Can a controller hooked up to lead acid batteries and a controller hooked up to lithium batteries both be safely connected to the same inverter?

[billwh87]

Can a controller hooked up to lead acid batteries and a controller hooked up to lithium batteries both be safely connected to the same inverter? There are 4- 12v 100W panels hooked up in parallel to one EPEver Tracer4210AN, and 4- 12v 100w panels hooked up in parallel to another EPEver Tracer4210AN controller. I want to know if it is safe to hook up both controllers to a VEVOR 2500W 5000 Watt Power Inverter Pure Sine Wave 12V or is it only safe to hook up one controller to the inverter

I am new to this but would like to be able to have one or both sets of panels running at a given time. In the winter I would disconnect the lithiums to avoid changing them in freezing weather.

Thank you.

 

[DIYrich]

You can probably have more than one controller per inverter. The problem is connecting different battery chemistries to the same inverter.

 

[billwh87]

Thanks DIYrich. This is in an 18 X 32 enclosed carport with a 6 x 6 roll-up door entrance. I have overhead DC lights that I can hook up directly to the lead acid controller branch to run my lights year-round when I am in the building. Eventually, I want to install a couple of small green houses in the building for over the winter. I have grow lights that I use in my house now to get an early start on tomatoes and cucumbers that I am thinking about moving to the carport. I could hook the lithium controller to the inverter to run my power tools during the non-freezing months. I think I am going to figure out a way to be able to run either of the two controllers to the inverter, only not at the same time.

 

[mikefitz]

You don't 'run' controllers hooked up to inverters via the controller load output as the inverter load and initial connection could damage the controller. Inverters should always be connected, via suitable over current protection, directly to the batteries.
See page 12 , Epever manual,

With two controller/battery systems, any Inverter is connected to one or the other. Attempting to connect to both, effectively connects the batteries in parallel.

Note, there is nothing special about controller load outputs. The load outputs connect to the battery . The controller, via semiconductor switch has a programmable option of turning the load outputs on/off . Typical use would be to control lighting after dark.

Mike