[RE-wrenches] EG4 Equipment

[Chris Sparadeo]

Howie,

The EG4 18K and the Fortress Envy are both made by the same manufacturer,
LuxPower. Google the LXP 12K and it will all make sense.  I can’t speak for
EG4, but I know that Fortress has progressed from simply white labeling
this unit to doing a significant amount of programming and additional
integration, specifically with regards to their monitoring platform.

Personally, I have always had a skeptical approach with EG4. The EX line
was chintzy at best. Every prospective client I have crossed paths with
that has called out EG4 equipment thinks they know more and want it cheaper
because they watched a few YouTube videos where unqualified DIY hacks free
air conductors. I don’t want to write EG4 off completely, and am interested
in their PowerPro battery. But with the ebb and flow of battery
manufacturers, I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t around in 5 years. I
feel differently about Fortress Power and although they have been a little
overactive in the inverter market, I do believe that they are well
intentioned and that their products and business are solid.

There has been some recent LFP bashing, and respectfully, I will agree to
disagree. Early iterations of LFP had frequent issues with BMS and cell
failure, but all in all, LFP has been a shining star in off-grid
applications. I say this having installed 100+ eVault Max 18.5 in strictly
off-grid scenarios. Sure there are phone calls and necessary firmware
updates (however never a single BMS failure with the eVault Max), but I’m
not having the heartbreaking conversations of “when we came back from
vacation our 48v lead acid battery bank was at 15 volts”. I don’t like
those phone calls. I also don't like holes in my pants and shirts or calls
that CO monitors are alarming because of dead vent fans. I’m not dying on
the hill of LFP, but I will say that I am firmly in support of the
measurable improvements they have made for my customers. Paired with remote
monitoring, the truck rolls a lot less.

Kindly,

Chris






On Fri, Feb 16, 2024 at 4:33 PM Dan Fink via RE-wrenches <
re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:

> The issue I'm having with EG4 specifically and Signature Solar in general
> is a scattershot approach to UL and NRTL listings. Those listings may not
> be important to various DIY folks of varying levels of "git-er-done," but
> listings are critical for my business. Some products they sell are Listed
> per NEC, some are not, and some EG4 are listed, some are not. I recently
> contacted Signature Solar regarding their EG4 rack mount ESS modules and
> did not receive a satisfactory response, unfortunately a new off-grid
> client had already purchased an entire rack of them before consulting with
> me. Our county AHJ is very strict. I can't risk recommending or installing
> a system that would fail inspection. Here in Colorado they often even cross
> check the altitude ratings on all inverters. (sorry Schneider XW-Pro that I
> like so much, limit on your spec sheet is 2000m altitude)
>
> Signature Solar provided the usual NRTL stamp for UL 1741SA etc etc on the
> EG4 rack batteries, then also a UL 9540A testing certificate that they said
> should be sufficient, and it disturbed me that they did not seem to
> understand that UL 9540A is NOT a listing - it's a fire-resistance test
> that an ESS manufacturer can use as a document to help obtain their actual
> UL9540 listing, and also gain exemptions to spacing and other
> requirements....but from my understanding it's NOT an actual UL or NRTL
> listing to UL 9540. When I inquired about that, Signature Solar stopped
> communicating with me.
>
> I'm pretty sure my understanding of UL 9540 listing vs. 9540A testing is
> correct, but I would appreciate any input before again gently confronting
> both AHJs and manufacturers.
>
> Dan Fink
> Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting LLC
> IREC Certified Instructor for PV and Small Wind Installation
> NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
> NABCEP PV Associate
> d <dan.fink at greendustrialtraining.com>anbob88 at gmail.com
> 970-672-4342
>
>>
>>
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