Solar PV Hints, Tips & Troubleshooting

graememk · 06-05-2021 6:14pm

graememk wrote: »

should be plugged into the bottom of the inverter, grey thing with an aerial, there is a code on the side of it.

(that also needs to be connected to your wifi)

This is the box mine came in, serial number is on that.

Did the installer not set that up?

Bobeagleburger · 06-05-2021 6:20pm

graememk wrote: »

should be plugged into the bottom of the inverter, grey thing with an aerial, there is a code on the side of it.

(that also needs to be connected to your wifi)

Don't appear to have one.

Underneath the inverter

championc · 06-05-2021 6:32pm

6 wrote: »

Don't appear to have one.

Look on the actual logger thingy itself

Bobeagleburger · 06-05-2021 6:33pm

championc wrote: »

Look on the actual logger thingy itself

On the inverter? Yeah, can see that alright

Deagol · 07-05-2021 6:32pm

Geeyfds53573 wrote: »

I was quoted something similar put it in hold for now - any link to your tank Deagol? I wouldn’t mind seeing it as I was only offered same copper type.

This is my tank.

slave1 · 07-05-2021 6:42pm

See this is my issue with a new larger tank like that, you have all the pipes well insulated, I'm in a 70's house and I don't have access to all the pipes throughout the walls and floors of the house so they are all uninsulated and I feel with this weak point that the heat retention will be impacted.
Not throwing a grand+ at an extra 80L tank that will not be as efficient in heat retention.

Deagol · 07-05-2021 7:33pm

slave1 wrote: »

See this is my issue with a new larger tank like that, you have all the pipes well insulated, I'm in a 70's house and I don't have access to all the pipes throughout the walls and floors of the house so they are all uninsulated and I feel with this weak point that the heat retention will be impacted.
Not throwing a grand+ at an extra 80L tank that will not be as efficient in heat retention.

My tank is in the garage, and I have no idea what the insulation is like between the house and the garage. But I loose about 2kw per 24hrs in winter / low temps.

Geeyfds53573 · 07-05-2021 10:23pm

6 wrote: »

On the inverter? Yeah, can see that alright

Did you get it sorted? Is your device the same as graememk’s picture?

Geeyfds53573 · 07-05-2021 10:25pm

Deagol wrote: »

This is my tank.

Thanks Deagol that’s the job. I’ll prob wait until I see what the near future holds with FIT Covid and work...

candysapple · 09-05-2021 2:06pm

Just wondering what people do with their house insurance after install. Ours will be due for renewal shortly after installation. I assume I just as the full cost (pre-grant) to the rebuild cost of the house.
Do you need to notify the insurer that you've a solar system?

Deagol · 09-05-2021 2:18pm

candysapple wrote: »

Just wondering what people do with their house insurance after install. Ours will be due for renewal shortly after installation. I assume I just as the full cost (pre-grant) to the rebuild cost of the house.
Do you need to notify the insurer that you've a solar system?

Its not on any question list I've seen doing my house insurance. Can't really see why they'd care provided it's been professionally installed. If you DIY it and your roof gets ripped off in the next storm I'd say they'd be telling you to whistle for any claim though

Bobeagleburger · 10-05-2021 8:39pm

Is there a specific calculation used to calculate BER after a pv installation?

Can't see one online. Thanks

Deagol · 10-05-2021 9:00pm

6 wrote: »

Don't appear to have one.

Underneath the inverter

Have to point out something: Your AC grid connection is crappily done, the cable gland is not correctly gripping the outer sheath of the cable. If something that simple isn't done right I'd be wondering what other shortcuts the installer took....

Bobeagleburger · 10-05-2021 9:15pm

Deagol wrote: »

Have to point out something: Your AC grid connection is crappily done, the cable gland is not correctly gripping the outer sheath of the cable. If something that simple isn't done right I'd be wondering what other shortcuts the installer took....

Oh really? Ok, cheers. I'll mention it to my installer when he's back to do something for me this week.

KCross · 10-05-2021 9:21pm

6 wrote: »

Is there a specific calculation used to calculate BER after a pv installation?

Can't see one online. Thanks

It requires reviewing the entire house, not just the Solar. e.g house size, windows, insulation, heating etc. So there isn’t one set calculation.

Bobeagleburger · 10-05-2021 9:26pm

KCross wrote: »

It requires reviewing the entire house, not just the Solar. e.g house size, windows, insulation, heating etc. So there isn’t one set calculation.

Oh, I know that. I had a BER as recently as September. Was just wondering could I have a stab at the figure myself given I know the primary energy use per unit floor area per year (kWh/m2/yr) given at the time.

slave1 · 11-05-2021 11:28am

6 wrote: »

Oh, I know that. I had a BER as recently as September. Was just wondering could I have a stab at the figure myself given I know the primary energy use per unit floor area per year (kWh/m2/yr) given at the time.

Take your panels rated output, multiply by a factor of 1.47, divide the answer by the square meters of your house.
This will give you the energy reduction used in BER calculations.
Take this off your September figure and you'll see if you improved in the rating table.

Bobeagleburger · 11-05-2021 1:13pm

slave1 wrote: »

Take your panels rated output, multiply by a factor of 1.47, divide the answer by the square meters of your house.
This will give you the energy reduction used in BER calculations.
Take this off your September figure and you'll see if you improved in the rating table.

What's the 1.47 factor?

So, for a 5kW system it's

5000 * 1.47
/
Xm^2

?

Thanks

slave1 · 11-05-2021 2:03pm

6 wrote: »

What's the 1.47 factor?

So, for a 5kW system it's

5000 * 1.47
/
Xm^2

?

Thanks

No idea, just a factor they use in the BER formula, you are correct in that formula as you laid it out e.g. 5,000 x 1.47 / 185m2 = 39.7 energy reduction per m2 if your house is 185m2

Bobeagleburger · 11-05-2021 2:15pm

slave1 wrote: »

No idea, just a factor they use in the BER formula, you are correct in that formula as you laid it out e.g. 5,000 x 1.47 / 185m2 = 39.7 energy reduction per m2 if your house is 185m2

Perfect, thanks. Should jump as much as 3 notches going by the most recent rating.

Deagol · 11-05-2021 6:15pm

slave1 wrote: »

Take your panels rated output, multiply by a factor of 1.47, divide the answer by the square meters of your house.
This will give you the energy reduction used in BER calculations.
Take this off your September figure and you'll see if you improved in the rating table.

Nice one, I've been trying to figure out if my additional 4kw of panels moved me up a notch and your calculation is saying it does.

4000 x 1.47 / 320= 18.375
132.09(B3)-18.375= 113.715(B2).

I think a heat pump might have to be the next thing...

SD_DRACULA · 12-05-2021 9:37am

Well I got my BER done just this week and went from C1 to A2 due to the 7kws of panels alone.

MAULBROOK · 12-05-2021 4:56pm

SD_DRACULA wrote: »

Well I got my BER done just this week and went from C1 to A2 due to the 7kws of panels alone.

And your house price has just gone up and by more than you paid for the system.
Sound investment, nice one.

Our house was C3 and now B2, I could get an A rating by upgrading the oil boiler but I cant be arsed.

Zzippy · 13-05-2021 1:20pm

Getting quotes at the moment. Looking at a 6kW system with 4.8kW battery and hot water diverter. We have the option of additional panels for very little extra that would bring it to 6.6 or 6.8kW. I had heard 6 or 6.5kW mentioned as the upper limit for connecting to the grid on single phase, just worried if we get a slightly bigger system will this be a problem? Sorry for the question if this has been answered elsewhere.

graememk · 13-05-2021 1:51pm

Zzippy wrote: »

Getting quotes at the moment. Looking at a 6kW system with 4.8kW battery and hot water diverter. We have the option of additional panels for very little extra that would bring it to 6.6 or 6.8kW. I had heard 6 or 6.5kW mentioned as the upper limit for connecting to the grid on single phase, just worried if we get a slightly bigger system will this be a problem? Sorry for the question if this has been answered elsewhere.

Its 6kw on the inverter side.

you can oversize the panels eg i have 8kw on a 6kw inverter. You could end up with a curve with a flat top, when the inverter is maxed out but on the less than good days you will be generating more power.

Zzippy · 13-05-2021 2:22pm

graememk wrote: »

Its 6kw on the inverter side.

you can oversize the panels eg i have 8kw on a 6kw inverter. You could end up with a curve with a flat top, when the inverter is maxed out but on the less than good days you will be generating more power.

OK, so once the inverter is 6k max we're fine? Thanks!

ParkRunner · 14-05-2021 6:14pm

Hi folks, has anyone had an issue with connection problems between the hub and the eddi. I just have a question mark (?) beside the Hub when I go into linked devices on the Eddi. It’s a myenergi system. I tried changing the channel on the hub and the Eddi but it hasn’t fixed it. The solar PV system still seems to be working fine anyway generating electricity and heating the water but the link to the hub and the myenergi App I can’t fix.

championc · 14-05-2021 8:32pm

ParkRunner wrote: »

Hi folks, has anyone had an issue with connection problems between the hub and the eddi. I just have a question mark (?) beside the Hub when I go into linked devices on the Eddi. It’s a myenergi system. I tried changing the channel on the hub and the Eddi but it hasn’t fixed it. The solar PV system still seems to be working fine anyway generating electricity and heating the water but the link to the hub and the myenergi App I can’t fix.

How far are they apart ? Remember, these use radio communication and not wifi, so it was implemented with the intention of covering longer distances

ParkRunner · 14-05-2021 8:49pm

championc wrote: »

How far are they apart ? Remember, these use radio communication and not wifi, so it was implemented with the intention of covering longer distances

They’re about 15 metres apart. Worked fine for the last two months. The app is displaying the same figures morning, noon and night i.e. 4.6kwh generation, which obviously isn’t right.

championc · 14-05-2021 11:12pm

Something serious wrong there. It should easily work up to 30m and beyond

The current firmware versions are:
hub 3.051 10/01/2021
eddi 3.048 10/11/2020
zappi v1 3.101 27/11/2020
zappi v2 3.119 11/05/2021
app 1.6.6 01/03/2021

Deagol · 14-05-2021 11:25pm

ParkRunner wrote: »

They’re about 15 metres apart. Worked fine for the last two months. The app is displaying the same figures morning, noon and night i.e. 4.6kwh generation, which obviously isn’t right.

I had an issue with mine and I just re-paired them. Solved it easy!

ParkRunner · 15-05-2021 9:23am

Thanks for the tips. I checked the firmware on the hub, eddi and app and they’re all up to date. I changed the channel again and it is recording the information correctly when you click into each device but the main page is still static showing the same information 4.6kwh being generated. If I go to pair the device on the eddi it says searching for slaves but nothing happens. The question mark has disappeared from the hub though in linked devices.

Edit…sorted now. Had pretty much reset everything and reupload and connect devices back up.

slave1 · 15-05-2021 3:16pm

ParkRunner wrote: »

Thanks for the tips. I checked the firmware on the hub, eddi and app and they’re all up to date. I changed the channel again and it is recording the information correctly when you click into each device but the main page is still static showing the same information 4.6kwh being generated. If I go to pair the device on the eddi it says searching for slaves but nothing happens. The question mark has disappeared from the hub though in linked devices.

Edit…sorted now. Had pretty much reset everything and reupload and connect devices back up.

Hubs with serial codes ending in 4 had serious issues last week, resolved now but maybe that was the cause

championc · 16-05-2021 11:59am

Here is a prime example of why you should consider a separate storage inverter over a Hybrid

I only had the kettle and toaster on, but a 3kW hybrid would mean that you would be importing from the grid. The cost of a standard inverter and a storage inverter is only slightly higher than a hybrid

SD_DRACULA · 16-05-2021 3:40pm

Not correct, it depends on the inverter and battery.
My solis hybrid can pull 5kw from the battery and I can attest to the fact since I have a CT clamp on my mains and I can see it doesn't pull from grid.
It's all about that 1C

Deagol · 16-05-2021 3:50pm

championc wrote: »

Here is a prime example of why you should consider a separate storage inverter over a Hybrid

I only had the kettle and toaster on, but a 3kW hybrid would mean that you would be importing from the grid. The cost of a standard inverter and a storage inverter is only slightly higher than a hybrid

Get a better battery

I can pull 3.5kw from my battery - rare that battery plus solar can't supply everything - at least April to Oct

SD_DRACULA · 16-05-2021 3:53pm

Deagol wrote: »

Get a better battery I can pull 3.5kw from my battery - rare that battery plus solar can't supply everything - at least April to Oct

Yup that's why I didn't go for the pylontechs, I think you need 3 of the 3.5kws ones to max out the inverter discharge rate (5kw)
I can still draw over 10kws if I have kettle/cooker and car on at the same time

Bobeagleburger · 16-05-2021 8:19pm

What's the max you can pull from 2 * 2.4 Poly batteries?

Deagol · 16-05-2021 9:05pm

6 wrote: »

What's the max you can pull from 2 * 2.4 Poly batteries?

50amp recommended so 50*50=2.5kw.

There's a max value of 100 mentioned but I'd be wary of what would happen if you max them against the recommended.

EDIT: DO you mean pylon or poly?

Bobeagleburger · 16-05-2021 9:12pm

Deagol wrote: »

50amp recommended so 50*50=2.5kw.

There's a max value of 100 mentioned but I'd be wary of what would happen if you max them against the recommended.

EDIT: DO you mean pylon or poly?

Pylontech

16-05-2021 10:32pm

Hi all

Recently got a 3.1kW array put up with surplus going to the hot water tank. I only have a 100litre tank but I am planning to change to 200 or 300 one. I have noticed the hot water goes fast, nearly like the sink setting is wired and not the bath function, therefore the smaller element. I checked the wiring but its hard to tell.
I was looking through the Eddie but it doesn't tell me too much, any idea could the electrician have wired the smaller sink element?

Winterman1234 · 16-05-2021 11:02pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Hi all

Recently got a 3.1kW array put up with surplus going to the hot water tank. I only have a 100litre tank but I am planning to change to 200 or 300 one. I have noticed the hot water goes fast, nearly like the sink setting is wired and not the bath function, therefore the smaller element. I checked the wiring but its hard to tell.
I was looking through the Eddie but it doesn't tell me too much, any idea could the electrician have wired the smaller sink element?

If you knock the eddi on to boost and give it 30 seconds or so to ramp up you should see the immersion pull full power. In my immersion the bath element is 3 kW and the sink element is 2kw. May not all be the same, but that's the way mines is. Regarding water going quickly if you have a traditional immersion in top of cylinder then in reality you are most likely only heating the top half - 2/3 of the cylinder.
When you get your next cylinder my advice would be to make sure it can hold 2 immersions one top and bottom or if that's not possible look into getting an external willis immersion.

Alkers · 16-05-2021 11:21pm

championc wrote: »

Here is a prime example of why you should consider a separate storage inverter over a Hybrid

I only had the kettle and toaster on, but a 3kW hybrid would mean that you would be importing from the grid. The cost of a standard inverter and a storage inverter is only slightly higher than a hybrid

What way is your system setup? Is it a big job to add a second inverter and battery storage to an existing array?

16-05-2021 11:23pm

Winterman1234 wrote: »

If you knock the eddi on to boost and give it 30 seconds or so to ramp up you should see the immersion pull full power. In my immersion the bath element is 3 kW and the sink element is 2kw. May not all be the same, but that's the way mines is. Regarding water going quickly if you have a traditional immersion in top of cylinder then in reality you are most likely only heating the top half - 2/3 of the cylinder.
When you get your next cylinder my advice would be to make sure it can hold 2 immersions one top and bottom or if that's not possible look into getting an external willis immersion.

Thanks, I have the elemex dual immersion heater, just boosted and it only got to 2kw, the elements are 2kw and 2.85kw, trying to find and instruction now for it

graememk · 16-05-2021 11:28pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Thanks, I have the elemex dual immersion heater, just boosted and it only got to 2kw, the elements are 2kw and 2.85kw, trying to find and instruction now for it

Do you still have a bath/sink switch?

16-05-2021 11:31pm

graememk wrote: »

Do you still have a bath/sink switch?

Still there but the cable is going from the eddie to the heater

A pic of the wiring there,

16-05-2021 11:32pm

graememk wrote: »

Do you still have a bath/sink switch?

Still there but the cable is going from the eddie to the heater

16-05-2021 11:53pm

Actually stupid question here, is tank 1 and tank 2 related to sink and bath? If it is i had thought thats if you had a second tank.

Looking at the eddi manual, it shows that it can take a separate supply for bath and sink, but the elemex has a dual element

17-05-2021 12:07am

Solved, the electrician in his moment of greatness cut the brown core at the eddi, this is for bath. Rather than terminating at tank 2 L2 and looping the neutral he cut it.

I swapped the cores at the element side and bath is heating,

championc · 17-05-2021 8:02am

Deagol wrote: »

Get a better battery I can pull 3.5kw from my battery - rare that battery plus solar can't supply everything - at least April to Oct

Both of my units are 3kW, so there was plenty more for both to give. The point I was making was that I can pull 6kW whereas a 3kW hybrid would only generate 3kW or a bit more

Solar PV Hints, Tips & Troubleshooting

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