Testing Our Solar System! 2 Growatt 5kw Inverters! What Can It Handle?
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- Опубліковано 29 січ 2022
- Testing Our Solar System! 2 Growatt 5kw Inverters! What Can It Handle? ALL OF OUR SOLAR EQUIPMENT...CLICK HERE: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=c...
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I dont get it,this inverts are off grid,they suppose that not back feed the network back even when you have plug in AC grid as a backup!!Also on 3:30 i dont get it why he makes this?
Well done! My house is about 98% complete and I’m 100% off grid. I’ve got the same inverters and two of the auto transformers just as a precaution, should one fail. Good willing, today I’ll complete the final wiring and program the inverters. Your videos give DIYers like me confidence that an off grid farm can be powered by solar. Look forward to your next informative video. God bless you for sharing your knowledge and experiences.
Thank you. I am glad that our videos are helpful. Hope you get yours up and running soon. I will be getting another transformer as backup for the system as well.
in the winter this will be difficult
Thank you for your video. That was amazing to see watt what your system could do in real time.
You’re welcome. Glad it was helpful.
Great to see your success!
I have the same system in my Power Carts but with only with 3 batteries
Thanks dude
I really like your system. You did an awesome job.
Thank you!
Thanks man,good video, gives us a good idea of what we all can do with a medium sized system like you have.
You're welcome
That was very impressive and informative. It was fortunate that you were able to do this before converting the stove and water heater to propane, as some folks might not have that option, yet.
I, for one prefer cooking with gas or propane rather than electric, but where I live, gas is practically nonexistent and propane is not widely used.
One of the reasons I prefer gas/propane to electric is that here (Maine) lines can go down easily for weeks. With a gas stove/ oven, you can heat at least one room, while heating water for cooking or even bathing.
I tend to plan for worst case scenarios, so even if I lived in a mild climate, I'd probably plan for Maine winters and Laredo summers. Lol.
Thank you. I also like planning for worst case so having the propane as a redundant system was important for us. I will keep all my electric appliances for backup after converting.
I have a similar setup for the same inverters. Powers most of the loads in the house except the strip heating in the furnace, the dryer and the electric stove. The AC\heat pump is connected to the system and the largest I've seen it draw was around 2.75KW. Have not had any major issues. As mentioned, if the loads are not stupidly over balanced. This setup will work very well. And I also got my inverters from SS.
Very cool! I am loving the system so far.
1.30.22 Great video thanks for taking the time to make it.
My pleasure!
These videos you are doing are good practical guides for using solar. I can't wait to see the test when you flip to gas and the minisplits. Based on what I saw you could have run your AC with limited issues if you did not have everything else on too.
Thank you. I appreciate it. The system is a good size to run many things and for not a great cost too.
Great test. I've always wondered about how well the solar would do.
Thank you
This is the best video you've made. Awesome!
I appreciate that. Thanks.
Nice setup. Thanks for sharing the load test. It was very informative for me. One suggestion for you or anybody else, if you haven’t already done it. Getting a heat pump water heater. The specs on those things look awesome. Home depot has a 50 gallon rheem for $1700. The energy guide says it uses 866 kwh a year. Plus you get a small amount of free ac from it. That would fit on your system and you wouldn’t have to use any propane on it.
Thank you. I actually will be replacing my water heater with a heat pump version soon. I already purchased it and it’s sitting in the barn.
This is awesome. Signature solar is 15 miles from me. I just picked up 12690 watts of solar panels 3 5K grow Watt inverters. 1 Transformer six 48 V 100 amp-hour lithium iron phosphate batteries. I just got rid of my tankless water heater and went to a 50 gallon heat pump water heater and purchased a soft start for my 3.5 ton ac. I have a 1200 square-foot home I am going to be able to run completely from this setup
Very cool! Sounds like you have a nice big system. I just picked up a heat pump water heater that I am switching out soon too.
Great vid. I bought two of the Growatt 5ks but haven't begun setting them up yet. I'm not sure about the issue of overall efficiency of your existing system vs mini-splits, but you SHOULD be able to run the existing system if you install a soft start on the compressor, and the overall cost of that would far less than multiple, or even one mini-split system. Just wanted to point that out for anyone else who was thinking about trying to run an existing unit like yours.
Thank you.
I am actually releasing a video on Sunday of our HVAC system vs. mini-split situation. I talk about a soft start, advantages of mini-splits, our current HVAC system, etc.
Great videos thanks a lot 👍🏼❕
I see we should use 50 amp breakers for the growatt input to the panel. What size breaker should I use for the output to the main panel ? The only thing I can find is 65amp? Just wondering what you used
The batteries are back in stock at Signature Solar now!
😎 Our inverter is 6,000 watts, it has two 3,000 watt legs. We have to be careful about what we run, but as long as we are careful, we can run what we need to. Our dryer uses over 5,000 watts by itself, so we just use it on air-dry then hang everything. Once we get our house built, we'll probably use propane for our dryer and stove.
Very cool. Yes, it is about knowing your individual homestead and loads. That is one of the keys to success.
two short notes. better to go with an induction stove top with two burners and an additional portable 2 burner induction stove top that you can put on your counter top should you need more burners. The second thing is if you decide to add a few more panels you might wish to run the water heater that you have now with those dedicated panels or just dedicated battery and panels. dont know how many folks you have in the house showering but 4 or more is a great reason to go to a bigger tank. If you decide to go propane consider using your electric water heater as a pre heat for your propane fired. You may discover it is a rare thing that the propane fired tank rarely comes on
Great video. Thank you.
You’re welcome
Great test.
Thank you
Interesting vid. A little unsure why you would not grid tie this and run of it 100% of the time with the grid as a backup feed. Seems more efficient to me. Also why move large loads to propane? That is a product likely to go up significantly in cost and become more difficult to buy in future decades and especially in a future scenario where grid may be down for a long period and everyone else using propane would want to panick buy/stockpile?
I have a similar setup and I also am not bringing in commercial power to my units. It just solves so many problems with the autotransformer, it makes sense. Also you can just put in a soft start on your 3 TON A/C unit and the inverters will start them just fine. About 400 bucks and you don't need to rebuild your whole cooling system. SS sells them and they work great.
Cool.
I couldn't justify spending money on a soft start ($400 + install) on a system that is 15 years old and has a slow leak. The mini-splits are much more efficient and if I am running them a lot when there is no sun, I want to have that efficiency.
@@CountryLivingExperience When I was in Korea in 2002, everyone was using mini splits - they have been in Asia for the last 20 years. Your switch to mini-splits makes perfect sense to me - Mini Splits are way better and when my units die I will be switching. Not questioning your methods, just wanted to add that bit in case someone (like me) doesn't want to replace their existing home A/C units. Love watching your videos, you are doing great!
Thanks Donny. I may make a video clarifying why I am switching and the benefits.
@@CountryLivingExperienceI think that would very valuable.
I just did a video on running the AC on soft start if you are bored and want to check it out.
@@BecomingOffgrid Cool. I will.
You are my wise man and an inspiration to me and my family. Thank you for all the information that you shared and we love your channel. I have 6 of the same battery’s, 5 of the Growatt 5000 and 2 Growatt transformers. I purchased everything excluding my 22,400 watts of panels from Signature Solar and I am in the middle of my install. I have a 3-1/2 ton heat pump with a soft start and I am hoping to be able to go off grid. I was wanting to stay grid tied for back up on cloudy days using the pass through but I notice you said the wiring was too complex. I have to get my install inspected so I am having a professional Electrition and independent solar installer do the work. Have you ran the batteries through the night yet and if so what percentage did you use?
Flipping coins I would love to see a video of that set up . Sounds really close to what I'm planning. It's unfortunate that no one is doing the pass though. In December that was my plan 100% it lowers the electric bill to the lowes but gives me the grid as instant back up. Currently have a skid of 28 435w panels and one growatt 5000es one auto transformer and 4 agm. The batteries were in a different when I purchased a trailer might as well play with them. Tell summer when the array can be installed.
You're welcome. I appreciate you being here.
Sounds like you have a huge system. I have not run the batteries at night yet because I have the 3 ton heat pump running at night and the system won't handle it. As soon as I switch to the mini-split system, I will run another test.
@@CountryLivingExperience It should if you use a Micro-air soft start.
The main Hvac system is old and I don't want to spend $1k on an older inefficient system. Hence the installation of new mini-splits.
@@electricandlspower have not had an issue with the pass through
On my Victron inverter, you can manually connect a generator and only turn it on when you’re not connected to the grid. This ensures no issues or problems. 🖖
Cool. Each inverter model and brand is different.
AWESOME VIDEO
Thanks!
Just found you and subbed from Nebraska. I just installed and flipped the switch on my solar system. Started my channel at first of the year. Gonna be sharing my experience with solar as well. Nebraska WoodSTR
Welcome. Very cool. Good luck with the channel and the solar.
you converted your oven and dryer, but now you're dependent upon fuel. It seems counter productive if you're wanting to go off grid and be energy independent. What happens when you have a problem or long delay in getting propane? It would seem that adding a little to your PV system would be the smarter way to go. It would pay for itself! In Oklahoma, some utility companies offer a rebate for customers who get a generator install, and they have a smart panel that can control it and run the house on generator power during peak hours to reduce power consumption and cost, and a soft start for electric HVAC condensers to reduce start up spikes in current, which can be very high. Soft start modules are a great solution to help your Generator or P.V. system handle a larger load on start up. That could be a good solution for your situation. I personally had a Mr. Cool Mini Split 18K BTU unit and they do not do well in winter. Mine gave out in December and I installed in in March of 2021. Mini Splits are an option but not necessarily a good one, especially for heat. For a person with an existing electric heat, a soft start module may be something you want to look into to help your solar or generator handle the spike current on start up. I've installed 100's of Generac Automatic standby Generators for whole homes and using DLM's digital load management modules, and they do make wireless ones now, so you can wire you appliance through it and not have to wire it all the way back to the panel. A/C units, electric heat, dryers and water heaters are always the typical items we put modules on, so that, instead of the generator getting overloaded and kicking out and having to restart, the module kicks out the appliance temporarily, and allows you to adjust what you are using to accommodate your situation. If you are going to go to the extent of expense of changing your oven and dryer to propane or gas, then a less expensive alternative for emergency power is A generator. I personally like Generac. I installed 100's of them over 4 years, and it's a good reliable source of power. I'm not sure of the cost now, but then a 20kw or 22kw, the most common for whole house, was around 10,000. It can operate on LP or gas, and installing some soft starters, especially on older AC units that have a high start up surge, can help the system handle it. A 22kw is capable of handling multiple appliances at once along with heat and air and cooking. As long as you don't install the unit by a bedroom wall, chances are you will hardly hear it while inside the house, and you can sit it further from the house if you don't mind digging a ditch to run the wires to a transfer switch, which becomes the main disconnect for the house and is typically installed on the back side of the panel outside, next to the meter. because the service wire has to be rerouted through the transfer switch and then feed the house panel from there. It may sound hard, but it is a lot less work that the PV system and truly gives you more power and flexibility. It makes no sense to do the PV system and then make major changes to your heat and air and dryer and oven. The cost of this had to of been over 20 grand, and a generator install is not only more convenient and more powerful but less expensive, and there are options to manage large appliances with digital load modules, which are super easy to install, power in power out, and it communicates with the transfer switch remotely. Makes no sense to do what you're doing. If a person is wanting to be totally independent, then I get it. It is a great idea, but if you are changing major electric appliances to LP or gas, then I don't get it. If it is just emergency power you are concerned with, then a generator is a better option. If you want to be totally independent and run on solar for weeks and months, then P.V. systems are the way to go, or if you're so remote there is no power, P.V. systems are the way to go.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. This was very informative. Can you tell us what kind of water heater you have? I thought most water heater elements use 5000 watts each...?
Great question. My water heater is very old. It came with the house and is at least 20 years old from what I can tell. It has a 4500w element. WH elements can range widely in their wattage. Some are 1500 and some are 5000. My WH is most likely very inefficient too.
We bought a 20 gallon water heater that uses 1800 watts. We plan to put it on a timer and have it come on for an hour in the morning, and we should have enough hot water for the day.
Even though you have 2 elements? It’s mostly only the bottom element that does the work.
@@CountryLivingExperience since you are putting in propane. I would put in a on demand hot water heater and a gas heater.
I have thought about that.
I would love to see how they handle high surge loads, such as power tools like a radial saw, etc. Those are the only things that make me hesitant with these growatt inverters vs a low frequency inverter.
I understand. Maybe that will be a future video.
I rigged up our 2 chest freezers and 2 refrigerators on a circuit connected to one of my two inverters (both inverters on separate batteries and separate 120 circuits). If that inverter should lose output I have a contactor such that it automatically switches to the other inverter to provide redundancy for those critical loads. Otherwise the inveters are not tied together in any way.
Interesting setup. Glad it works for you.
Great setup. I'm thinking about getting this type of system . Do you have any videos showing how to connect the solar panels to this system?
Yes, We have a whole series of videos on our solar system. Here: ua-cam.com/play/PLe8gvCbPFkexFmUtg3xRS4sTZQ1Ve-ft1.html
Cool video. I've got 3 of the same batteries you do and a sol-ark 12k. I almost went the growatt route but honestly after using the sol-ark I think I made the right choice.
How long can you power your house with the 5 batteries? I can go about 5 hours with my 3 but that's powering the entire house including our 5 ton geothermal hvac and 2 50 gallon hybrid water heaters.
BTW, if you haven't checked into hybrid water heaters, I highly recommend it. They take about 800 ish watts in hybrid/efficiency mode.
It was between the Growatt's and Sol-Ark for me as well. Depends on what I am running as to how long I can power the house on the batts. I figure 2 days with just lights, freezers, and mini-split AC, etc. I am actually about to put in a heat pump water heater too.
I've been enjoying the journey of doing the research on off grid power. I have been amazed what these growatt inverters are capable of at an inexpensive price. What would it take to be able to run your electric heat heat pump all the time? Is it possible?
I did a video on that recently. It may answer your question. ua-cam.com/video/PY5BdZXTR0g/v-deo.html
Great video, I'd love to have a setup like this but with the solar being the primary source of power then the grid and a generator behind an ATS. Would it be possible to have the generator recharge the batteries?
Thank you.
Yes, you can use a generator to charge but it needs to be a very large unit. You need to be able to power your house loads and charge the batts at the same time. To get clean power (pure sine wave) from the generator you need to not run it more than 60% capacity. If you don't get a perfect sine wave charge, you will damage the inverters. Signature Solar has a good video explaining this.
When you say the system won't handle the heat pump, is it the amount of batteries you have or is it the Growatt inverters that can't handle it. Great video thanks for posting
The inverters don't have the ability in terms of amperage. The 3 ton heat pump is too large and needs a lot of amps on startup. You can add a soft-start to alleviate that issue but our system is too old to spend that money. We are just going to add mini-splits.
Hi there, I really like your videos
I have been thinking of going solar as well
So I was wondering how I would find out what I would need if we are averaging 55kw a day in the winter for our family of 7. Now that is used a fuel oil furnace but I was thinking that it would be nice to go Geothermal as well.
Is there some where I could go to find out how many panels and everything else I would need to be off the grid ?
Thanks for your time and all these videos that you have created.
Hello and thank you.
There are a lot of online solar calculators that you can find that will help you determine your system size. They are all over the internet. Here is one: www.solar-estimate.org/residential-solar/solar-panels/texas?aff=4713&cam=45&gclid=CjwKCAjwiuuRBhBvEiwAFXKaNOaA4rkk_FYxZlUDPvTQYrHX4b1wJaoaVNQLUEEztkI0zii9zDvEFBoChIgQAvD_BwE
As for Geothermal, it is the most expensive way to heat and cool because of the initial high cost of setup and installation.
I love all of your videos and I have the exact same solar set up as you from signature Solar. I want to use the grid as pass thru and wanted to know why you opted not to do so. In your video you stated the wiring was more complex, other than wiring in the three wires from the grid how is it more complex?
Thank you, I appreciate it.
There is more complexity to it because of the grounding and neutral connections. It is not just a simple pass thru hookup because of the nature of these inverters. Sig Solar has the full diagram up on their website for that type of connection if you want to check it out.
I wanted something very simple and I actually want to be completely off-grid. The benefit of the extra equipment and wiring, etc was not there for me because I want to eliminate the grid as soon as I can.
@@CountryLivingExperience wow thank you for the quick response! I can’t find that diagram do you know where on the site it is located? Originally I worked with Matt to get in touch with Ray they’re licensed electrician. Ray was going to send me a wiring diagram for my specific condition/5 of the growwatt 5000 inverters with two of the growatt transformers with pass-through to the grid. He then had to take that back and said he could not give me one due to liability issues.
@@flippingcoins7714 If you click on the Growatt 5k Off Grid inverter, it is contained within the pictures. It does have a disclaimer on it because of some liability issues. You can also try to call and talk to Richard who (I believe but am not sure) is their electrical engineer on staff.
I average 8-9 kwh/day so I'd love a system like this. Have to start planning. Electric prices are on their way up.
They are certainly going way up. Let me know if you have any questions.
Does the growatt tell you instaneous energy usage? Instead of mentioning percentage of capacity.
Thank you for the video. Can you please let me know how are connected master and slave inventors together?
You're welcome. We have an entire playlist for all of our solar videos. Please check them out starting with this one.....ua-cam.com/video/I2rbxKtx5cs/v-deo.html
You said that you don't wanna feedback power to the grid but as far as I know, these kind of inverters (Off-Grid) doesn't feed back power from the batteries or PV to the grid. They can get input from the Grid to support loads in their output but not via versa. Can you elaborate on that ?
Feedback to the grid in terms of a grid down situation. Just like a generator. I do not want to injure a lineman working to restore grid power by back feeding my solar/battery power into the grid. It will do this if my main house breaker and my solar breaker were on at the same time. That is why I put the interlock kit.
Very interesting and informative videos, I work for a solar company and I can see how most of the people who buy their solar packages buy it thinking that they will have power when an outage occurs, and that’s not true. When they buy their grid tie systems, it doesn’t work the same as off grid ones. I just wish that more people did their research before buying any solar products. I my self am in the process of getting my off grid package and install it my self, since I can almost do the whole installation my self, and I’m an electrician as well. 😜 I only would like to ask, if anyone knows, what kind of permits I would need to be able to install an off grid system on my roof?
Thanks I’m advance and have a blessed day.
Off grid is best for sure. Permits are based on the jurisdiction you live in.
Great videos. We are buying our homestead here in Spain and I have been honing my solar skills with an existing grid tie system and a seperate Ecoflow DP.
I have been chewing over the 5000ES for a while and I just cannot find answers to a couple of questions I hope you can help with.
With funds being tight I dont want go down the wrong path and invest in non expandable system
Do the parallel inverters seemlessly handle load balancing on the system? I presume they do as what would be the point of an expandable parallel system right :)
And, if an inverter goes offline eg dies or is powered off, do the other(s) continue without issue, does a slave promote itself
to master possibly?
thanks in advance, any help/advice is appreciated
Thank you.
They balance the loads well between them but the Master inverter always handles a little more. Yes, the slave should promote itself it the original Master has a shutdown issue. There may even be a setting for that but you need to check the manual. I did have an issue with my master not waking up from standby in the morning (needed a firmware update) and the slave took over.
Do you have a well too? Wonder about that load....water is life!
We do. It is on a separate transformer. I am using my old Growatts to build a system for that now.
Heads up, if you're going to be using 100% solar then you need to set your inverters to Solar Priority, this will divert the dc power from the pv array to power you loads and partially skip the battery. The more you cycle your batteries the more they degrade. The batteries don't need to be pulled from during the day, so just use your pv to run your loads and the surplus will top off the batteries. That way you're only using your batteries during the night and dusk, will make them last much much longer. Love the vids btw
Yes, I know. Thank you
@@CountryLivingExperience I thought you may have already. I have the 3kw versiona and was wondering if the 5kw had the same settings, it look like it might but now I know.
Thanks for video. Can you hook generator up to AC input to charge batteries? I just ordered 2 same Growatt and a 100A autotransformer.
You're welcome. You can connect to AC input to charge. I am trying to become completely off grid and moving my systems quickly in that direction. That is why I do not have AC input enabled.
@CountryLivingExperience Haha I'm watching your review on EG4 Inverter right now. I am trying to go completely off grid as well but will still need generator from time to time, is that what you meant by charging with AC? The generator will work fine? Getting mixed messages on Google, thought I might have to get EG4 Chargeverter.
Cool.
No, I meant charging directly from the grid on the AC IN terminals but that would be the same as using a generator for AC IN. You can use the generator if it is large enough. I think I mentioned in the Chargeverter video that you need to have a power superiority for the generator over the loads and the generator has a pure sine wave at 60 to 70%. So if you have 8kW in loads and you are putting 5kW into the batteries then you need 13kW but the generator would need to be at least a 21kW (61%). Some new inverter generators may negate this but I don't know much about them.
I have a buddy that said he wants to do solar on the side but I question if he knows how to do it. He told me if you can hook up red and black wire you can do it. They seem to be a lot more complicated than that. Lol.
They are more complicated. If he thinks that, he is either going to shock himself or burn down a house.
Is your "solar room" climate controlled and if so how do you plan to cool it? Would this setup be OK in a regular Texas garage?
Our solar room is open to the rest of the house as it is connected to our existing utility room. It is conditioned the same as the house. If by Texas garage you mean open air, then maybe. It may get too humid for the inverters and batteries in certain parts of Texas. Other areas may work.
As others have said there's really no reason to switch out electric appliances for those running on propane. In particular gas dryers are less reliable than electric. Instead, if you are in a cold climate switch out your air handler for one than has a propane furnace as backup instead of electric heat strips...then even with an extended loss of grid power your off-grid system only needs to run the thermostat and blower fan for heat. Which is what we do here, though with natural gas instead...natural gas is so cheap I don't run the heat pump in the winter anymore to reduce wear & tear on the compressor, which we really need for A/C in the summer.
Good video, can I ask why you don’t have it hooked to the grid? I’m in Western Australia and I have a 6.6kw solar system and a powerwall 2, we use the batter as a backup but also to supply the house. It’s currently summertime so we make over 42kwh a day. But only use about 12-15kwh.
Thank you. I want to be independent and unconnected from everything.
If you are making that much power, you could sell back to the grid if your power company allows it and you want to be grid tied.
@@CountryLivingExperience Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, we have another 6.6kw system as we live on a farm and we are only allowed 1 if we want to sell back to the power company, i would only get $0/07c/kwh. I worked it out the other day the power company has made over $1000 AUD from the power we send back for free last year. I often think about going "off grid" but in wintertime we do have a lot of days where we only produce1-5kwh of power a day due to heavy rain and cloud cover.
We have a gas stove top but not oven, it's helpful if thy power goes out so the battery can run the lights and water pump and other items. Anyway, thanks for the video its helpful, i like watching other people and how they set their systems up. Stay safe :)
@@Achilliez Glad it was helpful. Have a great day!
I to have not experienced flickering.
How did the batteries hold up during this? Of course during the day your panels are producing power.
They did well. I barely used any battery power during those large power draws. Only about 8%.
Love signature solar! I bought the 12Kw inverter so I could have a true 240v system without the auto transformer plus I wanted the low frequency inverter I also have the EG4 48v batteries but I built a twin dual axis tracker with 4000w of panels on each. We are in the Del Rio area and get around 9 hours of direct sun on the panels with the trackers which gives us around 32,000 KWh a year. The system was about the same cost as yours.
Very cool. Installing by yourself is such a cost saver.
I built a panel system for tracking just cannot figure out the components to buy to actually move it. Mind sharing?
@@bustersnm I have purchased two controllers from Eco-Worthy along with 30” 12v actuators and have had great service out of them. The first controller has been working for 2 years which I feel is amazing for the price of around $130.
@@richardoder3459 how many solar panels do you have on one unit. Mine is 6, which is why I am having trouble finding strong enough motors. Thanks for the reply.
@@bustersnm I have 8 400w panels which makes the array 15’x15’.
Just an observation: More than likely the reason for the differences between the two inverters and their 'display usage readings' is commonly called an "imbalanced load". This phenomenon is commonly due to one or more 120Vac load lines drawing a bit more or less power than the other. Usually it's not a major concern unless the percentage differences are considerable. What percentage would that be? That depends on who one ask and (in this case) the inverter &/ or auto transformer company recommend. Correcting this issue sometimes is like herding cats, and other times simply turning off appliances.
Yep. It is always an issue trying to track down the cause.
After doing this test, how long do you think you could run the electric loads in your house in a normal capacity if the grid was completely off? Do you think you have enough battery backup and solar to continually stay off the grid indefinitely yet?
I can absolutely run off grid in a normal capacity without that grid once I get my heating system worked out. I could burn wood in my stove but want to get my mini-splits in. For my area, I almost have enough batteries to do that (need just a few more). Batteries are your biggest investment and you can never have too many.
@@CountryLivingExperience heating takes most of my battery power. The building I have my inverter’s and batteries in keeps having the cadet heater kick on. I will be insulating the floor and sealing it up better.
@@CountryLivingExperience thanks for the information. I'm still in the design/what the hell am I doing phase and I really appreciate your help. Eventually I would love to be totally grid independent and I think what you're doing is awesome.
@@wydracon You're welcome and thank you.
What is the lifespan of you batteries?
I am currently setting up my system. I have the same batteries and rack from Signature Solar. In the manual for the EG4-LL batteries it states you need to ground each batter pack. It looks like you have not done this as the grounding screws on the left side of the pack aren't attached to anything. Is there a reason you didn't ground them? This is asked out of curiosity because if they don't really need to be ground it avoids the extra work.
I am still working on and experimenting with certain aspects of my system so in certain videos things may not look done. If the batteries are in the metal case, the case is the only thing that needs to be grounded from my understanding. If they are not in a case, ground them using the grounding screws.
Awesome. This is exactly what I was looking for. I’m designing a similar system with the same loads.
Very cool. Glad it was helpful.
Hello
let me clarify when you were doing the test you were using the power straight from the panel and not the battery?
thanks for the info
Hi. Since it was sunny out at the time of testing, all the power came from the panels. Yes, I did not use any battery.
How are your Inverters setup? One line for inductive and high loads and the other for the conventional outlets and lights?
No. They are a balanced combination.
Both inverters are 240 volt AC output and they are in parallel connection. Like two portable Honda EU2000i generators in parallel except these "Solar Generators" run off solar and batteries instead of gasoline. I can do the same tests on my house, including running the A/C unit outside, with my 10kw honda 20hp generator. It's thirsty about 5 hours per 5 gallons gas :(
Have you tried to run your 3 ton heat pump without the heat strip off your inverters . With a soft start it should start and settle around 25 to 30 amps?
My heat strips are not connected. I didn’t want to invest $1k on a soft start for an old inefficient system. It has a slow leak in one of the lines too. Not worth it.
@@CountryLivingExperience didn't know they were that expensive. Wow
After to tested, it is very useful of your video, like it so much
Thank you
So about how much do you have invested into your system? I am heavily contemplating doing the same thing
We did a complete cost breakdown in this video...ua-cam.com/video/vng-CACPow0/v-deo.html
Great videos. I was wondering if you had considered a heat pump clothes dryer, I believe they take about 900 watts at 120v?
Thank you. I have never heard of a heat pump dryer. I am installing a heat pump water heater though.
@@CountryLivingExperienceWe are planning a similar solar system and that's what we plan to buy. Another benefit to them is they are ventless, but they do require you to empty the drain pan or put the drain hose into a laundry tub or drain. Let me know what you decide. Take care, Jake.
I considered a heat pump hot water tank as well but I think we will go with a Rheem Marathon poly tank for a few reasons, they are super insulated, they do not have an anode rod so they are great for well systems, and no corrosion, We do not use much hot water for two of us so to run it for an hour or two at peak solar times it would stay warm for several days.I guess a person could also install DC elements in as an option.Just another thought.
Do you have a water well pump hooked to your solar?
Not at this time but it should have no problem running it.
The buzz boxes use very little amps.
If my inverter is giving me 230V LN that's because I need to change the setting to get 240 LL 60 HZ yeah? And after that I will need the mid point transformer to split my 240V LL to 120V LN exact?
Yes and yes
Can you explain what the auto transformer is used for.
The inverters are 240v so an auto-transformer is needed to split into two 120v legs. It creates a neutral line.
Is there a reason you float your batteries at 97%. I thought micro charging the top 5 or 10% wasn't as good for the batteries as going to 80% DOD then charging. Am I misunderstanding something here? I'm building an 11.85 Kw system with 4 GW 5000 ES inverters and 2 GW transformers and 6 EG4 LL batteries . I will be adding the AC in to the GW's. I'm excited to see how it works when I get it completed. I will not be back feeding the grid, as I understand that can't be done with GW off grid inverters. It will only be an assist if the PV and batteries are not producing. Thanks for all your video's, they have been a BIG help.
Glad we could help. As far as I understand, this is what the internal set point is. I didn't change any setting to achieve that.
When I use the term backfeed, I am talking in a sense of the grid being down and the main grid breaker being on. If this is the case, my solar would backfeed into the grid and injure a line worker. This is the same thing that happens when you have a generator in use. That is why I purchased the generator interlock kit and installed it on the main panel. My system is manually switched in the event of a grid down situation.
Sounds like you have a big system. Good luck with getting it all set up.
@@CountryLivingExperience Per my understanding these grow want 5000’s will not backfeed to the grid they are considered a non-export inverter. Please correct me if you’ve heard anything else regarding this matter
Hello my friend. Grade video.
I'm interested about this inverter and
Want to ask you if it reliable. Do you have any problem during this time?
Thanks
Thanks.
The inverters worked very well. I only had one small software issue that was promptly taken care of by the company that sold them to me.
Did you consider microstarter for your a/c unit. You might be able to run your A/c on solar with it. May need more inventer
I actually was told about those by my friend who is an HVAC tech after I made this video. I am still unsure about doing that simply because my current system is old and leaky.
@@CountryLivingExperience you will be fine. I have hard starter on my a/c in order to run my house with portable 8k generator/ transfer switch combo. You would be just fine with your such a clean power from your batteries. it will work fine.although it could deplete your batteries faster/ either whole house split units or individual split unit may fit better, due to their efficiency. Specially old ac going out soon. You could probably get sponsored mr. cool diy whole house new ac on cheap. Easy to install.
I am putting in split units right now as we speak. I have some Mr. Cool DIY's.
What do the percentages that you were reading off represent? What are they telling you, us?
That is the percentage of the total inverting power being used. So if it was 50% on both inverters, I would be using about 5kw at that point in time.
Do you think the sound of these would bother you if you had them in your office? They sounded pretty quiet to me in your video. I am considering doing maybe 3 inverters, 2 transformers, & 6 batteries in my home office that my wife & I work in daily (we use PCs and work remotely).
Yes, the fans get quite loud when there is a heavy load on them. I would find another room for them.
Was this strictly the growatts powering the house or were the batteries being used as well?
This was all the growatts. The batteries stayed within float range at 98 to 100%.
Have you been experiencing any of your led lighting flickering from these inverters? Especially when the inverter are at a low output? Mine is making my led light bulbs flicker, barely noticeable but it's there.
I still have mixture of cfl and led but none of them flicker that I have noticed.
Flickering: usually low quality made LED bulbs...
Are you using 48 volt baterry configuration?
Yes
Bad ass system? Murica FYeah! 🙂
Running all loads except your heat and AC right?
That's correct.
yea
how much heat does this produce inside of your house?
Not sure what you mean. The equipment?
Looking to do something like this when I finally leave Cali and make my way out to a homestead. I currently have 9kw solar and 3 tesla batteries (40.5 KW storage). My biggest concern moving to the rack style batts is what is your overnight consumption assuming some heat to stay comfy? I currently wake up to 20%ish remaining in the batteries when I run a heater overnight (nothing crazy propane heater temp at 72). There are other items that start consuming at 6am (Pool) prior to the sun hitting PV and I have a 200g saltwater fish tank that I won't have when we finally move. What do you wake up to prior to the sun hitting your PV? You have it set to 30% so your keeping quite a bit in storage. Just curious how this works for you overnight. Thank you in advance.
You have a lot of battery storage. I don't run my heat on it yet because my system is not powerful enough to start my 3 ton unit. I am switching over to mini-splits soon. If I use the solar when cold out, I utilize my wood stove for heat. If it is warm enough outside, I switch the heat off and then run the rest of the house on solar. My batteries have gotten down to 50%. They start charging fast at about 10am in the winter at my latitude.
@@CountryLivingExperience My current house runs at 1.1kwh on idle. So needed that amount of storage. When and If I ever sell this place I don't believe I'll ever come close to that idle amount again.
That is a ton of storage!
@@CountryLivingExperience I installed Slow starts on both my AC units. This makes the surge a slow ramp-up. Prior to the software upgrade to the power walls (powerwall 2's were upgraded to powerwall 2 plus) You could only do 5kw per battery so with 3 it could handle a total of 15kw surge. With the upgrade, you can use it at full. 13.5 per unit or a 1c rate (I think I am saying this right). Slow starts are fairly cheap and easy to install, you may want to look into those or your bigger electric appliances.
@@leeslinkard6920 I have an older heat pump hvac system that has a slow refrigerant leak. A soft start would be $400 plus install. I couldn't see spending any money on it at all. The mini-splits are much more efficient anyway.
How are you able to use off grid and grid power in the same building, I am trying to do the same thing but the electrical inspector says that NEC does not allow a building that has grid power to also have off grid power if the equipment isn't UL listed, growatt isn't UL listed to can't be used in building with grid power
I don't use them at the same time. This is used like a generator. Grid power is cut to the house. The inspector doesn't understand. Give Signature Solar a call and ask. They are the experts.
@@CountryLivingExperience do you have a link that explains that NEC allows grid power and off grid power in the same building? My install would be almost exactly like yours, impossible to have both power sources powered at the same time and would be impossible to have them connected at the same time causing my solar to deed the grid, inspector won't sign off on install with non UL listed equipment and multiple electricians say they won't do an install that can't be signed off on, I called signature solar and they told me to make sure I am purchasing UL equipment so that I don't violate NEC or cause any issues with my home insurance
I passed inspection. But my grid is set up different from this set up. My grid is only used in bypass mode on my inverter’s. You can see it on my UA-cam channel. I am hoping to do a load test video next week.
Nice video but what about the transformer? Seems the inverters can handle a ton of demand but I would be concerned about the different loads per LINE 1 or LINE 2. Any concern about having them exceed the transformer ratings? I would think if you had big 120v demands on a single phase that it could cause an issue, ex. coffee pot and microwave running at the same time. Thanks
Thank you.
Whenever anyone is on solar they always have to think about balancing the loads. Whether they are on a 120v inverter or on a 240v inverter with a balancing transformer.
@@CountryLivingExperience thanks I agree. I was wondering during your tests if you were monitoring the load on the transformer itself? Or had you already balance your loads?
When I was testing, I basically had in my head which loads to make it somewhat balanced. I was trying to push it over it's limits a little bit too.
I don't know of how to monitor the loads on the transformer accept to understand how much 120v load I am using. I have never had an issue.
I just have one of the 5k Growatts, with 5 of the Lifepower4 batteries and 28 200 watt Rich Solar panels. I'm able to run my 40 gallon water heater (exchanged 4500 watt elements with 1500) and my 1.5 ton AC outdoor unit with the indoor furnace blower, and 2 small refrigerators, a large refrigerator, small freezer, some fans and lights, and charge up my batteries on sunny days. I want to get a heat pump that will work with this, because my outdoor unit is only AC and using heating strips (about 5k) for heat on the indoor heat exchanger/ fan. I'm trying to stick with one 5k Growatt.
I would think about getting a second Growatt. Running a single inverter at that high a capacity that often may damage it or shorten the lifespan.
@@CountryLivingExperience I really don't have space for 2. It would be better just to get a larger inverter. I think most of the time it is only using under 10% of capacity. If both the water heater and ac are running, it will go up to a little over 60%, but the ac doesn't run too long, and the water heater might keep it at 30% for an hour or more if someone takes a long shower. So I don't know if that is too much for it or not.
If it seems fine and is not overworking then you are good. If you want to get a larger inverter, that would work too.
@@CountryLivingExperience Thank you for taking the time to respond. If I did add a second Growatt 5000...I need to watch your video on how to connect two of them together with using one solar array and one battery bank -- I have to confess that kinda confuses me as to how the inverters share these things. I haven't really looked into it yet because I didn't need to.
We have this system however they both are not working if I put all that on we get voltage overload put in by electrical and he tells us that we over load it we do not believe this as the he is 0 whilst these is 12.9
Good morning man just a quick question, are you only running your house from solar? Or do you have other things connected? Maybe a shed or a garage? Guest house? Thanks 👍
Hello. We just have the main house connected.
@@CountryLivingExperience nice thanks man how big is your house, i been wanting to go solar for a while but i want to do it completely off electric company
Our house is about 1800sf. We have an off-grid system.
@@CountryLivingExperience nice thanks so much for the info I'm gonna watch your videos and get ideas !!!
How big is the battery bank to power all that?
25 kWh
It bugs me the time/date is so off on my EG4 battery but I don’t have a windows computer handy to try to update or configure it :( lol. I noticed the 2047 year on yours
Doesn't bother me much. At least there is a sticker on each one telling me the manufacture date.
hi Is it normal for battery going from 90% to 100% within 5min? It's gradually charging from 30% to 90% and all of a sudden it goes to 100%
That is a large jump in that amount of time. I have not had that experience. I would talk to the company your purchased from.
Hi There really liked your video , I have a question regarding the midpoint transformer. We're in Australia and everything here is 240v 50hz , I have 2 5000watt inverters I bought from Sydney Australia. Do I still need to run a transformer, or can I run straight from the inverters to my distribution board? It doesn't say anything in the instructions about mid point transformer and I was wondering if that is purely because you have different voltage appliances over there?
Thank you. It would be out of place for me to speak on how the Australian electric grid works. I do not know.
The American grid is stepped down to 120v and most appliances use that. Larger appliances like stoves and water heaters use 240v here. We need the midpoint transformer to split the inverter 240 into two 120v legs.
@@CountryLivingExperience thank you so much for your reply. It makes a little more sense now and I suspect that's why we don't need it over here as all our appliances are 240v . And it is not mentioned in the installation instructions .
Great video by the way . Cheers
So do the growatt inverters you get over there do they only produce 120v each or they're 240 and you have to split it?
@@standingonwater1 No, the Growatts are 240 only. Victron is one that also has a 240 with their own midpoint transformer to split to 120.
If I had like 4-5 inverters and 60kwh (gyll batteries), would it be enough to power a house with a Mr cool universal w/vrf central heat pump system for like a couple days off grid?
Absolutely! That is a big system.
I have 5 mr cool mini splits. I also have 12000 watts of solar and 3 of the same inverter’s with the transformer. I have been running it on only 19 kw of battery storage. Using a little grid power. Tomorrow I get 4 more batteries and hope to have them hooked up by Wednesday.
if you have enough solar panels you can run it unlimited days!
@@uhjyuff2095 If you have enough money you can do anything.
ok, now how long will that out door gas tank keep you in clean clothes and hot food? 1-3m? 3-6 months? 6-9m 9-12months or 12-18 months?
36 months for cooking and hot water. Clothes can dry outside on a line. That is why I have redundant systems.
@@CountryLivingExperience Bot bad. Never looked into gas. I'll have to look into cost tomorrow.
My two will run the dryer and water heater. I didn't see the point in switch then pay for gas. If I wanted to lighten the load I would hang the clothes.
Firstly, It is about having redundant systems. Additionally, if I wanted to run big 120 loads all the time, I would be prevented from adding in a big 240 load.
@@CountryLivingExperience am still hooked up to utilities and the over load switch over works well. And if it comes to long term grid down will be not be running dryer. Solar water heater does keep my solar tank about 80f.
@@chrisloving6647 I am thinking the same way. I can line dry clothes, cook on my wood stove, etc. I do need to look at a solar water heater too.
@@CountryLivingExperience A water heater is usually the second highest energy consumer in the house, behind the A/C. An efficient hybrid water heater could help if you are trying to save on energy consumption because they are like your mini split using a heat pump system. Although the install can be tricky if your water heater is in an air conditioned space.
@@CountryLivingExperience Think Geo Thermal !
I have the same Growatt inverters. I'm also afraid if is possible that they feed power to the line. Are you sure this is possible? They are marketed as offgrid, so I think it is not possible that they return current to the grid
When I use the term "Back Feed", I am talking about if the grid is down. If you had your system on it will send power back through the grid lines and may harm a line worker. It is just like a generator. This unit is off-grid meaning you cannot use it to "Net-meter" or sell/send power back to the grid while the grid is up and running.
@@CountryLivingExperience yes, I'm talking about the same. Not only the utility company can sue me If I back feed to grid unauthorized..but people can be hurt because of this. I just wonder what limiter can be added for this. And because my system is three phase (3 growatt inverters), in my country If in two of the phases I use grid current + PV, but on the third I only use PV, then the utility company charges you the electricity that you return to the grid (it is not intentional but this is how it works here)
I have a mechanical limiter called an interlock kit. It physically will not allow me to have the main breaker and the solar system feed breaker on at the same time.
@@CountryLivingExperience yes I saw..but you are not using additional power from the grid (when is needed). In my case I cannot do that as I live on a not so sunny location with nasty winter
I was fascinated to learn you can't run your AC. Is it a minisplit?
No, it is a 3 ton central heat pump. I do not have mini-spits. I am installing them soon so that I can run them from the solar system.
@@CountryLivingExperience Ah okay, thanks.
How much kw do you need for your 3 ton unit?
It is about amperage to start an ac unit not kw. Each is different but upwards of 22A for mine.
How much does this kind of system run?
We did an entire video with cost breakdown here......ua-cam.com/video/vng-CACPow0/v-deo.html
I guess my only question is what's the difference between a modified Growatt and a non modified one i watched someone do the same thing with the international version using the SolarEdge i believe the only difference was that u can adjust the 230v to 240 etc on the international one is there something else they had to modify for the American market ?
Good question. The modified Growatt 5k Off Grid inverter is only sold by Signature Solar. It takes out a neutral-ground bonding screw and insulates that vacant port. This prevents an electrical issue that is frankly over my head (electrical engineering stuff). Other importers of the Growatt 240v inverters failed to do their homework and ask that the inverters be modified for the American 120v grid. You should never modify one yourself.
@@CountryLivingExperience I tested my international Inverter different brand there was no connection between the ground and the neutral " Powered Off " that it I have yet to test it with the power running to see if there's a connection I want to hook mines up just like that but I have to find out if it's connected with the power on
Be very careful with a 240v european model of any inverter.
@@CountryLivingExperience I will it's a single phase 230v hybrid Inverter that u can change the settings to 240v 220v etc. It look just like the Mpp LV6548 Inverter.
@@CountryLivingExperience On ur inverters Do u know if the L and N are 120v each to = 240 or are both the L & the N are 240v each.
Why won't it run your 3 ton? Insufficient surge capability to start?
Correct. Not enough surge capacity.
Reminds me of the system I installed in remote Alaska many years ago which we were very happy with. God bless in your country living the way our Creator designed.
Very cool.
God bless you as well.
Love your content but I must say that going to propane with your stove and dryer is going in the wrong direction. Since your system can operate those appliances as is, you are more “off grid” by having electric appliances that you can power with energy that you produce. I personally will be looking to go with a heat pump dryer, heat pump water heater and an electric stove with induction cooktop.
Thank you. I understand that but I like to have redundant systems. I already have a full 1000gal propane tank. In an extended emergency time period, I can trickle that 1000 gallons for an estimated 3 years for just the stove. I will keep the electric appliances for backup as well. I am actually going to switch my thinking on the water heater and go with a heat pump as their efficiency has gotten much better.
Sometime this year Rheem is coming out with a 120 volt heat pump water heater. Hopefully it will be cheaper and more efficient than the 240 volt models. Might want to wait to see those reviews on them.
@chad carrington Thanks for the heads up on the Rheem
I agree, the stove, oven, dryer, microwave, are not super high energy appliances. Like he said he can trickle his propane tank for 3 years with those appliances, so why not keep them electric. However, the mini split idea is a great one, so if I had to choose, mini split or the other microwave and oven on electric I would 100 percent choose the mini split. The Mini split is the real high draw energy appliance, and number two is the hot water heater for most houses.
@@chadcarrington1218 Good point Chad, but I think for this system he would actually prefer to use a 220V heat pump water heater. This is for two reasons. 1. He has the 220V wiring in place already for his existing water heater, so no need to prefer 110V for easy wiring. 110V hybrid units are ideal for situations such as replacing a gas system with electric and not needing to run the 220V wiring. 2. The way these Growatt inverters are set up, they are 220V output and he has a step down transformer for serving his 110V loads. This gives him a desire to run 220V loads over 110V loads in his house to avoid overloading the step down transformer where possible.