Growatt 24V SPF 3000TL LVM off-grid

Press the right two most buttons simultaneous for a second. No more beep

Excellent!

Thanks apctjb. I also received same advice from Ian at Watts247:

“Press the ENTER AND DOWN buttons simultaneously for 1 to 2 sec. You will need to do this each time you power cycle the unit, which may be never.”

I’m living a beep free life now.

MadMole said:

Excellent!

Thanks apctjb. I also received same advice from Ian at Watts247:

“Press the ENTER AND DOWN buttons simultaneously for 1 to 2 sec. You will need to do this each time you power cycle the unit, which may be never.”

I’m living a beep free life now.

View attachment 40600

Click to expand...

So awesome that works... was that information posted somewhere?

And it doesn’t seem like it keeps the beep from coming back on... but way better than it was.

I could not find it posted anywhere, so asked on this forum and sent email to watts247.

You would think something like this would be in the manual, but no mention of it.

If any of you gentlemen using the 3k Growatt system(any inverter really) have a good shunt, or any other way of measuring the idle current draw from the battery, could you please take a measurement with all AC loads off and then switch on a small(known) AC load and record the difference?

I'm curious if the idle draw of the inverter whatever that may be(50 watts?) is always cumulative with any additional AC loads added to the inverter. Well, you'd also have to disconnect or measure when there are no charging sources available.

For instance:
50 watt idle draw.
60 watt@120VAC added(.5amps)
So new total being drawn from bat is 50w + 66w(10% inefficiency loss) = 116 watts?
Or would that idle current be proportionally um, ironed out if you will, as increasing loads are added to the inverter?

I hope I explained my question well enough.

Thanks

I completed my wiring today and got mine up and running less the solar array. I am setting up my panels in the driveway every day till I get the mount built. I installed a Thornwave smart shunt with data logging to keep an eye on the Growatt. I will take a look at it every day for a while, but so far my idle is 4W to 5W. I have a side by side fridge freezer, wash machine, two battery tenders for lawn tractor batteries, and lighting connected so far. when the appliances are Idle, and all of the lights are off, the Growatt goes back to 4W to 5W draw. The loads were also individually tested with kill-a-watt meters and bounced of the Growatt. My heavier loads were about 10% higher than the kill-a-watt measurements. I account that to line voltage loss, inverter inefficiency and the Growatt system load (fans, WiFi, controllers, display).

Repro said:

I completed my wiring today and got mine up and running less the solar array. I am setting up my panels in the driveway every day till I get the mount built. I installed a Thornwave smart shunt with data logging to keep an eye on the Growatt. I will take a look at it every day for a while, but so far my idle is 4W to 5W. I have a side by side fridge freezer, wash machine, two battery tenders for lawn tractor batteries, and lighting connected so far. when the appliances are Idle, and all of the lights are off, the Growatt goes back to 4W to 5W draw. The loads were also individually tested with kill-a-watt meters and bounced of the Growatt. My heavier loads were about 10% higher than the kill-a-watt measurements. I account that to line voltage loss, inverter inefficiency and the Growatt system load (fans, WiFi, controllers, display).

Click to expand...

4-5w Sounds lower than I expected. I suppose you have it in hunting mode where it looks for a load before powering on the inverter?

How do you like that shunt so far? I have the same one sitting here collecting dust on the desk.

Power saving mode is off. When power saving is activated, my inverter goes to sleep, but will not wake when I apply a load. So I just leave it off. That is the one glitch I found so far.

I love the shunt. They are hard to get anymore Always sold out. Break it out and see what your draw is exactly.

Repro said:

Power saving mode is off. When power saving is activated, my inverter goes to sleep, but will not wake when I apply a load. So I just leave it off. That is the one glitch I found so far.

I love the shunt. They are hard to get anymore Always sold out. Break it out and see what your draw is exactly.

Click to expand...

Only way I could test mine out at the moment would be to buy temporary lead acid batteries or emulate a battery with my 300 watt bench power supply. I'm tempted to do the latter. I've got at least 2 months until my LFPs get here. If the panels were already here I would buy a cheap pair of lead acid to test with.

Thornwave page reads 7 in stock right now. I emailed diylithium on youtube and offered to send mine to him to review/test. Never heard back from him. If you could upload some screenshots of the app in use that'd be great. Might be better not to hi-jack this thread with that.

corporate.joe said:

Only way I could test mine out at the moment would be to buy temporary lead acid batteries or emulate a battery with my 300 watt bench power supply. I'm tempted to do the latter. I've got at least 2 months until my LFPs get here. If the panels were already here I would buy a cheap pair of lead acid to test with.

Thornwave page reads 7 in stock right now. I emailed diylithium on youtube and offered to send mine to him to review/test. Never heard back from him. If you could upload some screenshots of the app in use that'd be great. Might be better not to hi-jack this thread with that.

Click to expand...

I just ordered a Growatt 48v SPF-3000TL LVM-ES yesterday. I'm in the same position, waiting for my other 8 Lishen cells to arrive to complete my 48v battery pack. Ian at watts247 suggested I could use a 48v power supply to test the unit. I just ordered a 48v power supply from Amazon and when my Growatt comes I'll test it with the power supply.

corporate.joe said:

I'm curious if the idle draw of the inverter whatever that may be(50 watts?) is always cumulative with any additional AC loads added to the inverter. Well, you'd also have to disconnect or measure when there are no charging sources available.

Click to expand...

while in grid bypass, 75w for the 2 (37w each)

Here is a snapshot. I am waiting for my batteries to completely discharge so that I can zero it out and configure it for my system. I have Utility power and solar disconnected to drain them. However, you can see the current and voltage. Even on only battery, fridge/freezer was the only thing running over night and the batteries are still full. It is 6:25AM at the time of the snapshot. I had lights on and my fridge was running. I will keep an eye on it and take a snapshot when it is daylight and nothing is running to show you the draw.

By the way, I went to Thornwave's web site and they are still sold out. Where did you find them? I want to get another one.

Repro said:

Here is a snapshot. I am waiting for my batteries to completely discharge so that I can zero it out and configure it for my system. I have Utility power and solar disconnected to drain them. However, you can see the current and voltage. Even on only battery, fridge/freezer was the only thing running over night and the batteries are still full. It is 6:25AM at the time of the snapshot. I had lights on and my fridge was running. I will keep an eye on it and take a snapshot when it is daylight and nothing is running to show you the draw.

By the way, I went to Thornwave's web site and they are still sold out. Where did you find them? I want to get another one.

Click to expand...

Hope we are talking about the same product. Nevermind, just looked at your second picture. Same product.

Thanks, 4th D Solar is new to me.

A quick update on my Growatt installation. The Growatt is installed, I wired a disconnects between the Growatt and breaker box and incoming PV panel array, 6 space breaker box, ran 12/2 ROMEX to 3 household outlets, each on its own breaker. The system is grounded and the 4 batteries are in 2S/2P 24V configuration. Only 3 solar panels have been connected to the system provisionally. I still need to build the ground mount.

What we have connected: full size front loader wash machine, 2 full size refrigerator/freezers, 70 pint/day dehumidifier (the hog), 2 sump pumps, and 2 battery tenders for lawn tractor batteries in winter storage. We had all appliances running, and never did it once go over 1100W. The highest load was a little over 30% at one given time. I must admit, the fans got loud, but it is downstairs in the utility room where we can't hear it.

With the dehumidifier running overnight, the batteries were down to 24.1V this morning. Again, with three 320W panels and full sun today, the batteries completely recharged before the clouds moved in around 4:30PM. The 3 panels produced 5.7kWh today. I can't wait to see all six in action.

I talked to our HVAC company, they are going to install a switch that will allow us to select grid or solar operation for our furnace. We are so happy with the Growatt system, that once we get the panel array installed, we are going to expand to a second unit for parallel operation. That will cover almost all of our needs except for A/C, lighting, entertainment and small kitchen appliances. I am happy that our most important needs are covered during outages. It is also going to lower our electric bill somewhat.

Repro said:

Thanks, 4th D Solar is new to me.

A quick update on my Growatt installation. The Growatt is installed, I wired a disconnects between the Growatt and breaker box and incoming PV panel array, 6 space breaker box, ran 12/2 ROMEX to 3 household outlets, each on its own breaker. The system is grounded and the 4 batteries are in 2S/2P 24V configuration. Only 3 solar panels have been connected to the system provisionally. I still need to build the ground mount.

What we have connected: full size front loader wash machine, 2 full size refrigerator/freezers, 70 pint/day dehumidifier (the hog), 2 sump pumps, and 2 battery tenders for lawn tractor batteries in winter storage. We had all appliances running, and never did it once go over 1100W. The highest load was a little over 30% at one given time. I must admit, the fans got loud, but it is downstairs in the utility room where we can't hear it.

With the dehumidifier running overnight, the batteries were down to 24.1V this morning. Again, with three 320W panels and full sun today, the batteries completely recharged before the clouds moved in around 4:30PM. The 3 panels produced 5.7kWh today. I can't wait to see all six in action.

I talked to our HVAC company, they are going to install a switch that will allow us to select grid or solar operation for our furnace. We are so happy with the Growatt system, that once we get the panel array installed, we are going to expand to a second unit for parallel operation. That will cover almost all of our needs except for A/C, lighting, entertainment and small kitchen appliances. I am happy that our most important needs are covered during outages. It is also going to lower our electric bill somewhat.

Click to expand...

Nice Repro...would love to see pictures of your set up including breakers/fuses etc....if you could. Thanks in advance!

Having to deal with the sudden surprise of permitting/zoning of my solar system. Project shut down until inspection and passing code by certified electrician. Also need approved zoning for my panels. I am doing a ground mount in my yard, and that sparked all of this. Living the dream. Welcome to America!

I just wanted to chime in again. Please be sure to check your local zoning and permitting before starting any home solar installation. I thought that if I do off-grid, and keep my solar panel array off of the roof, I could bypass all of those hassles. Turns out, I was soooooooo wrong. This is going to cost me to make sure everything is up to code, which according to my electrician friend is. But I still have to pay for a certified electrician to inspect it. Any code violations may be fined, and alterations to come up to code have to be done and inspected again for another charge. I have to pay for permits ($285) and I have to get a zoning permit for the panels ($10).

Don't take anything for granted, do your homework. I messed up and I am paying for it now. Also, if you have neighbors that like to report things to the local authorities (like code enforcement), you could have trouble waiting in the shadows. One of mine kept asking if I had a zoning permit for the panels. I took the initiative to keep the peace, and it led to this.

Be safe and smart.

Repro said:

I just wanted to chime in again. Please be sure to check your local zoning and permitting before starting any home solar installation. I thought that if I do off-grid, and keep my solar panel array off of the roof, I could bypass all of those hassles. Turns out, I was soooooooo wrong. This is going to cost me to make sure everything is up to code, which according to my electrician friend is. But I still have to pay for a certified electrician to inspect it. Any code violations may be fined, and alterations to come up to code have to be done and inspected again for another charge. I have to pay for permits ($285) and I have to get a zoning permit for the panels ($10).

Don't take anything for granted, do your homework. I messed up and I am paying for it now. Also, if you have neighbors that like to report things to the local authorities (like code enforcement), you could have trouble waiting in the shadows. One of mine kept asking if I had a zoning permit for the panels. I took the initiative to keep the peace, and it led to this.

Be safe and smart.

Click to expand...

Better to do it than to not do it out of fear of the hassle. Might as well line up all your ducks in a row for the local government. Paint a rainbow on it to make sure everyone is pleased. Can't be forced to take down a mural dedicated to a marginalized group. What would we do without gubmint? We'd probably have people trying to charge iPhones in microwaves while snacking on tide pods.

Half-joking aside. My install will be temporary in my backyard, far from the road and difficult to notice. Drop cord from the shed to the critical stuff during power outages instead of running the loud generator. It's final location will be outside of town and part of it on the roof of an RV.

Repro said:

I just wanted to chime in again. Please be sure to check your local zoning and permitting before starting any home solar installation. I thought that if I do off-grid, and keep my solar panel array off of the roof, I could bypass all of those hassles. Turns out, I was soooooooo wrong. This is going to cost me to make sure everything is up to code, which according to my electrician friend is. But I still have to pay for a certified electrician to inspect it. Any code violations may be fined, and alterations to come up to code have to be done and inspected again for another charge. I have to pay for permits ($285) and I have to get a zoning permit for the panels ($10).

Don't take anything for granted, do your homework. I messed up and I am paying for it now. Also, if you have neighbors that like to report things to the local authorities (like code enforcement), you could have trouble waiting in the shadows. One of mine kept asking if I had a zoning permit for the panels. I took the initiative to keep the peace, and it led to this.

Be safe and smart.

Click to expand...

Where, what city?

So here is an update. My solar array cannot be built and installed until the city approves the zoning. So, until then I have my panels standing in my yard supported by PVC pipes cut to length and secured with PVC pipe clips. All the work I have done as far as PV array has been undone and they are now connected per MC4 cables. I have 20A inline fuses at the panels. I have a combiner box and a disconnect ready for the OK from the city. I also have to add a second grounding rod at 8ft separation from my grounding current rod. The grounding rods then have to be attached to each other.

My house installation must be inspected, and I am waiting for an appointment with the inspector. I have uploaded pictures so you can see how it stands at the moment. More than likely, barring any changes by the inspector, this is how my system will stay. I have two full size refrigerator/freezers (one in the basement and one in the kitchen), a toaster oven, 70pint/day dehumidifier, two battery tenders and a front loader full size wash machine connected and it works great. The toaster oven does make it spike, but it is only used for short periods 1 or 2 times/day.

As you can see by the chart, a regular day with all appliances running at some point throughout the day doesn't really tax the Growatt at all (Except the toaster oven). Since we have put it online, it has used less than 1kWh of grid power and we have produced more than 47kWh ourselves. We are definitely going to expand this summer and get a second one. We will add our furnace to it and the rest of the kitchen.

Once I get the solar array zoning approved and we get the panel mount built, I will post again. I also copied a page from our local building codes to show you what you might want to look for locally to keep yourself out of trouble. I hope this helped somebody.

Here are the rest of the pics.

I don't see why you have changed your zoning type by adding some panels. I don't see addition of off-grid solar on the list of permit reqt.

If you've modified the interior electrical wiring at the main panel or within the walls, I can see why they want to inspect. But if you're adding off-grid power in an auxiliary fashion, it seems more of an "appliance" application similar to running a generator with extension cords on it. Just my opinions. The local jurisdiction can impose themselves on you however they want I suppose and you couldn't do much about it except jump through their hoops, let them snoop around your property/inside your home, and write them checks until they decide to detach themselves from you.

I don't think they'll pass that romex not in conduit. I don't think they pass that Growatt not being UL listed. They may also give you problems about your battery not being enclosed. Again, just my thoughts. I don't claim to be qualified.

Pure bureaucracy, and a way to drum up revenue for the city. All they are going to do is come out and make sure I am not crossing property lines, encroaching on any easements, and not building any structures within 12ft of a dwelling/house. That copy you saw was a part of the building permit for the installation of an electrical system in my house. Building codes and zoning are not the same. I had to submit a building permit for the electrical solar system, and a zoning permit for installing a framed/hardened structure on my property. The solar panel ground mount.

If you read the building code, it states "installation or alteration of plumbing, heating or electrical systems". This constitutes the installation of an electrical system. Be it grid or off grid, it is an electrical system, and it is being installed. No getting around it. I am trying to cooperate so as not to have any issues with them. I am sure it could get worse if I try to fight them. I just want to get this done.

Funny thing is, I am the very first in the city to install solar, so that will probably stall things a little. The conduit decision will be up to the inspector. We ran conduit through walls and floors, and conduit was ran upstairs in the kitchen.

Repro said:

framed/hardened structure on my property

Click to expand...

People building backyard dog houses be warned!

The city here, just in the last 5 years, started requiring a permit to build small garden sheds. If I recall correctly, before then they only required that it be greater than 5 feet from the property line.

I'd like a better look at how you're ground mounting the solar panels. Once they are permanent I suppose.

If I were to build a frame for my solar panels and attach wheels to it, do you think that would circumvent some of the regulations?

I just wanted to post an update. There is none. I am still waiting for my zoning permit, and the electrical inspector has not even contacted me to set up an appointment yet. I was told that the inspector needs to get up to speed on code for solar installations before visiting me. We made a lot of changes while waiting for the inspector. We ran conduit everywhere except for outside where we will bury a conduit for the panels. I am not doing that until the zoning permit is in hand.

I went ahead and built my solar panel ground mounts in anticipation of the zoning approval. The ground mount is not done yet as I want the zoning permit before I do the rest. For now they are sitting on the ground. The cool thing about the ground mount is, I can easily adjust the panel angle for the changing seasons. I hope that will help keep the juice coming. I have my combiner box with two 150V/10A breakers and a lightning arrestor. I will ground it at the panels when I install the mount footers. I hope all of this is over soon, I want to get this done and start expanding with a second identical system in parallel.