Off Grid: Solar + Battery + All in one inverter/charger + Gas Powered Generator set-up ??

[BattleAxe]

1st Thank You all for being so generous with your knowledge!!

This is my plan for an off grid camp I'm building..... EG4 48v Battery + EG4 3000W all in one + an "inverter/generator"

If I use an all in one like an EG4 3000W, hook up my panels and battery and then run the AC OUT to a circuit breaker box and on out to the outlets in the cabin, can I hook up a generator to the AC IN on the all in one and when needed (due to low battery or extra power demand) crank up the generator to power the outlets in the cabin and charge the battery? Will the all in one prevent the solar panels from back feeding to the generator when it's not in use or do I need some kind of cut-off to isolate the generator?

I'll see what ya'll say and then I may have a few more questions.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

1st Thank You all for being so generous with your knowledge!!

This is my plan for an off grid camp I'm building..... EG4 48v Battery + EG4 3000W all in one + an "inverter/generator"

If I use an all in one like an EG4 3000W, hook up my panels and battery and then run the AC OUT to a circuit breaker box and on out to the outlets in the cabin, can I hook up a generator to the AC IN on the all in one and when needed (due to low battery or extra power demand) crank up the generator to power the outlets in the cabin and charge the battery?

Yes.

Will the all in one prevent the solar panels from back feeding to the generator when it's not in use or do I need some kind of cut-off to isolate the generator?

While it feels like they're connected, they're not. The AiO is two devices in one an MPPT and an inverter/charger. The MPPT connected to the PV simply provides DC to the battery or inverter DC input. The inverter does not backfeed to the generator.

When AC is supplied (generator on), the AiO passes through the generator AC to power loads and uses generator AC to charge the battery. You are subject to generator limitations at that point. Between charging and loads, you might overwhelm the genny.

Make sure you understand the limitations of those systems. The inverter likely burns about 45W continuously even if no loads are applied. That's 1.1kWh/day or about 20% of the total capacity of a single EG4 100ah battery... again... just to have the inverter turned on. Your loads will be on top of that.

Check out the DIY Checklist in my sig.

 

[BattleAxe]

So it sounds like I'd be safe to go with this, as my generator is an inverter style with 9500W Max Starting, 7600W Running.

I think my only concern now is will I ever need more that 3,000W at once and if I think I may then I could either add another EG4 3000W later or just start out with a bigger all in one like the EG4 6.5kW.

Man! thanks again for the info!!

 

[ArkCabinMan]

I am wary of the all-in-one approach for off-grid power.
All one's eggs in one basket, it what it seems like, to me.

 

[StoneHaven_Mk1]

I am wary of the all-in-one approach for off-grid power.
All one's eggs in one basket, it what it seems like, to me.

Well, remember, two is one, one is none.

I was having the concerns, but if you piecemeal everything into separate devices (charge controller, inverter, etc.), are you reducing risk? Or are you increasing the number of mean time between failure counters you've got running simultaneously.

I'm going with all in one, but I'm planning on adding redundancy to the system as soon as possible.

 

[ArkCabinMan]

Well, remember, two is one, one is none.

I was having the concerns, but if you piecemeal everything into separate devices (charge controller, inverter, etc.), are you reducing risk? Or are you increasing the number of mean time between failure counters you've got running simultaneously.

I'm going with all in one, but I'm planning on adding redundancy to the system as soon as possible.

Redundancy is key, for sure...!
Good plan.

 

[acdoctor]

I have a growatt in my RV I have it set to utility first. When I start the generator it will start charging otherwise you have to fiddle with the settings. Works great I have a 2k generator so I limit charging to 40 amps to the battery so it can handle other loads at the same time.