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Hi all, I'm new to the forum and just trying to get my system going. I currently have an off grid cabin in northern MN powered by a 5kw onan generator. The generator is in a separate shed and is connected to a square D panel with 5 breakers serving 3 buildings. I want to eventually add solar...

Thanks for the response. Your right about Mn in the winter. Does it matter what voltage the system is when you choose the panels or is that just taken care of in the charge controller? ie, is there a 48v panel vs. A 12v panel?

Ok, lots of info here. Yes, I originally thought I could heat the space where the batteries are. Doesn't seem feasible so I'm looking at just heating the batteries in an insulated box. It makes more sense to just use the battery power without going through the ac inverter. My new problem is...

Thanks for the reply. The label on the board is CN6. I couldnt find a board diagram to know what it's for. The red on the male and female connectors matches up but I'll wait for confirmation from aims before I connect. That wire was wrapped around another wire so it would have been a tight...

I pulled the trigger and bought the AIMS 4048 split phase. Filter guy, you were right on the separating the ground and neutral in the panel. The earth ground will occur at the inverter instead of the panel. My next question will be the 48 volt battery system. I'll catch up on old posts to...

Ok, next question. My generator provides 220v with red, black, neutral, and ground. The 3000 watt inverter chargers I am looking at dont seem to accomodate that. I'd like the ac output from the inverter to match the input from my generator since that's how my panel is wired. Any...

Thanks to the help of this forum, I have my 48v system running. I am currently charging with a generator but want to add solar panels. I have an aims 48v/4000w inverter charger and 2 24v battery evo 100ah lifepo batteries in series. I know nothing about solar panels. I'm in northern...

Thanks for the great info! I was told by the inverter store that the generator wattage has to be 1.5 times the inverter wattage. If it is, I couldnt go with the 4000 watt. Based on the forum responses, the 4000 watt split phase is my first choice. Is that true?

Thanks ed, I appreciate the insight with the cold. I'm in embarrass which is often the coldest spot in Mn. The night Tower broke the official MN record low at -60, the official Embarrass thermometer broke at -64. I'm starting to wonder if solar panels are the right option for the amount of...

I installed my aims 48v/4000w inverter charger last fall. Everything worked great until march. I left my cabin with the system working, turned off the inverter, and came back a week later and tried to turn the inverter on and nothing happened. Just dead. The reset did nothing. I pulled the...

They eluded to the generator needing more power to charge and pass through at the same time. I wasn't knowledgeable enough to challenge that. My loads are not even close to capacity so I'm going to go with the the 4000 watt unless I hear differently. Thanks!

Thanks for the advice. The onan is from a RV and it does have a corded remote start. I'm looking at a Growatt 3000 watt but need to determine which one. Any suggestions? Also, any suggestions on 12v vs. 24v? Is it just how you wire it or do I need to know the answer before I buy the hardware?

Since I didnt have the heat figured out yet, I brought the batteries home with me this fall. I've done some research on insulated boxes and may go that route, I wanted solar first so they can charge the batteries. The batteries are too heavy to haul around. Any suggestions on heated box...

I tried out my insulated battery box with RV tank heaters, it worked perfectly and kept the batteries around 50F. For a short getaway, i dont want to lug batteries around but my inverter charger wont pass through power unless a battery is connected. Is there a way to make it think a battery is...

Going back to the neutral/ground comment by filterguy. It is my understanding neutral and ground are always connected at the first point of disconnect which is my main panel. Any subpanels after the main panel, they should be separated. Does having an inverter charger change that?

I found similar posts on this but they didnt answer my questions. learned this winter that a battery system in northern MN isn't a viable option so I want an easy way to bypass the inverter. The attached sketch shows my current system and what I want to do. I think i need two transfer...

Wow, great info everyone! I mainly use the cabin from Sept through November and occasionally feb through April. My main loads on battery are led lights, tv, coffee maker, and other small appliances. I occasionally run a pump to fill a holding tank but I do that when the generator is running...

Wow, you're amazing! That's exactly what I am looking for except all my breakers out of my panel are 120. The ground is a rod into the earth connected to the panel. The neutral and grounds in the panel are on the same bar. Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestions. Like I said, I'm still learning. I think I'll go with the 48vdc to 12vdv converter with heat pads in the insulated box. I'll test it out before I actually put the batteries in it. May have more questions along the way. Thanks again!

Since I'm not running 240 out of my panel, is it necessary to bring split phase into my inverter charger? I could just cap one hot lead and then I would be at 120. Seems like then I would have more hardware options. Is there a downside? Biggest appliance anticipated is vacuum or shallow well...