Thank you...great info. I have same complaint about most videos--not very helpful in description of wiring and components. This was very helpful. Looking forward to next one.
The '5kW' auto transformer is actually a 2.5kVA transformer meaning it can handle 2.5kVA (20.8A) of 120vac split phase sustained current imbalance. That means maximum sustained 240vac current to autotransformer is about 12.5 amps maximum. Only the 120vac phase sides current difference between split phase loads actually goes through the auto-transformer, i.e. if you have 25 amp load from L1-N and 25 amp load from L2-N, the autotransformer sees zero current loading. Auto-transformer can take an overload for some amount of time, 5-20 minutes, if not too excessive, so 20 amp 240vac breaker would be about right for that 2.5kVA transformer. Think about what happens if the 240vac input side auto-transformer breaker opens, either by overload or you accidentally flip off breaker. The neutral to all your 120vac loads is then floating and their applied AC voltage will be between 0 and 240vac depending on split phase side loading ratio.
I think it’s awesome that you got most of your system up and running, and I really hope the addition of solar goes smoothly. Not so much for me..😔. My system is nearly identical to yours but I’ve never been able to get the inverters to run in parallel when solar is hooked up and SS has not been able to find the problem. Expecting my 3rd set of inverters tomorrow.
@@mkonvo Thanks brother. The tech support department is wayyy too busy so consequently they don’t return calls, emails, or even messages. It is frustrating, to say the least.
@@georgedrenes8143 I like Signature Solar but they are overwhelmed. I think a few quality videos on setting up the more popular systems would save them alot of phone calls.
@@mkonvo I can’t agree more! Just received 2 new es 5k inverters and 6 more batteries but will do a thorough evaluation of my system to see if I can find any problems before installing and trying out yet another pair of inverters. The rev 4 manual that came with the inverters still doesn’t address even the simplest of procedures, like the proper sequence for starting up the system with one, or many inverters. How crazy is that?
@@georgedrenes8143 I haven't heard many bad stories like yours when it comes to the inverters. The manual, there is another subject completely. You have a bunch of different information screens to scroll through but it doesn't explain any of it. Some of it is obvious but some is not. I have 2 more batteries on order and hopefully they come in when they are expected. I will probably buy a 3rd inverter while I can just as a backup since this stuff sells out so quick.
Great video. Are the two sub panels both grounded to anything? I'm setting up a one Growatt 5000, one battery and one transfer to power a shed/shop. What size wire are you using?
@Jesterglm The bigger sub panel is grounded to the main breaker panel for the house. I don't have the small panel grounded, but the ground for the generator wires just continues through it. Since the house panel has the grounds and neutrals bonded I guess technically the wiring for the Growatts are grounded that way but the small box is not grounded. I'm not an electrician so I don't know the legality of that. 8 awg from the Growatts, 10 awg from autotransformer to the inverter sub panel. 6 awg from the inverter sub to the small panel and 6 from the small panel to the main house breaker box. The grounding wire is 10 awg but should probably be bigger, it's what I had laying around.
I used double pole breakers for both. You have to since you have 2 hot lines. I'm not an expert, this is just how I did the setup. I have had no issues with anything and hopefully it stays that way. Thanks for watching!
I was also told by three different people at Signature Solar to use 3 different size breakers for the autotransformer. I went with the 25Amp but if you wanted to be extra cautious you could use a 20Amp breaker.
I have a question can i hook up two similar identical hybrid inverters the same way using one of those midpoint transformers SolarEdge Growatt etc if my inverters dont use the parallel cords or have the parallel option ?
@@mkonvo well I know where to work with one 240 volt inverter and one solar is transformer to give me the 120 volt I was just wondering could I add another inverter to the panel box
@@diysolaradventures7894 according to what I have seen on CZcams and looked up in other places you can use one transformer with 2 or 3 inverters. It just depends on how many 120 volt loads you are running in your house. And if you balance the loads between the 2 phases you basically don't use much of the transformer. If you had all of you loads stacked on one phase of your electric then you would work the transformer really hard.
@@mkonvo right I seen where ppl was using more than one inverter my question is does your inverters necessarily have to have the parallel configuration or can they run separately of each other connected to this breaker box if your inverter don't have the parallel configuration..
Great job I have 5 of Growatt 5, to of the transformers and 7 of the same batteries. The inverters from Signature Solar are NOT supposed to back feed or export to the grid. Why do you have a utility / grid block off ? Do you use the grid for pass through ?
I'm still hooked to the grid because here in Michigan we can go weeks without seeing the sun. Correct, I do not grid tie, it's either solar, grid or generator. I have 2 solar arrays still to set up. 10 panels each, one set 265 watt panels and the other 375 watt panels. Due to electric water heater, dryer and well pump I have quite a bit of draw and I'm not expecting to be able to run full solar in the winter months. Hopefully sometime in the next year I can add 2 more batteries. Thanks for watching!
@@mkonvo thank you, I understand your still connected to the grid. The Growatt inverters WILL NOT back feed to the grid, they are NON-EXPORTING and supposedly cannot hurt The line,en, if that’s the case then why do you have a block off or switch at the breaker, is it required?
It is required, you have to have a way to physically block any accidental grid tie and remember I also use that same point in the main box to feed my generator should I ever need to use it to power my house. I didn't show it in the video but when the front panel is on the main box there is a metal slide that doesn't let the grid power and the inverter/ generator power on at the same time. 👍
Since I don't have the solar hooked up yet I'm not using the system full time yet so I don't have any daily consumption data yet. 4 batteries because that's what I could afford at the moment. Hopefully tax season will be good to me and I can add one more. Two inverters because 5Kw isn't enough to run my house, electric dryer, electric water heater, and a well pump, the biggest energy devices in a house. Hope this helps.
@@mkonvo Electric dryer uses about 5kw and electric water heater usually uses 10-15 kw. 2 inverters probably won't work for you and that is not even counting the well pump.
I'm not sure what the maximum amperage of the inverters is. My whole house running with 2 ac units doesn't seem to be an issue. I have never measured the total Amps. You could check the specs on signature solar's website to see what they are capable of. Thanks for watching!
Greetings Mr. Lazy pines, I'm thinking the reason why you are struggling to Pull more of the house load is, is that you've got both of the inverter tried in paralel and routed to your ac sub panel via TWO 50 amp breakers which is good and per the growatt manual, But.... here is where I think the problem lies... you routed only one 50 amp run to your main critical load panel via the generator sub panel on a 6 awg conductor...when you should be able to bump up to 80 -100 amps ( 50 amps from each of the two inverters) on 4 awg wire to your main panel. What do you think?
Howdy, the house runs pretty good on what I have now. But if the water heater, dryer and well pump were to be running at the same time it the 2 inverters wouldn't handle it. Every once in a while the Initial surge will send the inverters over 100%, which is fine for short period of time. If all three were to run at the same time it would most likely trip the 50 amp breaker in the house box. I do plan on adding a 3rd inverter at some point and will need to upgrade the wiring and breaker as you suggest. Thanks for the recommendation!
The rats nest has got to go! Lol Spend a few hours to make it look less of a fire hazard. Do you feel like 4 batteries is enough? That’s my current Dilemma when sizing...
The rats nest are the communication cables between the inverters and I do plan on finding a way to make it look neater. For me 4 batteries are probably not enough since we have more clouds than sun, especially in the winter. If I were to replace the electric water heater with propane it would save a ton of draw on the batteries. But then I'm just relying on some other company to supply my needs. Hopefully in the next year I will add 2 more batteries. Of course when I have the money they will probably be out of stock😆.
@@mkonvo check out the heat pump water heaters. If you live somewhere warm- they are awesome. Free air conditioning and hot water for the price of hot water.
Thank you...great info. I have same complaint about most videos--not very helpful in description of wiring and components. This was very helpful. Looking forward to next one.
Thanks!
Best Video I have seen on explanation and the fuse setup makes perfect sense!!
Thanks for watching!
The '5kW' auto transformer is actually a 2.5kVA transformer meaning it can handle 2.5kVA (20.8A) of 120vac split phase sustained current imbalance. That means maximum sustained 240vac current to autotransformer is about 12.5 amps maximum.
Only the 120vac phase sides current difference between split phase loads actually goes through the auto-transformer, i.e. if you have 25 amp load from L1-N and 25 amp load from L2-N, the autotransformer sees zero current loading.
Auto-transformer can take an overload for some amount of time, 5-20 minutes, if not too excessive, so 20 amp 240vac breaker would be about right for that 2.5kVA transformer.
Think about what happens if the 240vac input side auto-transformer breaker opens, either by overload or you accidentally flip off breaker. The neutral to all your 120vac loads is then floating and their applied AC voltage will be between 0 and 240vac depending on split phase side loading ratio.
Makes sense to me. Thanks for the info!
Salve scusami un growatt 5000es quanti watt riesce a supportare dal fotovoltaico? Grazie
I think it’s awesome that you got most of your system up and running, and I really hope the addition of solar goes smoothly. Not so much for me..😔. My system is nearly identical to yours but I’ve never been able to get the inverters to run in parallel when solar is hooked up and SS has not been able to find the problem. Expecting my 3rd set of inverters tomorrow.
Man that's tough, sorry to hear things have been so rough with your system. I hope SS is taking care of you.
@@mkonvo Thanks brother. The tech support department is wayyy too busy so consequently they don’t return calls, emails, or even messages. It is frustrating, to say the least.
@@georgedrenes8143 I like Signature Solar but they are overwhelmed. I think a few quality videos on setting up the more popular systems would save them alot of phone calls.
@@mkonvo I can’t agree more! Just received 2 new es 5k inverters and 6 more batteries but will do a thorough evaluation of my system to see if I can find any problems before installing and trying out yet another pair of inverters. The rev 4 manual that came with the inverters still doesn’t address even the simplest of procedures, like the proper sequence for starting up the system with one, or many inverters. How crazy is that?
@@georgedrenes8143 I haven't heard many bad stories like yours when it comes to the inverters. The manual, there is another subject completely. You have a bunch of different information screens to scroll through but it doesn't explain any of it. Some of it is obvious but some is not. I have 2 more batteries on order and hopefully they come in when they are expected. I will probably buy a 3rd inverter while I can just as a backup since this stuff sells out so quick.
Great video. Are the two sub panels both grounded to anything? I'm setting up a one Growatt 5000, one battery and one transfer to power a shed/shop. What size wire are you using?
@Jesterglm The bigger sub panel is grounded to the main breaker panel for the house. I don't have the small panel grounded, but the ground for the generator wires just continues through it. Since the house panel has the grounds and neutrals bonded I guess technically the wiring for the Growatts are grounded that way but the small box is not grounded. I'm not an electrician so I don't know the legality of that.
8 awg from the Growatts, 10 awg from autotransformer to the inverter sub panel. 6 awg from the inverter sub to the small panel and 6 from the small panel to the main house breaker box. The grounding wire is 10 awg but should probably be bigger, it's what I had laying around.
What size growatt transformer is that.
Great video thanks
Great video! Do I use a 50a and 25a double pole breaker or is a single pole ok in the subpanel?
I used double pole breakers for both. You have to since you have 2 hot lines. I'm not an expert, this is just how I did the setup. I have had no issues with anything and hopefully it stays that way. Thanks for watching!
I was also told by three different people at Signature Solar to use 3 different size breakers for the autotransformer. I went with the 25Amp but if you wanted to be extra cautious you could use a 20Amp breaker.
Again, not an expert or an electrician.
@@mkonvo thanks so much!
@@jampackedfamilycountrylivi8022 you are welcome.
I have a question can i hook up two similar identical hybrid inverters the same way using one of those midpoint transformers SolarEdge Growatt etc if my inverters dont use the parallel cords or have the parallel option ?
Sorry, I have no idea if it works with other inverters.
@@mkonvo well I know where to work with one 240 volt inverter and one solar is transformer to give me the 120 volt I was just wondering could I add another inverter to the panel box
@@diysolaradventures7894 according to what I have seen on CZcams and looked up in other places you can use one transformer with 2 or 3 inverters. It just depends on how many 120 volt loads you are running in your house. And if you balance the loads between the 2 phases you basically don't use much of the transformer. If you had all of you loads stacked on one phase of your electric then you would work the transformer really hard.
@@mkonvo right I seen where ppl was using more than one inverter my question is does your inverters necessarily have to have the parallel configuration or can they run separately of each other connected to this breaker box if your inverter don't have the parallel configuration..
@@diysolaradventures7894 they do not have to be in parallel. I can use one should I choose but one isn't enough to handle the whole house.
Great job I have 5 of Growatt 5, to of the transformers and 7 of the same batteries. The inverters from Signature Solar are NOT supposed to back feed or export to the grid. Why do you have a utility / grid block off ? Do you use the grid for pass through ?
I'm still hooked to the grid because here in Michigan we can go weeks without seeing the sun. Correct, I do not grid tie, it's either solar, grid or generator.
I have 2 solar arrays still to set up. 10 panels each, one set 265 watt panels and the other 375 watt panels. Due to electric water heater, dryer and well pump I have quite a bit of draw and I'm not expecting to be able to run full solar in the winter months.
Hopefully sometime in the next year I can add 2 more batteries. Thanks for watching!
@@mkonvo thank you, I understand your still connected to the grid. The Growatt inverters WILL NOT back feed to the grid, they are NON-EXPORTING and supposedly cannot hurt The line,en, if that’s the case then why do you have a block off or switch at the breaker, is it required?
It is required, you have to have a way to physically block any accidental grid tie and remember I also use that same point in the main box to feed my generator should I ever need to use it to power my house. I didn't show it in the video but when the front panel is on the main box there is a metal slide that doesn't let the grid power and the inverter/ generator power on at the same time. 👍
@@mkonvo but how do you use the pass thru from the grid if you need it to help power a large load?
@@flippingcoins7714 I do not have any grid power going to the inverter. It's all solar and battery.
Where did you brought the PV disconnect switch?
Amazon, www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07C8VF2J8?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
I believe it has a 32 amp limit on each line.
What is your daily consumption? Wondering why 4 batteries. And two of the inverters
Since I don't have the solar hooked up yet I'm not using the system full time yet so I don't have any daily consumption data yet. 4 batteries because that's what I could afford at the moment. Hopefully tax season will be good to me and I can add one more.
Two inverters because 5Kw isn't enough to run my house, electric dryer, electric water heater, and a well pump, the biggest energy devices in a house.
Hope this helps.
@@mkonvo Electric dryer uses about 5kw and electric water heater usually uses 10-15 kw. 2 inverters probably won't work for you and that is not even counting the well pump.
Any clarification on how many amps you are able to feed to your house?
I'm not sure what the maximum amperage of the inverters is. My whole house running with 2 ac units doesn't seem to be an issue. I have never measured the total Amps. You could check the specs on signature solar's website to see what they are capable of. Thanks for watching!
@@mkonvo wow that is reassuring. Thanks again!
Greetings Mr. Lazy pines, I'm thinking the reason why you are struggling to Pull more of the house load is, is that you've got both of the inverter tried in paralel and routed to your ac sub panel via TWO 50 amp breakers which is good and per the growatt manual, But.... here is where I think the problem lies... you routed only one 50 amp run to your main critical load panel via the generator sub panel on a 6 awg conductor...when you should be able to bump up to 80 -100 amps ( 50 amps from each of the two inverters) on 4 awg wire to your main panel. What do you think?
Howdy, the house runs pretty good on what I have now. But if the water heater, dryer and well pump were to be running at the same time it the 2 inverters wouldn't handle it. Every once in a while the Initial surge will send the inverters over 100%, which is fine for short period of time.
If all three were to run at the same time it would most likely trip the 50 amp breaker in the house box.
I do plan on adding a 3rd inverter at some point and will need to upgrade the wiring and breaker as you suggest. Thanks for the recommendation!
The rats nest has got to go! Lol Spend a few hours to make it look less of a fire hazard.
Do you feel like 4 batteries is enough? That’s my current Dilemma when sizing...
The rats nest are the communication cables between the inverters and I do plan on finding a way to make it look neater.
For me 4 batteries are probably not enough since we have more clouds than sun, especially in the winter. If I were to replace the electric water heater with propane it would save a ton of draw on the batteries. But then I'm just relying on some other company to supply my needs.
Hopefully in the next year I will add 2 more batteries. Of course when I have the money they will probably be out of stock😆.
@@mkonvo check out the heat pump water heaters. If you live somewhere warm- they are awesome. Free air conditioning and hot water for the price of hot water.
@@Upliftyourbrothers Unfortunately I live in Michigan. I will be exploring alternatives. Thanks!