Comments on Solar Generator Ordered Online

[SunEagle]

It sounds like it is the OP's lucky day, it's time for you guys to start building him a system.

The OP can still use his system but he really needs to replace the inverter with one that is smaller and compliments his battery system size, whatever that is.

I also don't know how good the Charge Controller is, so knowing if he has enough panel wattage to keep that battery system happy is the next question.

Unfortunately if the OP can't get his money back he will have to chalk up this adventure as a learning lesson and hopefully not to believe in slick advertising and big promises in the future.

Heck I almost did the same thing when I built my solar generator. Only I was listening to myself and not the smart people on this forum. I could have easily saved $1000 from what I spent to build my system.

Sometimes learning can hurt the pocketbook but can also allow some wisdom to creep in.

[RatedPG]

Then why did they stop taking his phone calls before the 29th? The smoking gun......

This should have been the first big red flag for me. They NEVER pick up the phone! At least, not for me. Everything was discussed via email.

It was very stupid of me to place an almost $4K order from a company that does not have enough staff/resources for a good phone service.

[RatedPG]

Unfortunately if the OP can't get his money back he will have to chalk up this adventure as a learning lesson and hopefully not to believe in slick advertising and big promises in the future.

Sometimes learning can hurt the pocketbook but can also allow some wisdom to creep in.

$4000 is a very high tuition for the "School of Experience".

[Naptown]

If you want to start working out the details of something that will work for your needs start by identifying loads and how long they need to run and plug them into the calculator in the off grid battery design link below.

[Willy T]

The OP can still use his system but he really needs to replace the inverter with one that is smaller and compliments his battery system size, whatever that is.



Heck I almost did the same thing when I built my solar generator. Only I was listening to myself and not the smart people on this forum. I could have easily saved $1000 from what I spent to build my system.
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Is that your business model ?? Do you run a non-profit Solar Generator business ?? Next someone will be saying the OP doesn't have the skills to be working with Solar electric.

That Inverter will work just fine. He'll soon learn how much battery he needs to support it with the loads he applies. I don't know the tare losses in the system and neither does anyone posting here.

This not argumentative, just the facts. At best it'd probably run a refrigerator for 24 hrs and a LED light. If you had full sun the next day, you might be lucky for another 24 hrs.

[RatedPG]

If you want to start working out the details of something that will work for your needs start by identifying loads and how long they need to run and plug them into the calculator in the off grid battery design link below.

Can I discuss my "new" solar configuration here or do I need to start a new thread for it?

[Naptown]

Start a new thread. Less confusing.

[lkruper]

Is that your business model ?? Do you run a non-profit Solar Generator business ?? Next someone will be saying the OP doesn't have the skills to be working with Solar electric.

That Inverter will work just fine. He'll soon learn how much battery he needs to support it with the loads he applies. I don't know the tare losses in the system and neither does anyone posting here.

This not argumentative, just the facts. At best it'd probably run a refrigerator for 24 hrs and a LED light. If you had full sun the next day, you might be lucky for another 24 hrs.

What sticks in my craw here, is the false advertising. Their web site negatively discusses a 5000w gas generator because it needs gas and sells their "5000w" solar generator as the solution. Never mind that it can only last 1 hour per battery charge and likely won't fully recharge in one days worth of solar!

What if someone really relied on this for the purpose for which it is being sold... to replace a 5000w gas generator?

A solar generator at this price point does not exist. So why should the OP, now that he has become aware of this, keep the product that does not fulfil its advertising?

What if he really needs something that will really produce 5000w on an ongoing basis? He is better off taking that money and putting it towards something that has a chance at producing.

Or, more likely reducing his expectation and putting together something that meets his needs without rewarding a company that made false promises and who evidently does not have either the resources to support their client base or the desire to do so.

[SunEagle]

Is that your business model ?? Do you run a non-profit Solar Generator business ?? Next someone will be saying the OP doesn't have the skills to be working with Solar electric.

That Inverter will work just fine. He'll soon learn how much battery he needs to support it with the loads he applies. I don't know the tare losses in the system and neither does anyone posting here.

This not argumentative, just the facts. At best it'd probably run a refrigerator for 24 hrs and a LED light. If you had full sun the next day, you might be lucky for another 24 hrs.

Willy

Why are you so confrontational?

I don't have a business model I am offering suggestions to the OP that if he can't get his money back he can still use what he purchased but should refine it so that there is a less chance of draining his battery system.

A 5kw/10kw inverter is too big for just about any battery source below 48volts. He can either get a bigger battery system and pv panels to match or swap out the inverter. I feel the inverter would be the less expensive way to go.

Letting the OP use that inverter will destroy his batteries learning how much he needs and doesn't seem like good advice to me.

[SunEagle]

$4000 is a very high tuition for the "School of Experience".

True. I spent $2500 and while that hurt I have a better understanding of what I should/could have done instead.

[J.P.M.]

I'd guess that everyone here sincerely hopes the OP gets satisfaction and not screwed. Maybe it'll all work out. I certainly hope so.

In a somewhat larger sense, everyone reading this thread may learn from the experience described and the comments/advice given.

As always:

- Knowledge is power. Get informed before you commit. How informed is probably directly proportional to the resource commitment required.
- Like every other area of life, con men are always lurking in the solar/R.E. arena, maybe even more than other segments of society.
- Not everyone who tells you what you want to hear is your friend. Not everyone who tells you what you don't like is your enemy.
- Don't believe everything you read or are told. Question everything everyone says.
- Caveat Emptor.

[RatedPG]

If your six batteries are 12v then you would have 600Ah total at 12v and 300Ah at 24v. That would leave you 300Ah at 12v or 150Ah at 24 volts if you use 1/2 the battery capacity.

Watt Hours = Amp Hrs X Volts, so at 12v that would be 12 X 300 = 3600 (or 24 X 150).

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With this math, it shows that the system they proposed (which I ignorantly ordered) would not even power the 5K inverter for an hour, right?
Now why would they propose such a configuration?

To put things in perspective, here's an excerpt from the first email I sent them:

I’ve been looking at your solar generators and I wanted to ask you what set I needed to power the following:

A Window AC (for a 12’x12’ room) running 24/7 (or at sleep time only - 8 hours at night)
A Small Fridge (4 cu. ft) running 12 hours a day
A 60W CPAP machine
A Macbook Pro (and other iOS devices)
LED lights at night time.

I’m in Florida where we get a lot of sun.

[lkruper]

It could produce 5000w for 1 hour (approximately) if you used 70% of your battery capacity. That is in an acceptable range, but normally 50% is recommended. As for running your AC and fridge for 8 hours, and fridge for 12 along with the rest of what you list, no.

[RatedPG]

It could produce 5000w for 1 hour (approximately) if you used 70% of your battery capacity. That is in an acceptable range, but normally 50% is recommended. As for running your AC and fridge for 8 hours, and fridge for 12 along with the rest of what you list, no.

I asked them for a system that would be sufficient for my power needs. Why would they propose one that wouldn't provide such power for the duration I specified.

If they refuse to honor my order cancelation, I will use this as my grounds for the dispute. What do you think?

[thastinger]

IMHO you're off on the wrong foot. You are not asking the right questions. You should be approaching this as a "What is the most feasible and economical way to power this list of items in a grid down scenario" instead of predisposing yourself to the use of solar. If you're talking about hurricane survival then solar isn't going to be your solution because of the cloud cover and rain. If you do happen to settle on solad, you're still going to need a generator to EQ the battery bank but you're going to have to change your mindset or open up the checkbook if solar is what you settle on. The first thing you have to do is accurately identify your power requirements regardless of what source is going to generate the backup power. The easiest way to do this is to buy a "kill-a-watt" meter. Go to the off-grid section and plug those numbers into the spreadsheet then we can go from there.
FWIW, a properly sized off-grid solar system capable of providing 2.5Kwh a day (not enough to run your AC) is going to cost about 5K. The components are only a piece of the total cost, you also have to account for the cost of the racking to mount the panels, wiring, fuses, disconnects, battery core charges etc. It adds up quick.