Problem with inverter and DC overcharge

[smoothJoey]

Custom Battery Settings Menu on page page 4-20

try configuring Eqlz Support=disabled

When you do please post values for these keys here
Eqlz Support
Eqlz Voltage
Bulk Voltage
Absorb Voltage
Float Voltage
BattTempComp

 

[smoothJoey]

I think its this battery https://www.solarshoppingmall.com/Eaton-140Ah-12V-AGM-Battery_p_162.html
Seems to be AGM.
Did you inherit this system?
I ask because you don't seem to be familiar with the details.

 

[Zaschark]

I would expect to see
bulk/absorbtion_voltage=
float_voltage=
Charge cycle being 3 stages is relevant.
I would like to know what the enumeration of those 3 stages is.

If you post a link to the manual I will take a look.

Bulk voltage=28.4
Absorb voltage= 27.5
Float voltage= 27

 

[Zaschark]

I think its this battery https://www.solarshoppingmall.com/Eaton-140Ah-12V-AGM-Battery_p_162.html
Seems to be AGM.
Did you inherit this system?
I ask because you don't seem to be familiar with the details.

Not quite, our friend basically made the purchases for us and set it up for us but left little in the way of instructions and has been unreachable for quite some time

 

[smoothJoey]

Bulk voltage=28.4
Absorb voltage= 27.5
Float voltage= 27

I need all the vals as described in the other post

 

[Zaschark]

St

Custom Battery Settings Menu on page page 4-20

try configuring Eqlz Support=disabled

When you do please post values for these keys here
Eqlz Support
Eqlz Voltage
Bulk Voltage
Absorb Voltage
Float Voltage
BattTempComp

Standby

 

[smoothJoey]

I bet @sunshine_eggo knows how to define an awesome charge profile for your agm batteries.

 

[Zaschark]

I need all the vals as described in the other post

 

[smoothJoey]

Those pictures do not include what I asked for.
I asked for the values to these keys
Eqlz Support
Eqlz Voltage
Bulk Voltage
Absorb Voltage
Float Voltage
BattTempComp

 

[Zaschark]

Those pictures do not include what I asked for.
I asked for the values to these keys
Eqlz Support
Eqlz Voltage
Bulk Voltage
Absorb Voltage
Float Voltage
BattTempComp

I don’t understand, the value isn’t the thing to the right of each of those things? Sorry man, new to this. I appreciates yous helpin me good buddy

 

[smoothJoey]

page 3-10 describes how to navigate the interface.

 

[Zaschark]

page 3-10 describes how to navigate the interface.

I’m going to have to get back to you tomorrow about this I think. I’ve looked all through the interface for another place showing values for those things besides in custom settings and I am not having luck. Thank you for your help, I appreciate it

 

[smoothJoey]

I’m going to have to get back to you tomorrow about this I think. I’ve looked all through the interface for another place showing values for those things besides in custom settings and I am not having luck. Thank you for your help, I appreciate it

I showed you the place in the doco that describes how to navigate the menu and I gave you the page number in the doco that shows you the keys we want to access.
I think you just need to learn how to navigate the menu.
Will help you when you come back.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

I don’t understand, the value isn’t the thing to the right of each of those things? Sorry man, new to this. I appreciates yous helpin me good buddy

Since somebody got my attention...

First and foremost... clean those damn batteries. Get as much off as you can with a dry rag or brush and then wipe them off with a slightly damp towel/rag/etc.

https://upserve.com.au/assets/downloads/eaton/pwhr12500w4fr-12v-500w.pdf

Unfortunately, these are poor batteries for this application. These are basically backup power batteries, i.e., batteries designed to be floated for very long periods of time between uses. When used, they provide backup power at a very high current while another power source comes on line like a generator.

It's very hard to say what needs to be done. There's a reason they only give a float voltage of 13.5-13.8 as that's the way they should be charged. These batteries are not designed for regular cycling. They likely have a very poor cycle life.

Please see if you can find the absorption time. The default is 180 minutes per the manual.



EDIT: in re-reading some bits of this thread and the manual, I'm sure there's more going on than this. I don't see that this is necessarily related to the fault. Need more information on the fault.

More importantly than all of the the above, which only applies for AC charging, I'd like to see the SOLAR charge controller values.

 

[JoeHam]

I do have the SW 4048, set up for LiFePO4. It took me a lot of research to figure it out but the system has been rock solid since then.

Do you have a ComBox or Gateway attached? Or are you using a SCP (system control panel) ?

I watched every YouTube Schneider put out, and there’s lots of them. There were some done by a woman who was very knowledgeable and succinct. I will edit in a link to one of her videos below so you can find others.

@sunshine_eggo seems to know lead acid parameters which is a blind spot for me, and always will be .

Edit: I cannot find my favorite YouTube from the woman who put them out in Spanish and English. There are still a bunch of Schneider videos though.

This forum also has some professional Schneider installers on it :

Search

forum.solar-electric.com

 

[sunshine_eggo]

@sunshine_eggo seems to know lead acid parameters which is a blind spot for me, and always will be .

LUCKY!

 

[Zaschark]

Since somebody got my attention...

First and foremost... clean those damn batteries. Get as much off as you can with a dry rag or brush and then wipe them off with a slightly damp towel/rag/etc.

https://upserve.com.au/assets/downloads/eaton/pwhr12500w4fr-12v-500w.pdf

Unfortunately, these are poor batteries for this application. These are basically backup power batteries, i.e., batteries designed to be floated for very long periods of time between uses. When used, they provide backup power at a very high current while another power source comes on line like a generator.

It's very hard to say what needs to be done. There's a reason they only give a float voltage of 13.5-13.8 as that's the way they should be charged. These batteries are not designed for regular cycling. They likely have a very poor cycle life.

Please see if you can find the absorption time. The default is 180 minutes per the manual.

View attachment 73263

EDIT: in re-reading some bits of this thread and the manual, I'm sure there's more going on than this. I don't see that this is necessarily related to the fault. Need more information on the fault.

More importantly than all of the the above, which only applies for AC charging, I'd like to see the SOLAR charge controller values.

Thank you for your response! I’ll clean my batteries off immediately. The absorb time appears to be set at 30m, do you think I should raise it?

In other, concerning news, my inverter seems to not want to register power coming from my house. The power still works with the generator, but won’t otherwise despite the batteries having a charge of 27.9. The inverter just doesn’t show any variable load from the house like usual, just 0. I’ve checked the battery terminals and the side of the inverter terminals and everything seems to check out. I haven’t changed any settings except for disabling equalize support as per advice on this forum, which I have since re-enabled.

I’m glad I have some time off, this is one sticky situation for someone who knew next to nothing about the system or how solar works in general just a few days ago.

I appreciate any insight you could offer.

 

[acdoctor]

Hello! We’re running a relatively small solar system and recently have begun seeing dc overload faults on our Conext SW 2524 inverter. I’m not even really sure what information to provide or what to ask so I’ll just state what I know and see what someone who knows what they’re talking about thinks.

Charge state used to be on float and now is only on either bulk or standby and will not change

Equalize is set to disabled and will not turn on

Generator (7500) watt will consistently create dc overload

Says recharge level set to 25.1. What does this do? Start or stop recharge at set amount?

Inverter set to 30amp max but we have 70amp total charge controllers hooked up to solar.

Sorry if this isn’t enough to get a clear idea. Please let me know what info is required for advice to be given and I will do my best. We had a friend set up this solar system and he is well.. unreliable. Thank you in advance for any assistance you can give.

You need to become a lot more familiar with your system. Off grid is not a set and forgot. That being said, you have two methods of charge. One being the charger in the inverter, the other the solar panels through the charge controller.
Both have settings that can be configured to the battery type you are using. Set some of them wrong and you will ruin your batteries and could cause a fire. So some of those settings are password protected. Some of the settings need to be fine tuned and adjusted seasonally. If you use any power from sundown to sunup the solar charge controller should start in bulk every sunrise. Once charge amps taper to a set point that is internally determined by the amp hour of the battery that has been entered into the solar charge controller (SCC). Then it transitions to Absorb which is a time based setting. Lead acid needs lot’s of absorb time. Then at the end of time the SCC goes to Float. Should stay in float the rest of the time the sun is up. If it clouds up in the middle of the day then clears off before sundown it starts over from the beginning with Bulk, Absorb,Float. This is specific for Schneider SCC. I believe that is what you have seeing the buttons in the pictures.
The charger inside the inverter that is powered by the Generator has the same settings. Most people use the generator to Bulk charge (put a lot of amps into the battery in a hurry) which is about 80% of total charge. Those settings need to be Set to match your battery requirements. These I think can only be adjusted in the SCP. Do you have one? It is a interface between all of the Schneider components. It can be mounted alone of in place of the inverter screen that has lights to designate state of charge. I am a thousand miles from my system. When I get back next week I’ll look to see, I think the DC Over volts, and Under volts is user settable. In the SCP you can look at the fault history. You should be able to see what the voltage was. Batteries. Look neglected. Have you unwired and cleaned the connections in the last six months? The more you know about your system you can better communicate what you have and what is going on. I have to assume you don’t have grid power and this is a hobby. Your post is a little like “ I have a car that has been running good but, now it quit. Can someone tell me what is wrong?” We are all happy to try but my just cause more confusion.

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Thank you for your response! I’ll clean my batteries off immediately. The absorb time appears to be set at 30m, do you think I should raise it?

No. I think I see what they were trying to do.

Raise absorption voltage to 28.4V.
Rails float voltage to 27.6V.

Running the generator through the absorption/float phases of charging is usually wasteful UNLESS you're also powering loads. If you don't need the generator for loads, might as well shut the generator down once you see it's in absorption.

I'm more concerned about how the solar charge controller is configured.

In other, concerning news, my inverter seems to not want to register power coming from my house.

Do you mean power USED by the house? Not sure how power would come from the house.

The power still works with the generator, but won’t otherwise despite the batteries having a charge of 27.9. The inverter just doesn’t show any variable load from the house like usual, just 0. I’ve checked the battery terminals and the side of the inverter terminals and everything seems to check out. I haven’t changed any settings except for disabling equalize support as per advice on this forum, which I have since re-enabled.

Are you saying you can't power the loads in your house with the inverter?

 

[acdoctor]

Inverter enabled not in standby? Bypass breaker in correct position?