SUNGOLDPOWER 12,000W Split-Phase Inverter/Charger, Review & Testing

[@LithiumSolar]

SunGoldPower inverters are available on Amazon... 12000W Inverter... amzn.to/3LdzUGL 15000W Inverter... amzn.to/3zqwvBN (affiliate links)

[@basspig]

I finally load tested my son gold 18 KW inverter. I turned on every Appliance in the house. All four electric range burners, the oven on preheat, the electric dryer, the air conditioning, and just about everything else computers lights etc. The total load came to a little over 16 or 17 KW and the DC draw on the 51.2 volt battery was about 370 ampers. The inverter just chugged along like nothing was any different than the usual. Absolutely amazing piece of hardware.

[@user-tm8ky7ok7e]

How much was the A.C. ampacity (amp draw) with all that on. I was told that it could put out 95-100amps indefinately. Is that True? Hope So.

[@basspig]

@@user-tm8ky7ok7e The AC load ampacity is closer to 83 A continuous. With everything running simultaneously, the load % reading was around 93%.

[@stiffmeister0hYeah]

Still happy with it?

[@basspig]

@@stiffmeister0hYeah Going on 3 years and it just does yeoman service. No bells and whistles, just steady electricity. Our only challenge is the rainy conditions we're having this year. Staying on battery power is challenging when your PV input is low due to heavy rain.

[@robertallencad1]

My good man I listen and hang on every technical aspect and word that you bring up. Your opinion is as valuable to me as an instructor at a Harvard electrical engineering College

[@crazywayne7051]

Well if that impressed you I sure as hell don't want to send my kids to that school where'd you say it was located want to be sure to put that on the list not to send anybody to and to advise others not to go there for electrical engineering as you should have had input instead of being overwhelmed this tells me a lot about your class

[@col.johnson9938]

Thank you for sacrificing a busbar for we could see the make up and for testing their capacity. As usual, well informed video. When those fans ramped up, sounded like that thing was ready for flight.

[@gardeniawang]

Yeah, I feel bad for that busbar too. About half a minute after that all I could think of was "what a good quality busbar, it's pure copper and costs a lot. How many of those busbars do the distributors and retailers cut when they check their product quality, how much natural resources do we waste to maintain trust of the market". I hope they are at least recycled.

[@georgeheuvelman9807]

Phenomenal illustration and overview of this inverter. A most impressive presentation. I need an off grid system, and this presentation sealed the deal.

[@john_in_phoenix]

I find the build quality very good, idle consumption could obviously be better. The MPPT controller is a real weak point, since 145v input limit is very limiting if you need an inverter that large. I personally would prefer lower idle consumption and a 250v MPPT. But yes, that is capable of running an entire house. Good review, BTW. Those busbars are better than I expected.

[@chuxxsss]

Mine input for panels will be 300 V so I would be out.

[@mine0002]

UL or ETL RATING? Grid interactive?

[@LithiumSolar]

No UL or ETL ratings on this unit.

[@DavidHalko]

@@LithiumSolar - “No UL or ETL” Does that make it illegal to run in the US, in a grid tie?

[@LithiumSolar]

@@DavidHalko This is NOT a grid-tie inverter.

[@jasonhensley947]

this is an awesome inverter... it powers my entire home including ac's, 110v heaters in winter, power tools, etc... I was skeptical but I'm very happy to have it now. The charge controller is very under powered but you can disable it and run as many charge controllers/solar arrays to your battery banks. I currently have 22k watts of solar coming in through 4 charge controllers to power my 6 100ah 48volt lifp4 batteries. This inverter has never faulted or shut down even though my hot water heater, dish washer, washer and dryer, etc all run on it. 5 stars from me. trust me, I've had my share of crap products

[@TheVoiceofKevinC]

Question for you; Why would you disable it's charge controller? Couldn't you just add other controller's to the bank?? Sincerely KC. I'll check back in a day or so ???

[@jasonhensley947]

It’s only a 100 volt charger on the older model that I have. You could absolutely use it but my strings are much larger than 100 volt-

[@TheVoiceofKevinC]

@@jasonhensley947 Thanks Jason, May I bother you a little further??? I just purchased this 12000. Dual . I have 7.5 thousand watts. 12 100 ah Battery bank. So my ? Is can I connect some to it and still leave the others connected to the battery Bank??? Thank you for your time.

[@jasonhensley947]

@@TheVoiceofKevinC If i am understanding correctly, you want to can you use multiple chargers as well as the charge controller on the inverter? If that is the case, then yes- by all means. Example: I use my old Growatt 5k's as charge controllers and have around 500volts coming into the external bus bar from each. I also use 2 additional charge controllers connected to that external bus bar. That is routed to the battery bank bus bar so that all charging is done simultaneously. I even have a "chargeverter" from EG4 connected to that bus bar so I can charge from generator and/or grid if needed. You can multiple charging sources to the battery bank. This then powers the 48v inverter. So in essence, the inverter works off of the battery to create the AC power source seperately from the DC power bank/solar. Hopefully I understood your question.

[@TheVoiceofKevinC]

👍👍👍🤔😎🤠💯Thanks Jason. & Wow you have some serious power going on😱.. I really appreciate the feedback.... Again Thanks very much

[@AveRage_Joe]

Looks like a decent inverter. Only other drawback I thought was the single 40a mppt charge controller. I would like to see at least an 80a or dual 60a. Great review!

[@LithiumSolar]

I'm surprised it's only rated for 40A considering it looks near identical to the PCM60X and that's rated for 60A. What does your Growatt have? 80A?

[@jeffbowers950]

@@LithiumSolar got the growatt 12k dvm mpv as a backup unit. It's got 2-60 amp mppt at 250v input with 7000watts max array size. I think average Joe got the 150v input unit, not sure if it's dual 60 amp mppt or not.

[@JohnDoe-pv2iu]

Yeah, even the newest version Max's out PV input at 145 volts and only 4000 watts. I mean All the larger 'all in one' inverters (the reputable ones, I haven't checked all the Amazon junk) have either 250 VDC to 500VDC and usually max out in the 6000 to 8000 range (some more) and most half that rating and larger have a dual MPPT charger system. I am not sure what that unit costs but it is lacking in a few areas. If it is under 1800-1900 bucks, I would say that the short comings might be worth working around, if you're on a tight budget. Ya'll Take Care and be safe, John

[@laserflexr6321]

Instead of your schmancy wirewound 1ohm 100watt resistor you could use a rubber fuse/current limiter, otherwise known as an evacuated, radiant tungsten resistor, otherwise known as an incandescent light bulb. If the device you have seriesed with the lamp tries to draw more than about 100 watts, the lamp comes on full brightness but likely nothing blows up if there is a short, the current is limited to 100 watts. Works great as an inrush limiter. You can also get them with a 60 or 40 watt limit, and they are also available in DC versions with 12v and 5v being fairly easy to find. I used to know the part number for the 12v was it a 5015? With a little bit of practice you can guess pretty close how much inrush current and the running current by how the light looks when you throw the switch. Really handy little device. It is handy to wire one up in a jbox with a 3-way switch, one position your lamp is in series the other position straight through ac. In addition to the visual indication you get, that 100 watt bulb is better than a resistor for what you are doing here because the resistance of the lamp changes with temperature, simple soft start of sorts. It could be that some inverters would recognise a fault on the AC line if you tried to run it with that lamp in series with the ac input so be aware of that.

[@TheVoiceofKevinC]

So can you Add controller s while using additional controller's?

[@HBPowerwall]

Another great video, very informative

[@Do_the_Dishes]

Oh man! I was drooling over your battery bank.

[@glennhagele3208]

I purchased a 4Kw unit like this and also have issues with the fan always on when in inverter mode and the On position. As mine is used in a travel trailer, I normally use the Standby position. You may want to test the battery priority vs. AC input priority DIP switch to see if it makes a difference on the fan runtime.

[@dianeattaway8733]

I have the sungold 6000 split phase and love its performance and everything about it. I'll be upgrading to a larger model soon!

[@IshawooaPass]

Diane, I am thinking of buying that model. Is the fan loud? I hate noise. It looks like a great model with the ability to run from solar PV direct to load (batteryless).

[@therustyanvilblacksmithsho8859]

Did you have any problems with it. I am having an issue with mine recognizing a load on one leg. Feeds power but doesn't recognize load

[@Knights1122]

Beware of Sungoldpower- they do not honor their warranty- bad business

[@galenztwo]

I love this inverter it’s heavy duty for sure and is completely reliable so far. As far as the charge controller there is no way to know what it is doing because there is no separate display for its so I don’t use it. The fact that it is always pulling 230 watts is a negative in some regards however if you have a large array I’m sure it won’t matter. After watching your video I’m thinking maybe rewiring the fan with a separate switch maybe the best thing. Great video thanks.

[@DavidPozEnergy]

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@DavidHalko]

Very Helpful Review! The constantly spinning fan while cold, high idle power utilization is troubling, and fairly low panel voltage are unfortunate.

[@bmclaurine]

I don't really get the complaints about the PV input or idle power consumption. I'm running the 18kw inverter (over 200 lbs!) and using two midnite classics for the PV input. These powerful inverters are reliable and powerful. I currently have 10,000 watts PV input and having one panel (300 watts) dedicated to idle consumption is not a problem.

[@LithiumSolar]

It's a concern for me as my panels face mostly west and I don't have a lot of space to add more. Maybe if you have a huge area and can simply buy another few kW of panels - sure. This is especially problematic in December-Feburary timeframe as once they get covered in snow, now there's pretty much zero power output unless you go scraping it off.

[@bmclaurine]

@@LithiumSolar These 12kw to 18kw inverters are obviously designed to run a small cabin or entire house. I have 24 - 440 watt panels now on a ground array facing south. Dedicating one for idle power seems reasonable. From other videos, it seems like all of the powerful offgrid low-frequency inverters have 200+ watts idle usage. A Sol-Ark is way too expensive IMHO and I'm not sure it can handle the surge current ? Do you have a video for connecting 3 sets of 16S LifePO4 batteries ? Great work, love your videos !

[@AndyMcBlane]

Fantastic video as always! Thermal camera helps with the storytelling a lot as well.

[@trevornelmes9331]

Great video as usual. One thing I see is a lack of parallel function. I would prefer multiple smaller parallel hybrid inverters rather than one large inverter. I see that Growatt announced in September (but I do not think yet shipping) a 2nd Gen version of their equivalent of this inverter. It looks like the Growatt SPF 3000T HVM-G2 will start with a capacity lower than their current range. Parallel inverters mean less total failure risk, each one is lighter to handle and needs smaller cables. They too are low frequency inverters, but the 3000 model can handle PV up to 200VDC operating voltage and 80A, so if you have more than one array, multiple inverters give you a lot of flexibility. The AC charger is also relatively (compared to the inverter capacity) large, at 40A. With multiple inverters, you could have multiple battery banks. Growatt have not said whether this new range will use standard laminated transformer (such as the ones you see in this SungoldPower inverter), or whether they will use a toroidal transformer (better, more efficient). But, given that Growatt claim their new product will be 95% peak efficiency, which is much higher than normal (1st gen version is 85% in the smaller versions), it is possible they they may be using toroidal transformers. One can but hope. For now, they are clearly selling off their stock of the 4000-12000 1st gen range (which is their direct equivalent of this Sungoldpower inverter). The 12000 is down to around $2300 including shipping! You also do not mention Wifi (app) control, which the Growatt has an option for.

[@DieselRamcharger]

sungold 6000's are parallel-able and half the price.

[@jasonhensley947]

@@DieselRamcharger Yes, and I have both on 2 separate applications and the 12k will, without a doubt, start and run much bigger inductive loads without faulting. I have had as many as 4 6k's in parallel and still will fault on heavy start ups.

[@michellelewis3063]

Clothes drying with heat is an extremely energy intensive activity, especially costly when powering it with very expensive batteries. To evaporate liquid water to vapour requires a phase transition and huge thermal energy input.

[@LithiumSolar]

Yeah, it uses a LOT of power.

[@michellelewis3063]

@@LithiumSolar My point being, the use of solar energy is to be forward thinking and inteligent, but anyone drying clothes by pv battery energy is not smart and cares not about resource consumption

[@DavidHalko]

@@michellelewis3063 - the dryer acts as a great tool to exercise an inverter! It is best to try not to be judgmental of others, since outsiders often do not understand the personal situations of others and there is no reason to get into someone else’s business to find out judgments made in ignorance may be completely unjustified. John 7:24

[@michellelewis3063]

@@DavidHalko I refer to physics, latent energy, I would ask you to look it up :)

[@gerrygreen3832]

​@@michellelewis3063 : I believe the point is addressing your unfortunate and judgemental phrases "not smart" and "cares not". Let us assume the following: 1) At least one person in the residence has significant environmental allergies (hay fever, grass & trees, etc), so hanging clothes outside to have them air dry outdoors is not an option. 2) There is not enough room inside the residence to hang the items to be dried. 3) The residence does not have access to a power grid. 4) The owner wants the smallest carbon footprint as possible. 5) The residence has terrific solar positioning and orientation. 6) The solar & battery setup has ample capacity to run a normal household load and the dryer (so other household load are not sacrificed for the sake of drying clothes). 7) Geothermal energy is not an option (either too expensive, or something else). Now, given these parameters, what method of drying clothes is "smart"er than using stored PV energy? I guess you could say to use the generated PV power directly from the panels (through the inverter) during peak PV power generation, but the normal daily household load might dictate that clothes washing/drying be done late at night, when other power requirements are minimal. I believe this is what David H is getting at: "the personal situations" (the parameters I listed above, or even more restrictive ones) might dictate that drawing stored PV power from one's "very expensive batteries" just might be the "smartest" (or even the *only* reasonable) solution.

[@JM-yx1lm]

I seen a video of this type inverters and the guy showed that using some kind of snap on ferrite choke on the wires going to the transformer significantly lowered the idle consumption. It was a video from a guy in a far off country in the jungle I believe

[@LithiumSolar]

Oh, if you happen to come across that video again - please share!

[@offgridwanabe]

80 amps on the AC breaker with agw#12 seems a little light but it did the trick and didn't show up on the heat gauge. Thanks again. Oh if you get a chance to measure the surge on a lra device I hope you show us.

[@allynonderdonk7577]

You mentined your battery storage is outside. Make sure you have freeze protection for the battery shed batteries I may have missed some of your videos, but I just wanted to mention it in case you didn't think of it. I built low temperature charge protection into my dual 12 volt batteries for about ten dollars each.. Silicon 12 volt elements and a temperature sensing relay.

[@LithiumSolar]

It's insulated and heated, but thank you for the reminder :)

[@mentalplex7]

Love the review. My 12kw sungold just arrived. One thing I noticed, I'm fairly certain the ground in the terminal block is for the AC input, not the AC output. You'll want to use the grounding terminal (that separate terminal) to ground the AC output.

[@LithiumSolar]

You should see continuity between the ground points anyway. You don't want multiple grounds with voltage potential between them.

[@mentalplex7]

@@LithiumSolar good point. Thanks for the reply! I suppose I was thinking the flow of current needs to go in the right direction, but the direction it flows through the device doesn't matter. It will end up going to your home ground in any case.

[@frankz1125]

I dont like when they make a set charge voltage. I prefer a fully settable voltage output. Id stick with Magnum or Outback. Great video

[@dustup2249]

Wow! 155 lbs is quite lightweight compared to the Lux 18,000 watts in / 12,000 watts out 48VDC to 240VAC split phase hybrid inverter / charger's 309lbs.

[@LithiumSolar]

309lb?? How do you get that mounted on a wall? Guess you need a scissor lift or something as it's unlikely 2 people would be able to hand lift that.

[@kickgas7171]

You'll get a much better price for the exact same inverter design (same design, same parts, same warranty) by purchasing a Sigineer Power 12000W 48V SPLIT PHASE PURE SINE WAVE INVERTER CHARGER. Both Sungold Power and Sigineer Power are made by the same manufacturer, but the Sigineer Power inverter cost's far less.

[@LithiumSolar]

I won't do business with Sigineer. They might make these for other companies (still not sure) but their sales rep person was rather rude in answering my questions a while back and instead just made jokes about chickens (seriously).

[@mondotv4216]

At 4 mins you say this can be used in a 230V/240V country. It can’t in most. That’s because in a most 230/240V countries, neutral and active are 230V apart. Quite often neutral is tied to earth at the transformer. So while technically you could use it to power some appliances off grid, I don’t think it would be safe on a typical three wire 230V system.

[@LithiumSolar]

You would definitely have to contact an electrician for advise/further information on this.

[@lbroome]

Low frequency inverters like that are good for starting inductive loads with high inrush currents, but they are much more inefficient than a high frequency transformer less inverters. The 180C class H rating on the transformer should give you an idea of just how much power it is wasting to heat.

[@cuisinartOH1]

This is a good point. With modern high-efficiency HVAC equipment, they start up slower and might not be as big of an in-rush. But, air compressors, dishwashers, sump pumps, pool pumps, well pumps, etc. still have high in-rush currents. How do you handle those with a high-freq inverter? Would that require over-sizing the inverter to handle that in-rush load and, if so, wouldn't that consume a higher idle consumption than a smaller high-freq inverter? I guess what I'm asking is, how do you use a high-freq inverter with high inductive loads and still maintain the idle consumption benefits? This question is open to all. Thanks

[@lbroome]

@@cuisinartOH1 Some newer HF inverters have a surge capacity of 200% for 5 seconds to help with this. I have a Sol-Ark that is rated at 9kW on grid and 8kW off grid and is rated at 200% for 10 seconds, but still I have seen were people have had them trip on high inductive loads. My inverter has no problem at all starting small motors like the refrigerator, dishwasher, washer, central gas heater, etc, but my shop compressor, I never even tried. Sol-Ark said it should be OK starting a 3 ton AC unit but I think that's pushing it. A reduced voltage starter can be added to AC units like this, and no doubt it would solve the problem, but it cost about $500. You could add these to other motors too, not just AC. One solution is to change the nature of your loads and break-out everything in your house in a separate sub panel to power all your normal loads, put modern inverter mini-split AC units in select parts of your house, and leave the rest on grid. This is what I did and I have everything but my central AC compressor and air compressor on the inverter and it powers everything else just fine.(Sounds crazy, I know, but my inverter and panels are on a coach bus and that's it's primary application and I needed high efficiency but I wanted to use it to power the house when I am not traveling). Another option is to put another HF inverter in parallel to double the power handling for all of your loads. It could be switched on to start high inrush loads and can be turned off to save power once started (as long as the total steady state load does not exceed the first inverter), but that's probably much more money than you are willing to spend. And another option is to use an isolation transformer or an auto-transformer from a 240 volt HF inverter to split-phase. This could help you start high inrush loads, but now you are back to that low efficiency constant waste of power. And if you are off grid only, say hello to your new LF inverter for me. Add the losses to your base requirements and add more panels and battery to make up for it. I guess there's no free lunch. Sorry for the long dissertation, good luck.

[@cuisinartOH1]

@@lbroome Thanks for your thoughts. I feel the same way- you’re going to pay the piper. I would rather my wife and kids not consult a manual load-shedding checklist at the cost of a lower-efficiency, low-frequency inverter, slightly more PV, and slightly more battery capacity. If you’re family is used to on-grid, care-free electrical usage, then I would suggest splurging for the hernia-inducing transformer inverter. The Victron inverters use torroidial transformers.

[@mondotv4216]

@@cuisinartOH1 but it’s not slightly more. 240W over a 24 hour period is nearly 6kWh. So let’s say 4.5kWh more than an efficient inverter. That’s significant, particularly in solar capacity. There’s two costs here - the initial cost of purchasing more solar and more battery and the ongoing daily cost of not sending that extra capacity back to the grid. The initial cost is probably offset somewhat by the increased electrical installation costs of a separate sub panel (likely to cost a couple of grand) but IMO, you’d be much better off separating out your high inductive loads to a separate sub panel that is grid powered. Then your wife and kids don’t need to worry about it. It happens automatically. You just treat the grid like a giant additional battery, that the utility company will pay you for when you’re charging it.

[@lbroome]

@@cuisinartOH1 I agree with ModoTV here. Efficiency makes a big difference. Just for comparison, my hybrid inverter uses 60 watts idle current and I often measure the efficiency at over 95% and that's a huge savings over traditional inverters. If you go LF, don't under calculate the extra panels and storage for the loss of efficiency.

[@johnlazdins2004]

What is the function of the two large copper coils in the BMS,. as you explained the other components. All the footage I have studied does not explain what they do. My days of applied elec. at school all I remember of similar coils were RF chockes. Radio frequency.

[@bostjantrancar9605]

I have also one of those and i can not use otherwise then charge my car...it just have to big self consumption ...and batterys are emptied for nothing...i made some modifications about the fans.... tep. controled 12v 4wire Nidec 120mm fans with b.b. that give me 0,5A less self consupt... Now is on only on demand.... Main inverters are two MPPsolar 5048 Mg Nice

[@tjh3777]

Pretty sure the dc output is for dc appliances like a heat pump that can run directly from the solar. It would run directly from the pv input to the dc output.

[@DIYSolarEnergy]

It looks just like my Growatt 12kw and my 6kw looks the same, just a smaller core on the 6kw also built the same as well. Odd. But the Growatts do have a clear plastic for air flow control which is nice. Over all that looks like a good build.

[@LithiumSolar]

I compared the internals to Average Joe's 12kW Growatt video and agree very similar, with the exception of different MPPT charger boards.

[@JM-yx1lm]

Yes I have the lf 6k growatt also and the 12k on the way and the placement and transformer both look very similar.

[@basspig]

I just took delivery of the 18,000W LF-PV inverter today and I tested it with no load and was shocked that the fans are running at full speed with no load on a cold unit! My Sungold 6,000W inverter only turns on a low speed fan when a heavy load is applied, and the speed varies with temperature. But this new one is running a fan at full speed all the time. This is in the next room of a recording studio so I can't have that noise. I suspect something wrong with the fan controller. It's as loud as a vacuum cleaner!

[@tgbst88]

Did you get your issue resolved?

[@basspig]

@@tgbst88 Mostly. I spent $100 on a quieter fan and replaced the original. That got me an 11dB improvement. Next, I built a shroud around the exhaust using 2" OC703 fiberglass. That knocked down the HF part of the noise some more. Now barely audible in the next room. And Sungold reimbursed the cost of the fan!

[@tgbst88]

@@basspig How is that 18,000W unit going? I was thinking of getting that to do a grid tie in system with battery backup.

[@basspig]

@@tgbst88 the inverter chugs along and doesn't draw attention to itself. I forgot that we are even off grid. The only issue is tha the MPPT charge controller eventually stopped charging, so I bought an additional Growatt SC4880 and now get more energy harvested than I did with the internal MPPT. As far as the inverter itself, last fall I did a 93% load test which consisted of turning on the oven on preheat, all four stove burners, every light and computer in the house, and the electric dryer all at the same time. The DC draw off the batteries was 380A but the inverter just hummed along as usual, though the extra fans kicked on. Voltage regulation is superb. My only issue is the RF interference making AM and shortwave radio listening impossible.

[@toddpreece1247]

Mine is doing the same running continuously..and do you know how to hook up back up generator? Any pics?

[@hendersonsobers396]

I was very interested in this brand and model but realized from the specs on the manufacturer's site that the total harmomic distortion of these is around 10% which is not considered clean power. clean power is defined as a THD of less than 6%. would love to see this output on an oscilloscope to see its waveform.

[@nathans3022]

Gotta love Sigineer quality. SunGoldPower really didn't have them skimp on build quality. (Sigineer is the OEM on these) Very high quality inverter manufacturer.

[@nathans3022]

@@LithiumSolar This is the OEM model number from Sigineer. SunGoldPower is using the older housing for this model though but guts should all be the same. Model #: M12040D If you go to their 15Kw version and click the video they have posted to YT about it, about 15s in you'll see their old version of the housing.

[@vincentsutherland6514]

i am a engineer and install many solar systems, i bought many sungoldpower, growatt, aims, victron and sigineer inverters. and open all the inverter covers, I found the sigineer inverter transformer is made of Aluminum but print a cooper color, it is a fake product and violate U.S. law. other brand has the 100% cooper transfomer. that's why sigineer product is cheap.

[@vincentsutherland6514]

you told the lies, Sigineer is a small trading company, and always tell the lies, they used the bad transformer (aluminium) to cheat the customer.

[@kevinroberts781]

looks like a damn good inverter. A bit pricey but worth it I'm sure

[@josephbrabenderiii2049]

Good review and partial testing but low PV maximum input voltage and inability to parallel are deal breakers for off grid use. Undoubtedly reason for sale. We'll see what new models have to offer.

[@bmclaurine]

Sungold sells an 18K inverter for $4000. And it handles 3X surges in power which the low cost inverters can't handle. I bought Midnite Classic charge controllers to supplement this inverter. It's the most reliable system available for a reasonable cost.

[@basspig]

The only shortcoming I see here is that there is no RFI medication effort. They should have at least several ferret chokes on the wiring coming off of the secondary of the Transformer and possibly some on the wiring going to the battery side. I have the 6000 watt sungoldpower inverter and it makes a tremendous amount of radio frequency noise that obliterated the I am broadcast band and the HF ham radio bands. I have the 18,000 W version of this inverter on order since last month and I am awaiting shipment.

[@jasonscott8939]

Save your money. I bought the 18K inverter and it blew up after two months of light use. It was running a fridge, freezer and the TV. They didnt fix it. They shipped me two new boards and said fix it yourself.

[@brianmundiamuyangwa6501]

How much does this beast cost? Could you donate this to me please?

[@yves8639]

Are these inverters stackable? I would need 2 x 18 000 watts or 3 x 12 000 watts.

[@LithiumSolar]

No, these inverters are NOT stackable.

[@basspig]

I bought Sungold's 6000W inverter for an evaluation project. I have 14kWh or Lifepo4 batteries from Treeline Power Systems. The trick with the Sungold is you must set Utility Priority if you want to run it with utility or generator with the inverter as a UPS backup. Battery Priority position will result in AC ABNORMAL messages and not switching the utility power. If this works out (I have 40 240W panels on order from Santan Solar) I plan to upgrade to triple the batteries and the 18,000W Sungold Power inverter. With 54kW surge capacity, this should even be able to power my 20kW sound system to high volume levels. Getting ready for Biden's Dark Winter and blackout 2022.

[@BrianKrahmer]

I replaced my MPP Solar LV6048 with a Sungoldpower 10kW split-phase inverter, and the charge controller appears to be garbage. The charger efficiency shows something around 50% efficiency by my calculations. I had no problem fully charging my 10kwH battery pack on sunny days with my previous inverter, now with even having trackers, I rarely have a full day now. Their support have been terrible so far... And yes, the power consumption of the inverter itself is pretty bad, compared to the MPP Solar I replaced it with. Noticeable difference in battery drawdown overnight.

[@gregseggewiss694]

Great video...lots of info...would have liked to seen power quality testing...Many "pure sine wave" inverters really aren't that great.

[@basspig]

With regard to the fan at least with my 18 KW inverter there are two DC fans which are thermostatically controlled and they do switch on when heavy loads are applied and then there is an AC fan which is on at all times. That's probably the fan that you were hearing.

[@toddpreece1247]

I just got my 18000 up and running, so the AC runs continuously? Also any chance you hace pics on how to connect backup generator Thanks Todd

[@basspig]

@@toddpreece1247The AC fan runs off the output of the inverter, so it's on when the inverter is making power. There are two additional DC fans at the bottom which will run only when big loads are applied. I replaced the AC fan with a quiet one and SG reimbursed me the $100 cost of the fan/shipping. The way I have my generator hooked up, is not through this inverter. I have it feeding a second Sun Gold 6kW inverter/charger + a EG4 Chargeverter. So when the generator runs, it's dirty, unstable power does not feed the main breaker. It only charges the batteries. So the house gets clean, steady power from the SG 18kW inverter all the time. The generator adds about 8kWh to the battery for each hour of run time.

[@peterlindstrom8865]

What the IR camera did you use? I'm looking for one. Thank you for this video!

[@LithiumSolar]

It's a "FLIR One" that plugs in to my phone. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it though. It's kindof slow and has lower resolution than some others I've seen people using.

[@Jeff-ow4ud]

I have some 48 Volt 4 kw units like that one and the fans on the transfomrer end run all the time. They are 240 volt fans not 12 or 24 volt. The small fan that moves air to over the FETS is 12 or 24 volt PWM so it comes on when heavy load is put on the unit. Now you may be able to isntall a realy that can be triggered off the FET fan coming on but it may not like the PWM signals.

[@basspig]

What's 6 KW version of the sun gold inverter is absolutely silent except for some slight Transformer hum and it has a variable speed or multi-speed fan that comes on at low speed from time to time when there's a reasonably heavy load operating. The fan noise on this 12 KW model is disturbing to say the least mine will be installed immediately adjacent to the recording studio and so that noise will be a problem.

[@goodoboytw]

Great info.. how did you get the readings to pop up on your tablet? Is it an app or something

[@LithiumSolar]

I have a whole video on that exact topic here :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXy3iX2fmdOZopY

[@SimonWilsonRules]

I've got two identical AIMS 48V 10kW inverter chargers which are almost identical to this. The controllers failed in both (the board on top with the relays which handles the shore power to battery switchover). One unit's fans are always on, the other always off at idle - even after changing both boards! So perhaps you're seeing a similar issue - maybe a sensor problem.

[@aday1637]

Also, could you turn off the battery charge feature so you could connect an external charge controller to your battery bank? It would probably better serve some users. I'd prefer just an inverter and stick with my current charge controller anyhow. The one I am using allows me to charge the batteries off grid (or genset) as well as PV. Doesn't his manufacturer make a 120/240 v inverter? I thought they did. I'd like to see more efficiency when there are no current consuming devices drawing load. Seems this company missed the boat on the charge controller input rating. We are getting closer to really good solar equipment, though.

[@BrianKrahmer]

yes, you can just not use the PV inputs, which is a great idea, because the 10kw Sungoldpower inverter I bought seems to have f'n horrible charge controllers in it anyway.

[@Tonyinmemphis]

I am guessing the load test is from the wifi mode of the unit ??

[@LithiumSolar]

This inverter does not have wifi

[@browsedeweb8834]

Does this unit have a generator power assist feature, where can pass through power from a backup generator and add to that power for motor startup surges if needed?

[@LithiumSolar]

No, it does not. What you're describing kindof sounds like a grid-tie or hybrid setup. This is strictly off-grid with no parallel or stacking capability.

[@bearchow1929]

Put the inverter somewhere that you can heat it up to 120 degF while running it at full rated load. Do this until the inverter reaches a stable high temperature. Then repeatedly hard short the output, say for 10 times. If it survives that it is worthy. And transformer inverters do better on this test than transformerless inverters (in addition, transformerless inverters can fail in a way that delivers destructive high power DC to your loads).

[@LithiumSolar]

I don't think intentionally dead-shorting the output of an inverter this big (or any for that matter) is something I want to do. I don't have the space or safety equipment to do something like this safely.

[@bearchow1929]

@@LithiumSolar My inverters, which shall remain nameless, were tested for this several times, and indeed in 120F temperatures here in the Arizona desert. Thanks to the rats that chew through the wiring running under the house. Luckily Sol-Ark has a transformer (corrected this in a later comment, they are transformerless). Transformerless inverters can deliver dangerous levels of DC to loads when they fail.

[@gerrygreen3832]

​@@bearchow1929 : Ummm... In the spec sheet for the 12k, Sol-Ark lists the "Design (DC to AC)" as "Transformerless DC". I also seem to remember that they touted this fact as an advantage in more than one video about their inverter. Would it be correct to assume that the inverter failures that can deliver dangerous levels of DC to loads are as a result of the "hard short" test case you describe? If not, what is/are the test cases? it would seem that putting all wiring inside some form of conduit would solve this issue (as well as many other issues caused by various peckish rodents). Is there any way for transformerless inverters to fix this/these issue(s), or are you saying that transformerless inverters are inherently flawed, and transformer-based inverters are the only safe way to go? Also, why not just tell us the name of your inverter(s) so we can investigate the pros & cons for ourselves? Or was the mention of Sol-Ark some kind of "Freudian Slip"? :)

[@bearchow1929]

@@gerrygreen3832 Big mistake on my part, I missed the transformerless on the spec sheet, and yes they are transformerless (I couldn't find it at first and assumed from the heavy weight that it had a transformer). To be safe a trransformerless inverter must have a DC detection circuit that opens a relay or contactor in the output if a power switch or controller fault occurs. Only a few do, and most companies tech support have no idea what you are asking about if you inquire (Fronius was one of the few, and indeed they have ths protective circuit). Inverters must always tolerate shorts if they will be connected to a domestic power system. I'll be publishing a paper on inverter reliability in January that covers this and other subjects.

[@gerrygreen3832]

@@bearchow1929 : Huh. Somehow I didn't get notified of your reply. OK. Thanks for the info on the detection circuit. So does the Sol-Ark (either the 12K or the new 15K) have such a detection circuit? Next question: did you publish that paper you mention? If so, please supply a link so we can take a look.

[@JR-kk6ce]

How did you crimp the main positive and negative cables of your battery? I had a a heat problems with my crimps until I purchased a high quality hydraulic crimper that produces gas proof crimps. Which means that the individual copper wires in the cable are compressed so much that they meld into a solid piece of copper.

[@LithiumSolar]

I used a high quality hydraulic crimper.

[@jflamoreux]

What is the cable specification for the two 120AC splits and ground? The diameter for the three screw crimps seem to be too tight even for 2 AWG wires. I haven't purchase the cables yet because even 2 AWG available in the US shows that the copper would not fit in the hole.

[@LithiumSolar]

I'm not sure specifically; however, I can tell you that you will not fit #2 in there. I used #6 and I think that was the limit. I don't think #4 is fitting in there either, but not certain on that one.

[@jflamoreux]

@@LithiumSolar Thanks for the help! It seems that China companies consistently call out 0.2576 inches in diameter (which fits). US sellers have various numbers and not the same.

[@TheVoiceofKevinC]

​@@LithiumSolarWE NEED A BETTER ANSWER??? IT CALLS FOR #2. WHY . BUT ONLY ACCEPTS #6. THATS AN ISSUE???

[@JimmyLLL]

Sheez i think my SMA inverter uses 15w at idle and all the Selectronic SP pro models are 6w idle.

[@malekmuraywed4993]

also if I want to connect to the grid or even a generator, what happens to the neutral wire?

[@LithiumSolar]

Ask an electrician :)

[@sharukhmatekuki5830]

So cute 👍🏻👍🏻 🇮🇳 || Kuki 14|01|2022

[@yankey4]

Nice man. Like you say that idle load is a bit much. Thanks for sharing. God Bless.

[@dominik8040]

Could You measure it's efficiency at different output power?

[@450kman]

How is the internal transformer wired when the inverter is in grid pass thru mode?

[@Robert-cd2ht]

Would the external temp sensor not being connected have something to do with the fan running?

[@JM-yx1lm]

Solar was not hooked up. Also the temp sensor for the inverter is hooked to the MOSFETs

[@Robert-cd2ht]

@@JM-yx1lm And the mosfets were not hot which can mean a defective sensor or open circuit leading to a default fan on. Solar input is not connected to the fan circuit.

[@LithiumSolar]

I did plug in the battery temp sensor at the end to see if that made any difference and it did not unfortunately.

[@sidlori1592]

@@LithiumSolar It won't. The page of the manual that you showed indicates that there is an "AC fan", and a "DC fan." Reread the paragraph above the table...it's pretty clearly spelled out. The AC fan is connected to the AC output of the inverter--so if the inverter is producing AC output, that fan will be running. In Power Save mode, the AC fan will pulse on and off every time the inverter switches on and back off again. The DC fan(s) are temp controlled.

[@LithiumSolar]

@@sidlori1592 Interesting, I see what you're saying now that I re-read it. That's not what I expected though. I'll have to open it up again and see how it's actually wired. Thank you for pointing this out.

[@wateringthefate3890]

Got any more videos on this unit ? Just wanted to know how it was over time of its usage? Have any issues?

[@LithiumSolar]

No, I haven't used it much. It uses way too much power sitting idle for any practical use here.

[@wateringthefate3890]

@@LithiumSolar I just want something I can flip on when needing 220 stove water heater air compressor. 220 stuff mainly? Got my 110 covered. Got 3 separate units. 1 small porch unit for charging battery for drills what nots.

[@BenBrand]

Looks a lot like an AIMS? Is it a sub brand?

[@LithiumSolar]

Agreed and am not entirely sure. I've been trying to figure this out for a while now.

[@shishirgupta8574]

Great video...Very informative and nicely explained.. 👍 Love from India...

[@solexxx8588]

Thanks for this video.

[@eduardorivas363]

Great video but Davidpoz posted a video on the SolArk having only 1 leg go over and shutting off. I am curious if this unit does the same.

[@LithiumSolar]

This inverter can hold 125% of the rated output for 15 minutes before it shuts down.

[@eduardorivas363]

@@LithiumSolar that is great. The SolArk refused to do that on one leg. Is that 125% based on one leg or overall. I plan on expanding a broader. The heat lamp is 110v so 1 leg will be used. If I turn on a saw, will I push a single leg too far and it shut down or will the unit offset the heat on the one leg and continue at 120% of rated for that leg?

[@JM-yx1lm]

Idle consumption may be high when there is no load but for a while house case it's not a problem because once the inverter is being used for something the idle consumption goes away.

[@lbroome]

The idle consumption never "goes away". It continues to use that amount of power added to your loads at all times. You can check this out with an accurate watt meter.

[@SuperVstech]

Nope, unfortunately, the inverter pulls 5.4KWh from the bank, each day… any loads, add to it.

[@ATI556]

Wait let me get this straight they are using 12 AWG cable for the output? 12 awg cable wont handle 12000 watts.

[@LithiumSolar]

The wires are run in pairs, so it's a pair of 12AWG. And chassis wire rating is very different from NEC building wiring ratings. But yes, larger wiring would have been very much preferred!

[@wildwestunlimited]

AWESOME job! Very informative!!!

[@chuxxsss]

Good old Fluke 73, good multimeter tested a lot of them in my time as a calibration Technician. What was the temperature in your house to compare please mate.

[@LithiumSolar]

The garage was cold, around 55F if I had to guess. I'd love to get my Fluke calibrated if I can ever find somewhere/someone to do it!

[@checkeredflagtirebeads9233]

Nevermind, I read the comments that they do not support parallel. Thank you

[@gosolxsolar]

What about AC coupling? If I were to land 60 Amps of 240 volt solar microinverter input in the backed up loads panel, what would happen?

[@LithiumSolar]

That's a very good question. I've heard of others doing it but I've been afraid to try out of fear of blowing up my inverter. I asked AIMS and their official response was NOT to do it.

[@gosolxsolar]

@@LithiumSolar Bummer. The amount of solar it accepts through the DC channel makes it pretty much a toy for purposes of off grid. Now, there was an option to attach a separate charge controller. In that scenario, is the input DC voltage still limited to (what was it?) 150 volts, or something? Or, would this allow more total wattage through some tech witchery? How much PV wattage could be run through the DC PV inputs with a separate charge controller?

[@aday1637]

I noticed at one point you mentioned that the PV input is to accept a connection from an MPPT or other charge controller. It's my understanding this unit has the MPPT charge controller built in....so that connection would be for the PV's directly....or am I incorrect in this assumption? The manufacturer mentions the MPPT controller being onboard as well. Not sure what would occur if you connected 2 MPPT controllers in series.

[@malekmuraywed4993]

can this run a 3 1/2 ton central AC?

[@user-sq5il1tl4e]

I have the same inverter. Anyone know why it only take 7000 dc input?

[@kswis]

Holy biscuits! 12k watts! Congrats

[@CuiMia-wf7ki]

Great video . Could I know any lithium battery can communicate with this inverter ? Need communication protocol ?

[@LithiumSolar]

No, this inverter does not have any battery or BMS communication capabilities.

[@CuiMia-wf7ki]

@@LithiumSolar thank you so much ! That means we can use this inverter and connect to any lithium battery or lead acid battery , correct ?

[@excillisbank2611]

impressionnant 12KW ! Merci pour cette vidéo et ce test ! ce serais bien de tester la partie PV MPPT. je suis très curieux de cette présence de sortie DC ? je me questionne sur la tension DC de sortie...

[@inimic6900]

is it just me, or do the wires and connectors on this look a little underwhelming for something that is 12,000 watts?

[@pauloconnell7668]

Do you know if two or more of these can be wired in parallel? I went to the web page and read the users manual and I could not find any information on this topic. Thanks.

[@LithiumSolar]

No, these do not support wiring multiples in parallel.

[@johnfritz8675]

Question Does the power transistors probibly MOS FETS have numbers on them ?

[@TexasCanuck]

Great Video. what was the display you used to show the current/watts/voltage? also what batteries did you use to build that? I am thinking of building a 48V bank vs purchase. a 100aH 48V is about 1400-1800 USD.

[@teyyet2004]

Hi, what does Uid and noa stand for on display under ac input on sungold 8kv inverter ?

[@mikejf4377]

Nice video, what’s the best home inverter that you have tested. We have a 200A panel for our house. I’m considering going solar with a 12-15KW battery. Thanks ahead.

[@norbertrivera]

Well,this inverter works great but i'm a bit worry about why the fan is running all the time i have an AIMS 3000 watts inverter and the fan turn on only when charge exceeds for about 400 to 500 watts. This issue stop me to buy the inverter ...well! don't know if is the same for all the models .,the model i want to buy is the 6000 watts.

[@checkeredflagtirebeads9233]

Great vid...video... looking to buy 2... Do you know if they can be hooked in parallel??

[@solarcharging9743]

SunGold Power does not manufacture their own inverters. SunGold Power is just a reseller that rebrands product. SunGold inverters are manufactured by Sigineer Power.

[@LithiumSolar]

No, they don't but I also don't believe it's Sigineer either.

[@odeywilliams7596]

Do you need a specific kind of bms for your batteries configuration or will a normal 16s 200ah or 300ah bms still work perfectly

[@BecomingOffgrid]

Do you think you could review the 12k ETL listed version of this inverter?

[@jeffreysylvester905]

Did I miss it,how much is the cost? Thank for the good review.

[@ayyadew]

Can we see the inverter output waveform when it is loaded at 12KW

[@bill2292]

Are any SUNGOLDPOWER or Growatt inverter/chargers suitable for use on boats?

[@LithiumSolar]

I'm not familiar with the unique requirements of marine/boating to be able to comment unfortunately. I know you definitely have to take the increased humidity into account.

[@sidlori1592]

Any cheap inverter can be used on a boat... ....for an anchor ;-) (sorry, I couldn't resist)

[@budmartin3344]

Thanks for another great video.

[@nrg16108]

We bought sunpower 6.5kw split phase model. Big mistake it wont charge any lifepo4 batteries we tried and the company will not take returns after 30 days. Avoid getting ripped off like we did.

[@thainanderson6852]

Can a 10k generator pass through along with my 10k solar to give me 20k out of total ac, or is it just one or the other. Will I run into sign wave problems on the output.

[@solexxx8588]

Fuc* Ya I have the 12K Aims and it is unstoppable if you have the batteries to back it up. It looks surprisingly similar. 2 conductors off the transformer because its 240 and 120. Center tap. The solar charge controller is a great addition.

[@gerrygreen3832]

At first I thought you were telling the author of the video to go "F" himself (because that is what is meant by what you typed; "Ya" is colloquial for "You"). But that comment didn't make sense when followed by your other comments. I had to think for a little while, but then the light when on (so to speak). I believe you meant to type "Yeah" instead of "Ya". Then your first comment would mean that you were agreeing with the author in the extreme. Am I correct?

[@ATI556]

So this system bypasses its inverter when the 240vac input is avalible and goes straight to its 240vac supply? Genrally when a transfer like that is made a big meaty contactor is used to handle the arc and amperage. I am about to buy one for a whole home backup but i just want to make sure im clear of its theory of operation. I would love to see a video of this inverter switching from on grid to off grid and back again.

[@LithiumSolar]

I'm not sure of the specifics regarding how the built-in transfer switch works unfortunately.