Bigawatt

5KW Sunsynk/Hubble Lithium AM-2 - 5 x 540W JA Solar Panels.  System is producing in excess of 15KW per day.

No doubt that wouldn't go down well with the neighbours 😝 Thankfully I haven't noticed the house feeling any warmer from the previous lighter roof colour we had

Clean install @mzezman – nothing quite like spending your hard earned money on something that starts giving it back from the first day it comes online 😎 nevermind seeing the system perform on sunny days like we've had of late!

Well @mzezman in that case I would not be spending more money on your batteries until it makes financial sense to go totally off-grid either due to inflated connection fee costs or reduced battery costs. 
The stuff I have read says you need enough power to get you through three days with no sun and then have a backup charger for your batteries i.e. generator of some sorts so you need a fair amount of battery power depending on your consumption obviously. 
I would definitely use your batteries at night to offset your Eskom usage. The trick is not being caught during load shedding with no sun and no power in your battery.  I keep my battery at 90% until 22:00 and then let my battery discharge down to 20%, it reaches 20% at around 06:00 so is then ready to start be  charged again. If we are in a load-shedding period, I set it to not discharge lower than 40% as I have been caught before with load shedding at 06:00 and no power in the battery. 

Clean install @mzezman – nothing quite like spending your hard earned money on something that starts giving it back from the first day it comes online 😎 nevermind seeing the system perform on sunny days like we've had of late!

Firstly, there isn't a lot of peer reviewed research for LiFePO₄, but the amount there is clearly shows that you will not get 16 years.  Age is significant factor in LiFePO₄ batteries (as with all battery chemistries but more so than it is for Lead Acid, in other words, Lead Acid can outlast, in terms of age, if you assume no cycles).
People like pointing out how things work on Solar Panels or Lead Acid.  However each battery chemistry is exactly that, an ongoing chemical reaction.  Solar Panels aren't chemical reactions (photons hitting a solid substrate to release electrons is nothing like a battery which is on-going reaction and has bazillions of electrons constantly migrating regardless of use).  Nor are two chemical reactions comparable just because from the outside it looks like a battery.  I think you may need a healthy dose of realism in that respect.
Secondly, for a LOT of battery manufacturers their warranty isn't worth the paper it is written on.  The company closes down or they simply claim abuse and you have no recourse.  So I wouldn't put much stock in the warranty either.  Google is your friend, the evidence is there.  Battery manufacturing is cut throat low margins and the people running these companies see their customers as their enemy (once the product is out the door).
In a LiFePO₄ chemistry, the electrolyte is a mixture that should "block" electrons from moving from the anode to the cathode.  There is undesirable electron migration from the anode to cathode which damages the cells by making it harder for lithium ions to migrate through the electrolyte over time.  Three factors determine the speed of this degradation
Battery temperature.  The higher your temperature, the faster your batteries will age.  This makes perfect sense as chemical reactions get more vigorous at higher temperatures.  But LiFePO₄ also shouldn't be charged below 0℃ so there is a balance, 25℃ is generally accepted balance. State of Charge/or cell voltage.  The higher this is the higher the electron migration probability is (Which is why Li-ion batteries last longer at lower states of charge).  Again this makes perfect sense because you have significant number of electrons at a very high energy state that want to move to a lower energy state.  And because of uncertainty principle, you will ALWAYS have electrons somehow making their way between the anode and cathode.  More charge, more probability.  We are talking on the scale of trillions of trillions of trillions btw. Discharging, each discharge does actually cause degradation also.  This is because a barrier forms between the anode and cathode that blocks lithium ion migration.  The more you discharge (not per cycle, just discharge in general), the more that barrier forms. Depth of drain is not such an important factor for LiFePO₄, in simple terms, the amount of Wh the battery can charge and discharge is finite (in total).  Wether you reach that amount by a large or small number of cycles you'll get similar results.  But because of aging it makes more sense to deeply discharge your LiFePO₄ battery to get the most out of it.  Obviously I'm not talking about beyond 90% DoD, then other factors come into play that will significantly reduce age.
Lastly because age is a significant factor in battery age (due to the electron migration problem), you should go for 90% DoD to get the most of out of your battery.  You aren't going to get 16 years, I can guarantee you that.  I would also be surprised if you get 10 years.  And in 10 years battery technology will have moved on significantly.  6 years is a realistic time frame for batteries up to 8 years I would say.
Small print: I'm not a chemist.  I love physics (especially quantum physics), electronics and find chemistry fascinating (but only have enough knowledge in that area to be a danger to myself if I were let loose in a lab).  So take anything I tell you or anyone else on the internet tells you with a grain of salt.  Research papers is the way to go and above is what I've gathered so far.  There isn't a lot of long life studies out there because LiFePO₄ has only existed since around 1996.  Especially don't trust manufacturers, they are trying to sell you something and their testing is not long term.  They make predictions based on short term testing which will be fully covered by their T&Cs saying that they believe their data is accurate.  But above is based on most of my reading and I believe it to be accurate.  If it isn't call me out on it, we can all learn more

Long time lurker - finally got the courage to post. Got a simple starter system installed on Dec 3 - so 1 month of running thus far.
Components:
1x Sunsynk 5kw Inverter 1x Dyness 4.8kw battery 8x 330w Poly Solar panels on 1 string The rain hasnt helped at all but have been able to generate approx 260kWh in Dec. Jan has gotten off to a great start and so far loving the system.
One or two items still need to be sorted by the Installer but happy thus far - will look to add an extra battery and 6-8 more panels in a few months
 

That looks like a certain estate in PTA East that's been ravaged by the substation blowing up too many times
Very nice install

Never got the chance to upload the handful of pics I managed to snap during my system install. Given how much I've enjoyed browsing through the setups shared in the showcase, it only felt fair that I share

Scrambling to paint my roof a couple of days before the installers were due to arrive

Managed to get it done just in time 😅 (well... at least the part of the roof that mattered)

Panels installed. 15 Canadian Solar panels (405W) connected in a 4S3P configuration


Trunking and main components mounted to the wall

Wiring underway

Batteries, Cerbo GX and GX Touch connected – system online (left space for extra MPPT to connect to a secondary PV array and LiFePo4 storage)

2x Wall-mounted Pylontech UP5000 modules
 

My system has been installed and started running the last couple of days.
 

I have the following.

1 x 8kw Sunsynk Inverter
16 x 420w Canadian Solar Panels
2 x CBI Astutes (For geyser timers)
Riot Cloudlink
 



I still have my generator connection if needed with a change-over switch. We decided to leave the gen change-over instead of connecting it to the gen input on the inverter.

Let the data logging begin.

@Bigawattremember that loads connected to ACin1 can also benefit from Solar - you need a CT clamp/EM24 meter for the PowerAssist/PowerControl function to work.
 
 
 

@Bigawatt
My 2c worth:

You've not indicated if you are feeding excess PV power to the grid, from you explanation it seems you are not.
>Based on the NREL PV Watts Calculator, my 4.8kW array has an average generation capacity of 24kW per day.
You can only generate as much Solar as you use or store at that instant in time.
if your batteries are full and your load is low, there will be limited draw from the panels.
The below image shows what happens with me, I'm not feeding the grid.
After +/-11:30am, the battery gets full and solar production drops because there is nothing to consume the solar.
For the rest of the day after 12:00, the spikes are geyser and normal house loads.



>3 panels heat our 200L geyser via an PowerOptimal Elon 100 system
Tip: Normally you would just add the 3 panels to the Victron and use a timer to limit to sunlight time.

>The only excluded loads are my electric stove/oven, one central A/C unit and two 150L geysers
Your diagram is not detailed enough in terms of how the non-essential / excluded loads loads are connected.
There are two ways to connect "excluded loads" - the ACout2 or the ACin1.

If your "excluded loads" are on the ACin1 side, you need the EM24 or Current Sensor / CT coil to implement PowerControl & PowerAssist.
Below is a typical diagram showing the current sensor just after the meter, before the "excluded loads".
Victron PowerContol & PowerAssist.


As stated the "excluded loads" can be connected on ACout2 or ACin1 (between the Current Sensor and the Metro's meter).
If connected on ACin1, the inverter can be programmed to feed excess into the "ACin1" to power "excluded loads".
It will use the Current Sensor provide just enough to power the "excluded loads" but not enough to feeding back to the grid.

>Replace (what are likely 3kW) elements in my two 150L geysers with 1.5kW ones
Just use timers to ensure that geysers come on during sunlight hours.
I've set my geyser timers as follows:
11:30am - 16:00pm (sunlight) after the battery full 5:00am to 6:00am (so I can have a warm shower in the morning) Note: I have a SunSynk and there are settings which can limit PV power use - took a while to get my settings optimal.
I assume Victron would have similar settings.

In general, for Solar I have the following tips:
1) Measure, measure, measure.
Know where and when your electricity is being used.
I've used a "kill-a-watt" meter (~R500) and then upgraded to "tasmota/tuya" smart power plugs.
2) Become efficient first and you will save 3x
- Use LEDs globes - get rid of CFL & incandescent
- Make sure you PC & PS4 goes to sleep - mine uses 50w with the screen off and 2.5w in sleep mode.
- Replace your PC with a laptop - uses less
- Use a solar geyser or a heat exchange geyser
- Use gas for cooking or induction stove
- Use AAA rated appliances (test with kill-a-watt first) eg. Heat Pump Tumble dryer vs traditional dryer.

For every Watt saved, you save 3x because you need less panels, less battery and less inverter.

I also notice you have "pool pump, Diswasher, Washing machine, Air Cons" on "Critical Loads" - these would normally be on ACin1 or ACout2.
The inverter will still power ACout2, except during power fail / load shedding lengthening the uptime of critical loads.
Ensure the pool pump timer runs only during the day.

Hope this helps.

Never got the chance to upload the handful of pics I managed to snap during my system install. Given how much I've enjoyed browsing through the setups shared in the showcase, it only felt fair that I share

Scrambling to paint my roof a couple of days before the installers were due to arrive

Managed to get it done just in time 😅 (well... at least the part of the roof that mattered)

Panels installed. 15 Canadian Solar panels (405W) connected in a 4S3P configuration


Trunking and main components mounted to the wall

Wiring underway

Batteries, Cerbo GX and GX Touch connected – system online (left space for extra MPPT to connect to a secondary PV array and LiFePo4 storage)

2x Wall-mounted Pylontech UP5000 modules
 

Never got the chance to upload the handful of pics I managed to snap during my system install. Given how much I've enjoyed browsing through the setups shared in the showcase, it only felt fair that I share

Scrambling to paint my roof a couple of days before the installers were due to arrive

Managed to get it done just in time 😅 (well... at least the part of the roof that mattered)

Panels installed. 15 Canadian Solar panels (405W) connected in a 4S3P configuration


Trunking and main components mounted to the wall

Wiring underway

Batteries, Cerbo GX and GX Touch connected – system online (left space for extra MPPT to connect to a secondary PV array and LiFePo4 storage)

2x Wall-mounted Pylontech UP5000 modules
 

Also, generation Vs Consumption....%kW inverter and 6075W installed panels.

Ahhhhh now that's better!!
Added 20x CS 325W panels (5S 4P) 6.5kWp
MPPT 250/100

So this baby is in and performing, quite sad without the MPPTs tbh, could be doing so much more than just waiting for a power cut 😆

Parts already purchased. Unfortunately I've had a long time to dream about this and decided on blue, so gigantic UPS it is, just for 6 months so it's not too bad 🤣

Hey M0skva!
Like a morgue in these quarters recently ... Maybe most members exchanged Gauteng's solar deprivation for coastal solar deprivation. I'm no expert, and my response is based on a month of reading, tinkering, trial and error, but here goes.

This will have zero impact but if you only have one inverter let it be the master

This really is a personal choice, but I've set up a more aggresive battery profile. If loadshedding is announced you can bump up the lower values, but with this setup you should get at least 80% x 7kWh = 5.6kWh use from your batteries every day. I leave mine low in the morning and prioritise load over battery (to follow), then ramp up during the day, leaving some headroom to use a fully charged battery to augment solar production if needed.  If there is time to recharge, then great, if not nothing lost. The stepped reduction during the night is to allow manual intervention to save battery power for a sudden announcement of early morning loadshedding if required.
   
Absolutely prioritise load over battery under normal working conditions to maximise the economic benefit of your installation. This you can set back to "Batt First" during loadshedding if you wish, but your 7kWh of storage should do fine during loadshedding even from a very low charge like 20%.

Dont know these error codes but this is what the manual says:

And this from a SunSynk blog post:
F56 DC busbar voltage is too low Generally cause with the battery problem possibly a damaged BMS. If you experience in M56 fault then you need to focus on the battery, the battery cables, the battery connections, battery discharging parameters and the the general condition of the battery.
1. Check or battery cables are nice and tight good connections 2.If using parallel checked all battery cables are the same length as the batteries are low voltage compare to the mains but very high current than the cable that is very important we should all be the same length 3. Check the C rating of the battery 4. Check the invert at maximum discharge setting 5. Checked inverter maximum power setting ( Max sell Power )
Your batteries are 3500Wh at 48V each. That is 3500Wh/48V = 74Ah each. The bank of two is therefore best seen as a one 148Ah battery. So adjust the capacity to 148Ah. I use 0.5C charge and discharge rates, which is the same as that recommended for your battery, so 74A each (good for about 3.55kW of charge and discharge - your limiting factor during loadshedding will be your batteries not your 8kW inverter).

Your Pylons are rated 95% DOD, so shutdown at 5% (for this to happen you would need very long and severe loadshedding with dismal weather). Set low battery warning lower than normal min% to avoid nuisance alarms, and restart the battery earlier - maybe even 20%.  In effect it wont deliver any power unless the minimums in the work mode table are reached.
  
OK, but remember to tick here when you want to charge up from the grid during loadshedding.
 
   

Just check your graph for amps and voltage.

I also temporary closed the ports with some brother label tape. I will get a cover made up in January from; I think it’s called polycarbonate. I have used it before in DB boards, it can easily be bend and drilled without breaking, it’s like a magic material that all DB manufacturers use to cover exposed live parts.

Thanks for your thoughts @0012 and @hoohloc – a 4S3P configuration would make sense (the optimal operating voltage for my panels is 41V, so with four in series, that doesn't sound far off). You were correct @0012, my panels are rated for 9.65A per panel string, so that checks out too
So much to learn, but what a resource this is! Thanks again

Received the attached Pylontech battery performance curves from Pylon support if anyone is interested...Seems like these batteries can be run hard (high DoDs) and still last for many years
48V Pylontech Battery Performance 0320.pdf