I think you can local connect without an account. And update the firmware.
EG4 18kPV Q+A general thread
- Thread starter SignatureSolarJames
- Start date
The 1 KW figure is the waste heat, not the load. When you are dealing with 12 KW solar/AC, the unit will pump out heat, about 1 KW or so. If I don't vent that elsewhere, it will dump into the garage and make it that much warmer. For example, battery to AC is 94% max efficiency. At 12 KW AC output, that's 766 wats waste heat, and that is assuming the max efficiency occurs at max load (which it very well may not be). Add in some PV power and you are easily at 1 KW heat coming out of the unit.
Mike C.
Quattrohead
Solar Wizard
The 18K will not turn on the fans until it's either doing 6 kilowatts worth of work or internal temperatures hit 140°. Mine is also in a hot garage in Florida and survived last summer with no problem, I was more worried about it than it was.
The exhaust ports are in the top of the unit and the heat sinks and fans are fully isolated from the internals, that is why it is IP65 rated for outdoor use.
The exhaust ports are in the top of the unit and the heat sinks and fans are fully isolated from the internals, that is why it is IP65 rated for outdoor use.
One summer is not an endurance test, of course. Heat reduces electronic part lifetimes. Electrolytic capacitors, of which I am sure there are plenty in the 18KPV, last half as long for every 10 C rise in temperature. So if your are 20 C hotter than you could be, the caps will last only one quarter of the time. So keeping the circuits cooler helps. An inverter in a hot garage will not last as long as one in a colder place, that's just the nature of electronic parts.
Efficiency wise, colder wires and semiconductors conduct better. This is a relatively minor effect, but it does exist none the less.
The batteries don't want to get too hot either. They have both the ambient temperature plus any internal heat rise from current flow. 60 C is generally the max for lithium types, and being under 40 C ambient would be highly desirable. Having the inverter pump an additional 1 KW of heat into the garage makes things worse, even for the humans coming out to a hot car.
That's why I am thinking ahead about how to reject that heat somewhere else. My current plan is to vent it into the attic. That will lower temperatures in the garage and in the attic.
Good to know. Essentially, the "backpack" is basically just a duct with fans to direct air over the heat sinks.
Mike C.
Tech707
New Member
EG418K RS485 VS CAN?
From what I can tell the EG418K and EG4 LL both support CAN and RS485 closed loop commutation settings. Is there any deference between the two or a reason to use one over the other?
Edit CAN is the way to go!
From what I can tell the EG418K and EG4 LL both support CAN and RS485 closed loop commutation settings. Is there any deference between the two or a reason to use one over the other?
Edit CAN is the way to go!
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Gavin Stone
Solar Addict
Lux power inverters use CAN protocal. So for the 18kpv you’d use that. Markus with EG4 just recently made a video on how to change the protocal on the LL and pro batteries.
Tech707
New Member
Interesting, I am currently using RS485 but now I am wondering if I should move to CAN...
Shout out to Markus he has been an invaluable resource to the community.
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Markus_EG4
I am from Germany. Don't mean to come off rude
only remove if your installing an external rsd switch
On the subject of RSD, if I hit the RSD connected to 18, will that kill the feed from my AC coupled system by grid shifting it, or not at all, or some combo?
I know I can and will wire in the AC coupled system to the RSD, but just wondering in the interim.
I know I can and will wire in the AC coupled system to the RSD, but just wondering in the interim.
Wouldn't the EG4 just shut down once the RSD was hit, stop making "the grid", and the coupled system would just power down like a standard grid-down scenario?
Markus_EG4
I am from Germany. Don't mean to come off rude
Correct
ksmithaz1
Solar / EV Junkie
You should have no problems getting way past that number. I'm at 16554 KWH of solar with 15307.9 of inverter output, implying around a 92+% efficiency overall. Not bad, and still not past a full year! Efficiency may drop a bit more, I added batteries last fall, which will get exercised regularly in the extremes soon.
wpns
Solar Joules are catch and release
Open that circuit to shut everything down.
Yeah, this was through winter. Hope/plan to get a lot more through spring, summer and fall
