First time posting here. But I’ve definitely gained a lot of knowledge from everyone. I’ve been using a pair of LV6548’s in split phase for 10 months without issue. They are solid units. We are essentially off grid at this point and just use grid as a backup during extended cloudy or rainy weather. I removed my bonding screws on the units after some discussion with Ian at Watts247. I’m pushing the limits of my VOC in the winter so I decided to purchase a pair eg46500’s. They have double the VOC and what looked like some other decent upgrades. I loved having the larger wire terminals for the ac input and output. And the pv connections were also a good upgrade.
The actual inverters performance was disappointing at best. My lights on dimmers were strobing none stop. Some of the LED lights had a shimmer. I checked all my settings and they were the same as the LV’s. It also didn’t seem to matter whether the inverters were under load or not. Seemed to be a problem with inconsistent voltage or a sine wave issue.
I called signature solar tech support, and they informed me that that was “normal” for these inverters. So I explained I have a pair of Lv’s without a problem that I just removed. They informed me that if the lights bother me, to just remove the dimmer switches. In other words, mask the actual problem. Which is something more serious. Eventually, whatever is going on with them will fry sensitive electronics. The only difference I knew of is the bonding screw I removed in the LV’s. So although I wouldn’t think that would be the problem, I asked if I could remove the screws in the EG4’s. They agreed. There isn’t a bonding screw in the new units btw. I sent them a photo of the empty slot, and they seemed genuinely surprised. Which is a bit scary to me that they didn’t know what is inside their own products.
I asked for a return label since i wouldn’t be using the units. They transferred my case to tier 2 tech support. And there I sat, in limbo. I waited around 3 weeks and realized they never actually intended to do whatever it is that tech support was supposed to do. I didn’t need support. I had already removed the units. They didn’t respond to emails. And I could no longer reach them on the phone. So I asked customer service to check into my case. They said to wait for the “process”. Anyway, the process never happened. I eventually returned the inverters on my own dime. They charged a 40% restocking fee. I called again to see if tech support could finish the “process” now and give me an actual refund. The location of the inverters didn’t really matter either way. They had been off the wall nearly a month. But because I interrupted the “process” they wouldn’t consider it.
Signature solar is knowingly selling equipment that has issues. Tier 1 tech support considers it “normal”. But someone up the chain must know it’s a real problem. Since then, I’ve talked with others that have put a scope on them, and apparently it isn’t a pure sine wave they are generating. I haven’t seen the video of the scope yet. But I definitely wouldn’t be surprised. If there is a problem, don’t advise people to remove the symptom. I left a 1-star review on their website describing the experience with the inverters, and it was removed. Anyway, in summary, avoid signature solar. Customer services and sales are the only extensions that actually answer the phone. They sell equipment with known problems. And just generally don’t seem to care at all. I’ve never dealt with anywhere quite like it. Typically, a place with that poor of service would probably go out of business. But with the solar industry booming, they seem to be thriving.
diysolarforum.com
