Unity

So I had a direct strike on 2 of my panels late last year, killed 5kw sunsynk and other electronics in the house. I'm currently disconnecting panels whenever there is lightning in the area but can't keep doing this. I'm considering installing rods on my flat concrete roof to mitigate the risk of a strike. So I guess I should not bond the panel frames to the rod? Juat ground the rods?I think the hit was due to the panel being the highest point on the roof. Any advise would be appreciated.

@wareddel I'm curious about this inverter and considering buying it to replace my Luxpower SNA5000 as it keeps blowing fuses on my 2 AV receivers and garage motor on odd occasions. I think I counted over 20 fuses in my garage window cemetery today. Is this SPF6000 good? Besides the time zone thing are there any concerns since you started using it? Does it blend power if you don't have enough PV in the morning and blend battery in the evening? Please let me know. Thanks

Hi all, I'm a bit frustrated with my Luxpower SNA5000 that keeps popping the fuses on my radios. It does everything else fine, but I have a heap of fuses that I have replaced and now worry that it may have also degraded the longevity of my AV system. I have come across this Growatt SPF6000 that is said to have dual MPPT and was wondering if anyone has experience with it. I like that it's rated higher at 6kw which is good as I also run my geyser on my existing system. But are there are issues with it or is it as good or better than luxpower in blending power? And most importantly......doesn't pop fuses like the Luxpower.

Hi guys, I have a SNA5000 Luxpower with over 4,5kw panels. The panels are connected on one MPPT. I have noticed that I never get over 3.3kw even on the clearest day. I have learnt that the Luxpower can take upto 3.2kw per MPPT. My question is, would the inveter be limiting power from the panels? I have loads upto 3.8kw and always take the shortfall from the battery which is not ideal. Should I split the panels 5 and 4 on each MPPT? Or is it just what the inverter can produce with all the losses to be expected?

@RegularDad I'm excited to report that heating your geyser using PV is life changing. I have now turned into a self annointed preacher on this topic. I have a 5kw Luxpower SNA and around 4kw panels. A timer is installed at the geyser, a change over switch at inverter with a 2nd timer to toggle the geyser in and out of the inverter/PV. Geyser element has been changed to 3kw so it doesn't strain the inverter with the odd 0,5kw base loads. Geyser is heated from 11h00 to 15h00 or 16h00 depending on weather. Some battery is drawn as I get about 3,3kw from the panels (not sure why but I guess it's due to losses in the system). The geyser can be switched on on early morning or on demand to use Eskom which is seldom needed. I now average between 5 and 9kw electricity usage per day from 25kw. That's huge in my books. I do intent to invest the saving to buy another inverter so I don't strain the current one, and maybe later a 2nd battery could be bought from the electricity savings. You just need to manage loads when the geyser is on because if microwave is turned on, then the inverter won't be too happy. Your electrician should be able to pull this off as mine did. You have 2 geysers so your configuration may be different to mine, but once resolved, you will be happy. I know I am.

@Archie Cassim sorry but I'm a bit dim. Could you perhaps post an image of the wire colour scheme you have. I just want to have it made out using the same colors. I see on Google that there is are different colors for pins 1 and 2 on RJ45 cables.

@PsyCLown surely you would need 2 inverters to carry the suggested 6kw as the SNA5000 is rated at 5kw. Or was that just a random example. I don't see how you can run 6kw by splitting 4kw from the inveter and the 2kw from eskom. You will still have 6kw going through the inverter.

I have the exact inverter and battery installed with panels. My FCC is 103,7AH and stays like that. Only SOC and RM will change as you consume energy from the battery. The arrow from the inverter will come off the house and eskom icons and show on UPS during loadshedding. See my images from the battery and inverter screens. Not sure what you meant by "Eskom should kick in when a certain voltage is reached."

I did this change over the weekend. Changed the 4kw element to 3kw. Installed a timer and change over switch to toggle the geyser in and out of eskom. My 5kva Luxpower doesnt have the Aux so I had to improvise. A 2nd CBI astute timer is at the geyser to allow for morning eskom water temp topping up. Nice thing about the smart timer is that it allows you to set rules for days when there is cloud cover and not draw from batteries. Will probably also change the other timer to a smart for more remote control. Laundry days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday until 3pm. I'm not home at those times so to void tripping the inverter for those days I switch the geyser on from 15h00 to 16h00 to allow battery to be topped up before sunset. On the no Laundry days, switch on is programmed from 11h00 as battery is fully charged by 10h30 from 34%. Still early days and I will tweak the eskom usage after making sure that there is enough hot water in the morning. Three people on a 200L should be okay in the warm months ahead. This allows me to make better use of the panels that just decorate the roof during the day as the base load from the fridges is very low when no one is home or battery is fully charged. Will buy a 2nd inverter with the saving and be less restricted on the other days. See the difference in solar usage before the geyser change, almost double solar and will get better as I gain confidence.

I have no idea. It's a Marantz SR6015. I also have a Denon in another part of the house which suffers from the same problem. I know both brands are related so maybe that's why. The Yamaha sound bar in my bedroom doesn't even flinch so I guess it must be something in the other 2 AVR systems

Interesting self cleaning concept https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/08/29/water-based-solar-module-cleaning-tech-for-rooftop-pv/

@JayMardern the CBItastute has a count down function that will turn the geyser off if turned on for a specific need outside of the programed times. This will avoid forgetting to turn it back off. Works great.

@Kilowatt Power where would you change the tranfer time? Is it under the same program 13? I have mine set on UPS and on the odd occasion my Radio fuse blows. It had stopped since the change but once in a while it happens. This transfer time could be the issue

@Gadgetly did you ever come right with the battery comms?

Hi, make sure that the inverter is on UPS and not APL. I had the same issue with my Marantz and Denon units and since changing the setting.... no more popping fuses.

@WannabeSolarSparky I don't beleive the SNA can feed to non-essential loads like the Sunsynk. It feeds back to grid if enabled, that's it (well, as far as my small mind can comprehend). Luxpower themselves don't even go into detail about this in their training videos. I have the same unit and disabled the feed back option as it was recommended. It still tries to feed back a bit on the odd occasion and the symbol on my prepaid meter confirms it from time to time (miniscule amojnts). This is also admitted to be the case in the training videos I watched. I would however be pleased to learn if there is a way to make it give excess PV to my non-essential geyser. Nonetheless, it works great for me and blends power like a champ. I've seen it manage between PV and grid on cloudy days and was impressed with how it takes loads together when necessary and only allowing battery charge when there is enough PV. For its price, it's a winner for me.

Hi @Hendry, I'm no expert but I have the same inverter with a Ultra Energy battery that doesn't communicate. I have been given a software to fix the issue but skeptical to do it as I fear bricking my battery. For now, I have my battery set to Lead Acid. This allows me charge batteries and still benefit from the system. See my settings and maybe it could solve your problem, if you haven't come right already. I also have watched a lot of the installer training on YouTube and used it to fine-tune my system to work the way I want it.

Update, covered my geyser. Box is big but everything is inside

Manual for that inverter doesn't exist. Many have asked and none found.

Hi @Leshen would you be keen to sell 4 at R8000?

This is why I'm keeping the existing geyser timer to limit power draw from the geyser when it's not ideal for me. I will allow it to use Eskom at my request.

Noted. Spending R10k now is worth it considering the Eskom bill I will be reducing. Won't be much in winter but I won't need to top up the geyser in summer due to the less heat loss. If it doesn't work, I can just connect the panels to my existing Luxpower system. Will monitor savings and update once done.

I like this set up. My geyser is also on the roof and the blanket was also destroyed in no time. Was planning to built a timber housing structure like a small wendy then wrap the geyser in Aerolite as you did. I think timber is less conductive to cold and should work better. But I like how yours fit snug and looks neat 👌🏽

@suds7162 I have followed this thread for sometime and you just said what I wanted to ask all along... a change over switch! Was just worried that with my simple thinking I was missing something. I have a spare old 5kw inverter that I was planning to have run my normal 200L electric geyser with a 3kw element on PV panels. The plan was to keep things as they are on the geyser by letting PV provide AC to heat the geyser during the day, switchover to Eskom after sunset and use the timer to top up the geyser as per normal or as deemed fit. The geyser wouldn't know who is giving power and won't care. My geyser currently on timer via Eskom is swiched on at 4am until 8am and again at 16h30 to 19h00. So was planning to let pv give AC to heat water during the day when sun shines, then only use Eskom at 4am as usual using a change over switch. Just add some panels to run the other inverter. Or am I over simplifying a complex matter? Really keen to go this route.

Hi @Irocmaster will these pinouts also work on a luxpower? Is there a colour image to show these. I'm not so bright and can't follow the numbers. I have the same battery and can't get it to communicate with a luxpower. Thanks