EG4 6000XP Battery Charging Via Generator

[MikeRI]

Was about to order a Chargeverter to use as a work-around to the EG4 3000EVH’s small generator charging shortfalls, but now I’m wondering —> I’m now thinking it might be better to skip purchasing a Chargeverter and instead apply the saved $500 towards purchase of an EG4 6000XP. Does anyone know if the 6000XP can handle battery charging by small generator while being under load powering the house, OR does it too have small generator battery charging issues?

 

[timselectric]

Was about to order a Chargeverter to use as a work-around to the EG4 3000EVH’s small generator charging shortfalls, but now I’m wondering —> I’m now thinking it might be better to skip purchasing a Chargeverter and instead apply the saved $500 towards purchase of an EG4 6000XP. Does anyone know if the 6000XP can handle battery charging by small generator while being under load powering the house, OR does it too have small generator battery charging issues?

They all do.

 

[Offgrid Jungle]

Works great. Set the charge rate to about 50% of your generator capacity.

 

[DIYrich]

CV eliminates the dirty power of a generator from affecting your AC loads.

 

[timselectric]

Also allows you to get full efficiency from the generator.
Since you don't have to limit charging, by guessing what the AC loads will be.

 

[MikeRI]

Ah... I was thinking that built into the 6000XP was everything that a Chargeverter has and can do, but maybe not... I guess the answer is whether you run own an EG4 3000 or the 6000XP, either way it's best to have a stand-alone charger handle the generator charging of the batteries if your plan is to also be running the inverter to power the house at the same time

 

[macdaman]

Ah... I was thinking that built into the 6000XP was everything that a Chargeverter has and can do, but maybe not... I guess the answer is whether you run own an EG4 3000 or the 6000XP, either way it's best to have a stand-alone charger handle the generator charging of the batteries if your plan is to also be running the inverter to power the house at the same time

It does not. You need a THD of (I think) about 3% to use the GEN input. Even if your generator touts that, distortion grows the higher the output. I've seen numbers suggesting you'd need a generator of 20kW to run a 5000W charge on your batteries in order to keep that distortion down. Cheaper to get a CV than that large of a generator.

 

[doox00]

What are some of the chargeverters out there, just the eg4 one?

 

[rmarkin]

What are some of the chargeverters out there, just the eg4 one?

Another option, which is what I recently started doing, is using the 6000xp as an inverter and solar charger and using the EG4 3kW as a battery charger. It works perfect, it stays powered off until I fire up my 3500W generator and it then charges the batteries without affecting any of my loads which are running off of the 6000xp.

 

[macdaman]

What are some of the chargeverters out there, just the eg4 one?

That brand name is EG4 and is the one I purchased myself. There are a number of battery chargers out there. I have a "dirty" open frame generator that I already owned and didn't want to purchase another. For more or less what I would have paid for another generator, I went ahead and got the chargeverter.

 

[DIYrich]

What are some of the chargeverters out there, just the eg4 one?

Thread 'DIY 'Chargenectifier'' https://diysolarforum.com/threads/diy-chargenectifier.56329/

 

[DIYrich]

Another option, which is what I recently started doing, is using the 6000xp as an inverter and solar charger and using the EG4 3kW as a battery charger. It works perfect, it stays powered off until I fire up my 3500W generator and it then charges the batteries without affecting any of my loads which are running off of the 6000xp.

Better yet, a 2nd 6000xp. That way you have a backup if the installed one fails.

 

[MikeRI]

Another option, which is what I recently started doing, is using the 6000xp as an inverter and solar charger and using the EG4 3kW as a battery charger. It works perfect, it stays powered off until I fire up my 3500W generator and it then charges the batteries without affecting any of my loads which are running off of the 6000xp.

Better yet, a 2nd 6000xp. That way you have a backup if the installed one fails.

I own an EG4 3000 so maybe I buy a second one of these and use as a charger with my Honda 2000i, and it could serve as a backup and maybe even one day pair the two to upsize my system. <-- Need to think on this. Is there any downside to using a dedicated EG4 3000 versus a Chargeverter for generator battery charging?

 

[DIYrich]

Is there any downside to using a dedicated EG4 3000 versus a Chargeverter for generator battery charging?

The CV will accept dirty and out of range power. The 3000 may refuse to connect to dirty or out of range power. The inverter generator should be clean power. But, if you need an emergency replacement for the generator, the CV is more flexible (can buy a cheap generator).

 

[MikeRI]

The CV will accept dirty and out of range power. The 3000 may refuse to connect to dirty or out of range power. The inverter generator should be clean power. But, if you need an emergency replacement for the generator, the CV is more flexible (can buy a cheap generator).

Good one. Thanks

 

[EG4TechSolutionsTeam]

Was about to order a Chargeverter to use as a work-around to the EG4 3000EVH’s small generator charging shortfalls, but now I’m wondering —> I’m now thinking it might be better to skip purchasing a Chargeverter and instead apply the saved $500 towards purchase of an EG4 6000XP. Does anyone know if the 6000XP can handle battery charging by small generator while being under load powering the house, OR does it too have small generator battery charging issues?

To connect a generator directly to the 6000XP, it’s recommended that the generator has a THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) of less than 3%. While a generator with less than 5% THD can be used, it won’t be as efficient. Smaller generators often require a chargeverter to clean up the sine waves for proper operation.

 

[HardYakka]

My generator is a 10kw per leg stationary unit that in 2015 was $8000, now $12K to replace, thousands shipped globally. Has run water pumps, MAGNUM inverters, etc., without a hick up or issue other that replacing a fan belt about a month ago. XP is so noisy that it trips the digital controller up on the generator causing a number of issues. Like a couple days ago the XP blew it's guts and tripped every AFCI breaker at the house, lights strobed and water pump kept start/stop cycling. My self and two other contractors watched as I ran to shut the XP down. I've also Fluked the vac and watched the voltage creep up to 270 vac-ish before shutting down genny. Power house is 50' away from house.
Disconnect the XP and watch the genny then run for hours powering house and a solid 240vac.

Needless to say, mothballing XP's and have already hung new the two new 4448's and looking for one more.

 

[Foamforce]

Sorry to beat this dead horse, but I have a small Champion inverter generator that claims < 3% THD. The source below mentions inverter generators from 2000+ watts. Mine is 3100, and I’ve found other sources specific to my generator that make the same claim, but they’re not on the Champion website.

Total Harmonic Distortion

Champion portable generators will output an industry standard total harmonic distortion (THD) rating of about 12%-20% depending on load applied. They will produce a sine wave, not a modified or squar…

help.championpowerequipment.com

Given that most everybody says that small generators can’t produce good power, could this be real?

Fwiw, I currently use this to charge with my Magnum 4448pae and it works fine, but the lights dim when a big load comes online. Does this necessarily mean dirty power, or could that just mean lower voltage (is dirty power in this contact only frequency and not voltage)?

Sorry if I’m acting naive and overly hopeful, but I thought it was worth asking.

 

[DIYrich]

Sorry to beat this dead horse, but I have a small Champion inverter generator that claims < 3% THD. The source below mentions inverter generators from 2000+ watts. Mine is 3100, and I’ve found other sources specific to my generator that make the same claim, but they’re not on the Champion website.

That is for regular generators. Most Inverters are clean power.

Given that most everybody says that small generators can’t produce good power, could this be real?

Small inverters can produce small smouts of good power.

Fwiw, I currently use this to charge with my Magnum 4448pae and it works fine, but the lights dim when a big load comes online. Does this necessarily mean dirty power, or could that just mean lower voltage (is dirty power in this contact only frequency and not voltage)?

Sag is due to sudden load, and the generator needing to increase motor speed. Wave form should be relatively clean but voltage will drop.

 

[Foamforce]

That is for regular generators. Most Inverters are clean power.


Small inverters can produce small smouts of good power.



Sag is due to sudden load, and the generator needing to increase motor speed. Wave form should be relatively clean but voltage will drop.

Great, thank you!

One more question please. Can the 6000XP charge the batteries from the generator while the inverter provides power from the batteries, or is it either inverter or charger? With my Magnum, when I use it to charge from the generator, my generator is both charging the batteries while also providing all the power for the cabin, so I can only use about 1000w to charge the batteries in order to reserve the remaining ~1800w for running the cabin.

 

[EG4TechSolutionsTeam]

so I can only use about 1000w to charge the batteries in order to reserve the remaining ~1800w for running the cabin.

Yes, you can use your generator to charge the batteries and power your loads. You can also enable Generator Boost in case your load demand exceeds the generator’s capacity. In that case, the inverter will assist by using PV, battery, or both to help support the loads.