Solar Inverter Growatt 5K Programing Grounding & Battery Comms
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- čas přidán 12. 01. 2022
- Solar Inverter Growatt 5K Programing Grounding & Battery Comms. ALL OF OUR SOLAR EQUIPMENT...CLICK HERE: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=c...
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Time Stamps For Video:
Grounding 0:42
Battery Communication 2:55
Inverter Paralleling 6:42
Inverter Programming 9:19
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Hi how we keep fan Stand by mode
It's run all wase
I have enjoyed all of the videos I have seen from you so far, great info and well articulated.
We, that's my wife, young adult son and I, are about to embark on a similar journey in central Mexico.
We are about to take possession of a little 38 acre ranch at an altitude of 8000 feet. Out of the 38 acres, 10 acres is a pond. The pond is 25 acres in total but our geographic boundaries include 10 acres and our neighbors owns the rest.
The property is on a main road and has access to electricity, but it was never run in. Instead of going through that process, we have decided to go with an off grid solar system, which is similar in installation cost, but offers us complete independence.
I have looked at many different solar systems, but the Growatt All In One system appeals to me the most, as it is cost effectively distributed here in Mexico. I also like the MPP Solar units, but they would have to come from Taiwan. I really like how you can string the units together, as it makes it easy to increase the system output size and if one unit breaks down you can at least function on reduced capacity. I'm looking at 2 or maybe 3x 3000 watt units, with 8000 watts solar and 20000 watts battery back up. Not requiring heating and air conditioning, makes life easy in regards to energy requirements.
Very cool. Blessings on your adventure.
Not needing heating or air conditioning will be a huge energy savings.
Great video. Thanks for taking the time to make this. Learnt alot.
You’re welcome
Thz for sharing step by step programing
You’re welcome
Top quality gear there sir; I’m frugal and agree a Grow-watt is worth it
Very cool. Thank you!
It's a great video, thanks to you
Thank you
Good video, thanks
You're welcome
Great video
I’m replacing my EG4 6kw with these units
Thanks for the amazing setup help dude 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼❕❕❕
You're welcome. Why replace the EG4?
@@CountryLivingExperience I’ve had nothing but bad luck with the EG4 6000’s error and fault codes non stop 😢. Been dealing with a customer service for three months now trying to figure everything out
@@cowboymcq6711 Yikes. That's not good.
BONJOUR MERCI POUR CETTE VIDÉO
je vous en prie
Where I live in Florida I can get 15 volt differential between grounds!
I just got off the phone with Sig Solar as well. The are going to provide schematics for proper grounding, are working on them as fast as possible, and will post them soon. We run the 5000es as a completely off-grid system and the model we have has the bonding screw removed so I am not that worried. Additionally, the Growatt transformer they are selling now is different than the SolarEdge. They will provide further info on this soon as well.
Great videos, I agree with your sentiments... Can you provide a link to the grounding update from SS please? These videos are super helpful. Thanks!
@@taulli1 They have told me that the method I showed in the video is correct. I have had other electricians contact me to still say it is wrong. I am leaving it as I showed it in the video but will continue to research it. There is no link from them at this time.
@@CountryLivingExperience Thank you for the quick reply! Are you up and running yet? Do you think the various methods (opinions?) of grounding are esoteric, have pros/cons, or do you think there is a day to day advantage, or is this a catastrophe avoidance issue? This has been a troubling setback.
@@taulli1 Don't be troubled, it will work out. I have found that varying opinions come from varying experiences. I trust the solar company. I am still doing my research as well. I am not an electrician. My electrician said it looked fine and some others said it didn't. My system operates flawlessly.
Down Arrow and Enter at the same time will remove the beep temporary so you don't have to listen to the beep when you are adjusting settings.
Thank you for the tip.
I bought a two LFP system from system solar with case with out doors and top. I am trying to build a moveable system. I will send pictures. I put the GroWatt system on one side. I plan to charge from the house ( solar ) to the two batteries. And use the GroWatt to go from DC to AC. I Plan to use extension cords to power the items in the home.
It's working all wase
In my area they require 2 ground rods. The second needs to be at least 6 apart from the first
I understand that is for the power grid.
My understanding of the whole grounding/bonding discussion is that an electrical system will work okay in most cases with various configurations of grounding/bonding, but where it becomes an issue is IF there is either a lightning strike or a fault in the system caused by a short in a load. In the case of a lightning strike the ground rods are the primary resolution. However, if I’m correct in interpreting NEC guidelines, there should only be one earth grounding point (rod or rod sets) for the same building even it has multiple sub panels due to the fact that voltage potentials could be different with a rod on each panel which could create an arc across something in the building.
Regarding a system fault from a load short, since the voltage always looks for way back to its source, the neutral plays a big part in clearing a fault via the breaker in the panel. If sub panels are bonded (neutral to earth ground) where they should not be, the voltage doesn’t have a clear path back to its source to clear the fault. Again, if I understand correctly, that means the panel that combines the AC from the inverters as well as the mid-point transformer that creates the neutral for the 120v loads should be the point at which the neutral bus is bonded to earth ground on an off-grid system.
I appreciate your insight. There are so many varied interpretations and opinions on this. i am part of the diy solar forum and most on there cannot agree. There are professional electricians, electrical engineers, solar companies, etc on that forum.
Mike Holt has excellent informational videos. He has definitely convinced me that there absolutely should only be 1 earth ground point in a building or structure. You do not want a nearby lightning strike to ride in at one point through your house and equipment and out the other point. Very Bad. Power always looks to get back to source, not the ground. Everything inside should be bonded together, leave at 1 point, and multiple rods outside should be bonded together. Good luck and stay safe. @@CountryLivingExperience
yup
Thank you for the video. This is the information I am looking for. Never thought I will be interested in solar until I see David poz and your video, so I know the system is really work. I already bought the same system that I saw in your video just not install yet. I am really enjoying your channel because I love doing garden too. Are you using your solar power every day or just for back up? I already have a transfer switch installed and used it when the power is out now, I can use it for those chosen breakers every day by solar power if it goes well, I will expand later as you mentioned in the video. Great videos thank you!
Thank you, I appreciate it.
I am using it on most days. I am currently adding some batteries and cleaning up the wiring so the system is down at the moment.
Hey there again. I w finally got my Growatt Grid Tie setup in place and running great. It’s now time to start looking at batteries and was curious as to how much life each day you get out of your batteries? I know the larger draw you put in them the quicker they’ll run down, I’m just trying to get a general idea how they do. I’ll most likely be buying one at a time, slowly adding more capacity as time goes on.
As usual great video(s) and very informative.
Glad you got your system up.
It is hard to say. There are so many variables. How long are you running each load and how much sun do you have that particular day. It is honestly hard to nail down. I keep adding batteries as well.
Be nice to see a dc disconnect wiring video
Noted!
What size lugs for the inverter and what battery cable size is that? tried to find when you hooked up your batteries but missed it somehow. Thanks for your videos. You explain things well.
Glad we could help. 2awg batt cable and 5/16" lugs. I just got the battery cable from the auto parts store.
Thank you so much. Your videos are so helpful. You say to not charge from the grid. But SS has said I can do that and it will work fine. Why do you say it is not good for the health of the system? What happens if your batteries get too low and you don't have enough power for your home?
You're welcome.
It will wear the inverters out quicker. If I don't have enough battery then I don't have power. I will have to wait until the sun recharges. My system is technically off-grid anyway.
Are you considering using Generator AC input to charge batteries when PV is not available?
I found the RS485 vs BSM jack swap in the new units the hard way.
I fully expect to use the system without PV connected as a stand alone battery backup.
Yes, I am going to buy a small 1k or 2k watt dual fuel generator to use with the dedicated battery charger. Sig Solar did a video about why it was not practical to hook a large generator into the inverters to charge the battery.
Hi there!
Just saw your video today after installing two of the very same Growatt Inverters. Following the manual in setting up the PAL setting, I‘m unable to access the menu point 23.
I‘d very much appreciate if you could write down the step by step procedure on how to enter into the stand by mode and set the menu point 23 to PAL and safe that setting.
Many thanks for your great helpful videos and your effort. Greeting from Hungary!!
You have to enter in to the menu when it is in standby mode with the inverter switched off.
I have a Off grid system not connected to the grid (no AC in).
To have a 10-90% lithium battery discharge/charge what parameters should I set in program 12,13,21?
(Inverter is Growatt spf5000es)
@CountryLivingExperience First of all thanks for the video, and it's help me a lot. I live in area where lightening would be happened a lot. So I initially planned to disconnect my PV array when there will be high lightning, in order to protect my system. My solar panels were installed on roof (little bit high point) and my house located in kind of valley. So what will happen, if I disconnect my PV array, without switch off the growatt inverter and battery pack?
If everything is grounded properly and has the correct isolation breakers installed, it should not be a problem. If you have them on the roof, they should be installed with some sort of DC breaker for overcurrent protection.
Thank You for explaining clearly . However, I have a buddy who has worked for the utilities for 40 years . He tells me you should never ground a battery . The ground will draw from the battery quickly ! If you do try it, please check your levels every few hours . GOOD LUCK
LiFePO4 battery systems function very differently than Lead Acid batteries. The electronics in the battery case need to be grounded.
Thank you.
Don't, ground the battery positive or negative. Do, ground the metal case that is surrounding the battery.
Also, the mounting screws between the battery case and the rack are not rated for grounding. You need to make the ground connection separately from the mounting.
What I heard was to ground your bus bars instead. All your equipment goes through your bus bars and you can ground everything from there. You only ground the negative side.
another cool video...disappointed to see all the cables between the inverters. seems like rj45(ethernet) could have handled all of that. kind of silly to have the rs232 cables as well as the twisted pair set. They probably could have just connected them with usb. Its not like there would be gigbits of info flowing there.
Thank you. Once I get everything running smoothly like I want, I will clean up the cabling.
Any update on your grounding setup? I'm setting up two 3k 24v Growatts in split phase and have questions around proper grounding. Right now my plan is to bond the AC out grounds and neutrals to the off grid panel which will have it's own ground rod(s). I'm also wondering if I can ground the battery chassis and solar panels to the same rods.
No update, it is setup as Sig Solar instructed and my electrician confirmed. If you purchased it from them, they should be able to help you with your particular setup. I don't know all the ins and outs of your system so I can't really say. Sorry, I am not more help.
@@CountryLivingExperience No worries - thanks. Yes I did purchase from them and have an email out to their support, never a dull moment!
You might want to try giving them a call. That has always worked quickest for me. I talk to Matt a lot and email him pictures of my equipment questions while we are talking.
talked me out of growatt before even half way through. Thanks!
Why?
I find your videos really informative and do enjoy the presentation. I see each inverter has a battery connection but can’t see how you’ve connected them up. Do both inverters go back to the same battery bank and if so how do they connect to the same bank. Cheers David from NZ
Thank you.
The battery rack has integrated buss bars. All batteries and inverters are connected to them. I did a video on the rack and connections here......czcams.com/video/SrCSSc9JYSo/video.html
@@CountryLivingExperience thanks Eric I watched the battery set up and again a brilliant presentation. Also your “is solar worth it” really lays it on the line well done. So just to be clear on the 2 inverter battery connection. Each inverter connects via the buss bar to the same battery bank? But the communication goes from the master battery to the master inverter right? Cheers David from NZ
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Yes, each inverter connects to the buss bar. The comms go from master battery to master inverter.
Any recommendations for 3 pole (split phase) transfer switch to feed utility's hot lines and neutral on one end and the Inverters' hots and the mid point transformer neutral on the other? That way I can either manually or automatically switch between electrical sources.
Sorry, I don't. Maybe your local electrical supply house.
hello, thank u so much for this video! what type of ethernet cables do I need to buy?
Your welcome. Just a regular ethernet cable will work.
You can put your dc setup to a rod but your ac definitely needs to be bonded to panel.
This comment seems contradictory to your other statement about the dc side.
Between the batteries and the inverter does it not require a device for over current protection?
I have them on my new system. The batteries have some good over current protection. As always, the more the better.
Excellent explanation my friend. What about the reliability of this model? My project is exactly as yours. I’m gonna buy 2 inverters, 12 550w solar modules and 30Kw of lithium batteries.
They are very reliable but with any electronics something can happen. I will get another as a backup just in case. Signature Solar has been great to work with too.
Can you tell me when paralleling, do you have to program the second unit also, or does it get he settings from the primary/master unit?
You do not. The second inverter will pick up the programming from the master unit.
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Great series. Why is it not a good thing to charge the batteries from the grid? I want to run my system without solar.
Thank you.
The equipment is not made exclusively to charge batteries from the grid. It is made for solar.
Does the growatt take 9x 550w panels in series with 49V voltage ?
It should. Max PV wattage is 6000w for the Growatt. Max voltage in is 450vdc.
great informative video but opens up a box of questions😁.
*1* on t=4:27 how would I know I have the older or the newer version (visually or screen info)?
*2* on t=10:10 if the setting was SBU or SUB (if the inverter was connected to utility), this means the solar will provide power but for some reason solar power was not enough (excessive load, not enough panels), will it compensate from the next selection or will it switch 100% to the next selection?
*3* on t=13:12 why charging the battery is better-off to be charged by solar if I have utility (clean and steady) connected?
*4* on t=15:30 why it is important that I have battery before I power the system, is that because I may not be generating enough voltage (nominal operating voltage) from solar and this will result in error (auto-restart)? I was thinking to go battery-less and have only solar and utility🤔.
fyi: I have 230v/50hz utility
Thanks.
1. There is no way to tell. You will have to try both ports.
2. It will compensate and share power sources with the loads.
3. For this brand, solar input is recommended for best results and battery stability.
4. I was advised of this issue by the distributor. I am not sure of the technical details.
This specific Growatt inverter was modified by the manufacturer per the distributors technical specifications for the American grid. If you buy these outside of North America, the internal configuration of the Growatt 5000es will be different. These are technically Growatt 5000es-US models.
So the AC and DC systems have separate grounding systems each with a single ground rod for each system? Is the combiner box a good place to ground the DC system?
The power from the inverter is AC so there is no DC power accept at the panels, PV wires, and batteries. The inverters are a separate power generation system like a generator in my off-grid configuration.
Why not charge batteries via grid?
I'm a supervisor electrician here in Oregon and that ground rod is not going to do crap other than cause some earthworms to come up if there's a fault.
So you are saying my electrician and the solar company are wrong. Separately derived system? They instead of throwing stones, give a solution.
@@CountryLivingExperience you have to tie it back into the main EGC system
@@PaulNelsonphotography It is an off grid system. The main power is cut via an interlock kit. It is a separate power generation station like a generator. Factoring those things in with the addition of my electrician and the solar company saying the opposite, do you still say this is wrong and why?
@@CountryLivingExperience Even if you take off the utility you have to establish a main EGC. You Can have issues with the electronics with different potentials. I would need to see the system. You need ( 250.25 article 705 ) 1 single electrical grounding electrode system. 250.4 and 250.6
@@CountryLivingExperience are the Ungrounded conductors the only ones that are cut?
Are you sure about having two grounds ? I was assuming everything was going into the same ground . Either case you can make a circuit over the ground
This is a discussion that has gone on inside the DIY Solar Forum and among many solar companies for a long time. I took the advice of the solar company I purchased from. If you don't feel comfortable doing it this way then do it how you feel is correct.
in Ptcl why L01 ? is right ptcl number of battery or what thank you
This grounding thing is killing me in my setup. I like you have watched so many videos, researched so many documents..tried to understand NEC code, etc. On the 5000ES the AC in and AC grounds are connected and they are also connected to the case (verified with ohm meter). In my setup the AC in from grid comes off my main panel which is obviously grounded (bonded neutral). If I were to connect the AC in ground to my utility panel. Then connect the AC out ground to my Feeder panel for solar. And lastly the ground on the inverter to the Feeder panel ground. In my mind, this leaves one path to ground. All the breakers, the Transformer up through the inverter, back to the main panel ground and that just doesn't seem "right" to me. My thought is. Run a ground only from my utility panel ground to my feeder panel ground. Then run all grounds as part of this system (AC IN, AC OUT, Inverter) to the feeder panel ground. In this case every ground goes direct and doesn't flow through the inverter. I don't know if its right....but it feels right with having a single ground and a most direct path to it. I could see having a separate ground on the DC side that would ground the batteries and solar panels themselves but couldn't argue why you wouldn't just use the same ground.
I hear you. I have gone around and around with the solar company and electricians. Not all of them agree with each other. Since I am an off-grid system I am not sure I can respond to your thoughts directly. There is a diagram from Sig Solar on the DIY Solar Power Forum. They did some testing, etc for it and their engineer came up drew it. Not everyone on the forum even agrees with it. Here it is for reference diysolarforum.com/threads/safe-grid-use-of-the-5000es-and-transformer.34121/page-2
P.S. I did a drawing of my exact system and sent it to their engineer. He said it looked fine.
P.S.S. I am still a bit unsure, however.
@@CountryLivingExperience HAHA with all this its funny the one thing confusing everyone is the ground. However, looking at that diagram in the post it appears to be exactly what I suggested The ground of the Utility Panel, Growatt's, Transformer, and panels is all tied in one. This is very helpful! I appreciate it and the reply!!
What wires/cables are connected between the two inverters to parallel the?
Each inverter comes with special wires for connecting in parallel
Can you use a DIY battery (cells + BMS) with Growatt inverters?
Yes
The problem I'm faced with, is that i have 4 12v 100amps lithium battery hooked up with my 13kva Growatt system in split unit. The issue is that i didn't hook the batteries on BMS, so i set my battery type to user2...i want to set my dod at 30 %, but the under setting 12, instead of Showing me the percentage, it showing me the voltage...so i want u to tell me which volt should i set it to obtain the 30% depth of discharge
I am not sure. I currently do not have these inverters connected because I am going to use them for another project. I am using the EG4 6500ex inverters now.
i do not know why the New Growatt 5000ES bonded the AC input Ground to The AC Output Neutral . I did openup the inverter trying to unbond the neutral & ground but i cant find where to unbond it . This is because i am using Solar to charge my batteries LIFEPO4 & same time power up my loads , just that when at night i requires the Grid to charge my batteries . Ended up it trips my main power ELCB and not able to get it function . Previously bought all the inverters are not bonded , need help what should i do to unbond the neutral and ground ? Do i need to use the dry contact to trigger the unbond ? thanks
Only Growatts sold by Signature Solar are properly modified for the US electrical grid. All others (as far as I know) do not have the bonding screw removed or the connection hole covered with silicone.
Please help:
I have a growatt 3000 and it doesn’t recognize my PV input at all.
My panels are in series. 8X370 watt panels. I have a pv shut off switch hooked up. Any thoughts?
Check if you have the correct voltage or if your pv wires are reversed in their polarity.
around the 13 minute mark, it was mentioned that AC/grid battery charging was a bad idea. Could you restate that point or recommend a resource to query on that aspect? I was surprised by it
Me Too. I think I checked with Sig Solar to confirm I don't really need the battery charger.
Watch Signature Solar's video on their 3kw (applies to all the off grid inverters) for generator sizing. @4:26 czcams.com/video/RyAaR5UpB64/video.html
@@CountryLivingExperience AHH OK, now I understand -- thank you for referencing that timestamp. It's a voltage droop/frequency stability question for generator AC input. If I'm interpreting this correctly, it's largely non-issue when grid (not gen) supplemented for AC input.
I use a dedicated DC charger sized for my generator in line with James' comment in the later moments of that video.
Yep. Sorry if I didn't articulate it properly in the video. I am still learning as I go sometimes.
Hi. I have one unit of SPF5000ES working good with pylontech Li batteries by can BMS port for 3 months.
Now I just buy the second unit for paralleling. Both inverters will work with the same 14kw Li bateries. Do I have to buy the hub rs485/can growatt 8 ports ? Or not
Please explain me.
Thanks/Barcelona
They changed the inverters over time and I don't know how old your first SPF5000 is. You may need a hub to communicate with with newer inverter.
Pls I have a question, the inverter AC output is it two phase ? In your last video you make mentioned of two hot line. Thanks
Technically it is 240v single phase but it it called two phase here in the US. There is two hot lines and a ground.
Hi how we keep fan Stand by mode
That is not possible.
I’ve set mine up like you’ve shown and also with setting 5 to LI and setting 36 to L01. My inverters are limiting charging current to 10A regardless of source and regardless of available solar power. Any idea why?
Not sure. I know you cannot adjust it via the settings if you have Lithium. Your BMS should be regulating this. Do you have the BMS communications set up correctly?
@@CountryLivingExperience I set it up like signature solar’s setup video. I’ve change to USE2 and can charge at higher currents. But only 10A when set to LI / L01. I have reached out to signature solar but they are very slow to respond.
@@jeffmotes2129 Not sure why. Leave it on USE2 until you can get hold of them.
When you show your next video connecting everything. Please show how it is connected to your main panel!
Hi. It is just wired into a breaker on the main panel. Nothing special. Neutral goes to the neutral buss bar, ground to ground and the 2 hot legs to a 70a breaker.
@@CountryLivingExperience Ok, I guess that is easy enough. Do you think you will be able to supply the whole house with that 70 amp breaker? Even if you needed to run all your large appliances? Thank you for replying
Yes. If you watch my earlier video I explain what my loads are (no stove, no water heater, no dryer). I am also switching my 3 ton air con to mini-splits.
Sir, do you know the pin of the communication cable between inverter and BMS?
Sorry, I don’t know.
Quick question, is it OK to connect the inverter to AC IN without PV, Batteries, or AC OUT? Why I ask, I would want to startup the inverter inside the house so I can setup Wifi before moving into it's final spot where the Wifi is weaker.
If you have AC in the house already, why not plug the Wi-Fi into the house AC?
@@CountryLivingExperience ok, let me clear it up a bit. My growatt has a shine wifi dongle. I want to link that to my router wifi before installing the inverter to its final position. Is it safe to plug the dongle into a 5v source and set it up that way? Or must it be the inverter? My guess is the inverter since it would require a modbus connection to its host.
@@ComputingCode Honestly those are questions for the manufacturer. I cannot answer them and I don't use the dongle.
I have a growatt for off grid and I use a generator, now do I have to hit the switch manually to power my growatt with gas generator or does the unit to automatically?
It all depends on how you wired it.
Hi have you ever had An AC leak from the pv in to ground with these units. I copped a bad and unexpected shock from the pv DC in from the grow watt es5000 I own. I fear it is faulty but im just glad im not dead.
Wow, no I have not. That seems like a serious issue. I am not sure how that would happen. I would disconnect immediately and send it in for repair.
@@CountryLivingExperience thanks for your reply ive contacted the supplier and disconnect the unit.
@@alexanderparkes-lockwood7433 Glad we could help and that you were not hurt.
Labas. Geras video. Ar galėtumėt paaiskinti,kas netaip mano Growatt? Išanksto dėkoju.
Ethernet cables have RJ45 connectors.
The cable I used works fine.
Have the older model es and a new model es. Cannot get them to parallel. Have you any feedback on that. Signature is no help.
Sorry, I don't know why that would happen. I purchased both of mine together. Not sure why Signature is no help.
You were told not to run power to the AC out if solar is not connected? That doesn't make sense, can you not run these overnight when the PV system is creating zero power?
I was surprised also. There was a technical reason I was given by SIg Solar. (I don't fully understand it). Give them a ring, I am just relaying the info.
You can power up the inverter, as long as you have at least one power source available. ( grid/solar/ or battery) I currently have my growatt spf5000es connected to grid only. It's powering my loads through my sub panel. My solar panels are arriving tomorrow and the batteries are stuck on a ship waiting to be unloaded. I powered up by grid only, so that I could figure out how much I could put on it. And, to get my loads balanced while I waited for the solar panels and batteries. It's working fine and I have everything powered and waiting for the rest of my system.
Hello again. Hope all is well. Question: how can I tell if I have the newer ES5000 or the older one. I purchased them in June 2022. I am running into trouble with my Growatts charging my EgLL’s. Wondering do I need the communication cables. Please advise.
I'm a little confused. Is the system up and running? If so, it should have comms cables already connected. I just don't know how your system is set up.
@@CountryLivingExperience Thanks for your response. It is up and running. However, I do not have the gray communications cables. Not sure if they should come with inverters or should I buy them. Wondering if this is my missing link. System works fine, but intermittently the inverters are not charging the batteries.
@@secondadventmessengerminis3594 I honestly don't understand how it is running without those communication cables. They come in the boxes with the inverters and there are instructions in the manual on how to connect them. This may be the issue with your charging problem or may not be.
My mistake, my error. It turns out that that isn’t not missing. What I just learned is that I need to update the firmware.
Thanks for your raid response.
Blessings
@@secondadventmessengerminis3594 Glad you got it worked out
Did to come to a decision on whether or not to ground your batteries? Have you grounded your case? I have the exact same setup and I was curious of what you decided?
I grounded the metal rack that holds the batteries.
@@CountryLivingExperiencecouple questions for you.... Did you use the same guage wire as your + and - ? Did you take the ground that is attached to the case out to the grounding rod you showed in your video?
I used an 8ga bare copper ground that does go out to my separate grounding rod.
@@CountryLivingExperience Is that in case lightning hits your batteries some how? As far as I know voltage will always find a way back to its source. I wonder if you wouldn't be better off grounding your batteries to your Inverter case.
Hey! Great video! I guess I missed it but at that subpanel are you neutral bonded there or are these inverters neutral bonded? Just curious on that. Thanks!
Hello. No neutral-ground bond in the inverters or sub-panel. Only bond is at the main panel.
@@CountryLivingExperience it's interesting because I actually have a couple of those grow out inverters and from what I've been seeing, there is actually a ground neutral bond inside those inverters and a lot of people break that bond inside the inverters when they're setting up their panels. So there's not two references to ground when they're running specifically off of batteries. At least that's what I've seen
Growatt (speech to text)
The Growatts that have a neutral ground bond still in them are not made for the North American grid. The only authorized dealer in the US (that I know about) is Signature Solar. They worked with Growatt directly to modify the inverters for our grid including taking out the internal bond.
Manipulating the controls with your hand on top of the positive battery cable looks dangerous. Are they covered normally or always exposed?
Not sure where in the video you are talking about. I am always extremely safe.
The grey box with the switch on it is that ur ac 120 output that's where I think I got lost i never seen u actually hook that particular box up
That small grey box is just a safety switch. It is located on the AC side conductors. It takes the AC power to my main panel. Both 240 and 120.
@@CountryLivingExperience ohh ok that's the part I really wanted to see u do thanks tho
@@CountryLivingExperience hey can I use a simple step down transformer with these 240v inverters I was going to wire a simple step down 240v to ac 120v would that work one of those step-down boxes
13:08 you mention you that charging batteries form the grid is not a good thing to do for the health of entire system. Why is that? I thought this is common if you want to charge batteries for during cheap night rates. you can restrict amps in another settings. I just cannot see a reason why this would be bad
Can they work without battery bank just Sun and AC company on night?
Not this particular model.
As a lifer electrician and professional solar installer. I’m very curious if there’s a fault in your house panel/critical loads panel and it travels through your input or output wires without be bonded how will it clear the fault and not fry your inverters. Putting a ground to a ground rod will do nothing.
I had an electrician look at this and they had no issues. This is also how Signature Solar recommended. Before they opened the business, they were professional installers for 10 years. So, whom do I believe?
If I have a fault on the AC side, will it not just travel to ground through my main panel which also has a ground rod?
@@CountryLivingExperience if a fault happens on your ac side of inverter it has nowhere to go. The ground rod is useless it’s for lightning strikes not clearing fault currents. All metal parts need to be bounded
I would love to hear how and why from signature solar and or grow watt why you would put there system on it’s on ground rod for fault current and how it will work.
@@CountryLivingExperience at this time your ground rod is acting as a auxiliary electrode 250.54 in addition to bonding 250.30. Your videos are great. I just like info that can be deadly to be accurate. A lot of electricians have no idea what they are’s looking at and don’t know proper wiring methods for a safe and effective equipment. The inverter company is giving false info and I might have to start calling them on it.
I appreciate everything you have said but you have not given me your solution.
Can I parallel 5kw and 6kw both of 48V rating growatt inverters?
I don’t think so. The communication protocol might be different and they won’t talk to each other
@@CountryLivingExperience Thank you. I have the two units but I am afraid to try paralleling them.
How do you make sure you don't push power back to the grid
The generator interlock kit that is installed on the main service panel. I can never have the main grid breaker on at the same time as the solar system feeder breaker.
@@CountryLivingExperience Figured you could just use those current transformer clips to inhibit the back flow like enphase does
Are the output AC wires for these parallel inverters connected together in a circuit breaker ?
We have another video on that. They are each on a separate circuit breaker.
@@CountryLivingExperience plz put up the link for that plz
czcams.com/video/N-d3lCVUeyA/video.html
Did your batteries come with power cables and the communication cables?
They come with the small jumper communication cables and the short battery cables for paralleling or connecting to the rack buss bar. The rack comes with long battery cables to run to one inverter. I purchased extra battery cable at my local auto parts store.
Local wielding supply is also another good place to source battery cable.
Do you know how to turn the annoying beep off when you push buttons
Setting 15 should take care of that.
@Country Living Experience: A Homesteading Journey oops, should have deleted my question, I found that a 1 second push of the down & enter button turn it off
OBS!
Connecting the "Current sharing ports"
It is NOT korrect what You say in the video: 7:02 - 7:13/16:15
The "Current sharing ports" should NOT be connected left to left and right to right
BUT left to right and right to left.
Please read the manual ;-) :-)
Mine works perfectly. I read the manual on camera. You misunderstood.
Please why is it a bad idea to charge the batteries using the growatt inverter from the ac grid?..
It is not a bad idea per say but it is not really efficient or cost effective.
I know you have stated that you are off grid, so no connection at all to your local power company. But, I don't think you've talked about selling power back to the utility, which would require a connection.
Does the system you have support that? If so, is it worth it (connection fees vs. income from selling power)?
The Grid connection to sell power back is on the output side, not the input side. My opinion is selling back to grid means you have too large an array for your needs or you don't have enough battery storage.
@@echopapa819 So what do you do when you're out of town for the weekend? Do you think the PV system only makes electricity when you are at home? It is like any other electrical source, the power is there, it just isn't flowing (when the sun shines, that is). If the there is minimal drain, like you are not home, and the batteries are fully charged, the PV system can still create electricity that can be sold back to the utility. Electricity flows in both directions.
I mentioned in another vid that I had a few friends that were grid tied. They have been attempting to sell power back in our area but have had complications. In our area, even if you are grid tied and selling power back, you must pay a minimum connection fee (usually $20/month). While this is a tiny charge, you will never have a "free" month of power. They have had difficulty getting a proper report from the power company on how much they have sold back and have had a few months where they had to pay a power bill (beyond the $20) even though they had build up a large credit from previous days/months.
I purchased the off-grid inverters. If you want to sell back, you will need to buy a grid-tied inverter. More difficult and complicated connections, slightly higher equipment prices.
Personally, I did not think it was worth the hassle.
@Echo Papa
Good points
@@CountryLivingExperience In the video you mentioned not having a tie to the grid now I understand why thanks.
I thought we don't use master/slave anymore. At least it's gone from the computer industry. I've shared your info in other videos and got some push back on the separate grounding and awaiting response from SS. Thanks for the informative videos
You're welcome. The inverters are called what they are called within the programming. Everyone has an opinion on grounding. This is how I was told to do it by SS and my electrician.
@@CountryLivingExperience ah, thanks for confirming. There's an on going discussion about that here with SS, czcams.com/video/90O_iGjfm28/video.html in the comments where I referenced your video. I'm trying to get a collective opinion about this in order to have a flawless setup :)
SS is telling you to connect the ground lug on the inverters to a ground rod. I believe you already have a ground rod by your electric meter, so just connect the ground wire to your panel you have next to the inverters and that then goes to your main panel of your house which has the ground rod. I say this because multiple ground rods in different locations is how to make your electrical system less safe when a real lightning event happens. One location ground rod is so the lightning doesn't jump through the walls of your house between the two ground rods and energize all the copper wires in your house in the walls to 1 million volts!
@ 9:00 your setting #23 to PAL, The master and Slave 1 at the same time. I have 4 inverters, Can I set them one at a time starting with the master then S1,2 then 3 or do I have to shut of all 4 and set them at the same time. This probably is a strange question, but I'm at the point that everything is wired up except my PV and I am about to turn them on for the first time and I'm am a little nervous.
Don't be nervous, you can do it. The inverters cannot be set as master, slave, etc internally. It is based on the order in which they are turned on. I didn't see a specific question in your comment....what is it?
@@CountryLivingExperience I turned on my inverters with battery power and programed them and All is well. I have 14 more panels to install and wire up and in about 1 or 2 weeks ( depending on the Weather) I should be running on Solar power. Thanks for your videos, they were and are a big help.
@@JamesLee-ey2yv Awesome!!! Glad we could help.
I have two spf5000es parallel in same phase as your system and i have felicity lifepo4 battery , i tried to connect rs485 cable from battery to master inverter but the communications faild. In my cable i am using pin 1,2 at inverter side and 5,6 at battery side. Can i know what pins are you using in your eathernet cable?
I am unfamiliar with Felicity batteries and whether they have to ability to communicate with Growatt inverters. If you purchased the Growatt from Sig Solar, please refer to them for assistance.
@@CountryLivingExperience thank you , but how i can check if my inverter old or new model . Also can you please let me know your patched cable pinout direction
@@momenphone I am not sure what you mean by pinout. The top battery needs to have the DIP switches in a specific configuration but that is only with the EG4-LL batteries. I do not know how the other batteries communicate with the inverters. You need to contact Growatt for information.
Right off you got me confused. Your connecting your batteries and inverters on the DC side to it's own ground rod. ?? Do you mean the battery case is connected to the ground rod, also the DC side of the inverter??? The only DC connection on the inverter is the PV in which has a 2 wire connection. + and - . Where is the ground rod connected in the inverter?
Battery case and AC out on the inverters are connected to ground rod as a separately derived system just like a whole house generator.
hi , my inverter and battery pack is in 4th floor of 6 stories building , pv wires and grid (ac input) hook up to inverter without grounding please tell me what should i do
Your transformer only has 1 conduit - for primary and secondary conductors?
That syle of transformer from Solar Edge only used one set of conductors.
@@CountryLivingExperience ok. Most likely it's an auto-transformer.
@@eddietee6305 It is.
I just watched this video I still don't see no emphasis on the 120ac current wiring coming from the solar edge mid point transformer box you showed how to wire into the box but I never seen you show how to wire out of the box
There is no 120 coming from anywhere. The mid-point transformer splits the incoming 240 into 120 on the neutral leg. Watch this video from Signature Solar to help....czcams.com/video/NVnJhFxCFHw/video.html
@@CountryLivingExperience that's what I was talking about once u wired the neutral and both inverters and the solar edge to the circuit breaker box u really didn't go in to much detail about the 120 ac I watched the signature solar video and that's how I was able to figure it out all I was saying if you didn't go into too much detail on the 120 AC output which was the whole purpose for the solar edge converter
Some questions:
1) are both inverters in phase with each other or are they 180 degrees out of phase?
2) i feel like there should be a main breaker between the inverter output and the autotransformer then from autotransformer into the distribution breaker box? opinions?
3) if the inverters are on same phase, do you just connect L1 and L2 together?
4) if the inverters are out of phase, do you consider only L1 from master to main breaker, and only L2 from slave to main breaker,
but neutrals and grounds from each go to the main breaker box???
4) what are the benefits of having the inverters in phase versus 180 degrees out of phase?
Thank you for your responses.
These are all questions beyond my knowledge. Please contact Signature Solar. This is in line with how I was instructed to install the system.
I was hoping you might ask this questions to Signature Solar the next time you speak with them. It is possible they also may not know the answers, but I think we all need to try and determine the answers. I do not have the equipment to do testing. I was hoping either you or signature would be able to figure it out, since you have access to the equipment.
Thank you for your reply.
The inverters are in phase with each other. They're sharing the load. Mine is feeding a 50 amp 2 pole breaker, in a main lug sub panel. The auto transformer is connected at the main lugs. This way, it is protected by the 50 amp breaker. And if something goes wrong, the 50 amp breaker shuts down all power. If you put the auto transformer on its own breaker. And it trips that breaker. You only lose the neutral. Which can damage your 120 volt appliances.
Also, this inverters output is 240 volt. The purpose of the auto transformer is to create the neutral. And turn it into a 240/120 split phase.
@@CountryLivingExperience Excellent response. Thank you for documenting this!
hello sorry if I disturb you or just installed my growatt 5000es or connected the lithium battery 48 volt 100ah with voltage 52.5 volts or tried to turn on and it did not turn on you can help me please thank you.Then or connected the 230volt network and it turned on but at the output it did not give me the 230volt to power the loads, and despite the battery is connected as soon as I remove the 230volt utility
Sorry, I would talk to the place you purchased it from. I have no idea how you set up your system and wired it.
A thousand thanks
hello the problem of turning on the inverter and was solved it was a disconnected plug on the motherboard now it works correctly but still another problem The inverter charges the battery to 50% and then stops charging maybe you have to configure some parameters?
@@gxmario_13jf94 There is a parameter for that. You should find it in the manual.
Thanks again
Does your inverters keep charging the batteries when they're turned off
No, the inverters are always on.
If I flip the switch on mine it just killed the AC and keeps pulling from the pv
On my 12K growatt, if I turn the inverter off the charge controllers stay operational. My problem is right now they're only 250 volt PV. I'm thinking about buying one of these 5K just for the charging because of the 450 volt Pv charging. The inverter would be just a plus for a backup. Can't seem to buy just a charger that's more than 250 volts.
Why is it bad for the inverter to charge your batteries from the AC grid or generator as you say? Is the a problem with the design?
If someone on the grid without solar and wants to use the invertr as a backup unit, you need to charge from the power line!
No problem with the design, it is just not recommended for the heath of the equipment to do that. The batteries are made to receive charging power from 48v solar or from a 48v battery charger. Additionally, it is not cost effective.
You need to purchase the appropriate battery charger for your batteries. The inverters charge via solar most effectively.
Pv voltage incoming can be much higher than 48v.. some inverters up to 450 volts dc. Hybrid inverters are smart enough to charge your system from grid in the event you have no electricity from pv array. If you have poor sunlight in the day and haven't managed to charge your batteries the grid is the only solution to assist.. inverters will regulate battery charge whether from PV or Grid.
From a cost effective point of you YES charge with solar. Personal settings are charge first with solar. In the event pv is unavailable batteries are low and grid is available the grid will assist with charge.
@@CountryLivingExperience I'm wondering why someone on a solar system would want to charge from grid. Why go solar then?
@@eddietee6305 True
at 9:10 you want to switch to parallel but you quit the action and stick with two single inverters... don´t understand that
The setting did not stick in the video. I didn't realize it until I was editing the video. Follow the process that I mentioned and make sure the setting sticks.
why you published a video about second hand knowledge from SS?
What is your issue?
My unit doesn't even turn on without grid power. No display with batteries.
You may have a defective unit or it is a different type than mine or you don't have any batteries connected.
@@CountryLivingExperience Batteries connected.
First
Hi man. A have a problem in my inverter. It shows me 07 error witch mean overload timeout. What is this problem. I don't have a load only 25 %
Not sure. Did the breaker trip? Try shutting down and taking off the batteries. Then reconnect and start up again.
@@CountryLivingExperience when i turn off and then off thr inverter it works fine. This error shows every 2 to 3 days once or twice a day... anw thanks a lot man
@@omarbarakat61290 Sorry I could not help more.
I'm worried that these new inverters have a lot of controls that it allows for more failures especially when you're off grid. I want something extremely simple.
Even the simplest inverters have delicate electronics.
@@CountryLivingExperience very true. But my 78 Chevy has less problems than my wife's 01 Toyota. And it's always the electronics.😁
@@shermdog6969 You can only do your best and find the best you can. My 76 Malibu had more problems than my 03 Honda. My 94 Pontiac was a lemon but my 05 Explorer is bullet proof.
@@CountryLivingExperience I know I was just making a joke. We just hope for the best.
This video from signature solar (czcams.com/video/e5TVCGcoFos/video.html) speaks to what you are talking about charging via AC grid. The key is, according to them, the total load is cumulative between the charge controller + loads. I find that hard to believe that it was cause damage, but I'm not an EE expert. For me, using a single growatt at 120v located near my main panel, I should be able to wire up the growatt on a 50a breaker just fine. I think?
You should be fine with your plan for that single inverter.
that is my plan as well, Josh.
I've noticed in all the videos I've watched on the Growatt 5000 nobody has installed a fuse from the batteries to the inverter? Unless I'm missing something. I'm trying to find out what size I need from the 6 EG4's to the inverter.
With the breakers on the batteries and Growatt, I didn't think it was necessary. I suppose a 200amp would work but an electrician could size one better for you. I am actually going to be installing some new inverters soon and I will have 200A breakers on the battery cables for those.