Help With Growatt 3000TL 24 volt Install

[chmiko]

That is a lot of functionality for < $200

Just to be clear, is this the one i would use?

Amazon.com: PROGRESSIVE INDUSTRIES EMS-LCHW30 Hardwired RV Surge and Electrical Protector - 30 Amp: Automotive

Buy PROGRESSIVE INDUSTRIES EMS-LCHW30 Hardwired RV Surge and Electrical Protector - 30 Amp: Surge Protectors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[chmiko]

The WFCO has me confused. What does "Converter Disconnected/Removed" mean. Will the WFCO power the DC loads directly or is the AC to DC power supply what you removed from the WFCO?

re; the WFCO so i disconnected the converter charger and now only using the existing ac and dc loads via the corresponding breaker panels, i'm upgrading to a 24volt system so i was told its necessary to use the 24v to 12v step down transformer LINK

 

[chmiko]

also, based on the above linked 12v to 24v convertor specs what fusing would you recommend?

 

[Holwayout]

Hello, I'm also new and I have a set up to finalize similar to yours but my experience is limited. Hopefully an experience person can help you (and me) out.

A couple of things I would add are a fuse between the buck converter and the bus bar, and wire up a switch to turn on/off the Inverter of the Growatt 3000TL. I have it and the power consumption when the inverter is on is around 50watts plus the fans are a bit noisy. It does have a standby mode but I'm not too familiar how it works, in my opinion its best to just turn it off with a switch.

Hey JRam, can you provide a little detail about the switch to turn on/off the inverter of the Growatt that you mention? I am just starting plannning/build of a 24v system, and have a Growatt 3000TL on backorder (they are currently stuck in LAX and supposed to be here by beginning of May).

Since it's an all in one, how does that work exactly?

Backgrounf of what I'm doing here (optional read):
I'm graduating from using x2 6v series-connected Trojan Golf Cart batteries topped off by a 100 watt suitcase panel w/cheapy pwm controller, plugged into a Zamp outlet ( had to reverse the wiring on the Anderson connector--that's how Zamp makes itself prorietary, LOL) to a 24 v battery bank composed of x4 12v 100 ah Battle Born LifePo4s in series-parallel. Planning to have 800 watt solar array on rooftop of a TT you cannot walk on the roof of---good times! I'm definitely drinking from the fire hydrant here. I know I can make it work, just nervous that first trip is this Memorial Day Weekend.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Holly

 

[Holwayout]

re; the WFCO so i disconnected the converter charger and now only using the existing ac and dc loads via the corresponding breaker panels, i'm upgrading to a 24volt system so i was told its necessary to use the 24v to 12v step down transformer LINK

I'm in a similar situation. Did you ever think about ditching the WFCO and replacing it with a different panel? My trailer is a 2015 and has the WFCO 8735. Had a loooong meandering chat with a tech at Progressive Dynamics about replacing the WFCO and he said to just keep it for my proposed 24v LifePo system with 800 watt solar array. Confirmed the need for the 24v to 12v buck converter. But I don't think he understood the full functionality of the Growatt 3000TL.

Thanks!
Holly

 

[John Frum]

I'm in a similar situation. Did you ever think about ditching the WFCO and replacing it with a different panel? My trailer is a 2015 and has the WFCO 8735. Had a loooong meandering chat with a tech at Progressive Dynamics about replacing the WFCO and he said to just keep it for my proposed 24v LifePo system with 800 watt solar array. Confirmed the need for the 24v to 12v buck converter. But I don't think he understood the full functionality of the Growatt 3000TL.

Thanks!
Holly

You don't have to replace the distribution panel.
You may have to replace the converter.

 

[chmiko]

I'm in a similar situation. Did you ever think about ditching the WFCO and replacing it with a different panel? My trailer is a 2015 and has the WFCO 8735. Had a loooong meandering chat with a tech at Progressive Dynamics about replacing the WFCO and he said to just keep it for my proposed 24v LifePo system with 800 watt solar array. Confirmed the need for the 24v to 12v buck converter. But I don't think he understood the full functionality of the Growatt 3000TL.

Thanks!
Holly

I would keep the original existing WFCO Unit / wiring, it will make things alot easier in the long run. Just wiring the Buck convertor into your 12volt service is way more cost effective and easier than replacing the WFCO unit. I Just removed the existing Convertor and then used the empty tray to mount my buck and fuses.

 

[chmiko]

I have question about solar panel configuration for my current Growatt 3000tl 24volt setup, hopefully someone can answer.
I have recently acquired 4 x 200w 24v solar panels, question is, should I wire them in series or parallel?
Pannel specs are:
Brand: RICH SOLAR 200w 24v Monocrystalline
Maximum Power(Pmax): 200W
Maximum Power Voltage(Vmp): 37.6V
Maximum Power Current(Imp): 5.36A
Open Circuit Voltage(Voc): 45.4V
Short Circuit Current(Isc): 5.83A
Maximum System Voltage(Vmax): 1000VDC

Growatt 3000tl Charge controller Specs are:
Maximum PV Array Power: 2000w
MPPT Range @ Operating Voltage: 30VDC ~ 115VDC
Maximum PV Array Open Circuit Voltage: 145VDC
Maximum Solar Charge Current: 80a
Maximum Efficiency: 98%
Standby Power Consumption: 2W

 

[JRam]

4 series will put you way over Open Circuit Voltage of the Growatt. 4 parallel you will have a voltage too close to the minimum.

I think your best option is 2s2p, but I'm no expert in this.

Hey JRam, can you provide a little detail about the switch to turn on/off the inverter of the Growatt that you mention? I am just starting plannning/build of a 24v system, and have a Growatt 3000TL on backorder (they are currently stuck in LAX and supposed to be here by beginning of May).

Since it's an all in one, how does that work exactly?

Backgrounf of what I'm doing here (optional read):
I'm graduating from using x2 6v series-connected Trojan Golf Cart batteries topped off by a 100 watt suitcase panel w/cheapy pwm controller, plugged into a Zamp outlet ( had to reverse the wiring on the Anderson connector--that's how Zamp makes itself prorietary, LOL) to a 24 v battery bank composed of x4 12v 100 ah Battle Born LifePo4s in series-parallel. Planning to have 800 watt solar array on rooftop of a TT you cannot walk on the roof of---good times! I'm definitely drinking from the fire hydrant here. I know I can make it work, just nervous that first trip is this Memorial Day Weekend.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Holly

The switch turns the inverter part on or off, but it is also how you first turn the unit on after connecting the battery. Once the unit is connected to the battery, and everything is set up, you can turn the switch off and the Inverter part will shut off. If you have PV power coming in the charger part stays on. PV power will also "wake up" the charger part even if the switch is in the off position. You can wire up a remote switch, but requires some small modification, Will Prowse did it in one of his videos. I think the unit he did it was a MPP Solar 2424 but the Growatt 3000 is identical to it, I don't have a link of the video but it is in his YouTube channel for a better understanding of what can be done.

 

[chmiko]

4 series will put you way over Open Circuit Voltage of the Growatt. 4 parallel you will have a voltage too close to the minimum.

I think your best option is 2s2p, but I'm no expert in this.

So are you saying a series/parallel configuration would be the way to go then?

 

[chmiko]

Pannel specs are:
Brand: RICH SOLAR 200w 24v Monocrystalline
Maximum Power(Pmax): 200W
Maximum Power Voltage(Vmp): 37.6V
Maximum Power Current(Imp): 5.36A
Open Circuit Voltage(Voc): 45.4V
Short Circuit Current(Isc): 5.83A
Maximum System Voltage(Vmax): 1000VDC

Growatt 3000tl Charge controller Specs are:
Maximum PV Array Power: 2000w
MPPT Range @ Operating Voltage: 30VDC ~ 115VDC
Maximum PV Array Open Circuit Voltage: 145VDC
Maximum Solar Charge Current: 80a
Maximum Efficiency: 98%
Standby Power Consumption: 2W

Using the above mentioned specs of my equipment, and if my math is correct a four-panel array using 5.36 Amps, 45.4 Volt panels wired in a series-parallel configuration of 2-panel series strings wired in parallel (2s2p), should produce a solar panel array of 10.72 Amps, 90.8 Volts. This should technically work with the Growatt charge controllers specs.
Is this correct or am I missing something?

 

[JRam]

Your math is correct and yes it should work with the Growatt 3000tl.

Ian from Watts247 has a wiki with more information on how to size up panels. He mentions "Rule of Thumb for North America, make sure your Solar Array Voltage (Voc) will be at least 25% less than the Maximum Voc for the MPPT, example MPPT Voc= 145 less 25% = 116 Voc"

 

[Holwayout]

You don't have to replace the distribution panel.
You may have to replace the converter.

Definitely planning to replace the converter. Considering purchasing an

uxcell New BIG-Size Voltage Converter Regulator DC/DC DC 24V to DC 12V 40A 480W Buck Transformer Waterproof ​

 

[John Frum]

Definitely planning to replace the converter. Considering purchasing an

uxcell New BIG-Size Voltage Converter Regulator DC/DC DC 24V to DC 12V 40A 480W Buck Transformer Waterproof ​

Those are pretty dodgy, suggest you read the reviews.

 

[JRam]

Get a Victron Orion 24/12 instead of those cheap Chinese converters. Big heatsink, fan and adjustable output voltage. Plus you are not limited to the small wires that come with the cheap converters.

 

[Holwayout]

Those are pretty dodgy, suggest you read the reviews.

Yikes--more than a couple purchasers complained about them failing after a month of use.

 

[Holwayout]

Get a Victron Orion 24/12 instead of those cheap Chinese converters. Big heatsink, fan and adjustable output voltage. Plus you are not limited to the small wires that come with the cheap converters.

How do you know what amp rating to use?

 

[John Frum]

Most of those old rv converters are tough as nails.
The brand du jour dc2dc converters are tough as

How do you know what amp rating to use?

Get a quality one with output rating equivalent or better than the wfco it replaced.

 

[Holwayout]

Hmm. The model I'm going to replace has:
Converter Input: 105-130Vac 60Hz, 7.5A 600W
Converter Output: 13.6 VDC, 35A

Do they generally go by the output rating?

 

[John Frum]

Hmm. The model I'm going to replace has:
Converter Input: 105-130Vac 60Hz, 7.5A 600W
Converter Output: 13.6 VDC, 35A

Do they generally go by the output rating?

yes