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A quick message of appreciation for Current Connected. I placed an order for a Chargeverter from them, and they called me to verify that I was a real human being and the order wasn’t fraud. It must have looked very suspicious: a Canadian IP address, shipping to a package forwarder in New York...

I love the idea of ballasted ground mounts. Seems super straightforward for a DIYer compared to getting up on a roof and drilling. I do wish that there were more options for those of us up north, though; most of them that I’ve seen are pretty close to flat.

Nice review video of this battery from @Roll2Videos today:

Yeah, I grabbed one of these roof rakes that has a super soft head, and it works pretty well at getting the snow off the bottom row of panels. Need a longer pole and probably a ladder to reach the upper row though ?

? to whoever that was. Kindness is free, but also it's an extra-stupid idea to be rude to one of the biggest solar/battery/etc. people out there... As for Pytes... there's two different videos out there showing some of the internals of their "E-BOX-48100R", but neither of them goes into details...

What we call 120V AC is actually 170V at peak; the name "120V" is actually the "root mean square" (RMS) voltage. Long story short, a sine wave at 60Hz with voltage peaking at 170V (referred to as "Vp") is equivalent to 120V DC in terms of power dissipation, which is why it's called that...

The only things I can see different about them are: The 11-year warranty, which is (IMO) not worth the price premium. I can see why some people might find that attractive, though. They sell some batteries with a very high surge capacity; this one claims to be able to do 1000A for 2s, and 900A...

If you're looking to buy Victron in Canada, buy from these folks. They're way more affordable, and I've been very happy with their prices and service. No affiliation, just a happy customer. https://marinesolar.com/ As a specific example: I ordered a SmartSolar MPPT 150/45 from them this past...

My $0.02 (and only worth about that much!) is that SS/EG4 is in the somewhat unenviable state of being (a) one of the cheapest players in the market that has largely safe hardware (i.e. "won't burn your garage down"), but also (b) has been seriously struggling with reliability and customer...

Here's the UL9540 certificate for the V5º plus Sol-Ark 8k, 12k, or 15k (named Pi S8K, Pi S12K, and Pi S15K, respectively), along with the Luxpower LXP-LB-US 8K, LXP-LB-US 10K, or LXP-LB-US 12K (named Pi L8K, Pi L10K, and Pi L12K, respectively).

If anyone is thinking of getting a resistive hot water buffer tank, can I recommend the Rheem Marathon? It's got about 3" of insulation around it, so it doesn't lose heat to the environment nearly as quickly as a "standard" tank. We have one here on a timer that only heats overnight when power...

Yeah, for example per-cell voltages, balance information, etc. isn't exposed through a shunt and needs to come from the BMS.

BatteryCablesUSA will sell you a custom length of 2/0 cable with a 1/4" lug: https://www.batterycablesusa.com/00-gauge-2-0-awg-extreme-battery-cable-with-ends

Also, c'mon @Will Prowse, you're holding out on us! You made a video that included a "catio" segment and didn't include a picture/video of the cats?! Please share 😹

This reminds me a lot of the filters at McMaster-Carr, DigiKey, etc., which I've found extremely useful in the past. Looking good!

If you want the full details with model numbers, I recommend emailing Pytes; they've been very responsive for me in the past. I emailed pytesusa@pytesgroup.com and they sent me the UL9540 and UL9540A full reports for the V5º, including model numbers and photos.

I have heard from a reliable source that the V5º has received UL9540 certification with at least the Sol-Ark 8k, 12k and 15k; see the following certification for more details...

Oh this is a great idea, thanks! I’ll have to try that next time ?

Any more details on what this is going to be used for? Lots of breakers in one box ?

I would love to see someone release a product line for load shedding that works as a retrofit, but works with any inverter. Imagine you had a control center with some CTs that you could clamp on your grid or inverter feed. That control center plugged into (or communicated wirelessly with)...

For those of us in Ontario, Canada, this might also be useful; net metering connections below 10kW are easy enough and have an expedited (and cheaper) review process. Anything over 10kW requires that you go through the "Connection Impact Assessment" (CIA) process, which is a huge pain in the ass...

From the UL9540A test report for the V5 (edit: 48100R, sorry) battery, they use the cell model "CB27173204EA", which is a REPT cell.

Sorry, my mistake; that model number was for the 48100R; the V5 uses a cell with UL 1973 file # MH64238, which is also a REPT cell, but it doesn't specify the exact model.

This very much depends on how Canadian customs treats you that day, unfortunately. Lithium-ion batteries (of which LiFePO₄ batteries are one kind) can be classified as a few things depending on usage; the HS code 8507.60.90 ("Lithium-ion batteries, other") have a 7% tariff per the current...

FWIW, I had a ground fault on my Sol-Ark 15k + Tigo setup, and it turned out that a Tigo optimizer had gone bad and was shorting to ground, so the Sol-Ark was (correctly!) throwing an error when that happened. The fix was to use a voltmeter and measure to ground, and divide by the per-panel...

Yeah, sorry, that was poor wording on my part. What I meant was: “someone like Current Connected but in the EU”. The dealer locator on the Victron website lists some dealers in the area, but they seem to be individuals with an email + phone number, and my Italian isn’t anywhere near good enough...

Pytes (no affiliation) has a new server rack battery (the V5°) which theoretically has UL9540 certification with Sol-Ark inverters, a 1C discharge rate, and built-in heaters... AFAIK the first server rack battery with all of those, which is very exciting for those of us up in Canada ??, where...

Yeah, the 100A discharge is definitely priority #1 for me. I could always put some heating mats, build an insulated box, etc. around the batteries, so the heaters are definitely a "nice-to-have"... but the 100A discharge is essential (along with being UL9540 so my inspector will accept it...)

Another idea for those of us with smaller urban or suburban spaces: using microinverters to expand an existing hybrid system. I have a Sol-Ark 15k with ~13kWp of panels attached. If I want to put panels on my garage roof, I could either re-wire the strings that are on the roof of our house, or I...

Use it, and love it. Combined with Home Assistant, it turns on my hot water heater when there's PV power in excess of the heating element wattage so I can consume it instead of getting less ? from net-metering. If you're connecting it to an inverter via RS232/RS485/etc. I recommend getting an...

Looks like the new Victron Smart BuckBoost manual is up, and it looks like it’s essentially a smart Orion! With adjustable current, even! https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/Smart_BuckBoost/en/index-en.html

I own a Hyundai IONIQ 5 which can supply 15A @ 120V out (continuous). If we ever have an extended power outage and the batteries we have aren't enough, my plan is to plug it into a chargeverter and charge up our house batteries that way. Our house uses less than 1800W continuous, so even if it...

You could look for a 48VDC car air conditioner and see about wiring something like that up? This one is ~$940, but the same model (DV1930E-AC) is available from a bunch of places and you could probably find it for cheaper: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NBGLJD4/...

Only 1.2 kWh here, but I finished clearing snow off most of the panels (about 22 of 26) so hopefully the next few days are better ?

I grabbed the 7-wire one because I figured "more is better"; the only difference is that the 3-wire one isolates only the transmit/receive and ground pins, vs. the 7-wire one that isolates those and a few more of them. $35 vs $60 isn't much of a difference vs. the cost of a multi-thousand-dollar...

Aolithium is well-reviewed and ships from Canada, so no extra duty from cross-border shipping: https://aolithium.ca/

FWIW, I bought these L14-30 generator connectors: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BYD7BTN2 And wired them up to a 5-15 pigtail and a 14-30 pigtail to make an adapter, and it works fine for my Chargeverter: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07BQ8PY21 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001AAEGCC (without modifying...

Yeah, exactly. Unfortunately I want more than 460Ah and less than 920Ah, so it didn't work out for my particular project, but ... shiny ?

Blergh, too much snow and freezing rain up here in Ottawa ?? 12.35kWp of panels w/Tigo TS4-A-O means nothing when there's 6" of snow on top of everything...

This is an interesting point that I haven't seen mentioned before; thanks! Do you have any more information that you can share? Or have you measured it yourself?

That looks like a DIN-rail mount for a Solar Assistant? I’ve been thinking about doing just that; did you model and 3D-print that yourself, or did you use something off-the-shelf?

I think the easiest way to do it without a teardown is to stick the battery in a freezer for at least 24 hours, possibly more, to make sure the entire thing is below the low-temperature cutoff. Then attach a charger to it and see if it charges, yeah.

I only need 30A @ 120V (and honestly, even less than that), but if there's a notably more durable or higher-quality option for a 50A inlet, I wouldn't mind putting a 50A inlet in. Yeah, I've seen a few melted twist-lock style connectors over the years, and read horror stories about people's RVs...

That's quite the setup! What panels are you using for your ground array? Are you happy with them and would you change anything?

You could also use something like an "ideal diode" to prevent reverse polarity; either buying something from Amazon, or building your own with a known-good part like this Linear component: https://docs.rs-online.com/6244/0900766b81382e8f.pdf...

Related: I'm really hoping someone releases a good EU3200i propane dual-fuel conversion kit... it's such a nice genset and having the extra power for charging batteries while running an AC (vs the 2200) would be great ?

Would love to hear more ?

Minor nitpick: the green text after passing the CAPTCHA and signing up is extremely hard to read, and I almost missed it. Looking forward to the first one 😃

You probably need to add "| float" after the "states" call, to convert it to a number. Something like: {{ states("deye_sunsynk_sol_ark_pv_energy") | float }}

@fmeili1 Thank you for the detail! This is all very helpful ?

What protocol and splitter are you using?

Hi there! I have family that owns a tiny little cottage in a rural area of Sicily, where the power grid is pretty unreliable. Next time I visit, I’m planning on installing a Victron Multiplus there with some batteries + eventually solar, but I know ~nothing about Victron dealers in Europe. Are...

Do you have the manufacturer/model handy, or where you bought yours from?

I use Anderson Powerpoles for all use-cases that don't need a waterproof bulkhead connector. For waterproof high-amperage/high-voltage connectors, I'm trying out these aviation-style connectors that are IP65/IP67-rated, and good to 50A @ 500V: https://www.cnlinko.com/Products/189 (I'm going to...

Found the problem! https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-records-longest-consecutive-snowfall-on-record-1.6675464 ?☠️?

Those 12V 460Ah batteries look nice; was very seriously considering one of them for my RV project, especially given the Victron comms...

Why did you not go through with the plan, OOC?

This is correct; I had an EG4-LL shipped to a package forwarder in New York, then drove over and brought it back. You have to pay GST or HST (depending on which province you're driving back into), though I wasn't charged any duty when I brought mine back. Depending on the seller and the state...

Yeah, seeing your vertical results has definitely convinced me to try it when I add more panels. It has to stop snowing for the sun to come out first though…

Hi all, anyone have recommendations on a durable and reliable inlet for shore power on a van/RV–preferably 30A? I've seen two main options, and I'd be interested in any additional options or feedback on these: L5-30P inlet, like this one off Amazon...

For complicated reasons I can't use the DC power supply, so I'm using the AC-to-USB-C power supply; definitely less of an issue if you're using the DC one, for sure ?

Trailer Vision sells some Powerpole housings, at e.g. Powerwerx here in the USA: https://powerwerx.com/trailer-vision-tv-201426-50-sb50 I don't know if you can buy their "flush mount" here yet, though: https://trailervision.com.au/product/50a-slimline-anderson-plug-mount-cover-black/ I'm wrong...

Would you mind sharing more about why you regretted it? Other than the fan noise?

I'm sure others have different opinions, but for me, I'm looking for an inlet for a few main reasons: I camp in places that get wet and/or have lots of bugs; having a cord that goes through an opening in the side of the RV is yet another way for moisture and bugs to get into an RV. A waterproof...

I’m always happy to hear about people not getting charged fees! I think it depends on whether the customs officer (a) believes the person about commercial/personal, and (b) how they’re feeling that day. I’ve had stuff make it through with no tariffs, and I’ve had customs officers go through...

Oh, that looks pretty well-built! I'd love to hear more once it arrives for you ?

The two big factors for me with the newer model (V5°) are: 1C discharge (100A) vs 0.5C on the older model, and a built-in heater. Up here in ??, the heater is important and the 1C discharge might be depending on how my local inspector treats the local code. (In short: you’re only allowed 20kWh...

Does this setup support net metering (backfeeding the grid), and if so, have you had any problems with the Sol-Ark backfeeding the generator? Do you have batteries? I'm looking at something like this right now.