. And, did they not maybe inquire on presence of a transfer switch if it was needed for updating theirs and other equipment?
@@user-tv5dt3nm9y sol-ark claims you don’t need a transfer switch. Which is true, you don’t. But it’s nice to have for updates and any changes to your system you want to make.
i have a bunker under ground and i have 418kwhr of lifepo4 eve grade A 314Ah cells. I have 3x 6000xp EG4's in the bunker (3phase for CNC machines) and 1x 18kpv in the house. my battery bank is self built in it's own room in the bunker apx the size of a 40ft shipping container at the far end is a 16Kw gen set it is tri-fuel NG-LPG-Gas and a 2nd 12kw diesel with a 1000gal tank in the floor it has 2 bulkheads to the battery room with room for 40 banks of 16S (currently has 26 banks installed) in a small off set room is the inverters. 2 bulkheads isolate those rooms from living space. and the air handlers are on the other side of the bunker the bunker has 3 levels and a total of 5900sqft the top most level is 1/2 garage 1/2 hydroponics the 2nd is the largest with 2300sq ft of living space and the 3rd is small mostly back up supplies access to the well, water storage heating and filtration system also a 50ftlong 8ft tall 6ft wide gun range with an escape hatch at the end. i got an abandon open pit mine. made the bottom flat and level drilled a well and built a steel bunker in the hole piece by piece and back filled it than put a steel building and a 1300sq ft home on top
you said that you would have installed a transfer switch, with that in mind does that mean that you would not have needed the grid disconnect switch above the transfer switch in your drawing ??
If your going to spend that much money I would have just done a permitted grid tied system with an interconnect agreement. The ROI on building a system big enough to go 100% off grid doesn't work out if you use lot of power your having to build a giant system to power those loads 24/7. If you blend it with grid power to the point where you save money but reduce 2/3rd of the power from the grid your ROI is shorter. What I'm doing is I built a non permitted portable system using a generator transfer switch pro/trans2 made by reliance controls. This way I can off grid circuits that I know run 24/7 not pulling tons of power like stoves, electric driers, AC units but loads that take lot of power over 24 hours. That savings adds up I built a 4500 watt system for about $5000.
I am planning on doing solar but not sure how big I should plan for and how much battery to match my arrays. How long does it take your 19kw solar panels array to charge you 30kwh battery bank? Also how many kWh do you use a day? I use an average of 109kWh per day. Great video
@@diyadventures9138 in the summer I use about 100 kwh’s per day. The rest of the year only around 40-70 kwh’s. In the summer my batteries are charged by 1pm, the rest of the year they are charged by around 11am.
@@diyadventures9138 yeah it lasts all night except for a few hours when it’s over 105 degrees during the day and it stays hot over night. Then I use between $0.20 to $1.00 of electricity from 5am-7am
Thanks for the video! Definitely a manual transfer switch adds a ton of flexibility to your install for a couple hundred bucks. I have a 200A GE manual TS (The Frankenstein switch as my wife call it). About close loop communication, I don't think you're missing much. I have an EG4 18Kpv and the same batteries as you have (6x EG4 LL), I have a huge problem with SOC discrepancy, causing my system to go down if the main battery goes to 0% and shuts down, while the average of the 6 batteries is around 7-10%. That bring down the whole battery rack as the BMS in the main battery shuts off and stops communicating with the inverter. I'm thinking of changing my inverter settings to "by Voltage" charging instead of SOC via closed loop. I'm wondering what's the voltage range you're using for charging? Does the state of charge shows the same percentage on the individual battery modules? Thanks!!
My parents have a house with the same situation it seems. Where the main power from the grid comes into the “pump house” that is not connected to the main house (on a 200A panel) then feeds from that to another 200A panel to the main house. Is there a way I can email you/contact you to explain my complications? Anyways love watching your videos! Might be a good video for your channel that we can do together to show average people can do it themselves and save tons of money. Again, thanks for all your videos! -Brad
I’m looking to do the same system as you. QUESTION, you wanted to place a double throw switch between the grid and inverter; how do you prevent a live line (back feed) between the main panel and the loadside of the inverter?
I think I will end up with a system this size and completely off grid, so I would have a back up gen set. However, I am also building a house so I would rather not invest that much until I see that I can get the house completed and finished. Labor and materials are difficult to estimate these days. So, would I be better to go this route right off the bat, or would a scale-able system with multiple inverters and adding panels and batteries once I'm in the house and have a better idea of how much power I'll need/use? Is there any disadvantage to going with a scale-able system?
@@jimw3799 some claim if you add batteries down the road that they won’t work as efficiently together, with the older batteries dragging down the newer ones. I’m sure there’s some truth to that. But better to at least get started and have something you can depend on, even if it’s not enough just yet. Than try and wait for the perfect scenario that never arrives.
@@SummerFlies correct. The 6000xp wasn’t released yet when I did my install. Also I’m a HUGE fan of the 200amp pass through that both the Sol-Ark 15k and EG4 18K PV have. This way I don’t need to use a critical loads panel. My inverter feeds my entire 200amp residential home electrical panel into the main feeds like where the grid feeds would go.
Hey fellow Texan! Question for you, If I have 400amps (2 x 200 disconnect) Can I put 1 inverter on one leg and it supply both legs and allow back feed to grid? Bluebonnet is my provider.
A think that is relatively disappointing is the size of the panels that the PowerField PowerRack | Solar Module Mounting Rack can take ... MOST of the panels we put out in the field are approx 68x44 ... and thats pretty much a standard size now for 395's - and higher ... The most that these Module racks can take is 37.8" to 41.3" MIN/MAX of Module. If they only made a larger one they be sitting on gold ....
IntegraRack makes a metal frame that you pile gravel on for ballast, then you mount regular rails for any size panels; I'm not sure what the cost comparison is on it but I thought it was a good solution for the right situation
Have you ever monitored the grid a/c frequency? If so, what does your GTI (grid tied inverter) do when the frequency exceeds 61.0 hz? Does GTI reduce power output forcing you to buy grid power?
@@corbinb3992 I don’t sell back to the grid. I don’t want to deal with the power companies red tape. I’m finding ways to store or use the energy I produce.
Great video! I got hosed by solar salesman and have 19k enphase with microinverters pv system with no batteries. Still have power bill here in AZ since ac runs 24 hours with a 5 ton unit. Would this setup work ok with what I have going? Does the Solark or eg4 inverter allow you if grid is down to still us and store backup if sun is up? Or does the transfer switch you were talking about control that? Thanks again
@@stoneyleefred on Sol-Arks website you can find an installer in your area (hopefully). You should be able to AC connect your existing panels to either the Sol-Ark 15k or EG4 18k PV inverter. Then you could add batteries and have a solid grid down setup. The transfer switch is just to be able to go easily back to grid only power if you needed to power down your inverter.
@@unpluggedtexan Ok Thanks I may install myself. Really kicking myself for not doing it all like yourself. Now I am trying to dig out of a deep hole! We have peak hours here so I think batteries may help with getting through those hours or to next morning. Thanks again
See if you can help me with this scenario. Already purchased system to include a whole home NG generator. My system is fairly large for residential. I have 45 solar4america 325w panels and 2 SMA 7kW inverters. I am generating about 11kW peak /hr , 71kW peak /day. I am producing much more than I am using and feeding the grid. I want to feed batteries. Would I be best off buying an additional hybrid inverter and battery system for that? Replacing one of the inverters? What's your thought? I also get free electric from 9p- 7a so I may be able to set up to charge batteries for rainy days/winter. I live in east TX.
Did you show the transfer switch in the right place on your diagram or would it be inline of the solark and the house? please describe how the transfer switch would work be it seems like there will be a point where the grid and solar system could still overlap and allow for back feeding, but that could also be my lack of complete understanding.
@@kellywaldrep1873 it’s in the right place. But I would need another right next to my main home 200amp panel as well. I’ll end up making a video on it once I get around to installing it.
@@unpluggedtexan Thanks, good to know. You can't beat the EG4 batteries, the new indoor wall mounts are even less expensive than the LL rack mounts. Do you have any reservations running them since they aren't officially supported by sol-ark? All other batteries are so much more expensive.
Weird thing with sol-ark and this grid tie (but not selling back) is that it still draws a little power from the grid to keep voltage and frequency synced. If you have dirty grid power your house power will still fluctuate along with the grid. Not sure how to turn that off.
I was just thinking, $7000 for a SolArk is a lot, but you do need a lot of juice if you have water supply to 5 houses and running 8 fridges lol. I will be no where close to that
@@pfeliciano5976 about 10% of the time. Usually from 4am-8am when running air conditioning or heating all night. I just need to install another 10 kwh’s of batteries to only have to use the grid for multi-day storms.
I was going to ask this in your email the other day about these batteries, the EG4 PowerPro WallMount AllWeather Lithium Battery | 48V 280Ah | 14.3kWh, whether getting these instead of the rack system set up would be better? Now that I write this, the rack system with 6 batteries would take up less space than 2 wall mounts.... Anyway, what are your thoughts on the 2 systems? Again, thanks for all your videos and info!!!
@@karlitos7529 either will work great. The wall mount will be an easier install and you don’t have to buy a server rack for them. But you’ll do great with either one.
The wall mount are cheaper per kwh and take up less space if mounted next to each other. DIY flat mount is the most economical per kwh and you can RUclips some videos to learn how to do it fairly easily.
Great video Brian thank you for doing them for us. My question is since youve put this system together about how much would you say the prices have come down on the SolArk-15,and the EG-4 batteries? Just curious on that..
That is an awesome solar system. My power bill runs just over $200 monthly. With the equipment shown in this video, it would take at least 10 years for the system to pay for itself. That is my issue with solar. It takes so long to get your money back and anything can happen before that time.
@@bobdenver809 yes true. Power bills can actually skyrocket from here as well. Not to mention the grid continues to get more strained every year and seems to be more unstable. It’s hard to put a price on having power when everyone else is in a blackout.
@@unpluggedtexanPower prices may also plummet before seeing full “payback” if solar proliferates per Tony Seba’s forecast. I score it as a toss up as a pure financial play. I’ve still bought in with a battery and inverter (installing soon) for the energy independence and aa an exciting project.
My install was finished a week ago. (16.7kW solar into a Sol-Ark 15k) Been cloudy every day since but thanks to investing in panels instead of batteries I'm still generating more than I use as long as I watch the loads. EG4 now supports a Sol-Ark compatible CANbus protocol so not too worried about them not being an "official" battery partner. Heck, my installer quoted a Rubix battery for the 15k (10kWh for $10k) I passed but that had nothing to do with Rubix not being an official partner with Sol-Ark. I'd rather put $7k into more panels and spend less than $3k for a pair of LL's. I'm in PA and found shopsolarkits in NY will ship the LL's free. Once again, thanks for the helpful info.
Pretty good! I’m an old electronics engineer with a little construction and wiring experience. So tired of uninformative videos from ignorant people. Your’s is very refreshing because you know what you are talking about and don’t waste time. Thanks!
I am currently struggling with a ground mount in a high wind area with poor soil AND restrictive codes. It’s either Iron-ridge(with deep holes) or the ballast plastic ground mount you show. I’d need twice as many as you, but it may be a labor saver.
Misinformation and even more so, disinformation is far from lacking out there!
This is awesome! One downside of the plastic rack mount system though is it’ll prevent Bifacial solar panel gains. It is a really interesting method of getting panels down easily though..
100% of my paycheck has been high-end battery based solar systems for 26 years now. (Flooded lead acid batteries in my early days!) So refreshing to see an intelligent discussion as well as a relatively basic, yet very hardy design. Super good job!
I have pretty much the same setup as yours, just with less solar and I am using the Lifepower4 batteries instead of the LL4's. I can verify that the Lifepower4 can do closed loop with the SolArk 15k, if you use the EG4 Communication Hub. I have been using it for a year now, and it works flawlessly. I was in the same boat as you, in that when I put my system in, the 18kPV wasn't available yet, and the 15k was the best choice, but after working with SolArk support, I think I would still go with the 15k. I have installed an 18kPV with the EG4 wall mount power pro battery for a neighbor, and it is a nice setup as well.
Great vid. Last year, we put the EG4 18Kpv with a 60KWH EG4 battery bank in our suburban home, which is also in Texas. No issues with any of the equipment and no issues with Signature Solar customer service. Definitely recommend the xfer switch...
We opted NOT to install arrays and simply use Reliant Energy's Free Night Plan (there are others). We charge at night, and run the from the batteries during the day. Reliant's plan claims to be 100% green.
We still use a NG generator when the grid goes down completely for an extended period (Hurricane Beryl) to charge the batteries/run the house, only because installing arrays to cover this case was way more expensive.
System will pay for itself in 6.5 years from activation - just based on electrical bill reduction/avoidance.
@@baronhall2551 thanks for the comment. Love hearing people’s stories. 👍
I've found that the expense isn't the panels themselves, it's the mounting and install!
I just picked up 23kw worth of panels (60x 385w panels) for $2100 total!
Just basic brackets though easily doubles that and then panel install triples just in labor! Wiring supplies is quad, and misc is times 5!
And that's not including controllers, inverters and all that jazz!
I'll be building my brackets and installing them myself, same for wiring it all. I'm also going to be building my batteries I'm pretty sure.
@@commonsenseisdeadin2024
Where did you find that deal on panels? Wow!
@@jayquinty Facebook market place, they had 5 pallets so I threw them an offer on 2 and they took it.
I am in Mesa, AZ. I installed the Sol-Ark 15K w/60KW EG4 and 9KW of solar panels. I need more solar panels, which I am in the process of procuring. I spoke with EG4 and Sol-Ark about the close-loop communication with the battery. Sol-Ark stated that the EG4 communication (CAN buss) works, until it doesn't, so they stated that if I have a problem and they see that I have the EG4 batteries in close-loop communication, they will void the warrenty.
Hmmm.. well my contractor along with the large utility company (Salt River Project (SRP)) designed and installed my batteries using close-loop communication. It has been a year and I have had no problems. I will say that I have a heat pump A/C for my garage so as to keep the summer temperature at or below 90 degrees F. (usually 84F)
I decide to not remove the close-loop communication... I was tempted to trade in my Sol-Ark for the EG4 18K for $1000, but I found that the EG4 inverter does not handle my Time Of Use needs, or at least it is not easily configured if it even possible. So I will stay with the Sol-Ark.
great set up.. for my single person house hold... with no 240 ac loads. redundant 2 inverter system .. each leg is always less than 20 amp draw... fridge/ infotainment is separate leg from toaster/ kitchen /lighting stuff. 2 inverters each with outboard mppt victron { real nice monitor app and Bluetooth ota upgrades } 2 different EG4 batts.. 12 surplus panels.{free!} getting close to 3 grand in parts. all diy...
smiling sparky ..off grid all summer in the city... everyone needs/wants a battery!
UNPLUGED TEXAN, WE ENJOY WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS!
1. I AGREE, WE HAVE THE GE 200 AMP TRANSFER SWITCH.
2. IT IS IMPERATIVE TO FIRST DESIGN ANYTHING WITH THE EASE OF MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS.
3. THE SOL-ARK 15K DOES 19.5K D.C. PV & 19.2K A.C. PV FROM MICRO INVERTERS ALL AT THE SAME TIME , SO YOU CAN ALMOST DOUBLE YOUR FREE SOLAR PV INPUT POWER IF YOU HAVE THE SPACE & REGULATORY APPROVAL!
4. I AGREE THAT THE COST FOR CANBUS INTEGRATION BATTERIES 🔋 TO SOL-ARK INVERTERS ARE TWICE THE PRICE & EG4 BATTERIES 🔋 ARE PRICED FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON. I GUESS THAT IS WHY THEY ARE VERY POPULAR & HAVE VERY HIGH SALES TURNOVER!
5. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!
Which model of ge transfer? Can't seem to find it.
Great job from your part! Well done. We love your videos follow your content almost from the beginning. 😊
We use our DIY system exactly one year now. Very similar to yours. Good journey. Getting a lot of experiences how to manage daily.
17,760W solar array, two 15K Sol-Ark Inverters with two Big Battery 48V KONG Elit Max 19kwh×2 battery banks. We are all electric in the house with a 4t AC unit and a 1.5hp well pump in the garden. All electric needs are covered with good management. Winter time is harder tho when we have less daylight (FL) and the heating is on.
Our latest and hopefully last project to complete this solar system is an EMP Shield system against thunder striking. We are waiting any day now the electrician to come and set us up. 😃
PLEASE do your research on that!
Great job explaining your setup, what it's designed to do, and how it's done. Sharing the transfer switch information will be helpful to many in my opinion. We sure love those EG4 LL batteries, and 18Kpv! Great job!
I much prefer the Sol-Ark MPPTs over the EG4.
It makes it much easier to arrange your PV panel strings.
@@wdwtx2.0 I’m in agreement with you on that one.
Ha, nearly my exact same setup. 15K, 14K worth of panels and a single EG4 battery, set it up myself and I've had it for about a year and a half! Only difference is my setup is utility then panel and inverter off that. Didn't have an extra $7K to rewire everything. Great video!!
I run 2 Sol-Ark 12ks and use closed loop communications with the EG4 power pro batteries. No issues.
The only advantage to closed loop is better balancing because the inverter will hold the absorbing voltage till that’s done. The problem with this is higher voltage for an extended period of time is not conducive for battery life especially if the other batteries don’t need it. Open loop works fine if the batteries have a bms with a “active” balancer having sufficient balancing current for the cell size. Whether or not you run open or closed loop batteries, it’s best if they are equipped with active balancing to reduce the time at absorb voltage levels for ultimate battery longevity/cycles. Passive balancers can spend many hours trying to balance versus an active balancer can do in minutes.
This is still one of the best setups out there. Love it!
Good video. I went with a 100a Siemens three pole double throw transfer switch and have not regretted it a minute. I'm looking at upgrading to EG4 18kpv inverters and appreciate your information comparing it to the SolArk 15k. I already have 12 of the EG4 batteries so that's a factor too, as you also mentioned. I hope Signature Solar steps up their customer service. Current Connected does pretty well on that front. Anyway, thanks for the info and your experience!
Why only a 100a transfer switch?
@@tinysparky The maximum output on my current inverters is 60a. If I go with 2 of the EG4 18kPV which would put me at 100a with a surge capacity above that. Your Sol-Ark output is about 50a also, isn't it? In my case I built out a separate panel for solar and it's also a 100a panel. I have Mitsubishi HVAC which really cuts down on the amp draw as well as surge. I'm running 5.5 tons of AC, 5 freezers, 2 fridges, all the kitchen appliances, all the lights, and most of the outlet circuits in the house. The highest surge I've ever seen was 9kw and most days it barely gets over 5kw, so for me 100a is more than enough. I'm not advising any of your viewers on how to build their system - just sharing how I built mine.
Great timing. I'm a few weeks away from my install, 16.7kW solar into a Sol-Ark 15k. Fortunately my installer suggested the transfer switch, which I immediately agreed with. My panels are going on the roof so no worries there. My state still has net metering and power outages are rare (knock wood) so I'm forgoing batteries at this stage. Probably start adding EG4's next year.
@@Dan-nj8du I highly recommend having at least 1 5kwh battery hooked up. It would only cost around $1,500 and you can install that yourself. Then in a grid down situation you’ll be able to run your home without issue on solar during the day, and at night you could at least run a few lights and 1 or 2 fridges overnight.
@@unpluggedtexan Thanks for the feedback. I was planning to add the first 5kw battery shortly after the install. I just wanted the installer to handle the parts of the job I couldn't (didn't want to) do. Sol-Ark's battery agnostic feature is what drew me to them and I have an old 24u server rack from my IT days that I was planning to populate. Although... I just spotted EG4's new WallMount Indoor 14.3kWh battery for $3299. Hmmmm.....
Ruixu Batteries are the same price as EG4, but the Closed Loop works great with Sol-Ark over RS485. Either 50KwH Cabinet Rack or 16KwH wallMount. They work great!
Nice video. Very informative. I have several manual transfer switches.
One that transfers from grid or the generator receptical that I plug my Ford lightning into when I'm powering from that.
Another manual transfer that switches from my 11 kw generac or Grid/Ford power.
Another that switches between Grid/Ford power and Inverter output. Transfer switches are really nice to have, and I prefer manual over automatic.
I have basically the same setup with the eg4 18k. 17kw panels and 40kw lp4 batteries. I charge my work car (sales) run the house and it automatically switches to grid power at 20%. I love being able to use big strings of panels on this system. I bought pallets of commercial grade left over panels from solar farm installations. I do the firmware updates at night before I go to bed. But working on the system I’m able to isolate the batteries without shutting down power to the inverter/house.
Nice. Thanks for sharing. More information is not necessarily better. Running eg4 batteries without communication with the 6500ex is best from what I am seeing.
All good points, but the Transfer Switch idea is the real winner! If you're shy on solar power for whatever reason, you could switch a few circuits over to the grid, as needed.
I did just upgrade to another 30KWh’ of the EG4 48v LL for 60KWh’s. I drilled one hole for each mount but I built dual axis trackers and have four trackers that each hold 4,000 watts of panels. The EG4 15K has a built in transfer switch, I just upgraded from the 6500es EG4 inverters to dual 6,000 EX EG4. My other system down in Dei Rio has the Growatt 12k transformer inverter and the Gyll batteries which is now EG4 batteries and the system has been running for 4 years now. I am in Central Texas and also the Del Rio area of texas so I feel your pain when it comes to rocky ground.
Great info, another thing I like about Solark is they offer EMP protection, that might be a needed thing in the days to come. I like those plastic mounts, might consider those for future install.
@@dandydonslife9869 agreed. EG4’s 18k Pv inverter is now EMP hardened as well at no additional cost, same with some of their batteries.
What is the all of a sudden fascination with EMP protection?
It's BY FAR the biggest gimmick out right now! It's extremely sad to see how much they are taking people for too!
Thanks for sharing. My experience with inverter and battery as you mentioned is the comm of the invertir and Lithium battery. I installed my system about 2007 and there's no many choice for inverter and the company that I choose used the Schneider xw5548 inverter. At that time my battery bank were AGM 125 A. About two years ago I changed to BCT 20K Lithium battery.. But I was unable to communicate very well with inverter.... So I may change in the near future for a new and Moré powerful invertir.
Dude thank you for taking the time! Much appreciated!
Great video. Thanks for the update. Subscribed! My only concern about those plastic ballast mounts is they don't support full size panels. and they aren't all that inexpensive.
Nice vid! One change I would suggest is if you add a transfer switch to have it on the input to the main panel and switching between the outputs of the inverter and meter. Placing it where you suggested (on the input of the inverter) risks backfeeding the AC output of the inverter with grid power when attempting to bypass the inverter. The Sol Ark may be tolerant of this (not sure, don’t own one) but most inverters are not.
@@coryvincent6249 I’m actually going to put a transfer switch in at both spots. I should have mentioned that in the video.
Was I the only one who tried wiping my screen clean due to that little mark on his whiteboard to the right of him?
@@tibs2059 lol, I didn’t even notice that. I guess I see the forest and not the trees 🤷♂️
i did that to my computer screen ...
Park your mouse over the spot, LOL
Haha good times. That's a good idea.😅
I wiped.
I run on solar and still have the grid as a backup because it's cheaper than running my 11 kw generac. But instead of all that, I use my Ford lightnings 131 kwh battery as my backup if I get several cloudy days. Then, when the sun finally comes back out, i charge my truck with my solar system. And since I can only charge it at 7 kw an hour, it sometimes takes me several sunny days to get it back to a 90% SOC. But that's never been a problem yet. Currently, I have 13 kw of solar panels & and about 24 kwh of lipo4 batteries. 3 - 4400 watt magnum inverters that power my home and a 10 kw PowerMr that is strictly used to run my EV truck cgarger. 3 - 80 amp outback solar charge controllers. Currently not using the 2 - 100 amp solar charge controllers that are built into the PowerMr. Getting ready to add another 5 kwh of batteries. After a good sunny day charge, I usually end up with at least a 50% SOC before the sun comes up in the morning. I also use excess solar to power a 40-gallon water heater that I use as a pre-heater for my 40-gallon propane water heater.
@@pstoneking3418 love it, that’s a good system 👍
I have been running the 15K with the eg4 Hub no problems for a year and a half.
Thanks for the video. I'm running basically the same setup but I'm using the EG4 communication hub between EG4 batteries and the sol-ark 15K which gives me the closed loop communication.
Does the hub give everything that a SolArk partner battery provides via integration? Also, is the hub compatible with all EG batteries? thanks
That's a really good question. I went with the EG4 Lifepower4 batteries due to price and the communications hub gave me the ability to get some of the data back to the inverter. But my guess is that it averages the information that it sends back. The display on the hub shows a lot of information on each battery. Also since they call it the lifepower4 communications hub I'm doubtful it'll work for everything. But maybe someone has more information?
That is great! A couple of months ago I called the Sol-Ark Engineering Support, they were very clear, and strongly suggested to not use EG4 batteries in closed loop comms.
I use closed loop with Sol-Ark 12k and eg4 powerpro battery no hub required.
Well done. Other differences: the 18Kpv is a 12kWh inverter, vs the Sol-Ark, which is a 15kWh inverter. The 18Kpv's max AC output current is 50A, vs 62.5A for the Sol-Ark.
*12-kW
*15-kW
Don't forget you can drill into rock and epoxy. Or. And I use these a lot. Concrete ballast blocks and curbs. These are often available from local concrete companies where they take waste concrete and pour into molds. Super cheap. And metal racking isn't much more expensive than other choices but it sure holds up better.
New subscriber. I have plans to build an off grid home on recently purchased property. If for no other reason, the location of the house site is isolated enough from utilities that an off grid system should be much less onerous cost wise.
1. You mean bypass switch not transfer switch.
Issue with Sol-Ark is split phase balancing, I believe with the 15K model you limited to about 7.5K per split phase. if one of the halves exceeds 7.5K the inverter will shutdown.
I would recommend using 2 or more breaker panels for grid tie use: One breaker panel for your high load circuits that is dedicated to the Grid: Electric Dryer, Central Air, Hot water heater (if electric). And a second panel for everything else that is powered through the inverter (Critical Loads panel): lights, outlets, etc). have the Grid breaker power feed into the Sol-Ark inverter for grid-tie, and a bypass switch between the inverter and the critical loads panel so you can bypass the inverter for maintanence or repair. Add your generator to the grid tie panel using a tranfer switch so you can also run your non critical loads, which can also feed power to the inverter. This will provide the most flexablity
If your building a new home, i recommend creating lots of circuits (one for each room). This will allow you to isolate rooms for electrical maintanence work, and allow you to better balance split phase loads so you don't exceed the inverter limit for each phase.
No, with a transfer switch you can completely disconnect the inverters to run you home on grid power. That way you can do a firmware update or (like I did) completely remove the inverters to upgrade to better ones.
Nice video. Instead of an expensive transfer switch, I added two panels, one connects to inverter input and the other to the output and back to my origianal what was my main bonded panel. My bonded panel now is on the first panel connected to the grid meter input.. Then one panel has a 240V pass through CB to CB so everything is isolated.
Installing a GE TC10324 from Home Depot when I do my tie in next month... a single switch and it isn't THAT expensive (~$500 at HD with their veterans discount)
The one thing I'd say for anyone using solar + battery is that you want to split your array into thirds to maximize early morning and late afternoon generation over peak generation mid day. Having east and west tilted panels matters because it extends the hours that you're producing vs consuming which is more important than being able to produce massive power in the middle of the day.
That may be the case if your operating without a batteries. Capture those morning rays as the batteries have gone the longest time without charge.
@@shmayazuggot8558 You no engrish good. STFU
I have tracking panels. Probably cheaper just get more panels, but tracking takes up less room on the ground. I would discourage anyone from putting panels on the roof
First: I thought an _automatic_ transfer switch was a technical requirement for a grid-tie/hybrid system. Else you'd be back-feeding the whole neighborhood until you can throw the manual switch.
Second: Those buckets seem like the wrong design for most people. My first thought was they are too low for anyone with livestock. What's gonna keep some large farm-yard critter from sitting on a panel? And then the fixed 25° angle seems optimized for summer production--when (because of the shorter hours) optimization for winter production is the better plan. Also the low angle collects more dirt, doesn't shed snow, etc. The design is clearly optimized for production cost, not usability. Your wooden racks blow away the plastic buckets.
Other than those two points, awesome video. Awesome to see solar working so well.
The Sol-Ark has an auto switch but what he is wanting to do is bypass the solark so when he has to do a firmware update or work on the solark his house still has power…so he can isolate the solark.
@@Theozman2 I see. Thanks.
Any grid tie inverter that meets code requirements for backfeeding will automatically disconnect upon loss of grid power, no transfer switch is actually required for that part. A transfer switch may be required in some applications to continue powering your home without backfeeding the grid.
@@coryvincent6249 Exactly, for ordinary grid-tie without batteries. Surprises naïve system purchasers who believe they have power when the grid goes out. Either some salesmen don't know what they're selling, or they imply it works (or outright lie) to make a sale.
There's a "funky" setup I've seen on older pure grid-tie systems, where power is fed into the breaker panel through a 2-pole breaker. Ordinary breaker panels are rated for some overage (20 or 30%) but not double. That is a 200A panel cannot take a 200A feed from the power company (big breaker on top) _and_ a 100A feed from your solar system (via a 2-pole breaker down in amongst the other breakers) _at the same time._ (Illegal, but probably never, ever cause a real problem... see last paragraph.)
If you want a big enough solar system (with batteries) to essentially be off grid, using the power company as back-up for cloudy days, use a hybrid inverter and transfer switch. It makes sense that some of the newer hybrid inverters contain their own transfer switch. This would require feeding grid power directly into the all-in-one inverter, then the a-i-o inverter connects to the big breaker on the breaker panel.
How much power do we really need? Usually peak demand is well below the 200A service commonly put in new homes. Super (if long) video on this: ruclips.net/video/x0w2-lmCfDA/видео.html
They always say to point solar panels due south. I've found what works best for me was two arrays pointing south, one array pointing east, 3 - 300 watt panels to the west and another 9 - 300 watt panels pointing south. My 15 - 320 watt panels pointing east normally have my batteries fully charged by 11 am or earlier. The rest of the day is used to charge my Ford lightning, heat my domestic water and charge my Ecoflow solar generators.
@@pstoneking3418 very nice setup 👍
instead of a transfer panel, I just added a generator interlock kit to my load center. $15 to $50 off amazon they have them for most panels, it's just your load center must have a main breaker.
Another racking option is the IntegraRack IR-30. you can install it on the surface and secure it in place with gravel or dirt.
Bucket ballast solar rack. Never heard of it. Thank you!
I have a couple videos on my channel detailing them. I will only use those racks going forward. So easy to install, especially in rocky ground.
@unpluggedtexan Yeah solution checks off a number of planning boxes for me. Great show 👏 👍
11:05 ... "now signature solar, they have pretty good customer service" ... Apparently you must have a special number you're calling because for the rest of us SS has the worst customer service of any company i/we have ever worked with ... they never answer their phone, or emails, and they usually have to call the actual manufacturer several time zones away to get info ... SOLARK- has been the best company hands down I have ever worked with. As for the plastic tub mounts its a great idea but when we tried to order they did not fit our larger panels.
Sorry, has absolutely NOT been my experience
Don't tell me that about ss, I have a quote with them about to go.....
@@ghostwriter6699 that has not been my experience with SS at all. They even have people monitoring Facebook pages to help with any issues on products they’ve sold. Sol-Ark was the best a year ago, they’ve been struggling lately with the botched rollout of their app 5 months ago that still isn’t working as good as the old PV Pro. They’ve also continued to try and screw EG4 battery users. While I love Sol-Ark and am very happy with the hardware, they’ve not met my expectations over the last 5 months.
I'm currently installing a system myself as well, and my experience with EG4 was the opposite of yours... I have had multiple discussions with their tech support group about my 18Kpv...
FWIW, Signature Solar is owned by EG4's parent company, so they work pretty much hand in hand. And from what they told me, they started Signature Solar to give DIYers an option to using HIGHLY disreputable solar installation companies.
@@icemaniiscott wow, that has not been my experience with them at all. And I’ve been using them for over 2 years now for equipment. I’ve had only good experiences thus far.
Good to know. Thanks
USA Sol-Ark | UK SunSynk | EU Deye | India Nitrox - all the same but delivered for differ market :) Very good devices. Remember to protect it by DC MCCB.
I just looked up the bucket mount because I found them interesting. Expensive. Did you see what they want to ship them!
@@jws3925 they can stack a lot of them on one pallet to make the shipping more efficient. Not sure on the cost. Depends on weight and where they’re shipping to.
I was paranoid about putting all of my eggs in one basket. For example, if your Sol-Ark fails, you've got nothing working. In my case I went with four separate MPPT regulators, three 5KVA inverters working in parallel, four separate solar arrays and 10 individual 3.4kWh batteries (which talk nicely to the MPPTs and the inverters.) The only point of failure I have is if one inverter fails, I will lose all three, but it's about a 10 minute job to reconfigure the remaining two to work at a reduced available output. My system is off-grid, so I have no grid power to fall back on, nor do I have a backup generator, meaning that built-in redundancy was a no-brainer for me.
I got a 5kw for dirty loads and 1.5k/3kw for critical loads.
Thinking of doing separate 24v system for critical loads with charger timer off main array.
Same with RV have separate 12v system from 24v 120v ac system.
Refundacy is key in life
You’ve also introduced a lot more points of failure, but to each his own
Use only Victron equipment and 48V systems for these. Anything else is a waste of money.
@@D-Khaz I'd rather have more points of failure than a single point of failure. In my case three inverters and four MPPT regulators would have to fail before I was in trouble. That's the whole concept of redundancy. If one item fails I have time to replace it and still have a working service.This is a major consideration when off-grid. I don't have the grid as a backup.
Respectfully, a problem with this argument is that larger interconnection points can take harder hits than smaller ones. So for example, two 8kW inverters would be more reliable than three 5kW inverters, while still providing redundancy. And then, without a backup generator, you have another weakness regardless of redunancy. So a single 15kW inverter with a generator is more resilient and as redundant as three 5kW inverters, for a similar budget all things considered (including costs to wire those inverters together).
great video on the solar system, thank you :)
SOK rack batteries have closed loop with Sol-Ark also only user serviceable if you have one of the cells go out inside the battery.
Well done presentation. I am surprised SolArk doesn't have a feature which allows changes to the system without a full disconnect. And, did they not maybe inquire on presence of a transfer switch if it was needed for updating theirs and other equipment?
@@user-tv5dt3nm9y sol-ark claims you don’t need a transfer switch. Which is true, you don’t. But it’s nice to have for updates and any changes to your system you want to make.
Pure Gold ! Ty for sharing!
Great video with a lot of great and helpful info. Thanks man
I like the ballast-style solar panel mounting system but it wouldn't work in my area. We get too much snow in the winter.
i have a bunker under ground and i have 418kwhr of lifepo4 eve grade A 314Ah cells.
I have 3x 6000xp EG4's in the bunker (3phase for CNC machines) and 1x 18kpv in the house.
my battery bank is self built in it's own room in the bunker apx the size of a 40ft shipping container
at the far end is a 16Kw gen set it is tri-fuel NG-LPG-Gas and a 2nd 12kw diesel with a 1000gal tank in the floor
it has 2 bulkheads to the battery room with room for 40 banks of 16S (currently has 26 banks installed) in a small off set room is the inverters. 2 bulkheads isolate those rooms from living space. and the air handlers are on the other side of the bunker the bunker has 3 levels and a total of 5900sqft the top most level is 1/2 garage 1/2 hydroponics the 2nd is the largest with 2300sq ft of living space and the 3rd is small mostly back up supplies access to the well, water storage heating and filtration system also a 50ftlong 8ft tall 6ft wide gun range with an escape hatch at the end.
i got an abandon open pit mine. made the bottom flat and level drilled a well and built a steel bunker in the hole piece by piece and back filled it than put a steel building and a 1300sq ft home on top
@@ZoeyR86 that’s incredible. Congrats on tackling all that. Wow
@@unpluggedtexan certainly ready for the zombies.
Your setup sounds like what I'm looking to do!
Where did you get your cells?
@@commonsenseisdeadin2024 eve lifepo4 280k
@@ZoeyR86 *WHERE* did you get your cells? 😂 Honest mistake
I used an interlock connect switch for my main panel, couldn’t be easier for switching back-and-forth from grid to inverter.
I hate firmware updates. If it works today, it will work tomorrow. A commodore 64 didn't need firmware updates for 40 years, and it still works today
you said that you would have installed a transfer switch, with that in mind does that mean that you would not have needed the grid disconnect switch above the transfer switch in your drawing ??
@@djbessette76 theoretically yes, but most municipalities and power companies want that 200amp disconnect installed no matter what.
If your going to spend that much money I would have just done a permitted grid tied system with an interconnect agreement. The ROI on building a system big enough to go 100% off grid doesn't work out if you use lot of power your having to build a giant system to power those loads 24/7. If you blend it with grid power to the point where you save money but reduce 2/3rd of the power from the grid your ROI is shorter. What I'm doing is I built a non permitted portable system using a generator transfer switch pro/trans2 made by reliance controls. This way I can off grid circuits that I know run 24/7 not pulling tons of power like stoves, electric driers, AC units but loads that take lot of power over 24 hours. That savings adds up I built a 4500 watt system for about $5000.
I patched in a generac transfer switch, making grid in the generator port and the 15k into the grid port.
I am planning on doing solar but not sure how big I should plan for and how much battery to match my arrays. How long does it take your 19kw solar panels array to charge you 30kwh battery bank? Also how many kWh do you use a day? I use an average of 109kWh per day. Great video
@@diyadventures9138 in the summer I use about 100 kwh’s per day. The rest of the year only around 40-70 kwh’s. In the summer my batteries are charged by 1pm, the rest of the year they are charged by around 11am.
@@unpluggedtexan that’s awesome, the 30kwh battery pack you have, last you throughout the night and til the next day, or also use some of the grid?
@@diyadventures9138 yeah it lasts all night except for a few hours when it’s over 105 degrees during the day and it stays hot over night. Then I use between $0.20 to $1.00 of electricity from 5am-7am
thank you
Thanks for the video! Definitely a manual transfer switch adds a ton of flexibility to your install for a couple hundred bucks. I have a 200A GE manual TS (The Frankenstein switch as my wife call it). About close loop communication, I don't think you're missing much. I have an EG4 18Kpv and the same batteries as you have (6x EG4 LL), I have a huge problem with SOC discrepancy, causing my system to go down if the main battery goes to 0% and shuts down, while the average of the 6 batteries is around 7-10%. That bring down the whole battery rack as the BMS in the main battery shuts off and stops communicating with the inverter. I'm thinking of changing my inverter settings to "by Voltage" charging instead of SOC via closed loop. I'm wondering what's the voltage range you're using for charging? Does the state of charge shows the same percentage on the individual battery modules? Thanks!!
Wish I could give you ten thumbs up. Thank you for sharing.
My parents have a house with the same situation it seems. Where the main power from the grid comes into the “pump house” that is not connected to the main house (on a 200A panel) then feeds from that to another 200A panel to the main house. Is there a way I can email you/contact you to explain my complications? Anyways love watching your videos!
Might be a good video for your channel that we can do together to show average people can do it themselves and save tons of money.
Again, thanks for all your videos!
-Brad
Great video! Thank you!!
I’m looking to do the same system as you. QUESTION, you wanted to place a double throw switch between the grid and inverter; how do you prevent a live line (back feed) between the main panel and the loadside of the inverter?
I built my solar rack with 2 inch steel square tubing. 18 panels for about 500.00 dollars.
I think I will end up with a system this size and completely off grid, so I would have a back up gen set. However, I am also building a house so I would rather not invest that much until I see that I can get the house completed and finished. Labor and materials are difficult to estimate these days. So, would I be better to go this route right off the bat, or would a scale-able system with multiple inverters and adding panels and batteries once I'm in the house and have a better idea of how much power I'll need/use? Is there any disadvantage to going with a scale-able system?
@@jimw3799 some claim if you add batteries down the road that they won’t work as efficiently together, with the older batteries dragging down the newer ones. I’m sure there’s some truth to that. But better to at least get started and have something you can depend on, even if it’s not enough just yet. Than try and wait for the perfect scenario that never arrives.
Well, i never have good luck with sol-ark customer service. Had an older 3000w all in one inverter, and they would support it.
Thx. Bro.VG video.
It doesn't sound like you back feed to the grid at all. So why not use an off-grid inverter like the eg4 6000XP (x2)?
@@SummerFlies correct. The 6000xp wasn’t released yet when I did my install. Also I’m a HUGE fan of the 200amp pass through that both the Sol-Ark 15k and EG4 18K PV have. This way I don’t need to use a critical loads panel. My inverter feeds my entire 200amp residential home electrical panel into the main feeds like where the grid feeds would go.
Hey fellow Texan! Question for you, If I have 400amps (2 x 200 disconnect) Can I put 1 inverter on one leg and it supply both legs and allow back feed to grid? Bluebonnet is my provider.
A think that is relatively disappointing is the size of the panels that the PowerField PowerRack | Solar Module Mounting Rack can take ... MOST of the panels we put out in the field are approx 68x44 ... and thats pretty much a standard size now for 395's - and higher ... The most that these Module racks can take is 37.8" to 41.3" MIN/MAX of Module. If they only made a larger one they be sitting on gold ....
@@ghostwriter6699 Powerfield Energy is in process of making a larger version. Not sure on the release date on those yet.
IntegraRack makes a metal frame that you pile gravel on for ballast, then you mount regular rails for any size panels; I'm not sure what the cost comparison is on it but I thought it was a good solution for the right situation
Great video, sir!
Great video 💪🏽
Have you ever monitored the grid a/c frequency? If so, what does your GTI (grid tied inverter) do when the frequency exceeds 61.0 hz? Does GTI reduce power output forcing you to buy grid power?
@@dlmetzger I’ve never seen the grid exceed 60 hz. But I don’t monitor it they frequently.
Transfer switches are very expensive! Have you found one you would likely use?
@@kyleweller3390 not yet. I’ve still got some other projects that are taking priority at the moment.
What is your daily kW usage in the summer?
@@ShinkleGunDog 80-100 kwh’s
Does the power company send you a check when you back feed the grid?
@@corbinb3992 I don’t sell back to the grid. I don’t want to deal with the power companies red tape. I’m finding ways to store or use the energy I produce.
Great video! I got hosed by solar salesman and have 19k enphase with microinverters pv system with no batteries. Still have power bill here in AZ since ac runs 24 hours with a 5 ton unit. Would this setup work ok with what I have going? Does the Solark or eg4 inverter allow you if grid is down to still us and store backup if sun is up? Or does the transfer switch you were talking about control that? Thanks again
@@stoneyleefred on Sol-Arks website you can find an installer in your area (hopefully). You should be able to AC connect your existing panels to either the Sol-Ark 15k or EG4 18k PV inverter. Then you could add batteries and have a solid grid down setup. The transfer switch is just to be able to go easily back to grid only power if you needed to power down your inverter.
@@unpluggedtexan Ok Thanks I may install myself. Really kicking myself for not doing it all like yourself. Now I am trying to dig out of a deep hole! We have peak hours here so I think batteries may help with getting through those hours or to next morning. Thanks again
See if you can help me with this scenario. Already purchased system to include a whole home NG generator. My system is fairly large for residential. I have 45 solar4america 325w panels and 2 SMA 7kW inverters. I am generating about 11kW peak /hr , 71kW peak /day. I am producing much more than I am using and feeding the grid. I want to feed batteries. Would I be best off buying an additional hybrid inverter and battery system for that? Replacing one of the inverters? What's your thought? I also get free electric from 9p- 7a so I may be able to set up to charge batteries for rainy days/winter. I live in east TX.
i think that inverter puts out an AC max of 50 amps. How do you power all that stuff on 62 amps?
@@LarryRichelli when solar is present the Sol-Ark can put out a max of 62.5 amps or 15,000 watts. On battery only it maxes out at 12,000 watts.
Awesome 👏
Thank you for this amazing video!!
Where do you live? Do you have another home on your property for sale??
lol 😂
Did you show the transfer switch in the right place on your diagram or would it be inline of the solark and the house? please describe how the transfer switch would work be it seems like there will be a point where the grid and solar system could still overlap and allow for back feeding, but that could also be my lack of complete understanding.
@@kellywaldrep1873 it’s in the right place. But I would need another right next to my main home 200amp panel as well. I’ll end up making a video on it once I get around to installing it.
@@unpluggedtexan Thanks, I was thinking it may need another switch somewhere. i look forward to the video
So, the Sol-Ark has a built in transfer switch, so why do you want a second, external one? Does the built in switch not function during an upgrade?
@@dirtdiver2389 nope. Also if you turn off the Sol-Ark 15k it will not pass through grid power to your home either.
@@unpluggedtexan Thanks, good to know. You can't beat the EG4 batteries, the new indoor wall mounts are even less expensive than the LL rack mounts. Do you have any reservations running them since they aren't officially supported by sol-ark? All other batteries are so much more expensive.
@@dirtdiver2389 nope. No reservations running them with the Sol-Ark at all.
@@unpluggedtexan When do you think you will be getting a couple of the new EG4 indoor wall mount batteries?
I looked into transfer switches and there are a lot of options. Is there one you would recommend?
10:06 yea mostly..but sometimes I’ve regretting knowing more about something/someone.
@@ridingvenus lol yeah good point.
Your layout sounds interesting. Wanted to see your wiring diagram but because I'm already subscribed it won't download. Can you help?
@@marvinhall2612 you can use a different email address and it will let you download it.
Is a bypass switch the same as a transfer switch?
Weird thing with sol-ark and this grid tie (but not selling back) is that it still draws a little power from the grid to keep voltage and frequency synced. If you have dirty grid power your house power will still fluctuate along with the grid. Not sure how to turn that off.
I was just thinking, $7000 for a SolArk is a lot, but you do need a lot of juice if you have water supply to 5 houses and running 8 fridges lol. I will be no where close to that
what grounding system did you use?
How often you need to use the grid as a backup?
@@pfeliciano5976 about 10% of the time. Usually from 4am-8am when running air conditioning or heating all night. I just need to install another 10 kwh’s of batteries to only have to use the grid for multi-day storms.
Isn't the transfer switch good enough without the grid disconnect? Don't you need an inverter disconnect switch?
I was going to ask this in your email the other day about these batteries, the EG4 PowerPro WallMount AllWeather Lithium Battery | 48V 280Ah | 14.3kWh, whether getting these instead of the rack system set up would be better? Now that I write this, the rack system with 6 batteries would take up less space than 2 wall mounts.... Anyway, what are your thoughts on the 2 systems? Again, thanks for all your videos and info!!!
@@karlitos7529 either will work great. The wall mount will be an easier install and you don’t have to buy a server rack for them. But you’ll do great with either one.
The wall mount are cheaper per kwh and take up less space if mounted next to each other. DIY flat mount is the most economical per kwh and you can RUclips some videos to learn how to do it fairly easily.
Great video Brian thank you for doing them for us. My question is since youve put this system together about how much would you say the prices have come down on the SolArk-15,and the EG-4 batteries? Just curious on that..
@@michaelschiessl8357 id say you’re saving about 30% over what I paid.
@@unpluggedtexan thanks Brian
That is an awesome solar system. My power bill runs just over $200 monthly. With the equipment shown in this video, it would take at least 10 years for the system to pay for itself. That is my issue with solar. It takes so long to get your money back and anything can happen before that time.
@@bobdenver809 yes true. Power bills can actually skyrocket from here as well. Not to mention the grid continues to get more strained every year and seems to be more unstable. It’s hard to put a price on having power when everyone else is in a blackout.
@@unpluggedtexanPower prices may also plummet before seeing full “payback” if solar proliferates per Tony Seba’s forecast. I score it as a toss up as a pure financial play. I’ve still bought in with a battery and inverter (installing soon) for the energy independence and aa an exciting project.
@@737smartin they will pay their executives more and keep the prices the same or more, rather than reduce consumer pricing.
@@michaelkaster5058 wrong. in my area, we've already seen prices drop twice this year.
And when the dollar collapses in 2025, you will wish you had a system.
Have you recovered what you spent on this project?
@@Cyberbobxxxx I’ve had the system 2 years. It’s going to take me about 8 to recover my investment.
@@unpluggedtexanjust in time to have to update and upgrade!
But it's an investment, it's just like the difference between buying or renting a house!