7.5 Expert tips for installing EG4 18K inverters!

Looking to install an EG4 18k inverter and battery for whole house power? Get some great tips for successful inverter installation with the EG4 18k inverter and battery whole house power install. Learn how to power your home efficiently and effectively!
- Please consult with local codes/rules/regulations before doing your install and install at your own risk.
Here is where I purchased all my solar panels, inverter and batteries:
signaturesolar...
Here are some additional tools and supplies that we used for this install:
Inverters, batteries and solar panels - signaturesolar...
MC4 Solar connectors and crimper - amzn.to/4aqxdgx
Wire Cutter - a.co/d/727orkl
Solar Connectors - amzn.to/41C6PfK
Wire stripper - amzn.to/3uZbQCD
Small Ferrel crimper kit - amzn.to/3RyMAL0
Big Ferrel Crimper - amzn.to/473Qx05
Small ferrules - amzn.to/4c7kZt5
Big ferrules - amzn.to/4bJHZ1y
Labeler - amzn.to/4783FBi
Solar panel ground lugs - amzn.to/3Tzqz1C
Multimeter - amzn.to/3toGOUu
Grounding lugs (for batteries) - amzn.to/3NxrPy8
10 Gauge Solar PV wire - amzn.to/487dWPC
Line Tap - amzn.to/3v5zHkn
Torque Wrench - amzn.to/3GR2ZWh
Video supplies:
Hero GoPro - amzn.to/3RrqWbP
Tripod - amzn.to/3Tt5xl9
Wireless Mic -amzn.to/3NzciOl
Go Pro Mic Adapter - amzn.to/478RS5Z
Go pro Adapters - amzn.to/3RLwq2l
Extra batteries - amzn.to/47bprnM

[@leroiobi5928]

Fantastic video withvery helpful tips especially about the rapid shutdown string voltage

[@AveRage_Joe]

Looking GREAT!!! 3 18kpv's NOICE!!! Been meaning to order one of those ratchet cutters! Used your link!🤘

[@portercreek]

Thanks!

[@thatretiredguy8907]

@@portercreek used your link for the ferrule crimper and ferrules, probably a good idea sine my battery conductors did not all squeeze into the mechanical lug and its just a good practice to reduce thermal issues due to a crappy connection...and they were reasonably priced!

[@sspyder181]

Awesome system, I have installed a few double 18kpv inverters and 3 6kxps in parallel but three 18kpvs in parallel is serious. Very cool.

[@portercreek]

Thank you!

[@JNHEscapes]

I want to see a detailed schematic on the best way to wire in your transfer switch. I am about to install a similar system and also want the ability to manually switch back to grid entirely if I have a failure or need to service anything. I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to wire this and which equipment to use.

[@thatretiredguy8907]

great video for a DIY guy! added this question to a previous video. As you added batteries is there any requirement to balance the SOC for each battery before you integrate them into the system? is setting the dip switches for the 2nd and 3rd battery the only thing you have to do before you power up the existing 18k with the first battery? Also can you do a video showing why you needed 3 inverters with only 4 batteries. I know you can do 3 batteries for each inverter but 3 inverters for 4 batteries seems excessive so I am sure you have a use case. Again nice videos for a DIY guy, installing the batteries on the wall by myself is the biggest challenge. I also did not use any ferrules so I now ordered the crimper and ferrules as that seems better. Any advantage to soldering the ferrules on instead of crimping. Did you crimp the battery cable ferrules only once or do you crimp each one twice?

[@portercreek]

I did 3 inverters because the main purpose of this build was to sell back to the grid. The only reason I did batteries was for security. I started out with 3 and found that a 4th one would be advantageous. Batteries are expensive so I don’t want more than I need. Technically, you probably don’t have to crimp the big cables because when you tighten the screw down in it will crimp it

[@johnmcclung7337]

Really enjoyed this video. About to start my offgrid with one 18K and three paralleled EG4 indoor rated batteries. Question: is there a conduit box designed to mate the indoor batter to the 18K, or did you have to modify either the top, bottom or both?

[@portercreek]

I used the one that came with it, no mods needed, worked great!

[@triforcelink]

Instead of using ferrules, you think tinning the wire would be just as effective?

[@portercreek]

I never thought about soldering it, I suppose that might work.

[@CrockettTrucking]

When using the breaker box setup for each unit what size was required main breaker and individual breaker for each unit. Also if not 200 amp seems like it would limit the pass thru ability. Installing 2 18 k next week and lile the setup. Seems lile that allows each unit to be worked on or simply removed for service with disrupting the rest of the system. Thanks any ideas are welcome

[@portercreek]

I am not sure if I understand the second part of your question. EG4 recommends 50amp with the appropriate gauge wire. You can run larger wire and bigger breakers if you need more pas through current from the grid. You would need to adjust the settings on the web interface to allow more than 50amps to pass through.

[@tri2sbr]

Nice video with a lot of good tips. I have one of the older 18K PVs with the gray cable. Does the cable only need to be replaced if you are running the 18K pv in parallel?

[@portercreek]

If you are running the 18ks with the powerpro batteries you will never need the cable that says battery on the one side and inverter on the other. The other gray cable that says parallel is good to use!

[@tri2sbr]

@@portercreek Gotcha, that makes sense. I thought maybe there was an issue with the cable I didn't know about. My 18kpv is connected to five Lifepower4 batteries and the cable works. However, I have experienced some odd problems with my batteries completely draining overnight with no loads. It has happened three times in five months. SS had me switch my batteries to lead-acid for two weeks to train them by changing them to 100% and draining them to 20% daily. I just switched my batteries back to lithium/EG4 on the inverter this week.

[@thatretiredguy8907]

@@tri2sbr let us know how the "training" goes. I added the second battery and it does not show up on any app ie cell, 18k screen or PC. but I do have the capacity available just can't see that I have the capacity anywhere. I am on day 2 so maybe my 18k needs some remedial "training"

[@thatretiredguy8907]

did you ever have your system so that you were installing an additional battery into an existing system. You said that it take a couple of cycles for the app to see the total battery load. I installed my second battery today and I am at 99% but I am still feeding load into the battery and it has been at 99% for awhile so it makes sense that it take some time for the firmware to figure it out. I also use to discharge the first battery down to 15% and it would then pull power from the grid and take it back to 18%. Makes me think the battery did not like being at 15% so I have now changed that discharge SOC number to 20% and will see how it goes. Thanks for your videos, most time its better to hear someone else's experience. the SS techs mean well but there are a lot of new ones and just are still reading the talking points unfortunately

[@portercreek]

When mine is on grid I have the cutoff at 20%, if the grid is down i have it set to go as low as 15%

[@thatretiredguy8907]

@@portercreek are those 2 different setups in the maintenance menu? I set the 20% at these inputs "Start AC Charge SOC(%)" 20% "On-Grid Cut-Off SOC(%)" 20% after installing the second battery I changed the discharge cutoff to 20%. It still added 3% so I ended the morning at 23%. it did that when my cutoff was 15% too. Do your batteries float back up after cutoff 3%? it does it in 2 steps of about an hour each. SS did not know what that was and thought the battery was adding power when discharged to 15% because it was too low but is seems to be part of the algorithm. This morning I still show 280ah which is one battery on my phone app but I did discharge the capacity of 2 batteries after the initial installation so it is working, just the apps do not reflect 2 batteries.

[@DariuszData]

Why do you need 3 18kpvs? As I'm not mistaken each 18kpv can handle 3 batteries and up to 18kW usable power.

[@portercreek]

Selling back to the grid. Any excess goes to charging the batteries to get me through the night. I may add more batteries eventually. I installed this system with the intent of having passive income.

[@tiendo4070]

@@portercreekHi, impressive system! I wonder if you install this system in 2024 and NEM 3.0 applied, how you get the passive income when selling it back to the grid because they buy at a very cheap rate. Also, I thought that we need permit for that and then the electric company will limit the design (the size) of the system/array… Can you explain me this process.

[@russellsteinbrenner8065]

Are ferrules necessary or just recommended?

[@portercreek]

They are necessary. If you don’t use them you won’t get a solid connection on all the strands which can cause them to heat up and melt down the connection. The ferrules essentially make stranded wire into basically a solid strand wire.

[@collinporterfield102]

Where did you get the box of large Ferrules?

[@portercreek]

Sorry! I thought I put it in the description but I missed it! amzn.to/4bJHZ1y