6th Feb 2025
6th Feb 2025
We changed from Flexible Octopus to Octopus Go early January and started using off peak forced charging on the 8th Jan.
Our daytime rate is 25.57p/kWh (1.4p per unit dearer than 24.15p/kWh on flexible), but nearly all our consumption is now covered by the battery with a tiny bit of help from the Solar panels. The off peak charge costs 8.5 p per unit, so if we add on inverter losses, you could say it costs us 10p per unit.
This is a graph for yesterday (rubbish sunshine!) so we ended up using power from the grid again after about 7pm, unfortunately:
10th Jan 2025
signed up for Octo Go
24th Nov 2024
Gave up to Solax (0ld blog post)
Cerbo GX – victron
24th Nov 2024
nfinity Innovations Ltd,
Shed 7, Bocking Farm,
Cross Roads,
Keighley
BD22 9BG
info@infinityinnovations.co.uk
13th Nov 2024
This from yesterday was not very conclusive, I shall try again and next time take a normal photo of the boards from the same angle. Also I shall take the infra red thermometer to read the temp of the chips. The problem is, there are two layers of circuit board and its hard to get a clear picture of the back one whilst it is running. I shall also try and position the cross hairs of you camera on a warm chip to see what that comes up with. I think I am going to have to get a fresh unit in the end, but at least I’m not wasting solar power this week!
- 0sec Grid switched on
- 13 sec Click fron Panel input relay
- 25sec off/on/off again
- 46 sec Solar circuits fans start on top of inverter
- 1minute repeated clicks from central relay
- 1.22 RH fan on
- 1min 26sec heavy click from battery relay
- 1.30 green led on battery comes on
- 1min60 Another heavy battery relay click
- 2.14 battery led goes red
- 2.20 silence + no battery led
9th Nov 2024
Having failed to get this invertor talking to my Darfon BMS https://camelot-forum.co.uk/phpBB3/view … 480#p49480, I had 3,480 kWp solar fitted on a big shed (435W each x 8) last week and connected them in two strings 1 West and 1 East facing for comparison before potentially increasing the number of panels on the most effective side.
I have not yet got the remote monitoring sorted, but have got a LAN cable from my router connected to it in readiness. Not impressed with the SolaxCloud so far though.
The inverter display panel shows the voltages from the panels soon after booting up, but after a while the display freezes and is not responsive to button presses. I wonder if the thing is economically repairable or is it time to think about a replacement? Or is it just “finger trouble” on my part?
It seems to be fairly consistent, When the DC, the panels and lastly the mains are all connected, there are a few relay clicks from within, then the display buttons work and the setting can be changed after entering the Pass key and solar powers are shown on screen for half an hour or so, then it freezes up, often with the screen below:
1st Nov 2024
SK_SU3700E inverter and Darfon battery
cityplumbing as Midsummer have sold out
1st Nov 2024
3480W solars fitted big shed (435W each x 8)
12th Sept 2024
SK-SU-3700 U37EC6090GB076 Invertor serial
https://www.inbalance-energy.co.uk/Inverter-Faults/solax-power-inverter-faults-repairs.html
Manual page37 – menu structure
Manual page43 – work mode
Manual page44 – battery awaken y/n
7th Sept 2024
7th Sept 2024
Now looking into getting the invertor online and then buying a new battery,
I asked the question of the BMS repairer: “I wonder why this growatt battery says 57.4volts, yet the Solax inverter manual says it should stop charging at 53.5 and start again at a minimum 47v ? ” David
He replied:
So, this is one of the reasons that these batteries are not compatible with other brands of inverter.Thery work at a slightly higher voltage than other brand batteries.The only way you will get this system working is to add a Growatt SP2000 to charge the battery or replace the battery with one that is compatible with your Solax inverter.Kind regardsChris
31st Aug 2024
BMS first try: https://vimeo.com/1004760076
no voltage on the BMS output. The battery is showing 55.3 volts before the BMS
3 Aug 2024
Growatt Darfon GBLI5001 or GBLI2701 BMS boards
All of the packs should be within 0.2 volts of each other but ideally the closer the better. The BMS locks out if any of the packs is more than 0.2 volts higher or lower than the rest.
Also, if your SP settings are incorrect this can over time damage the battery.
Some installers change the settings to maximise the yield from the battery but this discharges the battery too low.
The settings should also allow the battery to be recharged to a minimum of 10% as soon as the PV is next active after a complete discharge regardless of home load
27 July 2024
charging bad cell pack at 4.2v constant voltage
We have partially stripped down the old Solax battery and I am starting to get a feel for the job ahead. Last night we took the one flat cell pack out and started charging it via its neighbour using a 12v lamp at 5pm.
I think this looks a similar battery: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/darfon-gro-watt-gbli-5001-battery-pack-worth-a-punt.24226/
a mention of mucky terminals being a problem later on in the thread
7pm – the two cells I am equalizing are still not settled (lamp dimly glowing) funny how it takes so long
9pm – 3.8v & 2.6v the lamp is out now, but i’ve disconnected them, don’t know if taking the good one down too low will damage it?
from this thread (the forum that I use)
a review on a different forumhttps://secondlifestorage.com/index.php?threads/boston-power-swing-5300-li-ion-cell-test.5188/
7 am next day – those two packs are now 3.9v & 1.8v, so I am beginning to suspect the BMS is faulty.
SK-SU3700 U37EC6090GB076 Invertor serial
Connection Step:
- Insert the RJ45 terminal on the current sensor into the CT port on the inverter.
- Place the current sensor around the phase wire L which the inverter is
connected. - Place the current sensor around the phase wire L to measure the current
going to or coming from the grid. - Make sure the current sensor is installed in the right direction: The arrow
on the current sensor must point to the public grid.