Most reacted posts

The Sol-Ark now switches to battery power automatically! The problem was that the original contractor did not install a critical loads sub-panel and just wired everything into the existing subpanel in the garage. Once this was fixed, the Sol-Ark immediately switched to using the battery when the...

This problem has been solved, and now the Sol-Ark isn't drawing 2x as many watts as it needs from the batteries to handle the house load. Sol-Ark support did have my Sol-Ark on an older firmware rev (left over from when we were trying to debug the TOU issues last week), so they updated it to the...

Yes, I did the auto-detect when I reconnected the CTs. It's dark now, but I can post a photo tomorrow. It's not 100%, but this really is a positive step in that I'm finally actually _using_ these batteries. Many thanks again :)

Can you provide his contact info? I had my PV system expanded from a 3kw grid-tie PV-only system to a 6kw hybrid PV+battery system, but the local installer I found - who did a good job, no real complaints - did not do any of the NEM paperwork. I've tried doing it myself, but PG&E always finds...

Yes, I managed to install the CTs correctly - with _great_ help from people on this forum - when the 5k was installed and everything made a lot more sense - plus, TOU suddenly started working as it was intended. The issue basically was that I didn't have the CTs around the correct wires for my...

I'm aware, but I don't have anything connected to the Sol-Ark load terminals yet - right now i'm using it as a grid-tie inverter with battery support. While I was planning the expansion of the current 3kw array that came with this home, I was investigating different inverters. I had pretty much...

I tried this, and it seems to be working, but with one caveat. I wrapped each CT around 1 wire from the 100a breaker and 1 wire from the 30a breaker (one CT for the leftmost wires and the other for the rightmost). I then enabled Limited To Home and TOU, and the Sol-Ark is indeed drawing from the...

Eric, Many thanks for the info! It looks like I found someone who is willing to fix the issues i'm having. He came out today, is very familiar with Sol-Ark and battery systems, immediately figured what was wrong and gave me a quote to fix it. I believe he'll be doing the work this coming...

No, but I found out that the panel was actually rated for 125a, even with my 100a service. So, I was able to put a 30a breaker in there to handle the additional 3kw of PV that will be going up there soon. The permit hasn't been approved yet, but the designer tells me that it should be.

This sounds hopeful! Here's the context: I purchased this home (SF Bay Area, California) 3 months ago. It has a 3kw grid-tied system that the previous owner had installed in 2014. The original installer is no longer in business. Since 3kw is not enough for my needs, I would like to increase it...

Yes, we brought them all down since fully 50% of them were significantly cracked. We started putting the new ones up, only to realize that the railing isn't quite long enough, since the new panels are about 3" wider than the old. So, we need to add a bit to the railing before we can continue.

Yes - the Sol-Ark, additional panels and batteries are now working as expected. The issue was incorrect placement of the current transformers (let me know if you want the specifics). Sol-Ark support, as always, was _very_ helpful in working with me to find the problem and fix it, and I can't say...

Do you know if oversizing will work with the Sol-Ark 5K? I just had my old Delta Solivia 3.8TL replaced today with the 5K with the intention of increasing my small 3kw array to something much larger. The Sol-Ark 5K indicates that it maxes out at 6.5kw of solar, but I would like to catch as much...

I took this photo when the installer asked me to open the panel to determine the rating. He said he thought it was most likely 100 amps given the size of the wires into the breaker. I didn't measure them exactly, though.

Oh sure - I purchased it from BigBattery.com, where I got the - well, batteries :) https://bigbattery.com/products/parallel-box/ Regards, John

That was exactly the problem! It's operating much better now. There are a couple of points of confusion left. The first is I think illustrated by the attached image, which shows the Sol-Ark getting 750w from solar, the home drawing 270w, charging the battery with 820w and getting 320w from the...

That's exactly what i'm asking (unless I misunderstand). The 20 amp PV breaker is currently installed alongside the 100 amp breaker in the outside panel (the one connecting me to the utility). If I upgrade the panel in the garage to 200 amps, can I move the PV breaker from the outside panel to...

I'm not sure about this. I turned off Battery First a couple of days ago at Sol-Ark's suggestion, but the issue remains. Consider the following images, taken just now (3:34a PST). Image 1 shows the current that my home is drawing (~500w) and that I'm getting it from the grid. The battery is at...

Hello, all ... I have a Fortress Power eVaultMax (18.6kwh) connected to a Sol-Ark 8k that works well. I also have a BigBattery Kong Elite Max (19kwh) that I want to connect in parallel. The chemistry is the same (LFP). the cell config is the same (16S), but the charge voltage recommendations...

Same, actually. The people i've contacted so far about trying to get my NEM application corrected, have been quite busy. I'm concerned that they won't have enough bandwidth to fix my application, despite their best efforts / intentions, so i'm also interested in seeing if this person can...

OK, I had an installer install the Sol-Ark 5k and connect it via MPPT1 to my existing 3kw array. He did a great job, and so far it's working well. I've the batteries in my garage, though not connected to the Sol-Ark bc i'm waiting for a cable to be delivered. I've also 10 300w Hyundai panels...

Does anyone have experience with the BigBattery LiFePo4 units (i.e. 48V KONG) with the Sol-Ark? They're claimed to be inverter agnostic, and the price is definitely a perk. https://shopsolarkits.com/collections/deep-cycle-solar-batteries/products/48v-lifepo4-12kwh-powerwall

Yes, I mean "PV" as photo-voltaic i.e. solar panels. Sorry for the confusion!

I bought mine for $4500 from ecodirect.com.

Hello, all ... I have a Sol-Ark 8k and a Fortress Power eVaultMax, and they communicate over CANbus. Since I think this is really cool, I'm looking to add CANbus to some other batteries I have, so _they_ could also communicate with the Sol-Ark. However, I don't know the specific CAN messages...

Can you recommend some LiFeP04 batteries that are more reasonably priced, and where to get them? Regards, John

Hello, all ... I'm looking to expand my 6kw PV / battery system (consisting of 10 Hyundai HiS-M300Ti and 11 SolarWorld 275m panels). To make it really easy on the installer and be assured that they'll work with both the panels I have and my inverter, (Sol-Ark 8k) I'd like to get panels either...

Hello, all ... As a personal project, I'm looking to power a microcontroller from a 48V LFP battery (BigBattery LAMA). The interesting thing is that if the battery is discharging, I want to power it from the LAMA, but if the battery is charging, I want to power it from the charge controller...

The sticker was still visible on my main panel (Challenger SMB12), and it indicated 125 amps max.

Hello, all ... I purchased a Sol-Ark 5k this past August 2021, but recently upgraded to an 8k. The 5k worked very well, but it's limited to 6kw of PV (which I have) and I wanted the option of expanding should I need to. I paid ~$5000 including tax, and I'd like to sell it for $3500. I'm in...