EG4 18kPV Q+A general thread

[Zapper77]

I've got particle board walls in the garage.
How large an area behind the 18kpv needs to be covered in cement board? Is it just the area behind the business end, the top side of it? GOD I hope so. I can work with that. If not, we're gonna have a bad Saturday morning.
I guess we got a bit too excited getting this and what's on the other side of the wall together and skipped right past the cement board.

View attachment 172966

Personally I would drywall the walls and ceiling.

 

[#40Fan]

I've got particle board walls in the garage.
How large an area behind the 18kpv needs to be covered in cement board? Is it just the area behind the business end, the top side of it? GOD I hope so. I can work with that. If not, we're gonna have a bad Saturday morning.
I guess we got a bit too excited getting this and what's on the other side of the wall together and skipped right past the cement board.

View attachment 172966

All of the lines that have to go in and out, I'm not sure I'd want it stuffed in a corner like that.

 

[Gotshocked!]

Thanks for the comments guys but I'm waiting on a reply from Markus or another qualified Sig Solar tech.
You guys do crack me up though.

 

[Markus_EG4]

Thanks for the comments guys but I'm waiting on a reply from Markus or another qualified Sig Solar tech.
You guys do crack me up though.

I would listen to Zapper he has prob the best advice to give. The reason for dry wall at least is in case of a failure. There are many pictures on this forum alone of fires caused by the inverter or improper wiring, PV not calculated properly over what the inverters rated for. This is more of a saftey thing then anything else. Most people use hardy board.

You can leave it on plywood if you want that’s totally up to you. It’s just more of what people have seen or experienced in the past that make them go that extra step.

 

[Gotshocked!]

I would listen to Zapper he has prob the best advice to give. The reason for dry wall at least is in case of a failure. There are many pictures on this forum alone of fires caused by the inverter or improper wiring, PV not calculated properly over what the inverters rated for. This is more of a saftey thing then anything else. Most people use hardy board.

You can leave it on plywood if you want that’s totally up to you. It’s just more of what people have seen or experienced in the past that make them go that extra step.

I'm confident in the wiring and in the pv calculations done. I'm confident the EG4 18kpv is not going to burn my house down. I don't have plans to drywall my garage but if there is a threat of fire so great that I should consider something like that, I might have to look into a small, inverter area specific fire suppressant system of some sort.
Last year I installed a high efficiency wood burning fireplace, an Osburn. It's a pretty major appliance. They were very strict and specific in regards to how it and it's components must be installed. Based on what I understand about that, I think the inverter needs this buffer behind the hot side only. I'm just wondering if there's anything more specific than the general info in the manual.
Is it just what I would consider the "hot side", the top 2/3rds
or the entire inverter
or 3" around the entire inverter
or a foot around it... I'm thinking it's the direct heat transfer from the hot side that's the concern and not the surrounding areas.

 

[Quattrohead]

I really cannot imagine any kind of excessive heat or fire escaping the inverter case but if it makes you feel better the sheets of durarock etc at the big box stores are available in 3 ft by 5 foot pieces, so I would just put one of those behind it.

 

[timselectric]

It's not the normal operating temperature, that's a concern. It's the possibility of a fire in the unit.

 

[LydMekk]

I got thin steel plates behind my units.
Just to be sure.

 

[Q-Dog]

You can get fire resistant paint for raw wood. It would buy some time if bad stuff happens. Not cheap, but may be a solution if you can't at least do drywall.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Firetect-White-Flat-Latex-Interior-Paint-Actual-Net-Contents-128/1003016850

 

[Gotshocked!]

I got thin steel plates behind my units.
Just to be sure.

That's probably a good idea and what I did a little of installing the fireplace dual wall chimney pipe .

 

[Gotshocked!]

I really cannot imagine any kind of excessive heat or fire escaping the inverter case but if it makes you feel better the sheets of durarock etc at the big box stores are available in 3 ft by 5 foot pieces, so I would just put one of those behind it.

I've already got a 3 x 5 piece of hardy backer. I cut it down to 28 1/2 x 4' but we just went too far and forgot to put it in place.

 

[Gotshocked!]

Thank you for you're fast response Markus and everyone else. I very much appreciate the feedback.

 

[Gotshocked!]

I really cannot imagine any kind of excessive heat or fire escaping the inverter case but if it makes you feel better the sheets of durarock etc at the big box stores are available in 3 ft by 5 foot pieces, so I would just put one of those behind it.

I've already got a 3 x 5 piece of hardy backer. I cut it down to 28 1/2 x 4' but we just went too far to fast and forgot to put it in place.

 

[Gotshocked!]

You can get fire resistant paint for raw wood. It would buy some time if bad stuff happens. Not cheap, but may be a solution if you can't at least do drywall.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Firetect-White-Flat-Latex-Interior-Paint-Actual-Net-Contents-128/1003016850

That's interesting.

I could install a water pipe in the garage and put one of these in it. That would be easy. The garage is paneled in board and insulated. Drywall would be a huge pita.

https://www.amazon.com/Approved-TUNA-Sprinkler-Automatic-sprinkler/dp/B08NYFD9WT/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2ZXO6XEKI10GK&keywords=fire+sprinkler+heads&qid=1697719159&sprefix=fire+sprinkler+heads%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-5

 

[Gotshocked!]

It's not the normal operating temperature, that's a concern. It's the possibility of a fire in the unit.

What's the chance of a fire in this inverter compared to a fire in the transfer switch, fused disconnect or the homes existing breaker panel?
In the manual it reads that if the inverter is not installed on brick or block or other non-combustible surface then it goes on to give a quick process when installing on concrete board. It doesn't mention how much or where.

 

[pvgirl]

If you are planing to put batteries in the room having type X drywall on the walls and ceiling would be a good idea for a fire barrier.

 

[Gotshocked!]

If you are planing to put batteries in the room having type X drywall on the walls and ceiling would be a good idea for a fire barrier.

The batteries will be installed in the adjacent mudroom, which has drywall.

 

[timselectric]

What's the chance of a fire in this inverter compared to a fire in the transfer switch, fused disconnect or the homes existing breaker panel?
In the manual it reads that if the inverter is not installed on brick or block or other non-combustible surface then it goes on to give a quick process when installing on concrete board. It doesn't mention how much or where.

In my personal opinion.
The risk is no different from any other electrical/electronic appliance.
But it does carry higher voltage and current.
So, if things go wrong, they can go very wrong.
I'm putting everything on a thin sheet of aluminum, just in case. I don't think that it will burn the house down. But it's possible to ignite (or scorch) nearby combustible materials.

 

[timselectric]

If you are planing to put batteries in the room having type X drywall on the walls and ceiling would be a good idea for a fire barrier.

To protect the batteries from an unrelated fire.

 

[Gotshocked!]

In my personal opinion.
The risk is no different from any other electrical/electronic appliance.
But it does carry higher voltage and current.
So, if things go wrong, they can go very wrong.
I'm putting everything on a thin sheet of aluminum, just in case. I don't think that it will burn the house down. But it's possible to ignite (or scorch) nearby combustible materials.

The inverter has stand-offs on the back of the unit, just like a zero-clearance, high efficiency fireplace which suggests to me that if it were to get hot enough, fire leaving the box might not be the concern, but heat transfer from the box to the adjacent structure. If the box catches fire and said fire were able to leave the box, I'd be worried about the ceiling too. Thin sheet metal is what was to be used with my fireplace.
I'm going to install 1 sprinkler a few feet above this inverter, just in case & slip a piece of hardy cement board behind the hoot side, just in case.
Thank you for your reply timselectric.

 

[timselectric]

The inverter has stand-offs on the back of the unit, just like a zero-clearance, high efficiency fireplace which suggests to me that if it were to get hot enough, fire leaving the box might not be the concern, but heat transfer from the box to the adjacent structure. If the box catches fire and said fire were able to leave the box, I'd be worried about the ceiling too. Thin sheet metal is what was to be used with my fireplace.
I'm going to install 1 sprinkler a few feet above this inverter, just in case & slip a piece of hardy cement board behind the hoot side, just in case.
Thank you for your reply timselectric.

Just keep in mind that water isn't the way to put out an electrical fire. In most cases, it makes things worse.

 

[Farm Boy]

Class C - electrical

 

[Packen]

I am installing my 18k now. My question is when connecting to the grid. I plan to net meter. Can I go ahead and connect from the meter to my 18k then the 18k to my 200amp panel and will it pass through? I’m not quite ready yet to connect my batteries and solar panels but would like to go ahead and get the grid hooked up so I can have my electrician come inspect it( my utility requires the inspection). I just want to make sure i will still have power to my house. I can then connect my batteries and solar panels.

 

[Zapper77]

I am installing my 18k now. My question is when connecting to the grid. I plan to net meter. Can I go ahead and connect from the meter to my 18k then the 18k to my 200amp panel and will it pass through? I’m not quite ready yet to connect my batteries and solar panels but would like to go ahead and get the grid hooked up so I can have my electrician come inspect it( my utility requires the inspection). I just want to make sure i will still have power to my house. I can then connect my batteries and solar panels.

Inverter will pass through when powered on.

I've personally never tried pass-through without using Solar and/or Batteries.

 

[Packen]

Inverter will pass through when powered on.

I've personally never tried pass-through without using Solar and/or Batteries.

So I should wait until I get batteries and solar hooked up? I just need to be sure because I won’t be able to change it back once I hook it up. If I lose power to my house my wife will be very unhappy. She’s been really good throughout my solar adventures, don’t want to make her mad now.