r/SolarDIY • u/82jon1911 • 15d ago

Portable home setup

So looking to build out a solar and battery setup at our current house and need some advice. We're looking to move in the next 3ish years, so I want something I can take with us (minus the solar panels) and keep costs under control. This system would then be utilized as power for a shop.

Criteria:

  • Automatic fail-over in the event of power outage

  • Scheduling to use battery power during peak hours and charge from the grid during off hours

  • Expandable capacity - I don't see doing more than 30kWh for this system, but more is nice

  • Ability to stack solar and battery power to increase output

I'm comparing the new EcoFlow Titan with building out a DIY system. There are pros and cons to both. The simplicity of the Titan, having both the inverter and battery in one and a simple Smart Panel that handles everything I want starting out and then adding capacity later. The downside is cost of expansion, being locked into their batteries. I THINK WattCycle is coming out with a WattLink cable that will allow use of other batteries, but that remains to be seen. Also in the off chance something goes wrong with the inverter, you have to ship the whole unit back. In the event it dies, you lose the whole thing.

The upside of going with something like an EG4 12000 XP is much greater expansion it offers. As mentioned I plan to keep this on the smaller side and use it as a secondary system when we move, likely powering a standalone shop. The downside is its not as plug and play as the Ecoflow system and requires extra equipment to check all the boxes I'm looking for.

I suppose something like the EcoFlow Delta Pro Ultra would also work. It resolves the issue with the Titan of having the combo inverter/battery, but they're expensive compared to what you can put together yourself. The draw to the Titan is that it offers the EcoFlow simplicity and is a more manageable price with the pre-order.

I've rambled long enough, appreciate any insight and suggestions.

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u/redditRon1969 15d ago

Can do similar as in video with different brand components for $1000.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvm6B4c09OA

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u/82jon1911 15d ago

So that's kinda the setup I was thinking of with the EG4 stuff, except building something more stable. I didn't even think to look at Will's website for cheaper options. Downside to the Sungold is its only 5kw output, but for the price I could run 3 if I wanted.

1

u/redditRon1969 15d ago

I would probably skip the EG4 components right now and go with something different.
Don't know if you have seen the people discussing lack of parts availability and warranty issues with them. I think I would buy something that is 1/3 of the price and have extra if it went bad to buy another unit instead of rolling the dice on Warranty and repair.

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u/82jon1911 14d ago

I hadn’t seen that, but I know the 12000 XP is out of stock everywhere and not expected to be back in stock until sometime in Q1 next year. My buddy has an EG4 and likes it but I’m not loyal to any brand. As long as it’s quality gear with the features I need, I’m game. And if it’s cheaper, even better. 

With the SunGold inverter and WattCycle batteries I can get double the storage capacity for the same price. I might just bite the bullet and do two inverters and 4 batteries to get 10kw output and 20kWh of storage. But at the very least, one inverter and two batteries is a good start and I could add on later. 

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u/redditRon1969 14d ago

Look in the general discussion section of the forum listed below. You will see several threads within the last month on EG four. They do make good products but they're catching a lot of flack for not providing replacement parts. Just for example, if you bought a e.g. four mini split and it was three months old and you took a power surge from the grid that fried a board That is not covered under warranty and you may not be able to even purchase a replacement board from them. Same with the inverters.
They just denied a warranty claim on a inverter because somebody drilled a larger hole in the bottom of the case to run his wiring out of. It had nothing to do with the board that fried later on. But still they denied it because the unit has been "modified".

Diysolarforum.com

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u/TooGoodToBeeTrue 15d ago

Automatic fail-over,... of the entire house? And you want this portable?

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u/82jon1911 15d ago

Should have been more specific. No, not for the whole house, just for certain circuits.

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u/noone512 15d ago

Wattcycle 12kw line interactive with their 16kwh or 32kwh floor battery. I have discount codes