09-11-2007, 02:53 AM
Daniel,
You are correct -- it's two charge controllers, not inverters. We have the large L16 ones. I'm not the engineer in the family, obviously!
So far (been in place and use for 2 years), we're very happy with the system. However, this is not an install-and-forget-about-it system, as the batteries do need maintenance periodically. Probably the only glitchy aspect is the generator. We have an older Honda gas generator, and have wired it so that it can feed directly into the inverter, charging the batteries and running whatever. It's not an elegant solution, and is rough on some electronics. We blew a capacitor in our flash water heater with it, the clothes drier won't run at all, and the washing machine complains as well. Solution is to not use those items for the hour or two the generator is running. That said, the weather this year has meant we've only used it a couple of times.
Jane
You are correct -- it's two charge controllers, not inverters. We have the large L16 ones. I'm not the engineer in the family, obviously!
So far (been in place and use for 2 years), we're very happy with the system. However, this is not an install-and-forget-about-it system, as the batteries do need maintenance periodically. Probably the only glitchy aspect is the generator. We have an older Honda gas generator, and have wired it so that it can feed directly into the inverter, charging the batteries and running whatever. It's not an elegant solution, and is rough on some electronics. We blew a capacitor in our flash water heater with it, the clothes drier won't run at all, and the washing machine complains as well. Solution is to not use those items for the hour or two the generator is running. That said, the weather this year has meant we've only used it a couple of times.
Jane