Best DIY Options on Amazon?

[scottmag]

Hey folks, my financial situation recently changed and I'm now looking for an option to be able to finance my solar build instead of paying with cash or credit card. One option is, obviously, to get a loan, but rates are in the 12% range right now. Is there another finance option?

Another option would be for me to use my Amazon Credit Card to get interest-free payments for 12 months on something I buy off Amazon.com. I'll need a minimum of 6kw inverter charger with 6.5kw PV input and both 120v/240v output and minimum of 30kwh of LifePO batteries.

What would you recommend I go with? This is for off-grid application, no municipal power even run to the property.
Currently looking at:
Inverter: https://www.amazon.com/Inverter-Cha...fos.5137e923-c7be-4142-979c-7c68b6c26f63&th=1

Batterier: https://www.amazon.com/Lithium-Batt...fos.5137e923-c7be-4142-979c-7c68b6c26f63&th=1

 

[Supervstech]

If i were shopping for a server rack battery, i would get one Will has reviewed, and use his affiliate links to get it.

 

[Supervstech]

Not a bad 6kW inverter/charger.
The 145V pv voltage limit hampers you a bit, but can work.
I like the MPP 6000 or a pair of 6500's to get 250 to 500V pv capable, and 80A x2 instead of 60A

 

[OffGridInTheCity]

Currently looking at:
Inverter: https://www.amazon.com/Inverter-Charger-Frequency-Output-SUNGOLDPOWER/dp/B0BZCKWMY6/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=Solar+Inverter&qid=1681239241&sr=8-15&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.5137e923-c7be-4142-979c-7c68b6c26f63&th=1

I recently bought a SGP 12,000w with ETL certs - https://www.amazon.com/SUNGOLDPOWER-Standard-Inverter-Frequency-Chargers/dp/B0B1J5XGCX/ref=sr_1_3 - for the best price for this level of inverting +ETL.

I only use the inverting feature so I can't confirm PV / Grid Input features. But inverter wise + remote on/off feature it's working well. Just moving past 483hrs of lifetime operation to date.

In fact I blew up the 1st one trying an inappropriate remote on/off action and so I bought a 2nd one. Surprisingly, SGP support got me a new control board (after 5 weeks) to fix #1 and now I have 2 of them working - so I have a backup

 

[OffGridInTheCity]

If i were shopping for a server rack battery, i would get one Will has reviewed, and use his affiliate links to get it.

Agree with this - Here's just one example:

Search "Rack Battery" and you'll get a ton of reviews.....

 

[740GLE]

What happens if you don’t pay off the Amazon CC after 12mo?

Can you just wait a year and save up over the next 12mo?

 

[scottmag]

What happens if you don’t pay off the Amazon CC after 12mo?

Can you just wait a year and save up over the next 12mo?

I’ll pay interest on the Amazon CC if I don’t pay it in 12 mo. I’m building my house off grid and need to move into it in 6 months and have lots of other expenses in the build too. Don’t have time to save $12k plus other expenses.

 

[usphisics]

Im kind in the same boat as you.

 

[50ShadesOfDirt]

LiTime (formerly AmpereTime) are great batteries ... while I don't have "server rack" batteries, I do have both AT and LT 12v batteries. Both service and quality/features have been good for me. This matches up a bit with Amazon ratings (whatever one thinks about those).

The only heartburn I've had with either AT or LT 12v batteries is their "sealed-up tight" nature of poly shell ... there's no getting in there to fix them, but as long as they hold out for the full warranty, then they'll pass into the realm of "buy another, part the first one out, feed into the next" scheme (which I successfully use on my fuel generators). But that's only the 12v or 24v batteries ... this LT server rack battery looks to be fixable, going by pics. You can also fire off a question to them, and see what they say about field repairs, if required outside of warranty.

Most server-rack style batteries should be field-repairable, unless the vendor/warranty precludes it. I think the foremost of this type of "fixable" battery is ... the SOK 12v's and server rack batteries, such as seen on ConnectedCurrent's website. They go out of their way to say everything is field replaceable (an FRU). The cases are metal, you can open them, and now SOK touts this as a feature ... I like it.

On the inverter ... SunGoldPower ... at least it's a low-frequency (LF) inverter, so that seems like quality specs right there. I'd still research their warranty & support capabilities, and also search heaviliy through this forum and elsewhere to see others' experience with the company. It's one thing to buy an inverter because it's inexpensive ... quite another to live with it for a few years, without warranty/support capability being there for you.

Which is why I say the server-rack batteries should be fixable with field-replaceable parts ... sooner or later, you want to be able to get in there and fix something. While we can't do this (yet) with most inverters, it's something to keep in mind when purchasing ...

BTW, Colorado passed (more) right to repair laws ... tractors are now on this list. Here's hoping it gets extended one day to solar gear.

Hope this helps ...

 

[HarryN]

Personally, I would not purchase anything electrical from amazon.

 

[50ShadesOfDirt]

Buying off of Amazon is kind of like buying from Costco or Sams ... buy it, check it out within 30 days, and if you don't like it, return it. I'd estimate that, over 20 years, I've had to return maybe 5% of electronics. Not much different from buying locally ... but, YMMV. This 30-day check-it-out function is pretty nice ...

SunGoldPower has a 30-day, mostly return it for any reason, on their dime ... that's not bad (I don't have SGP, so haven't tested this). I think I see a 3-year warranty on the LF inverter, but haven't found the official warranty doc yet.

The batteries I've purchased (both AT and LT) have worked right from the start ... I invoked warranty once on an AT battery, and they swapped it out w/ prepaid shipping labels ... also pretty good service.

All bought off of Amazon, but warranty/service handled by the vendor themselves.

 

[50ShadesOfDirt]

Ended up not being able to find a specific warranty card for the inverter in OP. You'll need to ask SGP for the specific warranty period for the unit you're looking at ... I think it's 3 years, but I'd want to see that on some piece of official paper.

Secondly, you'll want to make sure that Amazon is one of their official "selling fronts" (their store, vs some other reseller) ... if it is, then the 30-day return and other policies kick in. If it isn't, then you might want to purchase directly from SGP, vs from Amazon, depending on their answer. Use either support@sungoldpower.com, sales@sungoldpower.com, and see what they say.

My Magnum MS4024PAE is now past its 5-year warranty (and still running strong) ... but I'm keeping an eye out for a replacement for it. Could be another 4024, or I might move to a 48v version (something like a "chargeverter" in the future might prompt this switch); will be paying almost twice for a magnum as opposed to what this SGP would cost. SGP could be a contender, if all other support stuff checks out ...

Hope this helps ...