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EG4 18kpv 1 year review living off grid~ More independence with solar power

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In this video I talk about the performance of the EG4 18kpv over the last year that I’ve owned it.
Assistant editor Tabitha Stone
Affiliate links:
Links to the 18kpv
Signature Solars link
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Current Connected’s link
www.currentcon...
Link to the EG4 outdoor power pro batteries
Link to the power pro battery
signaturesolar...
These are the bus bars I use for the system
signaturesolar...
This is where I got the heavy gauge wire for my system.
www.amazon.com...
…………………………………………………………………………
Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. this is a DIY channel and the content is for educational purposes only and is subject to change. Electricity is dangerous. Be careful. Also, don't eat yellow snow.
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#solarpower
#solarinverter
#offgridsolar
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#18kpv

Опубликовано:

28 авг 2024

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Комментарии : 110

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

Affiliate links to the 18kpv Signature Solars link signaturesolar.com/eg4-18kpv-hybrid-inverter-all-in-one-solar-inverter-eg4-18kpv-12lv/?ref=mpmddlkx6M9tPo Current Connected’s link www.currentconnected.com/product/eg4-18kpv-hybrid-inverter/?_gl=1%2As6skuv%2A_up%2AMQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIg4yr7-jvhQMVtE9HAR1sBQYAEAAYASAAEgLfTvD_BwE&ref=xhJJBPDS

@carlosschmidt6035 5 дней назад

Thank you for sharing your experience throughout this year.

@GavinStoneDIY 5 дней назад

Thanks for watching!

@stevenfrazier8939 3 месяца назад

It works and it makes power, amen.

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

Over simplified for sure. But it’s definitely true

@stevenfrazier8939 3 месяца назад

It has been for us as well. it just works. Did you film your dad's install?

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

@@stevenfrazier8939 I just filmed it in a time lapse. He has been really happy with his also. It’s dead silent most of the day for him as well. We upgraded him from a pair of mpp Lv6548’s, which always sounded like jet engines. So that’s a big improvement

@stevenfrazier8939 3 месяца назад

@@GavinStoneDIY I remember you mentioning the sound when you were using the LV6548's. You are a good son to help your father get as off-grid as he wants.

@ry2456 3 месяца назад

@@GavinStoneDIY Is he off grid or grid tie? How much pv? Thanks

@hendersonsobers396 3 месяца назад

Thanks for the anniversary video Gavin. Can't believe a year has gone by since the 18K PV has been released. Time really flies.

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

It definitely does. So much other stuff has happened this past year. But it almost feels like I just installed the inverter though.

@easttexascowboy257 3 месяца назад

Nice! Still looking at installing maybe a couple of these this fall, along with additional batteries and maybe some more panels. Really good to see this kind of feedback. And congrats on your continued growth of subscribers!

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

Yeah you can’t go wrong with these inverters. Those coupled with your lifepower4 batteries will be a good combo.

@a16416 Месяц назад

I have the system as well in Colorado. I’m grid tied but can be self sustained most of the year. My home is all electric as well and I can attest. It’s a great system and a fantastic inverter. 14kw solar, 30kw battery

@GavinStoneDIY Месяц назад

Yeah I think it’s amazing how well it performs.

@boblatkey7160 3 дня назад

Battery is kWh's! 🙄

@prepsolar787 3 месяца назад

awesome I installed one with a power pro battery for my friend here in puerto rico. he has a 5hp well pump and it works great powers the well pump and the house without any problems going on for almost three months now. he is of grid as well

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

Nice!. Yeah I’ve talked with quite a few people that are going with solar in Puerto Rico. The 18kpv was a solid choice. It’s a beast when it comes to inductive loads.

@guitar333 2 месяца назад

Hi did you have the units shipped to PR or buy locally?

@prepsolar787 2 месяца назад

@guitar333 I bought the inverter and battery from signature solar and the inverter was ship to me thru ups. battery was ship thru a freight company

@AnonymousMiner2 3 месяца назад

So close to pulling the trigger on one of these, thanks for the update video

@stephenfuller2936 3 месяца назад

Do it while they have the promo going. The warranty is amazing and customer service has always been amazing for me. I had a 6500ex and now have the 6000xp and will be buying an 18k for another project soon.

@zacharybrown624 Месяц назад

Signature solar is the beez neez. Highly recommend those peeps. I have a 18k pv 60kw batts with the 18kpv. Here in Virginia it works.

@GavinStoneDIY Месяц назад

They have really been doing great. They had to increase their staff and get things caught up. But now I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback about them.

@zacharybrown624 Месяц назад

@GavinStoneDIY are you backup grid tied? Or 100% off grid. How many batteries do you have and how well do they last on cloudy weeks.

@ToddLarsen 2 месяца назад

My solar arrays have solar array envy. I just realized that you have a channel as well, so I subbed right away. It's great to hear about your 18k unit kicking butt and taking names. We will have one soon, and I'm excited to kick these gremlins to the curb. They have been driving me nuts lately. Thanks for sharing, and as always, keep building 👍

@GavinStoneDIY 2 месяца назад

Yeah I can’t wait to hear about your install. Feel free to email me if you’ve got any questions when you’re getting it set up.

@AdamDeLay07 3 месяца назад

Glad to hear it's still working well!

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

Running like a top. 😉

@ry2456 3 месяца назад

I really enjoy you and your videos. They helped us plan our off grid system that we are just starting to put together. (18kpv, 2 Indoor Pro batteries to start, 22kw bifacial panels etc.) Some ideas for future videos would be: Explaining more about living with an off grid setup where you live. Describing your weather/seasons and pv harvesting throughout the year for your area. Are there times when you really watch your useage? All the appliances you use etc etc. That way viewers can use your experience to better plan our systems , homes and lifestyles better. What would you do differently? Realistically what would you do/build if starting from scratch on a bare acreage? House, water, heating/cooling, pv, septic, appliances, outbuildings etc........... Thanks again!

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

Really good ideas here. My wife has been saying I need to include this type of content in a video. I need to put that on my list. That’s exciting about your system! You’ll love having your own power plant.

@Roll2Videos 3 месяца назад

Love it! Thank you so much, Gavin. I really enjoy hearing good things about this unit I still want one.

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

There’s a lot in these gray boxes. The inverter is capable of much more than I do with it. But it does exactly what I need.

@Roll2Videos 3 месяца назад

@@GavinStoneDIY That's great to hear. 👍

@ericapelz260 Месяц назад

"It works, and it makes power" is exactly what I want to hear. We're looking to add batteries to our existing microinverter system and refuse to buy anything else from Enphase. The 18Kpv is a very tempting unit.

@GavinStoneDIY Месяц назад

Yeah it would work fantastic for that. I love the idea of utilizing a grid tie system for a backup system also.

@jeffmotes2129 Месяц назад

Good review. Thanks.

@precisionhomesdesign 2 дня назад

Great video. I'm designing a system and may use this same inverter. I also plan to be off-grid, so I have a question. How does the EG4 18K unit handle all the solar energy if your batteries are full and your loads are very low?

@GavinStoneDIY 2 дня назад

If the batteries are full and there isn’t any need for power then the inverter just doesn’t use the power from the panels. The power from solar is essentially pulled, not pushed. So the inverter has to request the power from the panels, is the easiest way to think about it.

@Trotliners1 3 месяца назад

Good job

@clevilbarnett1995 3 месяца назад

Hey great video on your 1st year anniversary. We are doing our first 6 months. A question for you .Where are your CTs located, by your meter or inside the inverter ?

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

I have mine set up inside the inverter. But typically you’d want them as close to the meter as possible.

@northidahodreaming5657 3 месяца назад

Enjoy your videos! Thanks I don't know where you are located, but you obviously have been through winter. I'm in the far north Idaho. How do you deal with low sun, clouds, snow? Generator, grid power? How large is you battery rack...kWh?? You said that you are off grid or running as if off grid....and that you have wood heat. I installed a "critical loads panel" and moved most of the largest loads (heatpumps, oven, dryer, etc.) to this panel. I guess that I'm concerned that come winter I'll have to move some/most of these large loads back to the main service panel (grid) since there will be much less solar. All of the panels are on the roof (30 400watt panels). Anyway, I'll appreciate your thoughts on my winter concerns. Best regards

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

I’m in Virginia. So we don’t get the winters you guys do up north. We still have grid power available if we needed it. But at this point we have a large enough battery bank that’s it’s extremely rare. We have close to 90khw of battery now. I haven’t ever used grid to charge the batteries either way. If anything we would switch to grid power to enough sun was available again. We try to prep for cloudy or inclement weather in advance by doing our largest amount of cooking and other energy usage beforehand. I’m assuming you have an 18kpv as well? You could always leave some of those larger loads in the main panel and use some of the grid assist options.

@uticatechclub923 2 месяца назад

Thank you so much for quality content! Do you use string optimizers?

@GavinStoneDIY 2 месяца назад

I don’t no. I would probably get a much higher yield if I did.

@boblatkey7160 3 дня назад

I wouldn't recommend that based on the fact that solar panels are so damn cheap these days.

@notme5909 3 месяца назад

Cool.

@exs13 3 месяца назад

Great Video! You stated that the batteries are fully charged by 11am, what is your average SOC in the morning after overnight usage? Thank you.

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

In the spring I usually am around 75-80% SoC in the morning. So we don’t really have far to charge. It’s a slow climb after a day or two of rain though.

@sjbill1793 3 месяца назад

Hey. Maybe you can help me with a question about the WiFi dongle for the 6000xp. I don't have internet available at the moment at my homestead. I'll be getting maybe Starlink in the future, but need to get a setup to power everything first. If i don't have internet, how can I do firmware updates, change settings, or monitor things with the 6000xp? Thanks

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

You can always change settings on the inverter itself. But it does have a local connection option. Do have cellular service there? Signature Solar has a cellular dongle you can purchase as well. That’s what I’ve been using. If you’re not, you can download the firmware on your phone, and upload it via the “local connection” option on the dongle.

@hollywoodj500 2 месяца назад

Gavin Stone, you haven't done any AC coupling with that inverter? what is the set up for the AC coupling with this inverter?

@GavinStoneDIY 2 месяца назад

The generator port is meant for smart loads and AC coupling.

@JimPrice-zs5hh 2 месяца назад

Gavin, Thanks for the videos! I see you have an option to show the battery details in the on line tool. I have looked and can't find that option . Can you share what firmware you are on for the 18K and for the batteries? Thx JP

@GavinStoneDIY 2 месяца назад

The 18kpv firmware 1A1A is the latest. But I’m still on 1919. And whatever the latest battery firmware is. This applies to the LL V2 and above, and pro battery versions. If you have them then you should be able to get the same data on the EG4 monitor site.

@JimPrice-zs5hh 2 месяца назад

Yeah I’m on 1A1A and have 3 PowerPro batteries all on Z02T17. CAN: 07 Lux RS485: P01 EG4

@benfaubion 3 месяца назад

Do you have a video with a diagram how you set it up? I’m curious what your connections from the meter coming in to the unit look like, and then going out to your subpanel..

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

I have a double pole 70 amp breaker feeding the unit. And the output goes to a double pole 70 amp breaker in a sub panel.

@boblatkey7160 3 дня назад

Just download the manual for this and other competitive products like Sol-Ark. there are good drawings in there with many different examples of installation scenarios.

@diySolarPowerFunWithRay 3 месяца назад

Cool. Would you say it's more quiet than a 6000 XP?

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

They have different tones. But they are similar noise level at full PV input. But considering the 18kpv only turns its fans on at 6kw or over, it’s definitely all around quieter yes. And if you were to add 2 XP’s to reach the same output power as the 18kpv then it’ll certainly be quieter.

@diySolarPowerFunWithRay 3 месяца назад

@@GavinStoneDIY cool. Thanks. 👍

@thaddeustroyer 3 месяца назад

With the 6500ex at certain inverter output, usually low output, the house lights will "flicker". Once the output increases, like turn on more lights or using vacuum or toaster the flicker stops but returns when the output drops again. Have you noticed any flickering in your lights at low output?

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

No I haven’t. The only flicker I’ve seen occasionally is when a large inductive load kicks on. But that’s typical of any inverter. This inverter is way ahead of the 6500’s on design and functionality.

@thaddeustroyer 3 месяца назад

@@GavinStoneDIY thanks. Good info and great review.

@benfaubion 3 месяца назад

Ah ok, so you must have the 70 amp breaker in your house subpanel, and then you have another critical loads panel in addition to that? If that’s the case, did you need a critical loads subpanel in addition to your whole house subpanel for some reason? Someone suggested you can just have it connected at the a 70 amp breaker from the panel, and not even need the critical loads subpanel. How did you get your two hvac systems running with just the 70 amp breakers?

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

You technically don’t need a critical loads panel with this inverter because it can interact with the grid. But I already had all of that setup from the previous system. The hvac doesn’t really pull that much amperage if your install an easy start on them. At least for the air conditioning. The heat does pull a lot of amperage, but I don’t use that because I have a wood stove.

@nathandeboer7974 3 месяца назад

Curious what batteries you’re using that are showing individually on the 18kpv remote screen? I have lifepower4 units and they don’t show(they just work)

@ZeusMail 3 месяца назад

Same here too. Great question.

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

I’m using the outdoor EG4 power pro models. But you can also get the same info using the lifepower4 models. As long as you have the communication hub.

@nathandeboer7974 3 месяца назад

@@GavinStoneDIY the info is available in the hub but would be nice on the remote screen. Thanks

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

@@nathandeboer7974 it’s available on the remote screen as long as you have the hub. It just takes a firmware update on the batteries and hub. Check EG4’s latest firmware updates.

@nathandeboer7974 3 месяца назад

@@GavinStoneDIY unfortunately not on mine. Have latest firmware on everything

@brentfrank7012 3 месяца назад

I’m curious, did you actually have the power company turn you off and remove the power lines or are you still hooked to the grid but just not using it?

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

I might make a video on my solar input and usages. I still have grid available if I need it. But I have the beaker turned off. I did have to use it last winter during a week of rain we had. My wife has kept track of the days we’ve had to use grid. The meter fee is fairly low so it seemed like cheap insurance to keep us connected. Since we’ve added more to the battery bank we haven’t needed it though.

@mikeremillard5414 3 месяца назад

Gavin great video new to solar I use an average od 50kw a day with a well pump od 1hp not looking to sell to grid however I would like to pull from grid automaticly when needed is this the unit for me

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

This, or 2-EG4 6000xp’s. If you aren’t needing to export to the grid then an off grid inverter like the 6000xp will likely work for you. Plus you have redundancy if one unit goes down you’d still have power. Then again, a lot of people like to have everything in one box. And you really can’t go wrong with the 18kpv. It handles loads extremely well, and runs smoothly.

@boblatkey7160 3 дня назад

You mean 50 kWh per day! Power is kilowatts and energy is kilowatt hours.

@boblatkey7160 3 дня назад

Energy consumption is listed as kilowatt-hours. KWh Power is kilowatts. kW Otherwise you might be purchasing a water pump that produces 50 psi per day. 😂

@bhbaker220 3 месяца назад

How much battery capacity do you have? How many days have you used a generator or the grid to charge the batteries? About where in the U.S. are you located?

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

I’m in Virginia. I have around 1700ah of batteries. So we had to supplement with grid a few days last winter. We still have the grid available as a backup as well as generator. We just don’t typically need to use them. The winter months typically have less usage for us because of the woodstove. So we are able to last multiple days with very little sun.

@stopdrpnro 13 дней назад

why not 2 6000xp units for off grid?

@GavinStoneDIY 13 дней назад

They work great also. There’s a few reasons. #1 I like the space savings of one unit vs two. #2 idle consumption is half of what two XP’s would be. #3 the PV voltage limit is much higher on the 18kpv. So it makes it easier to run all my panels. But really the XP’s would do the job really well. That’s just why I’m using the 18kpv. Or at least that’s the highlights. There’s other reasons I could come up in sure if I pondered it more.

@SD-it8nj 3 месяца назад

Do you need DC power optimizer on your 18Kpv and what’s the warranty on that battery?

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

I don’t use optimizers on my panels no. The warranty on the outdoor power pro batteries is 10 years. The same with the indoor models.

@clevilbarnett1995 3 месяца назад

My 18 k EG4 inverter randomly sends 0.1 of current to the grid. Is there a fix for this?

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

It depends on how you have things set up. If you have it set to off grid mode it will not send any power back to the grid.

@boblatkey7160 3 дня назад

There is no need to fix that or micro monitor your system.

@jeffmoestaygyi.1248 2 месяца назад

How big is your battery system?

@GavinStoneDIY 2 месяца назад

A little over 1700ah of batteries.

@JerHAMM Месяц назад

What do you have for batteries?

@GavinStoneDIY Месяц назад

I have a rack of 6 100 ah lifepowr4 batteries. 2 EG4 outdoor power pro batteries, and 2 DIY batteries. So a little over 1700 ah of 48v batteries

@JerHAMM Месяц назад

@@GavinStoneDIY hey, thanks brother, I greatly appreciate you responding

@redrollback 3 месяца назад

How many volts input on each of the 4 inputs?

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

I have around 500v input on input #1 and #2. Input #3 has 280v I believe. Those are my arrays. But if you’re asking what each input is capable of as far as voltage, it’s 600v max on each independent input.

@SD-it8nj 3 месяца назад

How many solar panels do you have in total? And which manufacturer do you use?

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

I have 30 400watt bifacial sunwatt panels. And 6 450 watt sungold panels. Honestly I’m not too picky on panel manufacturers.

@SD-it8nj 3 месяца назад

@@GavinStoneDIY good morning Gavin, which one do you recommend solark 15k or eg4 18k? How about battery and for whole house how many are safe? Thanks!

@GavinStoneDIY 3 месяца назад

@@SD-it8nj I haven’t not personally tested the Solark. They are fantastic units though from what I’ve seen. I have tested the 18kpv quite extensively though. So that’s why I recommend that. As far as batteries it depends on when you needed to install them. But if I was designing my system again I would use the eg4 indoor Power Pro models. They are awesome. Built in fire suppression and they save space over a battery rack. signaturesolar.com/eg4-wallmount-indoor-battery-280ah-51-2v-indoor-heated-ul1973-ul9540a/?ref=mpmddlkx6M9tPo

@SD-it8nj 3 месяца назад

@@GavinStoneDIY one quick question! Do do really need EMP Hardening? Is it necessary to have and do you have it? Thanks