Charge LiFePo4 batteries from generator with hybrid inverter running?

[rvdbijl]

Probably a simple question — can you simultaneously charge a battery bank (LiFePo4 w. BMS) while the (hybrid) inverter (Sol-Ark) is connected and running as well? This would be a scenario where there isn’t enough solar to charge the batteries during a power outage but I don’t want to shut down the inverter. If the inverter is drawing 1000W, and a 48V charger that can deliver 1500W is connected in parallel, will it supply 500W net to the batteries to charge them? Any reason why you can’t/shouldn’t do this? Would there be an issue if the charger and the inverter are both trying to charge the batteries (when the sun comes out from behind the clouds) or will they just reach max voltage when the batteries are full and automatically stop supplying power?
My thinking is to power the inverter from my RAV4 Prime that has a 120V output rated up to 1800W if I recall correctly during a long power outage.

 

[time2roll]

1800w in a factory inverter connector? I am guessing closer to 180 watts.

 

[rvdbijl]

1800w in a factory inverter connector? I am guessing closer to 180 watts.

Ok. It wasn't 1800W, I remembered incorrectly. But it is 1500W. Excerpt from manual:


So maybe a 1250W charger would do the trick. Question I still have is if you can hook that up in parallel with the batteries/inverter and not disconnect anything (keep the inverter running) ...

 

[time2roll]

Yes the battery can be charged with a second source at any time. The rest can continue operating without issues.

That set up is rather impressive with 1500 watts. Although many chargers are not power factor corrected. I would limit the load to 70% of the rating or 1050 watts. If the charger power is the output I would only go 50% or 750 watts.

 

[rvdbijl]

Yes the battery can be charged with a second source at any time. The rest can continue operating without issues.

That set up is rather impressive with 1500 watts. Although many chargers are not power factor corrected. I would limit the load to 70% of the rating or 1050 watts. If the charger power is the output I would only go 50% or 750 watts.

Sounds good! I will get a 750-1000W charger and try it out once I have everything connected & working.

Thanks!

 

[DIYrich]

I'm going to do this:

âThe Chargeverter: A Game Changing Solar Battery Charger for Off-Grid Systems

Are you tired of having to constantly upgrade your generator to keep up with the demands of your off-grid system? Look no further, as EG4 has the solution for you with the ChargeVerter.Meet EG4âs ChargeVerter The ChargeVerter is a 5000W max, 48v DC output charger unit that offers selectable...

signaturesolar.com

Yes, I will loose peak power (Sol-ark only vs Sol-ark plus Generator), but now I can buy a cheap generator, and not have to worry about dirty power.

 

[BlueMarblePA]

I'm going to do this:

âThe Chargeverter: A Game Changing Solar Battery Charger for Off-Grid Systems

Are you tired of having to constantly upgrade your generator to keep up with the demands of your off-grid system? Look no further, as EG4 has the solution for you with the ChargeVerter.Meet EG4âs ChargeVerter The ChargeVerter is a 5000W max, 48v DC output charger unit that offers selectable...

signaturesolar.com

Yes, I will loose peak power (Sol-ark only vs Sol-ark plus Generator), but now I can buy a cheap generator, and not have to worry about dirty power.

How do you wire the cheap portable generator /chargeverter via the SolARk? Do you bring the chargeverter into the Gen-Input of the Solark, or do you wire it to the battery pos/neg bus bars, thus bypassing the SolArk.