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Growatt 3000 LVM possible inverter issues

Bo_Hunter said:
I own an MPP Solar PIP 2424LV-MSD that is completely off grid and have been troubleshooting this same flickering / voltage variance. Like @iamrich states, the issue comes in when there is low load on my system. The specific trigger is going from 300 watts of load or more down to 95 - 150 watts of load. When this happens suddenly (turn off the light switch, the AC shuts off, etc.) the inverter goes wonky and starts ranging the output voltage from ~105v to 130v ... sometimes (70% yes / 30% no). When this is happening, the problem goes away once a heavy load is put back on.

I have done several tests to find the above trigger and feel confident in what I have found. I can repeat the trigger / issue with ~70% success rate of triggering it on the first try.

I have @150 watts of overhead LED lights and a window A/C unit (~350 - 500 watts while running) along with a 12 cu ft upright freezer (~98 watts continuous) and a 7cu ft chest freezer (~55 watts continuous) all on the same 20 amp circuit. With all of these powered up and running, everything is super stable. If the A/C AND the overhead lights are both running, you can shut off either on and the problem will never happen. If you are only running one or the other and the freezers, about 70% of the time when the lights or A/C turn off, the inverter cannot properly adjust from the higher load to the lower load and goes into the voltage ranging issue. The only way to get back out of it is to either turn everything off and do a complete cold start, or to add a significant load back onto the inverter and it will then drive up to the new load and stabilize. I have taken the freezers out of the mix and put a 100 watt incandescent bulb in their place and have successfully repeated the trigger with both shutting off the AC (no overhead lights) and shutting off the overhead lights (no AC running) and the 100 watt incandescent bulb will flicker and the voltage output on the solar charge controller shows output voltage ranging from 105v to 130v rapidly.

This is where I am at with discovery. Just now starting to research online and found this thread first. Also see several other threads related to this topic. So, I'm clearly not the only one seeing this issue and MPP Solar is not the only manufacturer with this issue.

Again, this system is completely off-grid and is not fed by nor tied to any utility power. Full system details below.
Solar Panels: 6 Rich Solar 200w panels - 2 banks of 3 for a total VOC of 135v (just at the max for the 2424LV and sometimes over the max if I am not drawing power from the panels and have to do a cold start in full sunshine.
Two 8s 24v 120AH LiFePO4 battery banks with OverKill Solar BMS units. These packs are in parallel and
MPP Solar PIP 2424LV-MSD - above solar panels coming into PV in, the 2 battery banks are paralleled and coming into the battery connectors.
The output from the solar charge controller is going to a small breaker box with 2 circuits in it. One circuit feeds the A/C and the other feeds everything else. (So, the A/C and the lights are on different "circuits" if you will - but not really).
Click to expand...
I have not posted here in a while. My opinion is that the Growatt inverter has stability issues under certain circumstances and loads. My only proof is that as long as the Growatt was in service, I had the problem of severe voltage and frequency fluctuations when my two refrigerators were running at the same time. I did testing on the same wiring and grounding installation with a Giandel 2200W inverter for weeks, a Honda Generator, A GoPower 1500W inverter for weeks, and now I have a Victron Energy 48V Quattro 5000. I never once experienced any voltage/frequency fluctuations like I had with the Growatt.

I went over every possible configuration setup we could think of with help of members in this forum, the dealer where I purchased it from and attempts from Growatt support. We did multiple resets and reconfigurations with no results. Two friends who are certified electricians checked and rechecked the wiring for days and days. They ensured me that the wiring was all correct and that the issue was the inverter.

My sister and her husband want a system like mine to cover certain appliances. She doesn't have the money for an expensive set up and I was thinking about getting her an MPP unit. I will now be doing some investigation before making that decision. Thanks for your posting.

To sum up, simply removing the Growatt resolved my problems. I installed a second smaller separate system with a Victron Energy 24V Phoenix 3000 and it as well runs flawlessly. On that system, I tested out the Giandel and GoPower as well. I never once had any issues like I had with the Growatt. For all of you Growatt fans, I am not posting this to bash Growatt. I am simply posting the facts.
 
Bo_Hunter said:
This is where I am at with discovery. Just now starting to research online and found this thread first. Also see several other threads related to this topic. So, I'm clearly not the only one seeing this issue and MPP Solar is not the only manufacturer with this issue.
Click to expand...
I never really put any time into figuring this out. Still have the same issue though. If I turn my LED lights on with nothing else, it is fine, but if I add my little boom box or my laptop, the lights flicker. If I add anything else (Fan, AC, heater, etc.) the flickering stops. I am currently building a house next to this garage, so once I move out there, I will have more time to play with the unit to see if I can figure it out. For now, I just turn more things on if I am going to be in the workshop with the lights on. I don't have any data to back this up, but it seems to be in the 100-150w range on mine.
 
Repro said:
I have been intensely engaged with my solar hobby for over a year, and I have learned a lot. I have made SOOOO many mistakes, and paid for them dearly. Maybe some of my other posts will save people from having the same problems.

I have a Growatt 3000 LVM 24V inverter. I have been so happy with it until recently. I may have pinpointed an issue I have been having. Just a quick overview of my system:

2000W array
Growatt 3000 LVM 24V
4 200AH LiFePO4 batteries (2S/2P) for 24V
AC input is on an isolated 20A circuit
AC output to a 6 space sub panel wired to four 20A outlets with breakers at the moment.

What am I running:
Two full size refrigerators
Front loader wash machine (ran 2-3 times/week)
Two 1.5 HP sump pumps (run for 5-7 seconds maybe twice a day)
One outlet in my garage for two battery tenders
It is my intention to install a switch to run my furnace in winter during outages (8A draw)

Problem: Since I installed the Growatt system, my refrigerator lights flicker badly when both fridges run at the same time, We have gone over the wiring multiple times, shortened the wiring runs as much as possible and have tried multiple configuration parameters on the Growatt. I have called the dealer for support, did a factory reset and reconfigured. The only explanation was that the two refrigerators might be causing fluctuations. Another suggestion was to change the wattage of light bulb (It has LED's). In the short time the system has been running, my upstairs one year old refrigerator is now broken. You could hear the compressor running funny when the lights flickered. It is just my opinion, but I think the Growatt is the culprit.

The load on the inverter was ridiculously low. Seldom did it see over 1000W at one given time during the course of the day. See chart attached. So why can't the inverter in the Growatt handle this? I have ran these two refrigerators on two different portable units that I built with no flickering or issues for weeks at a time doing tests. One has a Ginadel 2200W inverter, and the other has a GoPower Industrial 1500W inverter (both pure sine wave). Never once did I experience flickering or the compressors running strangely.

Can anyone shed some light on this? I do not want to sound so negative, but I have ran into so many issues over the course of installing this Growatt system from zoning, permitting, inspections and now this, that I am about ready to pack it in. Total frustration!!!!!!!!! I hope that an answer can be found. If I am right, stay away from Growatt. Another expensive mistake that cost me a fridge, and now another inverter investment.
Click to expand...
Sounds alot like what was going in with my setup. I will post in detail when I have some time later on. Long story short, my kitchen lights, bathroom lights were flickering while on growatt power. I contacted SigSolar about the issue, they asked for voltage readings. All readings are within spec. I was instructed to remove the chassis ground as it might be creating a loop. I still haven’t tested the inverter without ground chasis.
At the moment on grid power and lights still flicker in bathroom. But not in the kitchen. All lights are LED’s.
 
Danny1987 said:
Sounds alot like what was going in with my setup. I will post in detail when I have some time later on. Long story short, my kitchen lights, bathroom lights were flickering while on growatt power. I contacted SigSolar about the issue, they asked for voltage readings. All readings are within spec. I was instructed to remove the chassis ground as it might be creating a loop. I still haven’t tested the inverter without ground chasis.
At the moment on grid power and lights still flicker in bathroom. But not in the kitchen. All lights are LED’s.
Click to expand...
I’ve had random voltage drops also.
 
Same issues from my Growatt SPF3000TL LVM-24P lead me to this post. One of my freezers will cause the voltage and wattage to bounce all over the place. Also, the Growatt does not do N-G bonding when on inverter mode. Working with the company I got it from to do troubleshooting. They now are wanting me to send it back for there own tests. After reading through this and the one about MPP, my hopes of a fix are dwindling.

Grid Bypass -
Everything works perfect

119V Outlet tester (Correct) https://www.dropbox.com/s/wp112wblm8oybwq/IMG_0332.jpg?dl=0
L-N 119V
L-G 119V
N-G 0V



Inverter (Battery Only)-

On inverter - Voltage and wattage bouncing https://www.dropbox.com/s/92diwtp5aghx7oc/Growatt_inverter_issues_1.mov?dl=0
120V Outlet tester (Hot/Neu Rev) https://www.dropbox.com/s/57mjq0rtc815cns/IMG_0333.jpg?dl=0
L-N 120V
L-G 56V Voltage bouncing wildly https://www.dropbox.com/s/o3q9d3vm04xel8s/Growatt_inverter_issues_3.mov?dl=0
N-G 59V


With hair dryer (500W, up to 1800W) - Voltage and wattage leveled out https://www.dropbox.com/s/s02yyh8mqnqxjo1/Growatt_inverter_issues_2.mov?dl=0
120V Outlet tester (Hot/Neu Rev)
L-N 120V
L-G 56V
N-G 59V


With hair dryer and N-G bonded- Voltage and wattage leveled out
120V Outlet tester (Correct)
L-N 120V
L-G 120V
N-G 0V


With N-G bonded - Voltage and wattage bouncing
120V Outlet tester (Correct)
L-N 120V
L-G 120V
N-G 0V
 

Attachments

  • Growatt Layout.png
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I have had the same problem with the flickering led lights for about a year and I was out mowing my yard and I noticed the ground wire attached to the grounding rod on my utility pole where my electric meter is mounted was loose, so I tighten it up and I have been flicker free for over a month.
 
pproducts said:
I have had the same problem with the flickering led lights for about a year and I was out mowing my yard and I noticed the ground wire attached to the grounding rod on my utility pole where my electric meter is mounted was loose, so I tighten it up and I have been flicker free for over a month.
Click to expand...
I wish I could say that the ground was my issue. We went over every inch of the installation and could not find anything. I had two certified electricians helping me and it was determined that two inductive motors (fridges) running at the same caused the extreme distortion in the voltage and frequency of the inverter output. We went over the grounding and tried several different grounding methods with no luck.

I switched over to a Giandel inverter I had on hand and all worked just fine. I finally installed a Victron Energy Quattro and it runs flawlessly. I really liked the Growatt a lot. I loved the size, features and compact package. It was easy to install, configure and it was priced perfectly.
 
I just got a replacement Growatt 3000 for the one I was having issues with. Tested it over the weekend and it was the same results as the first one. It will run any load without issue, until it comes to the 2 freezers. The voltage/wattage freaks out and bounces all over the place. I have verified ground(s) multiple times, doesn't make a difference.
 
I wonder if a line conditioned on the two motors you identified would have fixed the issue. I might have to look into that myself.
 
iamrich said:
I wonder if a line conditioned on the two motors you identified would have fixed the issue. I might have to look into that myself.
Click to expand...
I did look into installing line filters, but the electricians highly recommended against it, plus the extra cost. When they saw the EXTREME voltage and frequency fluctuations, they firmly suggested getting the Growatt out of the equation. The electricians literally laughed saying they never saw anything like it. I have repeated this over and over, but I temporarily replaced the Growatt with a small 2200W Giandel inverter and all of the issues disappeared. I finally installed a Victron Energy Quattro, and again, very clean stable power. The Growatt was the problem.

I run two full size fridges, chest freezer, wash machine and much more all at once and no issues. The Growatt just couldn't handle two fridges running at the same time. And I will repeat this as well. I really wish it would have worked. The Growatt is such a great product that simplifies a solar installation, needing very little space and yet packed full of features. I hope that the future brings changes that will resolve this issue. There are many reports of the exact same issues I had. All of those issues disappeared with other inverters.
 
Repro said:
I did look into installing line filters, but the electricians highly recommended against it, plus the extra cost. When they saw the EXTREME voltage and frequency fluctuations, they firmly suggested getting the Growatt out of the equation. The electricians literally laughed saying they never saw anything like it. I have repeated this over and over, but I temporarily replaced the Growatt with a small 2200W Giandel inverter and all of the issues disappeared. I finally installed a Victron Energy Quattro, and again, very clean stable power. The Growatt was the problem.

I run two full size fridges, chest freezer, wash machine and much more all at once and no issues. The Growatt just couldn't handle two fridges running at the same time. And I will repeat this as well. I really wish it would have worked. The Growatt is such a great product that simplifies a solar installation, needing very little space and yet packed full of features. I hope that the future brings changes that will resolve this issue. There are many reports of the exact same issues I had. All of those issues disappeared with other inverters.
Click to expand...
Not doubting you at all. I still have LED light flickering issues on my LV2424 when the load is low. I am used to turning on stuff for no reason just to get the power draw high enough (>150) so the lights stop flickering. I plan on running 2 LVX6048's on my new home and hope that I don't see issues like what you have described. Worse case I will rely on the grid until I can find the right fit.
 
iamrich said:
Not doubting you at all. I still have LED light flickering issues on my LV2424 when the load is low. I am used to turning on stuff for no reason just to get the power draw high enough (>150) so the lights stop flickering. I plan on running 2 LVX6048's on my new home and hope that I don't see issues like what you have described. Worse case I will rely on the grid until I can find the right fit.
Click to expand...
Don’t take this the wrong way, but adding load to resolve an issue only masks the issue. There is an inherent problem with the Growatt. I speak only about the 3000w unit I had.

When I replaced it with the Giandel, and ultimately the Victron, the issue was fully resolved and I don’t have to add loads. The extreme voltage and frequency fluctuations are definitely not good for your devices/appliances.

This repeatedly reported issue still has not been addressed by Growatt as it is still an active complaint by users. I personally wish that Growatt would resolve this as it is still a product I would love to have.

I hope your flickering resolves with the additional Growatt. Keep me informed. Thanks!
 
Repro said:
I hope your flickering resolves with the additional Growatt. Keep me informed. Thanks!
Click to expand...
My LV2424 is actually MPP Solar, so it goes beyond Growatt. My biggest issue right now is that I am not at the location most of the time, so I haven't had time to experiment to try to fix the issue. My house is almost done (I hope) so I hope to have more time in the future. I will likely just replace the LV2424 with something bigger as I actually start using the garage. There is room for another 31 panels on the roof :)
 
Aren't both Growatt and MPP made by the same parent company; Voltronic Power? A sharing of production and design between brands could include a sharing of issues.
 
Kornbread said:
Aren't both Growatt and MPP made by the same parent company; Voltronic Power? A sharing of production and design between brands could include a sharing of issues.
Click to expand...
Not sure, to be honest. If they are, I think Voltronic might just be the contract manufacturer. Most of the Voltronic branded units I see on Voltronic's website have better specs even though they look the same physically to MPP Solar.
 
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