If you want this unit but with better software, buy a sol ark: www.currentconnected.com/product/sol-ark/?ref=wp If you need a dependable off grid inverter/charger, check out my beginner-friendly system here: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html Hey everyone. A lot of people below stated I should reverse my current transformers. Well that's not what the manual states and the sol ark 12K has the same CT's and they face this way in the manual as well. Also, many people commented thinking I was referring to the GFCI in the inverter. Absolutely not. I said this multiple times that the ev chargers internal GFCI was tripping. Which is downstream of the inverter output. People kept making suggestions thinking it was a fault or leakage on the output and that's not the issue here. I also swapped the inverter with the same wiring configuration and GFCI enabled and it didn't trip at all. Which means the first inverter was defective. I will add this to the pinned comment so more people can understand. Hope this helps. *Does off-grid solar confuse you?* Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system packages and product recommendations, and so much more! www.mobile-solarpower.com *Join our DIY solar community!* #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com Check out my best-selling, beginner-friendly 12V off-grid solar book (affiliate link): amzn.to/2Aj4dX4 If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out EnergyPal! They will price out a system and get your house offgrid: energypal.com/diysolar/ *My Solar Equipment Recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first):* 12V/48V Lithium Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html Plug-N-Play Systems: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html Complete 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html *My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar Products:* *Signature Solar* Offgrid One-Stop-Shop. Best Value 48V LiFePO4, Victron and Offgrid Specific Heat Pumps: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Current Connected* SOK, Victron, Mr.Cool Heatpumps and High Quality Components: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp *Ecoflow Delta* My favorite plug-n-play solar generator: us.ecoflow.com/?aff=7 *AmpereTime* Cheapest 12V batteries around: amperetime.com/products/ampere-time-12v-100ah-lithium-lifepo4-battery?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Renogy* A classic 12V solar store that has been around for ages! renogy.sjv.io/n1VjXx *Rich Solar* Renogy's biggest competitor! Similar products, but at a better price: richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Battery Hookup* Cheap cell deals bit.ly/2mIxSqt 5% off code: diysolar *Contact Information:* I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar *FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers:* Every video includes some form of paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :) DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
Good pricepoint for this parameters and build quality. I wonder if there is an equivalent for the European market 🧐 Please think of us, on the other side of pond, from time to time Will 😁
Love this channel. Never seen a youtuber ever post any issues with their free review products before. They always have the best experience so we don't really know if they had any issues or not.
>Never seen a youtuber ever post any issues with their free review products before. You're not watching the right youtubers then lol. Go check out Matthias Wandel (specifically his "random stuff" channel)
Be careful depending on free reviews. They aren't based on real world test and the people giving the reviews have a vested interest in reviewing. I learned the hard way 30k later. Better off doing your own research.
Compared to your entire videos almost every other solar/inverter video I have watched are the same as a drive through fast food vs waiting in line for quality food. It take a patient person who is intending to learn to watch your videos, nothing about your videos confuses me I am always looking for new ones you make, people like you made our world a perfect place for everybody. I really am thankful for everything you do.
Thanks for your integrity Will. I'm a 25 year, commercial electrician and I trust your reviews. I can clearly see that you do your best to conduct proper tests and give unbiased results. You did your grounding bond correct if that load center is the actual main and not a sub. If it's tripping the GFI on the EV charger, then the inverter is defective(internal short). If the internal GFI on the EG4 is tripping, then I think the GFI in the EG4 is defective or improperly set too sensitive.
Gfci triping: did you try removing the bond ground/neutral? The battery in-rush spark could have damaged the gfci circuit board. GRID terms: You mentioned 190amps output but only an 8g wire? Load1: I would limit to critical load only. Load2: for everything else.
I like the load shedding feature. If you were off-grid, there are lots of loads that are not critical, but are convenient. If you lose battery power or grid, losing the non-critical circuits would lower your demand.
@@kstorm889 did someone sell you that set up all together or do you source the propane and heat pump separate? 🤔 I want to source a system like that because I plan to build in WI so heat is the biggest issue in efficient building
@@CheZfrmdaWestWisc it will be all "diy". But I will have everything on an industrial plc for controls. I did get some ideas from "HUG Hydronics" I believe they are based out of Duluth. When are you building?
For a precharge resistor I like to use a low wattage 120v incandescent bulb, something like 30 or 40w. It works great and you can use any you have lying around!
I’m no electrical guy but can do the very basic. Have no idea what you are saying half the time but enjoy watching your shows. You’ve come a long way since I first started watching with a new house and car. You have soo much stuff going on in your work shop. Lots of $$$$. Long way from living out of a car. Big Up to You. Praying for your good health and continued good success.
Your vids SAVED my ASS bro I quit my Peer Support Job at an office in KY to work at hardees living off grid 40 minutes away from Panama. I knew NOTHING about solar. When I first got here, it was in the middle of the summer, in a small tent, with nothing but a small 70 dollar portable charging bank with 3 fold out solar panels. Bro. I just kept grinding everyday, got a job, watched your videos, and finally built my own system out here. Because of you, I didn't make certain mistakes that would've held me back for weeks. And I thank you for that. I have a victron 100|50, a 2000 watt jupiter inverter, three 200 watt panels (that barely work) and a 100 ah gel wieze lead acid 👎(boo) battery. But a 200 ah power queen lithium plus with a 200 a bms is on the way from Amazon as we speak!! I cannot WAIT to plug that baby in!!! Its an adventure out here when your literally relying on the solar your creating by yourself!! So cool! Keeps me off drugs and gives me an outlet to focus on! :))))) man I can't wait to move to Cali, I thought it would be less rednecks down here but I was wrong. I tried escaping the KY people but I ran into even more in Florida haha CA is in my future for sure. As long as I'm alive and living, I'm headed that way.
Thanks! I do indeed. I'm a grrrrreat innovator and you do NOT wanna put me in a corner. Lol. I love being off grid and around good people. I have half of that so far. Turns out, everyone's crazy or too southern here for me. They project alot. I think Cali or somewhere west in that area would be alot better for me mentally and I think I'd be WAY more appreciated there as noone really sees my worth here. And I know its alot.
For alot of the settings you need to fully power down and restart for the settings to change. I have been running the megarevo for almost a year now with the zero export. The trick was to check the ct coils. The manual showed them pointing to the grid but it was actually backwards. Check the grid power on the screen - it should read a negative value. If its positive they need to be flipped.
I had the same problem with my sol-ark. I flipped the CT's. It was wrong but everything worked with the CT's pointed in the wrong direction. Maybe they are all labeled wrong.
No, but i will say that contacting megarevo was helpful. They did a video call with me to walk thru the setup procedure. Once it was dialed in it has never shut down or had a fault. With 2 units it runs a 5 ton a/c without a soft start.
2:40 hi Will, those are quite standard connectors (terminals) in control cabinets for f.e. inductrial automation or CNC machines (at least in EU) :) Yes, thay are fast to assemble (you don’t need flathead) and you just press do disassemble. Good build quality but manual and controler needs work…
If you have spent approximately one week working on this and you are still confused can you imagine the difficulties the average or less experienced DIYer would be going through. I appreciate that the cost is half + of the SolArk but this is a prime example of ” you get what you pay for”. There is such a rush out there at the moment to be the cheapest grid capable inverter I really worry about the quality control at the manufacturing level.
Phoenix PT push in clamps actually are allowed to be used with stranded wire, and in most cases is prefrerred with higher amperages. the ferrule will cause more surface resistance due to a smaller contact area of the wire and the clamp. just make sure every strand ends up correctly in the clamp and you're good to go. Manufacturer manual states : ferrules CAN be used.
My fix was pointing the arrow of CT to the inverter and to connect CT clamp L1 to Port CT2 AND CT clamp L2 TO port CT1 My suggestion is to try every direction with the CT untill you have desired calm working inverter that discharges at a normal speed when used in self consume mode I think they mass produce these inverters and they didnt check the CT clamps and ports for errors during the manufacturing But yes it works for me now
@Jason Schaeffer It would have cost me more to send it back to China, so I figured i'd try everything. A few really late nights with China support on the line. Those ct's are very sensitive. But once it was set good the machine works good. The CT 's might be good but on the motherboard side it's switched. It's a directional issue with those sensors by me. My device is still running 4 months strong without me looking back at it. I have 16 panels hooked up to the 8k inverter r8klna. Producing on average 33 KWH a day. 10 kwh charge my battery the rest to the grid Try every possible direction with those ct's. Then restart the inverter everytime. It's a process but well worth it in the end. The thing is you won't be able to send power back to the grid without the ct's. They have to be hooked up. Many people just use this inverter off grid mode because of this issue. I hope this helps others.. Ps I'm an electrician, not a solar pro like Mr Prowse. But please always be safe. Let a qwalified electrician do this the safe way 😀
So cool, the level of integration is astonishing. Generator backup is one of the things that most off grid users are looking for, but many want to be able to use the grid when it's available, so it's cool to have all three.
I'm baffled that all these manufacturers can churn out legitimately well made hardware but every single time it's saddled with software that makes a COBOL Terminal look user friendly. It can't really be this hard.
As someone who is in software development, it's harder than you think. In particular the low level hardware interface embedded code. Then you can hire cheaper software developers to create a Raspberry Pi web interface (I think a Pico W is $6 now?)
Designing decent user interfaces is about the most expensive part of product design, and it adds no value on the spec sheet. Commodity hardware is always going to be like this.
Really enjoyed this. Many of us non professional electrician types, like me, have spent WEEKS trying to figure settings/manuals/issues. And yes with the help(?) from distributors and manufacturers. Glad you are getting a real world experience similar to us solar newbies. Simple is a relative term.
Take care when using the scaffold platform with that inverter mounted high like that. It can seem like it would be so solid, that's not always the case. Being top heavy when moving it around the caster of the wheels can make it flip over very quickly. Add in inertia when moving it with the load closer to the direction of travel. Run across a small bolt, nut or even a cord, the caster of the wheel can make it very unstable quickly. I spent a couple of years working on these, so please heed and be careful. Center the load and or add ballast down low for safety
@@WillProwse I have almost same inverter and have same problem. The leakage is from your wire connection at your panels. Mine was fried and because the panels was installed in grass. Try with fresh PV MC4 connections or clean them against corrosion. Luk618gGmail
@@luk618 Correct he has leakage to ground current. The other inverters were just tolerable or ignorant. That is from the solar panels he needs to check his setup.
I like the multiple load feature. Even in a fully off grid system, I could see that being a useful option, say if battery capacity drops below a certain point it could drop the non-critical load to help conserve power. Or even have it be programmable, so it's only active during certain hours. That may or may not be something better suited to a box downstream of the inverters. At my current residence I have an APC UTS10BI installed, and the 10 circuits it can service are my "critical" loads. The UTS is direct connected to my generator, so when the grid dies it switches over to the generator.
As always Will - impressive review. Unfortunately, EG4 products are being dumped on the market without installer certifications and very poor manual quality and no support from Signature Solar. One needs expert knowledge and experience to install one of these, particularly when something goes wrong. Then if there is a failure, good luck getting warranty coverage. Glad to see they may have fixed their 6500 NG bond issue. Update: the NG bond issue and grounding on AC output is not corrected and needs extra consideration when designing and installing. These systems are made to hang on a wall and plug into an existing small system. There are almost a dozen installation types and each has a unique installation requirement, including opening these inverters and removing the NG bonding screw.
Also, if designing a serious offgrid system, recommend purchasing spare inverters and a panel or two otherwise you may be down for weeks or a month or more awaiting parts.
Thanks alot for your efforts. I'm a huge fan of your work , few months ago i had no knowledge what so ever of solar and renewable energy. But now I consider myself self to be well informed in regards to solar systems . I even built myself 2 systems so far a 1 kw and later a bigger a 5 kw . All that couldn't be the case if it wasn't for your help . I can't thank you enough for the great,free, easy to access, easy to understand content that you spread so willingly. You're a great person and i respect you alot and look up to you.
I like that you are getting into grid tied systems with battery back up! Its what I hope to have running our house someday (once I can talk my wife into it). I live in ND so I don't think we would get enough solar in the winter for everything; which is where grid tie comes into play.
I love you bro. This is the video everyone needed. Im glad you aren't giving up until the job is done! I'll wait until the follow up video before I place my order and have more confidence
Thanks Will. I was sent the carbon copy inverter from Vestwoods. Waiting on the data cable because I also have the error 27 BMS error. Works well on the Lead Acid setting. Vestwoods has a 15kwh battery to go with the inverter.
@@WillProwse I'm to the point where I need the bms cable Before I connect my critical loads into a new sub panel. I've not yet used the grid feature. A bit nervous now that yours didn't work.
the hard work is basically your job amigo hehe, you working through it is a great service and we appreciate it, you have the skills and knowledge and plow through the issues for everyone - keep it up
Glad you covered this inverter as i was about to purchase it. Since you are a genus and had issues, i know that i would probably resort to a sledge hammer! Great and very informative video as always!:D
Hi Will. First thing to try with the EG4 inverter is to isolate the ground rather than bonding in the output panel. I have found with some electronic driven equipment that bonded grounds will trip GFIC .
Bonding and Grounding many people do not really understand unless they are trained. Heck even many trained electricians haven't grasp it yet either. Depending on whether your breaker panel is neutral bonded or not will affect if you need to ground the device permanently or if you will need to connect an external relay to its relay port which signals grid on/off by activating its relay. This allows the inverter to be fully protected while operating in On-Grid mode or in Off-Grid mode during a power outage or in permanent off Grid configuration. These inverters can be parallel to offer even more power without the need for additional equipment or specialized cables.
We are RV solar installers. I wanted so much for EG4 to work out. On our 2nd EG4 installation, 2 of the 3 inverters were dead out of the box. No quality control at all. Wait on hold for over an hour sometimes 2 for tech support. Still waiting 3 weeks to get return authorization. Unfortunately I ordered other products with bad results. I'm going back to Victron $$$, at least they work.
Thx a lot for all your efforts sir. The best hybrid inverter of all time just arrived. The EG4 18K-PV just hit the market. You won't even need a combiner box.
One additional note on those terminals. You must be sure that the wire is stripped to the proper length. If the wire is too short and you push it in past the point where the insulation gets pushed into the contacts, the contacts can rest on the insulation and have a poor connection with the bare copper, resulting in arcing and a fire hazard. It is really easy to make that mistake.
Looking for a grid tied inverter and in the beginning of this video I thought I may have found one, but alas with all the issues you had it's not quite ready for prime time. Thanks for doing this review and I'm looking forward to when you get a chance to do another one either with this and it works, or another brand that is cheaper than a SolArk.
Thanks for the efforts to get these to work, Will! Nigh unto 'heroic', LOL. I watch these all as they come out so I can get capable with PV setups, but can't justify the cost at the moment, living in W. Washington state; we just don't get enough sun to offset the cost. That said, the state is making it clear they no longer welcome me here in my home state with the laws being passed, so may soon be able to use the information.
You can also power this inverter via solar and Wind simultaneously, Generator and Batteries all connected at once. Power lost during sunshine will auto switch to getting power from solar panels, wind turbine and battery power or a generator if needed. At night it can be powered from wind, batteries or Grid. These configurations are all easily program by the user at the push of a couple menu driven buttons on the Display. Built in GFCI so depending on how you have setup bonding/grounding and upstream GFCI you may need to adjust your setup. A current limiting resistor for inrush current is not needed when connecting batteries (built in protection) but will do no harm either.
I love when you said: "I'm Starting to Get excited". Me too, I think so? I so love your channel! You make me feel like everyday is Christmas Morning. SOO EXCITED! Thank you.
For the pre charge resistor i normally use a lightbulb, then when the light goes out i know that there isnt any potential difference and i can connect the cabels without any sparks 😉
I do like that the DC (PV and Battery) and AC input/outputs are split to their own sides. Some of these inverters were driving me nuts on how I would wire them without any crossover. Granted there are people that will say there is nothing wrong with crossing the two voltages. But, I'm old school and the separation of the two types of voltage prevents any accidental induced voltage on the DC lines. Also, I can have my PV combiner boxes and DC breakers on one side of the inverter, while running AC out the other side to a main junction box. Makes for a neater arrangement.
This EG4 and Megarevo are clones of the Deye 8K 8048. My Deye works well and the support from the manufacturer is very good. I had some issues and I reached out to them and they were very responsive and helpful. I hope you will be able to review a Deye 8K in the future
Great in depth video. I’m surprised the vendors just don’t have WiFi and a web server built into each box for setup and support. Sol-Ark looking like a good option.
Thanks Will, I should have believed that EG4 Hybrid inverter had problems after watching your review. I'm on my second unit and I came across Marcus from Signature say that the EG4 Hybrid doesn't have the ability to NOT to feed back to the grid. And that it's not a programing problem, but hardware and they continue to sell them. Someone is going to get hurt or killed
Megarevo is the manufacturer... the OEM. EG4 is a rebrand of Megarevo, not the other way around. I am about to purchase the R16 KLNA 6P which is their brand new inverter for the US market; awesome features with 200 amp pass through and built-in breaker.
I don't have a lot of money to dump into solar and my house is actually on-grid so I don't desperately need it but this unit has those entry drog featuers that could lure me into it - because it could work well without batteries but it could also use it if it had some, it could augment solar production with grid. But by the end of the video I totally understood your comment on the (otherwise very expensive) Victron system. You just connect that and it does what it is supposed to. That is hard to quantify to dollars but very valuable.
My old workplace built a methane powered generator to supply the factory with power and back feed the grid, the methane was a byproduct of the trade waste generated by the factory. It would constantly trip out when it went to supplying the grid. What the engineers found was the grid frequency wasn’t within the specified tolerance, it was all over the place. They complained to the power company that they were outside their own strict specifications, the back and forth went on for years, eventually they ended up just using it to power the plant only!
I was an early adopter of the Megarevo. Been in operation 9 months now. Firmware updates have been slow. I am grid tied with zero export. Powers the main panel up to the CT's with no problems, and an EPS panel in case the grid goes down. There is a main thread for the Megarevo on the forum if we can be of help. Programming is, as stated, very hard to understand. But after you get it figured out it's not to bad. Just wish there was more control with the programming like Solark. Load two does not shut down when battery reaches zero, nor is it yet programmable. The generator function is suppose to be recently activated but there are reports of firmware issues. Looking forward tot he day that the Gen port or load two port to become programmable for a smart load so one can use a dump load if needed.
Great video, I just put an order through for 30kw storage with two 6500 inverters through eg4 because of your videos. I'm going full off grid in Australia so this inverter would've worked fine. I was tossing up whether I should've gone with the 8k system since you can get 240v from a single system instead of having to split phase two 6500s together. Great work will, keen to see the system up and running. Cheers
So youre running the split phase 240v system now? Does Australian 240v equipment work with this kind of setup? I thought the 240 split phase had 2 “hots” and a neutral, whereas aus has 240 single phase. Or are you using some kind of transformer to get your 240v?
Good luck Jimini tin! I installed 6 6500 a month ago and still not working. One blew up, still waiting on SS warranty. The manual is loaded with bad info. Hop on DIYSolar to get help from the community.
Great effort Will, pity you couldn’t get it to go properly. I would suggest the line 2 load to be used for higher output &/or lower priority loads like: electric Hotwater system, stove, aircon, and use line 1 for critical loads, lights, fridges, microwave, tv’s, etc, and this will help protect the battery from over discharge & give an indicator when grid power is down.
Having spent three decades in China, I had the opportunity to visit many of the factories manufacturing solar products, particularly the panels themselves. My main concern with all of these companies is the use of reclaimed semiconductors. There is a huge industry in China reclaiming chips from used PCB's, these chips are then sold to the manufacturers of new PCB's used in products such as this and this is why you must always buy from a manufacturer who honors a long term warranty and will be around to honor that warranty. Used chips have shown to have a life of one to two years, primary due to the heating when they are removed which causes metal layer reflow in the chips themselves.
Greetings Will, I have been following you for quite a few years now (maybe as far back as shortly after you first started your channel); I have learned so much from you, and another thing is I have watched you grow and mature. There is so much I could say here, but for now, I will refrain except to say, "great job" and "keep up the good work" my young friend!
I really hope they fix it cause it's exactly what I need. I need an off grid hybrid with an auto non critical loads so I can have an extra hot water heater on it and other non essential loads. Loving the idea of a sol ark 15k since it has 200a transfer switch which would make it super easy to pass codes before I re wire some things after it passes lol
Kinda what I was thinking but if this worked well enough it would save me a lot of money. Or I could get 2 of these and have more output. Don't need to be grid tied but codes here can be a bit of a pain. Trying to do this all out of pocket. Currently running on one lv6548 in a tiny house off grid for over a year and love not having an electric bill.
Gfci are sometimes crappy. We have to replace them with standard outlets all the time. Especially when you use inverters, generators and grid power. Per code within 12 inches of water source you need gfci. Lighting screws with them all the time.
I can’t wait for your update on these inverters. I was planning on running a Sol-Ark 15K but seeing these I was thinking of going with three 8 k inverters. Though I am technologically challenged, I crash everything and have issues with every app, phone, Wi-Fi and computer so the issues you are showing me are scary. Love your channel
I have purchased a few of these from a different company for my business to see if they are worth installing. Same exact inverter, just a different name on the front. I was impressed by the quality of the hardware, but actual usage was very disappointing. I had broken CTs as well and it's a hassle to get replacements. The manual is awful and the support wasn't much better. Great video and I look forward to the follow-up one!
You may have a CT reversed (direction). If you look at the current it will show negative if you have it reversed. They don't BOTH point to the load (remember they are each on their own phase). One CT points to the load and one point to the supply.
I saw a metal tab used to make sure the main breaker is off when these types of devices are working and vice versa. Simple $5.00 us Dollar item which seems like the best $5.00 US Dollars that would ever be spent period in this line of work.
The ground bond can be swtiched in via a relay, you have to buy separately. Also has a 4ms transfer from Grid to Offgrid mode, which means if you loose Grid power you won't notice you are on batteries unless you are looking at the houses next door and it is dark outside.
@slipperyslope5364 Hello, I have a question for someone knowledgeable like yourself or Will. How does one connect the grid source from the breaker panel of a home, in to the inverter, to be able to use options like the transfer switch in the event of a grid failure. Ive looked for videos and walkthroughs and couldn’t find what i was looking for, unless i miss understood the video. If there is a video out there for what im looking for if you could point me in the right directions that would be great, or this could give Will another video idea to help people like me fully understand how to wire it up from the grid to the inverters to be able to use for my house, and to charge batteries so i may use batteries in case of grid failure. Thank anyone who can help in advance.
@@dirtbikedude7560 My answer refers to Megarevo inverter in the video only. Option 1 - Whole house power You must connect the Grid source before it gets to your inside breaker panel to the Grid Ports of the inverter (if you have an external breaker at your utility meter take it from there). Next take the connection from Load 1 of the inverter to your Main breaker in your breaker panel (in other words the inverter sits between your grid supply and your main breaker in the house. This will allow the Inverter to run your entire house. Option 2 of many options Configure same as above but if you have some devices which you don't want to have power during a grid failure connect them to Load2 while having the devices you want to always have power connected to Load1. OPtion 3 Configure as OPtion 1 or 2 but connect a generator (autostart capable ) to Gen port of inverter. Note: If connecting a manual generator you can connect via the gen port and disable generator auto start from inverter. Option B. installed an external Manual Changeover switch on Grid line before or at Grid port to switch in a manual start generator at the Grid port. The above configurations works best when having batteries connected to the Battery Port. 8kw inverter usually requires a 20KWh battery pack. Suggest using a powerwall styled Chinese battery pack already equipped with Battery Management System and monitoring. Sol Ark, Sunsynk and Deye inverters all share the same general electrical foundational structure. As a general rule some wiring configurations are applicable. and interchangeable but this is not a guaranteed. So use this info as a generic guide not a law. You can watch sunsynk videos or Deye videos for general information if you require it. Hope this help. If you need further in-depth assistance I can assist but you will need to send very detail information about your project.
@slipperyslope5364. Thank you for your help and your prompt response. You have given me a better (and safer) understanding of how to be able to do this for a future project, or as an option later down the road. From what i understand by your explanation, there is a breaker somewhere between the meter and the breaker box, and i would have to flip it open, disconnect grid wires from Breaker box, to the inverter. And wire it up as may of Wills videos show, and many other peoples videos. And in the event that i dont have that external breaker what would i do then. And as just a rough guide (it is alot of power that i cant screw up) is it just as simple as pulling out the grid lines, and moving them to the inverter AC IN ports? And hooking everything else up like batteries, and wiring the ac out from the inverter in place of the grid in lines in the box. And one more thing, what do i have to look for on an inverter to have the capability to be able to run the grid power through the inverter, charge the batteries and be able to run the house when the grid goes down, without causing problems with the grid. Thank you for your patience reading my many questions.
@@dirtbikedude7560 You are actually making the inverter the "man in the middle" between your Grid supply and your home's breaker Panel. This is better demonstrated by a drawing but I will give it a try. The same grid source cable which brings power from the grid and connects at your main breaker (this is the cable which comes from the meter to your panel) - you can disconnect that from at your main breaker inside your panel box and connect it to the Grid side of the inverter. Next connect a suitable cable from Load1 of the inverter to that same main breaker you disconnect the grid from previously. Normal Setup without any inverter. GRID SUPPLY - METER - MAIN BREAKER IN PANEL Setup with the Inverter to Power Entire Home. GRID SUPPLY - METER - INVERTER - MAIN BREAKER IN PANEL Hope this helps
@slipperyslope5364 Okay that sounds easy enough. I understand that perfectly. Thank you for your time,knowledge, and helping me walk through the process for a better understanding for myself. If i have additional questions that i cant find answers to, you might hear from me again lol. Thank you again. Take care.
I was in the software industry for 34 years, and I can tell you that there is a very wide range of competency between developers. The software is always going to be the biggest problem on these products. The costly products have a much better software engineering team, and that costs real money.
Hey Will, any updates from Signature Solar on getting the one they sent you? Did they send you an replacement and did it have the same issue? Looking forward to your resolution. I was seriously looking to buy this system for my coach.
Manuels are written in Chinese, translated to Spanish by a Vietnamese translator then given to a Russian American in Alaska to put into California English
I'm old school also paper tape I just had fire at my property and threw away all of my old paper punch tape and tape reading software gone sooner or later these guys will figure it out give my year good luck well enjoy your videos I know it's frustrating especially after you have slept on it a day or two and it's still not functioning
First of all, I really like your video. Very educational. Thanks! With regards to the settings, you might want to talk to the manufacturer directly. They should be able to sort it out for you.
12.16.22 Good video Will. As time goes on I do believe that these inverters will become easier to operate. I currently have the Growatt MIN 6000tl-x and it does have the feature to off load extra watts, however I have not figured out to use it. This video gives me a clue on how it could work.
Hey if your looking for loads, I would love to see a 3hp 220v dust collection motor ad maybe a 2 hp table saw motor 220. Pretty common style motor for off grid.
EG4 and Megarevo must be the same company. When you download the certification specs on Signature Solar’s website, it shows pictures of the Megarevo and not the EG4. Interesting.
do what you can with the stuff you are given, and dont worry so much about the sneak peak to the next product you are reviewing, we await that video with even more anticipation.
Hey Will, Love your videos, your enthusiasm is engaging! Wondered if you could do a step by step real life tutorial around solar panels installation. The considerations around series and parallel connection for a real system. Be great to see the actual install and connection for a typical system.
Dang will, they should have had it better together before sending it to a UA-camr with a pant load of followers. Thanks for your brutal honesty. Because after I hooked up my solar system hooked up my inverter but I want to turn it on it dawned on me inside my brain how complicated this is with hardware software Mary together. I wanted it to work really bad after sweating for days putting in my solar system on the roof. Soul arc worked first time.
Even with the complicated software, I think it’s an awesome deal. $2900 vs. $7100 that’s a no brainer. The software only needs to be configured once. Of course the EV charging needs to be fixed too. Might be a grounding issue. I like the 4 separate mppt at 500V/12amp each. That’s some serious cold weather input potential. The 130 watt idle, 3120 watt per day hurts, but to sone degree it’s just the cost of doing business. On a 30kw battery bank, it’s 10% capacity. Maybe need to add an additional mppt connected to the battery just to cover that idle consumption, 800-1600 watt of extra solar will take care of it. Any chance you can talk about power over Ethernet POE ? Apparently there is a hotel in CT that powers all its lights that way and never draws more than 5kw. How would we set up such a system and where can we find the components?
Regarding the POE lighting concept, Matt Risinger has a video where he tours a house that is installing this very thing. It's the video titled "THIS is why I do it. Building the BUILD SHOW way". There's a link to Zen homes and they most likely could help point you in the direction where to source the components. I thought about doing it but I'm worried if ten years down the road you can't find compatible lights or something goes wrong and insurance companies won't insure you, you would have to open up your walls and ceilings to install standard 12ga and 14ga wiring. Like you, I wouldn't mind Will making a video on this.
@@krumafreak I have seen that video. He is a great building resource but a lousy tech/solar/energy resource ;) We will still need standard outlets in all/most rooms and I would think all lights/outlets in a normal bedroom are on a single 15a fuse. Not much in saving in wiring. The saving is in energy consumption. To me, energy is a very limited resource and conversion loss is wasteful.
Oh I'm pretty sure we all know that. Had nothing to do with grounds or neutrals here. Please watch the video one more time. It worked flawlessly with the other inverter and we had the same wiring configuration.
@@WillProwse you remember how on the EG4 6500 you had to remove that screw? The other model may not have it. Your Tesla had a hard time with the EcoFlow pro because of grounding too. As a grid-tie design, they might have anticipated that grounding happens at the fuse box. 30 seconds to double check ;)
Will - How do we engage directly with the manufacturing engineering? SS is woefully inadequate with their support. I wish I could send their 6500 back and start over.
This is neat. That won't back feed is nice. Is there one that will not back feed and would also charge the battery bank via ac side. But overall it's nice. A good example would be when some one is renting a house and use some panels to cover the load of the home without back feeding is nice. And best part is being able to move this inverter to the next house.
My Megarevo from GSL is working fine offgrid and ongrid. My Firmware version is ARM V1.03.12 and DSP V2.04.12. I have a subpanel for the Load 1 and the system is exporting to the grid and charging GSL Power wall 10KW battery without issue. The CTs are pointing to the grid in the main panel. No Generator functionality yet in the firmware.
Dang it. I bought the SolArk because the grid features. And it was EXPENSIVE. This would have been the correct unit for my situation at a fraction of the cost. 😥
All these inverters are made by Chinese company Deye. They supply in many countries all around the world with just different branding. Perfect example would be Sol ark, Sunsynk and many more
Wow, for long term off the grid these things are so complex with so many parts, if the supply chain ever broke down how could you get parts to fix them? Even the batteries have so much electronics.
I have 3 dc breakers on my battery.. one for negative.. one for positive. one for positive (with a resistor inline) my powerup process: turn on negative breaker. turn on positive+resistor breaker.. wait a while.. (minutes.. because my resistor is small) turn on positive breaker.. turn off positive+resistor breaker..
![8KW Inverter and 15KWH Battery Takes House Off Grid [Full Step by Step Install]](/img/n.gif)
If you want this unit but with better software, buy a sol ark: www.currentconnected.com/product/sol-ark/?ref=wp
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Hey everyone. A lot of people below stated I should reverse my current transformers. Well that's not what the manual states and the sol ark 12K has the same CT's and they face this way in the manual as well.
Also, many people commented thinking I was referring to the GFCI in the inverter. Absolutely not. I said this multiple times that the ev chargers internal GFCI was tripping. Which is downstream of the inverter output. People kept making suggestions thinking it was a fault or leakage on the output and that's not the issue here. I also swapped the inverter with the same wiring configuration and GFCI enabled and it didn't trip at all.
Which means the first inverter was defective.
I will add this to the pinned comment so more people can understand. Hope this helps.
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Good pricepoint for this parameters and build quality. I wonder if there is an equivalent for the European market 🧐 Please think of us, on the other side of pond, from time to time Will 😁
P 😊😊
😅
L😊😊
Hey Will wondering for load two, could this be tied to start when the sun hits the panels
edit
or a dump load kinda scenario
@@acriticalvegan6164 Those features have yet to be implemented in firmware.
You are so gd .No stupid music or pets or side kicks .Just informative and skillful teaching 👍 thanks
That’s because Wills a no BS kinda guy
Super smart and helpful ❕👍🏼thanks dude
What’s wrong with pets?
Love this channel. Never seen a youtuber ever post any issues with their free review products before. They always have the best experience so we don't really know if they had any issues or not.
>Never seen a youtuber ever post any issues with their free review products before.
You're not watching the right youtubers then lol. Go check out Matthias Wandel (specifically his "random stuff" channel)
Be careful depending on free reviews. They aren't based on real world test and the people giving the reviews have a vested interest in reviewing. I learned the hard way 30k later. Better off doing your own research.
Compared to your entire videos almost every other solar/inverter video I have watched are the same as a drive through fast food vs waiting in line for quality food. It take a patient person who is intending to learn to watch your videos, nothing about your videos confuses me I am always looking for new ones you make, people like you made our world a perfect place for everybody. I really am thankful for everything you do.
Thanks for your integrity Will. I'm a 25 year, commercial electrician and I trust your reviews. I can clearly see that you do your best to conduct proper tests and give unbiased results. You did your grounding bond correct if that load center is the actual main and not a sub. If it's tripping the GFI on the EV charger, then the inverter is defective(internal short). If the internal GFI on the EG4 is tripping, then I think the GFI in the EG4 is defective or improperly set too sensitive.
Love his videos. He puts a lot of effort into them and the work teaches a lot of people learning this space.
Gfci triping: did you try removing the bond ground/neutral?
The battery in-rush spark could have damaged the gfci circuit board.
GRID terms: You mentioned 190amps output but only an 8g wire?
Load1: I would limit to critical load only.
Load2: for everything else.
Hope everyone is as happy as I'm am finding this channel, he is amazing with respect to quality and doing it just for the consumer. Super dedicated
I like the load shedding feature. If you were off-grid, there are lots of loads that are not critical, but are convenient. If you lose battery power or grid, losing the non-critical circuits would lower your demand.
I 100% agree, I would love having my geothermal "non critical" so that shuts down at like 25% batt and propane boiler picks up the demand.
@@kstorm889 did someone sell you that set up all together or do you source the propane and heat pump separate? 🤔
I want to source a system like that because I plan to build in WI so heat is the biggest issue in efficient building
@@CheZfrmdaWestWisc it will be all "diy". But I will have everything on an industrial plc for controls. I did get some ideas from "HUG Hydronics" I believe they are based out of Duluth. When are you building?
@@kstorm889 I'll still need a few years down the road but it's still nice to think through things ahead of time thanks for the response
For a precharge resistor I like to use a low wattage 120v incandescent bulb, something like 30 or 40w.
It works great and you can use any you have lying around!
Also... the bulb dimms off when the capacitors are full. Never get a spark, and no counting seconds.
@@SuperVstech Yep! Resistor and indicator in one
I’m no electrical guy but can do the very basic. Have no idea what you are saying half the time but enjoy watching your shows. You’ve come a long way since I first started watching with a new house and car. You have soo much stuff going on in your work shop. Lots of $$$$. Long way from living out of a car. Big Up to You. Praying for your good health and continued good success.
Your vids SAVED my ASS bro I quit my Peer Support Job at an office in KY to work at hardees living off grid 40 minutes away from Panama. I knew NOTHING about solar. When I first got here, it was in the middle of the summer, in a small tent, with nothing but a small 70 dollar portable charging bank with 3 fold out solar panels. Bro. I just kept grinding everyday, got a job, watched your videos, and finally built my own system out here. Because of you, I didn't make certain mistakes that would've held me back for weeks. And I thank you for that. I have a victron 100|50, a 2000 watt jupiter inverter, three 200 watt panels (that barely work) and a 100 ah gel wieze lead acid 👎(boo) battery. But a 200 ah power queen lithium plus with a 200 a bms is on the way from Amazon as we speak!! I cannot WAIT to plug that baby in!!! Its an adventure out here when your literally relying on the solar your creating by yourself!! So cool! Keeps me off drugs and gives me an outlet to focus on! :))))) man I can't wait to move to Cali, I thought it would be less rednecks down here but I was wrong. I tried escaping the KY people but I ran into even more in Florida haha CA is in my future for sure. As long as I'm alive and living, I'm headed that way.
You've got that pioneering spirit! I dig that!
Thanks! I do indeed. I'm a grrrrreat innovator and you do NOT wanna put me in a corner. Lol. I love being off grid and around good people. I have half of that so far. Turns out, everyone's crazy or too southern here for me. They project alot. I think Cali or somewhere west in that area would be alot better for me mentally and I think I'd be WAY more appreciated there as noone really sees my worth here. And I know its alot.
For alot of the settings you need to fully power down and restart for the settings to change. I have been running the megarevo for almost a year now with the zero export. The trick was to check the ct coils. The manual showed them pointing to the grid but it was actually backwards. Check the grid power on the screen - it should read a negative value. If its positive they need to be flipped.
I had the same problem with my sol-ark. I flipped the CT's. It was wrong but everything worked with the CT's pointed in the wrong direction. Maybe they are all labeled wrong.
Yes I did that. I powered on and powered off and I also checked if the settings were saved.
Oh wow if the CTs were mislabeled that would be crazy. I didn't even think about that.
Good point Mark, I had trouble with that when my unit was first installed a couple of months ago. I am curious, did you ever get a decent manual?
No, but i will say that contacting megarevo was helpful. They did a video call with me to walk thru the setup procedure. Once it was dialed in it has never shut down or had a fault. With 2 units it runs a 5 ton a/c without a soft start.
2:40 hi Will, those are quite standard connectors (terminals) in control cabinets for f.e. inductrial automation or CNC machines (at least in EU) :) Yes, thay are fast to assemble (you don’t need flathead) and you just press do disassemble. Good build quality but manual and controler needs work…
If you have spent approximately one week working on this and you are still confused can you imagine the difficulties the average or less experienced DIYer would be going through. I appreciate that the cost is half + of the SolArk but this is a prime example of ” you get what you pay for”.
There is such a rush out there at the moment to be the cheapest grid capable inverter I really worry about the quality control at the manufacturing level.
Phoenix PT push in clamps actually are allowed to be used with stranded wire, and in most cases is prefrerred with higher amperages.
the ferrule will cause more surface resistance due to a smaller contact area of the wire and the clamp.
just make sure every strand ends up correctly in the clamp and you're good to go.
Manufacturer manual states : ferrules CAN be used.
My fix was pointing the arrow of CT to the inverter and to connect CT clamp L1 to Port CT2
AND CT clamp L2 TO port CT1
My suggestion is to try every direction with the CT untill you have desired calm working inverter that discharges at a normal speed when used in self consume mode
I think they mass produce these inverters and they didnt check the CT clamps and ports for errors during the manufacturing
But yes it works for me now
@Jason Schaeffer It would have cost me more to send it back to China, so I figured i'd try everything. A few really late nights with China support on the line.
Those ct's are very sensitive. But once it was set good the machine works good.
The CT 's might be good but on the motherboard side it's switched. It's a directional issue with those sensors by me.
My device is still running 4 months strong without me looking back at it.
I have 16 panels hooked up to the 8k inverter r8klna. Producing on average 33 KWH a day. 10 kwh charge my battery the rest to the grid
Try every possible direction with those ct's. Then restart the inverter everytime.
It's a process but well worth it in the end.
The thing is you won't be able to send power back to the grid without the ct's.
They have to be hooked up.
Many people just use this inverter off grid mode because of this issue.
I hope this helps others..
Ps I'm an electrician, not a solar pro like Mr Prowse. But please always be safe.
Let a qwalified electrician do this the safe way 😀
So cool, the level of integration is astonishing. Generator backup is one of the things that most off grid users are looking for, but many want to be able to use the grid when it's available, so it's cool to have all three.
I'm baffled that all these manufacturers can churn out legitimately well made hardware but every single time it's saddled with software that makes a COBOL Terminal look user friendly. It can't really be this hard.
Use punched cards or paper tape and Fortran.
COBOL! 🤣🤣🤣 Bringing back memories for this old techie.
Software is hard
As someone who is in software development, it's harder than you think. In particular the low level hardware interface embedded code. Then you can hire cheaper software developers to create a Raspberry Pi web interface (I think a Pico W is $6 now?)
Designing decent user interfaces is about the most expensive part of product design, and it adds no value on the spec sheet. Commodity hardware is always going to be like this.
Glad to see some grid tied content. As my solar is grid tied and now 8 years old and I am looking to upgrade parts and include batteries
Really enjoyed this. Many of us non professional electrician types, like me, have spent WEEKS trying to figure settings/manuals/issues. And yes with the help(?) from distributors and manufacturers. Glad you are getting a real world experience similar to us solar newbies. Simple is a relative term.
Take care when using the scaffold platform with that inverter mounted high like that. It can seem like it would be so solid, that's not always the case. Being top heavy when moving it around the caster of the wheels can make it flip over very quickly. Add in inertia when moving it with the load closer to the direction of travel. Run across a small bolt, nut or even a cord, the caster of the wheel can make it very unstable quickly. I spent a couple of years working on these, so please heed and be careful. Center the load and or add ballast down low for safety
Very true, and will be putting a battery on the first shelf for this reason
Great point, I was also concerned about that too Will.
@@WillProwse I have almost same inverter and have same problem. The leakage is from your wire connection at your panels. Mine was fried and because the panels was installed in grass. Try with fresh PV MC4 connections or clean them against corrosion. Luk618gGmail
Where did you get that platform Will? Im digging that setup
@@luk618 Correct he has leakage to ground current. The other inverters were just tolerable or ignorant. That is from the solar panels he needs to check his setup.
I like the multiple load feature. Even in a fully off grid system, I could see that being a useful option, say if battery capacity drops below a certain point it could drop the non-critical load to help conserve power. Or even have it be programmable, so it's only active during certain hours. That may or may not be something better suited to a box downstream of the inverters.
At my current residence I have an APC UTS10BI installed, and the 10 circuits it can service are my "critical" loads. The UTS is direct connected to my generator, so when the grid dies it switches over to the generator.
As always Will - impressive review. Unfortunately, EG4 products are being dumped on the market without installer certifications and very poor manual quality and no support from Signature Solar. One needs expert knowledge and experience to install one of these, particularly when something goes wrong. Then if there is a failure, good luck getting warranty coverage. Glad to see they may have fixed their 6500 NG bond issue. Update: the NG bond issue and grounding on AC output is not corrected and needs extra consideration when designing and installing. These systems are made to hang on a wall and plug into an existing small system. There are almost a dozen installation types and each has a unique installation requirement, including opening these inverters and removing the NG bonding screw.
Who is the manufacturer of EG4 products?
Also, if designing a serious offgrid system, recommend purchasing spare inverters and a panel or two otherwise you may be down for weeks or a month or more awaiting parts.
Thanks alot for your efforts. I'm a huge fan of your work , few months ago i had no knowledge what so ever of solar and renewable energy. But now I consider myself self to be well informed in regards to solar systems . I even built myself 2 systems so far a 1 kw and later a bigger a 5 kw . All that couldn't be the case if it wasn't for your help . I can't thank you enough for the great,free, easy to access, easy to understand content that you spread so willingly. You're a great person and i respect you alot and look up to you.
I like that you are getting into grid tied systems with battery back up!
Its what I hope to have running our house someday (once I can talk my wife into it). I live in ND so I don't think we would get enough solar in the winter for everything; which is where grid tie comes into play.
I love you bro. This is the video everyone needed. Im glad you aren't giving up until the job is done! I'll wait until the follow up video before I place my order and have more confidence
Dude. No holidays, AK shirt, you're like my spirit animal.
Thanks Will. I was sent the carbon copy inverter from Vestwoods. Waiting on the data cable because I also have the error 27 BMS error. Works well on the Lead Acid setting. Vestwoods has a 15kwh battery to go with the inverter.
Let me know how it goes. Strange inverter that's for sure. Have you used the grid features yet?
@@WillProwse I'm to the point where I need the bms cable Before I connect my critical loads into a new sub panel. I've not yet used the grid feature. A bit nervous now that yours didn't work.
the hard work is basically your job amigo hehe, you working through it is a great service and we appreciate it, you have the skills and knowledge and plow through the issues for everyone - keep it up
Glad you covered this inverter as i was about to purchase it. Since you are a genus and had issues, i know that i would probably resort to a sledge hammer! Great and very informative video as always!:D
So exciting to be along for the ride with all their products
Looking forward to an updated video with replacement inverter
Imaging buying it as a noob and having these problems. Thanks for the vid! 😊
Hi Will. First thing to try with the EG4 inverter is to isolate the ground rather than bonding in the output panel. I have found with some electronic driven equipment that bonded grounds will trip GFIC .
Bonding and Grounding many people do not really understand unless they are trained. Heck even many trained electricians haven't grasp it yet either. Depending on whether your breaker panel is neutral bonded or not will affect if you need to ground the device permanently or if you will need to connect an external relay to its relay port which signals grid on/off by activating its relay. This allows the inverter to be fully protected while operating in On-Grid mode or in Off-Grid mode during a power outage or in permanent off Grid configuration. These inverters can be parallel to offer even more power without the need for additional equipment or specialized cables.
We are RV solar installers. I wanted so much for EG4 to work out. On our 2nd EG4 installation, 2 of the 3 inverters were dead out of the box. No quality control at all. Wait on hold for over an hour sometimes 2 for tech support. Still waiting 3 weeks to get return authorization. Unfortunately I ordered other products with bad results. I'm going back to Victron $$$, at least they work.
Thx a lot for all your efforts sir. The best hybrid inverter of all time just arrived. The EG4 18K-PV just hit the market. You won't even need a combiner box.
One additional note on those terminals. You must be sure that the wire is stripped to the proper length. If the wire is too short and you push it in past the point where the insulation gets pushed into the contacts, the contacts can rest on the insulation and have a poor connection with the bare copper, resulting in arcing and a fire hazard. It is really easy to make that mistake.
Looking for a grid tied inverter and in the beginning of this video I thought I may have found one, but alas with all the issues you had it's not quite ready for prime time. Thanks for doing this review and I'm looking forward to when you get a chance to do another one either with this and it works, or another brand that is cheaper than a SolArk.
GFI trips may be due to EMI filters on L and N which have small bypass caps to ground.
Ok thank you. Figured it was something weird like that
Thanks for the efforts to get these to work, Will! Nigh unto 'heroic', LOL.
I watch these all as they come out so I can get capable with PV setups, but can't justify the cost at the moment, living in W. Washington state; we just don't get enough sun to offset the cost. That said, the state is making it clear they no longer welcome me here in my home state with the laws being passed, so may soon be able to use the information.
You can also power this inverter via solar and Wind simultaneously, Generator and Batteries all connected at once. Power lost during sunshine will auto switch to getting power from solar panels, wind turbine and battery power or a generator if needed. At night it can be powered from wind, batteries or Grid. These configurations are all easily program by the user at the push of a couple menu driven buttons on the Display. Built in GFCI so depending on how you have setup bonding/grounding and upstream GFCI you may need to adjust your setup. A current limiting resistor for inrush current is not needed when connecting batteries (built in protection) but will do no harm either.
I love when you said: "I'm Starting to Get excited". Me too, I think so? I so love your channel! You make me feel like everyday is Christmas Morning. SOO EXCITED! Thank you.
For the pre charge resistor i normally use a lightbulb, then when the light goes out i know that there isnt any potential difference and i can connect the cabels without any sparks 😉
These are Hybrid inverters capable of running entire homes. Can be easily parallel without additional equipment for even more power
I do like that the DC (PV and Battery) and AC input/outputs are split to their own sides. Some of these inverters were driving me nuts on how I would wire them without any crossover. Granted there are people that will say there is nothing wrong with crossing the two voltages. But, I'm old school and the separation of the two types of voltage prevents any accidental induced voltage on the DC lines. Also, I can have my PV combiner boxes and DC breakers on one side of the inverter, while running AC out the other side to a main junction box. Makes for a neater arrangement.
This EG4 and Megarevo are clones of the Deye 8K 8048. My Deye works well and the support from the manufacturer is very good. I had some issues and I reached out to them and they were very responsive and helpful. I hope you will be able to review a Deye 8K in the future
Good to know
👍🏽
Incorrect. Deye/SolArk is not the same inverter at all.
@@RJ-cc1fz They are. Both Sol-Ark and Sunsynk are made by Deye. Different (but similar) softwares of course.
They are all made by deye... surprised you didn't know..sol ark has an exclusivity deal with them so they don't sell in the US
Great in depth video. I’m surprised the vendors just don’t have WiFi and a web server built into each box for setup and support. Sol-Ark looking like a good option.
My MegoRevo has an optional wifi dongle that I use
Yup.. they should have this.
Thanks Will, I should have believed that EG4 Hybrid inverter had problems after watching your review. I'm on my second unit and I came across Marcus from Signature say that the EG4 Hybrid doesn't have the ability to NOT to feed back to the grid. And that it's not a programing problem, but hardware and they continue to sell them. Someone is going to get hurt or killed
5 stars to you Will. Thanks for the best down to earth reviews anywhere.
Megarevo is the manufacturer... the OEM. EG4 is a rebrand of Megarevo, not the other way around. I am about to purchase the R16 KLNA 6P which is their brand new inverter for the US market; awesome features with 200 amp pass through and built-in breaker.
I don't have a lot of money to dump into solar and my house is actually on-grid so I don't desperately need it but this unit has those entry drog featuers that could lure me into it - because it could work well without batteries but it could also use it if it had some, it could augment solar production with grid.
But by the end of the video I totally understood your comment on the (otherwise very expensive) Victron system. You just connect that and it does what it is supposed to.
That is hard to quantify to dollars but very valuable.
My old workplace built a methane powered generator to supply the factory with power and back feed the grid, the methane was a byproduct of the trade waste generated by the factory. It would constantly trip out when it went to supplying the grid. What the engineers found was the grid frequency wasn’t within the specified tolerance, it was all over the place. They complained to the power company that they were outside their own strict specifications, the back and forth went on for years, eventually they ended up just using it to power the plant only!
I wish they would increase the amperage input on these new inverters. 12A DC doesn't allow for running strings of panels in parallel.
I was an early adopter of the Megarevo. Been in operation 9 months now. Firmware updates have been slow. I am grid tied with zero export. Powers the main panel up to the CT's with no problems, and an EPS panel in case the grid goes down. There is a main thread for the Megarevo on the forum if we can be of help. Programming is, as stated, very hard to understand. But after you get it figured out it's not to bad. Just wish there was more control with the programming like Solark. Load two does not shut down when battery reaches zero, nor is it yet programmable. The generator function is suppose to be recently activated but there are reports of firmware issues. Looking forward tot he day that the Gen port or load two port to become programmable for a smart load so one can use a dump load if needed.
Oh wow ok, will try to find that forum post. Was not aware. do you have your setting selection on the thread?
@@WillProwse Will if it will help you, I can probably document my settings amd send you a picture? You've helped me alot. Thanks
Just wanted to say thanks. :)
So glad to have a resource like your channel to work out these bugs so I don't have to 😁
Great video, I just put an order through for 30kw storage with two 6500 inverters through eg4 because of your videos. I'm going full off grid in Australia so this inverter would've worked fine.
I was tossing up whether I should've gone with the 8k system since you can get 240v from a single system instead of having to split phase two 6500s together.
Great work will, keen to see the system up and running.
Cheers
So youre running the split phase 240v system now? Does Australian 240v equipment work with this kind of setup?
I thought the 240 split phase had 2 “hots” and a neutral, whereas aus has 240 single phase. Or are you using some kind of transformer to get your 240v?
Good luck Jimini tin! I installed 6 6500 a month ago and still not working. One blew up, still waiting on SS warranty. The manual is loaded with bad info. Hop on DIYSolar to get help from the community.
@@jcschwarb had a bad experience with the eg4 6500’s also. I think they are basically junk. I love the mpp version.
@@GavinStoneDIY correct. No warranty provided when the units go bad and no technical support.
Thanks Will for your time.
Great effort Will, pity you couldn’t get it to go properly. I would suggest the line 2 load to be used for higher output &/or lower priority loads like: electric Hotwater system, stove, aircon, and use line 1 for critical loads, lights, fridges, microwave, tv’s, etc, and this will help protect the battery from over discharge & give an indicator when grid power is down.
Having spent three decades in China, I had the opportunity to visit many of the factories manufacturing solar products, particularly the panels themselves. My main concern with all of these companies is the use of reclaimed semiconductors. There is a huge industry in China reclaiming chips from used PCB's, these chips are then sold to the manufacturers of new PCB's used in products such as this and this is why you must always buy from a manufacturer who honors a long term warranty and will be around to honor that warranty. Used chips have shown to have a life of one to two years, primary due to the heating when they are removed which causes metal layer reflow in the chips themselves.
Greetings Will, I have been following you for quite a few years now (maybe as far back as shortly after you first started your channel); I have learned so much from you, and another thing is I have watched you grow and mature. There is so much I could say here, but for now, I will refrain except to say, "great job" and "keep up the good work" my young friend!
One feature I would want is a low idle-loss 12 vdc for lights and a refrigerator. That would allow turning off the unit at night.
Thank you Will for this review. Hopefully SS will get these issues corrected soon because this inverter seems to be very well built.
I really hope they fix it cause it's exactly what I need. I need an off grid hybrid with an auto non critical loads so I can have an extra hot water heater on it and other non essential loads. Loving the idea of a sol ark 15k since it has 200a transfer switch which would make it super easy to pass codes before I re wire some things after it passes lol
Sol ark would do it no problem
Kinda what I was thinking but if this worked well enough it would save me a lot of money. Or I could get 2 of these and have more output. Don't need to be grid tied but codes here can be a bit of a pain. Trying to do this all out of pocket. Currently running on one lv6548 in a tiny house off grid for over a year and love not having an electric bill.
Gfci are sometimes crappy.
We have to replace them with standard outlets all the time.
Especially when you use inverters, generators and grid power.
Per code within 12 inches of water source you need gfci.
Lighting screws with them all the time.
I can’t wait for your update on these inverters. I was planning on running a Sol-Ark 15K but seeing these I was thinking of going with three 8 k inverters. Though I am technologically challenged, I crash everything and have issues with every app, phone, Wi-Fi and computer so the issues you are showing me are scary. Love your channel
I have purchased a few of these from a different company for my business to see if they are worth installing. Same exact inverter, just a different name on the front. I was impressed by the quality of the hardware, but actual usage was very disappointing. I had broken CTs as well and it's a hassle to get replacements. The manual is awful and the support wasn't much better. Great video and I look forward to the follow-up one!
You may have a CT reversed (direction). If you look at the current it will show negative if you have it reversed. They don't BOTH point to the load (remember they are each on their own phase). One CT points to the load and one point to the supply.
I saw a metal tab used to make sure the main breaker is off when these types of devices are working and vice versa. Simple $5.00 us Dollar item which seems like the best $5.00 US Dollars that would ever be spent period in this line of work.
I like you Will! I don’t care what you, or anyone else says. I have claimed you as my adopted son. Now, please come do my off grid setup!
Eventually Will is going to have to register as a power station in his own right.
The ground bond can be swtiched in via a relay, you have to buy separately. Also has a 4ms transfer from Grid to Offgrid mode, which means if you loose Grid power you won't notice you are on batteries unless you are looking at the houses next door and it is dark outside.
@slipperyslope5364 Hello, I have a question for someone knowledgeable like yourself or Will. How does one connect the grid source from the breaker panel of a home, in to the inverter, to be able to use options like the transfer switch in the event of a grid failure. Ive looked for videos and walkthroughs and couldn’t find what i was looking for, unless i miss understood the video. If there is a video out there for what im looking for if you could point me in the right directions that would be great, or this could give Will another video idea to help people like me fully understand how to wire it up from the grid to the inverters to be able to use for my house, and to charge batteries so i may use batteries in case of grid failure. Thank anyone who can help in advance.
@@dirtbikedude7560 My answer refers to Megarevo inverter in the video only.
Option 1 - Whole house power
You must connect the Grid source before it gets to your inside breaker panel to the Grid Ports of the inverter (if you have an external breaker at your utility meter take it from there). Next take the connection from Load 1 of the inverter to your Main breaker in your breaker panel (in other words the inverter sits between your grid supply and your main breaker in the house. This will allow the Inverter to run your entire house.
Option 2 of many options
Configure same as above but if you have some devices which you don't want to have power during a grid failure connect them to Load2 while having the devices you want to always have power connected to Load1.
OPtion 3
Configure as OPtion 1 or 2 but connect a generator (autostart capable ) to Gen port of inverter.
Note: If connecting a manual generator you can connect via the gen port and disable generator auto start from inverter. Option B.
installed an external Manual Changeover switch on Grid line before or at Grid port to switch in a manual start generator at the Grid port.
The above configurations works best when having batteries connected to the Battery Port. 8kw inverter usually requires a 20KWh battery pack. Suggest using a powerwall styled Chinese battery pack already equipped with Battery Management System and monitoring.
Sol Ark, Sunsynk and Deye inverters all share the same general electrical foundational structure. As a general rule some wiring configurations are applicable. and interchangeable but this is not a guaranteed. So use this info as a generic guide not a law.
You can watch sunsynk videos or Deye videos for general information if you require it. Hope this help. If you need further in-depth assistance I can assist but you will need to send very detail information about your project.
@slipperyslope5364. Thank you for your help and your prompt response. You have given me a better (and safer) understanding of how to be able to do this for a future project, or as an option later down the road. From what i understand by your explanation, there is a breaker somewhere between the meter and the breaker box, and i would have to flip it open, disconnect grid wires from Breaker box, to the inverter. And wire it up as may of Wills videos show, and many other peoples videos. And in the event that i dont have that external breaker what would i do then. And as just a rough guide (it is alot of power that i cant screw up) is it just as simple as pulling out the grid lines, and moving them to the inverter AC IN ports? And hooking everything else up like batteries, and wiring the ac out from the inverter in place of the grid in lines in the box. And one more thing, what do i have to look for on an inverter to have the capability to be able to run the grid power through the inverter, charge the batteries and be able to run the house when the grid goes down, without causing problems with the grid. Thank you for your patience reading my many questions.
@@dirtbikedude7560 You are actually making the inverter the "man in the middle" between your Grid supply and your home's breaker Panel.
This is better demonstrated by a drawing but I will give it a try. The same grid source cable which brings power from the grid and connects at your main breaker (this is the cable which comes from the meter to your panel) - you can disconnect that from at your main breaker inside your panel box and connect it to the Grid side of the inverter. Next connect a suitable cable from Load1 of the inverter to that same main breaker you disconnect the grid from previously.
Normal Setup without any inverter.
GRID SUPPLY - METER - MAIN BREAKER IN PANEL
Setup with the Inverter to Power Entire Home.
GRID SUPPLY - METER - INVERTER - MAIN BREAKER IN PANEL
Hope this helps
@slipperyslope5364 Okay that sounds easy enough. I understand that perfectly. Thank you for your time,knowledge, and helping me walk through the process for a better understanding for myself. If i have additional questions that i cant find answers to, you might hear from me again lol. Thank you again. Take care.
I was in the software industry for 34 years, and I can tell you that there is a very wide range of competency between developers. The software is always going to be the biggest problem on these products. The costly products have a much better software engineering team, and that costs real money.
Hey Will, any updates from Signature Solar on getting the one they sent you? Did they send you an replacement and did it have the same issue? Looking forward to your resolution. I was seriously looking to buy this system for my coach.
Manuels are written in Chinese, translated to Spanish by a Vietnamese translator then given to a Russian American in Alaska to put into California English
😂😂
I'm old school also paper tape I just had fire at my property and threw away all of my old paper punch tape and tape reading software gone sooner or later these guys will figure it out give my year good luck well enjoy your videos I know it's frustrating especially after you have slept on it a day or two and it's still not functioning
First of all, I really like your video. Very educational. Thanks! With regards to the settings, you might want to talk to the manufacturer directly. They should be able to sort it out for you.
You should work with signature solar on a "signature firmware" for some of these products. It would make them far more usable and desirable.
12.16.22 Good video Will. As time goes on I do believe that these inverters will become easier to operate. I currently have the Growatt MIN 6000tl-x and it does have the feature to off load extra watts, however I have not figured out to use it. This video gives me a clue on how it could work.
These are very easy to operate, problems seems to be the newbie. Even he admits that.
Hey if your looking for loads, I would love to see a 3hp 220v dust collection motor ad maybe a 2 hp table saw motor 220. Pretty common style motor for off grid.
EG4 and Megarevo must be the same company. When you download the certification specs on Signature Solar’s website, it shows pictures of the Megarevo and not the EG4. Interesting.
MegaRevo is the OEM/ODM (all others are just rebrands)
If you can't get it going I sure as heck know I couldn't get going. So guess I am getting a sol-ark, more money but it works.
This had to be super tuff to make this vid. Thanks for sharing!!
If you check the certs, the manufacture is Megarevo.
Thank you I wasn't sure. I'll check that out
Singlehandedly changing the game for the better. Keep it up bro💪🏼💪🏼
I am thinking ... great evolution of improvements. I think I want one, after that issue gets figured out.
do what you can with the stuff you are given, and dont worry so much about the sneak peak to the next product you are reviewing, we await that video with even more anticipation.
Hey Will, Love your videos, your enthusiasm is engaging! Wondered if you could do a step by step real life tutorial around solar panels installation. The considerations around series and parallel connection for a real system. Be great to see the actual install and connection for a typical system.
Dang will, they should have had it better together before sending it to a UA-camr with a pant load of followers. Thanks for your brutal honesty. Because after I hooked up my solar system hooked up my inverter but I want to turn it on it dawned on me inside my brain how complicated this is with hardware software Mary together. I wanted it to work really bad after sweating for days putting in my solar system on the roof. Soul arc worked first time.
Will, great effort with the inverters, but seems just too complicated!!
Megarevo told my they are the manufacturer of the unit and EG4 buys from them. 🤷
Even with the complicated software, I think it’s an awesome deal. $2900 vs. $7100 that’s a no brainer. The software only needs to be configured once. Of course the EV charging needs to be fixed too. Might be a grounding issue.
I like the 4 separate mppt at 500V/12amp each. That’s some serious cold weather input potential.
The 130 watt idle, 3120 watt per day hurts, but to sone degree it’s just the cost of doing business. On a 30kw battery bank, it’s 10% capacity. Maybe need to add an additional mppt connected to the battery just to cover that idle consumption, 800-1600 watt of extra solar will take care of it.
Any chance you can talk about power over Ethernet POE ? Apparently there is a hotel in CT that powers all its lights that way and never draws more than 5kw.
How would we set up such a system and where can we find the components?
P.S. just compared the idle consumption to the EG4 6500 EX (?), it’s 85 watt. Having a pair of those would increase idle by 33%.
I agree and I'm going to try my best to get this thing working when they figure out the software. It is an incredible deal
@@WillProwse new product bugs. It’ll be perfect in a year ;)
Regarding the POE lighting concept, Matt Risinger has a video where he tours a house that is installing this very thing. It's the video titled "THIS is why I do it. Building the BUILD SHOW way". There's a link to Zen homes and they most likely could help point you in the direction where to source the components. I thought about doing it but I'm worried if ten years down the road you can't find compatible lights or something goes wrong and insurance companies won't insure you, you would have to open up your walls and ceilings to install standard 12ga and 14ga wiring. Like you, I wouldn't mind Will making a video on this.
@@krumafreak I have seen that video. He is a great building resource but a lousy tech/solar/energy resource ;)
We will still need standard outlets in all/most rooms and I would think all lights/outlets in a normal bedroom are on a single 15a fuse. Not much in saving in wiring. The saving is in energy consumption. To me, energy is a very limited resource and conversion loss is wasteful.
This is what I have been waiting for, a cheaper SolArk that will do zero to grid.
Anytime you have trouble with a GFCI always double check your grounds and your neutrals. It may not have anything to do with the controller at all....
Oh I'm pretty sure we all know that. Had nothing to do with grounds or neutrals here. Please watch the video one more time. It worked flawlessly with the other inverter and we had the same wiring configuration.
@@WillProwse you remember how on the EG4 6500 you had to remove that screw? The other model may not have it. Your Tesla had a hard time with the EcoFlow pro because of grounding too. As a grid-tie design, they might have anticipated that grounding happens at the fuse box. 30 seconds to double check ;)
@@4philipp agreed
I’m impatiently waiting for this update; looking to build an off grid system and would prefer to buy one of these vs two 6500s from signature solar.
Will - How do we engage directly with the manufacturing engineering? SS is woefully inadequate with their support. I wish I could send their 6500 back and start over.
This is neat. That won't back feed is nice. Is there one that will not back feed and would also charge the battery bank via ac side. But overall it's nice. A good example would be when some one is renting a house and use some panels to cover the load of the home without back feeding is nice. And best part is being able to move this inverter to the next house.
My Megarevo from GSL is working fine offgrid and ongrid. My Firmware version is ARM V1.03.12 and DSP V2.04.12. I have a subpanel for the Load 1 and the system is exporting to the grid and charging GSL Power wall 10KW battery without issue. The CTs are pointing to the grid in the main panel. No Generator functionality yet in the firmware.
Dang it. I bought the SolArk because the grid features. And it was EXPENSIVE.
This would have been the correct unit for my situation at a fraction of the cost. 😥
All these inverters are made by Chinese company Deye. They supply in many countries all around the world with just different branding. Perfect example would be Sol ark, Sunsynk and many more
NO. NOT REALLY
Wow, for long term off the grid these things are so complex with so many parts, if the supply chain ever broke down how could you get parts to fix them? Even the batteries have so much electronics.
I have 3 dc breakers on my battery.. one for negative.. one for positive. one for positive (with a resistor inline)
my powerup process:
turn on negative breaker.
turn on positive+resistor breaker..
wait a while.. (minutes.. because my resistor is small)
turn on positive breaker..
turn off positive+resistor breaker..
I’d say that is overkill on a house you live in. For a weekend/hunting cabin this would make live a tad easier though