EG4-LifePower4 or EG4-LL Lithium Batteries not able to handle surge of table saw start-up

[JeffRenfrow]

A friend with a similar system just upgraded from lead acid (8 225 ah batteries/48v) to two 48v 100 ah EG4-LL Lithium Batteries. I'm about to do the same but I am thinking of getting 3 of these batteries or the EG4-LifePower4 48v batteries. Everything is great except that before, with the lead acid batteries, starting the motor on his table saw was no problem and now the system can't handle the surge. Is this a problem with these batteries or lithium in general. IF so, would I have better surge capacity with 3 of these batteries as opposed to 2? Also, besides the warranty, can I expect the EG4-LifePower4 and EG4-LL to perform about the same? Thanks!

 

[BenFromSignatureSolar]

What type of inverter are you running with these batteries? Normally the Lifepower4's are going to serve you just as well as the LLs, but if closed loop comms and having data at your fingertips is important to you, go with the LLs. Ultimately though, the Lifepower4 is going to give you equal performance to the LL.

 

[robby]

can I expect the EG4-LifePower4 and EG4-LL to perform about the same? Thanks!

No! Based on past posts the Lifepower 4 is terrible at handling sudden loads. Some owners speculate that what is written in the manual is correct. So anything above a 30 Amp surge may trip it. The EG4LL Ver1 do not have the same problem and I have not seen anyone complain about it's surge ability. I have not heard anything on the Eg4LL Ver2 and I would advice waiting until more reviews come in.

 

[JeffRenfrow]

No! Based on past posts the Lifepower 4 is terrible at handling sudden loads. Some owners speculate that what is written in the manual is correct. So anything above a 30 Amp surge may trip it. The EG4LL Ver1 do not have the same problem and I have not seen anyone complain about it's surge ability. I have not heard anything on the Eg4LL Ver2 and I would advice waiting until more reviews come in.

Interesting. My friend has the eg4LL V1 and reports problems with starting a 13 amp 120v motor which I believe surges to approx. 26 amps 120 v on startup. His system did not have these problems prior to switching from lead acid. Thoughts?

 

[BenFromSignatureSolar]

Interesting. My friend has the eg4LL V1 and reports problems with starting a 13 amp 120v motor which I believe surges to approx. 26 amps 120 v on startup. His system did not have these problems prior to switching from lead acid. Thoughts?

What type of motor is it? Usually you can tell by the NEMA stamp what all the specs look like. There is a firmware update for the V1's that will allow larger inrush current upon startup and more communications with various inverters. If your friend only has 1 battery then he is likely going to have some issues unless that is the only thing he has hooked up and the battery is at full capacity.

 

[robby]

Interesting. My friend has the eg4LL V1 and reports problems with starting a 13 amp 120v motor which I believe surges to approx. 26 amps 120 v on startup. His system did not have these problems prior to switching from lead acid. Thoughts?

I have no idea why 13 Amps would trip it. I have put at least 40 Amps on mine with no issue and I think some people have gone higher. The inrush current in the worst case might be 50 Amps but would expect the battery to handle that.

 

[JeffRenfrow]

What type of inverter are you running with these batteries? Normally the Lifepower4's are going to serve you just as well as the LLs, but if closed loop comms and having data at your fingertips is important to you, go with the LLs. Ultimately though, the Lifepower4 is going to give you equal performance to the LL.

Ben, couple of quick questions if I may. If had a battery bank comprised of 3-4 EG4 Lifepower4's they could expect very similar performance to the same setup using the LL's? In other words, the biggest difference would be in the closed loop comms and data accessibility? Also, I you had battery bank consisting of 1 Lifepower4 and you wanted to expand your storage, can you just add another battery. I know there can be issues with doing this with lead acid due to the slow degradation of the batteries. Thanks.

 

[JeffRenfrow]

What type of motor is it? Usually you can tell by the NEMA stamp what all the specs look like. There is a firmware update for the V1's that will allow larger inrush current upon startup and more communications with various inverters. If your friend only has 1 battery then he is likely going to have some issues unless that is the only thing he has hooked up and the battery is at full capacity.

Is this firmware update available on Signature Solars website. He purchased his batteries from y'all. Also, is this tyro if update also available or needed with the lifepower4 battery? Thanks.

 

[cassettedeck]

I now have (1) v.1 LL and (3) v.2 connected off-grid to the Sol-Ark 12k. When I just had the single v.1, I didn't have a problem with inrush and the battery unless its charge was low. The Sol-Ark would trip a lot before their firmware update. Now, it only seems to trip with some power tools (mostly my DeWalt miter saw) but I think I narrowed it down to the extension cord.