Hi Michael,
When you install the A10, let us know a comparison to the Midnite Rosie.
I would like that as I am in the same boat as you with Schneider getting
out of offgrid. Schneider Home is even worse than the Power wall. No gen
input and at least the Powerwall builds the cells here in Northern
Nevada. Still no Gen input...
I forgot to add that I had to change a spark plug on the Honda once. It
did not need it though.
Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
"we go where powerlines don't"
[1]https://offgridsolar1.com/ [2] [1]
e-mail [email protected]
text 209 813 0060
On 2025-05-13 8:53 am, Michael Morningstar via RE-wrenches wrote:
I've had good luck with the Victron/Discover pairing for small
off-gridsystems. The drawbacks are: No tech support (as far as I know),
requires stacking for 120/240 and more than 3kw, no conduit boxes on
MPPTs, lots of BOS components, and lots of comms and a familiarity with
the various comms cables. Also, I haven't come up with a reliable
solution for installing the touch screen at distance from the power
system. That is system in a power shed remote from the dwelling.
I've had zero issues with this pairing and it will probably be my go to
for awhile. We're installing our first AIO offgrid in a few days, as I
purchased the equipment for the project early last fall when they were
first released, not realizing their unsuitability for off-grid.
It's weird, I would have expected better from Midnite and wonder just
WHO engineered the unit?
Generators: Simple diesel genset 1st choice always or liquid cooled/low
RPM LPG for 20kw up, Honda eu7000is w/ LPG conversion for smaller
requirements
On Tue, May 13, 2025 at 7:50 AM MDElectricSolar via RE-wrenches
<[email protected]> wrote:
After having many many failures very prematurely with the Kohler 14 and
20s I've switched to the Cummins-Onan air cooled two wires start units
and they have been flawless so far.
Michael D Nelson
MD Electric & Solar, Inc.
707-684-0064 mobile
707-884-1862 office
www.mdelectricsolar.com [3]
www.facebook.com/mdelectricandsolar [4]
On May 13, 2025, at 7:33 AM, Mac Lewis via RE-wrenches
<[email protected]> wrote:
Hello Jay,
I am using Kohler 14 RCAs in Colorado. It has the off-grid warranty
18-month/1000 hr. I have seen good results, I probably have 60-70 out
there now. If you can make it through the 6 month mark, its probably
going to be pretty good machine (control and /or sensor failures). I
have had random issues, they aren't perfect, but its the best I've come
across for an autostart machine that works well with elevation derate
here. Very simple to troubleshoot, stepper motor, controller, not much
else. Btw, Kohler sold its residential line to Rehlko recently so who
knows!
On Tue, May 13, 2025 at 8:21 AM Jay via RE-wrenches
<[email protected]> wrote:
I've installed one. It works and simple
Like the other AIOs.
It has a different firmware/display than the 8,12 kw units which is a
bit frustrating.
The main drawback with the 6 is it's only 3kw per leg. It doesn't like
being too out of balance either. Tare loss is a bit high and the fans
seems to run a lot but better cooler than hotter.
But it's less than 1/2 the price of the 8kw. It's about $1600.
If you just bought it as a CC it'd be a great deal.
As to it not being made in China I think is nothing more than
simantics.
It might now be assembled in Texas but the parts are all made in China.
So draw your own conclusions
On May 13, 2025, at 6:10 AM, Drake Chamberlin via RE-wrenches
<[email protected]> wrote:
Talking to Steve at Zonna about the problems with off grid equipment,
he recommended the EG4 6000XP as a good off grid inverter. He said they
are no longer made in China and are a very good product. Does anyone
have experience with that unit?
Thanks,
Drake
_Drake Chamberlin_
_Athens Electric LLC_
_Ohio Electrical Contractor's License 44810_
_NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional_
---
On 2025-05-12 13:11, Ray Walters via RE-wrenches wrote:
So the bypass switch gets the house power on, and I too always
recommend a hard bypass switch. However, you still need a 48 v power
supply to get the battery system back up, and that's becoming a serious
pain in my aging backside. Until AIOs with Li+ batteries, lead acid
would have enough voltage to get the charge controller to come back on,
and eventually the customer could get the inverter back on too. No
special trip out.
We need an independent circuit that would sense array voltage, and wake
up the battery, so it could take a charge: a backup battery for the
offgrid battery. Without that, AIOs and Li+ batteries are not self
healing like Lead Acid. We are going backwards fast, but with an
amazing amount of new Chinese technology driving the jalopy in reverse.
(Danger Will Robinson)
Ray Walters
Remote Solar
On 5/12/2025 10:54 AM, Jason Szumlanski via RE-wrenches wrote:
We always recommend a transfer switch to bypass the inverter and send
generator power to the loads. Most clients take us up on it. For
retrofits, sometimes there can be space limitations, however.
As for the function of the AIO, there is no integrated mechanical
bypass, and since there is an internal relay controlling the generator
input (or smart load output on that breaker), I think the default
function is for the relay to open when the inverter turns off. AC
voltage on the load side of the breaker does not close the relay and
turn the inverter back on automatically.
Jason Szumlanski
Principal Solar Designer | Florida Solar Design Group
NABCEP Certified Solar Professional (PVIP)
Florida State Certified Solar Contractor CVC56956
Florida Certified Electrical Contractor EC13013208
On Mon, May 12, 2025 at 9:49 AM Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar via
RE-wrenches <[email protected]> wrote:
All sounds wrong to me. Call Midnite.
Typically there is a AC bypass mechanical switch that allows the gen to
bypass the inverter and power loads.
Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
"we go where powerlines don't"
[1]https://offgridsolar1.com/ [2] [1]
e-mail [email protected]
text 209 813 0060
On 2025-05-12 9:29 am, Jason Szumlanski via RE-wrenches wrote:
Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like there is a flaw in the
logic for how generator integration works with this product. Unlike
some of the other AIOs, you can't put the generator on the Grid input
in an off-grid scenario. You have to use the Generator smart load
breaker, which isn't a dedicated generator input, but a programmable
circuit. This is problematic because it seemingly has a normally open
internal relay that closes only when the inverter is ON. At least,
that's how it seems to work in my limited experience.
Why is this a problem? If the battery capacity drops below the low
voltage cutoff, the inverter turns off. You have to turn the inverter
ON for the generator relay to close so you can charge the battery, but
since the battery is too low, the inverter won't turn on. You would
have to reprogram the inverter to drop the cutoff voltage/SOC below the
current battery state. For people who do not want to use AGS, or if AGS
fails to start the generator for any reason, getting the generator to
charge the battery manually is no easy task.
Moreover, turning the generator on manually when the inverter is in an
OFF state will not pass power to the loads, and will not turn the
inverter ON automatically. You have to get the inverter turned ON
somehow so that the generator power can pass through to the loads. And
since the startup sequence for this inverter is very quirky,
non-intuitive, and unreliable, that makes the problem even worse. I'm
not sure if you can even turn the inverter ON when there is generator
input and the battery is too low. I don't think you can because the
relay is open and the inverter doesn't even see generator voltage when
it is in an OFF state.
This seems like a serious oversight and a reason to go with one of the
other AIOs on the market. I believe the Sol-Ark 15K and EG4 18kPV will
both immediately power loads and start charging when the generator is
on, regardless of whether the generator is connected to the Grid or
Generator input. Any AC input immediately passes through to the loads.
This is because those inverters stay "on" when a low battery condition
is met, and they simply stop using the battery to invert power if the
battery conditions do not allow it, based on the settings.
The logic of the Midnite AIOs turning "off" when battery cutoff is met
and opening the generator relay doesn't make sense to me. Am I wrong
about how this works?
Jason Szumlanski
Principal Solar Designer
Florida Solar Design Group
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Links:
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[1] http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/
[2] https://offgridsolar1.com/
[3] http://www.mdelectricsolar.com
[4] http://www.facebook.com/mdelectricandsolar
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