Really unsure which EG4 inverter to go with now. Let me explain my situation.

[Scott Balkum]

We’ll be moving to Alaska in a completely off grid cabin. We are tech heavy and will be consuming a bit of power (but way less than air conditioning in Texas). I’ve determined my load needs and my solar needs as well as my batteries.

I currently have a 6000XP connected to 4 LifePower4 48V batteries and have 7200w of BlueSun bifacial panels connected to it. My plan is to double the batteries and the PV. For the Inverter, I really only need about 10kw of split phase AC. Since I will be completely off grid, a generator is a must as is a 2 wire start.

I’ve been using the 6000XP for 6 months+ now testing with the current setup and I’ve found it to be very loud, much louder than they claim. If the sun is bringing in more than 50w, those fans are on and you can hear them. When it gets to 2kw PV, those fans are screaming. The AC load and/or battery charging is less loud, even at max use. I had originally thought I would just be adding a 2nd 6000XP for the input/output loads that I need to manage. This would give me a redundancy (at 1/2 power) should 1 of them ever fail. But, and there’s always a but, these must be inside our cabin due to the extreme cold and I really don’t want to listen to fan noise 24/7. I thought the 18kPV was going to be an easy winner because I had heard it was quiet but in reality, its really loud as well. So now I’m stuck. which inverter(s) are the quietest in this situation?

Which inverter setup would you recommend and why? I can’t really change my install location (I can try to conceal them in a utility room though to help cut down the noise)

Thanks

 

[SparkyJJO]

The problem with the terms "loud" and "quiet" is they're somewhat relative. I might consider something loud while someone else is like no, it's not that loud, it is quieter than this other one. Then, you have the hard numbers of decibels at X feet away, but that doesn't take into account at what tone - a lower toned fan noise at XX decibels can seem quieter/less annoying than the same decibel rating of a high pitched fan noise simply because the higher pitch is more irritating to someone. I'll take a somewhat "louder" low tone fan noise than a slightly "quieter" high pitch fan whine.

The reality is though, you won't get away from fan noise entirely. They have to cool them somehow. Best idea is to put them in their own room with some kind of sound insulation.

Hey @Will Prowse you should do an audio recording in a quiet room with a fixed mic distance of different inverters at varying levels of load (like 10%, 40%, 60%, and 100%) and varying levels of SCC input. That way, it isn't just a "70 decibels at 50% load" number on paper, but we can actually hear what kind of tone the fans have and roughly how irritating they may be.

 

[BentleyJ]

The alternative is to go with something like a pair of Schneider XW Pro's while they are on clearance pricing.

 

[EPicTony]

The fan speeds are adjustable. I would suggest setting them to a lower speed. If that is still too loud you can put them in an enclosure with venting for heat to escape. The box will deaden the noise especially if you add a sound absorbing liner inside.

 

[Scott Balkum]

The fan speeds are adjustable. I would suggest setting them to a lower speed. If that is still too loud you can put them in an enclosure with venting for heat to escape. The box will deaden the noise especially if you add a sound absorbing liner inside.

In my investigations, the SCC fan speed is not adjustable on the 6000XP. Only the Inverter and battery charging fans are.

 

[wpns]

18Kpv is doubly annoying because the fans spool up and down all the time. I’m really glad they are in a separate building and inaudible from the house. I really dodged a bullet there.

Maybe an insulated shed?

 

[Scott Balkum]

The alternative is to go with something like a pair of Schneider XW Pro's while they are on clearance pricing.

Sadly, the Schneiders don’t have a SCC so I’d be spending a whole lot more by buying SCCs as well.

 

[Scott Balkum]

18Kpv is doubly annoying because the fans spool up and down all the time. I’m really glad they are in a separate building and inaudible from the house. I really dodged a bullet there.

Maybe an insulated shed?

I really wish I could have an insulated shed. Maybe in several years I could move it all to a built up workshop. But a shed won’t work because it would have to be heated. -30F to -40F in Alaska.

 

[rhino]

Sadly, the Schneiders don’t have a SCC so I’d be spending a whole lot more by buying SCCs as well.

That's the reason why so many of these are loud is because they have the SCC built-in.

 

[Scott Balkum]

That's the reason why so many of these are loud is because they have the SCC built-in.

I hear you (pun intended). And I’d love a couple of Victron SCCs but budget wise, I need to stick with the all in ones.

 

[rhino]

I really wish I could have an insulated shed. Maybe in several years I could move it all to a built up workshop. But a shed won’t work because it would have to be heated. -30F to -40F in Alaska.

There are people on this forum in northern Canada that use insulated power sheds. If it is insulated enough you'd need very little extra heat since the equipment itself generates heat..

 

[TM48]

You will not want to live with any brand of inverter in your living space. Plan on a small heavily insulated structure that can be vented in the summer months. The self generated heat will keep the equipment warm enough at most times. Include a thermostatically controlled heat lamp for early morning times. The key is good foam insulation. Silence is golden.

 

[Scott Balkum]

There are people on this forum in northern Canada that use insulated power sheds. If it is insulated enough you'd need very little extra heat since the equipment itself generates heat..

I’ll search the forums to see their shed solutions. So far, every friend I have in AK says they don’t work up there.

 

[wpns]

18Kpv is doubly annoying because the fans spool up and down all the time. I’m really glad they are in a separate building and inaudible from the house. I really dodged a bullet there.

Maybe an insulated shed?

Not sure if the new BossBox would be applicable.

 

[chamilun]

most charge controllers that handle up to 500+ volts are gonna sound like airplanes taking off.

 

[Q-Dog]

Good, quiet, cheap. Pick 2. ( or maybe pick one with EG4)

 

[wpns]

Here's my system when the SCCs ramp up.

http://dotnetdotcom.net/18Kpv_Noise.m4v

Since we have scattered clouds all the time, it's constantly ramping up and down.

 

[Scott Balkum]

Here's my system when the SCCs ramp up.

http://dotnetdotcom.net/18Kpv_Noise.m4v

Since we have scattered clouds all the time, it's constantly ramping up and down.

That’s about what my 6000XP sounds like, but I just have 1 currently.

 

[wpns]

That’s about what my 6000XP sounds like, but I just have 1 currently.

Yeah, with two of them you have 8 fans, and lots of heterodyne noise.

 

[Brucey]

Not sure if the new BossBox would be applicable.

The 18kpv or other inverter mounts to the outside of the boss box and then three 280Ah power pro batteries sit inside I believe. Doesnt provide any containment for the aio.

 

[Will Prowse]

You will not want to live with any brand of inverter in your living space. Plan on a small heavily insulated structure that can be vented in the summer months. The self generated heat will keep the equipment warm enough at most times. Include a thermostatically controlled heat lamp for early morning times. The key is good foam insulation. Silence is golden.

Exactly.

I tell people to get weather proof sealed unit and stick it outside. There are no quiet indoor inverters

 

[wpns]

The 18kpv or other inverter mounts to the outside of the boss box and then three 280Ah power pro batteries sit inside I believe. Doesnt provide any containment for the aio.

Oops, never mind. I saw it was a thing, but didn't want to watch a video just to try to parse what it was. Also feels like it needs another battery box but I suppose you could put two back-to-back. [Edit: Oops again, they need 36" front and back clearance, maybe stack another one on top? . Pretty compact for what it does, though it feels like they are cheating on the '1-foot clearance' on the sides of the batteries.


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Oh well, good to know. Put that whole thing in an insulated shed with the self-heating outdoor batteries? A bit too complicated...

 

[Brucey]

Exactly.

I tell people to get weather proof sealed unit and stick it outside. There are no quiet indoor inverters

It could be done with something like a 7kW midnite Rosie combined with some 250/100 sccs. There is fan noise at over 2-3kW inverter output but nothing absolutely bananas rack server loud like the eg4s.

Schneider xw pro 6848 also a quiet runner fan noise I believe but has transformer hum

In OPs case Im guessing he needs it to work down to -40F or something which is beyond I think any aio or standalone.

 

[Scott Balkum]

Exactly.

I tell people to get weather proof sealed unit and stick it outside. There are no quiet indoor inverters

I can quiet much of it down with some insulation and angled ducting but no, I can’t kill all of it. But outside, even in a super insulated shed isn’t feasible. The 1 guy I know in AK that’s trying it has several electric heaters that he has to run to keep it warm on the really cold days. And electric heat would be a huge consumer of power.

 

[rhino]

Exactly.n

I tell people to get weather proof sealed unit and stick it outside. There are no quiet indoor inverters

Depends on what you are looking for. For 120V only Morningstar has 2500W inverter which is completely silent since there are no fans. There is also difference in pitch of the fans. A Quattro fan does not sound as loud or annoying as a EG4 18kPV fan for instance since the Quattro uses larger fan diameter.