Sol Ark 12k Smart load reporting issue

[mgdean]

Wondering if any others are having issues with the Sol Ark 12k reporting out smart load correctly. Before I hooked up a 240v 1500 watt duel element electric water to the smart load Generator breaker. I hooked a 120v 1500 watt electric heater to a temporary outlet I ran off the gen breaker to see if it worked properly and to record the amount of energy consumed. I noticed the smart load would turn on and off like I programed it but showed 0 hz and only 3 to 4 watts while the heater was running. I contacted Sol Ark's help line, they updated to current firmware, but did not have an answer. After two weeks the consumption I tracked off my Sense energy monitor showed I had enough potential energy from my PV for a long enough period of time to hook up the water heater. I did this last night and today when I checked the unit displayed the correct wattage, but still 0 hz, just wanted to see if others have ran into his issue.

 

[robby]

What settings are you using for the smart loads prg?

 

[mgdean]

 

[Ampster]

Do you have any way to verify that current to the loads correlates to the Wattage reported by the SolArk?

 

[robby]

If the heater is getting the 1.5KW I would not worry about the 0Hz issue. It’s just a small bug in the firmware that they will probably fix soon.

 

[mgdean]

Do you have any way to verify that current to the loads correlates to the Wattage reported by the SolArk?

Yes I measured the voltage and current draw at the water heater and everything checked out. My main area of concern was they tell everyone to run the lower element at 120v. That is what I was attempting during my tests and it would not register a wattage on the Sol Ark

 

[Ampster]

Who tells everyone to run the lower element at 120 volts? I saw a thread here a guy was experimenting with the idea.

 

[mgdean]

Who tells everyone to run the lower element at 120 volts? I saw a thread here a guy was experimenting with the idea.

The Sol Ark Manual

 

[mgdean]

I have seen installers on you tube leave the top element hooked up to house/grid power and run the bottom 4500 watt element on a 120v leg from the smart load dropping the 4500 element's wattage to 1125.

 

[Think About It]

Yes I measured the voltage and current draw at the water heater and everything checked out. My main area of concern was they tell everyone to run the lower element at 120v. That is what I was attempting during my tests and it would not register a wattage on the Sol Ark

Perhaps because no current was flowing through the other leg.

They are only suggesting that as a means to keep current draw low. You certainly can connect 240 to the heater. It will balance the loads and draw more current. (Twice as much).

Most 4500 watt electric hot water heaters work in a flip/flop mode. Only one of the two elements is powered at a time, and both elements are the same wattage.

 

[robby]

Use a 240V element and keep the Inverter balanced.
The 0Hz thing is non starter issue and probably very low on Sol-Arks priority list.