To answer my own question and bring closure to this thread, I never found schematics for this inverter so I created my own, attached... for what they are worth. They should be used instead of the schematics I posted earlier in this thread. I now have a good understanding of this inverter...
Here you go. I just buttoned it up so glad I had taken these earlier. The first one is of the switching power supplies which mounts above the main board.
Good points! I was only considering the one possible failure while standing on the roof, but there are others as you all pointed out, so tomorrow I will ground the siding. Thanks, friends:-)
Here you go, starting with main service panel inside attached garage. You can see the PV wires bottom left. I plan to install the inverter to the left of the panel, the battery below the panel and I guess the ATS will go to the right of the panel. You can see why I don't want to add a...
Done! After installing, I checked the resistances all around the barn and at the roof and all those panel screws do a better job of creating bonded connections than I thought. I caulked the area around the ground lug afterwards to prevent water from getting inside.
One thing I learned is that...
Update to the status of this inverter. I spoke to several tech reps at Growatt last week and no luck getting it back on line. As of today, they approved the warranty claim and will be sending a new one. I'm so glad they stand behind their products. Also, I spoke to 3 different reps so it's...
As a retired NASA engineer who was involved in lithium cell destructive testing, I have seen what just one 18650 cell can do when it isn't happy. Nevertheless, the probability of a cell venting with flame is extremely low, even with a recalled battery. Sometimes we would shoot a nail into a...
You're right, the seller says it is not UL listed, but I may just live with that since that part won't be inspected. Good to know it is break before make. Thanks!
337. Specs say accuracy is 2% - 5 count (whatever that means) @60Hz. Range is 999A. So accuracy is only 2 amps? Now I can see why you say not an accurate measurement.
Today I tried the meter below. I have no idea what the accuracy is, but it appears to take into account power factor...
Here is my single line drawing which was just approved by my utility. It doesn't show the temporary wiring of how the smart meter is powered, but it is simply connected to the L1 and L2 grid terminals on the inverter. When the grid goes down, the meter should also go down, but because of the...
Thats the heat sink. The 2 exposed aluminum and 4 rectangular pads are where the power components are thermally connected. The wires go to the coils (inductors) embedded/potted inside the heat sink.
Sort of. When there is no voltage on the PV input, the inverter fault light only blinks, as opposed to steady with PV connected. But as soon as the PV is connected, the fault is steady. I called Growatt and they are referring this to the engineers in China. The US tech did say that the...
The only two people I knew that had a ham setup knew way more than I'll ever know about this stuff. If I run the ground to the charge controller in the house, can I rely on the circuit ground of the charge controller since it goes back to the ground at the main breaker panel which is tied to...
Oh, jeez, I never thought of that limitation. I just assumed with an 11400 watt capacity, it would be higher. My panels are 11A so I'm at the limit already. Thanks for stating the obvious and sorry for wasting everyone's time!
Interesting. So flashing red is good thing:) Technically, I am not supposed to be exporting anything, but when the load is close to solar production, I can see on the app the net power hovers around zero, sometimes exporting 30 watts, sometimes importing.
I guess I have one leg in the house...
One reason for moving down to a 5kw autotransformer is that if my loads are anything bigger, it will kill the 10kw battery in no time.
The Growatt ATS-US says it can handle a unbalanced load of 3000w. Victron says maximum continuous neutral current is 28A (32A for 30 minutes). If watts = V x...
My understanding is that ramp rate adjusts how fast the inverter responds to changing loads, such as when a motor starts or stops. I'm only familiar with the MIN series of Growatt inverters; others may not have that setting. In the Growatt app, it is under the Grid Code menu.
Hey guys, just wanted to let you know I posted the schematics I created for our inverter here post #20. They are not complete, but are better than nothing. Hopefully, you'll never need them.
Thanks and I agree about their documentation. But the latest version (which I didn't know existed until they sent it to me while I was having problems) is much better. Hopefully a sign that they are paying more attention.
I spent the last two days (maybe 10 hours total) tracing the circuit. It answers a lot of questions I had but raises two others.
Here it is, although there could be a few errors. BTW, I forgot to label the transformer; it is TX1.
My main questions are regarding the two transistors driving...
Oh yeah, that's right, the Enphase will shut down during power failure. I try to export whatever I can't use, so when the grid is up, I think the Growatt will still export as much as it can. In the Growatt app, when the Enphase power generated is greater than what I am using, the Load reads 0...
I did a load test and with a 5.5kw load, the voltage went from 253 to 252.5. I also tried to see what size wire it is that runs from the 400A disconnect to the house (it is buried). Unfortunately, the exposed wire that I can see doesn't have the markings visible. But there is this datapoint...
I just went through this same hassle due to Growatt's horrible documentation. I had to replace my V3 inverter with a V2, but the vendor wouldn't take it back. Growatt eventually knocked off a few hundred on the replacement unit, but they have no idea what configuration management is when the...
Just to confirm, the transformers for my neighbors are at the street just outside my property. So I am redundantly isolated from the neighbors. Electrically speaking, of course.
Dang, that drives up the cost considerably. There is no AHJ in my area (unincorporated), other than the electric utility. They will inspect, but getting an answer out of them ahead of time is like pulling teeth.
Thanks for the information!
Getting back to the AC disconnect, does anyone see why I should use a 3 pole fused switch as suggested by the U of Maryland video? I found one 20 miles away for a decent price, but it is physically larger than a 2 pole.
Other than that, I'm ready to order all the other miscellaneous...
Not so far. If I don't have to return it, I will disassemble it to see what might have gone wrong. Their customer service has been amazing and I would highly recommend Growatt for that reason.
As far as a cause, I don't know. One thing I will say. The replacement unit was doing the exact...
Hopefully this post will help anyone else considering this combination.
First, if you want to use this combination for partial home backup, make sure you get a Growatt V2 inverter. The V3 inverter which is all most sellers have will only do whole home backup and you must use their pricey SYN...
I'm an idiot. Now with the export limitation disabled, my problem is solved; the Growatt puts out full power regardless of the micro inverter output. The one minor drawback to the way mine is configured is that Solar Assistant reports the load as zero when the micro inverters are putting out...
I installed the USB adapter and it connected within 10 or 15 seconds, no sweat. There are some things about the app I'm not sure about so I emailed Vince at SA. For example, it only shows two of the four MPPT strings. I imagine you have either already figured out how to get the other strings...
Just this morning they sent me a link to a much much better manual! I wish they had included it in with the inverter, but at least it seems they are working to improve the documentation
.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11danTwvvK2vleT5k12y6QDoD14pNW0NC/view?usp=drive_link
I'll vouch for that. I only got on 10kwh battery (LG) because it was half off from my local distributor. But it has been a nightmare (going on 2 or 3 months) trying to get them to work together. It is still not working. It shouldn't be so difficult because I'm told Sun Run uses that...
Thanks, Timselectric, appreciate your help. I'm thinking of forgoing the additional SPD since I just realized I would need four (I have four strings, no combiner).
Here you go. What makes it more work to disassemble is those openings for the wires. If they were slotted, it would be simple to remove the cover. Thats what I'm going to do with the inverter meant for parts
Got it, thanks. I never knew AC compressors have a heater. Makes sense if it is a heat pump which operates in cold weather. Wonder why one would care if the oil gets cold, if it never runs. Unless it was a commercial unit.
It was this inverter. They sent me a replacement and the new one is working fine. Not sure why the other unit was showing a battery wiring fault. Having said that, even though the app is indicating no faults, the inverter and battery are both flashing red on their status lights. I'm hoping...
The battery is LG and is nominally 450 volts. Only need #8awg wire to connect to the inverter. Inverter is Growatt model MIN11400TL-XH-US. No fuses or bus bars necessary. I would not recommend the LG battery though unless you can get it at a good price.
For the size split nut I need, the price was close to the Polaris, so I ordered the 5 port Polaris instead for an easier install. I will be away for a week, but will update you with the installation progress when I get back. Thanks a bunch Hedges!
In my case, I don't have a choice, since my inverter doesn't put out a neutral when on backup. The Growatt 5kw unit, while cheaper seems even less robust. I went over to the Victron community forum and it seems most issues are how to connect it, or that the two phases are sometimes different...
That's great news...although a bit surprising. If I understand correctly then, I in my case, I can connect a #6 wire to the multitap connector* inside the junction box which is protected by a 400 amp fuse PROVIDED:
That the #6 wire run is less than 10 feet
There is a protection device within...
Back to the missing pushbutton. I traced the circuit and it is not the 3v coin cell that gives the start pulse, but a 1F 5.5V super capacitor. It is protected by a diode. Waiting till dark to test it.
Copy that. So is the controller powered by DC or AC?
My water level is about 160'. Not sure what my GPM is, but with several acres of irrigation, probably similar to yours. Except no basements in Houston:-(
Yes, I will try to have a few parallel strings and would love to have an inverter with multiple MPPT inputs, but I also have to ensure the inverter with that feature can output the needed voltage.
I am considering back feeding the grid, but my neighbor (I'm in the Houston area) says the...
I've taken all your comments and created another schematic. As you can see, I am still using the main panel as the critical loads panel, but I think I've addressed all concerns. Do you see any glaring errors? I have some specific questions below.
Questions:
If I use the Growatt...
Yes, same as if you were using a generator, but I guess the generator would just stall out or the breaker trip if you tried to overload it. I will probably do the same with the output of the transformer if the version that is available doesn't already have a breaker. I would add a 3P breaker.
60 amps at 240v for the well pump is likely the max. But that would be for milliseconds. Only other surge load would be refrigerator, which I'd wager is much less.
Took the whole day to fish the wires through the conduit and cover up the trench to the barn, but it is done and the #14 awg EGC is in the conduit along with the +/- back to the house main panel.
I know there has been debate in this thread about having a grounding rod at the array, but I...
I searched this site and couldn't find an answer to this question. I also looked at some inverter installation manuals.
My solar array and grid tie inverter would be about 300 feet away from the inverter and batteries in the garage (house). This works best for my situation due to lots of...
Wow, that's a lot of inventory. I wonder what their sales volume is to justify that. Good info to have thanks!
I got some good info from BKY through PM. Thanks for the referral!
I'm 99% sure the battery wasn't supplying any load since the inverter was reporting a wiring error. The inverter was strictly supplying loads through the breaker on the service panel. I partially disassembled the inverter and didn't see any fuses. Nor did I smell any strong smell of magic...
I will have both, a changeover switch and an interlocked panel. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09994XMDR/?coliid=I1TGLNYVV02R6D&colid=3MMJIGAT7V4SM&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Someone posted that the Growatt ATS-US uses about 30 watts if I'm not mistaken (on battery...
Okay, got it. I don't expect you to explain modbus to me:-) i would only try to learn it if it could get my system working the way I want Lol. Anyway, I'll let you know what Growatt says. Thanks as always for your help!
I've read or seen on Youtube that with AC coupling, the battery charging is one of the drawbacks. That is that you don't get well controlled charging because of the way AC coupling works. Is that indeed a fact, and are there ways around it, perhaps by linking the inverters with a Cat5 cable...
Not confused. I have mine wired like yours, with no ATS. Just an interlocked breaker between the inverter and main breaker.
The terminals labeled backup should be energized when the grid is down, but for some reason, they aren't.
Yes, I have an auto transformer that will be connected to...
Should I post this in another thread?
I checked at the meter where the 400 amp disconnect is and the neutral is bonded to ground and there is a ground rod there. They did not run a ground to the house 300 feet away. The panel at the house has the green screw bonded to neutral as well with...
I am ready to install my AC disconnect. It has to be accessible to POCO personnel, so to me, that means outside. Here is a photo of where I plan to put it. I chose that location for ease of installation and because the line side connections are on the top of the switch. Is that spot in...
I finally found something on youtube that shows how to connect the battery. Even though the LG battery has a RJ45 jack, that's not where you connect the comm. Just to close the loop in the rare event someone else needs to do it, here is the way they say to do it. HOWEVER, while this did get...
That's good. Yes, I remember we had a certain order of turning things on at work to minimize chances of arc flash.
Oh of course. I was thinking of my situation where the wire with insulation was too big to fit through the polaris. But still, that's a creative solution.
Do you know if split...
The collector of Q42 goes to one of the winding terminals (primary?) of TX1. TX1 has two other separate windings. One goes to the Vee pin of U22 and U47, the other goes to U23 and U48 (those last two are the ones that are shorted Vcc to Vee). U22, etc are all UCC23313 gate drivers. BTW, They...
What is the issue with paralleling the AT with the grid?
If neutral was switched off and only L1and L2 of the AT were connected to the grid (no loads on the AT) does that help?
What would happen if the the neutral that is created by the autotransformer were accidentally connected to the grid...
Thanks, good to know! I'm not using AC coupling so I'll keep it at 100%. I'll try playing with the memory function and see if it works after a power cycle and let you know.
I like the simplicity of that, but just thought of something else. If I'm on the roof of the barn where the solar panels are and there is a fault in the inverter, for example, that causes the panel frame to be energized, wouldn't it be better if the metal roof were NOT grounded? Note that my...
Thanks, but this statement on the beta page got my attention: The risk of damaging your solar hardware is generally very low as the hardware doesn't allow setting invalid settings. Even though it sounds like you have had good experience, with my luck, I'm afraid I'll damage my new inverter...
Thanks for posting. All along, I thought V2 and V3 were updated versions of the manual, NOT differences in the inverter. After all they now have a V4 and V6. Does that mean these are all different inverters? So confused. And yet they all have the same model number.
I have a Growatt MIN 11400, although this question may apply to any inverter with ACFI. Now that all my panels are installed in their permanent location, I rearranged the string wiring layout. I have 4 strings. The next day I got an AFCI fault, then again the following day.
What would be a...
I just bought Solar Assistant and I am having trouble connecting to my MIN11400 inverter. I am using pins 3 and 4 of the RJ45 jack on the Orange PI and connecting to the inverter as you show in your picture. I tried reversing polarity but still no communication. Should I be connecting to the...
It will be inside a structure (on the opposite side of an outside wall) and I was planning on using rigid metallic conduit.
Good point, thanks and will do.
Sorry about that. Here is the rest.
Okay, that opens up some other possibilities. Thanks.
Correct
Good idea. Unfortunately, my main panel only has one L1/L2 lug and can barely see the N bus bar behind all the wires.
Yes. The Neutral wire is 350MCM, but L1 and L2 are larger. I can't...
No plans to expand later as I am out of space for more solar panels. I have 40 360W panels.
BTW, if anyone is in the Houston area, my local solar distributor is selling these panels at a great price of $70 each.
I hear you about the midday sun.
I've used the NREL sight, but hadn't actually thought of it for this question. But 1201 actually answered my question for me below. My inverter can only handle up to 13.5A per input.
I have to say that after a week or so of playing with it, I'm not terribly impressed with Solar Assistant. Here's why:
It doesn't provide net import or export info. It does provide grid used and grid exported, but you have to do the math for the net value. Plus, it is kind of buried. You...
Sorry this is taking so long! I finally realize I can't do what I was hoping to do, which is to utilize the 300 feet of 4/0 wire that starts at the 400A disconnect, goes under the creek and to the house main panel. I wanted the PV to be at the same location as the 400 A disconnect because that...
Thanks so much for the tip. I couldn't get mine to work until I came across your post. The interesting thing is I was getting an error message that L and N may be reversed. I double checked and I knew that they were not reversed.
I can also confirm that the Acrel AGF-AE-D/200 works with...
I have an 11.4kw hybrid solar system that is working fine. I just added a secondary system at the barn (more solar panels with individual micro inverters) but the extra production has messed up the current sensing for the hybrid inverter. As you can see below, the CT was located between the...
Yes, it seems to work fine with the smart meter and grid tied. The issue is the battery backup.
Not to me. I thought they just came out with a new piece of hardware (SYN) and they were showing how to connect it. I agree that it shows a SYN being used for backup, but as I said in another...
It has 4 MPPT's. I can't add more chargers since my setup is a hybrid and uses a high voltage battery with its own BMS. I get credit for as much power as I can feed the grid.
Sounds like you have the best arrangement of panels for your setup and needs.
We had near hurricane force winds here...
That's a great price for the Polaris. I did some checking as well, but couldn't find anything cheaper. Thanks for the tip on not losing the caps. I'm usually good at that kind of stuff.
Sorry to hear about the inspection. Is it going to be hard to fix?
I understand the configuration now that you are describing. It looks roughly like this if I'm not mistaken:
Unfortunately, I can't use that arrangement. I need to have the solar arrays and their inverter upstream of the batteries and their inverter. Something like this:
I don't know if...
There are a few other posts on this topic, but nothing specific to my question. There is a confusing setting on the Shine tools app for the Growatt MIN series inverter. I need to prevent export to the grid until my installation is approved. The setting in question is Export Limitation Power...
Ah, I wasn't aware of that model. Since Centerpoint is my power distribution company, it won't work.
I have the Vue version with 16(?) branch sensor circuits and I love it. It already notified me twice when one of the freezers was off. I have other alerts set, such as if the well doesn't...
I think it is. Mine is not a main/meter combo and I see a green screw up near the main breaker. If that's the case, maybe I should buy the AT SYN 200. It is more expensive, but I really really really do not want to tear into the wall, install a J box to extend the wires to run to another...