Help, EG4 6000XP will not turn on

[Magellan]

I just built out my "Mobile Power Station" to deliver to a remote off-grid RV campsite. I have the (1) EG4 Powerpro battery conected by bus bars to two inverters the EG4 3000EHV-48 and EG4 6000XP. The EHV is just for backup and to allow 120V charging from a small suitcase generator in rare circumstances. The day-to-day setup is for the XP to work with the Powerpro and Solar panels to power the RV and charge the Hunting cart.

Well I finally got everything hooked up for a test run, and the XP refuses to come on. battery breaker (at XP) is on, unit is off, restarted the Powerpro battery first, then tried to turn on the XP - nothing. Gonna call Signature Solar tomorrow, but the thought that I have a dud inverter makes me worry about EG4...?

Just in case someone asks, the EHV is off at this point. but that does raise another concern:
-IF I have both inverters attached to the Powerpro battery (XP will use Batt Comm), will they interfere with each other? (EHV will be set to AGM - no BMS intelligence)

 

[JWLV]

I'm sure you've already done all of these, but just to double check.

1. Check battery voltage with a volt meter.
2. Check for loose cables.
3. Confirm positive & negative cables are connected to their respective terminals at the battery and at the inverter.
4. Check fuses/breakers.
5. Disconnect everything else except the battery and the 6000XP.

 

[DIYrich]

Will the EHV turn on?
Check battery voltage at the connection to the inverter.
Did you hear clicks when the powerpro turned on (pre-charge circuit)?

Regarding both inverters on the battery:
1) Make sure charge settings are set so that if both are charging it will not send too much current to the battery.
2) Make sure when both inverters are at max draw, you are not over drawing from the battery.

 

[Magellan]

I'm sure you've already done all of these, but just to double check.

1. Check battery voltage with a volt meter.
2. Check for loose cables.
3. Confirm positive & negative cables are connected to their respective terminals at the battery and at the inverter.
4. Check fuses/breakers.
5. Disconnect everything else except the battery and the 6000XP.

Yep, been through all that. Nothing

 

[Magellan]

Will the EHV turn on?
Check battery voltage at the connection to the inverter.
Did you hear clicks when the powerpro turned on (pre-charge circuit)?

Regarding both inverters on the battery:
1) Make sure charge settings are set so that if both are charging it will not send too much current to the battery.
2) Make sure when both inverters are at max draw, you are not over drawing from the battery.

Yes EHV works fine, I've got DC power (52V) at the XP's battery breaker - thinking about adding a temporary A/C in (GRID) connection to see if it's the battery breaker that's not good or connected....

I just find it so hard to believe that the inverter is a total dud. I'm gonna call SS here in couple hours

 

[solarenvy]

Yes EHV works fine, I've got DC power (52V) at the XP's battery breaker - thinking about adding a temporary A/C in (GRID) connection to see if it's the battery breaker that's not good or connected....

I just find it so hard to believe that the inverter is a total dud. I'm gonna call SS here in couple hours

I'm not sure we're at "total dud" status until troubleshooting is complete. It might end up being that, but best to exercise a little more patience. Interested to hear the outcome of the SS call.

 

[DIYrich]

thinking about adding a temporary A/C in (GRID) connection to see if it's the battery breaker that's not good or connected....

Disconnect the battery and wait a few hours. Put a resistor between the battery and inverter and measure the current (shunt readings?) when you turn on the breaker. If the capacitors in the inverter charge, you will see a current draw.

 

[EG4_Jared]

I just built out my "Mobile Power Station" to deliver to a remote off-grid RV campsite. I have the (1) EG4 Powerpro battery conected by bus bars to two inverters the EG4 3000EHV-48 and EG4 6000XP. The EHV is just for backup and to allow 120V charging from a small suitcase generator in rare circumstances. The day-to-day setup is for the XP to work with the Powerpro and Solar panels to power the RV and charge the Hunting cart.

Well I finally got everything hooked up for a test run, and the XP refuses to come on. battery breaker (at XP) is on, unit is off, restarted the Powerpro battery first, then tried to turn on the XP - nothing. Gonna call Signature Solar tomorrow, but the thought that I have a dud inverter makes me worry about EG4...?

Just in case someone asks, the EHV is off at this point. but that does raise another concern:
-IF I have both inverters attached to the Powerpro battery (XP will use Batt Comm), will they interfere with each other? (EHV will be set to AGM - no BMS intelligence)

Just to confirm, the Power On/Off switch on the right of the inverter and AC output switch on the left of the inverter are turned on? Also, it would not be recommended to have both inverters connected to the same battery bank since they do not communicate.

 

[Magellan]

Well it was simple, had the battery leads on backwards (Yes, I feel stupid) - in my defense the polarity is reversed from the Powerpro that would usually sit just beneath it and I have the XP sitting kind of low so you can't see the labels well. Now it comes on, but since it sits outside I can't read the LCD screen, because of the sunlight. Very, very faint, so I need to wait till it gets dark outside so I can read the screen - Ridiculous! In fact I thought it didn't come of at first because I didn't hear anything and the screen looks blank, only when I moved my head to look around the unit again did I realize it was actually on but virtually impossible to see... I sure hope there's a backlight setting because it's virtually unworkable as is.

Speaking of which, the Powerpro battery screen is frustrating too - it's on the side and very hard to read if you have it next to anything - which I do, sits in a corner with only about 10-12" clear on the side. It also times out very fast, so by the time I get my phone around the side (as a makeshift periscope) the screen blacks out. what stinks is these screens become invisible when you move out of line of sight - you can't read them from an angle. I really don't know why the Powerpro screen, breaker, and DIP switches are not on the front...?

 

[Magellan]

.... Also, it would not be recommended to have both inverters connected to the same battery bank since they do not communicate.

Is there some way around this? If the EHV is not using battery communication, but the XP is, would that still confuse the XP?
- Should I not use batt comm on either unit? What would I lose in that scenario?

Keep in mind I'm only using the EHV as a glorified Chargeverter - so why wouldn't a Chargever create the same issue?

 

[Gavin Stone]

You have the 6000XP mounted outside?

 

[Magellan]

You have the 6000XP mounted outside?

Kind of... I have the inverters and battery installed inside a large metal Job Box, with a power station on the the outside (Breaker box, RV recep, outdoor recep, and a PV junction box). This will sit next to an RV inside an open pole barn in the woods. I'll be able to close the box and lock it while gone. Solar panels are going on the roof of the pole barn next week which will power the system.

 

[AZ Solar Junkie]

Well it was simple, had the battery leads on backwards (Yes, I feel stupid) - in my defense the polarity is reversed from the Powerpro that would usually sit just beneath it and I have the XP sitting kind of low so you can't see the labels well. Now it comes on, but since it sits outside I can't read the LCD screen, because of the sunlight. Very, very faint, so I need to wait till it gets dark outside so I can read the screen - Ridiculous! In fact I thought it didn't come of at first because I didn't hear anything and the screen looks blank, only when I moved my head to look around the unit again did I realize it was actually on but virtually impossible to see... I sure hope there's a backlight setting because it's virtually unworkable as is.

Speaking of which, the Powerpro battery screen is frustrating too - it's on the side and very hard to read if you have it next to anything - which I do, sits in a corner with only about 10-12" clear on the side. It also times out very fast, so by the time I get my phone around the side (as a makeshift periscope) the screen blacks out. what stinks is these screens become invisible when you move out of line of sight - you can't read them from an angle. I really don't know why the Powerpro screen, breaker, and DIP switches are not on the front...?

Lucky it didn’t fry anything

 

[DIYrich]

Is there some way around this? If the EHV is not using battery communication, but the XP is, would that still confuse the XP?

1) Make sure charge settings are set so that if both are charging it will not send too much current to the battery.
2) Make sure when both inverters are at max draw, you are not over drawing from the battery.

Charging:
If both inverters charging at their max rate is not higher than max charge rate of the battery, then you are fine.
Otherwise, if you are careful and only use the EHV when the XP is, at most, doing nominal or no charging, then you can use the EHV at a higher charge rate.

Discharging:
Since the EHV is only for backup, you won't use it when the XP is on. If so, you don't have an issue.

 

[timselectric]

Also, it would not be recommended to have both inverters connected to the same battery bank since they do not communicate.

Why would that be a problem?

 

[Magellan]

1) Make sure charge settings are set so that if both are charging it will not send too much current to the battery.
2) Make sure when both inverters are at max draw, you are not over drawing from the battery.

Charging:
If both inverters charging at their max rate is not higher than max charge rate of the battery, then you are fine.
Otherwise, if you are careful and only use the EHV when the XP is, at most, doing nominal or no charging, then you can use the EHV at a higher charge rate.

Discharging:
Since the EHV is only for backup, you won't use it when the XP is on. If so, you don't have an issue.

Good points, thank you!

 

[Magellan]

Lucky it didn’t fry anything

Y, my heart sank when I saw those leads on the wrong side - but it's up and running now, just fussing through all the settings...

 

[Onehand]

Wonder if that XP has something built in that detects reverse polarity and simply ignores the reverse or has a protection circuit? As far as th sun, if you get under a black hood along with the screen, you'll be able to read it.

 

[Quattrohead]

Can I just show the utmost respect for the inverter not blowing up, incredible.

 

[AZ Solar Junkie]

Can I just show the utmost respect for the inverter not blowing up, incredible.

Just looked at the manual and it explicitly mentions PV reverse polarity protection. I didn’t find anywhere a claim of the same protection for the battery connection, but it seems likely to have the same protection for the battery terminals eh.