Axpert Max 8kw randomly defaults to grid mode

[nickgosling]

Hi, I am new here but having issues with my setup and my UK supplied is not being very helpful. Most days it operates perfectly. I have 2.4KW solar, the inverter and 10Kwh of PYTES batteries. The settings on the inverter are set to Solar only for charging and SOLAR/Battery/ Utility for output. At night I change these on the timer facility to charge the batteries and supply the house from Utility. This works well and then all of a sudden it wont charge correctly or change to the default settings.

Does anyone either have this problem or a solution for it. It is currently using a combination of UTILITY and SOLAR but not using the batteries despite the setting showing correctly as SOLAR/BATTERY/UTILITY.

It will revert to normal if i power down the unit and start again which is not the ideal solution.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[wattmatters]

It is currently using a combination of UTILITY and SOLAR but not using the batteries despite the setting showing correctly as SOLAR/BATTERY/UTILITY.

Are you sure it's set to use SBU mode and not SUB mode? It's easy to mistake the two.

 

[nickgosling]

Hi. Thanks for the reply. Absolutely 100%. It's doing some seriously atarnge things. Today it has been using a whole combination of solar battery and utility in random order. The battery was full this morning. It started using utility and has used solar throughout the day too. However it has also used the battery as well when there was a high demand. However the battery is now at 48% and it's solely using the grid. Utterly odd. It hasn't changed from GRID MODE all day though. I know it will be fine when I power it all down. This happens every 6 days and won't correct itself until I power down. It's driving me crazy.

 

[wattmatters]

This happens every 6 days and won't correct itself until I power down. It's driving me crazy.

Bummer. Sounds like you need a replacement.

 

[nickgosling]

It would seem that way but the supplier is having none of it and saying it's operating perfectly.

 

[wattmatters]

Sounds like you may need to make a formal complaint. Document everything. Keep pushing.

Get them to explain why it is using grid power when in SBU mode.

 

[nickgosling]

Just as an update. I ended up I stalling solar assistant on a pi that I had lying around. With that I was able to control the inverter using MQTT. I now have the settings change based on the BMS information from solar assistant. This way the inverter never gets into a fault state, changes over to the grid on 13% battery and charges overnight at the cheap tariff.

I don't think the inverter is designed to be operated by charging batteries overnight and depleting them in the day. But that's what I was after.

Anyway I managed to get it sorted this way.

Solar assistant, MQTT, Homeseer home automation

 

[wattmatters]

Just as an update. I ended up I stalling solar assistant on a pi that I had lying around. With that I was able to control the inverter using MQTT. I now have the settings change based on the BMS information from solar assistant. This way the inverter never gets into a fault state, changes over to the grid on 13% battery and charges overnight at the cheap tariff.

Good to hear it seems to be working as you want.

Makes me wonder if the inverter was previously detecting a battery voltage threshold causing it to change mode of operation.
BMS and measured voltages by the inverter won't necessarily align (their internal calibration isn't always that great).

I don't think the inverter is designed to be operated by charging batteries overnight and depleting them in the day. But that's what I was after.

I don't see why that would be an issue for the inverter. I have (rarely) charged my battery at night without issue (e.g. if I put the system in storm mode and I want a fully charged battery in case of outage). And it can certainly operate from battery during the day.

 

[Heggsy]

Just as an update. I ended up I stalling solar assistant on a pi that I had lying around. With that I was able to control the inverter using MQTT. I now have the settings change based on the BMS information from solar assistant. This way the inverter never gets into a fault state, changes over to the grid on 13% battery and charges overnight at the cheap tariff.

I don't think the inverter is designed to be operated by charging batteries overnight and depleting them in the day. But that's what I was after.

Anyway I managed to get it sorted this way.

Solar assistant, MQTT, Homeseer home automation

Hi mate,

I have the 8KW axpert and it has just started playing up in the same way (I think). I have SBU selected and it was working as I wanted, where I had a charging exception set for 01:00 to 07:00, when our electric here is super cheap. So, the system was working fine, running on solar during the day, drawing down on the batteries in the evening and night and then charging between 1 and 7. Yesterday, it started going into Bypass as soon as the load was greater than the PV input. I have tried changing the battery / grid handover threshold to the minimum, but it still goes into Bypass. The only way I can force it into battery mode is to switch off the grid supply. It seems to me that it is operating in SUB mode, even though SBU is set.

I´m a bit of a newbie at this stuff and don´t understand a lot of the abbreviations and terminology. Was this the same fault you had, and if so, could you walk me through the fix (talking to me as if to a small child, if possible)?

 

[Heggsy]

Hi. Thanks for the reply. Absolutely 100%. It's doing some seriously atarnge things. Today it has been using a whole combination of solar battery and utility in random order. The battery was full this morning. It started using utility and has used solar throughout the day too. However it has also used the battery as well when there was a high demand. However the battery is now at 48% and it's solely using the grid. Utterly odd. It hasn't changed from GRID MODE all day though. I know it will be fine when I power it all down. This happens every 6 days and won't correct itself until I power down. It's driving me crazy.

...also could you explain what you mean by "power down"? I was planning to do this tomorrow as a ´reset´to see what happens. Do you mean a complete removal of the grid power AND the batteries, so the box has no supply at all?

 

[nickgosling]

Hey Hegsy,

Hopefully I'll be able to help. However I have never had the issue of the inverter changing to grid if the solar wasn't producing enough. I only had issues when the battery was flat. It basically, like you, went into a bypass mode and would never ever go back to the normal SBU mode unless I powered it down. What I mean by that is absolutely no power supply going to the inverter. Batts OFF, grid OFF. Solar OFF. The button on the front of the unit did not reset it for me it simply turned off the output.

My fix was to disconnect the communication cable from the battery BMS to the inverter and set the voltages for back to grid and back to battery as limits on the inverter aettings. I run a raspberry pi that monitors the battery BMS by using solar assistant. This is then feeding information to a home automation system that changes the output according to either time or state of charge (percent) information. So far this has never failed and it all works perfectly. The limit settings on the inverter will still change the output of the inverter if the automation system failed to work. Does that make sense.

If not then feel free to ask more questions.

 

[nickgosling]

Having re read your post I rekon it would be the same issue as me. If you are connecting the inverter to the bats using the link cable I'd imagine that the inverter has got confused or received a command from the battery BMS to stop drawing from it. I was reluctant to disconnect this cable initially but after getting in touch with the battery manufacturer and them remotely accessing the BMS through my laptop I was happy that the inverter was not doing as it was meant to do. I assume you have this cable connected. The only issue you would have is the issue of getting everything to work properly by just using voltages as cut offs and change overs.

Until I disconnected the Comms cable it never worked as I wanted.

 

[Suncatch]

Evening guy joined last night but think system went down.

8kw voltronic problems
All my problems sound the same as yours with a couple more.

Jumping to bypass mode for no reason.
Not doing as programed to do.
All started when utility was added.
Like some have said works better if you turn the utility off.
I've noticed the 6 day reset thing.
Watchpower was intermittent.
Plus 5 minutes behind real time.
Solar assistant installed.
And now with some help from S/A who have been fantastic. (wish my surplyer was the same!)
Now connected to the pytest battery bank. And talking with S/A.
Problem 1 with charging amp s. It did charge at 20 amps a week ago. Now it reverts back to 10amps after 18/20 seconds.?
Problem 2
4 batteries in the bank. It's not picking up the 4th one. And on a total reset. I have to push the start button on that one to wake it up?.
Cheers guy's any help would be appreciated

 

[Heggsy]

Having re read your post I rekon it would be the same issue as me. If you are connecting the inverter to the bats using the link cable I'd imagine that the inverter has got confused or received a command from the battery BMS to stop drawing from it. I was reluctant to disconnect this cable initially but after getting in touch with the battery manufacturer and them remotely accessing the BMS through my laptop I was happy that the inverter was not doing as it was meant to do. I assume you have this cable connected. The only issue you would have is the issue of getting everything to work properly by just using voltages as cut offs and change overs.

Until I disconnected the Comms cable it never worked as I wanted.

Hi Nick,

Thanks for the reply. No Comms cable connected, I just use warchpower over WiFi. I shut the unit down (removed grid and batteries). Powered back up and all was back to OK. It lasted 3 days short of a month before doing the same again.

I'm stumped!

 

[nickgosling]

I think unfortunately you need some sort of control over the inverter. Possibly through solar assistant. Unless both are set to certain parameters I think the batteries and /or the inverter have a panic attack and stop. My inverter is switched to grid when the battery is reporting 8% battery. If you are replying on voltages on the inverter then I think the battery may at some point get too low and that may be why you are having an issue. What I'm suggesting is that at no point am I near any real critical voltages. I don't know if that makes sense. Sort of treading lightly so to speak.

 

[nickgosling]

Evening guy joined last night but think system went down.

8kw voltronic problems
All my problems sound the same as yours with a couple more.

Jumping to bypass mode for no reason.
Not doing as programed to do.
All started when utility was added.
Like some have said works better if you turn the utility off.
I've noticed the 6 day reset thing.
Watchpower was intermittent.
Plus 5 minutes behind real time.
Solar assistant installed.
And now with some help from S/A who have been fantastic. (wish my surplyer was the same!)
Now connected to the pytest battery bank. And talking with S/A.
Problem 1 with charging amp s. It did charge at 20 amps a week ago. Now it reverts back to 10amps after 18/20 seconds.?
Problem 2
4 batteries in the bank. It's not picking up the 4th one. And on a total reset. I have to push the start button on that one to wake it up?.
Cheers guy's any help would be appreciated

Blimey. I'm sorry I've no idea about this one. I charge at 100a which sounds like loads in comparison to you.

 

[ddmbr]

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