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How to make load come from battery vs generator

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palehorse

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Hi Everyone,

I have seen similar threads but nothing that answers this more specifically so I am hoping you guys can help.

I have a grid tie system. Solark 15k with 25kwh of homegrid and a 15kw solar array.

I just bought a Honda EU 7000is inverter generator. My intent was to charge my batts with the generator and let my home loads run off the batts.

Apparently the solark uses the Gen first for a load which is not what I want as it's not big enough.

How can I force my whole home backup to use only the batteries if the grid is down and let the generator charge the batteries?

The 30amp twist lock is connected to the Gen input terminal. I can get it to charge the batteries at a measly 2kw but nothing more unless I up the Amp rate in the charging settings of the solark.

Please let me know what other info you may need for clarification.

Thanks!
 
I understand it could be the best way. However, that is more money and effort to wire that up. I am looking to make my current investment work if possible. Just trying to see how to setup the solark to get to my outcome.
 
palehorse said:
Is that the only way?
Click to expand...
I agree with Tim that using a Chargeverter is the optimum way.
palehorse said:
I understand it could be the best way.
Click to expand...
You could probably discover several other ways but how much time do you want to spend understanding Ohms Law and how current flows as well as some subtle settings on the SolArk? You could start your quest reading other SolArk threads. I have been messing around with my SolArk for over 18 months and the SolArk has limitations and I have modified my expectations accordingfly. I choose not to use a generator but others have discovered this workaround for those that need to use a generator. A lot has to do with how clean the signal is from certain generators
 
Ampster said:
I agree with Tim that using a Chargeverter is the optimum way.

You could probably discover several other ways but how much time do you want to spend understanding Ohms Law and how current flows as well as some subtle settings on the SolArk? You could start your quest reading other SolArk threads. I have been messing around with my SolArk for over 18 months and the SolArk has limitations and I have modified my expectations accordingfly. I choose not to use a generator but others have discovered this workaround for those that need to use a generator. A lot has to do with how clean the signal is from certain generators
Click to expand...
Appreciate that. I have an inverter generator so it's as clean as can be. 60hz as measured.
 
palehorse said:
I understand it could be the best way. However, that is more money and effort to wire that up. I am looking to make my current investment work if possible. Just trying to see how to setup the solark to get to my outcome.
Click to expand...
Other ways, would be Other chargers.
You can't charge and discharge the battery at the same time, with just one piece of equipment.
 
palehorse said:
Appreciate that. I have an inverter generator so it's as clean as can be. 60hz as measured.
Click to expand...
Okay we can eliminate that as an issue.
Fundementally, back to the question in your title, it is flawed since loads are pulled from sources based on voltage output of the source. It does not really matter if the generator is putting out 2kW whether it is serving your loads and reducing the drain on your batteries or charging your batteries so they can later serve the loads. If the kWs generated go somewhere, is your goal to end up at the end with full batteries? Does it matter in which order those things take place?
 
Ampster said:
Okay we can eliminate that as an issue.
Fundementally, back to the question in your title, it is flawed since loads are pulled from sources based on voltage output of the source. It does not really matter if the generator is putting out 2kW whether it is serving your loads and reducing the drain on your batteries or charging your batteries so they can later serve the loads. If the kWs generated go somewhere, is your goal to end up at the end with full batteries? Does it matter in which order those things take place?
Click to expand...
Yes the goal is to run off batteries for my loads if the grid is out. Days of no sun will force me to use my generator to charge the batteries. But currently that doesn't work if my ac kicks on while the fryer etc is running.

I can run all that easily on batts. But the current setup won't work as it pulls generator first then batteries.

But when no or low loads are present I want to charge the batteries to full. Hope that makes sense.
 
palehorse said:
But currently that doesn't work if my ac kicks on while the fryer etc is running.
Click to expand...
Could it be one of your settings is, Load first?
I do not understand why it matters? Are your batteries full when that happens? In that case if you want to run off batteries, simply turn off the generator.
 
palehorse said:
Hi Everyone,

I have seen similar threads but nothing that answers this more specifically so I am hoping you guys can help.

I have a grid tie system. Solark 15k with 25kwh of homegrid and a 15kw solar array.

I just bought a Honda EU 7000is inverter generator. My intent was to charge my batts with the generator and let my home loads run off the batts.

Apparently the solark uses the Gen first for a load which is not what I want as it's not big enough.

How can I force my whole home backup to use only the batteries if the grid is down and let the generator charge the batteries?

The 30amp twist lock is connected to the Gen input terminal. I can get it to charge the batteries at a measly 2kw but nothing more unless I up the Amp rate in the charging settings of the solark.

Please let me know what other info you may need for clarification.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

*If* the generator isn't big enough to run your loads:


*Then* it's not possible to charge the batteries with that same generator while those loads are running off those batteries.


The DC current out of the batteries is exceeding the current going in.


If your loads that large are intermittent then the batteries will charge whenever the.....



Well let me stop short there and say youre trying to draw 5 gallons a minute of water out of tank that's being filled at 2 gallons a minute.
 
Ampster said:
Could it be one of your settings is, Load first?
I do not understand why it matters? Are your batteries full when that happens? In that case if you want to run off batteries, simply turn off the generator.
Click to expand...
I didn't consider the load first checkbox. I'll test that. Also the batteries were 70% when I tested.
 
Checkthisout said:
*If* the generator isn't big enough to run your loads:


*Then* it's not possible to charge the batteries with that same generator while those loads are running off those batteries.


The DC current out of the batteries is exceeding the current going in.


If your loads that large are intermittent then the batteries will charge whenever the.....



Well let me stop short there and say youre trying to draw 5 gallons a minute of water out of tank that's being filled at 2 gallons a minute.
Click to expand...
My logic could be wrong but if we keep with your analogy, I would say I have a 100gal tank that I fill at 2gal per min and at times I could pull 5gal but it should still give me 5 gal until there is no reserve capacity.
 
What you're talking about is called 'double conversion' since generator AC gets converted to DC into batteries, and then from battery DC back to AC by your inverter.

MOST inverter/charger combinations cannot do this natively because contain only one buck-boost converter and must dedicate it to one of those two tasks but cannot do both at the same time. There are a tiny number of exceptions, but...


The cheapest way to accomplish what you want really is to buy a separate charger and power it with the generator. It's possible to piece something together out of power supplies that is cheaper than the Chargeverter that was linked to, but it's also a PITA to operate in comparison and not all possible options have active PFC which is sort of a big deal. For $400-odd bucks the Chargeverter really is the best overall value in terms of capability and ease of use.
 
Vigo said:
What you're talking about is called 'double conversion' since generator AC gets converted to DC into batteries, and then from battery DC back to AC by your inverter.

MOST inverter/charger combinations cannot do this natively because contain only one buck-boost converter and must dedicate it to one of those two tasks but cannot do both at the same time. There are a tiny number of exceptions, but...


The cheapest way to accomplish what you want really is to buy a separate charger and power it with the generator. It's possible to piece something together out of power supplies that is cheaper than the Chargeverter that was linked to, but it's also a PITA to operate in comparison and not all possible options have active PFC which is sort of a big deal. For $400-odd bucks the Chargeverter really is the best overall value in terms of capability and ease of use.
Click to expand...
Thank you for that explanation. I just now need to figure out how to wire all of this as the generator connection is roughly 40ft away from my batteries. When I built my house I built a whole home transfer switch and when they installed solar they just took that connection and put it into the gen input.

So I would have to rethink how to connect all this together.

I did call solark and they said essentially you can't charge and discharge at the same time. He said that is a good use case to see how they could build that in to where the generator supplies the house and batts but if a large load comes in it switches to batts to satisfy.
 
Regarding Your 40ft gen run, put it into a transfer switch that then switches between the gen in on your Sol Ark or to a dedicated charger like the Chargeverter.

Or if you want, disconnect from the gen in entirely and dedicate it to the charging, so the Sol Ark only ever runs off the solar/batteries and not the gen.

My gen is only going to a charger, but it is a 120V generator and it can not feed my 240V split phase inverter gen port anyway.
 
palehorse said:
Thank you for that explanation. I just now need to figure out how to wire all of this as the generator connection is roughly 40ft away from my batteries. When I built my house I built a whole home transfer switch and when they installed solar they just took that connection and put it into the gen input.

So I would have to rethink how to connect all this together.

I did call solark and they said essentially you can't charge and discharge at the same time. He said that is a good use case to see how they could build that in to where the generator supplies the house and batts but if a large load comes in it switches to batts to satisfy.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you would either have to have another circuit installed or modify what's already there to do what you want instead of what it was originally intended to do. The quick and dirty option is just an extension cord through windows or under doors to wherever your batteries are. :ROFLMAO:
 
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