I have two Anker Solix F2000 power stations and just bought a pair of WattCycle 12 volt, 300 amp hour mini batteries with the idea of building a portable system on a tool cart, so I can easily use it for house backup power plugged into a generator plug and transfer switch connected to my main panel, and also roll the tool cart into my travel trailer, as I plan to do a lot of traveling and boon docking with 1,000 to 2,000 watts of solar panels. Since I already have two 2400 watt inverters in my power stations, I was thinking that a 3000 watt inverter would be enough for my tool cart system, and staying with a smaller inverter would reduce the standby power usage, as I will always have at least one inverter running 24/7, for a few essential loads. While using the tool cart system as home backup power, I would turn off any 240 volt breakers, until the power was restored, so the 3000 watt AIO inverter won’t be tripped due to over current. A second thought is to save up for an EG4 XP6000 AIO and another pair of identical batteries for 48 volt system, but that is overkill for my traveling needs, which is the primary reason for this build. What do you think and what would you recommend? Edit: I also just purchased an Etaker F1000 alternator and solar charger that combines up to 500 watts of power from my truck alternator while driving, with up to 500 watts of solar power and outputs it as 48 volts, up to 1,000 watts, which is perfect for charging my pair of Anker Solix F2000 power stations. I currently have ten 100 watt Renogy solar panels and want to add more solar panels, but until I decide on what components I’m going to use for the tool cart system, I’m waiting to get the panels that will be the best fit for my system.
I would take those two WattCycle and series them for 24v and then get a 4000w split phase low frequency SunGoldPower. It as a power save mode that only draws 30w. And being low frequency it can handle anything. They do make a 12v but for 3000w+ I like to use 24v. Now having said all of that....If you can afford it, EG4 XP6000 is a great option but I do agree with you that it may be too much. I am going to pin this so we can get some other people to way in as well.
@ Thanks for the advice and detailed response to my questions. I like your suggestion and I’m going to look at that inverter. Specially since it does 240 split phase and it’s a low frequency inverter. The fact that it has a low power mode is great as well.
@OurBlackCatCottage when it's all said and done, it'll be a 400ah battery bank ran on a 3,000 constant inverter, which can automatically switch from grid to solar as needed. Which powers my recording studio that pays the bills. Instantly cutting power bull in hath as this studio is constantly using power day n night. I'll be doing a video on my setup soon. I bargain shopped and ordered everything online, so I got everything for a fraction of the cost.
Excellent video! After spending more than 25 years in the offgrid solar industry, designing, selling and repairing offgrid solar systems spanning back to the early days of Trace Engineering in Arlington, Washington, I can attest to the fact that everything you have presented in this video is 100% accurate, especially your recommendation that you use low frequency, transformer based inverter technology as opposed to the low cost, low surge, short lived, high frequency tech that's now flooding the market. I like the fact that you presented your information in a non-biased, easy to grasp format that the typical layman can understand. Please make more of these videos. You're doing a great service for the offgrid community! I will be sure to checkout your Genetry inverter recommendation. Thanks!
Thank you! And definitely check out Genetry solar. I cut out a bunch about their inverter because it was starting to sound like an ad for them. LOL. Its basically two guys working out of their basement but their inverters are rock solid. www.genetrysolar.com
I got a Genetry solar 12 kw inverter I got it in May 10, 2023 May 14 on Mother’s Day. My wife got sick June 16, 2023. She passed away, the inverter still sitting in the box on my house with a 24 V 2500 W inverter 930 ah battery and my 12 V system has 3840 ah with a 3000 W Samlex inverter. Both inverters are low frequency. It was nice finding your channel
Wow, finally a channel without a paid product review, just down to earth advice, with great instructions. New sub... I'm in the process of learning about solar as a backup system. Thanks much for this video....
Glad it was helpful. If you have any questions please let me know. And check out this channel if you haven't already. He is the best one out there. www.youtube.com/@WillProwse
Greetings from Thailand. Love your setup AND your shop! Things are generally way cheaper here in Thailand and that goes for most solar components as well. And great sun closer to the equator :) However, if you want to do a grid tied system the red tape and having to use approved installers and govt costs make the system 3X the price of DIY. So I am looking into taking some of my stuff of grid. I would love to deep dive into 48v but am looking at a 24v system with one of your 24v 200Ah batteries and a 3.5Kw inverter(that is really only a 1.75Kw with 3.5 surge capacity). We have heaps of power outages so this will be awesome to keep some lights and fans and fridge and PC running, but also will be great seeing just what I can run. Should I then decide to take more house circuits off grid then I would probably go for a new 48v system but will still be able to re-locate the 24v system to run my wife's outdoor kitchen. Anyhow it's all dreamtime right now but hopefully I'll get started before the new year year :) Appreciate yours and other you tubers efforts to put this info out there :)
Great info, Just purchased a off grid cabin with solar battery banks and have no idea of what's what. Appreciate your time for putting out this information.
Hey, enjoyed your video! Thanks. I’m addicted to this off-grid solar stuff now, too! I, too, have a a 24 volt system. Well, two of them actually. One for my cabin in the woods in Proctor, Ok and one for my home in Claremore. And like you, I wish I’d gone with a 48 volt system. But the 24 volt systems are doing fine for now. I was having trouble finding a 6000 watt 24 volt inverter till I saw your video. Here at my home in town I’ve got a 3000 watt WZRELB inverter, which has been a workhorse but I really do need something bigger because I plan on adding some heavier loads.
Glad you liked it. How dod you like that WZRELB inverter? Also, I am in southern OK - close to Norman. How do your panels perform here? And what do you use?
@@OurBlackCatCottage The WZRELB is a solid inverter. It has been powering my system here at the house for four years with no issues. I have eight Mission 380 watt panels here at the house in town wired in 2S 2P. Four panels per charge controller. On cooler days the highest output I’ve seen is 2.7 kilowatts. With this heat lately the highest output has been around 2.3 kilowatts. Both of my systems are off-grid only. I have manual transfer switches that allow me to toggle between grid and solar. I have been pleasantly surprised at how robust my town system has been, given that I have only eight panels. My cabin also has eight panels but they have slightly less wattage at 370 watts. Same wiring configuration. Out there I have a Schneider Conext 4024 split phase inverter; 3400 running watts; 4000 watts for thirty minutes and a 7000 watt surge for 5 seconds. I need more running watts out there though because I have a well. Most wells have one pump but mine has two: a submersible pump and a jet pump. I really need a second Schneider dedicated to the well only because I have a mini-split to power and my hot water tank is electric. It’s a small 19 gallon 1500 watt tank but it all adds up. Your 24 volt 6000 watt inverter peaked my interest because I was having trouble finding that much wattage for a 24 volt system using a single inverter.
I love the all-in-one Eg4 6000xp but I have a lot of different areas that get intense sun for about 3 hours then shade and then about 2 more hours. I like having multiple solar chargers harvesting the random sunspots in my yard. The all-in-one most limiting is how many solar inputs I can use.
I absolutely love the attention to detail and safety. I know you say that wire and fuse has to match the system built, but that is my question. Can I send a picture for your review with so far specs?
I picked up the same solar panels from SanTan years ago to build a cabin but never started the build. I am know trying to build me 2 off grid systems to power stuff on remote property and thinking on a 24v and a 48v setup. Cool video.
Nice explanation of the components that go into building a system. Like you, I started small and used 24V on my first home backup system and as I expanded the capacity from 120V single phase to 240 split phase utilizing a second inverter, I was faced with starting over with 48V inverters or continuing to use additional 24V components to utilize what I already had. I wish I had started with 48V but I found myself stuck at 24V. One thing you might want to consider is to replace the circuit breakers on your PV feeds going to the charge controllers with ones that have a higher DC voltage rating. The ones you are using are typically rated for 32V and if your solar panels are connected in series those breakers do not have an adequate DC voltage rating. For example if you have 4 x 20Voc panels connected in series, you could see up to 80Voc across the terminals of the PV breaker when it is open. I'd also recommend covering up the PV breaker terminals because you could have hazardous DC voltage levels on the exposed terminals during sunlight hours.
For for sure raise some good points. They are actually rated for 48 but still they for sure could go over that and really aren't "solar panel breakers".
Thanks for the advice about the cheap circuit breakers. Mine is cheap and keeps getting really hot at maximum charge current, around 50-60amps. I will be getting the Bussman brand you recommend shortly. Thanks for the video. Greetings from Jamaica.
@@OurBlackCatCottage I have just under 2000 watts of solar, LiTime 60amp and Rich Solar 40amp charge controllers charging two 100ah Power Queen LiFePo4 batteries. One 2000 watt LiTime pure sine wave inverter. Getting a third battery shortly and eventually a fourth, then i may upgrade to a 48v system. Thanks for asking.
First try on building a system. 24v 6000 watt split phase AMPINVT inverter. X1 24v 100a LiTime battery with bms. I bought 2ga 3 foot cables and a 400amp fuse for now. I plan to buy a few more Batteries when I get the money. I also plan to buy solar panels when I finish buying batteries. I live in Florida and have a nice Kubota generator that I use for backup power. However I can’t use it until the storm passes. I figure my inverter can carry me until the storm passes and it gets daylight. Then I can run off my generator during the day and charge my batteries and then go back to the inverter and batteries at night. Hurricane Hellene left me without power 4 days and my generator had to run the whole time because I’m on oxygen. Once I get enough solar panels I might be able to save some money on my electric bill. My electric company charges the same amount per kWh regardless of what time of day it’s used or I’d get creative and charge with grid power when it was cheap and use inverter when it was more expensive. I’m about 1/4 of the way into this at $1,400 but I’ll do the next $1400 step in about a month and another every month so before I know it I’ll have a decent little system. I enjoy your video
Glad you liked it. Sounds like you are building a great system! Have you looked into San Tan's used solar panels. They are dirt cheap and I have 20 of them for 4 years now and they are a pretty good value.
2 месяца назад
@@OurBlackCatCottage San Tan also now seems to be shipping from either AZ or GA so east coast people could potentially pick up a pallet and save quite a bit in shipping. They are without a doubt the best company for DIY'ers to buy panels from. Very very rarely do I find better deals than what they offer.
2 месяца назад
Good call on going with LiTime batteries. LiTime/Redodo/PowerQueen are all the same company but produce IMO the best budget brand LiFePO4. Down to about $240 for a 12V 100Ah so I'd imagine the 24V 100Ah's are under $500. When you get multiple batteries buy a set of bus bars and run equal lengths of wire from each battery to the bus bar. It will help your batteries equally distribute the current. Since the curve for this chemistry is so flat the fact that batteries in parallel will balance to the same voltage does not mean they will be balancing to the same State of Charge. If you drew the load off one battery and had the other batteries daisy chained away from the load a 90A load on 4 batteries might look like 30A, 25A, 20A, 15A instead of 22.5A on all 4. I'd also suggest at looking at getting a battery monitor that uses a shunt or hall sensor to count coulombs in and out of the batteries. Victron and Junctek make the best coulomb meters IMO.
Good overview, but there are a couple of things you should mention. First, when selecting circuit breakers make sure they are rated for the actual voltage in your system. This is particularly important with a 48 volt system since the "48 volt" label on a 48 volt system is just the nominal voltage, not the actual voltage. A typical 48 volt system running LiFePO4 batteries will actually have peak voltages near 58 volts. Those Bussman breakers may say 48 volts, but when you check you will find that they are indeed limited to 48 volts maximum and are not suitable between the batteries and the inverter for a 48 volt nominal system. You want circuit breakers rated at least 60 volts and preferably higher. Also, if your solar panels are in series, the open system voltage of the array is the sum of the open system voltages for all the panels connected in series. For example a typical 360 watt panel has an open system voltage of 40.6 volts. So if you have three panels in series, your array open system voltage is 121.8 volts. The circuit breaker between the solar array and the charge panels need to have a rating higher than the open system voltage of the array. In my example, I would want a breaker rated for 150 amps DC. Also make sure your breakers are DC rated. Another thing is that when you wire multiple batteries in parallel, I prefer to wire the batteries individually to the buss bar taking care to make sure the wires from all batteries to the buss bar are the same length. I believe that is a more robust way to parallel batteries and you also only need one connection at each battery terminal.
Most things in a typical solar setup can be used at different voltages except for the inverter which normally comes in just a single voltage. Fortunately for you, you have a very highly engineered and adaptable Genetry inverter that was made to be able to be changed to different voltages. It's the only high quality inverter I know of that has this capability. In order to do so you'll have to contact Sean or Sid at Genetry and have them tell you what you need to do. You're 48 volt system may just be right around the corner.
It is not quite as simple as you state so I don't want people to get the wrong idea. I would still have to switch out every other components (other than panels and I need to upgraded them soon regardless LOL) even if Sean could get a 48v upgrade kit. My charge controllers and all of my overcurrent protection would not function on a 48v setup. And I would have to completely reconfigure my batteries - new BMSs of course. I do love my Genetry inverter and wish that more people knew about them.
@@OurBlackCatCottage I stand corrected, I thought those EP ever controllers went up to 48 V but I was mistaken. Apparently only the 50 Amp and up versions go up to 48 V. FYI, I have heard that the commonly available, heavy duty, commercial, yet inexpensive squareD brand, QO version of circuit breakers are actually rated to 48 V DC. Most commonly available breakers don't have a DC rating, but these apparently do in their literature although it's not stamped on them Individually. I would suggest double checking at an electrical supply place, or even squareD before doing it though. While you're at it double check if they are polarity sensitive.
@johnwyman6126 48v breakers aren't sufficient because your Voltage will go up around 56ish when charging a 48v battery bank. At least that's my understanding. Cheers
@@johnwyman6126. I just bought two 12 volt, 300 amp hour batteries from WattCycle over the Black Friday sale period and was planning to build a 24 volt system, but the more I learn about it, the more I realize that I would be better off building a 48 volt system. I’m on a limited retirement budget so buying two more of the same batteries will strain my finances, so I’m hoping that I can find equipment that is capable of running on both 24 and 48 volts, so I can switch to 48 volts later. I don’t know if that’s possible, but I’m looking.
Just a point to anybody that needs the higher current capacity wire. If you have smaller gauge wire, you can parallel them to give the current capacity you need. Two 12 gauge (20 amp) will give you 40 amps, and so on. But make sure you make a good connection at all points.
@@OurBlackCatCottageOne 2/0 (THHN) is good for 195 amps, 2, #2’s are good for 260 amps (130 amps each). I don’t care to run parallel conductors either, if I can avoid it, but your analogy isn’t quite accurate.
I’m building my first 12 volt (oops) system for my small camp trailer. It should be functional in a day or two. I ran double conductors instead of one larger conductor to all my components ( It will work but probably not the most practical way to go about it). Once it’s up and running I will probably sell some components and go with a 24 volt system ( to halve the ampacity for smaller conductor size). We all learn as we go right? Also welding type wire is much more flexible than THHN. Nice video. TU.
Running two wires instead of one can become a fire hazard if one of the wires has a problem or gets cut. So make sure that they are well protected and have secure connections and you should be okay, but it’s not the best idea IMO.
2 месяца назад+1
Low Frequency Inverters do have one downside: idle consumption. Your typical HF inverter in the 5kW range can have idle consumption around 50-60 watts. LF inverters are typically double the idle consumption. I'd guess the Genetry is probably 100'ish watts idle for the 6kW but I know they are VERY well made inverters. I've watched the guy's RUclips channel, he's the exact kind of person I'd want to buy an inverter from. A single 400W panel should offset most of the idle consumption for a 5 or 6kW inverter....but unfortunately you also need the battery capacity for when the sun isn't out. 1kWh costs $300 at most so its not terrible but consider these two costs when purchasing an inverter. If the inverter is $3000 but has high idle consumption you might be better off spending another $500 on an inverter with half the idle consumption.
12v and 24v have uses where you have lots of motor vehicle kit -lighting especially all car accessories are 12v! After that 24 and 48 volt systems have power at a reasonable current and are good for power at reasonable current.
I wish I would have gone 48v with my off grid setup. 24v is fine for smaller setups but once you start getting into 12k and 20wh and higher, 48v is the way to go.
You can get a 5k watt EG4 battery for $1,000 to $1200 in 12/24/48v configuration, then a Rich Solar or EG4 inverter/charger (3k watts) for $500-$600. Less wiring, compact, and can bus. Good to go!
Bit undersized for me. Personally I wouldn't get an inverter under 6k. Now two 6k running together for split phase 240... Now you are talking. I do like those EG4 batteries but I can still make one from 3.2v cells for half that price.
@@OurBlackCatCottage Hrmm, I'd be willing to build a batt. if it were cheaper, but apparently you have a cheaper supplier than I can find. Where did you get your cells?
Thanks building my first system.. so Lost. Lol got 2 power queen 100ah 6 195w biorganic and velor 3k inverter. What do I need now? I could use bats in RV? But was meant for system, needs to run well pump. 3/4 horse pump. Have a solor tracker as well.
6 awg wire from the AC out on the terminal block of the inverter. Then it is just standard 240v split phase on the load center. ie, black, red hot to the busbars, neutral, etc.
Love the GENETRY inverter in this excellent setup .🤗Check out my solar videos, hit like , leave a comment and subscribe if you haven’t yet .We preppers are always ready when it comes to power outages , living off the grid and saving money on electricity . May the solar be with you .😉
That GENETRY inverter is just a beast. I am thinking about getting another one. Been following your channel for a while but I just subscribed with my other one.
That Genetry Solar inverter it is a bad bad boy nothing wrong just about anything you put in the problem is if you have a problem with it good luck because I am waiting for a fan for the last six months and it still won’t send to me a new fan other than that, they are great parts and communication they suck. It’s like trying to talk to Chinese factory.
A good rule of thumb is Continuous Watts / Battery Voltage times 1.25. How big is your inverter? You need to find the rate of power of your system. Your 13k wh battery is just the amount of energy you have stored. For example, I have 6k inverter on 24v so I have a 250a fuse. Technically mine is a bit low but max load is really closer to 4k. 4k/24v x 1.25 would be 208 and then round up to 250 amp.
You could go diagonally ( i.e. terminal to terminal or ' daisy chain'). The main reason I use the busbar is so I can isolate each battery and add a fuse. Also, in my experience it creates a better distribution of the energy across the batteries.
@@OurBlackCatCottage I meant on the negative side, which is un fused. I have not done solar but as an electronics tech the copper screwed into OSB could be problematic as well as the extra terminals and extra cables. I did enjoy the video and hope to do a solar system. and appreciate your time and effort educating.
@awa2827 19 hours ago Hi thank you for your helpful videos. I have a question about my solar system. I had 12v solar system with 10-180 watts panels and 2 lead acid batteries 12v/200amp connected parallel. I have them about 5 years and last month I bought 2 lithium batteries 230 amp each. When I connected new batteries, my inverter would turn on and off automatically every few minutes when there is less or no load connected to the system. I have 5000 watts Giandel inverter. I thought my inverter had a problem so I bought another inverter. This time I bought a 24v 5000 watt inverter and switched my solar panels to series. And I still have the same problem. I searched online but could not find any helpful information. Will you please help me out with this issue? Thank you so much.
Are you mixing the Lead batteries with the Lithium ones? That could cause all sorts of issues. If you just have the two Lithium and they are either in series or 24v then I don't know what the issue could be.
Thank you for your reply, I don't use lead acid batteries when I bought lithium. I use lithium only. My system is 24v now. Batteries and solar panels are in series with new 24v inverter. But anytime batteries in full charge, my inverter starts turning on and off every few minutes
@@awa2827 I would check the maximum input voltage for your inverter. Lithium batteries run at higher voltage than lead acid. It is possible that the voltage for your fully charged Lithium batteries (14.4 volts for a 12 V system or 28.8 volts for a 24 volt system is too high for your inverter which triggers an over voltage shut down of the inverter. Try changing the charging voltage of your solar charge controllers down to 14V for a 12 volt system or 28V for a 24 volt system.
Building my first system. Need to run a 3/4 horse well pump . ,48v are expensive? Can you add up 100amp hr battery's, to get 48 volts? Or better to save money And bye bigger amp hr 12v or just get a 48v battery
Why do you call this beginner? How many beginners are going to afford 800 amps of lithium batteries when they are beginners and are not sure what the outcome will be? Why not make a beginner video with affordable components?
With sales I just bought 2 290 AH total of 580 Amp hours of heated bluetooth chins batteries for under 1k, gonna run it in a 24v system so will still have 290 AH but also still just shy of 7.5 kw of power
It is a Sun Gold Power. And I made a slight mistake in the video. It is actually a 4k version. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00S4C702M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
I have two Anker Solix F2000 power stations and just bought a pair of WattCycle 12 volt, 300 amp hour mini batteries with the idea of building a portable system on a tool cart, so I can easily use it for house backup power plugged into a generator plug and transfer switch connected to my main panel, and also roll the tool cart into my travel trailer, as I plan to do a lot of traveling and boon docking with 1,000 to 2,000 watts of solar panels. Since I already have two 2400 watt inverters in my power stations, I was thinking that a 3000 watt inverter would be enough for my tool cart system, and staying with a smaller inverter would reduce the standby power usage, as I will always have at least one inverter running 24/7, for a few essential loads. While using the tool cart system as home backup power, I would turn off any 240 volt breakers, until the power was restored, so the 3000 watt AIO inverter won’t be tripped due to over current. A second thought is to save up for an EG4 XP6000 AIO and another pair of identical batteries for 48 volt system, but that is overkill for my traveling needs, which is the primary reason for this build. What do you think and what would you recommend?
Edit: I also just purchased an Etaker F1000 alternator and solar charger that combines up to 500 watts of power from my truck alternator while driving, with up to 500 watts of solar power and outputs it as 48 volts, up to 1,000 watts, which is perfect for charging my pair of Anker Solix F2000 power stations. I currently have ten 100 watt Renogy solar panels and want to add more solar panels, but until I decide on what components I’m going to use for the tool cart system, I’m waiting to get the panels that will be the best fit for my system.
I would take those two WattCycle and series them for 24v and then get a 4000w split phase low frequency SunGoldPower. It as a power save mode that only draws 30w. And being low frequency it can handle anything. They do make a 12v but for 3000w+ I like to use 24v.
Now having said all of that....If you can afford it, EG4 XP6000 is a great option but I do agree with you that it may be too much.
I am going to pin this so we can get some other people to way in as well.
@ Thanks for the advice and detailed response to my questions. I like your suggestion and I’m going to look at that inverter. Specially since it does 240 split phase and it’s a low frequency inverter. The fact that it has a low power mode is great as well.
As of now I'm watching this video on a 60" tv plugged into a gaming pc powered by my first solar power system I made. Feels good lol
Congratulations! It is a very exciting feeling for sure. What did you build?
@OurBlackCatCottage when it's all said and done, it'll be a 400ah battery bank ran on a 3,000 constant inverter, which can automatically switch from grid to solar as needed. Which powers my recording studio that pays the bills. Instantly cutting power bull in hath as this studio is constantly using power day n night. I'll be doing a video on my setup soon. I bargain shopped and ordered everything online, so I got everything for a fraction of the cost.
Excellent video! After spending more than 25 years in the offgrid solar industry, designing, selling and repairing offgrid solar systems spanning back to the early days of Trace Engineering in Arlington, Washington, I can attest to the fact that everything you have presented in this video is 100% accurate, especially your recommendation that you use low frequency, transformer based inverter technology as opposed to the low cost, low surge, short lived, high frequency tech that's now flooding the market. I like the fact that you presented your information in a non-biased, easy to grasp format that the typical layman can understand. Please make more of these videos. You're doing a great service for the offgrid community! I will be sure to checkout your Genetry inverter recommendation. Thanks!
Thank you! And definitely check out Genetry solar. I cut out a bunch about their inverter because it was starting to sound like an ad for them. LOL. Its basically two guys working out of their basement but their inverters are rock solid. www.genetrysolar.com
I got a Genetry solar 12 kw inverter I got it in May 10, 2023 May 14 on Mother’s Day. My wife got sick June 16, 2023. She passed away, the inverter still sitting in the box on my house with a 24 V 2500 W inverter 930 ah battery and my 12 V system has 3840 ah with a 3000 W Samlex inverter. Both inverters are low frequency. It was nice finding your channel
Thanks and sounds like you have a cool setup. Sorry for your loss.
Would u want to sell your Gentry inverter?
Would you consider selling your Gentry inverter?
Wow, finally a channel without a paid product review, just down to earth advice, with great instructions. New sub... I'm in the process of learning about solar as a backup system. Thanks much for this video....
Glad it was helpful. If you have any questions please let me know. And check out this channel if you haven't already. He is the best one out there. www.youtube.com/@WillProwse
Yes great video !! Thank you
Definitely got easy than ever before. And cheaper
Greetings from Thailand. Love your setup AND your shop!
Things are generally way cheaper here in Thailand and that goes for most solar components as well. And great sun closer to the equator :)
However, if you want to do a grid tied system the red tape and having to use approved installers and govt costs make the system 3X the price of DIY.
So I am looking into taking some of my stuff of grid.
I would love to deep dive into 48v but am looking at a 24v system with one of your 24v 200Ah batteries and a 3.5Kw inverter(that is really only a 1.75Kw with 3.5 surge capacity). We have heaps of power outages so this will be awesome to keep some lights and fans and fridge and PC running, but also will be great seeing just what I can run.
Should I then decide to take more house circuits off grid then I would probably go for a new 48v system but will still be able to re-locate the 24v system to run my wife's outdoor kitchen.
Anyhow it's all dreamtime right now but hopefully I'll get started before the new year year :)
Appreciate yours and other you tubers efforts to put this info out there :)
Thanks for watching and hopefully you start on your project soon!
Really cool. I do like the all in ones, like Rich Solar $399 system with 3000W inverter, 80A charger.
Thanks! I had some Rich Solar panels. They make really good stuff.
Very informative and easy to understand. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Great info, Just purchased a off grid cabin with solar battery banks and have no idea of what's what. Appreciate your time for putting out this information.
Thanks. What all did the cabin come with?
Hey, enjoyed your video! Thanks. I’m addicted to this off-grid solar stuff now, too! I, too, have a a 24 volt system. Well, two of them actually. One for my cabin in the woods in Proctor, Ok and one for my home in Claremore. And like you, I wish I’d gone with a 48 volt system. But the 24 volt systems are doing fine for now. I was having trouble finding a 6000 watt 24 volt inverter till I saw your video. Here at my home in town I’ve got a 3000 watt WZRELB inverter, which has been a workhorse but I really do need something bigger because I plan on adding some heavier loads.
Glad you liked it. How dod you like that WZRELB inverter? Also, I am in southern OK - close to Norman. How do your panels perform here? And what do you use?
@@OurBlackCatCottage The WZRELB is a solid inverter. It has been powering my system here at the house for four years with no issues. I have eight Mission 380 watt panels here at the house in town wired in 2S 2P. Four panels per charge controller. On cooler days the highest output I’ve seen is 2.7 kilowatts. With this heat lately the highest output has been around 2.3 kilowatts. Both of my systems are off-grid only. I have manual transfer switches that allow me to toggle between grid and solar. I have been pleasantly surprised at how robust my town system has been, given that I have only eight panels.
My cabin also has eight panels but they have slightly less wattage at 370 watts. Same wiring configuration. Out there I have a Schneider Conext 4024 split phase inverter; 3400 running watts; 4000 watts for thirty minutes and a 7000 watt surge for 5 seconds. I need more running watts out there though because I have a well. Most wells have one pump but mine has two: a submersible pump and a jet pump. I really need a second Schneider dedicated to the well only because I have a mini-split to power and my hot water tank is electric. It’s a small 19 gallon 1500 watt tank but it all adds up. Your 24 volt 6000 watt inverter peaked my interest because I was having trouble finding that much wattage for a 24 volt system using a single inverter.
I love the all-in-one Eg4 6000xp but I have a lot of different areas that get intense sun for about 3 hours then shade and then about 2 more hours. I like having multiple solar chargers harvesting the random sunspots in my yard. The all-in-one most limiting is how many solar inputs I can use.
Ive been researching solar for so long and ive never seen this company, the perks of the support alone justify the cost, great conpany!
I completely agree.
I absolutely love the attention to detail and safety. I know you say that wire and fuse has to match the system built, but that is my question. Can I send a picture for your review with so far specs?
sure. I'll check it out.
I picked up the same solar panels from SanTan years ago to build a cabin but never started the build. I am know trying to build me 2 off grid systems to power stuff on remote property and thinking on a 24v and a 48v setup. Cool video.
Thanks. Glad you liked it. You are going to love building out your two systems.
Nice explanation of the components that go into building a system. Like you, I started small and used 24V on my first home backup system and as I expanded the capacity from 120V single phase to 240 split phase utilizing a second inverter, I was faced with starting over with 48V inverters or continuing to use additional 24V components to utilize what I already had. I wish I had started with 48V but I found myself stuck at 24V.
One thing you might want to consider is to replace the circuit breakers on your PV feeds going to the charge controllers with ones that have a higher DC voltage rating. The ones you are using are typically rated for 32V and if your solar panels are connected in series those breakers do not have an adequate DC voltage rating. For example if you have 4 x 20Voc panels connected in series, you could see up to 80Voc across the terminals of the PV breaker when it is open. I'd also recommend covering up the PV breaker terminals because you could have hazardous DC voltage levels on the exposed terminals during sunlight hours.
For for sure raise some good points. They are actually rated for 48 but still they for sure could go over that and really aren't "solar panel breakers".
Very good review of your system I also have a G S 6k inverter but in 48v very well built good choice
They make great inverters. I wish more people knew about them.
Nice video, think you forgot to mention bms stuff, but very informative, short, without nonsense.
Thank you. I actually have several videos where I talk about BMS and how to build a battery.
ruclips.net/video/OHnw0IqfZAs/видео.html
@@OurBlackCatCottage ok, didn't know, first video I saw, will watch more :-)
Like the common sense vibe 😊
Thanks
Thanks for the advice about the cheap circuit breakers. Mine is cheap and keeps getting really hot at maximum charge current, around 50-60amps. I will be getting the Bussman brand you recommend shortly. Thanks for the video.
Greetings from Jamaica.
Glad I could help. Love to hear more about your setup.
@@OurBlackCatCottage I have just under 2000 watts of solar, LiTime 60amp and Rich Solar 40amp charge controllers charging two 100ah Power Queen LiFePo4 batteries. One 2000 watt LiTime pure sine wave inverter. Getting a third battery shortly and eventually a fourth, then i may upgrade to a 48v system. Thanks for asking.
Nice set up. Congratulations.
Thanks. Do you have an off grid setup too?
First try on building a system.
24v 6000 watt split phase AMPINVT inverter.
X1 24v 100a LiTime battery with bms. I bought 2ga 3 foot cables and a 400amp fuse for now.
I plan to buy a few more Batteries when I get the money. I also plan to buy solar panels when I finish buying batteries.
I live in Florida and have a nice Kubota generator that I use for backup power. However I can’t use it until the storm passes. I figure my inverter can carry me until the storm passes and it gets daylight. Then I can run off my generator during the day and charge my batteries and then go back to the inverter and batteries at night. Hurricane Hellene left me without power 4 days and my generator had to run the whole time because I’m on oxygen.
Once I get enough solar panels I might be able to save some money on my electric bill. My electric company charges the same amount per kWh regardless of what time of day it’s used or I’d get creative and charge with grid power when it was cheap and use inverter when it was more expensive.
I’m about 1/4 of the way into this at $1,400 but I’ll do the next $1400 step in about a month and another every month so before I know it I’ll have a decent little system.
I enjoy your video
Glad you liked it. Sounds like you are building a great system! Have you looked into San Tan's used solar panels. They are dirt cheap and I have 20 of them for 4 years now and they are a pretty good value.
@@OurBlackCatCottage San Tan also now seems to be shipping from either AZ or GA so east coast people could potentially pick up a pallet and save quite a bit in shipping.
They are without a doubt the best company for DIY'ers to buy panels from. Very very rarely do I find better deals than what they offer.
Good call on going with LiTime batteries. LiTime/Redodo/PowerQueen are all the same company but produce IMO the best budget brand LiFePO4. Down to about $240 for a 12V 100Ah so I'd imagine the 24V 100Ah's are under $500.
When you get multiple batteries buy a set of bus bars and run equal lengths of wire from each battery to the bus bar. It will help your batteries equally distribute the current. Since the curve for this chemistry is so flat the fact that batteries in parallel will balance to the same voltage does not mean they will be balancing to the same State of Charge. If you drew the load off one battery and had the other batteries daisy chained away from the load a 90A load on 4 batteries might look like 30A, 25A, 20A, 15A instead of 22.5A on all 4.
I'd also suggest at looking at getting a battery monitor that uses a shunt or hall sensor to count coulombs in and out of the batteries. Victron and Junctek make the best coulomb meters IMO.
Good overview, but there are a couple of things you should mention. First, when selecting circuit breakers make sure they are rated for the actual voltage in your system. This is particularly important with a 48 volt system since the "48 volt" label on a 48 volt system is just the nominal voltage, not the actual voltage. A typical 48 volt system running LiFePO4 batteries will actually have peak voltages near 58 volts. Those Bussman breakers may say 48 volts, but when you check you will find that they are indeed limited to 48 volts maximum and are not suitable between the batteries and the inverter for a 48 volt nominal system. You want circuit breakers rated at least 60 volts and preferably higher. Also, if your solar panels are in series, the open system voltage of the array is the sum of the open system voltages for all the panels connected in series. For example a typical 360 watt panel has an open system voltage of 40.6 volts. So if you have three panels in series, your array open system voltage is 121.8 volts. The circuit breaker between the solar array and the charge panels need to have a rating higher than the open system voltage of the array. In my example, I would want a breaker rated for 150 amps DC. Also make sure your breakers are DC rated.
Another thing is that when you wire multiple batteries in parallel, I prefer to wire the batteries individually to the buss bar taking care to make sure the wires from all batteries to the buss bar are the same length. I believe that is a more robust way to parallel batteries and you also only need one connection at each battery terminal.
Thanks. Glad you liked it.
Thank you! for sharing. ))) Great video!
Thanks. Do you have an offgrid setup? or planning to make one?
I wish you'd shown details of how you mounted the panels to your roof and how you run the cables from outside through the wall to inside your house.
I have a flat roof and the way I mount my panels is terrible and I would never suggest and one do it the way I do it. LOL. Sorry.
@OurBlackCatCottage haha, fair enough! 👍
Most things in a typical solar setup can be used at different voltages except for the inverter which normally comes in just a single voltage. Fortunately for you, you have a very highly engineered and adaptable Genetry inverter that was made to be able to be changed to different voltages. It's the only high quality inverter I know of that has this capability. In order to do so you'll have to contact Sean or Sid at Genetry and have them tell you what you need to do.
You're 48 volt system may just be right around the corner.
It is not quite as simple as you state so I don't want people to get the wrong idea. I would still have to switch out every other components (other than panels and I need to upgraded them soon regardless LOL) even if Sean could get a 48v upgrade kit. My charge controllers and all of my overcurrent protection would not function on a 48v setup. And I would have to completely reconfigure my batteries - new BMSs of course.
I do love my Genetry inverter and wish that more people knew about them.
@@OurBlackCatCottage I stand corrected, I thought those EP ever controllers went up to 48 V but I was mistaken. Apparently only the 50 Amp and up versions go up to 48 V.
FYI, I have heard that the commonly available, heavy duty, commercial, yet inexpensive squareD brand, QO version of circuit breakers are actually rated to 48 V DC. Most commonly available breakers don't have a DC rating, but these apparently do in their literature although it's not stamped on them Individually. I would suggest double checking at an electrical supply place, or even squareD before doing it though. While you're at it double check if they are polarity sensitive.
@johnwyman6126 48v breakers aren't sufficient because your Voltage will go up around 56ish when charging a 48v battery bank. At least that's my understanding. Cheers
@@johnwyman6126. I just bought two 12 volt, 300 amp hour batteries from WattCycle over the Black Friday sale period and was planning to build a 24 volt system, but the more I learn about it, the more I realize that I would be better off building a 48 volt system. I’m on a limited retirement budget so buying two more of the same batteries will strain my finances, so I’m hoping that I can find equipment that is capable of running on both 24 and 48 volts, so I can switch to 48 volts later. I don’t know if that’s possible, but I’m looking.
Just a point to anybody that needs the higher current capacity wire. If you have smaller gauge wire, you can parallel them to give the current capacity you need. Two 12 gauge (20 amp) will give you 40 amps, and so on. But make sure you make a good connection at all points.
I have never liked that concept. I like one larger (ie 2/0 over two 2 awg) wire.
@@OurBlackCatCottageOne 2/0 (THHN) is good for 195 amps, 2, #2’s are good for 260 amps (130 amps each). I don’t care to run parallel conductors either, if I can avoid it, but your analogy isn’t quite accurate.
I’m building my first 12 volt (oops) system for my small camp trailer. It should be functional in a day or two. I ran double conductors instead of one larger conductor to all my components ( It will work but probably not the most practical way to go about it). Once it’s up and running I will probably sell some components and go with a 24 volt system ( to halve the ampacity for smaller conductor size). We all learn as we go right? Also welding type wire is much more flexible than THHN. Nice video. TU.
Running two wires instead of one can become a fire hazard if one of the wires has a problem or gets cut. So make sure that they are well protected and have secure connections and you should be okay, but it’s not the best idea IMO.
Low Frequency Inverters do have one downside: idle consumption. Your typical HF inverter in the 5kW range can have idle consumption around 50-60 watts. LF inverters are typically double the idle consumption. I'd guess the Genetry is probably 100'ish watts idle for the 6kW but I know they are VERY well made inverters. I've watched the guy's RUclips channel, he's the exact kind of person I'd want to buy an inverter from.
A single 400W panel should offset most of the idle consumption for a 5 or 6kW inverter....but unfortunately you also need the battery capacity for when the sun isn't out. 1kWh costs $300 at most so its not terrible but consider these two costs when purchasing an inverter. If the inverter is $3000 but has high idle consumption you might be better off spending another $500 on an inverter with half the idle consumption.
I love my Genetry inverter!
12v and 24v have uses where you have lots of motor vehicle kit -lighting especially all car accessories are 12v! After that 24 and 48 volt systems have power at a reasonable current and are good for power at reasonable current.
I wish I would have gone 48v with my off grid setup. 24v is fine for smaller setups but once you start getting into 12k and 20wh and higher, 48v is the way to go.
You can get a 5k watt EG4 battery for $1,000 to $1200 in 12/24/48v configuration, then a Rich Solar or EG4 inverter/charger (3k watts) for $500-$600. Less wiring, compact, and can bus. Good to go!
Bit undersized for me. Personally I wouldn't get an inverter under 6k. Now two 6k running together for split phase 240... Now you are talking. I do like those EG4 batteries but I can still make one from 3.2v cells for half that price.
@@OurBlackCatCottage Hrmm, I'd be willing to build a batt. if it were cheaper, but apparently you have a cheaper supplier than I can find. Where did you get your cells?
Try battery hookup @@antigroundhogday
Thanks building my first system.. so Lost. Lol got 2 power queen 100ah 6 195w biorganic and velor 3k inverter. What do I need now? I could use bats in RV? But was meant for system, needs to run well pump. 3/4 horse pump. Have a solor tracker as well.
How is the inverter wired to the panel?
6 awg wire from the AC out on the terminal block of the inverter. Then it is just standard 240v split phase on the load center. ie, black, red hot to the busbars, neutral, etc.
@OurBlackCatCottage is the 6 awg wire wired into the main lugs on the breaker box? Or does the 6 awg need to go to a fuse?
I tired to get a genetry inverter, it has been a rough road. Hopefully this will change.
What happened?
@@OurBlackCatCottage shipping damaged and replacement issues just frustrating.
I have all in ones x3. 150 watts of power is sucked if the sun shines or not. Per hour. What is your consumption ?
Would one of those mt50 remotes work on any charge controller with a rs45 port? I have a 40a Ampinvt with the port on it for something.
I think it only worked on Epever controllers. But you could try looking on diysolarforum.com and see if anyone there knows for sure.
Love the GENETRY inverter in this excellent setup .🤗Check out my solar videos, hit like , leave a comment and subscribe if you haven’t yet .We preppers are always ready when it comes to power outages , living off the grid and saving money on electricity . May the solar be with you .😉
That GENETRY inverter is just a beast. I am thinking about getting another one.
Been following your channel for a while but I just subscribed with my other one.
That Genetry Solar inverter it is a bad bad boy nothing wrong just about anything you put in the problem is if you have a problem with it good luck because I am waiting for a fan for the last six months and it still won’t send to me a new fan other than that, they are great parts and communication they suck. It’s like trying to talk to Chinese factory.
That has been my experience. Solid inverter but the two guys running the company are overwhelmed and very slow to response.
what amp battery should go with 48 v 280 vs 200
Probably the biggest you can afford. But it just depends on your needs and system design too.
How to size a fuse ?
I have a 24V system with a 13000 watts hours batteries ,please advice, thanks
A good rule of thumb is Continuous Watts / Battery Voltage times 1.25.
How big is your inverter? You need to find the rate of power of your system. Your 13k wh battery is just the amount of energy you have stored.
For example, I have 6k inverter on 24v so I have a 250a fuse. Technically mine is a bit low but max load is really closer to 4k.
4k/24v x 1.25 would be 208 and then round up to 250 amp.
Thanks 😊
I've got 4 batteries to work with
I monitor mine with a Metter what volt at all times
I am confused as to why you have your 'copper bus bar' on the battery bank? Why not just connect terminal to terminal?
You could go diagonally ( i.e. terminal to terminal or ' daisy chain'). The main reason I use the busbar is so I can isolate each battery and add a fuse. Also, in my experience it creates a better distribution of the energy across the batteries.
@@OurBlackCatCottage I meant on the negative side, which is un fused. I have not done solar but as an electronics tech the copper screwed into OSB could be problematic as well as the extra terminals and extra cables. I did enjoy the video and hope to do a solar system. and appreciate your time and effort educating.
@awa2827
19 hours ago
Hi thank you for your helpful videos.
I have a question about my solar system. I had 12v solar system with 10-180 watts panels and 2 lead acid batteries 12v/200amp connected parallel. I have them about 5 years and last month I bought 2 lithium batteries 230 amp each. When I connected new batteries, my inverter would turn on and off automatically every few minutes when there is less or no load connected to the system. I have 5000 watts Giandel inverter. I thought my inverter had a problem so I bought another inverter. This time I bought a 24v 5000 watt inverter and switched my solar panels to series. And I still have the same problem.
I searched online but could not find any helpful information. Will you please help me out with this issue?
Thank you so much.
Are you mixing the Lead batteries with the Lithium ones? That could cause all sorts of issues. If you just have the two Lithium and they are either in series or 24v then I don't know what the issue could be.
Thank you for your reply, I don't use lead acid batteries when I bought lithium. I use lithium only. My system is 24v now. Batteries and solar panels are in series with new 24v inverter. But anytime batteries in full charge, my inverter starts turning on and off every few minutes
@@awa2827 I would check the maximum input voltage for your inverter. Lithium batteries run at higher voltage than lead acid. It is possible that the voltage for your fully charged Lithium batteries (14.4 volts for a 12 V system or 28.8 volts for a 24 volt system is too high for your inverter which triggers an over voltage shut down of the inverter. Try changing the charging voltage of your solar charge controllers down to 14V for a 12 volt system or 28V for a 24 volt system.
Building my first system. Need to run a 3/4 horse well pump . ,48v are expensive? Can you add up 100amp hr battery's, to get 48 volts? Or better to save money And bye bigger amp hr 12v or just get a 48v battery
I'm thankin 24 Got have more batteries
Funny i did exactly the same. Did 24v because i was scared
LOL. It is just funny to me that I was so scared but I just didn't know anything when I started.
@@OurBlackCatCottage big numbers , big voltage. But actually so much easier to work with. Especially the new hybrid inverters
totally agree. Now you can just buy a 48v hybrid inverter and a couple of rack mount batteries and have a great setup.
My system is a lot like your but my inverter is 4000 watt at 240 split phase same size battery bank does all I need for my cabin
Sounds like a great system.
I've got 4 batteries to work with
Why do you call this beginner? How many beginners are going to afford 800 amps of lithium batteries when they are beginners and are not sure what the outcome will be? Why not make a beginner video with affordable components?
I have many videos on making solar set ups of all sizes on my channel.
With sales I just bought 2 290 AH total of 580 Amp hours of heated bluetooth chins batteries for under 1k, gonna run it in a 24v system so will still have 290 AH but also still just shy of 7.5 kw of power
What is the model and manufacturer of the 3000 inverter?
It is a Sun Gold Power. And I made a slight mistake in the video. It is actually a 4k version.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00S4C702M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1