Hybrid inverter - Emergency backup mode?

[Bdaalex]

Hi,

I'm about to purchase either the EG4 18k or Sol-Ark 15k and was wondering if anyone has any experience with settings and using a backup mode. Essentially, I will set up the system to drain the battery to about 20% most nights to minimize grid usage and get as close to off grid as possible. However, I live in a hurricane zone and also want the backup functionality. We all know that a power outage would of course come at the worst possible state of charge , so is there anyway to have an alternate setting that can easily be toggled to when a storm is coming? Basically this setting would override normal settings and charge the battery to 100% quickly and keep it there for a period of time? I could see this being useful for a number of reasons beyond just hurricanes.

I know the EG4 has a "quick charge" button that charges from the grid for 1 hour regardless of other settings. That's helpful but doesn't change the draw down settings.

Alex

 

[MisterSandals]

Essentially, I will set up the system to drain the battery to about 20% most nights to minimize grid usage and get as close to off grid as possible.

There are probably a few ways to do this with both of those inverters.
The easiest i can think of would be to change the "back to grid" setting to ~95% (possibly expressed as a voltage?). Quick charge to 100% and then disconnecting batteries works too but you lose instantaneous/automatic cutover.

 

[Oldphile]

With the Sol-Ark you select TOU to establish discharge schedules. Disable TOU to enable charging from an AC source. Choose grid and or generator.

 

[Bdaalex]

Thanks. Both of these option entail changing the main settings, likely in multiple fields. Ideally there would be a second profile that you could change to with one click. I wondering if that exists. If not, it’s something sol-to should add to the firmware.

 

[MisterSandals]

Ideally there would be a second profile that you could change to with one click.

Lets conjure @Ampster who is an expert on such things with Sol-Ark (there are many others too, feel free to hop in).

 

[Ampster]

Ideally there would be a second profile that you could change to with one click.

I think SolArk has several profiles identified as seasons. I have not messed with that feature yet so I cannot be of much help. As winter nears I will be changing my profile and may be able to inform the discussion.

 

[Balrog006]

I think SolArk has several profiles identified as seasons. I have not messed with that feature yet so I cannot be of much help. As winter nears I will be changing my profile and may be able to inform the discussion.

IIRC, seasons are date based. If you want to have a season set to emergency mode, you’d have to change the dates of two seasons (into the emergency season, and out of the actual one)in order to get your emergency settings to take over from your standard programming.

 

[Zapper77]

Enabling microgrid might work. Microgrid would treat grid connection as a generator and will start charging when ever the "generator" is running. I'd need to verify this would work.

 

[Ampster]

If you want to have a season set to emergency mode,

I did not see the context of your initial question. I just saw Mister Sandals reference to me. There are actually several others who are more familiar than I with the details of the SolArk programming. I think several have already posted on the thread.

 

[Ben McCann]

Any further ideas on this for the EG4 18k with powerpro? I have the exact same situation. Wondering how to go into "storm" mode or "emergency backup" ahead of expected bad weather. I leave 20% on my battery, so I could change the SOC discharge settings and only turn on lights, that would last a bit.

 

[millsan1]

It is one change on the main settings. Change Start AC Charge to a high percentage, and it will kick in.

I have mine set to 40% for most days, when I know there is a chance I will lose power and need the charge up from grid, I will put it at 90%, and then change it back when I am satisfied I will be OK.

I was hesitant to mess with setting s myself, but now that I've been running the unit for a while, I go fiddle with stuff all the time. When I need to charge my EV, for instance, I raise the same setting, so I am not pulling from the batteries, grid and solar. At 90%, I basically pull from Solar and Grid only. I agree it would be nice to have a setting that basically was "temporarily leave the batteries alone, and juice them up", but it doesn't exist yet.