PowerUser

That is the exact purpose of the shutdown setting, so you don't have to worry and monitor anything manually. The inverter shuts down the battery before damage can occur.

I found an explanation for the reasons behind the MCB on the Earth wire and I remembered the discussion in this thread. Anyway, apparently this is done in some cases in the States but I don't think such protection is commonly used in SA.

I would say, move the 2.5kW geyser to the AUX first. Then use solar only to charge the battery and heat the geyser. That will give you the most benefit. If you still have some unused PV power afterwards, then you can further changes.

How much PV power do you have?

I would go back to supplier and request a swap out with a different model.

The iammeter is even more expensive than the Shelly device. @sunset1 this is the cheapest option, I have seen so far: https://www.robofactory.co.za/smart-switches/371-100a-1p-smart-circuit-breaker-with-monitoring-ewelink.html

https://www.exoweld.co.za/lightning-protection/earth-rods/

I tried first running the geyser on the non-essentials but I didn't like. Yes, there is a lot of wasted energy during day loadshedding periods and also, if the transformer down the street burns or for any other reason Eskom is down for 2 - 3 days, there might be lots of sun and still end up with cold water. For this reason the AUX port will be better and I like that it gives me control over battery charge and production, against using only a simple timer. But at the moment I have only 6 panels and right now on days with full sun in Joburg, the production is not quite enough to charge the battery fully and bring the geyser up to temperature. I got 2 more panels, which I'll install soon and see how it goes from there.

If the distance is too long, maybe this solution will work for you: https://www.sunsynk.org/post/eastron-meters-do-you-need-one

There is a lot of confusing information regarding the Smart Load and the settings are not explained properly in the documentation. That’s why I moved my geyser a week ago to the AUX port and I have been testing all the settings myself, in order to understand how it works exactly. Still testing and thinking, if I should leave it there or move it to the Load side of the inverter.

Not everything is correct in that thread. The second statement from the OP: 2) If you have grid available and the total load - normal loads + Smart load - exceeds the PV available, it draws the balance from the grid and not from the battery. Is incorrect. Even, if grid is available and normal loads + Smart load - exceeds the PV available, the inverter may draw from the battery or the grid depending on your System Mode battery settings. Also, many people make the mistake to set Aux Load ON at 100% and the Solar Power too high. In such cases (unless you have a very high load which requires lots of Solar Power to be drawn at the same time by something else) the Smart Load will never kick in. When your battery reaches 100%, your Solar Power drops significantly, as the battery is only balancing. If you want the Smart Load to kick in at 100%, you have to set the Solar Power to a very low value. This setting does not, how much your panels can potently produce at that point of time, but how much your are actually drawing from the panels at that point of time.

I'm not sure. Never bought it but from my research I saw there is a way to integrate the Shelly devices into HA.

Apparently this can integrate with HA and pass up to 120A but it’s pricey: https://www.firstshop.co.za/products/shelly-em-smart-energy-meter-with-wi-fi-monitor-power-consumption-relay-137301

Do you think running very high loads in bypass mode contributed to the premature failure? Is that what convinced the owner to add a second inverter?

How are you going to integrate this one into Home Assistant?

https://electricalreview.co.uk/2023/06/22/cea-finds-97-of-rooftop-solar-installations-had-major-safety-concerns/ The above study completed recently does not include South Africa. If those countries are 97% unsafe, what’s the percentage here?

Yes, maybe they are not ideal for your inverter. You have to match the panels to the inverter requirements.

I don't have experience with bi-facial panels but when I saw your shiny white roof, it looked ideal for some of those. I assume the calculations are the same as for any other panel. You just have to check the correct voltage and current for them from the datasheets.

That roof top looks very reflective. Maybe you should consider bi-facial panels.

The OP needs one for 200A fuses. It’s over R2700 from @TaliaB link The one I posted is about R800.

No need to buy such an expensive one. This one with 2 x 200A fuses with do the job: https://www.liteglo.co.za/shop/onesto-fsd1-250-2-2-pole-250amp-fuse-switch-disconnector/

How exactly do you measure the water temperature inside the geyser with the Sonoff TH probe?

In a typical installation with TN-C-S system, your neutral and earth are bonded at your main distribution board. Your earth is shared between the Grid side and Load side of the inverter because you are supposed to earn everything to the utility earth. When the Load side earth and neutral are bonded, the earth cable provides a bond between the Grid neutral and the Load neutral. If you are doing a permanent N-E bond on the Load side, you are effectively bonding the Grid neutral with the Load neutral as well. That goes completely against the requirements to have split neutral, isn’t that so?

If it’s pulsing, it must be alive 🤣

@Coulomb without dragging you into this whole discussion, can you please just confirm for us, if the Voltronic inverters have a mechanism in place should the internal relay bond fails while islanding?