Seeking help with Growatt/BigBattery settings

[Achaffee]

Hello, being somewhat of an amateur, I am looking for some feedback on properly setting up my system. It is working but could probably be better. I do have one issue that is when the battery if full the inverter will shut off. My assumption is that it has something to do with settings and the inverter trying to draw too much power from the panels with no where for it to go.

My questions are:

• Are my setting correct?
• Can the BMS be used in this setup? I have been unable to figure out which port on the battery the RJ45 cable plugs into. (RS485 or CAN) And what the protocol settings should be on the inverter?

The system is off grid, Growatt 6k Inverter, BigBattery 48v Rhino, 8 – Sun Electronics 205W panels, back up generator tied into the L1 and L2 for “Grid” on inverter.

Inverter settings:

01 utility first
02 90A
03 APL
05 U52
06 restart enable
08 240v
09 60 Hz
11 30A
12 46.0v
13 52.0v
14 solar and utility
15 alarm off
16 backlight on
17 alarm on
19 58.4v
20 55.6v
21 44.0v
22 001
23 dl 5
24 58.4v
25 60
26 10
27 001
28 EnA

Thanks for any input!

 

[42OhmsPA]

Hello, being somewhat of an amateur, I am looking for some feedback on properly setting up my system. It is working but could probably be better. I do have one issue that is when the battery if full the inverter will shut off. My assumption is that it has something to do with settings and the inverter trying to draw too much power from the panels with no where for it to go.

My questions are:

• Are my setting correct?
• Can the BMS be used in this setup? I have been unable to figure out which port on the battery the RJ45 cable plugs into. (RS485 or CAN) And what the protocol settings should be on the inverter?

The system is off grid, Growatt 6k Inverter, BigBattery 48v Rhino, 8 – Sun Electronics 205W panels, back up generator tied into the L1 and L2 for “Grid” on inverter.

Inverter settings:

01 utility first
02 90A
03 APL
05 U52
06 restart enable
08 240v
09 60 Hz
11 30A
12 46.0v
13 52.0v
14 solar and utility
15 alarm off
16 backlight on
17 alarm on
19 58.4v
20 55.6v
21 44.0v
22 001
23 dl 5
24 58.4v
25 60
26 10
27 001
28 EnA

Thanks for any input!

First things that jump out at me.
What are the descriptions for 19, 20, and 24?
I'm guessing 1 is bulk, 1 is float and 1 is cutoff voltage.
You're trying to charge to 3.65v / per cell, this will likely never happen unless you are using an active balancer and cells that are extremely well matched. I'd reduce to bulk to 3.5v / cell, 56v. I'd reduce float to 3.45v / cell, 55.2v.

Start with the bulk and float settings above, see how things perform, then worry about coms if you continue to have issues.

 

[Achaffee]

First things that jump out at me.
What are the descriptions for 19, 20, and 24?
I'm guessing 1 is bulk, 1 is float and 1 is cutoff voltage.
You're trying to charge to 3.65v / per cell, this will likely never happen unless you are using an active balancer and cells that are extremely well matched. I'd reduce to bulk to 3.5v / cell, 56v. I'd reduce float to 3.45v / cell, 55.2v.

Start with the bulk and float settings above, see how things perform, then worry about coms if you continue to have issues.

Thank you for the input. I can now see how cryptic the Growatt setting are if you are not looking at the manual. Hopefully these make a little more sense. The battery does have its own built in balance function, if that is what you are referring to as an active balancer. The digital display on the battery shows all the cells at almost precise equal charge at all times.

01 Output source priority - utility first (The other options are solar first or SBU first. I would think I would want solar first being off grid, however, if I select either of the other options my generator will run but the inverter will never let it connect to charge.)

02 Maximum charging current (Total of solar and utility) - 90A

03 AC voltage range – APL Appliance (default)

05 Battery type – Lithium when not communicating with BMS U52

06 Auto restart when overload occurs - restart enable

08 Output voltage - 240v

09 Output frequency - 60 Hz

11 Maximum utility charging current - 50A

12 Setting voltage point back to utility source - 46.0v

13 Setting voltage point back to battery mode - 52.0v

14 Charger source priority - solar and utility

19 Bulk charging voltage - 58.4v

20 Float charging voltage - 55.6v (Disabled due to LI selection in 5)

21 Low DC cut-ff voltage - 47.0v

22 RS485 communication address - 001

23 Battery equalization - Disabled

24 Battery equalization voltage - Disabled

25 Battery equalization time - Disabled

26 Battery equalization timeout - Disabled

27 Equalization interval - Disabled

28 Equalization activated immediately – Disabled

 

[42OhmsPA]

Thank you for the input. I can now see how cryptic the Growatt setting are if you are not looking at the manual. Hopefully these make a little more sense. The battery does have its own built in balance function, if that is what you are referring to as an active balancer. The digital display on the battery shows all the cells at almost precise equal charge at all times.

You're welcome.
So you are seeing 3.65v on every cell when the battery is full?

01 Output source priority - utility first (The other options are solar first or SBU first. I would think I would want solar first being off grid, however, if I select either of the other options my generator will run but the inverter will never let it connect to charge.)

02 Maximum charging current (Total of solar and utility) - 90A

03 AC voltage range – APL Appliance (default)

05 Battery type – Lithium when not communicating with BMS U52

06 Auto restart when overload occurs - restart enable

08 Output voltage - 240v

09 Output frequency - 60 Hz

11 Maximum utility charging current - 50A

12 Setting voltage point back to utility source - 46.0v

13 Setting voltage point back to battery mode - 52.0v

14 Charger source priority - solar and utility

19 Bulk charging voltage - 58.4v

20 Float charging voltage - 55.6v (Disabled due to LI selection in 5)

21 Low DC cut-ff voltage - 47.0v

22 RS485 communication address - 001

23 Battery equalization - Disabled

24 Battery equalization voltage - Disabled

25 Battery equalization time - Disabled

26 Battery equalization timeout - Disabled

27 Equalization interval - Disabled

28 Equalization activated immediately – Disabled

I would change setting 5 to user and settings 19 and 20 to the voltages I mentioned above.

If you want to try use communications I think you answered your own question with setting 22.

 

[Achaffee]

You're welcome.
So you are seeing 3.65v on every cell when the battery is full?

I would change setting 5 to user and settings 19 and 20 to the voltages I mentioned above.

If you want to try use communications I think you answered your own question with setting 22.

I will have to check next time I am at a full charge to confirm the voltage. I am seeing the same voltage on every cell at every other state of charge. Regarding communication, I am not sure what port the cable would go in and what the correct address/protocol would be. On the inverter I know it is the BMS port. On the battery I don't know if it is the RS485 port or the CAN port. And what would cause the inverter to shut off when I am in full sun with a charged battery?

 

[aunsafe2015]

Hello, being somewhat of an amateur, I am looking for some feedback on properly setting up my system. It is working but could probably be better. I do have one issue that is when the battery if full the inverter will shut off. My assumption is that it has something to do with settings and the inverter trying to draw too much power from the panels with no where for it to go.

My questions are:

• Are my setting correct?
• Can the BMS be used in this setup? I have been unable to figure out which port on the battery the RJ45 cable plugs into. (RS485 or CAN) And what the protocol settings should be on the inverter?

The system is off grid, Growatt 6k Inverter, BigBattery 48v Rhino, 8 – Sun Electronics 205W panels, back up generator tied into the L1 and L2 for “Grid” on inverter.

Inverter settings:

01 utility first
02 90A
03 APL
05 U52
06 restart enable
08 240v
09 60 Hz
11 30A
12 46.0v
13 52.0v
14 solar and utility
15 alarm off
16 backlight on
17 alarm on
19 58.4v
20 55.6v
21 44.0v
22 001
23 dl 5
24 58.4v
25 60
26 10
27 001
28 EnA

Thanks for any input!

Hello, I don't know the answer to your question, but would you mind sharing which Growatt inverter you have? Is it the 6000TL-X?

Was it pretty simple to set everything up? I'm looking at a battery pack + inverter, but no solar, no batteries, no scheduling, etc. -- literally just the battery pack and inverter. I want my main panel to be able to charge the battery when the grid is up, and I want the batteries to be able power my house when the grid is down. In your opinion would the Growatt + BigBattery be a decent choice for that?

 

[Achaffee]

Hello, I don't know the answer to your question, but would you mind sharing which Growatt inverter you have? Is it the 6000TL-X?

Was it pretty simple to set everything up? I'm looking at a battery pack + inverter, but no solar, no batteries, no scheduling, etc. -- literally just the battery pack and inverter. I want my main panel to be able to charge the battery when the grid is up, and I want the batteries to be able power my house when the grid is down. In your opinion would the Growatt + BigBattery be a decent choice for that?

Very easy to set up. The inverter is the SPF 6000T-DVM-MPV. My house came with a Outback system with an entire wall of components and a lead acid battery bank that took up half the room. I now have only the Growatt inverter on the wall and Rhino battery on the wall below it that only sticks out about 4 inches. It only took about an hour to set it all up and it looks clean. The only thing I don't care for is the programming interface of the Growatt is pretty much useless without the manual. But for the price point compared to for example a Sol-Ark, in my option it is worth the nuance.

This is the kit I purchased:

48V RHINO INVERTER KIT - LiFePO4 - 276Ah - 14kWh - BigBattery.com

The 48V Off Grid Home RHINO 6K + 14kWh Growatt system offers a 10-year warranty and is the perfect lithium battery system for backup power, renewable energy storage, and off-grid applications. Order Today!

bigbattery.com

 

[42OhmsPA]

I will have to check next time I am at a full charge to confirm the voltage. I am seeing the same voltage on every cell at every other state of charge. Regarding communication, I am not sure what port the cable would go in and what the correct address/protocol would be. On the inverter I know it is the BMS port. On the battery I don't know if it is the RS485 port or the CAN port. And what would cause the inverter to shut off when I am in full sun with a charged battery?

I don't use inverter communications so I won't be much help, I only use Solar Assistant with my batteries.

I'm assuming the BMS is protecting the battery causing the shutdown, which I way I recommended the reduced voltages above.

 

[Achaffee]

I don't use inverter communications so I won't be much help, I only use Solar Assistant with my batteries.

I'm assuming the BMS is protecting the battery causing the shutdown, which I way I recommended the reduced voltages above.

Thanks! I made the changes, now I just need some sun to test it out. Maybe in the Spring HAHA

 

[Habilis]

Hello, I don't know the answer to your question, but would you mind sharing which Growatt inverter you have? Is it the 6000TL-X?

Was it pretty simple to set everything up? I'm looking at a battery pack + inverter, but no solar, no batteries, no scheduling, etc. -- literally just the battery pack and inverter. I want my main panel to be able to charge the battery when the grid is up, and I want the batteries to be able power my house when the grid is down. In your opinion would the Growatt + BigBattery be a decent choice for that?

I have the same inverter, which I purchased from bigbattery.com with two of their 48v HSKY batteries. Set up has not been simple here! Two electricians have walked away trying to talk to bigbattery.com on the phone regarding issues with programming set up. The people at bigbattery.com simply say that we should call Growatt. When we called Growatt, they said you have to get service from the distributor you purchased through.
I wanted to save a buck but now I do believe my costs have surpassed a similar unit from an A-list company.
I’m sure there’s a lot of these units that function just fine but if you have a problem you need to have a reputable distributor that will help you.
There’s also some weirdness going on between BatteryEVO and bigbattery.com. I keep getting emails from both companies saying that the other company is a fraud.
And if I had to do it over again, I’d pay more money and get a distributor that has a track record of been helpful.
Cheers!

 

[Achaffee]

So I stumbled on the issue after talking to an electrician friend. Turns out it had nothing to do with programming and was caused by an incorrect bond out to the ground rod.

 

[Habilis]

What was the issue and how'd you overcome it?
After so many unresolved gliches Im 99% committed to buying a different brand (Victron) but if my problems stemmed from a bonding issue Id gladly eat my hat.

 

[Philectric246]

I will have to check next time I am at a full charge to confirm the voltage. I am seeing the same voltage on every cell at every other state of charge. Regarding communication, I am not sure what port the cable would go in and what the correct address/protocol would be. On the inverter I know it is the BMS port. On the battery I don't know if it is the RS485 port or the CAN port. And what would cause the inverter to shut off when I am in full sun with a charged battery?

I have the exact same inverter with a 48V Rosen 10kw battery, and as someone that is new to this, I found it a bit tricky to set up. I am not using communication right now but when I was using it, I put one end of the cable in the BMS port on the inverter and the other one in the CAN port of the battery, you also have to change program 51 to setting 52. Program 05 has to be set to Li, if the battery is communicating you will see Li on the inverter screen. I stopped using this because the inverter would switch back to the grid even though the battery still had a high state of charge. I am still trying to figure out what is the best settings to maximize the use of the battery.

 

[Achaffee]

What was the issue and how'd you overcome it?
After so many unresolved gliches Im 99% committed to buying a different brand (Victron) but if my problems stemmed from a bonding issue Id gladly eat my hat.

For me is was just stupid simple. The ground lug on the Growatt was not connected to a ground wire that was actually attached to my ground rods. But there are still some glitches I am working out. Having now worked with several other systems, I am 99% convinced I would go with a Solarc when I need a new hybrid inverter, despite the significant cost. The interface is just so user friendly and well built.