Are you speaking of warranty here? Or general reliability? I ask because sometimes one product will last just as long as another, but the mfr sets aside less money to cover warranty claims (to keep costs down), then offers a shorter warranty period simply to keep the price down. It's hard to tell which is at play when it comes to warranties, as they include elements of both reliability and "cash reserve". It's likely too early to tell this for the EG4 products, though.
EG4 6000XP instead of Victron? Thoughts Welcome.
- Thread starter Madcodger
- Start date
Gavin Stone
Solar Addict
Link and time stamp please
Q-Dog
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It's still gonna take a while before I trust an EG4 inverter. My MultiPlus has been running non stop longer than EG4 has existed as a company.
Gavin Stone
Solar Addict
Should be around 3:12.
And after testing this I actually got lower wattage a few days later. I think it has to cool down a bit from any type of load. The fans were shut down so I thought it was at a complete idle.
Well, there ya go. Good logic, as usual. What I MIGHT do is put Victron in the house, then buy a couple of 6000XPs for the barn, which will be a separate system (even panels). Or, as noted earlier, just buy an extra XP as a spare. All of it is a few months away, but I think these debates are helpful. They are certainly appreciated.
FWIW, I really enjoyed the video, before I even knew you were a fellow forum member. Nice to sort of "meet" the people whose videos you've been watching. Another nice thing about this forum. Thanks, @Will Prowse !
Quattrohead
Solar Wizard
Wow you are determined to not like this inverter.
Thanks. Ok I'll revise my numbers down to 58.3 idle.
And you got that from me asking for data? Lol
Or because I was considering the 6000xps and chose instead to take my chances on well used 12 year old inverters?
Gavin Stone
Solar Addict
I think Will tested at around 51 watts. I just don’t want to look through his videos to find it.
One advantage of a true hybrid , victron or otherwise, is the ability to use the grid and the battery at the same time. So it is possible, if you design the system correctly to use a smaller system for more loads.
For example, say you have peak 20kw whole house demand and you have 12kw of battery inverter and 12kw of ac coupled solar, and you wanted to run your whole house -
During the daytime you would have up to 24kw of capacity from battery and pv inverters and at night(or during the day if pv is not enough) you could set the system to run up to the 12kw from battery and supplement the rest from the grid.
It opens up a lot more options for sizing and configuration. With an off grid inverter it's either battery inverter or grid and either one might not be enough by itself to satisfy your loads
Partimewages
Solar Addict
JMHO
Each has a market place.
1. Victron more expensive but it just works and is very well supported and documented. Complete monitoring if you like.
2. EG4 or like, budget friendly likely won't last as long. Takes more tinkering and maintenance and doesn't have a long track record.
When I was younger I would have gone the EG4 route to save money. With my I can do anything attitude and physical ability it would not have been an issue. Now older and wiser it would be Victron. I need things to work and not be a burden for others in the household. I also need to be able to coach someone else if there are any issues. Victron gives me the ability to do that.
Each has a market place.
1. Victron more expensive but it just works and is very well supported and documented. Complete monitoring if you like.
2. EG4 or like, budget friendly likely won't last as long. Takes more tinkering and maintenance and doesn't have a long track record.
When I was younger I would have gone the EG4 route to save money. With my I can do anything attitude and physical ability it would not have been an issue. Now older and wiser it would be Victron. I need things to work and not be a burden for others in the household. I also need to be able to coach someone else if there are any issues. Victron gives me the ability to do that.
Gavin Stone
Solar Addict
It depends on the model I guess. I haven’t really touched my EG4 18kpv in months. I may check the app once a day. Then again if you wanted to utilize different time of day charging features and other hybrid features it may take more hands on tinkering occasionally I’d say.
Can’t really go wrong with Victron though. They seem to be sturdy and fairly simple once they are up and running.
It’s not hard to do, some of us try to talk ourselves into liking it but there’s reservations for good reason. I’m still excited to see their next one that should bridge the gap between the two
ksmithaz1
Solar / EV Junkie
But did we look at WHY he switched:There is a real world example of this in a new thread today:
Moved from EG4 6500ex Inverters to Victron Multiplus II 48v/5000 Inverters
Hello, I just swapped my off-grid EG4 6500ex inverters over to two Victron Multiplus II 48v/5000kva inverters with a 450v/200A Solar Charger while utilizing 900ah of EG4 LifePower4 batteries with an EG4 Hub and two 300ah Big Battery Kong Elite batteries. I currently have 4 arrays (11.5kw)...diysolarforum.com
"The EG4s were doing a decent job. In example last July my solar system produced 2 megawatts with the EG4 6500ex inverters, which was outstanding. They just were not very dependable and I couldn't leave the house knowing there was not remote capability to help my wife it something happened to the system. With the Victrons I can remote in and manage the system from anywhere and so can Current Connected help manage and monitor the system remotely too."
So anecdotally they were "Not very dependable", and could not be managed remotely. I find this strange. I remote in and manage my my 18kpv's all the time, surely the 6000EX has remote management? I have had a few issues, but my systems are engineered to fail to grid. I can say there are some issues between the EG4 BMS and my inverters, but we mention "flickering lights" and shutdowns at the end, but we don't mention if we upgraded battery firmware.
To other thread points, Victron has been doing this much longer, I would expect their firmware / software to be more stable. I think if you are going "off-grid" with the grid as a backup you should run the inverter and grid to a separate ATS anyway, so if the inverter shuts down no big deal. If you didn't then frankly you are dumb. If we are 100% off-grid, then the jury is still out since we've only been running the Victron setup for a very short period. It might fall over for similar reasons, impossible to tell in a few days.
SignatureSolarJames
Try Solar, the Grid will always take you back
the warranties are mirroring the design life median, the 6000xp is an open air unit and the board will break down faster than the 18kpv, which is totally sealed
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SignatureSolarJames
Try Solar, the Grid will always take you back
We have proven that the firmware released at time of launch reliably delivers 50w, it was in Will's video and if you own one and it was not in the first 1000 we shipped in October you would show 50w as well, or if it was the first batch it would show 50w upon firmware update.
SilverbackMP
Solar Addict
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2022
- Messages
- 928
Might consider adding an ERV as well…that would eliminate propane stove fumes. I would add it no matter what. You’re fairly well sealed. I am putting two in my shop…one for the main work area and one for the small living area, my office, and bathroom. The shop one will have external filters on supply and return (to protect the unit and so I can use $12 3M filters rather than $60 specific manufacturer’s filters).
Forgot to mention it, but will definitely have an ERV. Big fan of them (no pun intended). ACH50 under 1.0 is the goal, and the closer we can get to 0.5, the better. We'll then CONTROL the rate of air exchange, and recover much of the heat/humidity rather than just pumping it outside. My biggest concern is actually the radiant floors not feeling warm enough. They'll heat the space easily, but that nice "warm toes" feeling happens only if the building is loosing enough heat for the floor to get to that point. It won't feel cold, but just room temperature. Tradeoffs...
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