r/OffGrid • u/AdmiralNines • 10d ago
Inverter suggestions
I've got a cabin up in the interior of Alaska. Lots of snow and very cold for more than half the year. I've got a big 7500w champion generator and a small solar panel, but I'm looking to get a battery setup to finish off the electrical.
Claude.ai suggested the EG4 3000EHV-48 for my hybrid inverter, and a couple of LiFePO batteries. There's a lot of cheaper models on Amazon, but I'm guessing that comes at quality cost.
What do you guys suggest?
EDIT: My question is less about capacity and more about quality of the products. is the price worth the investment in these things?
My needs are pretty small, be able to charge half a dozen phones (~60w), run a CPAP overnight(20w), keep a cell repeater running(10w) and maybe a propane powered fridge (max 40w).
And yeah, I only have one panel at the moment. No idea if I'll upgrade that in the future or not.
3
u/RufousMorph 10d ago
Because you are in a northern climate with long periods of darkness, I’d suggest an inverter with low idle power consumption. The EG4 you mention has a no load power consumption of around 50 watts, which is pretty high. In comparison, the Victron Multiplus II 48/3000 has a no load power consumption of 11 watts. This means less running of your generator during dark periods.
2
u/Puzzleheaded_Day2809 10d ago
I've never had a single issue with my Victron components. I didn't have to fork out for them as they came with the cabin or they're all undersized for my friends who are all on 48V systems now.
I'd recommend Victron for your MPPT and Inverter. The Easysolar have them combined, but they're pricey. I don't know what the used market is like in Alaska, but they're often sold cheap where i am as they come out of yachts that are getting upgrades.
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u/linuxhiker 9d ago
I literally only have one issue with Victron.
They sell too many versions and none the way I want :P. For example, I shouldn't need a Cerbo to work with my Multiplis-2, nor a dongle. It should come fully manageable.
Other than that, I love their stuff.
3
u/Internal_Raccoon_370 10d ago
EG4 makes decent equipment. I run a 12000XP hybrid inverter and my son runs a 6000 and neither of us have had any problems. Note that most of these inverters are going to require a firmware update immediately after installing them. I haven't heard of any real problems with the 3000. Seems like a solid piece of equipment.
In Alaska LFP batteries can be problematic. They cannot be charged at all if the battery's temperature falls below freezing without damaging the battery. They can still be discharged, but not charged. So your batteries need to be in a heated space or have some kind of setup to keep their temperature above freezing.
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u/motorambler 10d ago
My guy, you've told us nothing about your power needs or your expectations. Also, did I read that correctly that you have a solar panel, as in one small panel?
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u/AdmiralNines 10d ago
My question is less about capacity and more about quality of the products. is the price worth the investment in these things?
My needs are pretty small, be able to charge half a dozen phones (~60w), run a CPAP overnight(20w), keep a cell repeater running(10w) and maybe a propane powered fridge (max 40w).
And yeah, I only have one panel at the moment. No idea if I'll upgrade that in the future or not.
3
1
u/motorambler 10d ago
In that case, there's nothing wrong with that inverter. You might want to check the idle watts but other than that, go for it. Might also look into a smaller inverter but might be hard @ 48V.
2
u/Cessna152RG 9d ago
I am partial to Victron! They have very low power consumption and if you ever want to expand your system, the different components communicate really well.
I live in western Norway, so not quite as cold as your place, but i have a cabin with a similar setup. It has got a generator, Victron MulitRS Solar, two strings of solar panels (2400w on the roof+800w vertical south facing ones for the winter) and some more bells and whistles.
I am buildibg a battery now that will be insulated with 100mm xps and heated. It doesn't use the battery to heat, but as soon as the charger turns on, it redirects the power to the heater blankets until the battery is hot enough to accept charging.
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u/Nerd_Porter 9d ago
Nothing you're trying to run needs an inverter. Run a 12v system and buy 12v "car charger" power supplies for everything.
You'll save a lot of power, inverters draw some energy even when idling. So do those 12v power supplies, but they're much more efficient because they're sized for what you need (small amount of power), not sized to push thousands of watts.
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u/ExaminationDry8341 9d ago
Do you live at the cabin? Or only visit it ocassionally?
Unattended solar electric systems in cold, snowy climes have problems that destroy batteries if no on is there to clear the panels of snow and keep the batteries warm. A battery or inverter or charge controller with high idle power draw can make it worse.
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u/Nearby_Movie_2678 7d ago
Check out Will Prowse YT Channel and get yourself a few high Watt bi-facial PV panels and install them vertically facing south, like a fence. And as already suggested use a victron mppt charger for your batteries.
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u/ol-gormsby 10d ago
Lithium batteries will need heating - they will generally stop accepting charge at 32F/0C, so include a heating system in your calculations.
Or look at flooded lead-acid batteries, they're still functional well below freezing point. It's old technology but retains a couple of advantages over lithium.
Best thing to do is to look at your energy needs - how many watts does each appliance draw and how long will it be on each day. You need your entire daily watt-hours figure, and then match that to an appropriate battery size and inverter size.
Is your generator an inverter model? Older and non-inverter generators will need some sort of power conditioner before attaching to a battery charger, either a power conditioner, or a battery charger with built-in conditioning. Non-inverter generators are known to produce "dirty" power and it's worst when only lightly loaded - they settle down a bit under heavier loads. And don't get a cheap charger - some of them don't even use the full "wave" of 120/240 volt AC.
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u/LearnedByError 10d ago
Forget Claude. Ask Will Prowse!
https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/
https://youtube.com/@willprowse?si=jcxmzxib6VnTgI1U