are there any good, budget, standalone 48v inverters?

[defed]

I have the standalone EG4 MPPT, it works very well, no complaints. Very impressed with it.

I needed higher VOC rating than the LV6548 and the EG4 fit in nicely.

i have the opposite problem....my 10 panels are 36vmp (45voc) and 5imp...i only have them wired series in pairs, so i need a lower voltage rating. 2 reasons i did this....1) my current c/c can only handle 150v input, so 5 in series was too much 2) they are not all exactly the same (4 of one, 6 of the other) so i was happier keeping them paired together - though the specs are close enough that i could probably mix them together for 5 in series.

so i am looking at the growatt spf3000 lvm-48p because it's input range is 60-115v. the ES version is 120-250v. i THINK the sk48v100 will communicate w/ these, but i have to check w/ current connected.

 

[defed]

blank because i hit the wrong button lol

 

[Delmar]

...but i don't think mine is really pure sine wave as the PC makes a lot of noises on it. it runs tvs and dvrs fine (digital clocks seemed OK), but not sure if the fridge will like it.

From my exhaustive YouTube research, the WZRELB appears to have a somewhat decent waveform. I have not noticed issues with any of the electronics in my household, including powering my fridge. I don’t own a desktop PC. The WZRELB may have a problem with the PC power supply switching frequency.

 

[Delmar]

...I don't feel confident enough in it to keep it hooked up and running 24/7 if i'm not around to keep an eye on it. so i wanted something a little better, which i'd think growatt and eg4 are and victron most certainly is.

If you are looking for cheap yet bulletproof (but not efficient) inverter, look for an old APC 3000XL UPS. Waveform is perfection, lots of surge capacity to start motors, and autonomous operation that will switch back to grid power when restored.

The XL models are rated for continuous operation and can be easily identified by the external battery plug.

 

[defed]

If you are looking for cheap yet bulletproof (but not efficient) inverter, look for an old APC 3000XL UPS. Waveform is perfection, lots of surge capacity to start motors, and autonomous operation that will switch back to grid power when restored.

The XL models are rated for continuous operation and can be easily identified by the external battery plug.

holy smokes how big is that thing?!

 

[defed]

i forgot how heavy the outback is...like 3x that of the growatt/eg4. the transformer is massive. i opened it up again to look it over, i need to make a cpl cables so i can hook it up. there are test points all over it, but i don't know what i'm checking for. i found a 'service manual' but it pretty much just tells you how to take the boards and put them back in. i think i may get the control board and see what happens. looks like i should have gotten it 3 yrs ago when it was 'only' $300. it's $400 now.

 

[Zwy]

i have the opposite problem....my 10 panels are 36vmp (45voc) and 5imp...i only have them wired series in pairs, so i need a lower voltage rating. 2 reasons i did this....1) my current c/c can only handle 150v input, so 5 in series was too much 2) they are not all exactly the same (4 of one, 6 of the other) so i was happier keeping them paired together - though the specs are close enough that i could probably mix them together for 5 in series.

I needed higher voltage, array is 420 feet one way distance from house. As I had these wired all in series before and disconnected half of my array to lower the VOC, it gives me the opportunity to show the difference in PV input series vs parallel for a longer distance. Hopefully will have a video done about it in next few weeks.

so i am looking at the growatt spf3000 lvm-48p because it's input range is 60-115v. the ES version is 120-250v. i THINK the sk48v100 will communicate w/ these, but i have to check w/ current connected.

I don't worry about battery communication, it is a feature I don't need. I have the GW SPF3000LVM 24V unit in my truck camper. I found it would keep attempting to boot the SCC off battery if the inverter was off in low light conditions. It would then shutdown as PV couldn't supply enough amps and give the annoying beep. I ended up installing a heavy DC switch to turn off PV in low light conditions.

The Growatt I have has been a solid unit otherwise but I went with MPP for my house. The pair of LV6548's I'm running now that replaced the EG4 6500EX's have been rock solid, clean sine and very capable.

 

[thevizniz]

defed, I am in a similar boat. I have that "Reliable" inverter in my amazon cart ready to buy. I have a Victron 250/70 with 2500 watts of panels ready to hook up (going 48V).. I thought that inverter is ok? doing more research now, on the fence with AIO as well...

 

[G00SE]

i forgot how heavy the outback is...like 3x that of the growatt/eg4. the transformer is massive. i opened it up again to look it over, i need to make a cpl cables so i can hook it up. there are test points all over it, but i don't know what i'm checking for. i found a 'service manual' but it pretty much just tells you how to take the boards and put them back in. i think i may get the control board and see what happens. looks like i should have gotten it 3 yrs ago when it was 'only' $300. it's $400 now.

Clearance - Sales & Specials - Residential | NAZ Solar Electric

Great deals on solar power equipment. Search our clearance section for up to 50% off!

www.solar-electric.com

I don’t know if this is the board you need or not, they have many others to choose from.
May be worth a look if it is indeed cheaper

 

[defed]

Clearance - Sales & Specials - Residential | NAZ Solar Electric

Great deals on solar power equipment. Search our clearance section for up to 50% off!

www.solar-electric.com

I don’t know if this is the board you need or not, they have many others to choose from.
May be worth a look if it is indeed cheaper

i did see those, and i should have called to see if they were 'compatible'. i called zonna and he did say another model would work, and in fact it would work better if i was using it to charge lifepo's....i THINK it was the VFX (mine's GVFX). i ordered the original and it came today....it was a bit more than those (which is why i should have called)....the guy at zonna was confident it would be the control board, so i'll see tomorrow when i get it in.

 

[defed]

defed, I am in a similar boat. I have that "Reliable" inverter in my amazon cart ready to buy. I have a Victron 250/70 with 2500 watts of panels ready to hook up (going 48V).. I thought that inverter is ok? doing more research now, on the fence with AIO as well...

which inverter is in your cart? the one Delmar mentioned?

i ordered a board for my outback...it came today when i was at work, so tomorrow i'll see if it fixes it...otherwise i'm out half the price of an AIO LOL

 

[JoeHam]

From my exhaustive YouTube research, the WZRELB appears to have a somewhat decent waveform. I have not noticed issues with any of the electronics in my household, including powering my fridge. I don’t own a desktop PC. The WZRELB may have a problem with the PC power supply switching frequency.

I’ve used mine to power a PC without issue FWIW.

 

[defed]

I’ve used mine to power a PC without issue FWIW.

i'm sure it will run it, it just makes a terrible hum, like it's just not clean power. now it's not the exact one shown, but likely rebadged or at least very similar.

 

[SamDeleted]

If you are looking for cheap yet bulletproof (but not efficient) inverter, look for an old APC 3000XL UPS. Waveform is perfection, lots of surge capacity to start motors, and autonomous operation that will switch back to grid power when restored.

The XL models are rated for continuous operation and can be easily identified by the external battery plug.

I just burnt out my 5000va APC ups , did 2 months of hard service , overloaded until shutdown multiple times , apparently overloads are no good for UPSs !

 

[SamDeleted]

WZRELB

That's what I was going to suggest

 

[Delmar]

I just burnt out my 5000va APC ups , did 2 months of hard service , overloaded until shutdown multiple times , apparently overloads are no good for UPSs !

I believe the UPS does not like the elevated battery voltage from solar. Additionally the older small capacitors are weak where high voltage will make them fail. Change the small caps to see if the UPS starts working again.

 

[defed]

well, i put the new control board into my outback, it came on, figured all was good. finally got around to running it. used a small 200w load. 30 mins in, POP! everything on that circuit goes dark. at least this time i got a bunch of errors, but i think i lost the control board again so apparently it has another problem.

 

[defed]

i have to call zonna on monday and see how much to have it fixed....probably $100 to ship it plus whatever they charge, plus the $400 for the board that i probably fried again.

if it's going to be too much, i will look at the victrons...the phoenix 48/1200 would probably be big enough, for now. or i may just forget the budget and jump right up to the multiplus-II 3000w UL listed one.