Making a change but will it be a good one?

[pabear89]

My current system is all EG4 a 6000ex inverter, 12 x 400w panels, battery rack 6 eg4 lp with a chargeverter.
Finally have it running with smoothing out a bump in the road here and there.

So along comes the need to change things, as life does toss in a curve ball sometimes.
My power system is set up in my cabin and was going to be its only use, but I am now trying to figure in powering the trailer coach also
so I don't have to hear a generator run.

While my 70-year-old brain has taken in a lot of information from this site, there is way too much I may be missing so asking it here.
I do not wish to miss out what could be important and make any more mistakes.

My thoughts are changing out the eg4 6000ex for a pair of eg4 6000xp and adding 12 x 400w panels.
In searching information on this I am dropping my idle consumption down and hoping to add to the solar charge rate to the battery bank
while staying with using the rack I have.

The plan is to have one of the xp run the cabin and the other run the coach, neither will exceed the 30-amp output as I do not have any heavy draw equipment used in either one.
Would this be a good change or am I just chasing my tail here?
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Why split it out?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Connect...Amp-Single-Pole-Breaker-CESMPSC13HR/100430208 of your trailer is 30A.

or

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Eaton-5...Temporary-RV-Power-Outlet-Box-CHU1S/100565603 if your trailer is 50A.

 

[pabear89]

Coach is 30 amp and concern about over taxing the inverter while it would be running both coach and cabin.
Plus current panel system keeping bank charge above half.
Or is there a way to just add more panels and use the 6000ex?

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Those are split phase inverters, so when they're in parallel, they are both contributing to each 120V leg, so each 120V leg has 6000W available...

6000W / 120V = 50A, so you'll always have a 20A surplus on that leg while the other leg has 50A the trailer can't touch.

If you dedicate a whole 120/240V inverter to the trailer, you're only going to have 3000W available on the one leg the trailer can pull... that's only 25A, and the other leg of the inverter is completely unusable.

Leave them in parallel, favor cabin 120V use on L1 and limit cabin wiring on L2 to utilize less. Wire L2 to trailer plug.

 

[pabear89]

But I currently have only one 6000ex and its close to max input for panel use.
Changing to twin 6000xp will allow more panels. Right?

 

[sunshine_eggo]

But I currently have only one 6000ex and its close to max input for panel use.

Ah... okay... I guess with 6 batteries, I assumed you already had two... sometimes I fail to read what is written.

Probably even better to put them in parallel. You clearly need a boost in the cabin as well. Find out which 120V leg is the most heavily utilized and then use the other leg to power the trailer.

Just want to reiterate, if you use one to power the trailer exclusively, you're literally wasting half of it, and you're only able to provide 25A to the trailer's 30A circuit.

Changing to twin 6000xp will allow more panels. Right?

Yep!

Why not another EG4 6000ex?

Ah shit... lemme guess... no longer available...

That's another reason I buy Victron. They're not likely to stop making my model for at least a decade.

 

[pabear89]

The cabin has its own sub breaker panel and I have placed the loads as equally as possible to both sides of the panel.
My idea was to put coach on separate sub panel and use one side for coach and other side for freezer/fridge.
So one 6000xp is just coach/accessory and other 6000xp is for cabin only.

I could use the 6000ex but how do I get more panel input? May be dumb question but I am still learning how this all works.
Thanks.

The full battery rack was hoping not to have to run the generator near as often, But may have hoped for too much.
True the Ex is no longer, and it uses twice the idle rate as the xp and that was another point in changing it out.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

The cabin has its own sub breaker panel and I have placed the loads as equally as possible to both sides of the panel.

re-wire to more heavily utilize L1.

My idea was to put coach on separate sub panel and use one side for coach and other side for freezer/fridge.

Freezer/fridge requires low power, and will run very inefficiently on a 3000W inverter (one leg = half the 6kW). You wouldn't be able to fully power the 30A of the trailer (25A only), and you'd be severely underutilizing the other half of the "trailer" inverter - barely 10% - leaving 90% - basically wasting nearly half of the new inverter.

So one 6000xp is just coach/accessory and other 6000xp is for cabin only.

If you're already up against the 6000EX limits, I don't see that you've bought yourself anything at all. You have to remember that your existing 6000W inverter can only supply 3000W

I could use the 6000ex but how do I get more panel input? May be dumb question but I am still learning how this all works.
Thanks.

Hang on... "panel input" = AC breaker panel or solar panel?

The full battery rack was hoping not to have to run the generator near as often, But may have hoped for too much.
True the Ex is no longer, and it uses twice the idle rate as the xp and that was another point in changing it out.

Good reason if you have the $.

In summary:

2X 6000XP wired in parallel.
L1 dedicated to cabin (this would double your currently available power on L1.
L2 60% (30A dedicated to trailer), 40% (20A) dedicated to cabin.

The connection to the trailer could be from a single 30A breaker from your AC panel to one of the linked plug-in boxes.

 

[hwy17]

I could use the 6000ex but how do I get more panel input?

A charge controller. You can use the EX and an external charge controller.

Signature can probably answer if the Lifepower4's will communicated with the EX and an EG4 CC at the same time. I would guess that they do.

 

[pabear89]

I think I see what your getting at here, I could move the cabin (900sq ft) to one side of the breaker panel L1 and connect the coach to the other legs power in from the inverter L2.

Solar panel input, Would like to double the solar panels by adding extra12x 400w with my existing 12x 4oow panels that are hooked to the ex now to keep the bank charge up. It is working now but if I add the coach draw into the inverter I don't think it will keep up with the bank recharging. My thoughts are its taking more out of the bank then its capable of putting in.

hwy17 has raised my concern of making sure it will all talk to each other and work

 

[sunshine_eggo]

I think I see what your getting at here, I could move the cabin (900sq ft) to one side of the breaker panel L1 and connect the coach to the other legs power in from the inverter L2.

Yes. You could put a few items L2 as 20A out of the 50A will be unused by the trailer, and I would do that.

Solar panel input, Would like to double the solar panels by adding extra12x 400w with my existing 12x 4oow panels that are hooked to the ex now to keep the bank charge up. It is working now but if I add the coach draw into the inverter I don't think it will keep up with the bank recharging. My thoughts are its taking more out of the bank then its capable of putting in.

Two 6000XP will allow you to double your PV array size. We were just using "panel" and I wanted to clarify.

 

[HighTechLab]

EDIT: I just realized you aren't saying install the inverter in the coach but rather feed power to the coach. Too quick to respond, my fault.


I wouldn't put the EG4 6000XP in a mobile application like this under any circumstances. It does not have dynamic neutral/ground bonding relays so there is no way to properly make the install safe.

EG4 6000XP Neutral-Ground Bonding

Let's start with a snip from the EG4 6000XP manual. What I'm getting at here, is a lot of people, including @Will Prowse in his latest video (8:03) are mistaken on how the 6000XP handles neutral and ground bonds. The inverter does NOT dynamically bond. This means that if you plan to put an...

diysolarforum.com

 

[pabear89]

Good reason if you have the $.

In summary:

2X 6000XP wired in parallel.
L1 dedicated to cabin (this would double your currently available power on L1.
L2 60% (30A dedicated to trailer), 40% (20A) dedicated to cabin.

The connection to the trailer could be from a single 30A breaker from your AC panel to one of the linked plug-in boxes.

Sadly having the $ would not be needed if I wasn't mislead. Purchased as a bundle kit from a company that I will not be buying from again.

Your summary is the information I need to get the job done. Sorry for the confusion in word choice for panel.
Using this forum has been very helpful and am in awe of some of the systems others have posted.
Way too big for me, But being off grid in the woods and a town run is a 100+ mile trip, I work with what I have and can afford.

So hoping to make the right choice here, Using the 2 6000xp units will supply enough power and still have expansion capabilities if needed in the future. Something I was told was capable with my all in one kit purchase.
Unfortunately I did not find this forum until I started installing the system and ran into questions.
Now trying to make sure I don't repeat that mistake again, They say with age comes wisdom but the changing technology is moving so fast that at times I feel so dumb.

 

[iamrich]

Solar panel input, Would like to double the solar panels by adding extra12x 400w with my existing 12x 4oow panels that are hooked to the ex now to keep the bank charge up. It is working now but if I add the coach draw into the inverter I don't think it will keep up with the bank recharging. My thoughts are its taking more out of the bank then its capable of putting in.

Little late to the party, but you can add more panels to your 6000EX. I would be comfortable adding at least 4 more of the same (or really similar) 400w panels to your current setup by re-wiring them in two parallel strings of eight (8S2P). I doubt you will ever see 100% output but having the extra 4 panels would give you a fatter solar day (more power all day, even if it clips a bit at max).