Signature Solar and the EG4-6000EX-48HV

[All Energies]

My experiences with Signature Solar


I first became aware of Signature Solar about 18 months ago, from a solar customer who had a bank of EG4 batteries. The batteries were performing well and appeared to be very competitively priced.

Normally I avoid non-name brand solar equipment, however I also get many customers on a tight budget and don't want to leave them out. So I got in touch with Signature Solar and applied for wholesale pricing. I proceeded to place multiple orders and recommend them to other solar customers.

Their EG4 batteries work ok and I thought the new EG4 6000EX-48HV might be a good fit for some of my customers. I purchased two to resell and recommended two of my customers to purchase EG4 6000EX-48HV on their own, as well.

The two inverters I ordered arrived with the upper mounting bracket broken off. Upon further inspection, the bracket is only attached with four pop rivets. I thought, “No big deal, I’ll make my own improved version.” I attached to the upper threaded handle holes using angle steel.

The EG4 6000EX-48HV inverter does not list the idle consumption in any of it’s documentation, and now I see that’s probably because it consumes a lot! About 130 watts idle consumption for this unit. For comparison, a 4448 Magnum inverter consumes about 25 watts at idle and the OutBack 8048GSA consumes about 34 watts at idle. This is disappointing, but I decided I can accept this even though I don’t like it.

The biggest problem I have with this inverter is what happens when the lithium battery bank is fully charged. The AC output fluctuates a LOT, like 113-126 volts. It makes lights flicker and household fans etc speed up and slow down. This seems to be a problem with the built in charge controller. As soon as I turn off the solar input the problem stops. Also If I use a separate charge controller the problem does not happen.

I have been in touch with Signature Solar and at first I felt like I was getting somewhere. They acknowledged this is an issue and one lady in customer service says she herself owned the 6000EX, but ended up swapping it for the 6500EX-48 and no longer has that problem. I’ve been told that the solution for now is to keep a big enough load on the system, and they're working on a long-term solution….

This is not good enough for me and I decided I would like to return or exchange these inverters. That's when their customer service went from bad to worse. My wholesale account rep, Bruce, told me I need to complete a service request which entails sending them no less than 14 pictures. Not an easy task and the most leg work I have ever been asked for. I did this and then they told me my neutral and ground are swapped. This is not the case the wires are just labeled wrong (it happens).

So that's the end of them helping. For this problem I have called them 7 times and have emailed them numerous times. All we do is keep going in circles and blame-shifting. I am DONE with this BS.

Signature Solar has had so many excuses for poor business practices. Number one is “we are so busy” and number two is “we are short staffed.” Maybe cut back on the promotional sales and advertising, then?

As a human and a good business, our reputation is everything to us… I’ve lost some money over the years to keep our customers happy; it’s what good businesses do. I don't advertise, as word of mouth is all we need.

For one of my customers I did swap the EG4 6000EX-48HV inverter out for a magnum 4448 and no more problems! In the past 10 months I have spent over $64 thousand with Signature Solar and I will never give them another dollar.

 

[42OhmsPA]

Welcome to the forum.
TP6048 has the same flickering light issues. I think it's just the nature of cheap inverters. Some of reported success with installing a cap on the AC out to solve the flickering, didn't help in my case.
Seeing posts like this make me glad I bought direct from Sungold as much as I'd like to support SS on my next purchases I'll more than likely deal with W247.

 

[Kornbread]

My experiences with Signature Solar


I first became aware of Signature Solar about 18 months ago, from a solar customer who had a bank of EG4 batteries. The batteries were performing well and appeared to be very competitively priced.

Normally I avoid non-name brand solar equipment, however I also get many customers on a tight budget and don't want to leave them out. So I got in touch with Signature Solar and applied for wholesale pricing. I proceeded to place multiple orders and recommend them to other solar customers.

Their EG4 batteries work ok and I thought the new EG4 6000EX-48HV might be a good fit for some of my customers. I purchased two to resell and recommended two of my customers to purchase EG4 6000EX-48HV on their own, as well.

The two inverters I ordered arrived with the upper mounting bracket broken off. Upon further inspection, the bracket is only attached with four pop rivets. I thought, “No big deal, I’ll make my own improved version.” I attached to the upper threaded handle holes using angle steel.

The EG4 6000EX-48HV inverter does not list the idle consumption in any of it’s documentation, and now I see that’s probably because it consumes a lot! About 130 watts idle consumption for this unit. For comparison, a 4448 Magnum inverter consumes about 25 watts at idle and the OutBack 8048GSA consumes about 34 watts at idle. This is disappointing, but I decided I can accept this even though I don’t like it.

The biggest problem I have with this inverter is what happens when the lithium battery bank is fully charged. The AC output fluctuates a LOT, like 113-126 volts. It makes lights flicker and household fans etc speed up and slow down. This seems to be a problem with the built in charge controller. As soon as I turn off the solar input the problem stops. Also If I use a separate charge controller the problem does not happen.

I have been in touch with Signature Solar and at first I felt like I was getting somewhere. They acknowledged this is an issue and one lady in customer service says she herself owned the 6000EX, but ended up swapping it for the 6500EX-48 and no longer has that problem. I’ve been told that the solution for now is to keep a big enough load on the system, and they're working on a long-term solution….

This is not good enough for me and I decided I would like to return or exchange these inverters. That's when their customer service went from bad to worse. My wholesale account rep, Bruce, told me I need to complete a service request which entails sending them no less than 14 pictures. Not an easy task and the most leg work I have ever been asked for. I did this and then they told me my neutral and ground are swapped. This is not the case the wires are just labeled wrong (it happens).

So that's the end of them helping. For this problem I have called them 7 times and have emailed them numerous times. All we do is keep going in circles and blame-shifting. I am DONE with this BS.

Signature Solar has had so many excuses for poor business practices. Number one is “we are so busy” and number two is “we are short staffed.” Maybe cut back on the promotional sales and advertising, then?

As a human and a good business, our reputation is everything to us… I’ve lost some money over the years to keep our customers happy; it’s what good businesses do. I don't advertise, as word of mouth is all we need.

For one of my customers I did swap the EG4 6000EX-48HV inverter out for a magnum 4448 and no more problems! In the past 10 months I have spent over $64 thousand with Signature Solar and I will never give them another dollar.

But ... but ... but ...

 

[nc73]

It does not like my heat pump so my solution was to use relays and have a high load come on for 5 secs and go off when the heat pump comes on. The voltage does fluctuate and lights flicker but soon as the additional load comes on it goes away and only the heat pump runs. When I had the lvx I just used a cap and no issues. Is it worth it for the price? Sure. If you don't like to come up with solutions, stick to the expensive stuff. The chinese inverters are not for the faint of heart and good luck returning it for a full refund. You are stuck.

 

[robby]

Welcome to the forum.
TP6048 has the same flickering light issues. I think it's just the nature of cheap inverters. Some of reported success with installing a cap on the AC out to solve the flickering, didn't help in my case.
Seeing posts like this make me glad I bought direct from Sungold as much as I'd like to support SS on my next purchases I'll more than likely deal with W247.

Anyone hook one of these up to an Oscilloscope and see what is going on?
I saw some videos on Growatts and the voltage got really noisy when they flickered.

 

[42OhmsPA]

Anyone hook one of these up to an Oscilloscope and see what is going on?
I saw some videos on Growatts and the voltage got really noisy when they flickered.

I'll check if there is a scope I can borrow from work and do some testing on mine.

 

[Eber]

Interesting, I bought one of these. We will see how it goes.
I had an LVX6048 but it cant parallel.
so far my EG4 6000EX-48 is working ok. But, It does not play well with the EG4 batteries yet.
Gives it a fault 61 and the PV goes invisible.
I emailed them, we will see what they say.

 

[JCSchwarb]

Interesting, I bought one of these. We will see how it goes.
I had an LVX6048 but it turned out to be crap.
so far my EG4 6000EX-48 is working ok. But, It does not play well with the EG4 batteries yet.
Gives it a fault 61 and the PV goes invisible.
I emailed them, we will see what they say.

I had the same issue. Set your master to EG4 on code 05, if you have split phase set the second unit to USE. I had to reset mine several times efore the batteries finally were recognized.

 

[JCSchwarb]

My experiences with Signature Solar


I first became aware of Signature Solar about 18 months ago, from a solar customer who had a bank of EG4 batteries. The batteries were performing well and appeared to be very competitively priced.

Normally I avoid non-name brand solar equipment, however I also get many customers on a tight budget and don't want to leave them out. So I got in touch with Signature Solar and applied for wholesale pricing. I proceeded to place multiple orders and recommend them to other solar customers.

Their EG4 batteries work ok and I thought the new EG4 6000EX-48HV might be a good fit for some of my customers. I purchased two to resell and recommended two of my customers to purchase EG4 6000EX-48HV on their own, as well.

The two inverters I ordered arrived with the upper mounting bracket broken off. Upon further inspection, the bracket is only attached with four pop rivets. I thought, “No big deal, I’ll make my own improved version.” I attached to the upper threaded handle holes using angle steel.

The EG4 6000EX-48HV inverter does not list the idle consumption in any of it’s documentation, and now I see that’s probably because it consumes a lot! About 130 watts idle consumption for this unit. For comparison, a 4448 Magnum inverter consumes about 25 watts at idle and the OutBack 8048GSA consumes about 34 watts at idle. This is disappointing, but I decided I can accept this even though I don’t like it.

The biggest problem I have with this inverter is what happens when the lithium battery bank is fully charged. The AC output fluctuates a LOT, like 113-126 volts. It makes lights flicker and household fans etc speed up and slow down. This seems to be a problem with the built in charge controller. As soon as I turn off the solar input the problem stops. Also If I use a separate charge controller the problem does not happen.

I have been in touch with Signature Solar and at first I felt like I was getting somewhere. They acknowledged this is an issue and one lady in customer service says she herself owned the 6000EX, but ended up swapping it for the 6500EX-48 and no longer has that problem. I’ve been told that the solution for now is to keep a big enough load on the system, and they're working on a long-term solution….

This is not good enough for me and I decided I would like to return or exchange these inverters. That's when their customer service went from bad to worse. My wholesale account rep, Bruce, told me I need to complete a service request which entails sending them no less than 14 pictures. Not an easy task and the most leg work I have ever been asked for. I did this and then they told me my neutral and ground are swapped. This is not the case the wires are just labeled wrong (it happens).

So that's the end of them helping. For this problem I have called them 7 times and have emailed them numerous times. All we do is keep going in circles and blame-shifting. I am DONE with this BS.

Signature Solar has had so many excuses for poor business practices. Number one is “we are so busy” and number two is “we are short staffed.” Maybe cut back on the promotional sales and advertising, then?

As a human and a good business, our reputation is everything to us… I’ve lost some money over the years to keep our customers happy; it’s what good businesses do. I don't advertise, as word of mouth is all we need.

For one of my customers I did swap the EG4 6000EX-48HV inverter out for a magnum 4448 and no more problems! In the past 10 months I have spent over $64 thousand with Signature Solar and I will never give them another dollar.

Sorry to hear. Simple issues take forever to get answered and was told to order a replacement unit cause warranties take a long time to process. Company should sell out to real customer friendly company.

 

[NEpowerandlight]

warranties take a long time to process.

Is there a good reason for the long process time?

I was under the impression the EG4 line up was SS house brand? If it is, a non working newly purchased piece of equipment should be a simple exchange. worse case they make you pay for all shipping and wait to receive the defective unit before shipping a new one. Anything more than that is concerning.

 

[JCSchwarb]

Is there a good reason for the long process time?

I was under the impression the EG4 line up was SS house brand? If it is, a non working newly purchased piece of equipment should be a simple exchange. worse case they make you pay for all shipping and wait to receive the defective unit before shipping a new one. Anything more than that is concerning.

Their phone line messags make excuses that they are overwhelmed due to high demand. Then the techicians take 2-3 days to respond to an email and tell me their phone lines are down and cant call me. The one guy who helped me during the design phase wss kind enough to call me back and advised that I should buy another unit if I wanted a replacement quickly. I have a feeling a chsrge back may be coming. Beyond deplorable support. Running like a ghost company.

 

[Eber]

SS set me up with different firmware for my unit. That corrected the error 61. I do not have more than one unit at this time. I learned this the hard way by having 2 LVX6048s. The first LVX died a slow painful smelly death and the second died almost instantly when it was installed.. I thought I would use the 6000EX-48HV for a bit and see how it goes before getting another. It runs well so far. My lights do not do that incessant Flickering when battery is charging. They do a momentary flicker when a big unit comes on like the water pump or fridge. It runs slightly quieter than the LVX did.
A few things I did see that I do not like are that setting the batteries to EG4 and connecting the cable to the batteries locks out too many settings.
I do not want to always charge at 120 amps and I do not want my battery shutoff to always go to 46v (or whatever it was. I could not change it) and it sets the bulk and float to 58V. Those are not settings I would use.
And, the manual in the box says 450 VOC, the website manual says 500VOC max . That makes me nervous.
Lastly, the commisioning shows you need a 0 voltage on the battery terminals and I always showed 13 volts. I have been in contact with SS about this. They are looking into it.

 

[JCSchwarb]

SS set me up with different firmware for my unit. That corrected the error 61. I do not have more than one unit at this time. I learned this the hard way by having 2 LVX6048s. The first LVX died a slow painful smelly death and the second died almost instantly when it was installed.. I thought I would use the 6000EX-48HV for a bit and see how it goes before getting another. It runs well so far. My lights do not do that incessant Flickering when battery is charging. They do a momentary flicker when a big unit comes on like the water pump or fridge. It runs slightly quieter than the LVX did.
A few things I did see that I do not like are that setting the batteries to EG4 and connecting the cable to the batteries locks out too many settings.
I do not want to always charge at 120 amps and I do not want my battery shutoff to always go to 46v (or whatever it was. I could not change it) and it sets the bulk and float to 58V. Those are not settings I would use.
And, the manual in the box says 450 VOC, the website manual says 500VOC max . That makes me nervous.
Lastly, the commisioning shows you need a 0 voltage on the battery terminals and I always showed 13 volts. I have been in contact with SS about this. They are looking into it.

Glad to hear SS is supporting you. My experience has been terribly unhelpful, untimely, and untrustworthy. I don’t think the 0v for commissioning is correct. That makes no sense otherwise your batteries would be dead and likely unrecoverable. 450V may be nominal, probably the safer V to design to for fear of cold days going over that value. The EG4 6500 has split MPPT so can accept 500V @16A for two strings, but the manual does not say this, so I paralleled mine erroneously. Hope this helps. -Jay

 

[Eber]

I have seen Signature Solar get some real bad publicity here. Maybe things will be different now?

 

[JCSchwarb]

I have seen Signature Solar get some real bad publicity here. Maybe things will be different now?

I am a companies biggest advocate or worst nightmare. You should see their warranty process. They want 10 different pictures, diagnostic videos, volt readings, etc. If they did this on the design side, maybe they wouldn’t have so many issues. My failed unit was already removed by the time they started getting involved 5 days after warranty was requested. Total joke.

 

[BenFromSignatureSolar]

I am a companies biggest advocate or worst nightmare. You should see their warranty process. They want 10 different pictures, diagnostic videos, volt readings, etc. If they did this on the design side, maybe they wouldn’t have so many issues. My failed unit was already removed by the time they started getting involved 5 days after warranty was requested. Total joke.

That information is requested so we can determine what has caused the problem. Far too often we run into the issue where we warranty replace a unit that has quit working and it turns out that the end user has something out of place that caused the failure. If we don't identify the issue and educate the end user before sending out a replacement unit, it is very likely to happen again. I'm not saying that is the case with you, but if we don't get the information back, there is no way to determine the root cause.

 

[NEpowerandlight]

That information is requested so we can determine what has caused the problem. Far too often we run into the issue where we warranty replace a unit that has quit working and it turns out that the end user has something out of place that caused the failure. If we don't identify the issue and educate the end user before sending out a replacement unit, it is very likely to happen again. I'm not saying that is the case with you, but if we don't get the information back, there is no way to determine the root cause.

A great reason to update/improve the owner manual for starters.

As well as spelling out the warranty requirements. If a potential warranty claimant knows they have to do X Y and Z to make a warranty claim your techs would probably spend less time on the phone.

 

[Mendo Home Power]

That information is requested so we can determine what has caused the problem. Far too often we run into the issue where we warranty replace a unit that has quit working and it turns out that the end user has something out of place that caused the failure. If we don't identify the issue and educate the end user before sending out a replacement unit, it is very likely to happen again. I'm not saying that is the case with you, but if we don't get the information back, there is no way to determine the root cause.

Well Ben,
I'm looking at having to go through the trouble of trading out one of your EG4-6000EX-48HV units for glitchy firmware and poor communication from the SS side of things. My customer lost patience today and asked me to replace the unit that was to be an upgrade from a couple of Growatt units that had been functioning well for three years but had occasional minor issues. Nothing serious like this one though. I've waited on the phone, sent emails, tried to communicate with EG4 directly who threw it back to SS . So now it looks like I will have to purchase something elsewhere out of pocket and try to get SS to honor a warranty. From what I've seen of recent tech support I have a feeling I'm going to eat this one.
Stop having discount sales and just Do Better! No sense building a customer base only to destroy it from within.

 

[Eber]

Are the folks that are having issues paralleling these units?
I could use that information before buying another as my single unit is running decent so far.

 

[JCSchwarb]

That information is requested so we can determine what has caused the problem. Far too often we run into the issue where we warranty replace a unit that has quit working and it turns out that the end user has something out of place that caused the failure. If we don't identify the issue and educate the end user before sending out a replacement unit, it is very likely to happen again. I'm not saying that is the case with you, but if we don't get the information back, there is no way to determine the root cause.

Thanks Ben. I am glad to provide recommendations to the present documentation. There are three critical areas I have identified that need an emergency update and field supplement. Please let me know where to send them, if interested. These failures are due to poor documentation that could lead to catastrophic failures to property and one's life or family. Many resort to the forums due to inadequate support and documentation from vendors.