Sol Ark 15K with Generator

[Cosmic Frog]

I've seen some posts about the 15K with a generator but nothing that dumbs it down enough for me.

So, I'm looking at some generators around the $1000 price point.
My installer is telling me those are not compatible with the Sol Ark 15K.
They want to install some type of plug setup (additional panel on the wall) instead of hooking up directly to the Sol Ark.

I don't know if this is right or not. From the picture it shows 4 wires going from the gen to the Sol Ark. Seemed simple enough.
The manual says ONLY Supports 120/240V Split-Phase generators.

When I look for split phase generators I get a bunch of results for inverters but nothing that says I'm a split phase generator.

Can anyone please recommend a generator that will hook up directly?
I'm using this as an emergency backup in case the grid fails so hopefully never use.
I'd like to be able to store it and only hook it up if needed. Gasoline is fine but if it has additional options that is fine too.

Thanks.

Aaron

 

[Armorer266]

Can you share a wiring diagram of your setup? Also do you plan to have batteries. Wiring diagram helps because it will tell us how your system is wired. Also, we probably need to know how many kw you plan on powering during an outage.

 

[timselectric]

When I look for split phase generators I get a bunch of results for inverters but nothing that says I'm a split phase generator.

They may be labeled as single phase 120v/ 240v. (Same thing)

 

[TechRider]

The Sol-Ark isn't doing anything magical with the connection to the generator. It just has a relay that connects to the main L1/L2 internally. My generator was too big so I left it connected to the grid side and just turned on the setting for "Gen connected to grid" but I have my inverter set to 2-wire control of my generator. It's so nice to have the power go out and the generator not kick on till it's really needed. (Which has been never so far.)

 

[Cosmic Frog]

Oops. First post had the wrong pic. I do not have the wiring diagram but I can request it from the installer if needed. Since the generator is connecting directly do the generator input I figured the rest of the wiring would not be important.

I will have 40kwh of battery.

That being said I'm buying the generator as a backup for extreme emergencies like the grid going down and never coming back up.
If that ever happens I will be managing my power needs much differently than today.

All I'm trying to figure out is which generator will have the correct wiring to connect to the Sol Ark.

Thanks.

Aaron

 

[TechRider]

All you need is a generator that can power a 240v load. Then it just needs to be sized in kW for your load. Keep in mind, generators are known to produce really poor power. Many people end up going with a generator connected to a chargeverter and connect the chargeverter to the battery/DC side then your inverter still provides all the power and the generator would be used to just charge the batteries. You could open up a wide range of generators that way.

 

[Cmiller]

It needs to have 240V as an option. But there is a little more to it than that...

Realistically you should have a generator that is a minimum of 5,000 watts if it is a reputable brand (Honda, Yamaha, etc.) and more like 10,000 watts if it is an off-brand (and/or Generac portable). But honestly, any portable generators will be sketchy with the 15K Sol-Ark. As someone else said, using a chargverter is almost more practical.

If you get a cheap portable generator, don't get a non-inverter generator! Your frequency and voltage will not be stable enough! I repeat, DO NOT get a non-inverter generator!

Schneider inverter manuals always said when sizing a generator for backup charging, double the size of your inverter. The reason for this is that your inverter can charge at a rate pretty much equal to it's output rating, plus you need to be able to power your loads yet on top of that! This is actually very solid advice, although we often set up Kohler 14kW home standby generators with the Sol-Ark 15K inverters, and those do work fine when just using as backup for a grid outage + low battery scenario.

Something you need to know is that even though the Sol-Ark menu has a gen shave function, it really doesn't work great. If you have virtually no loads, it will work decent. Otherwise it will be very hit-or-miss on keeping from overloading the gen.

 

[Armorer266]

I asked for wiring diagram because where is your solark relative to meter versus main panel or are you doing a critical loads panel or are you doing like me where the solark sits between the meter and main panel?

Now that we know you have batteries whats your usage, will you cut back during an outage? I have mine setup with a little more battery than you to run my AC and entire house, but not my heat pump pool heater... that may change as I recently had an issue.

In terms of generator sizing you need to know what your loads will be for outage and how much kwh's you'll need. Do you plan on doing gas, diesel, LP, propane? If going with the solark that diagram you just supplied that is good. AS mentioned you will need to debond the neutral and ground on the genny. I would absolutely stick with a inverter generator if going the smaller portable route. If going permanent like a 14kw kohler the THD should be good to run the house.

I have micros on my gen input so, when I get around to building the battery shed I will be using a chargenectifier or chargeverter with a small trifuel generator and then I don't need to worry about THD or debonding the neutral ground.

There lots of directions you can go with different benefits to each and different cons. The more details the better you can be guided and given the pros and cons for each with a reason the forum's suggested. Ultimately there are multiple answers to the issue you got to decide what is best for you.

If you really want backup for when the power is out and only for when the sun hasn't shined in two days because your batteries and baseload are covered and you are going to wheel a gas inverter generator out of the garage, then have your guy put a male plug/socket with a ground neutral and two hots below the solark. You now have a code compliant socket there so you don't need to do a suicide cord and can use a normal 50 or 30 amp 4 prong extension cord.

Good luck!

 

[seneysolar]

So, I'm looking at some generators around the $1000 price point.

$1000 isnt going to get you much.

Duromax 13k

Heres a Duromax for $1099. I have one, its ok but its backup only, i certainly wouldn't expect thousands of hours from it. I can say that voltage and frequency is good enough for the Solark to accept. Now realize its only 10500w continuous rated.

My installer is telling me those are not compatible with the Sol Ark 15K.

Some are, most are not. I dont blame him for pushing back a bit.

Is he saying this because of the connections? Portable gens wont have terminals, usually a 50A plug is the best you can hope for. Then just get a RV cord.

They want to install some type of plug setup (additional panel on the wall) instead of hooking up directly to the Sol Ark.

I would do this too. A 50A rv plug would work. Not sure how you would hardwire a portable gen.

I don't know if this is right or not. From the picture it shows 4 wires going from the gen to the Sol Ark. Seemed simple enough.
The manual says ONLY Supports 120/240V Split-Phase generators.

As Tim says, split phase and single phase are the same. If the specs say 240v, its likely split paselike you need.

When I look for split phase generators I get a bunch of results for inverters but nothing that says I'm a split phase generator.

Can anyone please recommend a generator that will hook up directly?

Wire a plug directly
Plug

I'm using this as an emergency backup in case the grid fails so hopefully never use.
I'd like to be able to store it and only hook it up if needed. Gasoline is fine but if it has additional options that is fine too.

Think about the wattage of the generator you look at. Likely 5000 watts will be used for battery charging, and the leftovers need to power loads. You will come up short if you dont cut loads back yourself. The the solark will simply disconnect from the generator if its not big enough.

Thanks.

Aaron

For smaller generators, consider a separate DC charger directly to the batteries. Then you can leave the solark out of the equation.

 

[dktool]

I picked up one of these for 1799.00 on a Sam's sale, so far it is a real nice unit.

GENMAX GM10500iETC Tri-Fuel Inverter Generator 8500W/10500W 50 Amp Rem

GENMAX GM10500iETC Tri-Fuel Inverter Generator 8500W/10500W 50 Amp Remote Start New. Authorized Dealer. 1 year warranty. Free shipping on generators.

factorypure.com

 

[SunDave]

So, I'm looking at some generators around the $1000 price point.
My installer is telling me those are not compatible with the Sol Ark 15K.
They want to install some type of plug setup (additional panel on the wall) instead of hooking up directly to the Sol Ark.

I use this occasionally with a Sol-Ark 15k.
https://www.harborfreight.com/8750-...tor-with-co-secure-technology-carb-72937.html
It does 7kW continuous, but if I use it to charge, I only run about 4-5kW so that the well pump can kick in without shutting everything down.

• This generator does not have a 2 wire start function (will not start automatically with the signal from the 15k). It does have electric start, and a pull rope.
• When charging via gen and still using power in the house, you will need to charge at a low wattage. The charging AND the loads are supplied from the generator while charging. If you need 2kW loads, you would have to charge at under 5kW.
• An inlet plug like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/Generac-30-Amp-Raintight-Resin-Power-Inlet-Box-6340/204004118#overlay can be installed outside your home, then the wire can be brought through the wall to your Sol-Ark.

I'd like to be able to store it and only hook it up if needed.

Run it every month or so for 10 mins even if you don't hook it up. Just roll it outside, start it, let it run 10 mins or so, shut it down. Let it cool down, then put it away. If you try to use a generator that has sat for years with the same gas, it is not going to work.

 

[Supervstech]

All you need is a generator that can power a 240v load. Then it just needs to be sized in kWh for your load. Keep in mind, generators are known to produce really poor power. Many people end up going with a generator connected to a chargeverter and connect the chargeverter to the battery/DC side then your inverter still provides all the power and the generator would be used to just charge the batteries. You could open up a wide range of generators that way.

Generators are not sized by kWh
They are sized by watts, or kW. kWh is a usage/storage number.

 

[TechRider]

That was my bad, typing too fast I guess. It's been corrected.

 

[tomlu_2000]

The Sol-Ark isn't doing anything magical with the connection to the generator. It just has a relay that connects to the main L1/L2 internally. My generator was too big so I left it connected to the grid side and just turned on the setting for "Gen connected to grid" but I have my inverter set to 2-wire control of my generator. It's so nice to have the power go out and the generator not kick on till it's really needed. (Which has been never so far.)

I’m trying to do the same. Are you selling back to grid? Are you using the generac ats? If so, would you please share any setting specific to making this happen? I have the two wire start kit ready to install. I’m nervous that the 15k is not going to behave properly. Thank you!

 

[TechRider]

Yes, I'm selling back. Yes, I'm using the generac ATS. Here's what I did.

1. Left the wiring in the ATS alone.
2. Installed the 2 wire start kit in the generac controller and configured it for 2 wire start
3. Connected the 2 wire start to the Sol-Ark
4. Set the Sol-Ark to control the generator and enabled generator connected to grid.

Here's what I've noticed so far.

• When the power goes out, nothing happens with the ATS
• My generator still runs on it's weekly test cycle
• I pull from the grid before my low battery settings so I've not run off the generator yet

I need to do some more testing but haven't had a chance yet. From what I understand, the ATS will trip once the generator tells it to when in 2 wire start. I've not confirmed this yet.

 

[SplitUniverse]

Get yourself a diesel MEP surplus of craigslist, make sure it's 120/240V and just connect the 240V to the GEN input.
Set the "GEN charge" on the batteries at a value that still allows you to run whatever is in the house in addition to the charging load.
Those MEPs have a really nice "surge rating" so you will not wake up in the dark when your water pump or AC comes on.
They are not really "movable"; big, military grade hunk or iron and copper that's designed to take beating and keep on ticking.

 

[TechRider]

Hooking up to the gen port or not depends on the size of your generator. Mine was too big to hook up to the gen port. Sol-Ark doesn't recommend anything over 19kW connected to Gen.

 

[tomlu_2000]

Hooking up to the gen port or not depends on the size of your generator. Mine was too big to hook up to the gen port. Sol-Ark doesn't recommend anything over 19kW connected to Gen.

I asked the same question to sol-ark support because i have a 22k. Here is what they said:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good afternoon. I have a few questions regarding my 15K.

From the manual: “Gen Limit Power: Limits the power drawn from the “GEN” AC source. The inverter will reduce battery charge when value is reached.”,

1. Let’s say I have a 3000 watt generator. If the Generator is using the GEN input and I set Gen Limit Power to 2000W does this mean that the Inverter will never pull more than 2000W from the generator? This is the way I interpret this. Am I correct in my interpretation?
   Yes — in this case, the inverter will not draw more than 2000W from the generator. Once that threshold is reached, it will reduce battery charging or avoid exceeding the limit, protecting the generator from overload.
2. Conversely, Let’s say I have a 24000 watt generator. If the generator is using the GEN Input and I set “Gen Limit Power” to 12000 watts, does that mean the inverter will never pull more than 12000 watts from the generator even thought the generator is capable of 24000 watts?
   Also correct — if you set Gen Limit Power = 12,000W, the inverter will limit how much it draws from the generator to that level. It will not attempt to pull the full 24kW, even though the generator is capable of more.

The real question is can I use the GEN port for a 24k generator if I set the “Gen Limit Power” to a level below 80 AMPS. The manual says “Generators Smaller than 19.2kW → On “GEN” Input” and Generators Greater than 19.2kW → On “GRID” Input.

So, is it safe to put the 24k gen on the GEN input if we are limiting the amount of load that the inverter will pull from the generator? I won’t damage the Inverter or Generator?

Recommended Practice:​

You can connect a 24kW generator to the GEN port, if and only if:

• You strictly enforce the Gen Limit Power (e.g., 12kW).
• The generator is well-behaved (i.e., it doesn't back-feed excess voltage or cause power fluctuations).
• You’re aware that this setup may void warranty if there’s a surge or misconfiguration, since it technically goes against the stated limit.

Safe rule of thumb here is that the inverter will honor the Gen Limit Power, but the safest configuration still follows the the 15k inverter's manual specs

​

Bottom Line:​

• Yes, the inverter honors the Gen Limit Power, so it won’t overdraw.
• Yes, you can connect a 24kW generator to the GEN port if you limit draw <19.2kW (80A).
• But be cautious, because exceeding Sol-Ark’s guidelines can expose the inverter to risk, especially if settings are misapplied or updated incorrectly.

 

[TechRider]

For my purposes, it was easier to wire with the ats in place and connected to the grid. Plus I like the fact it isolates the grid when running.

 

[tomlu_2000]

Yes, I'm selling back. Yes, I'm using the generac ATS. Here's what I did.

1. Left the wiring in the ATS alone.
2. Installed the 2 wire start kit in the generac controller and configured it for 2 wire start
3. Connected the 2 wire start to the Sol-Ark
4. Set the Sol-Ark to control the generator and enabled generator connected to grid.

Here's what I've noticed so far.

• When the power goes out, nothing happens with the ATS
• My generator still runs on it's weekly test cycle
• I pull from the grid before my low battery settings so I've not run off the generator yet

I need to do some more testing but haven't had a chance yet. From what I understand, the ATS will trip once the generator tells it to when in 2 wire start. I've not confirmed this yet.

Thank you! Great information. However, it would be great to know EXACTLY what happens when the 15k calls for the gen to charge the batteries.

At the moment, I'm leaning towards totally disconnecting the gen from the ATS and going to the 15K GEN input. Using the ATS as my AC disconnect only. Setting up two wire start and setting the "GEN LIMIT POWER" setting to something like 17k. To me it just seems cleaner.

I also have a manual transfer switch setup to enable me to run the panel directly of the gen, if I need to. Also, I have a second manual transfer switch setup to run directly off the grid, if I need to. The two manual switches work together to allow me all my options. My 15K died and it took me over 2 months to get the replacement. Thank goodness I had the manual switch to switch back to grid.

I've got a very similar setup described in this video:

 

[EL34xyz]

I used a Troy Built 5500 watt generator to charge my batteries after 3 days of power out during hurricane Helene.
But I do not connect the generator straight to the 15k
Generators of the type I have make dirty power

I have a EG4 chargeverter that the generator plugs into and then you dial in the correct voltage charge settings
The chargeverter cleans up the AC voltage and you can set it for the system you are charging
Then the chargeverter goes into the 15k battery terminals

You just need the proper plug from your generator to the chargeverter
I used 240vac dryer plugs female and male to make those connections

Note, the yellow unit I have was way cheaper than the current chargeverter I see at signature solar

Old chargeverter

EG4® Chargeverter | 48v 100A Battery Charger [Legacy Product]

Introducing the EG4 Chargeverter: a powerful 48V battery charger with 100A capacity, versatile input options, and built-in breaker for added protection.

eg4electronics.com

New chargeverter

EG4® Chargeverter GC - EG4 Electronics

EG4 Chargeverter GC: easy battery charging in bad weather, generator compatibility, and adjustable current/voltage.

eg4electronics.com

 

[seneysolar]

Then the chargeverter goes into the 15k generator terminals

You put DC to the generator input on the 15k Solark?

Chargeverter should go direct to the batteries.

 

[EL34xyz]

LOL. no sorry, the chargeverter goes to the battery terminals on the 15k
I'll go fix my post
Thanks for the heads up

 

[SunDave]

El34xyz,
Saw your 6 panel mount on the ground mount thread. Nice job. I had a 2kWh setup on a sol-ark 15k for a while, then upgraded to 13.76kW total. I will say it works way better once you get past the threshold where much of the panel output goes to idle draw, etc. In other words, double the panels will get you more than double the usuable power at this point.

Just an FYI.

 

[EL34xyz]

Thanks
Those 6 panels easily keep my shop going without the grid if I get moderate sun

I have 10 x 440 watt panels going up on my house roof in the next week or so
Those panels will feed my EG4 18k that is in my house