Growatt stops solar input after a storm

[brush4hire]

I have a Growatt SPF 3000TL LVM-ES in the past month it has stopped charging twice, both times after a bad storm. My dc lines going from the array to my house are elevated on a pole, just like grid power lines. Could the wind be causing an issue? If not what could it be? I am off grid and the inverter keeps running off the batteries, it just keeps draining them, when I turn off the batteries and the sun it out, under very low load, the inverter shuts off instantly, with the solar still on. So even though it showed solar input it isn’t coming in.

 

[LydMekk]

Why not bury the cables in a PVC conduit?

 

[Rednecktek]

What kind of voltage is showing at the PV terminals on the Growatt? You could have wire damage and the Growatt might see that solar is there but can't actually draw enough to do anything because of a short or broken wire.

 

[brush4hire]

What kind of voltage is showing at the PV terminals on the Growatt? You could have wire damage and the Growatt might see that solar is there but can't actually draw enough to do anything because of a short or broken wire.

Would that be possible if it works fine after I reboot it?

 

[Rednecktek]

Would that be possible if it works fine after I reboot it?

Yes, if there's enough connectivity to detect voltage but too much resistance on a damaged wire it could crash when it starts trying to draw actual amps across a damaged wire. I've seen it on ships where the meter says full foltage but when I plug something in and try to turn it on the voltage drops to nothing and I get nothing on my equipment.

It's weird and tends to happen on GFCI curcuits most often for some reason.

 

[brush4hire]

Why not bury the cables in a PVC conduit?

The cost of getting the ditch dog and it would go thru my vegetable garden which could cause future problems if someone did not realize the were located there.

 

[LydMekk]

But WAAAY better protected from what just happened, yes?
Worth it.

 

[rodrick]

The cost of getting the ditch dog and it would go thru my vegetable garden which could cause future problems if someone did not realize the were located there.

typically you run electric lines at least 4 ft deep so unless you have some alien carrots or mutant potatoes I don’t se a problem you won’t be digging that deep

 

[Atetra]

typically you run electric lines at least 4 ft deep so unless you have some alien carrots or mutant potatoes I don’t se a problem you won’t be digging that deep

Out of curiosity can I ask how safe it is to run a dc line from a proposed solar car port to the main building in a low water table area? The property is built on reclaimed land In a low water table area. We are prone to monsoon rains which can go on for days at which times even after the rains have stopped the garden under which the cable would run is like a waterlogged sponge. I have underground AC cables on the property, I am just wondering if there are any dangers with high voltage DC or any precautions I need to take.

To give an indication of the low water table and drainage issues, my dog is very fond of digging up the garden. Whenever it rains it may take a day or two assuming no additional rainfall for the resulting puddles to drain.

 

[MarkSolar]

Out of curiosity can I ask how safe it is to run a dc line from a proposed solar car port to the main building in a low water table area? The property is built on reclaimed land In a low water table area. We are prone to monsoon rains which can go on for days at which times even after the rains have stopped the garden under which the cable would run is like a waterlogged sponge. I have underground AC cables on the property, I am just wondering if there are any dangers with high voltage DC or any precautions I need to take.

To give an indication of the low water table and drainage issues, my dog is very fond of digging up the garden. Whenever it rains it may take a day or two assuming no additional rainfall for the resulting puddles to drain.

As long as the wire insulation is rated for the proper voltage and service application it doesn't matter. I tend to like XHHW for outdoor use in conduit, it's a bit more flexible to work with even though the insulation is more resistant to abrasion and chemicals. It is a little more expensive than THWN but not much in my experience. XHHW and THWN both must be in conduit, they're not rated for direct burial.

 

[Atetra]

As long as the wire insulation is rated for the proper voltage and service application it doesn't matter. I tend to like XHHW for outdoor use in conduit, it's a bit more flexible to work with even though the insulation is more resistant to abrasion and chemicals. It is a little more expensive than THWN but not much in my experience. XHHW and THWN both must be in conduit, they're not rated for direct burial.

Thanks for that. I am a newbie so I’ll read up XHHW and THWN.

 

[wclark.growatt]

Wow, sounds like a classic grounding problem to get rid of the static charges from the air (wind) that comes through in a storm. This will upset the inverter in all cases if high static charges are present during a storm and coming in on ANY connections. All PVs are grounded frames with #6 solid wire tied to a high amperage (low resistance) PV tie point and then tied to the house ground (and/or 6 foot rod)? High static voltages killed my Sony TV with an OTA antenna connected years ago during a lightning storm. Now I am a grounding believer.