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Sol-Ark battery SOC wrong

DIYSolarShed

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Hi all,

I just tested my Sol-Ark for the first time, and the SOC for the battery is reading as 95%. The battery itself shows around 39%. There is no CAN or other communication between them.

Does anyone know how to reset / adjust the SOC on the Sol-Ark?
 
The battery is unable to charge due to no grid and no solar yet (till tomorrow light), so I think the controller just hasn't been able to test the battery resistance yet.
 
The battery is unable to charge due to no grid and no solar yet (till tomorrow light), so I think the controller just hasn't been able to test the battery resistance yet.

Hm, it's been charging for a few hours now, and it is still reporting 94% SOC, compared to mid-30s on the battery.... anyone have any ideas?
 
How are you measuring the battery capacity? What chemistry is the battery?
As far as resetting the SolArk, all I can offer is that my Outback Skybox has to go through a complete Bulk charge and finish with an Absorb cycle before it will reset. Read the manual and see if there is a process for resetting the SOC.
I also have a BMS that outputs SOC and they sometimes get out of sync. There are settings in each of those devices that affect the output. If they are true coulomb counters the setting for size of battery has to be the same for starters.
 
If there is no comms between the battery and the sol-ark, I suggest changing over to voltage mode instead. My home-built BMS with SOC monitor never lines up with the sol-ark.
 
The battery is unable to charge due to no grid and no solar yet (till tomorrow light), so I think the controller just hasn't been able to test the battery resistance yet.
From what I gather, Sol-ark's reported SOC number is calculated on the fly based off of your stated battery capacity AND the status of the most recent charge cycle as determined by your absorption and float settings. Once it thinks charging is complete, it sets SOC to your max capacity + some "correction factor". It takes some cycles for the numbers to converge.
 
Yes a similar thing happens with my Outback Skybox. I have the option to reset it. All that does is start a Constant Current (Bulk) Charge cycle and once it finishes Constant Voltage (Absorb) stage it resets to 100%
 
I’m having a similar problem with my Sol Ark inverter. SOC on inverter may be as much as 20-40% higher than Soc reading on battery. I think this may have something to do with temperature around the house inverter? Any ideas?
 
my Sol Ark inverter. SOC on inverter may be as much as 20-40% higher than Soc reading on battery
I have the same issue and have stuck to voltage reading. no idea on how to 'fix' it outside of getting a CANbus connection working with the bms (Bartrium BMS) which at this point does not work
 
I tried changing to voltage reading this morning. Checked system and saw alarm light on GSL battery. It was at 5.37%. Sol Ark Inverter was displaying 31%. Inverter was set to begin grid charge at 30%. I changed grid settings to begin charging battery at 35%, waited for about 1 minute, and it still didn't begin charging! So I changed from S.O.C. to voltage reading, and the battery began charging from the grid in less than a minute. I'll check it again in a couple of hours. Do anyone know of any reasons not to stick with voltage reading? Thanks.
 
Hm, it's been charging for a few hours now, and it is still reporting 94% SOC, compared to mid-30s on the battery.... anyone have any ideas?
Hello. Did you ever find a solution for this. I've been having the same problem since installing SolArk, but it's getting worse. Thanks.
 
I don't think this is something that the end user can fix, it is something for Sol-Ark to address.

The issue is glaring when comparing to a couple of shunt meters that I have on my system. The Sol-Ark SOC can jump around like a bunny on fire whereas the Batrium is smooth. FYI - my battery bank's size is 56kwh and "usual" loads vary between 1k to 3k 99% of the time over 24hrs.
95
Past 24 hr example. Blue lines are the SOC, top is Batrium and bottom is Sol-Ark's data. Voltage readings are similar but the SOC varies greatly:

1630589351339.png
 
I am having the same issue.. My battery is at 25 and solark says 92 percent.. lol
 
I don't think this is something that the end user can fix, it is something for Sol-Ark to address.

The issue is glaring when comparing to a couple of shunt meters that I have on my system. The Sol-Ark SOC can jump around like a bunny on fire whereas the Batrium is smooth. FYI - my battery bank's size is 56kwh and "usual" loads vary between 1k to 3k 99% of the time over 24hrs.
95
Past 24 hr example. Blue lines are the SOC, top is Batrium and bottom is Sol-Ark's data. Voltage readings are similar but the SOC varies greatly:

View attachment 62706
Seems dangerous to battery life for the Solark to grossly overestimate the SOC.

I seem to have the opposite problem. I have four 3.8 Kwh Simpliphi LiPO batteries. Yesterday morning the Solark 12k indicated 31% SOC, but indicated <7Kwh used. After talking with both Solark and Simpliphi we increased the learn time from 1 to 2 hr every 30 days. I've only had the system off grid 10 days, so hopping with time the SOC will be more accurite.
 
I do not have a Sol Ark but experience similar issues with my Outback Skybox. It sometimes reports a different SOC than my Orion BMS. Fortunately they both reset almost daily if there is enough solar production to top off the batteries. I use very conservative settings so I am not concerned with the impact on battery life. My failsafe is the low voltage disconnect and the maximum charging voltage.
 
Hi all,

I just tested my Sol-Ark for the first time, and the SOC for the battery is reading as 95%. The battery itself shows around 39%. There is no CAN or other communication between them.

Does anyone know how to reset / adjust the SOC on the Sol-Ark?
I had the same problem before I went closed loop and the So-Ark tech told me that the Inverter needs one complete charge and discharge cycle to calibrate the percentage to the voltage. I have 16Kwh of batteries that were at 93% SOC and the Sol-Ark reported 21%. I let them charge and they stopped taking current very quickly, the SOC on the Sol-Ark was now at (30+)%. I then went on battery that night and in the morning the numbers lined up exactly with what the BMS was reporting. The Tech had told me that after each full charge and discharge cycling of the batteries the percentage charge indicator is re-calibrated.
 
I
I am having the same issue.. My battery is at 25 and solark says 92 percent.. lol
I got the modus connection to the fortress battery set up and it has been mostly accurate. The only thing I notice is that at half hour intervals it seems to misread thr battery as full then within a minute it reverts to the correct charge percentage (like accurate to the decimal place)
 
I had the same problem before I went closed loop and the So-Ark tech told me that the Inverter needs one complete charge and discharge cycle to calibrate the percentage to the voltage. I have 16Kwh of batteries that were at 93% SOC and the Sol-Ark reported 21%. I let them charge and they stopped taking current very quickly, the SOC on the Sol-Ark was now at (30+)%. I then went on battery that night and in the morning the numbers lined up exactly with what the BMS was reporting. The Tech had told me that after each full charge and discharge cycling of the batteries the percentage charge indicator is re-calibrated.
I wonder if Solark advised discharging till dead or discharging to 20% when they advised complete charge and discharge. I want to maximize the battery life and have the inverter programmed to shut down at 20% SOC
 
I wonder if Solark advised discharging till dead or discharging to 20% when they advised complete charge and discharge. I want to maximize the battery life and have the inverter programmed to shut down at 20% SOC
Never discharge until dead. They recommend 20% SOC. If blackouts are rare and you have one you can go down to 10% SOC so long as it is just occasionally.
 
From the posts in this thread it sounds like the Solark could drain the batteries while reporting a relatively high SOC until it gets to know your batteries. What it takes to get to know has me confused
 
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