Safety Concerns with Auto Transformer and Growatt 240V inverter SPF 5000 ES

I've received several questions regarding safety concerns about my inverter setup. This video is to answer those questions.
I have two inverters running in parallel. They are Growatt SPF 5000 ES purchased from Signature Solar. Each inverter is 5kW, so combined that's 10kW of power. I've combined it with 30kWh of battery capacity. The batteries I'm using are Gyll (EG4) 48V LiFePO4. This is all part of my off grid solar system running my whole house and garage.
The inverter makes 240VAC single phase. I'm using the auto-transformer from solar-edge to create a neutral. This "splits" the 240V in half, providing me two 120V legs.
Keep in mind, this is a DIY channel. I'm using my equipment off grid. Please be safe for your own setups. Filming and editing this video took place over the course of 2 weeks.
Video Links:
Using the auto-transformer: • Full Load Test and Mak...
Making a Powerwall with one inverter: • Building a Solar Gener...
Affiliate Links:
Growatt 5000W Inverter with 450V MPPT Charge Controller 5000ES: signaturesolar.com/growatt-48...
Auto-Transformer, 5000ES: signaturesolar.com/growatt-5k...
EG4 Battery, 48V, 100Ah, 5.12kWh, LiFePO4, Server Rack design: signaturesolar.com/shop-all/b...
Waterproof EG4 battery: 48V LiFePO4 Lithium Battery with Bluetooth, EG4 Brand: signaturesolar.com/eg4-wp-lit...
Amazon Affiliate Links:
3- pole circuit breaker: amzn.to/3r9mWkh
“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
Disclaimer:
My videos are in no way intended to be instructional "how-to" lessons. I am simply documenting my project for informational purposes. Property damage, personal injury, or death may result, even when following manufacturer's instructions. I cannot be held liable for such damage or injury. It is YOUR OBLIGATION to ensure that you are complying with any local and federal laws as well as code and permit requirements.
David Poz, LLC

[@philstreeter9703]

David, Don't apologize. Your very transparent and safety conscious. Thank you for all of your videos. It's always a pleasure to watch them and learn from your DIY attempts. Sometimes your right and sometimes your wrong and you inform us as to why it was wrong, informing us along the way. Love your channel! Keep up the good work.

[@jeremyallard5449]

Wouldn’t it just be a better selling point if Growatt got their finger out and provided the correct CCT diagrams for all territories. It would be good if Signature Solar made this a term and condition of purchase and supply, and we’re mandated to sell the ES models with proper instructions from Growatt.

[@timgerk3262]

That is the better solution. Better than educating North American professionals and DIYers how 240V systems work elsewhere, so they understand what is the real expected operating condition for Europe/ANZ/China equipment. Removing bonding jumpers and shifting the earth reference potential in these imports is ... messy. (Also, KZbinrs being clear what their national context is.)

[@Tumbleweed5150]

Hey, David. There can be no ground to neutral bond in the inverter because there is no neutral until it's connected to the transformer. What you have are (from left to right), ground, Line 1 and Line 2. Great idea putting the tripple breaker in so that everything except the earth ground connection is broken in case of an overload. I will be looking into adding that into my own system, which I built after watching your video on the origional 3 Growatt install.

[@rob1andrews]

Love you continuously improving setup. It is all getting pretty complicated, consider creating a schematic diagram for the whole system!

[@dr.projectx5142]

This is very neat. Love the content on this channel. Plan on doing a set up in mexico with 2 of these and use a 120v to 48v charger to charge up the battery and run off the inverter with the auto transformer to have 120v. Since there is just 120v at the house and want to add 240v ac for a small ev. Or for when the power goes out. Will be great for setting up and also for welding as well. Keep up the great work. 👍

[@tincankiller6454]

Thank you David for this video looks like you have chosen the best solution for a least likely problem, but we all know s--t happens. Stay Safe & Good Luck

[@benssolarandbattery]

Thanks for showing us how to add extra safety into this setup. It's pretty scary when you lose a neutral!!

[@benssolarandbattery]

@Patrick Baptist not really. You understand why it's there, right? It's in case the neutral is overloaded, but shuts down the entire system to protect you.

[@benssolarandbattery]

@Patrick Baptist last bit here. The hot side is protected as well in multiple places. The neutral breaker is meant to prevent overloading of the wire AND autotransformer. It shuts off everything to prevent a lost neutral. Have a great day.

[@silicon.alchemist]

@Patrick Baptist You, sir, have no idea what you are talking about. All of you arguments are based on the operation of the LOAD side of the system. All of the stuff on the USER side of the breaker panel. This situation is on the SOURCE side of the AC, like the mains connection to the grid. This is the generator side of the circuit, and so interrupting both phases and the neutral cannot have a safety issue because it's on the source side of the panel and not the user side. The user side still has neutral bonded to ground in the breaker box. Thus, it doesn't matter if the neutral is disconnected, since the hots are both disconnected as well. Consider that 240V appliances don't even have a neutral connection, and they have no resulting safety issues... If you think about it, a neutral wiring fault where the neutral is completely open, is not dangerous at all. There is no complete circuit, thus no current flow, and so no danger. All appliances are either double insulated or grounded to prevent the user getting exposed to line voltages. Where it does become dangerous, is a partial open or poor connection on the neutral (or hot, for that matter). This may result in overheating of the connection, causing a fire. An open ground lead on an appliance equipped with a ground is a much more dangerous situation. As far as your bus (what the heck is a metal endorser???) is concerned, the skin and all other metal components should be properly earthed to bleed away any fault currents from bad wiring, but this has absolutely nothing to do with the AC neutral. Classic power distribution systems have a transformer on the power pole to step down the high voltage distribution network to the typical split phase 240/N/240v connection to the consumer breaker panel. This system has the neutral and the ground points of the transformer secondary connected together at the transformer, to ensure the neutral does not have any voltage on it, except for a bit caused by current causing a voltage drop in the wire. In a typical home breaker panel, the neutral bus bar and the ground bus bar are both directly connected together thru the metal enclosure. This ground net is then connected to a good earth ground inside the structure such as a water pipe or long grounding rod driven into the earth. So, loss of the neutral on the incoming power side, while not a desired situation, does not result in any immediate safety concerns. Since there is no power to the panel, nothing is going to be powered, so there is no concern about hazardous voltages on the loads. I think this is actually kind of redundant, since if there is no AC present on the two phases of the incoming AC, there is no reason to assume there will be any voltage on the neutral either. The autotransformer is just used as a divider circuit to ensure that the neutral always remains exactly halfway between the two phase voltages. Since they are out of phase anyway, this works just fine. It is prudent, however, to address the possibility of a fault on the autotransformer. If one side or the other develops an internal short, the autotransformer could start to draw excess power from one or the other of the inverters, and cause an imbalance on the system, possibly damaging 120v loads or the inverters themselves. This system relies on a large circuit breaker to interrupt the power, which means the fault current has to be large to trip the breaker. By the time the fault current gets to this value, damage has likely already been done. There should be a way to apply GFCI technology to this situation, which would provide an extremely fast trip and protect everything, without relying on huge currents for tens of minutes to trip a breaker. This would be a topic for some research.

[@sloup000]

Just added the terminal and 3 pole breaker, works like a charm! Thank you very much for posting this video.

[@georgedrenes8143]

Thanks for making this video, David. It answered a lot of questions. I went the route of getting two auto transformers to go with my two spf 5000’s and hope to finish the wiring today so I can try out the system. Your effort’s to make these informative videos are much appreciated!

[@DavidPozEnergy]

That's probably a better way to go. Nice.

[@JamesLee-ey2yv]

George, I got 2 auto transformers also. Did you get the solar edge or growatt transformers. Would you tell me how your wiring them. I know how to wire up one, but I'm a little confused about doing 2. Do I or can I wire 2 the same as one using separate breakers or do I have to combine them together into one larger breaker.

[@SpiritBearRanch]

@@DavidPozEnergy I'm interested in building a system for my cabin and I am on a fixed income what will it cost to get a setup

[@curthatton3395]

Hi Mr. Drones. Like Mr. James Lee I too have purchased two SPF 5000 ES Growatt inverters AND two 5K auto transforms (one SolarEdge and one Growatt). I'm looking to learn how others with two auto transformers have wired them when using two SPF 5000 ES Growatt inverters. I haven't installed any of my system yet. FYI, I have four 48V 100AH EG4 Lifepower4 batteries, and 10Kw of PV panels. Any information you wish to supply would be greatly anticipated. Thank you. Know anything of Mr. James Lee's system?

[@curthatton3395]

Sorry, Drones = Drenes.

[@BecomingOffgrid]

Losing a neutral is more serious than frying electronics, It could burn your house to the ground. I’m really happy to see you doing something to increase the safety of your system David. Great job

[@uhjyuff2095]

Does a circuit breaker protect against losing a neutral connection? I don't know why losing a neutral could burn my house down unless these inverters have incorrect wiring configuration because they are made for EU grid systems!

[@BecomingOffgrid]

@@uhjyuff2095 Simply stated, the neutral is a balance lead that is trying to stay at 0V. Without this balance lead, your one of the hot legs could have a lot more (or a lot less which is also not good) than 120v if the loads between the two hot legs were unbalanced. For instance if you only had devices turned on using one of the two hot legs, it would be getting 240v because the balancer that would keep it at 120v is lost or not working. It would surely catch something on fire to operate 120v devices at 240v. You should probably watch some youtube videos on what happens with a lost neutral. kzbin.info?search_query=what+happens+when+neutral+is+lost Circuit breakers (OCPD) protect against overcurrent only. Hence why they are called overcurrent protection devices in the NEC.

[@uhjyuff2095]

@@BecomingOffgrid hmm, you flip flopped because I replied to your comment? Does the addition of a circuit breaker on the neutral conductor make his home more safe? I think you will say yes, so please tell me why? My home doesn't have a circuit breaker on the neutral conductor!

[@timbensing1075]

@@uhjyuff2095 the addition of the circuit breaker, only protects the transformer from being overloaded. It doesn't provide any protection for the 120 volt devices. They can still be damaged if the transformer fails.

[@bjmurrey]

appreciate the update and the videos! Signature Solar is thankfully a short drive from my house I discovered! Planning a visit soon to buy a couple of inverters!

[@douglasgreenwood7002]

Can you send me a complete wiring diagram from both inverters transformer to the main panel along with grounds. I’ve Bought the exact same system for my off grid cabins. I watched the video from signature solar yesterday And loved his explanation to the turmoil that was brought with the whole conductivity between the line and ground or neutral and ground. Anyhow I’ve enjoy your videos I pretty much just Copied exactly what you’ve done. I love your content keep up the good work.

[@wellsleonard5006]

David how you doing this is Leonard Wells is There anyway possible you can send me a complete wire diagram of both inverter and transformer to the main panel along with Neutral wire diagram. I'm going to try to duplicate what you done for my Off Grid living

[@markfletcher6511]

I have three of these inverters. 50kwh of battery. I connected 240v from the grid for a supplement to my solar generation. The third inverter has a connection from my generator as a backup to long term grid down and rainy days. The connections for all of the inverters includes the earth ground (green) from the grid powered panel. That same green earth ground is connected to the load panel. I hope that this insight helps. Note that this installation does not back feed to the grid in any way.

[@trueamerican1576]

How are you controlling the neutral so as to not run through the neutral from the Transformer to the grid?

[@8uhayat]

Ok so that makes much more sense now, I mean for me being on a 3 phase grid and system. Keep the amazing vids rolling David, no have no idea how far and away your knowledge is being spread 👍

[@sandracoleman1330]

I am in the process of contacting Signature Solar to buy a Growatt 12 and a 5 and was so worried after seeing so many videos about the problems now thanks to your video I feel better. I will be using it off grid in Arizona.

[@CraigThorne]

m liking this setup for your auto transformer and load connections. I felt a bit uneasy without having the whole thing switch out if one portion had a problem. Well done!

[@CraigThorne]

Wow, if that doesn't look bogus! I got a reply from someone/something with David's face but a instagram url.

[@lloydrmc]

Bravo! Excellent way to enhance safety and optimize output.

[@ericzaddock]

I was wondering when you were going to weigh in on this issue. Thanks for making the video.

[@uhjyuff2095]

Yep! all fixed installed a circuit breaker, LOL. Circuit breakers are the NEC standard for overcurrent protection, but he didn't solve the underlying issue this inverter/autotransformer system has in regards to safety and when connected in a inverter and battery charger or grid bypass mode!

[@flyingtools]

Hi and thank you for a good video.I am also using two of this for two month now and I am very happy with it, no problem whatsoever. Hopefully it will be some kind of standard how you will wiring this auto transformer together with the growatt inverter, so everyone will know exactly what and how they should do it when they have bought it from signature solar. Maybe then this wave of safety concerns will go away. I live in Sweden and have 220v so this kind of problem do not affect me, but it is interesting to see how you try to find a way around it.

[@MartinKL]

I'm glad you're improving your safety. Normally I'm not the fear-mongering type, but I have a friend whose house burned down because he lost neutral (on the utility side of his meter). So I know it definitely can cause problems and personally I'd do whatever I can to reduce the possibility of this happening in my own system.

[@easylooker]

So how is someone going to prevent their house from burning down from losing a neutral from the grid? I know a guy whose house burned down because of a grill. Another because of a lightning strike and not to mention those losing houses to wild fires.

[@llsncl]

@@easylooker lol, kinda missed his point there didn't ya?

[@easylooker]

@@llsncl ya I got his point. You missed mine

[@joelyalong1562]

Neutral carries the unbalanced current which exceeds 200percent of the line load current..instantaneous

[@big0bad0brad]

@@easylooker Really there needs to be an active fault detection circuit that shuts off the main breaker and I've never seen one in use.

[@kenglass2121]

Thanks David for everything

[@CaptBill69]

Interesting to see the response to Will Prowse's recent heads up clip, and learn more from response clips, plus comments. I warmed up to idea of using a European standard GroWatt with a autotransformer when I learned one can get full inverter power to either leg of 120vac in a 240vac circuit breaker box vs maybe half that max to each leg from same size inverter designed for USA split phase 240vac. On the other hand: I agree with Will that modified GroWatts ... with the same model number that can be different without the buyer knowing what is up, is terrible. AND I hope GroWatt addresses this situation, including with detailed wiring diagrams for powering up USA 240vac split phase circuit breaker boxes. Glad to be in a Learning More All the Time Mode :+)

[@MsMicke75]

all respect and appreciation

[@hdeberry9870]

David, after watch your videos over the past year, I purchased 2 Sol-Ark 12k 48V inverters and 6 gyll 48V batteries along with 40 410w Mono Bifacial Split

[@jsmalone1]

Probably already a comment about this, but I have 1 5000 watt Growatt inverter and the same auto transformer. I also have an Emporia load monitoring system in my electric panel and I monitor the transformer neutral. I run my entire house less large appliances on this system. 2.36 amps is the largest load I ever recorded on the neutral. If it's a balanced load, little should be on that transformer. You can switch loads from one phase to another to balance.

[@excillisbank2611]

superbe démonstration DAVID, merci encore pour tout tes efforts de partage de connaissance.

[@AleOle]

What an amazing guy! Keep on sharing all these with us!

[@michaelseah9617]

Nice video there. I have a small suggestion for you. I am in Vietnam, we get 210~265vac from the grid. Vietnam standard AC is 220 +/- 5%. I have install a 220→200VAC transformer at the grid incoming. So my house voltage is 195~220vac. Usually 209vac with my grid tie inverter. Cause most electrical items can function within a range. Everything runs fine. Plus a slight benefit of lower power consumption and larger headroom when surge occurs. Air-conditioning, freezer, fans all runs slightly quite. Dunno if this will get electrical economy at your country.

[@JamisonWorkshop]

Like your ingenuity on getting things correct. Unfortunately I am a bit OCD on my wiring and would love to see you have things tidied up once you have wire locations sorted. That would drive me nuts.

[@urbingwatched9752]

Greetings, First David thanks for the videos and please keep them coming. In a nutshell here is how I plan to hook my 5000ES and AT up. The 5000ES output will go directly to the AT. From the AT I have L1-N-L2. The L1 & L2 will flow into over Amp breaker 20 amps (5000/240). From there the L1-N-L2 will flow to an over/under voltage breaker. Thus L1 to N or L2 to N drops/exceeds 10% of 120v the breaker will open. From this breaker, it will flow to an auto transfer switch between the inverter/AT and the grid ... Actually 3 of them 1) house critical 2) house non-critical 3) barns. This will allow completely bypassing the inverter/AT for any group. Each ATS will feed a sub panel. Neutral and earth ground will not be bonded in the panels, with the earth ground of sub panels, inverter, AT connecting back to my grid panel and bonded to neutral there and to ground rod. I also plan to feed the grid via a breaker from the main panel to the inverter to allow charging batteries. Please let me know your thoughts.

[@bigblockcutlass123]

Good job David, Thanks

[@DavidSelf3]

Love your videos David, thank you for sharing!

[@Time-Trvlr]

Your water heater CB top wire should have some red tape on it to indicate its a L2 wire and not a white neutral. thanks for keeping us updated.

[@buixote]

Might be interesting to add "autotransformer temperature" to your power usage spreadsheets...

[@DSmartLife]

Thanks David for updating that your setup is safe, was worried seeing the issues pointed out by others. But I still want to mention to those who are using these inverters directly imported from China and/or are having grid connected systems should be very careful. Those who have grid connected systems can burn up their autotransformers/wiring if connected without a dedicated transfer switch. And then there is the neutral ground bond safety issue in grey market imports. Lots of potential for failure and safest hazard. Be-aware!

[@isovideo7497]

Signature Solar GroWatt inverters are the ONLY ones with the ground-neutral bond broken. ANY other GroWatt may be dangerous if used with an auto-transformer.

[@solexxx8588]

Nice solution. I can't see any fault in your logic.

[@howardkearney7989]

Thanks David! I bought the growatt, auto-transformer, batteries, and solar panels using your coupon codes. I'm getting close to installing these soon. I stopped because of those "danger!" videos. But now I'm feeling better about continuing. I'm off-grid and am searching about if I need to ground earth or not. I saw some youtubes (Prowse and the NEC) saying things that got me confused. But it is fun learning this stuff!

[@firebird9232]

your better off buying the correct inverter for usa!! Not a eu version which you need to buy a ton of extra equipment to even step it down doesn't make sense. . Plus doubtful pass electrical inspection. Your house burns down and the insurances finds out you did electrical work without permit they don't pay out even if wasn't from your solar system...

[@howardkearney7989]

@@firebird9232 I believe SignatureSolar provided me the correct inverter as it the USA version. I'm good. Thanks.

[@brycestewart3181]

Great job, even one "opps" would more then pay for that protection.... Great Idea, Great work... Thx for the vids... Well wishes to you and yours....

[@CotyCondry]

Separate the 240v and 120v loads into separate breaker panels/boxes. Bond the 120v breaker box and auto-transformer, and connect them to the 240v panel with a standard 2-pole breaker. So if the auto-transformer breaker trips, it disconnects all power from the 120v loads.

[@makesaveinccomm]

Can you make a video for this please. thanks

[@TheFatman819]

@@makesaveinccomm kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2GykJx9n8ugaJo

[@CaptBill69]

IMO: This looks like an interesting option to test and track; says my curious DIY side with hands on house wiring and one MPP solar system experience, but no autotransformer experience (yet). Wondering if this would protect from possible lose of ground., And if not. If a ground fault type breaker might also be some kind of option. I admit I still do not have full picture of concerns.

[@CotyCondry]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKisaWZpjs1ojrc

[@uhjyuff2095]

@@CaptBill69 Interesting idea with the GFCI circuit beaker... I have always wondered why these portable solar generators do not have GFCI protection when they are mostly used outside which the NEC requires all outside receptacles to be GFCI protected. Also GFCI breakers are common with electrical hot tub installs although most are not 3 pole circuit beakers like what he is showing in the video.

[@swaterman08]

in our office, each section of cubes uses 3 to 4 circuits. They will use metal clips that connect all the breakers together making them a single handle.

[@ToddDesiato]

You could have installed a breaker with a relay contact for the XFMR, and a breaker with a shunt trip on the inverters. Then use the relay contact to trip the inverter breaker. That way, you're not breaking the neutral connection. I don't think it meets NEC code if you break the neutral with that middle pole! I recommend having a PDF copy of the NEC to consult before guessing. :)

[@eddietee6305]

Good point. Don't play with neutrals.

[@Wingman77tws]

I do the same thing with my setup, two 5Kva victrons and a industrial 10Kva transformer I got off ebay to work as an auto transformer and provide neutral. Instead of complicated breaker system I just depend on the transformer being overkill and don't worry about it... haha. The 3 pole breaker though is a great solution. only issue being that the neutral and the loads have to be on the same current breaker. but its a great idea.

[@solexxx8588]

With L1 and N tripped on the breaker, L2 has no current path at all. You would have to have a second failure for the L2 to find a path to ground.

[@nb117]

Which Transformer did you buy from Ebay?

[@zweriuskriegsman]

David, I think it woulkd be very informative, if in the beginning of your video's, you would be showing a schematic of the current situation and of the changes / new situation.

[@mendohomepower7492]

Excellent!! Good solution.

[@jquarshieful]

Very impressive, keep up the good work

[@BillSampson]

This video and all of your videos on Solar setups for off-grid have been very helpful to me. Would you please provide the terminal block information.

[@emilywilde2348]

Thank you!

[@justaguy-69]

good solution, even tho you doubt you would need it better safe than sorry for very little cost!

[@RS-lt2ue]

Well done Sir!

[@darrenbenson2606]

It’s amazing how much cleaner the power is from my Growatt inverter than the grid. My washer makes weird noises when on grid and is quite as a church mouse when off grid. I’m going to have my house disconnected from the grid next month because my power provider won’t work with us if we have solar.

[@TheFatman819]

Where is this happening? The unit is Pure sine wave, you should not be getting that much noise from the power company as they can shorten the life of your electronics and refrigerators and such, have you contacted them?

[@firebird9232]

sounds like bad transformer on the pole.

[@CaptBill69]

Curious what your grid location is. ... like city or town, state, and country ???

[@sloup000]

Since these don't back feed to grid what us the issue with power company?

[@johnandrews9433]

@@sloup000 doesn't matter, some power companies don't want anybody with their own source connected. Probably for liability from the dumbasses who do back feed

[@kevinhawthorne5257]

Great Video!

[@baknblack1]

David, could you possibly do a rough drawing of all the wiring?

[@petrag.4092]

Thanks for sharing!🙏

[@jasonlaughrey6880]

Just a suggestion, you could install a phase monitor. If you lose a leg of power it will trip or if there a voltage in balance it will trip.

[@jrscott5827]

Sir David thank you for your great coverage this is sincerely awesome for the hard work that you put in the videos are priceless I'm not electrician so bear with me on this question of all the fine-tuning you do and working out the bugs of these solar systems the whole purpose is for......1 off grid system number one works well with ABC or d off grid system number two pairs well with a b c or d and off grid system number three does not work well with ABC or d and off grid system number four do not use this combination or we've noticed these components does not work well with system package number one two three or four now......

[@mkonvo]

Thanks for the info! I am currently working on building a similar system. Question, how does the system handle the well pump and water heater at the same time?

[@modjoetv4440]

Thanks for Solar power related videos. I wonder if there is an inverter that draws electricity from grid once your battery cannot accommodate the household current but it does not share the excess electricity to the grid?

[@davidc1342]

Thanks for your great content! Quick question, if you were to max out (in terms of communications) your rack mount batteries to 16, could you put battery number 17 (comms only of course) into a parallel inverter? I think this could be tested without having 17 batteries just by splitting your current batteries (again, splitting comms only) between 2 of your inverters. Not sure of the disadvantages or the advantages of either. Just curious.

[@stuarthelgerson403]

Another super informative video David, a great solution to the overloading worry. So are you running the ground on the inverters to the ground in your main breaker box and is the ground and neutral in your breaker box bonded? Much thanks.

[@eDoc2020]

Yes, that is how his system is set up.

[@diysolaradventures7894]

@@eDoc2020 what if ur inverter only has two outputs L and N no ground except a grounding screw on the case can u run the ground from that screw to the inside of the breaker box ? and when ppl do all this case and inner grounding what about a grounding rod where does that come into play ??

[@eDoc2020]

@@diysolaradventures7894 You're asking too much to answer in a KZbin comment. I suggest you look into the local codes applicable to your area as well as the instructions included with your equipment.

[@danielking2944]

I have two of them connected to a mid-point.Also have them with grid-supplied disconnects.Works fine.They share a battery bank with a MPP6048 .I usually leave the ac input to the Growatts turned off.They are loaded primarily in the daytime for electric dryer and help maintain the battery as a secondary gig.

[@eDoc2020]

If you have a midpoint transformer connected across the pole transformer from the grid they will short out each other's neutrals. In a perfectly balanced system this won't cause any problems but in reality it can lead to excess current draw.

[@vickipps6821]

Great idea 💡 fortunately we don't need to do this as our power is 230volts question how many solar panels do you use and what type

[@prestonreed416]

Hi David Looking at the vedio did you send the red tag wire L2 to the breaker inn . It don't look so . Look like it's on the terminal block

[@zember3990]

David Ted Embner Here from Canada Just one let you know i like your KZbin Chanel But my friend you have to do more proper set ups like proper cable proper set up syastems i think you will be much popular Best regards

[@usa-ev]

Nice job.

[@andreiacarvalho2340]

hi I'm in Brazil and I bought two growatt 3kva because I was afraid to use a transformer in my circuit. I am not an electrician and I preferred not to take the risk. But watching this video I think I made a mistake because it's practical there's more Kva

[@jamesnewman7860]

Awesome video, I think a lot of people, including myself we’re looking to see what you were gonna say about all of this safety concerns. Where did you get the terminal blocks, they’re pretty neat?

[@willowoodherbals]

even though most of these connections I will pay someone to do, as I dont feel comfortable enough in knowledge to do... you are the first of the 90 or so videos I have previewed which show connecting to a double pole circuit breaker box... which is what I prefer to happen in my soon to be lived in off grid homestead. Thank you for confirming that can be done as I dont wish to string a bunch of extension cords to run lamps etc and have already wired to my interior plugs and switches. You are also the first person I have seen who has added a transformer? Is it required?.. please answer is it required.. no one ever answers my questions... going soon to move in a few months.. without any electric except generator.. as I cannot get a solid answer which company is the best to go with..

[@awbean5254]

HEY DAVID, THANKS FOR YOUR PROJECTS! HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF USING EITHER METAL OR PLASTIC ELECTRICAL TROUGHS AS PART OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL CLEAN UP?

[@taulli1]

@DavidPoz Another great video, such a creative solution. I have seen numerous opinions regarding grounding the 5000 es from SS. Can you tell me, or add the link, should the: option 1. inverter, panels, auto transformer, batteries, and sub panel be grounded to grid ground in the residential panel? Or, option 2. should the residential ground stop at the sub panel which the inverter feeds, then all off grid inverter, panels, auto transformer, and battery have a dedicated and separate ground rod? I am grateful as always.

[@LITTLEEXPERIMENTCHANNEL1]

How do you cope in winter? Do you still work off-grid and have grid support to back up your battery bank.

[@sorinsorin5134]

The dedicated grounding for Growatt is linked to output or input? I saw many variants, I guess are for output, for input has already grounding from the house, thanks.

[@solexxx8588]

Both in and out have L1,L2 and G

[@harryv6147]

If you are using these Growatt 240V SPF 50000 ES units connected to the grid there are other hazards to be concerned when using a auto transformer on the output of these units. I believe your safety measure completely cover your off grid installation as you show here.

[@MrSummitville]

These are *not* on the grid.

[@JoeEngelmann]

Thank you for this, I could use some advice on a similar setup though. How did you wire your feed to the house? I have mine wired for the batteries but I am stuck on if I need a dedicated feed to the house (from inverters to main breaker box @house)to prevent circular use ,my garage already has a sub panel being fed by a 100a and is full but one 240v can be changed to feed the house curcuits I want to back up. I can provide pics if they would help.

[@BillSampson]

to make it more expandable, could you tie all of the inverter L1's into a common terminal block and then run from the terminal block to the breaker?

[@McCuneWindandSolar]

when you showing the parrelling of those Growatts. they are pretty much the same thing as the MPPT inverters I have.

[@shawnterry6789]

David, I'm not sure if you have already done a video about this, but do you have a video about how you connected your subpanel into the main panel for your house. I imagine it's fairly simple, but wanted to see what others have done successfully. Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide!

[@chuxxsss]

David we are talking Auto transformer for 120 V mate? As here in Australia I don't think I need one. Can we hook both neutrals together?

[@huysworld701]

thanks for the great video David, May I ask did you bond Neutral and Ground in your breaker panel? from my understand the Growatt has internal bond N-G when power from battery, since your are running 2 inverter, are there 2 bonding already? thanks again

[@inteligencianerdbr3505]

when your inverter finishes charging the battery in ex SUB mode, does it still start using the battery charge?

[@ttkbh]

A brother great video 🙂👍 What is the growatt standby power (Watt) when IT is on without no load?

[@DavidPozEnergy]

I think that was 70W. I measured it in one of my first videos on the inverter, but it was a while ago.

[@tirivaenim]

On the Pv side, do you have a Pv disconnect before the Inverter? If the Growatt was located indoors how bad is the fan noise in decibels, would it be tolerable you think in a small space setting such as a flat?

[@CDNguyen59]

David, since 2014 till Nov 2021 I used MPP solar, but since Nov 2021 till today I have the same setup you have, but I didnt install my autotransformer yet, I got it seat in side my garage since, I have my system go thru a 10KVA industrial step down transformer, it working fine for me since 2014, but one of these day I will replace my industrial transformer with the autotransformer, I do hook my inverters to the grid, last Dec 2021, winter time during the day my battery bank does not got charged up, so at night the ATS inside the inverters switch to the grid to charge the battery bank, I also bough my thru the Signature Solar, I am looking to buy the 3rd one to use for solar charger so I can disconnect my Midnite Solar charger, the other reason I have my hookup to the grid, my house 100 persent electric, I have no gas, so during the winter my electric furnace does kick on every once a while when the fireplace no produce enough heat

[@McCuneWindandSolar]

I see you all used the auto Transformer. I just used a 240 volt transformer. The one I have has a 240/480 in and 120/240 out put. I have the MPPTsolar inverter that is 240 out put, I ran that to my transformer and then the out put is still 240 volts but I can use the Split phase to get 240 and 120 volts. and then ran that to my Breaker panel. My Inverter was still connected to the grid just only need put wire it to the 240 volts. I never had a problem with that set up.

[@owenjones7732]

The breaker you recommended is unavailable and has been for a while. Can you evaluate and recommend another? Would the NDB2-63C32-3 also work for a neutral protection application?

[@kaosfacey8804]

do you have a video about how to calculate how much solar panel you need to run certain amount of load

[@toddhenderson15]

just wondering what your thoughts are on using one of these instead of two 5000"s, I'm debating on which to buy 12kW 48V 250VDC 120A Off-Grid Inverter by Growatt

[@andyrudd2168]

what is the Voltage from Red to ground when the new breaker is tripped?

[@fanaticosrc]

A good ideia for a video would be test how safe the parallel sistem is, one example: what happens if one of the inverters breaker switch off durring operation? Will the sistem shut down all the inverters?

[@joe7272]

I'm always glad to see safety content. I asked Will about a video on repurposing EV batteries, but he said it was removed due to the huge safety risk!

[@RolandW_DIYEnergyandMore]

David. In your 100% Off-Grid solution, you will not have any troubles with that system. The 3-pole breaker should work, as long it can be made to trip in the first place, as you know, that MCBs do need a bit of an extra current to trip for overload. I do not see the need of using isolation transformers. Non-internally or externally N-G bonded inverters are IT (isolated) devices. An N-G bond after the autotransformer will give you the safety features of a grounded grid-connection.

[@uhjyuff2095]

This is a floating neutral solar generator design, I don't believe it can be used as a bonded neutral type generator because it would not be safe. Many portable generators (Honda inverter generator) are floating neutral designs and I wonder how safe those are?

[@justinz371]

Each invertor is suppose to have 8 awg and a 50amp 2 pole breaker. If you are taking the wires from the term block to the ac distribution pannel, you need to up the wire size and to a 100 amp breaker.

[@victoryhomesteader8850]

David, we love your videos and are utilizing them to determine our needs. Do you have any plans on reviewing the Growatt 12kW Split Phase Off-Grid Inverter | SPF 12000T DVM? It seems like the optimum "all-in-one" MPPT/Inverter w/ split phase for typical US homes. It isn't stackable, which is my only concern. However, the 7kwh array input meets my homestead's daily needs (4.5hr of direct sunlight x 7kwh) and then it's just a matter of adding battery capacity to fill the low-light days, right?

[@zurubisana]

Hi, David. Why not consider use two or three of the SPF3000ES (120V L-N) to simplify the electrical system?

[@arnoldbradley8630]

What would happen if you put another breaker on the line 2 instead of the bussbar is that safe for inverter to only have one line on a breaker..?

[@stevebailey1682]

David...it would help if you supplied a schematic of your setup for comment.

[@rozarijorodin]

Hello Dav... Did you try with RCD safety switch to make this?

[@edu7304]

HI David, your videos are great. I watched them several times before building my own system. 3 growatt SPF5000ES in parallel with 6 2000C pylontechs. Thanks a lot. Have you ever tried to update the FW of the inverters? I have one that won't update and indicates 008 00 316 on the top line besides not working any more. It's no longer detected by the master inverter in my three phase install. If you or anyone has a clue as to what's happening, I'd appreciate your help. Could the overload breaker be the issue (button on the left side)? I haven't tried to push on it. Keep up the great videos!

[@fisherus]

David, I am sure that you have seen Will Prowse's last 2 videos. He discusses how the European Union version of the Growatt has been changed specifically for Signature Solar and the US market. The downside is that others are selling Growatt Inverters to the US market that have not had the manufacturing changes done that Signature Solar has. Additionally, the manual that is being sent with the Signature Solar unit hasn't been changed to reflect those changes either. It could be catastrophic if someone bought a Signature Solar unit and piggybacked it with the EU version. Right now, both the Signature Solar version and the European Union version are stamped with EU. Confusing, yes? I sure wish that they had these types available before I bought my Sol-Ark 12K that I received in a 59V model that I still have sitting in it's box because Sol-Ark doesn't seem to give a damn about making it right.

[@Wrenchen-with-Darren]

Another point with growatt, the 10 and 12,000 watt all-in-one units have the transformer-s built in and I don't believe there is an issue with those units, at all.

[@firebird9232]

Sol ark pass electrical coding since its rapid shutdown compliant . ( NATION WIDE

[@fisherus]

@@firebird9232 The problem I have with the 59V 12K model I received is twofold. First, I am using a large battery bank compromised of 34 Toshiba LTO SCIB batteries. To get the best range from the batteries I need a Nominal of 60V and a charge rate of 61V, minimum. The other problem is down the road I want to piggyback another unit to this one. When you order a 12k Sol-Ark and 63V is what you based your purchase on and the manual that comes with the unit shows 63V, then you go to install it and find out it is 59V, it's upsetting. But, when they won't make it right then it just pisses you off to no avail.

[@eDoc2020]

@@firebird9232 2020 NEC does NOT require microinverters. The required shutdown can be achieved with much simpler modules.

[@firebird9232]

@@eDoc2020 PRETTY MUCH. yes one way is to use smaller modules under 30v ( yet 24v panels are 33v and up) and not put them into series but then your throwing money away on bigger hardware. so yes thats one way go 12v system. To bad that wont run a fully of grid house. how code is written mirco inverters are the way to go. "The rapid shutdown standards adopted in America and other countries stipulate that the voltage levels within solar conductors within >>>>1 foot

[@rubencabrera732]

Hi David, I run my house on solar now for over 3 years and I like your system. Can you remotely connect to the inverter? My house is in the Dominican Republic and constantly I call my wife to check on them for me..I think she be happy if I change the inverter for a Growatt! Is the promo codo still active? Thank you for your videos I’m learning so much more and I will definitely improve my system..

[@TheInfomoinul]

Hi David, please give your comment if we can use LIFEPo4 as replacement of car AGM battery. I want to use 100Amp LifePO4 for 4x4 vehicle, i want to know the high current can make any damage on electronic parts. When the battery fully charge by alternator the battery stops charging, will there be any fluctuation in current flow for that ? Waiting for your feedback.