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Growatt SPF 3000TL LVM-24P - won't turn on

ger164

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Jul 12, 2021
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33
Good morning,
I am looking for some guidance in setting up my new Growatt model SPF 3000TL LVM-24P connected to a 24 volt 3kwh powerwall from Big Battery. Both units unfortunately sat in a Detroit warehouse for almost a year until I could find a broker to get them across the border for me to use at my cabin in Northern Ontario, Canada.
They both looked in very good shape with no damage to the boxes or units. The LiFePO4 batteries were extremely low charged and I’ve charged them for apporox 4 days in mixed sun conditions using 24volt configured solar panels. They are up to 26+ volts dropping overnight to around 23.5 volts. When I connect the Growatt inverter to the battery after disconnecting it from the charging panels around 25-27 volts the Growatt will still not turn on.(no noise or LED lights) I’ve mostly followed Will Prowse set up/guidance along with the Growatt manual and have verified repeatedly all wiring configuration to be correct. Also I have disconnected the ribbon on the BMS for 30 seconds to try and reset any issues (suggested by big battery) but still do not getting any led/start up when i turn on the Growatt unit. Is there a main fuse or internal breaker that could have been triggered?? Is there anyway I can verify the Growatt unit is functioning aside from connecting to the battery?? I have reached out and called and emailed growatt america with no response from them (now a week), Any help would be greatly appreciated… Have a great day.
Ger.
 
I think your battery may be dead. A lithium battery should not drop to 23.5v if there is no draw on it. It should settle right around 26.7 in most cases. Can you shoot a picture of how it the unit is hooked up? Maybe throw a multi meter on the 24v input lugs and make sure you have good voltage there.
 
You can at least get the manuals here:


Be aware, they "support what they sell". If you didn't buy it from them, they won't support you. Your battery voltage is way too low, do you have a generator to charge with?

How many solar panels? In other words, how much of a charge are you feeding the battery? How are the panels hooked up? What charge controller are you using, since you say you disconnect the solar panels and hook the battery to the growatt?
 
I think your battery may be dead. A lithium battery should not drop to 23.5v if there is no draw on it. It should settle right around 26.7 in most cases. Can you shoot a picture of how it the unit is hooked up? Maybe throw a multi meter on the 24v input lugs and make sure you have good voltage there.
Thanks for the quick reply. I am away from the cabin right now. Will happily send pics with various readings and wiring when I'm back up next week. Was hoping there would be enough voltage for the Growatt to at least turn on.. cheers
 
Thanks for the quick reply. I am away from the cabin right now. Will happily send pics with various readings and wiring when I'm back up next week. Was hoping there would be enough voltage for the Growatt to at least turn on.. cheers
If it is this unit:


Yes there is a fuse. Will does a review on YouTube of a similar model showing the fuse location.

 
You can at least get the manuals here:


Be aware, they "support what they sell". If you didn't buy it from them, they won't support you. Your battery voltage is way too low, do you have a generator to charge with?

How many solar panels? In other words, how much of a charge are you feeding the battery? How are the panels hooked up? What charge controller are you using, since you say you disconnect the solar panels and hook the battery to the growatt?
You can at least get the manuals here:


Be aware, they "support what they sell". If you didn't buy it from them, they won't support you. Your battery voltage is way too low, do you have a generator to charge with?

How many solar panels? In other words, how much of a charge are you feeding the battery? How are the panels hooked up? What charge controller are you using, since you say you disconnect the solar panels and hook the battery to the growatt?
Yes i have a generator but not a separate battery charger for this powerwall; was checking these out on Will's site. I have connected the generator to the Growatt. At the suggestion of an electrician up this way, I directly connected to 120 watts of solar panels (24 volts) with a Voc of around 37-40 volts. The BMS seemed to keep the voltage (LED read out on powerwall) to a max of 29 volts. The charge controller is in the Growatt inverter (MPPT - 80 A) Sorry for any miscommunication. After charging the battery for the day, I disconnected the panel from the battery and connected them to the PV inputs on the inverter, and ran the battery to the battery posts on the inverter. And the Growatt would not turn on.
 
My guess is that your battery is not accepting the charge. What is the battery voltage after you remove the solar panels? It should be over 26v and assuming you have no loads connected should stay at that charge level for days (or months really).
 
It sounds like you connected to
your solar panel directly to you battery. That is not a good idea. You need to take that power wall unit home with you and charge it from the grid or some other stable source of electricity. I would also recommend getting your hands on two small 12v agm batteries and putting them in series 24v to test your growatt unit.
Yes i have a generator but not a separate battery charger for this powerwall; was checking these out on Will's site. I have connected the generator to the Growatt. At the suggestion of an electrician up this way, I directly connected to 120 watts of solar panels (24 volts) with a Voc of around 37-40 volts. The BMS seemed to keep the voltage (LED read out on powerwall) to a max of 29 volts. The charge controller is in the Growatt inverter (MPPT - 80 A) Sorry for any miscommunication. After charging the battery for the day, I disconnected the panel from the battery and connected them to the PV inputs on the inverter, and ran the battery to the battery posts on the inverter. And the Growatt would not turn on
 
Yes i have a generator but not a separate battery charger for this powerwall; was checking these out on Will's site. I have connected the generator to the Growatt. At the suggestion of an electrician up this way, I directly connected to 120 watts of solar panels (24 volts) with a Voc of around 37-40 volts. The BMS seemed to keep the voltage (LED read out on powerwall) to a max of 29 volts. The charge controller is in the Growatt inverter (MPPT - 80 A) Sorry for any miscommunication. After charging the battery for the day, I disconnected the panel from the battery and connected them to the PV inputs on the inverter, and ran the battery to the battery posts on the inverter. And the Growatt would not turn on.
I could be wrong, but it certainly seems logical that you would plug the Growatt all in one into your generator, and use the built in A/C charger to charge your battery (since it is way to low). The "all in one" means solar mppt charger, A/C charger, and inverter.

Says:
"60 A 24V Utility Battery Charger (In case your battery level falls below your setpoint)"

Do not hook solar panels to the battery without a charge controller (one is built into your growatt).
Likely the BMS is having problems when directly connecting panels. You may need to reset it again.

Anyway, use the generator to power up the growatt, then try using the built in charger. The battery may very well be at too low a voltage for the growatt. Just my suggestion, I don't have a growatt.
 
If it is this unit:


Yes there is a fuse. Will does a review on YouTube of a similar model showing the fuse location.

I will check this out.. Thank you... It's an older refurbished powerwall that Will hooks up to an MPP all in one inverter. There is no leakage and all looks good on the top inside. (Wiring, etc. )
My guess is that your battery is not accepting the charge. What is the battery voltage after you remove the solar panels? It should be over 26v and assuming you have no loads connected should stay at that charge level for days (or months really).
It is over 26 volts when I remove it but drops down to about 23.5 volts by morning... Thank you.. I was hoping to get it charged enough to get the Growatt to turn on and then let it fully charger with all the panels connected and running through the charge controller of the unit.. I'll post the charger results when I get back up to do it..
 
It sounds like you connected to
your solar panel directly to you battery. That is not a good idea. You need to take that power wall unit home with you and charge it from the grid or some other stable source of electricity. I would also recommend getting your hands on two small 12v agm batteries and putting them in series 24v to test your growatt unit.
That's a great idea. I will move in that direction... Battery is 200 plus pounds and I have to load it into a boat then into my van on the mainland. A challenge when I was younger, more of a pain these days.. thanks.. cheers
 
I could be wrong, but it certainly seems logical that you would plug the Growatt all in one into your generator, and use the built in A/C charger to charge your battery (since it is way to low). The "all in one" means solar mppt charger, A/C charger, and inverter.

Says:
"60 A 24V Utility Battery Charger (In case your battery level falls below your setpoint)"

Do not hook solar panels to the battery without a charge controller (one is built into your growatt).
Likely the BMS is having problems when directly connecting panels. You may need to reset it again.

Anyway, use the generator to power up the growatt, then try using the built in charger. The battery may very well be at too low a voltage for the growatt. Just my suggestion, I don't have a growatt.
thanks for your support JJ... I have tried the generator but this won't activate the Growatt either... This is why I was hoping for a simpler test to see if the Growatt is actually alive!!! I will take in all the kindness and move on to charging the battery on a stable source and trying to find 24 volts worth of good batteries and see if they turn on the Growatt... cheers all
 
thanks for your support JJ... I have tried the generator but this won't activate the Growatt either... This is why I was hoping for a simpler test to see if the Growatt is actually alive!!! I will take in all the kindness and move on to charging the battery on a stable source and trying to find 24 volts worth of good batteries and see if they turn on the Growatt... cheers all
Yeah, these units need to start with DC batteries first, then You can put AC input from generators/grid.
 
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I directly connected to 120 watts of solar panels (24 volts) with a Voc of around 37-40 volts. The BMS seemed to keep the voltage (LED read out on powerwall) to a max of 29 volts.

Either awfully thin wire, or something is wrong. It should drop the reading to very close to the battery voltage. I don't know where big battery hooks in that volt meter, but if you read 26 volts on the battery (or 23.5) that is what it should read. You may have a bad fuse, and the meter might have a limit of 29-30v display and is trying to display the solar panel voltage (that is above what it can display).

Do you have a meter, or are you just going by the battery display?
 
Either awfully thin wire, or something is wrong. It should drop the reading to very close to the battery voltage. I don't know where big battery hooks in that volt meter, but if you read 26 volts on the battery (or 23.5) that is what it should read. You may have a bad fuse, and the meter might have a limit of 29-30v display and is trying to display the solar panel voltage (that is above what it can display).

Do you have a meter, or are you just going by the battery display?
I've continually compare the LED volt reading with my meter directly on the contacts of the battery. Also when I shut the breaker off the LED reading will be much closer to 38 volts sounding the alarm on the BMS. When I throw the breaker back on the batteries it seems the BMS adjust the voltage to a working range. Definitely lower voltage reading running through the battery/BMS... All simple learning to keep the family happy with charged electronics and internet capabilities... I'll stick with fishing and paddling!! :). Will post pic when I get it operational.. cheers
 
thanks for your support JJ... I have tried the generator but this won't activate the Growatt either... This is why I was hoping for a simpler test to see if the Growatt is actually alive!!! I will take in all the kindness and move on to charging the battery on a stable source and trying to find 24 volts worth of good batteries and see if they turn on the Growatt... cheers all
Well, if you have a meter, check the voltage coming out of the battery first. If it has the Anderson connectors, just measure the voltage on the two pins on the connector.

I am not sure what it takes current wise to turn on the Growatt, but probably two small 12v batteries in series should work (whatever is cheap if you don't have two).
Car batteries should work, motorcycle batteries, even 4 of the 6v lantern batteries. Heck, probably even D cell alkaline in series if you have enough to get over 24v in series.
 
Well, if you have a meter, check the voltage coming out of the battery first. If it has the Anderson connectors, just measure the voltage on the two pins on the connector.

I am not sure what it takes current wise to turn on the Growatt, but probably two small 12v batteries in series should work (whatever is cheap if you don't have two).
Car batteries should work, motorcycle batteries, even 4 of the 6v lantern batteries. Heck, probably even D cell alkaline in series if you have enough to get over 24v in series.
I have a couple of boat batteries that I will pull out of and use them to jump start the Growatt... The Misses may miss the electric start!! But it's all for a good cause.. Enjoy your weekend all and I will happily post when I get er powered up... It's a shame the company itself won't return a phone call or email... Not what I would consider good sportsmanship...
 
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