I have 2 6000xp and a 14.2k power pro battery running amazing after a few adjustments I have no PV and my plan was to charge off a 30amp 240v grid tied circuit running to a bardo house. Just to find out I could not charge from grid and run heavy loads without tripping main breaker. So I decided to buy the EG4 Chargeverter to charge batteries, this worked out beautifully for charging and running loads without any issues. Now the problem is it will not stop charging batteries as long as there is power running to chargeverter. I found a couple treads mentioning a work around with a 240v AC contactor with 24v coil wired to a 24v transformer, however there is no details on how to wire this to the EG4 Chargeverters dry contacts to stop and start the charging. The 6000xp’s are communicating with the battery so my plan was to just set parameters to voltage instead of SOC. Any one able to post wiring details would be very helpful. Thanks for your time on this.
EG4 chargeverter start stop when grid tied only
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timselectric
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It will only stop when either the set voltage is reached or the input power is removed (turned off).
Basically what you have currently setup (without any solar), is a large UPS.
timselectric
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Further clarification
All of your power comes from the grid (through the chargeverter and inverters).
The battery is just there to keep you going, if the grid goes down.
All of your power comes from the grid (through the chargeverter and inverters).
The battery is just there to keep you going, if the grid goes down.
The main purpose is the battery and inverter runs all the heavy loads while only haveing a 30amp circuit from grid to charge batteries. I need the chargeverter to stop charging once reaching set stop voltage. But instead it will float until I unplug.
Also I need to add I’m on a 7 acre plot with another house using there grid and panel. So not to over load the original house I set this system up to run my house. Using a small 30amp 240v circuit. To charge batteries. I assumed the chargeverter would start and stop charging once it reaches the set voltage but as long as it has power it wants to charge or float.
timselectric
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It only charges until it reaches the set voltage.
Then it will float, without charging (no current flows).
Unless you are drawing a load. Then it will replace what you are using.
There's no reason to do it differently, unless you want to force your batteries to cycle. (I wouldn't)
Then it will float, without charging (no current flows).
Unless you are drawing a load. Then it will replace what you are using.
There's no reason to do it differently, unless you want to force your batteries to cycle. (I wouldn't)
I sense added a contactor to the dry contacts on the Chargeverter and not it starts and stops flawlessly for the last month monitoring voltage. I thought the best thing was to allow the batteries to cycle once a day verses the chargeverter to run continuously? Seems to work amazing for my application. Soon I will start with 4k of Solar to charge batteries and then the Chargeverter will only be a backup to Solar. Hope this helps!!!
timselectric
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The battery has a limited number of cycles in its lifetime.
Unnecessary cycling is wasteful.
It's different if you are storing solar energy for latter use.
But there is no point in wasting cycles to store grid energy, for backup when the grid is down.
So let me better understand your statement, so if I just let the Chargeverter charge 24 hours a day 7days a week, and it keeps my batteries always at 90-100% that’s better for the battery then cycling it? I use about 15-20kw daily to run my house. The batteries run all the loads and the charge circuit is only a 30amp 220v. So the batteries are not to back up the house incase I loose power the battery is my power? Just to verify I’m doing the best thing for my batteries.
timselectric
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Yes
MattMan119
Solar Geek
There is no real difference to allow he chargeverter contact from the 6000xp dry contacts… in the other threads I used the 6000xp contacts because they have access to SOC, and not just voltage … if your chargeverter has SOC then you can use the same wiring just with chargeverter contacts..
And to be clear you can use it also with the battery voltage as the trigger, that is much harder to say 90-100%.. but that’s another conversation….
Ok so the only reason to cycle a battery is so that the batteries can be discharged so that Solar can charge to take advantage of solar power. However if I am only dependent on grid source for power just keep a constant current to keep batteries always topped off so not to start degradation of the cells by cycling? So I feel like if that is correct thinking to battery 101 then I should set my chargeverter to the lowest amp charge rate I can to keep the batteries topped off and I’m useing the current from Chargeverter and not the battery. And by doing so this will keep my batteries in top condition. So my next question is what constitutes a cycle for a battery? How far does it need to discharge to be a cycle?
And thank you for allowing me to ask these questions it’s helping my understanding and wisdom!!!
By the way this is how my Victron system operates in my RV. It always stays at 100% if I am plugged in. It won’t allow me to cycle. I should have figured that was a good thing?
timselectric
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Either a full discharge and charge.
Or, a compilation of partial discharges and charges.
timselectric
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Amperage will handle itself.
It will take what it needs to stay at the set voltage.
MattMan119
Solar Geek
Does a chargeverter have a float? I think it will burn at the rate you set regardless if the batteries use it .. I have never used in this method .. will check the manual ..
timselectric
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It will charge up to the set voltage and hold it there.
Voltage is pushed, but current must be drawn.
MattMan119
Solar Geek
I don’t see anything about float in the manual .. I’m out of town and can’t test the power pull when the batteries don’t use it, but I will bet it don’t have a float …
I don’t think it will work the way you suggested .. it might look like it, but the power consumption could be more then expected in low usage times..
What I mean is if you have it set to 10amps — and batteries are 100% … and the usage is 5amps … will chargeverter continue to create 10amps that does not get used?
timselectric
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No
It will only provide the current that is drawn.
Current is never pushed.
Mine is actually floating at 48v, right now. Because someone in this house decided to do multiple loads of laundry, today. lol
Yea before I set up the contactor it was running all the time and when it reached the set voltage the Chargeverter would drop Amperage and hold and then increase when a load started. I have to either disconnect the contactor or switch the dry contact leads to start floating again. The second May be the best option since hopefully I will have solar panels this fall installed. Waiting for this heat to stop. Then just flip the dry contact leads once PV is installed.
timselectric
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wpns
Solar Joules are catch and release
I'd float at 55V, and use the batteries once a week just to make sure everything's running OK. Thousands of cycles is no big deal for LFP batteries.
Lol!! I have a contactor set up that turns on the 220v 30amp source which allows the chargeverter to start charging when voltage gets down to 48v. So when I say I have to switch dry contact leads that just means the contactor will just stay on all the time so the voltage will pass through contactor. Or the second option was I just bypass the contactor and wire the 220v circuit back up. Hope that helps. Thanks again for helping me understand cycling the batteries.
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marionw
Solar Wizard
The CV-GC will act as a charger as long as voltage (240vac or 120vac) is present on the input. The CV-GC essentially turns itself ON AND OFF by starting and stopping a generator via it's dry contacts. The CV-GC can do this based on SOC only if you have it connect to a "MASTER" EG4 battery/BMS as programmed or by programmed Battery start and stop voltages as measured on the CV-GC output.
You can use a "Contactor" (similar to what is used in an HVAC system) that uses a 23vac HVAC/Bell transformer to energize the contactor. The dry contacts would control the 23vac power to the Contactor similar to how an HVAC Thermostat controls turning on or off the HVAC system.
Depending on what you set the the "Output" voltage or current to, the CV-GC (as long as there is an AC input) will provide a charge anytime the battery voltage is less than the programmed voltage or with BMS input the programmed SOC. This also means that if your AIO is drawing significant amounts of power from the battery such that the battery voltage drops below the CV-GC output voltage, the CV-GC will also provide power, more than likely being used by the AIO and not charging the batteries.
Please note that I in particular would not route 120vac or 240vac through the CV-GC dry contacts to operate a Contactor. 23vac should be ok.
The CV-GC would now have the capability to turn itself On or Off
As always use appropriate fuses to protect circuits, even on the 23vac side
See:
You can use a "Contactor" (similar to what is used in an HVAC system) that uses a 23vac HVAC/Bell transformer to energize the contactor. The dry contacts would control the 23vac power to the Contactor similar to how an HVAC Thermostat controls turning on or off the HVAC system.
Depending on what you set the the "Output" voltage or current to, the CV-GC (as long as there is an AC input) will provide a charge anytime the battery voltage is less than the programmed voltage or with BMS input the programmed SOC. This also means that if your AIO is drawing significant amounts of power from the battery such that the battery voltage drops below the CV-GC output voltage, the CV-GC will also provide power, more than likely being used by the AIO and not charging the batteries.
Please note that I in particular would not route 120vac or 240vac through the CV-GC dry contacts to operate a Contactor. 23vac should be ok.
The CV-GC would now have the capability to turn itself On or Off
As always use appropriate fuses to protect circuits, even on the 23vac side
See:
timselectric
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This is exactly how mine is also setup.
I just didn't understand the way you worded it.
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