EG4 Offgrid VS Hybrid Inverters! Which one is better for the $$$?! 6000XP VS 18kPV 

*Inverters mentioned in this video (affiliate links):* 6000XP Offgrid Inverter: signaturesolar.com/eg4-6000xp-off-grid-inverter-split-phase/?ref=cPwLcVc0SW-BjN Free 6000XP System Blueprints: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html 18kPV Hybrid Inverter: signaturesolar.com/eg4-18kpv-hybrid-inverter-all-in-one-solar-inverter-eg4-18kpv-12lv/?ref=cPwLcVc0SW-BjN Sol Ark 15K: www.currentconnected.com/product/sol-ark-15k-all-in-one-hybrid-inverter/?ref=wp Victron Inverters: www.currentconnected.com/?dgwt_wcas=1&post_type=product&ref=wp&s=victron%20inverter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *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 Book* Best-selling and beginner-friendly guide to 12V off-grid solar! amzn.to/2Aj4dX4 If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out Tesla Energy! They will price out a system and get your house offgrid: ts.la/william57509 *My DIY Solar Equipment Recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first):* 12V/48V Lithium Solar Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html Complete 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 System Recommendations: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html Complete "Add to Cart" 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. Fantastic customer support: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp *Litime* My favorite 12V budget battery!: www.litime.com/?ref=XBIA62RFcalHns *Epoch Batteries* My favorite high-quality 12V battery: www.epochbatteries.com/products/12v-460ah-lifepo4-battery-ip67-heated-bluetooth-victron-comms?rfsn=7352625.50494d *Renogy* A classic 12V solar store that has been around for ages! DC to DC Chargers and more! 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

I bought all Victron gear for off grid use. Spent my money up front i know, but never looked back. They might outlast outlast me. Couldn't be happier with how I went.

We have a 6000xp in our off-grid barn and I can confirm that you can hear the fans anywhere in the barn. Any outside engine noise (truck, tractor) will drown it out, but normal nature (birds, animals) will not. It's not crazy loud, but anyone that has worked with server and workstation computers will know that fan sound.

I have been watching you for a long time, You are really getting good at the way you explain things. As a DIY guy it is very helpful. Great video. Thanks.

I just started seriously looking at hybrid and other grid inverters this week as I worked extra hours and have money to spend, and a bunch of people just made videos about them. Funny how lots of people can spontaneously be interested in the same topic at the same time.

I went through my entire 2600 square foot house and replaced every light with LED bulbs, upgraded appliances and got my energy consumption down to a bare minimum. I then did several weeks worth of research, including watching a lot of your videos, before buying system components. I purchased a pair of EG4, 48 volt, 3K watt inverters and built a 48 volt LiFePO4 battery bank. I made the system modular so that I could pull an inverter and battery out, put it in my motorhome and take trips. I'm happy with what I've put together with your help. It works great! Thanks for what you do here, Will!

Great video. I am 100% off grid. Nearest power line is over 2 miles away, rain catchment, 6 miles on dirt road. The last mile is not maintained so 4x4 is a must. . I currently have been running rolls surettes for 10 yrs now n looking to upgrade from 24v to 48v . I am interested in the 2 6000xp with 3power pros.

On Maui, there's no way I would go on the grid. They buy power from you at 11 cents per KWH they sell power to you at 42 cents per KWH. They limit the amount of power that you can produce. My subsidized LCOE is $0.08 /KWH. There's a $10,000 hookup fee to the grid and a grid maintenance fee of $20 a month. The price of energy here will go up by 10% over the next 8 years. I would rather buy a small generator for the rare occasion that I would run out of power. The future of power generation will be through independent homeowners, and not the government or big businesses like Enron. The biggest problem we have is with PUC regulations limiting the sale of excess power. If we can get rid of that level of fat cat protection, it would lead to a much freer society. Love your show Will thank you!

I am an inverter supplier from China. Simply say, if your target is high, and you want to sell surplus power to grid, buy hybrid inverter. If you just need solar power for your home and want to save cost, use off grid inverter.

6000xp idle consumption is lower if connected to grid. They say down to 30 watts.... Also, pass through from grid up to 50 amps through it, no transfer switch required. I would never mount an inverter outside, even if IP65 rated. Build a "power house" to protect it and provide security.

I bought the 6000XP with one power pro and 7900 watts of solar. If you run efficient appliances, that is all you need for a small home. Completely energy independent! DIY cost: $15k

Your explanation of "Net Metering' Great and is the most honest yet harlious truthful statement that you could make!! I'm in the process of building a completely off grid home that I will use a standalone building as the home of batterjkies and inverters , basically a power station for my property. My workshop and my Horse Barn will each have a system for themselves because noise in those settings will not matter. Just keep putting out the informative videos as this equipment will continue to change for the better.

Quit my 4 6500s and went with 2 18ks...hope I did good.still hooking them up...cheers.

Got the 18k, EG4 battery and 10 Canadian 400w solar panels. Now I’m broke and have to save up to put it all together with an electrician. 😂 So, couldn’t afford it so piecing it together slowly. Thank you for helping us figure it all out Will. 👍

I installed the solark 15k in November. It's awesome. i haven't even begun to see what it can do. Your info has been invaluable

What I like about your videos is your overwhelming practical approach in presenting facts and considerations. Spending more for quality is never a bad choice. Buy cheap and it is still going to hurt because spending hard earned resource is painful. The problem with cheap is that you continue the pain with regret for less quality and features. Buy quality and it still hurts when you make your purchase but that's where the pain stops.

Great video highlighting most of the key decision points to find the best fit. Your editing choices made it an efficient, tight video.

I started my solar experience in December 2022, inspired by what I've seen in van life/tiny homes. I wish I had half of your knowledge on this solar stuff.

Perfect timing. I've been pondering which way to go.

Thank you for the videos and the channel Will :) We have learned So much watching your videos for the last 2 years that we started our very own portable solar power youtube channel. Keep the videos coming please. we have been a subscriber and viewer of the channel since you had the rv. Ramblin Bob reviews

I'm a first time user with a two systems, one Sungold inverter 24v, and one EG4 battery, and one with EG4 6500 EX 48, and two EG4 batteries. Just added 10 Bifacial 400 watt solar panels. I'm using my solar as a backup power source to grid power with a diesel 14kw generator. Just started to put the recent equipment to the test, and hope to find ways to use the power for my home. Will has been a great resource that got this all started. There is a learning curve to solar and expected to under plan a system, but get all the parts to work gives me better confidence to add more over time.

Your videos always make me smarter. ;)

I helped my son design a off grid system in his remote site where grid power connection would have cost about four times what he paid for the 6000 xp with the 13.4 EG4 battery and 30 panels.It’s working great running his travel trailer with only 20 panels connected. He was concerned about the inability to get more than 30 amps continuous at 120v but that hasn’t been a problem so far. I started my system with multiple Growatt inverters several years ago and ended up with an extra 5K transformer when the dust was settled. If necessary, we could run the load off the center tap to get the surge advantage of the transformer. Since he put a soft start on the air conditioner,all that has turned out to be quite unnecessary.

One inverter brand and model that seems to have been forgotten: Outback Radian 8048A. It’s a low frequency transformer based inverter that is field serviceable. It is a component system so you have to buy the charge controller separate and other dodads that make up the system. They are still being sold and I have some that are installed over 10 years ago and going strong. They are of course stackable and the online monitoring is one of the best. It compares to the Schneider in surge capacity and weight. They are rock solid.

Because I’ve been a dumpster diving electrician for many years,I have a lot of contactors with good capacity. I leave one independent Growatt on UEI load priority but with the grid connected at night only,when I get free electricity. So my timer energizes the contractor 8:00pm -6:00 am to top off the battery bank when there is little solar input. Very low tech but I like keeping my eggs in multiple baskets.I’ve recently moved my solar power plant to a trailer so have lots of flexibility for use. Because I power two houses,it was more convenient and survivable since we’re all in advanced cognitive decline and might burn the houses down at any time.

This is a great video. I’ve been waiting for this comparison.

Outstanding video as ALWAYS! You are the man and I really appreciate your opinion and thorough topic coverage. Much thanks. Keep up the great work!

Thank You for the information and for sharing your insight/knowledge. As always you do a great job of presenting good material.

Thank you Mr Prowse. I've been looking forward to this comparison.

This is incredible to the point, informative content. Thank you so much, you are answering tons of questions I as I thought of them. I feel a lot more secure going off grid with these resources available.

Thank you so much for the info. Trying to understand all the changes that are happening with Solar and inverters. Thanks again

Your videos are always so helpful

Nice video Will, we're just starting out with our first 6000XP for a house battery back up. Just receive everything and not hooked up yet but making preparations and ordering parts for the hook up. Plans are to add some solar panels later. I think the 6000XP is a good starting point for the novice. As we mature in our knowledge of what these systems can do for our particular needs maybe graduating to a hybrid system eventually.

I have a 6000xp at my cabin, which is fantastic, but realize as we are getting to spring, I have surplus PV. If I was doing do it again, I would get a hybrid. Not to sell back (not allowed in my area) but to use the current transformers and send surplus power back to main service panel where larger loads are.

Awesome info as always!!

Thanks for your hard work and erudite perspective as always, Will. Another option now available for those who feel unsure how to proceed in a fully off-grid installation is to use the amazing simplicity of the EcoFlow Delta Pro Ultra solution. A truly "plug'n'play" answer to whole house power supply that can be expanded as funds become available by adding extra batteries to the basic Inverter and battery unit. Doesn't get any easier and stress-free.

Thank you Will , always making a good content.

The 6000xp will work for the house. I don't see the transformerless units holding up powering a mig or tig welder long term. The inrush current is higher than most motors of the same amp draw. It's one of the hassle of powering them off a genset. On paper a 6000 watt genset should power mine mig... I've found a 10,000 watt genset offers better weld stability

Thank you Will! You’re the BEST!!!

Bought the 18k last fall for our new off grid house and really looking forward to getting it hooked up in a few weeks

I’m ignorant so I have no preference. So this video helped me a lot. Thanks for sharing your expert knowledge with us. 😊

I went with the 6000XP's mounted inside where my breaker box is (laundry room) and I use two Reliance Pro Trans2's for my transfer switching, I love the Reliance ProTrans2 because I can transfer between my off grid and grid at the breaker level with a flip of a switch for those rainy or cloudy days when we do not get enough sun to charge up the batteries. I can switch the large power consuming appliances like the water heater, dryer, well pump back to grid in an instant. Great vid Will, great info to help ppl make a choice for their specific needs and budget!

I am still building out my solar system and it will continue to adapt it as my needs expand and we get closer to completing our renovation of our offgrid home. We grabbed the 18k primarily for the convenience of having a single device that needed to be mounted on a single wall in a very small closet and because it is absolutely silent even when our hybrid boiler kicks in at 4500 watts. It was pretty much just set it and forget it.

Good discussion Will! Thanks!!

Love the content and presentation format. This presentation brings our thought process closer. I've never been a fan of the "cheapest" solution, I seek value and a ecosystem that's scalable and flexible. To that end, I would love to see you take a look at some of the solution sets that are a single source, integrated system. Fortress Power has an offering the seems to include everything from load management to integrated, scalable batteries on a 200A circuit. Keep up the great work!

The more I watch the more complex solar gets so thank you for your videos. Is there a video on transformers vs transformerless?

my trace sw4048 inverters were put in service dec 96, one display turned flakey a dozen years ago and I have been running on the second only with the flakey as backup. life is good.

"Um mestre," a master in the art of solar, love it and recommend as a light watch about the subject and in that note, thanks for the video, the information about the different products, the comparison in between the two types of system and the market options, with some price comparison for good metric.

Thanks for the video. I have 2 MPP LV6548s in split phase running my home. They're in my garage so I don't have to hear the fans, but the air isn't the cleanest. I have to clean out the little foam filters monthly. Overall, I'm very happy with them, but I do wish they had more than 250V PV input.

Excellent video as always

Loving my EG 18K. Its not outside but in a converted garage that does have HVAC. But its so so on clean etc so I liked that was less of a concern for us and not having it in the house. Upgraded from the Growatts I bought a few years ago and just love this inverter so far. Its a beast!

Thanks will great video! Would love to learn more about paralleling 6000xps specifically how to wire them and how to connect battery banks to both

A huge advantage of a true hybrid inverter that uses CTs is it can support way higher loads than an off grid inverter. If you wire the 18kpv to support house loads it can support you to 12kw but even if the load for up to 20kw it would still reduce that load by it's 12kw. An off grid inverter would just shut down so with an off grid inverter you must always do a backup panel while a hybrid can support the main panel plus a backup panel

Another great video. Thank you, Will Prowse 😊

Very interesting Will, thank you. I have one MPP 11KW off grid inverter running the house and shed, with grid connection available in times of bad weather. This draws less than 70 watts on idle. It also has an ATS built in. I don't think having a hybrid inverter and battery system mounted externally would work too well in my hot climate, as in Summer on some very hot days, I air condition my inverter and batteries to keep them within the operating temperature. Also, I am not sure of any advantage of having solar isolaters or AC breakers on an inverter apart from a more simple installation. If you want to work on the inverter using these isolaters or breakers they do not allow you to remove the inverter from the circuit without other external disconnections.

Awesome video great info and explaining

I am totally offgrid here in Panama, I have two 8kwh Deye hybrid inverters, each with 2 x 10kw lithium batteries. The inverters are set up as primary and slave, the slave is connected to grid of the primary, when primary batteries hit 60% the slave kicks in to feed into the primary, works very well.

Great summary filling a gap in my knowledge. Could you do something similar in luding microinverters?

Jus caught your latest. Gotta be busy with your new shop. Keep us updated.

I have been looking at the 6000XP vs the 18k and just could not understand why anyone would buy the 18k over 3- 6000XP units. This video gave a good explanation on why it would be a consideration but I still think the 6000XP is the better buy. First why would you put the units outside when you could easily stick them in the garage, second if one 6000XP goes out you can simply buy another one and limp by on the remaining units until you can get it back up to speed. If your 18k goes down you are in serious trouble in an off grid situation. Finally with using multiple 6000XP units you can have multiple arrays set up that are not necessarily next to each other, with an 18k all the arrays are being wired together to run into one box.

Will, i agree with a lot of things. Typically, the more money you put down on something, the quality will be better. I'm just getting into it more now days but definitely on a tight budget. I have a bluetti ac200p and am getting a pro tran 2 transfer kit. However i bought the generator from a friend. Im already wanting to step it up to the eg4 3000. So i could build what you showed on the dolly cart. But like you said, its budget plays a factor.

Cool and educational. Thank you sir.

The utility companies here in California dropped the pay back down to 10%. Work something out with a kniehboor and power thoer home instead..the power company keeps 90 Percent!..Get batteries..and / or help your kniehboors ❤..This can make a big difference in someone's life🤔.. Having power while others dont💪🇺🇸Great Video as always Jason 👍🏻

Nice video Will

Excellent!! Thank you!

Just bought a Delta ultra Pro for my trail to run a 110 mini split, small microwave, refrigerator, some led lights, and a C Pap Machine, as for now just for this traveling working man

Excellent explanation.

I have followed you from start in a boy's life to now as an inspiring person and others need a person to follower life you.

I have been using off grid the Out Back FXR2524A Stacked for the last five years. With five EG LL batteries.

Great video! I decided to avoid the low budget , high frequency route, and went with Schneider Electric and Sigineer Power low frequency inverters and I'm glad I did. I haven't had a single issue and never have any problems starting any of my high inductance loads. I also built my own DIY LFP battery packs and they've also been working flawlessly.

You’re such an inspiration man. I’ve been here since the RV days and you’ve always been an inspiration. You’re also like really good looking so there’s that doesn’t hurt either haha

Keep going man. Love the vids. Have zero solar.

dude, it was very very informative thank you. What would be nice is a website where you could plug-in one's own spec (inverter, batteries, pv panels) and get suggestion for upgrade or replacement. There are a zillion configurations out there running.

The other week you were wondering why people still build 12v, even small systems. My 2000Va Victron idles about 12-17w, so when you only have 2kw solar and winters don't have enough solar here at 54N, parasitic loads are certainly a major factor.

Thank you for all the great info. Outdoor units are exposed and can be burglarized. Indoor units are protected inside the building.

Thanks for this. I've been wondering this question myself! Someday when I have more money I'll be picking up an inverter for my house as I find offsetting my energy usage a fun hobby (not really in it for only the financial reasons).

Excellent Analysis!!! PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO on Multiple hybrid inverters in Parallel - preferably 4 x 18kPV in parallel with appropriate batteries and solar panels discuss all wiring and safety considerations ac combiner box wiring bus bars and surge or fuses you would use etc etc thx

In the design phase of my off grid home in Western North Carolina. Planning on storing 1000+ gallons of hot water for radiant floor heating etc. Can I use the Hybrid inverter to run electric heaters instead of feeding the grid when the batteries reach 100%? Love your videos. Keep up the great work.

We've recently installed both off-grid and hybrid inverters for our customers. One notable advantage of the hybrid inverter, especially appreciated by our customers, is its quiet operation. While some off-grid inverters are catching up in functionality, such as the TBB inverter, none quite match the quietness of the hybrid model.

I have one of the 12kw transformer based Growatt. I kind of wish I got a HF inverter to reduce the idle consumption. I use it for a 350w base load (Server/Network Rack) to reduce electric bill when there is excess power in the batteries but acts as a whole house back up primarily.

Boy, glad you did this vid..Now it's clear as mud!!😂

Wanting to set up a couple of RV's. Eventually get a shed set up for bathroom kitchen...looking at solar and a dual fuel pullstart generator. Don't use much electricity now, don't expect to use much there.

Great video. I value your opinion

A point if I may. The EG4 18k is not, as far as I can research with documentation at Signature Solar, UL listed as service equipment. This means that it cannot be wired directly to the grid device (meter) without having a service rated means of disconnect in between. In all of EG4's wiring diagrams in the 18k install manual, it always shows a service panel or a fused disconnect between the meter and the inverter. There are very good reasons why this needs to happen involving the interrupting rating of the overcurrent device, so people should not be thinking they can wire an 18k directly to their meter and skip the service disconnect.

Thanks for the information Will. Do you have any opinions on EMP protections or lightning strike protection? I would enjoy watching a video of yours on the subject and especially so if you decide to test them.

Yep well said Will. I have the Sol-Ark 15k and love it. It can start and run my 4 ton traditional AC which surged to 125 amps. It can also run my deep water well pump and my 240v water pressure pump. It’s a beast. I’m going to swap it out with the EG4 18k PV and see if it performs the same. We’ll see.

What interests me maybe many is back up power for long term grid failures to run the fridge, well and basic needs that could be stored. However more robust than small all in one solar generators that wouldn't run 220 nor be enough for well pumps. The 6000xp, a large battery or two and 6-12 large panels seems to be about right. A show and kits on large long term emergency power would be cool.

Thank you Will! Excellent education as always! Can you clarify the main differences between a transformer and transformerless inverters? Thanks!

Great video

I want to spend alot of money, sadly bank account dont agree with me. Lol... good video

I've done grid tie to have a place to put my surplus. We have 21.5 kw of solar and 94kwh of battery back up.

Thanks!

In process now of setting up 18k with outdoor battery... Got inverter set up and battery communicating. Now to add solar to it.

I got my panels delivered back in January, the state I live in limits Residential Grid-Tied Systems to 10Kw Arrays so efficiency is a contributing factor and I just had a Mini-split installed so I could stop using the Propane Furnace and also only have to heat half the house instead of the whole house when no one is visiting. I'm trying to decide on what inverter to do, initially the plan was a small sub panel that would move the major appliances (water heater, AC, etc...) and the circuits for the basement to a pair of 6000XP's but then I sat down and really looked at it, by the time I did a sub panel and required all the basement circuits to the sub panel i'd be rather close to the price of a 18k and with the 18k PV I could run a higher string voltage by an extra panel or 2 per string which would further decrease my line loses as my main array will be 300 feet from the house. I've also gotten tempted to place panels on the South East facing "back roof" of the house and use microinverters like the Enphase IQ8's to put a 1.8-3kw array on the house (not the yard around the house is a no go due to TALL trees shading much of the yard for much of the day only getting about 3-4 hours of not shaded, the roof still isn't the best place compared to where I wanna put the main array at, but it would get an extra hour or 2 in the morning and a few more hours in the afternoon (albeit facing the wrong way, but the sun is still hitting that roof area). The backup plan for the near the house would be to convert what I was planing to make a trellis over the garden bed into a "solar roof" over the garden bed.

In Tennessee you still need to be code compliant with off grid solutions. Even if you have zero feed from the grid, the system still needs to be code compliant which probably means UL certification. I’m going to try to check with state inspectors on XP 6000. That’s what we hope to use for our home - zero grid connection

Thank you 🎉🎉

Great info Will. I will need to ponder getting the hybrid. I guess you could build a box for the inverter with hepa filters and push pull fans as a compromise but is it worth the headache?

One element to consider is Rapid Shutdown. Newer codes require it for code compliance. I wonder if insurance companies are going to require it in the future.

1 Eg4 6000xp power my water pump,furnace, wifi, living room easily. Now that it works…adding more battery capacity and solar panels

Thanks COOP ...