Growatt SPF 5000 ES not respecting settings

[jimmy747]

Hello everyone,
My system off-grid assisted is programmed to only charge with solar and don't discharge my 3 Growatt batteries more than 30%. At night I turn on my AC. The expected behavior is that AC runs off the batteries and when reaches 30% start using grid power. This is what I think I configured.
Setings:
01 SBU (priority is solar, battery, grid)
12 B2AC (back to grid power) set to 30%
14 Charge source priority: OSO (Only charge with solar)

LAst night I added 2 more batteries. Total 3. They stabilized at 60% overall. Turned on my AC and as expected all power came from batteries. Went to bed. Woke up at 6 am with a beeping alarm. Fault 04 Battery to low. The batteries were at 28 %. Then I noticed that it is charging with grid electricity. It should not because of setting 14.
Now the batteries are at 44% and keep charging. Curious to see what will happen when the sun hit the panels in about one hour. Did I forget a setting? Any suggestions? Thank you.

 

[AshleyL]

Insufficient info.
What are your three batteries model number and how are those batteries connected?

edit:
Actually, you forgot about setting 11 (Maximum utility charging current) which should be set to 0Amp or 1Amp.

 

[jimmy747]

Insufficient info.
What are your three batteries model number and how are those batteries connected?

edit:
Actually, you forgot about setting 11 (Maximum utility charging current) which should be set to 0Amp or 1Amp.

Hello Ashley, 3 Growatt ARC 2.5 Kwh Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries connected in parallel per Growatt instructions. I understand what you say about setting 11 but feel it is kind a weird. Why setting 11 matters if I tell it to only charge with solar on setting 14 (OSO) I don`t understand that. Thank you.

 

[AshleyL]

Hello Ashley, 3 Growatt ARC 2.5 Kwh Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries connected in parallel per Growatt instructions. I understand what you say about setting 11 but feel it is kind a weird. Why setting 11 matters if I tell it to only charge with solar on setting 14 (OSO) I don`t understand that. Thank you.

About setting 11, once the inverter switched to bypass mode due to setting 12, it will use grid/utility to charge the battery up until setting 13 value regardless of your setting 14 if there is no solar available. Therefore, it is important to set setting 11 "correctly".

Growatt ARC 2.5kwh? You just installed two new batteries less than 48 hours together with old battery?
.....Not sure if 48 hours are sufficient for the battery pack to balance itself out when connected in parallel.....each battery has its own SOC.

Ideally, you should charge each battery individually to 100% SOC before connecting them all.....

EDIT:
Since you didn't mention your exact model, here are two datasheet for growatt HV and LV version

Have a look on the datasheet https://growatt.tech/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ARK-XH-Datasheet.pdf

As the datasheet indicated, your usable capacity would be 6.9kwh if you have 3 batteries.
Now, please check your air conditioner power rating. How many watts does your air conditioner use? I don't think 7.0kwh is sufficient to power up AC for 8 hours plus your other power load too.

OR.....

https://www.ginverter.com/upload/file/ARK_LV_Battery_System_Datasheet_EN_202306.pdf

 

[jimmy747]

Ok. I’ll change those settings and charge them 100%. My AC uses 600 watts when starts then eco mode drops down to 350. Should be sufficient. I’ll report back tomorrow after passing one night on 3 full battteries. But in my opinion if a setting tells the system to ONLY charge with solar or should never start charging from the grid. Thank you. I’ll report back tomorrow

 

[AshleyL]

Ok. I’ll change those settings and charge them 100%. My AC uses 600 watts when starts then eco mode drops down to 350. Should be sufficient. I’ll report back tomorrow after passing one night on 3 full battteries. But in my opinion if a setting tells the system to ONLY charge with solar or should never start charging from the grid. Thank you. I’ll report back tomorrow

Charge each battery rack individually to 100% first. Charge one by one before assembling them into one big pack again.

On the setting 11 and 14 part = take it up with Voltronic, they are OEM manufacturer for almost all All-in-One solar inverter in the market.

 

[jimmy747]

Charge each battery rack individually to 100% first. Charge one by one before assembling them into one big pack again.

On the setting 11 and 14 part = take it up with Voltronic, they are OEM manufacturer for almost all All-in-One solar inverter in the market.

Thanks but sorry what do you mean by « take it up by voltronic ». ?

 

[AshleyL]

Thanks but sorry what do you mean by « take it up by voltronic ». ?

If you read around the forum, a lot of people get confused by voltronic documentation too on the setting explanation. As if the manual is "directly" translated from Chinese via machine translation.

Anyway, do report back after properly balancing your three battery packs and re-combine them into one again.

 

[jimmy747]

If you read around the forum, a lot of people get confused by voltronic documentation too on the setting explanation. As if the manual is "directly" translated from Chinese via machine translation.

Anyway, do report back after properly balancing your three battery packs and re-combine them into one again.

Good morning. I tested the battery individually. they were all 100%. I got up at 5 am this morning and stopped the AC. Battery at 53% so I did not test the go to grid power when reaching 30%. I'll sleep in tomorrow! LOL. Thank you for the help case close fo now.

 

[AshleyL]

Good morning. I tested the battery individually. they were all 100%. I got up at 5 am this morning and stopped the AC. Battery at 53% so I did not test the go to grid power when reaching 30%. I'll sleep in tomorrow! LOL. Thank you for the help case close fo now.

Congratulations on getting it right.
As for the flickering LED, there is nothing you can do about it.
It is caused by harmonic distortion from large inductive load such as air conditioner (especially inverter type compressor).

 

[jimmy747]

Hello, well it happened again. Yesterday we use more AC during the evening. I went to bed with the batteries at 41%. I knew I did not have enough reserve but I expected that when it reaches 30% to switch to grid power (setting 12). And it did. BUT why the batteries discharged to 18% instead of being at 30 this morning? Can someone explains this please? Thank you.

 

[AshleyL]

Hello, well it happened again. Yesterday we use more AC during the evening. I went to bed with the batteries at 41%. I knew I did not have enough reserve but I expected that when it reaches 30% to switch to grid power (setting 12). And it did. BUT why the batteries discharged to 18% instead of being at 30 this morning? Can someone explains this please? Thank you.

Have some patience.....
Reason being the inverter itself requires power for its own operation even in "bypass mode". It is around 50 to 70 watt and it get this power from the battery only.

To counteract this from dropping the battery SOC further down after reaching setting 12, please set setting 11 to 1Amp so it will only use 50 - 60 watts from the grid to "charge" the battery.

 

[jimmy747]

Have some patience.....
Reason being the inverter itself requires power for its own operation even in "bypass mode". It is around 50 to 70 watt and it get this power from the battery only.

To counteract this from dropping the battery SOC further down after reaching setting 12, please set setting 11 to 1Amp so it will only use 50 - 60 watts from the grid to "charge" the battery.

Thank you. I jest set setting 11 to 1 amp. We will see what happen next time the battery reaches 30%. A different question if you don't mind. You have much more experience with Growatt than me, Do I have the correct email support for Growatt technical support? service@ginverter.com
I am asking because since December 2023 when i bought there product they have not answer any technical question. Only replied àn engineer will contact you soon...." Thank you.

 

[AshleyL]

Thank you. I jest set setting 11 to 1 amp. We will see what happen next time the battery reaches 30%. A different question if you don't mind. You have much more experience with Growatt than me, Do I have the correct email support for Growatt technical support? service@ginverter.com
I am asking because since December 2023 when i bought there product they have not answer any technical question. Only replied àn engineer will contact you soon...." Thank you.

That darn email? No freaking way you gonna get a response. It took growatt 3 weeks to reply and assign a technician to me and another 1 months for the technician to reply.

You will have better service using service.nl@ginverter.com instead.
Growatt China = horrible service.
Growatt NL branch = perfection.

 

[jimmy747]

That darn email? No freaking way you gonna get a response. It took growatt 3 weeks to reply and assign a technician to me and another 1 months for the technician to reply.

You will have better service using service.nl@ginverter.com instead.
Growatt China = horrible service.
Growatt NL branch = perfection.

Thank you Ashley. Yea that is very bad service. Never thought of nl.. Thank you! Thank God this forum exist. Without everybody's help here I woudn't be sitting in my office with FREE AC!!!!!!! LOVE IT! Thank you all!

 

[AshleyL]

Thank you Ashley. Yea that is very bad service. Never thought of nl.. Thank you! Thank God this forum exist. Without everybody's help here I woudn't be sitting in my office with FREE AC!!!!!!! LOVE IT! Thank you all!

.......Hmm........if you email the growatt.nl......I suggest you to request them to remotely upgrade your inverter firmware as well.

 

[jimmy747]

.......Hmm........if you email the growatt.nl......I suggest you to request them to remotely upgrade your inverter firmware as well.

Awesome! I did not know that they could do that. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[AshleyL]

Do report back here on your 30% SOC back-to-grid adventure later.
Once you set the AC charging to 1Amp, the SOC shouldn't drop below 27%.

 

[jimmy747]

 

[jimmy747]

Do report back here on your 30% SOC back-to-grid adventure later.
Once you set the AC charging to 1Amp, the SOC shouldn't drop below 27%.

Thank you for the follow-up. 7:25 am here. Down to 18 percent. If you want I can post all my setttings. But I do have 11 set to 1 amp.