The Ottawa Restore's Solar Inverter and Lithium Ion Battery System

NOTE: Unfortunately the ReStore is now SOLD OUT of these units.
The Ottawa Habitat for Humanity ReStore has a number of brand new Tabuchi Electric Solar Inverter with Lithium Ion Battery Systems for sale as a result of a very generous donation. This is a quick review of the system that is available and what I learned while testing one of the units.
The systems from the ReStore include:
Hybrid Solar Inverter (includes Inverter, Remote, Base, and Shelf) THD-S55P3B-US
Lithium-ion Storage Battery 9.89kWh EOW-LB100-PNUS
Rapid Shutdown Device DG-006-F001401
Not Included:
Solar Panels
Battery to Inverter Cable
Grid and 120V out cable and receptacles/plugs.
Link to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore page: restoregoshop.... NOTE: Unfortunately the ReStore is now SOLD OUT of these units.

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

NOTE: Unfortunately the ReStore is now SOLD OUT of these units.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Very nice! Also nice of you to demonstrate it so well. It will be gone in no time. I can't believe how large that restore is in Ottawa. We have a tiny one here in our town. I enjoy it and visit frequently as well. I always find something interesting even though it is very small store in comparison. What in the world is the odds of both of our videos happen to post about the same time and both showing generators. I have not worked on a generator in years up to this week. 🤯

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

Thanks! The ReStore here large and great. Like you, I always find something I "need". Havnt seen your video yet- will have to look at it later today ... sounds like quite the coincidence!

[@button-puncher]

WOW. That's an incredible deal! BTW, if you've got a 120V only generator, or you want to load balance a 240V generator, get an APC SURT003. It has a 6kW isolation transformer inside. Connect the 120V legs to your breaker panel via a 30A breaker. If you feed your 120V generator in to one side, the transformer supplies the other half of the panel. Or if you use the SURT003 as intended, feed it 240V from a generator, then you get a load balanced 3kW per leg to your panel. The toroid transformer even has two thermal switches embedded inside it. One to turn on a set of fans to a high setting, the other to cut power in an overload situation.

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

It definitely is. My feeling is its best use is as a giant UPS backup or as an off grid system assuming you have a generator to "start" it. Just looked up the APC SURT003 - not inexpensive but at leas one place has a "refurbished" one for $500 which is a bit of a steal. I really like the fact that it is isolated. I actually use a 1.5KVA old Hammond autotransformer for a similar same purpose - to provide 120V/240V split phase from my 120V generator for the well pump and also used that 240V to start the Solar Inverter when making the video, Not as nice a unit as the APC would be - but good enough for the odd long power failure!

[@button-puncher]

@@ElectromagneticVideos You can now get split-phase true sinewave inverters for relatively cheap. 48V too (which is what I'm guessing that the battery pack is.) You could put it on the input side for startup, then move it to the output side to expand your capacity. Yeah, they've gone up in price but that's about right. You can also look for just the transformer, APC 430-6000A. But there's risk with buying just the transformer with damage in shipping. It is probably 60-70lbs just by itself. Some of the transformers do have a seat belt strap carry handle which is kind of nice. Otherwise it's awkward unless mounted to something. That's just what I thought about doing, buying an Autoformer, but then I opened up one of my SURT003's at work. Allowed me to run one less wire from my 240V generator to my panel. A nice savings considering recent copper prices.

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

@@button-puncher The battery pack is 86V - not a very typical voltage as far as I know. Copper prices are crazy!!! The scrappers must be making $$$! I'm guessing it may be electric vehicles that is putting pressure on the copper supply. Interestingly, apparently transformers in things like microwaves are now Al or Copper clad Aluminum.

[@retrozmachine1189]

Looks very well built. One thing I have noticed with some inverters is how they react to momentary high current draws when operating standalone, ie grid power is not present. I've seen something as humble as a wall plug style power supply for a router having sufficient inrush (cheapie, no limiting circuit of any type) charging up the bulk capacitor in a switching supply. Some inverters sail through without issue and keep the output voltage and waveform looking nice, while others detect a potential short or other issue and go into a protection mode where the output voltage is reduced and the waveform mangled to limit current gradually recovering full voltage over a second or two.

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

Yes - seemed very nicely made and was heavy enough to prove it :) To your point- I was really impressed how it didnt seem to even blink when the deep well pump turned on. Oddly though, when the inverter first turns on to act as a backup when AC mains power fails, the 120V output sine wave seems to go up and down for a second until it stabilizes (I think you can see that in the video) . After that its rock solid.

[@Petertronic]

That's an amazing deal, some quite serious equipment there. If I lived anywhere near the area I would be on my way! Are you keeping the unit you looked at, or making more videos about it?

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

Yes too bad :( Do they have Habitat for Humanity ReStores in the UK? An amazing source of deals at times. I bought the unit I looked at and have set it up as a giant UPS that is connected in place of a generator to the generator panel's external connection my garage. I live just outside of Ottawa in the country and find that every couple of years there is a storm that knocks out power for a day or so. In the past I have run the generator but its a real waste/nuisance when only the fridge and central heating propane boiler use a fraction of the power. Also a nuisance filling up the gas (that's petrol to you :). Now with the flip of a switch on the breaker panel in the basement, I can switch key circuits to the inverter. And then run the generator a few hours during the day to recharge the battery. I stopped by the ReStore yesterday. To my amusement, they a have a laptop next to an inverter playing my video (with audio) in a continuous loop :)

[@h7qvi]

Soft start vfd for the well pump would help

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

Thats a great idea. I saw a soft start unit for a single phase AC compressor somewhere. I presume the device somehow has to replace, the start capacitor. I wonder if using one of the three phases from a common 3 phase VFD on the single phase start winding would work?

[@h7qvi]

@@ElectromagneticVideosIn my hasty reply, i assumed a 3ph well motor, when most would be single phase. A 3ph motor would be needed

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

@@h7qvi No worries! Its a great idea and as I said I have seen single phase soft start units somewhere. Unfortunately here (Canada) most home power and well pumps are single phase.

[@button-puncher]

@@ElectromagneticVideos I have a ntc thermistor for current limiting on my fridge. (Mounted in a box at the end of an extension cord.) Lets my 2kW Honda start it while running other loads. Might be worth a try on your well pump.

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

@@button-puncher thats really an interesting thought - never considered that for current limiting. My submersible well pump is getting old (25 years) and should be replaced soon before if fails at the the worst possible time. It might be interesting to experiment a bit with the old one once it is removed and see what thermistor or combination of thermistors may be suitable.. I dont really want to experiment with the pump while its at the bottom the well in case anything goes wrong!

[@davidellis4097]

Can I start the system with only 120v?

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

Not directly, but you can with a transformer. I did do that with a 1.5kw 120V to 240V transformer to step up my 120V 20A gas generator to 240V split phase.

[@davidellis4097]

Ok

[@ДедМазай-ч2т]

So, - can I use that system as "off grid" if I manage starting it with the generator? I do not need much power - just to feed my RV (lights, water pump and a fan in the heater). I do not think this will take lots of power. More of a question if inverter can stay in "home backup" mode for extended period of time.

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

I tested it for a few hours - did not test it for days in backup+disconnected from AC mode. No indication anywhere that there is a timeout limit, but I cant say fore sure.

[@ДедМазай-ч2т]

How did you connect your 240 transformer to the inverter? Just L1 and L2? What about Neutral?

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

So the stand-alone inverter output (to power things off grid) has 120V L (Line) and N (Neutral) terminals. The transformer you use should should be a center tapped 120/240 transformer with terminals L1 and L2 and N being the center tap terminal. note: it may not be labelled that way). You hook the N transformer terminal to the inverter N terminal, and the transformer L1 terminal to the inverter L terminal. So that way the output of the transformer is 120V to N for each of its L1 and L2 terminals and the voltage between L1 to L2 being 240V. Note that you need to be sure that under no circumstances can the transformer ever be connected to the grid or other external AC power source or the grid power may damage the inverter or the inverter power may energize a the grid and injure anyone working on repairing the grip during a power failure.

[@davidellis4097]

How long should it take to charge the batteries while charging from a 240v connection

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

I think charging to 100% took an afternoon when I tested it.

[@davidellis4097]

I picked up one of the units Trying to charge the battery, keep stopping and starting. No error codes

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

That happened to me! You need the current sense transformers clamped around the 240V L1 and L2 input power lines, they have to be in the right orientation, and the on the right lines (ie not L1 and L2 swapped). If any of that is wring, it thinks somethings is going wrong (ie expects to see the power coming in that it knows it is using).

[@davidellis4097]

Could it be equalization or balancing in the battery

[@davidellis4097]

Pretty sure they're on the right way

[@davidellis4097]

It is safe to ground the battery correct

[@davidellis4097]

Thank you for all your help

[@andrewabuan3186]

Hello, do you have a business email or email to contact you. I would like to discuss about this system. I’m a student at a university with the same system and would like some assistance in troubleshooting. Thank you.

[@ElectromagneticVideos]

The email is electromagneticvideos at gmail DOT com - obviousl y for spam purporses change the at and dot as appropriate.