More Questions On System Design & Apollo 5K, Mix Grid & Off-Grid?

[jeepin95]

My questions are:

1. Would there be any issue charging an Apollo 5K from a bonded neutral inverter (F-150 Pro Power) while it is also powering a transfer switch that already has a neutral bond at the main panel? Is the Apollo AC charger and AC output connected that would then create two bonding locations?
2. If the circuits are on different phases in the main panel, do they have to be separated in a transfer switch panel? I believe with only 120V input there would only be a single phase correct?
3. During normal grid power if i were to transfer one or more circuits to the Apollo 5K would that cause any issues since the neutrals would still all be bonded at the main panel? I could do this to test the system while everything else is running normally on the grid or to just reduce my grid input on days that we are asked to "conserve".
4. I am looking for an all in one, off-grid unit. I have narrowed it to the Apollo 5K vs the Delta Pro Ultra. Since I don't think I will be needing more than the 3000W output of the Apollo I believe it will be more efficient than the DPU, is that a good assumption?

Background:

I'm continuing to research getting a "solar generator" setup primarily as a backup for power outages, but also to start playing with solar. I do not have a place that I can permanently mount solar panels at my current location so I would be dragging them out into the driveway or front yard as I want to use them. The hope would be that everything would move with us if we are able to get a new place then expand.

I currently have an F150 with 7.2kW Pro Power inverter that I would run extension cords to the fridge and freezer. I want to get away from that and have something more ready to go in case the truck isn't available. At first I was thinking a transfer switch that would also switch the neutral was the way to go because then I could always plug the truck in and power the house since the truck is a bonded neutral with GFCI built in. I *think* I have moved away from that idea and will just not plan on plugging the truck in directly to a transfer switch.

Now my thought is getting the Apollo 5K and leaving it in the standard floating neutral configuration. I would then get a Pro Tran transfer switch that would let me individually switch circuits from generator to grid (it does not switch the neutral). I have identified the approximate critical loads using Kasa smart plugs to track usage over time and there would be some items on those circuits that would be powered off to conserve battery in a power outage.

I believe these are the key features of this setup:

• Keep the Apollo 5K AC Input on grid power normally to keep the batteries charged.
• Allow rapid transfer to the Apollo during a power outage by simply flipping the switch on the manual transfer panel.
• As time/weather allows I could then pull the panels out of the garage into the driveway/front yard to charge the Apollo to extend runtime.
• If solar is not available or not enough:
  • Plug the Apollo into the truck's inverter to charge and extend runtime.
  • Pull the generator out of the shed and plug the Apollo into charge and extend runtime.
• Allow me to easily expand the Apollo with additional batteries or another Apollo 5K for 6000W available in a single phase setup.

Assumptions:

• On average the 1600W of potential solar input would not be enough to fully keep up with demand and would only extend the runtime.
• Without some type of input the Apollo would last less than 24 hours.
• All critical loads are 120V. Currently the only 240V load is the clothes dryer which is not a critical load.
• The furnace is rated at 1440W but I have measured the actual.
• The fridge is rated lower (3.5A) than the freezer (5.0A) but I have not measured the actual use for it either. The freezer sits at 90W with a brief blip to 380W every ~12 hours. For this I've estimated the fridge to be the same as the freezer.
• Charging from the truck would be limited to 600W while AC output is on, or 2400W if AC output is turned off since I would need to use the 20A receptacle on the truck that is only rated for 2.4kW.
• Charging from the generator would be roughly the same since the max running watts is 2600 while running from LPG.

Some of the experiments I would want to try out:

• From a 10% SOC it would take ~2.1 hours to fully recharge a single Apollo 5K battery using the 2400W from the truck in a worse case where no solar is available. Depending on outside temperature this could mean the truck ICE would run for as little as 10 minutes to fully recharge. On cooler days it may run longer to keep the CAT and engine at operating temperature. I think this would be much more efficient than running the generator on propane for a full 2.1 hours.
• How long could I fully operate on battery/solar alone. Hours of direct sunlight for my area ranges from 1.6-4.83 with an average of 3.57. It would be highly depending on weather as we can go weeks with full cloud cover. I would be interested in tracking this over time (which is why I would want to be able operating off-grid for testing).

Thanks