Software upgrade is painful on solark, at least for me. You cannot download it , put it on a USB and upgrade. You have to call solark and they have to push it. I have the old WiFi dongle and they had issues last time I had to upgrade my firmware. Now Apparently I have to buy the new wifi dongle. I do not want to use WiFi. Every time I do a software upgrade I have to plug in an old WiFi router and remember or Google how to connect or make solark connect solark to my wifi router.
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Hi Mlg, We apologize for your experience during the last update, without having any context, it seems like you are one of our original customers that had a SmartESS (Shine Monitor dongle). We do recommend upgrading to the Powerview dongle to be able to provide the best assistance possible, but it is definitely not required. If one of our support team members did recommend that option, it was likely because there are certain limitations to the SmartESS platform that we have addressed by making the move to Powerview. As for your bandwidth issue, our support team can help determine the best solution for you. If you are interested or still experiencing issues, feel free to reach out to us once again and we'd be happy to help.
Thanks for the video, I wish that other TH-cam guy had spent some time learning to use his "borrowed" Sol-Ark. I love the 12K and mine has been powering my whole house without an issue. Keep up the good work.
I have a Solark 12K and a Generac generator 15k, 220-240 single phase. I want the generator to power the house and the batteries when the batteries go below 30%. I also would like to have the option to have the generator power the house if the entire solar system is down. I think I need an automatic transfer switch after the generator. Do you know of a switch that is smart enough to power the house when there is no power in the solark? How would I then change the voltage from the generator to power my 120V electric panel? Would you happen to have a writing diagram for what I would like to do? Thank you. Great video.
So if don't have solar panels and use the Sol-Ark 12k for UPS functionality only (connected grid) with batteries, to prevent imbalance faults the condition to met is that no difference of higher than 1400w between the legs????? What happen if I decided to run, for example, a 110v 12000 btu mini split (25 SEER) in one leg and an high efficiency fridge (400w continuos) in the other leg. If the grid goes down (with batteries 100% charged), It'll be almost impossible not get imbalance faults. For $6700 for the 12k this inverter is not an option. What about the 15k?? is this imbalances issues would be resolved with the 15k?
I'm assuming that this video is in response to the DavidPoz video. If so, perhaps doing a collaborative video demonstrating the limitations and functionality of the Sol-Ark would be a better approach. David's channel has a far greater reach and would be a great advertising message. That said, I have installed two 8k's and a parallel 12k off-grid systems. It has been frustrating when the loads have been within spec but still cause shutdowns (even when accounting for inrush current).
@raptormatt21 great idea. I have the 12-k and have been less than impressed with the 120V side. In the summer, we have 2 minisplit AC systems (separate circuits and legs, of course) that are rated at 930W continuous. Even if (total) load is less than 500W, we've had numerous in unbalance faults and a good number of overload faults for no reason other than switching on a minisplit. Absolutely no problems with 240V clothes dryer. This is my second rodeo with similar system...they're marketed for off-grid applications when they really perform best grid-connected
@@MahimaMoksha have you contacted Sol-Ark about your issues? I recently had to replace the MCU boards in the parallel 12K setup. It seems to have alleviated the AC overload faults.
The imbalance reply for off-grid is not really an option for a lot of people. There is a solution of using an autotransformer, for me this solves the only problem I had with solark off grid. I think it would be beneficial to explain this as a solution to customers with all its pros and cons and explain how to best set it up.
Hi Brian, Thank you for the wonderful point. You are correct that the auto transformer helps regulate the unbalance, but as it is an additional cost to an install, we don't necessarily recommend this for all customers to prevent additional costs. Most customers can get by without it as long as there isn't a large 120V appliance that could exceed the 1400W limit of difference between legs. If there's ever any doubt whether or not you may need the auto transformer our support team will be happy to help, even if you are not currently a Sol-Ark owner and are just looking for advice on designing your future system.
@@Sol-Ark "1400W limit of difference between legs" ?? So no hair dyers , microwaves , space heaters , compressors , heat guns, etc ? I thought you said it could do 5,000w plus per leg the other day ?
I called Sol-ark to verify imbalance issue. The issue is with DC recified appliances so this will not happen with microwave, coffee maker, etc. 1400w differential in DC 4800w in AC Too bad this is not clearly explained here. Im buying the 12k
We’ve been running our Sol-Ark for about a week (off grid), and received an F18 error yesterday -the Load was less than 1KW at the time. Today we received the F20 Error, and load was less than 1KW.. I disconnected the load and the Sol Ark kept cycling the AC on and off. The solar panels were generating about 2KW, and the batteries were 100%. At 3:16 in your video, you suggested balancing power to mitigate the F18 code, any advice or suggestion on what might be causing this problem. By the way. The faults occurred at around the same time each day (around noon. Thanks
Problem is , sol ark is using false advertising by calling this a 12 k unit while it can only output 9000 watts IF AND ONLY IF the two legs have balanced loads. People are buying this unit only to find that it cannot perform the simple tasks they thought it would based on the name plate. The sad fact is that my good old 8000 watt inverter can power our entire home better than a sol ark with ZERO fault shutdowns. And by sol arks poor standards all Id have to do to consider mine a 12 k unit would be to add another charge controller. They are simply misleading their customers by trying to hide the limitations of their poorly performing product with a 12k sticker. The other sticker they use says "limitless power" but sadly they have produced a product with severe limitations in everyday usage. Calling this unit a 12k equates to putting a Lamborghini badge plate on a ford explorer. Had high hopes for the sol ark company, been watching them for 4 years and almost bought one ( untill I watched people doing honest reviews ). I will not buy anything from sol ark untill they learn honesty and integrity in their advertising and promotional efforts. And also untill they can put out an inverter that will power loads without failing due to slight load imbalancing. Sol ark - you have some good ideas and concepts but you are failing to produce a solid product that performs AS ADVERTISED. Untill you resolve these two simple linked issues (Honesty & performance) you will not have me as a customer and you will lose potential customers you never knew you had ! Thankfully there are some people out there who produce factual, unbiased and real world reviews.
I had a 25kw system installed with 2 Sol-Ark12k in parallel with batteries, I come to find out the most the system will allow to be generated is 18 to 19kw. I was under the impression that 12k was 12kw of AC power and so 2 in parallel should be 24kw. Not the case, very disappointing to say the least. Wasted my money and now trying to figure out what to do. Suggestions anyone?
@@davideckert4702 sorry to hear that David. Seems that given your investment in your existing system that the most cost effective solution would be to add a third solark although I understand that may actually be upsetting given that they sold you on higher production numbers in the first place. We run an outback radian gs8048a inverter which can output power beyond its stated 8000 watts but to be fair it can only sell to grid at 6200 watts max (a built in and designed limit, which was clearly stated in the inverter literature)while still supplying some power to loads. Short of selling your components and starting over, perhaps with some carefully worded explanation to solark and/or installer - maybe solark would be smart and give you a third unit in order to avoid complaints and keep a happy customer. To me it all comes down to overstated performance and carefully avoided severe limitations. I hope you have some luck with this as it's a tough & bitter pill to swallow to learn your $ didn't buy what was promised and what you reasonably expected. If you do scrap & start over, be wary as I think most all the H.F. inverters have the leg imbalance issues to some degree and almost all inverters won't sell quite as much power to grid as they can deliver to home loads. It's too bad as I like solarks ideas & features but they really need to be upfront about the real world performance issues. We run our property on the outback inverter with 80 KWh lithium battery bank (signature solars EG4 waterproof 48v 5.1 KWh units) and 8800 watts rooftop solar. We sell about 20-25% of our power back to grid daily and run "off grid" all night. We are in the tropics so we pull in 50-60 KWh per day with the strong sun here. That's a good size system you put in, what size & make battery bank did you use ? Hope solark steps up to the plate for you.
Great information thank you. Maybe you could do a video on what settings you may want to use when hooking up a EG4 LL 48V 51.2V100AH 5120AH battery bank off grid with solar
I do not understand how you can be saying that you will have a buss imbalance at 4800 watts when I would expect it to be failing at 4500 watts. The failure would be having nothing to do with a buss imbalance, however, it would be because you would be going over the over-current specification of the unit in L1 or L2 which is 37.5 amps. Also, since there is usually an AC voltage between L1 and L2, it’s not so clear to me how you are defining a DC imbalance there. Are you defining this as an uneven load that could be caused by a half wave rectifier in the load or are you meaning something else?
All our inverters can have both AC coupling and a generator connected at the same time, the only requirement is that the generator will need to be connected through the Grid Input of the inverter. If you already have a utility connection, that means you will need a transfer switch of some kind between the inverter, the utility, and the generator to make that work. If you have any more questions about that topic or anything else, feel free to write us your questions here: www.sol-ark.com/contact-us/ One of our engineers will be happy to help out.
KiloVault HAB is now shown on the website as being supported. Fully supported? I have eight HAB’s and a pair of 12K’s on a truck somewhere in Wyoming coming for Christmas. Hoping that the firmware is able to support the gear, it’s been a long time coming.
I have an an 8K and a KiloVault HAB V3, which I installed in the last month or so. The communications between the 8K and the HAB seem fine. It uses the included HAB modbus cable and only two pins of a RJ45 plug connected to the inverters CANBUS port, as per the addendum.
Hi Warren and Fester, The KiloVault HAB V3 now have compatible closed-loop comms with the inverter. We've also confirmed with KiloVault that the HAB V2s should also work with the exact same integration method as the V3s listed in our battery integration guide: www.sol-ark.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Battery-Communications-Integration-Guide-V2.1.pdf If you have any more questions on this topic, feel free to reach out to us at support@sol-ark.com or at 972-575-8875 x2.
@@Sol-Ark thanks for direct reply, Sol-Ark. I am quite comfortable with my purchase of two 12K; I’ve seen nothing but good on the web about the 12K and Sol-Ark support. I’ve found very little on the web about the HAB’s; very surprising. Although the are expensive, the are a giant leap ahead of what I imagined just before I found them. I reached out to Jharen P. a week back and he was geeat. His replies were complete and well written, just saying. So you guys rock!
Great question! It depends on whether the windmill is AC or DC: DC-- You can use an external charge controller and dump load, then tap it to the battery / our system. AC-- You will need a step-up transformer (50VAC to 240V) and a dump load. Please contact support@sol-ark.com with your questions and we'll be happy to help!
Hello, The continuous rating of each leg on a 12K is actually rated at 4800W AC. Older software used to have the bus unbalance limit set to 4500W but this was corrected in a past revision to give as much tolerance as possible before the fault occurs. If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out to our support team at support@sol-ark.com or calling us at 972-575-8875 x2
I want to buy either a 5k or a 12k but I won’t touch either one until I see them start a 3/4 hp well pump or a similar air compressor. Show me, otherwise, I think Sol-Ark is hiding a dirty little secret. Please Sol-Ark, prove to us that your equipment meets spec. Show us or admit the truth…
Hi Bob, The Sol-Ark can use frequency shifting to regulate AC coupled solar production as long as the AC coupled inverter is UL1741SA rated. To regulate the DC coupled solar, our charge controllers can limit the current to match the demand of the home/batteries if needed. If you have any more questions about this subject, feel free to email our support team at support@sol-ark.com or by calling 972-575-8875 x2
All Solarks are 9k. That's how much the inverter can push out, but you will never get that off-grid and without a Auto-transformer; you will probably no to even reach 7.5K off-grid without an Auto-transformer. So its about 8.5k Solark + Auto-transformer .
As I understand it, the unit can deliver as much as 12kW to the Load with that non-inverted 3kW coming from an additional source such as the grid or a generator or as a DC element. That 3kW is referred as pass-through. I’ve seen discussion on it somewhere in a webinar, but it seems to be mentioned only once in the manual dated 11-16-2021 on page 43.
When the grid is down it can deliver about 8.5k only with an Auto-transformer. Without Auto-transformer it is impossible to balance the loads in a house and even get close to 8.5k.
@@gubbool The inverter has a maximum of 14kW that it can provide to the loads while there is an AC power source connected to the inverter, grid or generator. The pass-through rating you mention is a measure of how much power can flow through the inverter while there are no DC power sources available, this pass-through limit from an AC power source is 15kW. We generally don't recommend sizing your off-grid system with the intention of going above the 9kW output limit per inverter so these values aren't commonly referred to.
@@mlg779 The 12K is rated for a continuous 9kW of output, but you do have a point that it is extremely difficult to stay just under that value continuously. For this reason, the inverter is capable of handling loads up to 16kW for 10 seconds to allow for any inductive loads to start fully running which prevent faults from occurring. Sometimes auto transformers are needed for off-grid installs, especially if you have large 120V inductive loads. Our support team will always be happy to assist in determining if the auto transformer would be helpful for your situation and help you get the most out of your system.
@@Sol-Ark I am planning two Sol-Arks with a max continuous load under 5kW for a fully off grid home and expect to not exceed 8kW per unit even when running the shop. I’ve only recently became aware of ‘auto-transformers’; however I expect things to go well.
You need to clarify on how to tune in MICRO HYDRO DIVERSION. When running off grid, small generator, Lithium Iron phosphate UT1300 12kw 48v. Since micro hydro goes directly to battery the system always sees 53.7. Currently system will show batteries at 16% but on battery face it is 80%.
Hi Jymmee Tee, please try using voltage mode on your S-A 12k. If you have it attached directly to the battery bank, did you include a dump load? Please reach out to support@sol-ark.com through email to create a ticket with our team, and we can help you get set up.
David Eckert 1 second ago I had a 25kw system installed with 2 Sol-Ark12k in parallel with batteries, I come to find out the most the system will allow to be generated is 18 to 19kw. I was under the impression that 12k was 12kw of AC power and so 2 in parallel should be 24kw. Not the case, very disappointing to say the least. Wasted my money and now trying to figure out what to do. Suggestions anyone?
Nice video and effort to educate on your great product. I wanted to make a comment about the idle current. It seems misleading to express the idle current as a small percentage of the total output capability as this is not a common use case. The idle consumption is there all day every day consuming 60*24=1.4kWh per day which is a large chunk of battery capacity or solar production in a day. Not sure of the technical challenge but this would be a valuable spec to improve in my opinion, especially with all the highlighting of the great efficiency numbers you achieve, this spec is a drag on the real world performance.
Hey Rick, thank you for the feedback. Our team of engineers always appreciates when people let us know what they're thinking! This would be something great to work on.
@@Sol-Ark Thanks for the reply! Just to highlight some numbers, the idle draw of 1.4kWh * 365 = 511kWh/year. At 15 cents per kWh this is $77 per year to run a Sol-Ark. Put another way, my solar array produces 6000kWh per year, so running a Sol-Ark is 8.5% of my array's capacity. At say $2.50 per watt and 1Wh/W this would cost $1250 to add more solar to cover the idle current. If there is any way to get this down with a FW upgrade, I would be super happy and a major upgrade in my opinion! Any feedback on if its possible is welcome.
calling it a 12k is misleading, adding up 2 completly different power values is sketchy at best, its like saying your car can go 200 mph, 150 mph forward and 50 mph in reverse, start by rating its power output like all other inverter manufacturers and designing it so it doesnt shut down at the slitest hot leg inbalance,
Gilles, please contact Sol-Ark technical support for further assistance with your leg imbalance issue. 12k is the nameplate capacity of the inverter (what it can export to the grid) which is industry standard nomenclature.
Nothing but issues from day one 8 months after install the thing blew sparks across the room never shut off never tripped breakers we had to turn off the mains coming in. The sparking was inside the unit behind its line of internal breakers. Solark reply must be a bad external wiring job. No customer support no responsibility this thing is dangerous and will burn your house down
@sykodiver6995 it sounds like a poor installation - manufacturing is done at scale and if that were a common issue, believe me it would be known. Those internal 12K breakers are wired up to during installation. Please be sure to fill out a technical support ticket: www.sol-ark.com/contact
Sol-Ark, I hope this teaches you a lesson. Don't just send out an inverter for test to any old channel and expect a proper evaluation (or even an honest evaluation). David Poz doesn't seem to understand the differences between hybrid and off grid inverters, much less the proper application of each. Watching his evaluation is like watching someone take a Tesla off road and complain that it got stuck on high center. You should do much more to educate your potential customers on this channel.
Hi Larry, We appreciate the comment / feedback you’ve provided wholeheartedly! You bring up a really good point where you said, “[We] should do much more to educate potential customers on this channel. We will certainly work hard on transforming this channel into a place where you can find all the possible information you would ever need.
@@Sol-Ark I assume the Sol-Ark can handle a greater imbalance when grid connected, so I created the greatest imbalance I could and got < 200W on L2 and almost 5600W on L1 for about 20 seconds before my sub panel breaker tripped. The inverter never tripped but I don't really know what the limits are or what to expect in high load situations. You have never really explained it to customers but relied on installers to size the system properly I guess?. You need videos showing the failure modes of overload, imbalance, high inrush, etc., both off and on grid, with clear explanations of why HF inverters behave differently than LF transformer coupled inverters and the advantages of efficiency and low distortion on HF inverters, especially at high loads. That's just the inverter part. That just scratches the surface of what this unit is, but if you look at the comments on other channels, that's all most people think the Sol-Ark is. Your fine web page and spec sheets don't get the point across. It's going to take VIDEOS that DEMONSTRATE the unit's operation. Sorry for the rant, but I think you guys have a great product and a great company and it's a shame that so many misconceptions exist. Oh, and have Tom do the videos.
@@lbroome You are correct that the Sol-Ark can handle a greater imbalance than 4800W on the latest software, however, we prefer to keep the stated maximum as 4800W for the time being. We completely agree that more demonstrations will be helpful to clear any misconceptions, to this end, we are looking to make more content showing the limits of the Sol-Ark and we will always continue to expand our available information for all our users. Thank you for your continued support and we'll see if Tom can make a cameo next time ;)
Of course Sol-Ark could just make a video showing the equipment, and it’s limits and not hide behind a weak hand-waving explanation. Or send it to a third party test lab have have them prove it publicly. Sooner or later, this will cause Sol-Ark grief.
Thank you, Alexia! Our customer support is available to help any day of the week, especially for emergencies during the weekend. We're always here and happy to help :)
Hi Megan! Thank you for your support; it means the world to us. Here at Sol-Ark, we can't wait for our 15K release date either, so please stay tuned for more announcements coming soon!
@@carlossantini honestly; I just love seeing & working with the latest and greatest!! Truthfully I'm still very excited and proud to show off my personal 12k❣️ but it's always nice to see new tech in this market☺️👍
160,000 people are signed up to be a part of David's journey to test and learn how different equipment works . He says right up front he's no expert but takes us along for the fun of learning . A company couldn't have a better spokesperson in my opinion . You could take the opportunity to embrace David's community and help us all understand your equipment better .
Interesting to see the different views and comments! I can't wait my 12k - 230v unit. From the research done on what is available in the market, this product looks to be far superior than any competitors products currently available.
Looks far superior untill you read the fine print and see the actual production capabilities of these units are not as advertised and simply- purposely misrepresented. Big big mistakes on sol arks part if they want to build customer faith & loyalty.
Hi Mitch, that is most undoubtedly feasible! The best way to do this configuration would be with a transfer switch or ATS through the grid side. All you need to do is click on setting -> Grid Setup -> Sell Control -> and select "Gen connect to Grid Input" so that the system is aware not to sell power back to the generator. You would AC couple up to 19.2kW on the Gen terminal simultaneously. If you have any other questions, our team of engineers would be delighted to help. Please email support@sol-ark.com or fill the form out at www.sol-ark.com/support/#anchor101
@@Sol-Ark thank you! Could you guys design/make something similar to Tigo quick shut down/optimizers. That’s the biggest hiccup in my pending build right now.
Guess this was in response to David Poz?
That's my guess. Dude didn't know to upgrade his firmware.
Software upgrade is painful on solark, at least for me. You cannot download it , put it on a USB and upgrade. You have to call solark and they have to push it. I have the old WiFi dongle and they had issues last time I had to upgrade my firmware. Now Apparently I have to buy the new wifi dongle. I do not want to use WiFi. Every time I do a software upgrade I have to plug in an old WiFi router and remember or Google how to connect or make solark connect solark to my wifi router.
@@Zorlig Still has problems even after they update it.
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Hi Mlg,
We apologize for your experience during the last update, without having any context, it seems like you are one of our original customers that had a SmartESS (Shine Monitor dongle). We do recommend upgrading to the Powerview dongle to be able to provide the best assistance possible, but it is definitely not required. If one of our support team members did recommend that option, it was likely because there are certain limitations to the SmartESS platform that we have addressed by making the move to Powerview.
As for your bandwidth issue, our support team can help determine the best solution for you. If you are interested or still experiencing issues, feel free to reach out to us once again and we'd be happy to help.
Thanks for the video, I wish that other TH-cam guy had spent some time learning to use his "borrowed" Sol-Ark. I love the 12K and mine has been powering my whole house without an issue. Keep up the good work.
The video was ABOUT learning to use it , that's what every video is about .
I have a Solark 12K and a Generac generator 15k, 220-240 single phase. I want the generator to power the house and the batteries when the batteries go below 30%. I also would like to have the option to have the generator power the house if the entire solar system is down. I think I need an automatic transfer switch after the generator. Do you know of a switch that is smart enough to power the house when there is no power in the solark? How would I then change the voltage from the generator to power my 120V electric panel? Would you happen to have a writing diagram for what I would like to do? Thank you. Great video.
So if don't have solar panels and use the Sol-Ark 12k for UPS functionality only (connected grid) with batteries, to prevent imbalance faults the condition to met is that no difference of higher than 1400w between the legs?????
What happen if I decided to run, for example, a 110v 12000 btu mini split (25 SEER) in one leg and an high efficiency fridge (400w continuos) in the other leg. If the grid goes down (with batteries 100% charged), It'll be almost impossible not get imbalance faults. For $6700 for the 12k this inverter is not an option. What about the 15k?? is this imbalances issues would be resolved with the 15k?
Read other comments. They explain it better then this guy is explaining it.
I'm assuming that this video is in response to the DavidPoz video. If so, perhaps doing a collaborative video demonstrating the limitations and functionality of the Sol-Ark would be a better approach. David's channel has a far greater reach and would be a great advertising message. That said, I have installed two 8k's and a parallel 12k off-grid systems. It has been frustrating when the loads have been within spec but still cause shutdowns (even when accounting for inrush current).
exactly - seems a little rushed.
Yes. I feel the same way .
@raptormatt21 great idea. I have the 12-k and have been less than impressed with the 120V side. In the summer, we have 2 minisplit AC systems (separate circuits and legs, of course) that are rated at 930W continuous. Even if (total) load is less than 500W, we've had numerous in unbalance faults and a good number of overload faults for no reason other than switching on a minisplit. Absolutely no problems with 240V clothes dryer.
This is my second rodeo with similar system...they're marketed for off-grid applications when they really perform best grid-connected
@@MahimaMoksha have you contacted Sol-Ark about your issues? I recently had to replace the MCU boards in the parallel 12K setup. It seems to have alleviated the AC overload faults.
Dave is not an honest creator. He has hidden affiliations that dictate his "findings".
His "observations" reflect his financial partnerships.
The imbalance reply for off-grid is not really an option for a lot of people. There is a solution of using an autotransformer, for me this solves the only problem I had with solark off grid.
I think it would be beneficial to explain this as a solution to customers with all its pros and cons and explain how to best set it up.
Hi Brian,
Thank you for the wonderful point. You are correct that the auto transformer helps regulate the unbalance, but as it is an additional cost to an install, we don't necessarily recommend this for all customers to prevent additional costs. Most customers can get by without it as long as there isn't a large 120V appliance that could exceed the 1400W limit of difference between legs.
If there's ever any doubt whether or not you may need the auto transformer our support team will be happy to help, even if you are not currently a Sol-Ark owner and are just looking for advice on designing your future system.
@@Sol-Ark "1400W limit of difference between legs" ?? So no hair dyers , microwaves , space heaters , compressors , heat guns, etc ? I thought you said it could do 5,000w plus per leg the other day ?
@@onthelake9554 1400 watt difference, not max. So run two heater, one on each side.
I called Sol-ark to verify imbalance issue. The issue is with DC recified appliances so this will not happen with microwave, coffee maker, etc.
1400w differential in DC
4800w in AC
Too bad this is not clearly explained here. Im buying the 12k
@@charlesadams1654 let me see if I understood correctly, can I run 4500 in one leg and 1000 in the other leg, there's a 3500 diference????
We’ve been running our Sol-Ark for about a week (off grid), and received an F18 error yesterday -the Load was less than 1KW at the time. Today we received the F20 Error, and load was less than 1KW.. I disconnected the load and the Sol Ark kept cycling the AC on and off.
The solar panels were generating about 2KW, and the batteries were 100%. At 3:16 in your video, you suggested balancing power to mitigate the F18 code, any advice or suggestion on what might be causing this problem.
By the way. The faults occurred at around the same time each day (around noon.
Thanks
Problem is , sol ark is using false advertising by calling this a 12 k unit while it can only output 9000 watts IF AND ONLY IF the two legs have balanced loads.
People are buying this unit only to find that it cannot perform the simple tasks they thought it would based on the name plate.
The sad fact is that my good old 8000 watt inverter can power our entire home better than a sol ark with ZERO fault shutdowns. And by sol arks poor standards all Id have to do to consider mine a 12 k unit would be to add another charge controller.
They are simply misleading their customers by trying to hide the limitations of their poorly performing product with a 12k sticker. The other sticker they use says "limitless power" but sadly they have produced a product with severe limitations in everyday usage. Calling this unit a 12k equates to putting a Lamborghini badge plate on a ford explorer. Had high hopes for the sol ark company, been watching them for 4 years and almost bought one ( untill I watched people doing honest reviews ). I will not buy anything from sol ark untill they learn honesty and integrity in their advertising and promotional efforts. And also untill they can put out an inverter that will power loads without failing due to slight load imbalancing.
Sol ark - you have some good ideas and concepts but you are failing to produce a solid product that performs AS ADVERTISED.
Untill you resolve these two simple linked issues (Honesty & performance) you will not have me as a customer and you will lose potential customers you never knew you had !
Thankfully there are some people out there who produce factual, unbiased and real world reviews.
I had a 25kw system installed with 2 Sol-Ark12k in parallel with batteries, I come to find out the most the system will allow to be generated is 18 to 19kw. I was under the impression that 12k was 12kw of AC power and so 2 in parallel should be 24kw. Not the case, very disappointing to say the least. Wasted my money and now trying to figure out what to do. Suggestions anyone?
@@davideckert4702 sorry to hear that David. Seems that given your investment in your existing system that the most cost effective solution would be to add a third solark although I understand that may actually be upsetting given that they sold you on higher production numbers in the first place.
We run an outback radian gs8048a inverter which can output power beyond its stated 8000 watts but to be fair it can only sell to grid at 6200 watts max (a built in and designed limit, which was clearly stated in the inverter literature)while still supplying some power to loads.
Short of selling your components and starting over, perhaps with some carefully worded explanation to solark and/or installer - maybe solark would be smart and give you a third unit in order to avoid complaints and keep a happy customer. To me it all comes down to overstated performance and carefully avoided severe limitations.
I hope you have some luck with this as it's a tough & bitter pill to swallow to learn your $ didn't buy what was promised and what you reasonably expected.
If you do scrap & start over, be wary as I think most all the H.F. inverters have the leg imbalance issues to some degree and almost all inverters won't sell quite as much power to grid as they can deliver to home loads. It's too bad as I like solarks ideas & features but they really need to be upfront about the real world performance issues. We run our property on the outback inverter with 80 KWh lithium battery bank (signature solars EG4 waterproof 48v 5.1 KWh units) and 8800 watts rooftop solar. We sell about 20-25% of our power back to grid daily and run "off grid" all night. We are in the tropics so we pull in 50-60 KWh per day with the strong sun here. That's a good size system you put in, what size & make battery bank did you use ? Hope solark steps up to the plate for you.
@@davideckert4702 Maybe they will offer to swap the 12k's in on their new 15k which is probably a legit 12k .
Great information thank you. Maybe you could do a video on what settings you may want to use when hooking up a EG4 LL 48V 51.2V100AH 5120AH battery bank off grid with solar
44-50V cut off depending on how conservative you want to be (I use 48V). 54.5-57V absorption (I use 56V usually), 54-55V float (I use 54.5V).
@@niktak1114 Thank you
How are you supposed to hang the Sol-Ark on the wall if you need 6 inches between it and the wall? Hang it from a chain?
I do not understand how you can be saying that you will have a buss imbalance at 4800 watts when I would expect it to be failing at 4500 watts. The failure would be having nothing to do with a buss imbalance, however, it would be because you would be going over the over-current specification of the unit in L1 or L2 which is 37.5 amps.
Also, since there is usually an AC voltage between L1 and L2, it’s not so clear to me how you are defining a DC imbalance there. Are you defining this as an uneven load that could be caused by a half wave rectifier in the load or are you meaning something else?
I’m looking into Sol ark 15k. My question is can you do AC coupling AND do generator back up?
All our inverters can have both AC coupling and a generator connected at the same time, the only requirement is that the generator will need to be connected through the Grid Input of the inverter. If you already have a utility connection, that means you will need a transfer switch of some kind between the inverter, the utility, and the generator to make that work.
If you have any more questions about that topic or anything else, feel free to write us your questions here: www.sol-ark.com/contact-us/ One of our engineers will be happy to help out.
KiloVault HAB is now shown on the website as being supported. Fully supported? I have eight HAB’s and a pair of 12K’s on a truck somewhere in Wyoming coming for Christmas. Hoping that the firmware is able to support the gear, it’s been a long time coming.
I have an an 8K and a KiloVault HAB V3, which I installed in the last month or so. The communications between the 8K and the HAB seem fine. It uses the included HAB modbus cable and only two pins of a RJ45 plug connected to the inverters CANBUS port, as per the addendum.
Hi Warren and Fester,
The KiloVault HAB V3 now have compatible closed-loop comms with the inverter. We've also confirmed with KiloVault that the HAB V2s should also work with the exact same integration method as the V3s listed in our battery integration guide: www.sol-ark.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Battery-Communications-Integration-Guide-V2.1.pdf
If you have any more questions on this topic, feel free to reach out to us at support@sol-ark.com or at 972-575-8875 x2.
@@Sol-Ark thanks for direct reply, Sol-Ark. I am quite comfortable with my purchase of two 12K; I’ve seen nothing but good on the web about the 12K and Sol-Ark support. I’ve found very little on the web about the HAB’s; very surprising. Although the are expensive, the are a giant leap ahead of what I imagined just before I found them. I reached out to Jharen P. a week back and he was geeat. His replies were complete and well written, just saying. So you guys rock!
How simple is it to hook up a 48 volt windmill to a SOL_ARK 12k for off gird solar and wind use?
Great question! It depends on whether the windmill is AC or DC:
DC-- You can use an external charge controller and dump load, then tap it to the battery / our system.
AC-- You will need a step-up transformer (50VAC to 240V) and a dump load.
Please contact support@sol-ark.com with your questions and we'll be happy to help!
@@Sol-Ark thank you
Excellent explanation
Nice video! For the F26 Bus Imbalance error isn't each leg limited to 4500W AC total?
Hello,
The continuous rating of each leg on a 12K is actually rated at 4800W AC. Older software used to have the bus unbalance limit set to 4500W but this was corrected in a past revision to give as much tolerance as possible before the fault occurs. If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out to our support team at support@sol-ark.com or calling us at 972-575-8875 x2
I want to buy either a 5k or a 12k but I won’t touch either one until I see them start a 3/4 hp well pump or a similar air compressor. Show me, otherwise, I think Sol-Ark is hiding a dirty little secret. Please Sol-Ark, prove to us that your equipment meets spec. Show us or admit the truth…
Does the Sol-Ark provide AC frequency shift to help regulate DC voltage when AC coupling ?
Hi Bob,
The Sol-Ark can use frequency shifting to regulate AC coupled solar production as long as the AC coupled inverter is UL1741SA rated. To regulate the DC coupled solar, our charge controllers can limit the current to match the demand of the home/batteries if needed.
If you have any more questions about this subject, feel free to email our support team at support@sol-ark.com or by calling 972-575-8875 x2
All Solarks are 9k. That's how much the inverter can push out, but you will never get that off-grid and without a Auto-transformer; you will probably no to even reach 7.5K off-grid without an Auto-transformer. So its about 8.5k Solark + Auto-transformer .
As I understand it, the unit can deliver as much as 12kW to the Load with that non-inverted 3kW coming from an additional source such as the grid or a generator or as a DC element. That 3kW is referred as pass-through. I’ve seen discussion on it somewhere in a webinar, but it seems to be mentioned only once in the manual dated 11-16-2021 on page 43.
When the grid is down it can deliver about 8.5k only with an Auto-transformer. Without Auto-transformer it is impossible to balance the loads in a house and even get close to 8.5k.
@@gubbool The inverter has a maximum of 14kW that it can provide to the loads while there is an AC power source connected to the inverter, grid or generator. The pass-through rating you mention is a measure of how much power can flow through the inverter while there are no DC power sources available, this pass-through limit from an AC power source is 15kW. We generally don't recommend sizing your off-grid system with the intention of going above the 9kW output limit per inverter so these values aren't commonly referred to.
@@mlg779 The 12K is rated for a continuous 9kW of output, but you do have a point that it is extremely difficult to stay just under that value continuously. For this reason, the inverter is capable of handling loads up to 16kW for 10 seconds to allow for any inductive loads to start fully running which prevent faults from occurring. Sometimes auto transformers are needed for off-grid installs, especially if you have large 120V inductive loads. Our support team will always be happy to assist in determining if the auto transformer would be helpful for your situation and help you get the most out of your system.
@@Sol-Ark I am planning two Sol-Arks with a max continuous load under 5kW for a fully off grid home and expect to not exceed 8kW per unit even when running the shop. I’ve only recently became aware of ‘auto-transformers’; however I expect things to go well.
Great content, but that editing is downright scary.
Things to consider. It's not a 12k inverter.
You need to clarify on how to tune in MICRO HYDRO DIVERSION. When running off grid, small generator, Lithium Iron phosphate UT1300 12kw 48v. Since micro hydro goes directly to battery the system always sees 53.7. Currently system will show batteries at 16% but on battery face it is 80%.
Hi Jymmee Tee, please try using voltage mode on your S-A 12k. If you have it attached directly to the battery bank, did you include a dump load? Please reach out to support@sol-ark.com through email to create a ticket with our team, and we can help you get set up.
David Eckert
1 second ago
I had a 25kw system installed with 2 Sol-Ark12k in parallel with batteries, I come to find out the most the system will allow to be generated is 18 to 19kw. I was under the impression that 12k was 12kw of AC power and so 2 in parallel should be 24kw. Not the case, very disappointing to say the least. Wasted my money and now trying to figure out what to do. Suggestions anyone?
Victron quattro . Stack as many as you want . If they say 10k they will do 12 not 7 . lol
Nice video and effort to educate on your great product. I wanted to make a comment about the idle current. It seems misleading to express the idle current as a small percentage of the total output capability as this is not a common use case. The idle consumption is there all day every day consuming 60*24=1.4kWh per day which is a large chunk of battery capacity or solar production in a day. Not sure of the technical challenge but this would be a valuable spec to improve in my opinion, especially with all the highlighting of the great efficiency numbers you achieve, this spec is a drag on the real world performance.
Hey Rick, thank you for the feedback. Our team of engineers always appreciates when people let us know what they're thinking! This would be something great to work on.
@@Sol-Ark Thanks for the reply! Just to highlight some numbers, the idle draw of 1.4kWh * 365 = 511kWh/year. At 15 cents per kWh this is $77 per year to run a Sol-Ark. Put another way, my solar array produces 6000kWh per year, so running a Sol-Ark is 8.5% of my array's capacity. At say $2.50 per watt and 1Wh/W this would cost $1250 to add more solar to cover the idle current. If there is any way to get this down with a FW upgrade, I would be super happy and a major upgrade in my opinion! Any feedback on if its possible is welcome.
This^^^^^^^^ is exactly why I purchased two 12K’s from ALT-E. Great customer support and worth every dollar to me.
calling it a 12k is misleading, adding up 2 completly different power values is sketchy at best, its like saying your car can go 200 mph, 150 mph forward and 50 mph in reverse, start by rating its power output like all other inverter manufacturers and designing it so it doesnt shut down at the slitest hot leg inbalance,
Gilles, please contact Sol-Ark technical support for further assistance with your leg imbalance issue. 12k is the nameplate capacity of the inverter (what it can export to the grid) which is industry standard nomenclature.
Bernie, great channel, just subscribed . Looking forward to more videos using off grid solar and wind power. Thank You
Nothing but issues from day one 8 months after install the thing blew sparks across the room never shut off never tripped breakers we had to turn off the mains coming in. The sparking was inside the unit behind its line of internal breakers. Solark reply must be a bad external wiring job. No customer support no responsibility this thing is dangerous and will burn your house down
@sykodiver6995 it sounds like a poor installation - manufacturing is done at scale and if that were a common issue, believe me it would be known.
Those internal 12K breakers are wired up to during installation. Please be sure to fill out a technical support ticket: www.sol-ark.com/contact
Sol-Ark, I hope this teaches you a lesson. Don't just send out an inverter for test to any old channel and expect a proper evaluation (or even an honest evaluation). David Poz doesn't seem to understand the differences between hybrid and off grid inverters, much less the proper application of each. Watching his evaluation is like watching someone take a Tesla off road and complain that it got stuck on high center. You should do much more to educate your potential customers on this channel.
Hi Larry, We appreciate the comment / feedback you’ve provided wholeheartedly! You bring up a really good point where you said, “[We] should do much more to educate potential customers on this channel. We will certainly work hard on transforming this channel into a place where you can find all the possible information you would ever need.
@@Sol-Ark I assume the Sol-Ark can handle a greater imbalance when grid connected, so I created the greatest imbalance I could and got < 200W on L2 and almost 5600W on L1 for about 20 seconds before my sub panel breaker tripped. The inverter never tripped but I don't really know what the limits are or what to expect in high load situations. You have never really explained it to customers but relied on installers to size the system properly I guess?. You need videos showing the failure modes of overload, imbalance, high inrush, etc., both off and on grid, with clear explanations of why HF inverters behave differently than LF transformer coupled inverters and the advantages of efficiency and low distortion on HF inverters, especially at high loads. That's just the inverter part. That just scratches the surface of what this unit is, but if you look at the comments on other channels, that's all most people think the Sol-Ark is. Your fine web page and spec sheets don't get the point across. It's going to take VIDEOS that DEMONSTRATE the unit's operation. Sorry for the rant, but I think you guys have a great product and a great company and it's a shame that so many misconceptions exist. Oh, and have Tom do the videos.
@@lbroome You are correct that the Sol-Ark can handle a greater imbalance than 4800W on the latest software, however, we prefer to keep the stated maximum as 4800W for the time being. We completely agree that more demonstrations will be helpful to clear any misconceptions, to this end, we are looking to make more content showing the limits of the Sol-Ark and we will always continue to expand our available information for all our users. Thank you for your continued support and we'll see if Tom can make a cameo next time ;)
Of course Sol-Ark could just make a video showing the equipment, and it’s limits and not hide behind a weak hand-waving explanation. Or send it to a third party test lab have have them prove it publicly. Sooner or later, this will cause Sol-Ark grief.
Thanks for the clarifications! I have found Sol-Ark support to be super helpful, I've had nothing but great customer service with them!
Thank you, Alexia! Our customer support is available to help any day of the week, especially for emergencies during the weekend. We're always here and happy to help :)
Love my Sol-ark 12k❣️
Can't wait for the 15k release date as well 💕 thanks Sol-ark for everything that you do for the community!
Hi Megan! Thank you for your support; it means the world to us. Here at Sol-Ark, we can't wait for our 15K release date either, so please stay tuned for more announcements coming soon!
Why do you need the 15k if you're happy with your 12k?
@@carlossantini honestly; I just love seeing & working with the latest and greatest!! Truthfully I'm still very excited and proud to show off my personal 12k❣️ but it's always nice to see new tech in this market☺️👍
Too much grinning.
Holy crap, all the information on the internet isn’t true?? Knock me over with a feather!!!
160,000 people are signed up to be a part of David's journey to test and learn how different equipment works . He says right up front he's no expert but takes us along for the fun of learning . A company couldn't have a better spokesperson in my opinion . You could take the opportunity to embrace David's community and help us all understand your equipment better .
This isn't the high road approach guys , you could do better.
Interesting to see the different views and comments! I can't wait my 12k - 230v unit. From the research done on what is available in the market, this product looks to be far superior than any competitors products currently available.
Looks far superior untill you read the fine print and see the actual production capabilities of these units are not as advertised and simply- purposely misrepresented. Big big mistakes on sol arks part if they want to build customer faith & loyalty.
We only work on facts. Please provide me with proper evidence and facts to support you opinion.
I’m looking into Sol ark 15k. My question is can you do AC coupling AND do generator back up?
Hi Mitch, that is most undoubtedly feasible! The best way to do this configuration would be with a transfer switch or ATS through the grid side. All you need to do is click on setting -> Grid Setup -> Sell Control -> and select "Gen connect to Grid Input" so that the system is aware not to sell power back to the generator. You would AC couple up to 19.2kW on the Gen terminal simultaneously. If you have any other questions, our team of engineers would be delighted to help. Please email support@sol-ark.com or fill the form out at www.sol-ark.com/support/#anchor101
@@Sol-Ark thank you! Could you guys design/make something similar to Tigo quick shut down/optimizers. That’s the biggest hiccup in my pending build right now.