Jesse

Thanks Coulomb You all have been very helpful in the past, and ... My current Off-The-Grid system is: Mecer SOL-I-AX-3MPlus48 Inverter/Charger [installed 2016 with three panels] 8-300W 72 cell Enersol &/or Renewsys panels [hooked up 2S4P, oriented to the NE and tilted at 45 degrees] 2-US3000 Pylontech Batteries [installed Feb 2020 & have not gone below two bars] Yamaha EF5500FW Generator [not needed since I went to 6 panels and the Pylontechs Feb 2020] I am considering upgrading from this existing inverter 🙂 We have just completed a small cabin with it's own kitchen, so would like to be able to run two kettles at the same time. Would a 5Kw inverter be appropriate, and do you have a recommendation as to which one?

What is the life expectancy of a Mecer SOL-I-AX-3MPlus48 Inverter/Charger? Am I correct that it is considered a string inverter? Someone else installed it in 2016, well ventilated and inside a home, but no regular maintenance - considering an upgrade.

Thanks Coulomb!

Hi Guys I just got two more panels in order to maximize my system to accommodate an added intermittent load of a small cabin, so I will now have a total of 8-300W 72 cell panels hooked up 2S4P [changing from 3S2P as per Coulomb's suggestion]. Some research I've come across recently seems to point to Lithium-Ion batteries not liking to have a full charge, and with the added panels they will be fully charged even more than usual, especially since the added load is intermittent. With this in mind, or for any other reason, are there any changes in the settings that are needed/suggested? My current Off-The-Grid system: Mecer SOL-I-AX-3MPlus48 Inverter/Charger [installed 2016 with three panels] 8-300W 72 cell Enersol &/or Renewsys panels [hooked up 2S4P, oriented to the NE and tilted at 45 degrees] 2-US3000 Pylontech Batteries [installed Feb 2020 & have not gone below two bars] Yamaha EF5500FW Generator [not needed since I went to 6 panels and the Pylontechs Feb 2020] Current settings: 01, U?I [Utility first] 02, 20A [Maximum charging current] 03, UPS [AC input voltage range] 04, SDS [Power saving mode disabled] 05, USE [Battery type] 06, L?E [Restart enable] 07, ??E [Restart enable] 09, 50Hz [Output frequency] 11, 15A [Maximum utility charging current] 12, 48 [Irrelevant, since I have selected U?I in Program 01] 13, 54 [Irrelevant, since I have selected U?I in Program 01] 16, CU? [Charger source priority] 18, BOF [Alarm control] 19, ?EP [Auto return to default display screen] 20, LOF [Backlight control] 22, AON [Beeps while primary source is interrupted] 23, BYE [Overload bypass] 25, FEN [Record fault code] 26, 53.2 [Bulk charging voltage] - Swellendam, Western Cape 27, 50.5 [Floating charging voltage] 29, 46 [Low DC cut-off voltage]

Thanks Coulomb

One more question I do want to add two more panels to my 6-300watt panel system, but there seems to be a lack of 300watt panels. Are there cons to adding 2-315watt panels?

Thanks Coulomb - I really appreciate your thoroughness. Happy Holidays!

They are all 72 cell, and I'm curious why that makes a difference? I set them up as per sustainable.co.za's instructions, as I bought the last three panels from them: "The panels will need to be connected in 2 parallel strings of 3 panels in series due to the maximum voltage parameters of the built-in MPPT charge controller in your inverter." And I'm glad to change the configuration to your recommendation if I add two panels, which I believe would generate maximums of about 73 volts and 33 Amps, but would you suggest I change to a 2S3P configuration if I keep with my existing 6 panels?

Thanks Coulomb Regarding adding two more panels, my current system has two sets of 3-300w panels [in series] wired in parallel [see attached]. Can I just add one more panel to each series?

I posted this as a new question and then realized it may be more appropriate here, since I started this thread many moons ago :-). I am moving my noisy inverter out of the house, along with the batteries. I will be moving them outside into a small corrugated metal shed 3m from the DB board. Eventually I may upgrade to a 5Kw system, so I want to be sure my new cables will be sufficient. My current Off-The-Grid system: Mecer SOL-I-AX-3MPlus48 Inverter/Charger 6-300W Enersol panels 2-US3000 Pylontech Batteries [less than one year old] Yamaha EF5500FW Generator So what size cable from the inverter to the DB board [3m] would be sufficient, even for a 5Kw system? I live in Swellendam, and the metal corrugated shed will be in the shade - any special considerations needed for the shed to house the inverter and batteries? And if I wanted a bit more power, would it be better to add 2 more panels or one more battery? Any other suggestions/recommendations?

I am moving my noisy inverter out of the house, along with the batteries. I will be moving them outside into a small corrugated metal shed 3m from the DB board. Eventually I may upgrade to a 5Kw system, so I want to be sure my new cables will be sufficient. My current Off-The-Grid system: Mecer SOL-I-AX-3MPlus48 Inverter/Charger 6-300W Enersol panels 2-US3000 Pylontech Batteries [less than one year old] Yamaha EF5500FW Generator So what size cable from the inverter to the DB board [3m] would be sufficient, even for a 5Kw system? I live in Swellendam, and the metal corrugated shed will be in the shade - any special considerations needed for the shed to house the inverter and batteries? And if I wanted a bit more power, would it be better to add 2 more panels or one more battery? Any other suggestions/recommendations?

Thanks so very much Chris, I think I'll give it a go 🙂

Bit of a lag because I couldn't access the powerforum for some reason, but wanted to say thanks Chris, that's looking pretty good. And the new board was able to fit into and replace the boards in both your 5k and the 1k? May I ask how old your units are [mine is 6-2015]?

Hi Chris Just to be sure, we are talking about the RCT Axpert Remote Control Panel you previously posted about? And the remote Com board on the left is basically a replica of the one in the Axpert, and it comes with a USB cable with a female socket that will fit over the USB port on the right [which is the same as what I have], or perhaps I need an adapter? As another option, since I could just move my inverter to the outside of the wall it is currently on, couldn't I just run the cable through the wall and build some small box to mount the remote in? And as yet another option :-), does anyone know if I could take the original one out of its housing and install it remotely a few meters away?

Thanks Coulomb - once again very helpful! I don't have an RS232 or a USB port on this one, only a COM & a NC C NO [see attached pic], so I may be out of luck regarding remote monitoring. Any idea what type of COM port it is? The main reason I would like to have some form of remote monitoring is that two houses are using the system [one a small cabin]. This is why I have doubled my panels and more than doubled my storage. In the cabin I have restricted the load [small fridge, no electric kettle & informing friends and renters about the limitations], in my home [and ideally in the cabin as well] I would at least like to know the SOC of the batteries without going outside to the shed they are in. I could just run two wires from the battery contacts at the inverter to a simple voltmeter, or do you have any other suggestions? Your last two answers are pretty much Greek to me, but I get the gist of them 🙂

Hi - I started this thread and have now installed two US3000 Pylontech batteries to replace my 4 dying 12V 100amp/hour Vision AGM batteries, and they seem to be performing well, but there are two anomalies I would like to understand and correct if possible/needed. Off-The-Grid Solar System: Mecer SOL-I-AX-3MPlus48 Inverter/Charger 6-300W Enersol panels 2-Pylontech US3000 batteries hooked in series Yamaha EF5500FW Generator The only settings I changed, as per Pylontech’s recommendations, were: #13 to 51V [even though with #01 set at Utility First this setting shouldn’t be relevant] #26 to 53.2V #27 to 53.1V [this was suggested by a technician at the online store [Solar Shop] where I bought the batteries from] #29 to 47.5V Current settings: 01, U?I [Utility first] 02, 20A [Maximum charging current] 03, UPS [AC input voltage range] 04, SDS [Power saving mode disabled] 05, USE [Battery type] 06, L?E [Restart enable] 07, ??E [Restart enable] 09, 50Hz [Output frequency] 11, 15A [Maximum utility charging current] 12, 48 [Irrelevant, since I have selected U?I in Program 01] 13, 51 [Irrelevant, since I have selected U?I in Program 01] 16, CU? [Charger source priority] 18, BOF [Alarm control] 19, ?EP [Auto return to default display screen] 20, LOF [Backlight control] 22, LOF [Beeps while primary source is interrupted] 23, BYE [Overload bypass] 25, FEN [Record fault code] 26, 53.2 [Bulk charging voltage] - Swellendam, Western Cape 27, 53.1 [Floating charging voltage] 29, 47.5 [Low DC cut-off voltage] The anomalies are: 1) That whenever I turn on my kettle [1.8Kw], the 04 Fault code comes up [Battery Voltage Is Too Low] , usually towards the end of the heating.The Mecer monitor shows the battery voltage as fine - usually about 51 or 52V? Even if the fault is incorrect or insignificant, in order to dismiss the fault it seems I have to turn the inverter and the batteries off and then back on? The other anomaly is that the Mecer's fan is turning on at a lower voltage than it did with the lead-acid batteries [and it's in our living room 😞 ]? Any help at resolving these anomalies would be appreciated.

My AGM batteries are dying [2 of the 4 go down to 10V before system shuts down]. I have ordered new Lithium-Ions but it will be a week before they get here. Whenever I put a heavy load on, even when the sun is shining brightly [hair dryer or kettle] the inverter shows a huge load spike [more than double the rated load], turns off, and shows a #6 Fault - Output Voltage is Abnormal. Is this normal 🙂? Anything I can do about it [in addition or instead of not using the heavy load items]? My current and very small Off-The-Grid system: Mecer SOL-I-AX-3MPlus48 Inverter/Charger 6-300W Enersol panels X 4hrs=3600Wh[Watt hours] X.8=5760Wh power potential per day 4-12V 100amp/hour Vision batteries hooked in series=4800Wh storage potential [2400Wh at 50% SOC] Yamaha EF5500FW Generator

PS No need to answer, as I got all of my questions answered by the battery manufacturers. Thanks again for all your help.

Thanks Coulomb Unless you have another suggestion I plan to buy two of the Pylontech US3000 3.5kWh 48V Li-Ion Batteries, which will give me more than twice my current storage. I see that they each need a cable pack. Is there anything else I will need to connect them together and also up to my Mecer SOL-I-AX-3MPlus48 Inverter/Charger? Will I need to change any of the settings: #26 [Bulk Charge] & #27 [Floating Charge] - Battery spec sheet says Charge Voltage(V): 52.5~53.5? #29 [Low DC Cut-off Voltage] - 80% DOD would be 38.4, but Mecer minimum is 40.0? regards Jesse

Thanks Coulomb Seems like it's time to bite the bullet and get some new batteries 😞 I am adding a small cabin with kitchenette to my load, so want to almost double my current storage capacity: 4-12V 100amp/hour AGM Vision 6FM100LP-X batteries hooked in series=4.8kWh storage potential [2.4kWh usable at 50% DOD] Do you or anyone else have a suggestion as to what would be most cost-effective at this time?

Hi Guys I started this thread about a year ago, and Coulomb was very helpful with my last questions. I just added 3 more panels and now need some help with my batteries. Not sure if I should be starting a new thread? Anyway, my current and very small Off-The-Grid system: Mecer SOL-I-AX-3MPlus48 Inverter/Charger 6-300W Enersol panels X 4hrs=3600Wh[Watt hours] X.8=5760Wh power potential per day 4-12V 100amp/hour Vision batteries hooked in series=4800Wh storage potential [2400Wh at 50% SOC] Yamaha EF5500FW Generator After adding the panels I didn't change any of the settings, and the panels seem to be working correctly - lots more power when the sun is shining - under a heavy load the PV input goes up to 1.45Kw. But the 4 year old batteries seem to be worse - not holding a charge into the evening or through the night as well as they did. I checked their fully charged voltage in the middle of a sunny day - both connected and separated they read 14.01, 13.81, 13.85, and 13.78. I wanted to disconnect them from the inverter and test again after a couple of hours to get a resting SOC, but when I disconnect the fuse the inverter goes off - blank screen - no power - nothing. Flip the fuse back in and all is well. Is this normal? Can't the PV panels run the inverter without the batteries? Is there a way to test if the batteries are good? kind regards

Got it! Again, thanks so very much for your help 🙂