I used to be Lead AGM for Off-grid; I used the Pure Lead Thin Plate for an install 4 years ago from AltE, and it is still working fine. I believe the LiFe is the battery for off-grid and the trick is to find the correct BMS,
On Sat, Feb 17, 2024 at 11:43 AM Drake Chamberlin via RE-wrenches < re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote: > I fully agree that off grid solar has taken a major downturn. Once the > equipment became software based, the reliability dropped. Sure, there are > nice features available with these cyber enhanced systems, but the cost in > reliability makes being energy independent off the grid hard to accomplish. > > There are good reports on Samlex products. Has anyone tried their new > 120/240 split phase units? Are they stack-able yet? > > As far as batteries go, I'm pretty much in the Lead Head club, especially > for off grid. That being said, lead acid batteries, especially AGMs have > gotten really expensive and it seems the quality isn't what it used to be. > > What is the best AGM battery these days? > > Thanks, > > Drake > > > --- > > > > On 2024-02-16 17:02, Michael Morningstar via RE-wrenches wrote: > > We gave EG4 and Signature another chance after promises from their dealer > oriented support department that we could expect better service from them. > We had an EG4 BMS crap out a couple months ago after only a few months. > Lots and lots of communications with Signature and we still don't have a > BMS or replacement battery. It's been a shit show with them. I think we are > going to remove them and install 3rd party BMS's and find some use for > them. Maybe donate them. We've only had luck with Schneider/Discover > pairings in closed loop. A large system we did with Sol-Arks never really > worked in Closed loop, despite Discover coming to the site. Most likely > it's a Sol-Ark issue, but we've reached Sol-Arks technical expertise > limits. Even with Schneider/AES, there have been some issues that are > causing me to re-consider Li for offgrid. I just had a conversation this > morning with a long time off-grid pro and he said the same thing. It used > to be, we'd install a wet lead acid bank and then ten years would pass > before hearing from the client when it was time for another bank. Sometimes > fifteen years. Our call backs with systems over the last ten years, first > with a decline in equipment quality and then the switch to Li are costing > us too much money and causing a lot of heartburn for our clients. Rant Over > > On Fri, Feb 16, 2024 at 12:57 PM Howie Michaelson via RE-wrenches < > re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote: > > Hi All, > > I've searched the archives for info pertaining to EG4 inverters and > batteries. The comments have been mostly positive. I have stayed away from > EG4 until now in part, for the reason the Michael Morningstar suggested > last June - that is, they seemed very oriented to the DIY market and not > real serious contenders in the lasting marketplace. However, I was at RE+ > Boston this week and was quite surprised to see that the EG4 18k inverter > is, for all I could tell, identical to the Fortress Envy 12k, in both > physical layout as well as menu structure. I have very limited experience > with the Envy (having just installed my 1st one last week, in order to > compare it to the Sol-Ark 15). I don't have any thoughts about it yet, > except that the font on the screen is quite small and the opening screen is > not as intuitive as the Sol-Ark, but that might just take familiarizing > myself more to the Envy (and/or the EG4). > > My question is, for folks who have had either the Envy or the EG4 > inverters installed for a decent period of time, what is your current take > on their functionality, durability, and for the EG4, the quality of > support? Also, what experience have folks had similarly with the EG4 LLI > batteries? I'm not unhappy with the Sol-Ark or in general the Fortress > eVault Max battery, but there are some attractive things about the Envy and > potentially the EG4 18k, and the price point and seemingly smart > configuration of the EG4 LLI batteries are certainly eye-catching. > > I'm also currently starting to lean toward using Lithium batteries and > inverters from the same manufacturer, as I'm growing weary of the > mismatching firmware updates that are causing somewhat frequent issues > between the 2 components. Although the inverter/battery integrated units > (i.e. Sonen, Tesla, etc.) don't seem ideal, since the market is so volatile > at the moment. If one component fails, I'd like the option to replace it > with a different brand without having to replace the other component as > well. Using the same manu doesn't necessarily cut down the problems, but it > certainly will help in the troubleshooting process by hopefully having less > of the "not my problem" or "we haven't seen that problem" responses from > tech support. > > I really don't like making forays into bleeding-edge technologies, so I'm > hoping to gain some experienced insight. > > Thanks, > Howie Michaelson > Sun Catcher > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Redwood Alliance > > Pay optional member dues here: http://re-wrenches.org > > List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org > > Change listserver email address & settings: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > There are two list archives for searching. When one doesn't work, try the > other: > https://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/ > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List rules & etiquette: > http://www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > Check out or update participant bios: > http://www.members.re-wrenches.org > > -- > > > > Michael Morningstar > > > > Morningstar Electric > > PO Box 1494 > > Mount Shasta, CA 96067 > > 530-921-0560 > > mjmornings...@gmail.com > > > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Redwood Alliance > > Pay optional member dues here: http://re-wrenches.org > > List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org > > Change listserver email address & settings: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > There are two list archives for searching. When one doesn't work, try the > other: > https://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/ > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List rules & etiquette: > http://www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > Check out or update participant bios: > http://www.members.re-wrenches.org > > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Redwood Alliance > > Pay optional member dues here: http://re-wrenches.org > > List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org > > Change listserver email address & settings: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > There are two list archives for searching. When one doesn't work, try the > other: > https://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/ > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List rules & etiquette: > http://www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > Check out or update participant bios: > http://www.members.re-wrenches.org > >
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