svetz
Works in theory! Practice? That's something else
Fair warning before you start, this is the highly comedic and entertaining section despite this being a true tale of woe & sadness. It's offered as a bit of puzzle so you can test your diagnostic skill and expertise while having a good laugh at my expense.
My sister-in-law calls in the morning, the power is out. We had horrific storms overnight, lots and lots of lightning. She complains about how the system has switched to backup like 30 times this month. Mine has switched once. To our credit, neither of us blame it on climate change.
I go over, slowly driving through all the flooded areas, and flip off all the breakers, including the pool pump. Wait a few minutes, then turn on the router. After a few minutes in the cell phone Enlighten app I can see the batty is at the shutdown 10% level.
As I watch the battery start to charge I explain to her the usual yada yada about the grid being out and draining the battery. It's annoying with Enphase as there's no real indicator you're on backup (they do send a text message alert and an email. I also tell her about the IQ Load Controller, which will automatically manage power-hungry devices (e.g., pump, AC) turning it on when there's excess solar and off if the battery starts getting too low.
But everything seems to be running in off-grid mode happy as a clam. Just need the grid to come back up.
As I'm leaving I glance at her meter and see the display is live. So, I go back upstairs and tell her the grid's been restored and we look at Enlighten. It's not switching to the grid. I go back downstairs and pull the ladder (yes, the house is on stilts) and climb up to check all the breakers. It's hot and humid, but there's a wicked 20 mph breeze gusting to 32, so it doesn't feel that bad. They all look good so I flip them on/off just to be certain. No Dice.
I call the power company and ask them to run a check, with the new meter they can test that the meter is seeing 240V, and the test comes back clean.
Have you figured it out yet?
So, I called Enphase and explain that we're off-grid, the solar is charging the battery and we have power, but that the system did not switch back to the grid. Two hours later they tell me to call the installer and give me the case number. They've rebooted the system, downloaded the latest firmware, and changed the profiles.
No dice.
The installer can't come out until Thursday. I calmly explain how THE FREAKIN POWER IS OUT and they tell me to try the manual ATS cutover hidden behind the peel label, behind the plastic cover.
I do that, it immediately flips back. He says to try it again. This time it sticks.
Now there's no power. The LEDs on the power meter are still at the same value they were from earlier.
The installer suggests switching back so we'll at least have battery power. I do that... and it looks like power comes back on.
But it's weird as some devices are powered and some aren't.
Naturally, the phase with the router is one that isn't coming up so I can't see what the enphase is doing easily (I'm feeling too lazy to use the toolkit). So I call the installer back and explain one of the phases isn't working from backup now.
They send a guy out.
Hindsight is such a wonderful thing, but at the time it was a mystery to me.
He pulls the covers off and starts frowning as he's measuring voltage. Each phase has 120V to neutral, but it's 0V across L1 & L2.
Making sense yet? If you're completely lost, that's about how I felt.
So, he works his way back to the meter and the meter box is wonky enough he can measure the input voltage, 240V between L1 & L2 and 120V to neutral for both phases.
He measures at the PV disconnect box, and again L1 & L2 are 120V to neutral, but 0 between L1 & L2. He goes back to try and measure the output at the meter and when he jiggles the box there's an angry zzzzt sound.
Now it's making sense. The whole house surge suppression behind the meter is probably toast - remember all that lightening? He says if the power company can get here quick enough he'll wait. Sure enough, they're five miles away and happy to come out.
But, with the grid off there's no power... so I ask if he can switch the batteries back on. For some reason, flipping the little switch behind the plate behind the peel puts the system into a manual mode, and while it was forced on grid the Envoy had no power. Without power, it couldn't reactivate the batteries. This makes no sense to me at the time, but I can see the Envoy's lights are out. In hindsight, it makes sense the batteries had to disconnect, it's the function of the ATS after all.
Didn't realize it at the time, but the Enpower had switched back to grid while I wasn't looking (duh, the envoy didn't have power and couldn't turn them on). But it was only using 1 phase, the panels were out because 0 volts between L1 and L2 (L1 was actually intermittent, which is why we got 120V on L1-to-neutral, stupid wind). Because the panels were out, lost most of the solar day with no battery charging.
The power utility guys arrive and pull the meter. Turns out it's not their whole house surge suppression device, it looks just peachy. It's the lugs, you know... the ones that are owned by the homeowner that the power company can't touch?
They can't leave the power on to the house in that state, it's too dangerous. But, If we can get an electrician out quickly they'll wait.
I explain that I understand, but if they could just crimp the lug and jam it back together for a few minutes then the Enphase installer could get 240V to restart the Envoy. That way I can keep the fridge going overnight with batteries in case I can't find an electrician at 6:00 PM. Of course, at the time it didn't occur to me the panels would have been off most of the day so there wasn't any power, since I switched the switch behind the cover behind the peel.
So, now my sister-in-law has her brother-in-law, the installer, the power company all meandering around, and an electrician on the way.
The power company guys do put the meter back in and the installer gets the envoy restarted. But, the house still has no power when switched back to the battery. The installer thinks it's because the batteries got discharged after flipping the secret switch behind the peel and the door. That's when I realize duh, the panels have been off all day because L1-L2 voltage was zero.
Turns out, hers isn't the only house off the transformer, so the power company has to break her lines to make it safe for the electrician. Big bucket trucks do their thing as the sun slowly sinks in the west.
What? You're still reading this? Oh, you want to know how it all ended? Well, I don't know for sure yet. I left before the electrician arrived...but after the installer left.
The real problem was probably always the lug which I should have picked up in the first couple of lines with how frequently the system was shifting to battery power. The big mistake I made was assuming right off the bat there was a problem with Enphase. Had I tested the voltage from the grid I could have saved myself most of the day.
So the moral of this story is, don't answer when your in-laws call.
My sister-in-law calls in the morning, the power is out. We had horrific storms overnight, lots and lots of lightning. She complains about how the system has switched to backup like 30 times this month. Mine has switched once. To our credit, neither of us blame it on climate change.
I go over, slowly driving through all the flooded areas, and flip off all the breakers, including the pool pump. Wait a few minutes, then turn on the router. After a few minutes in the cell phone Enlighten app I can see the batty is at the shutdown 10% level.
As I watch the battery start to charge I explain to her the usual yada yada about the grid being out and draining the battery. It's annoying with Enphase as there's no real indicator you're on backup (they do send a text message alert and an email. I also tell her about the IQ Load Controller, which will automatically manage power-hungry devices (e.g., pump, AC) turning it on when there's excess solar and off if the battery starts getting too low.
But everything seems to be running in off-grid mode happy as a clam. Just need the grid to come back up.
As I'm leaving I glance at her meter and see the display is live. So, I go back upstairs and tell her the grid's been restored and we look at Enlighten. It's not switching to the grid. I go back downstairs and pull the ladder (yes, the house is on stilts) and climb up to check all the breakers. It's hot and humid, but there's a wicked 20 mph breeze gusting to 32, so it doesn't feel that bad. They all look good so I flip them on/off just to be certain. No Dice.
I call the power company and ask them to run a check, with the new meter they can test that the meter is seeing 240V, and the test comes back clean.
Have you figured it out yet?
So, I called Enphase and explain that we're off-grid, the solar is charging the battery and we have power, but that the system did not switch back to the grid. Two hours later they tell me to call the installer and give me the case number. They've rebooted the system, downloaded the latest firmware, and changed the profiles.
No dice.
The installer can't come out until Thursday. I calmly explain how THE FREAKIN POWER IS OUT and they tell me to try the manual ATS cutover hidden behind the peel label, behind the plastic cover.
I do that, it immediately flips back. He says to try it again. This time it sticks.
Now there's no power. The LEDs on the power meter are still at the same value they were from earlier.
The installer suggests switching back so we'll at least have battery power. I do that... and it looks like power comes back on.
But it's weird as some devices are powered and some aren't.
Naturally, the phase with the router is one that isn't coming up so I can't see what the enphase is doing easily (I'm feeling too lazy to use the toolkit). So I call the installer back and explain one of the phases isn't working from backup now.
They send a guy out.
Hindsight is such a wonderful thing, but at the time it was a mystery to me.
He pulls the covers off and starts frowning as he's measuring voltage. Each phase has 120V to neutral, but it's 0V across L1 & L2.
Making sense yet? If you're completely lost, that's about how I felt.
So, he works his way back to the meter and the meter box is wonky enough he can measure the input voltage, 240V between L1 & L2 and 120V to neutral for both phases.
He measures at the PV disconnect box, and again L1 & L2 are 120V to neutral, but 0 between L1 & L2. He goes back to try and measure the output at the meter and when he jiggles the box there's an angry zzzzt sound.
Now it's making sense. The whole house surge suppression behind the meter is probably toast - remember all that lightening? He says if the power company can get here quick enough he'll wait. Sure enough, they're five miles away and happy to come out.
But, with the grid off there's no power... so I ask if he can switch the batteries back on. For some reason, flipping the little switch behind the plate behind the peel puts the system into a manual mode, and while it was forced on grid the Envoy had no power. Without power, it couldn't reactivate the batteries. This makes no sense to me at the time, but I can see the Envoy's lights are out. In hindsight, it makes sense the batteries had to disconnect, it's the function of the ATS after all.
Didn't realize it at the time, but the Enpower had switched back to grid while I wasn't looking (duh, the envoy didn't have power and couldn't turn them on). But it was only using 1 phase, the panels were out because 0 volts between L1 and L2 (L1 was actually intermittent, which is why we got 120V on L1-to-neutral, stupid wind). Because the panels were out, lost most of the solar day with no battery charging.
The power utility guys arrive and pull the meter. Turns out it's not their whole house surge suppression device, it looks just peachy. It's the lugs, you know... the ones that are owned by the homeowner that the power company can't touch?
They can't leave the power on to the house in that state, it's too dangerous. But, If we can get an electrician out quickly they'll wait.
I explain that I understand, but if they could just crimp the lug and jam it back together for a few minutes then the Enphase installer could get 240V to restart the Envoy. That way I can keep the fridge going overnight with batteries in case I can't find an electrician at 6:00 PM. Of course, at the time it didn't occur to me the panels would have been off most of the day so there wasn't any power, since I switched the switch behind the cover behind the peel.
So, now my sister-in-law has her brother-in-law, the installer, the power company all meandering around, and an electrician on the way.
The power company guys do put the meter back in and the installer gets the envoy restarted. But, the house still has no power when switched back to the battery. The installer thinks it's because the batteries got discharged after flipping the secret switch behind the peel and the door. That's when I realize duh, the panels have been off all day because L1-L2 voltage was zero.
Turns out, hers isn't the only house off the transformer, so the power company has to break her lines to make it safe for the electrician. Big bucket trucks do their thing as the sun slowly sinks in the west.
What? You're still reading this? Oh, you want to know how it all ended? Well, I don't know for sure yet. I left before the electrician arrived...but after the installer left.
The real problem was probably always the lug which I should have picked up in the first couple of lines with how frequently the system was shifting to battery power. The big mistake I made was assuming right off the bat there was a problem with Enphase. Had I tested the voltage from the grid I could have saved myself most of the day.
So the moral of this story is, don't answer when your in-laws call.
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