Dex_

i just meant that can a geyser really use so much power, say it has a 3kw element, 10+ kwh/day would mean it was running constant for over 3 hours? a geyser from what i understand takes around an hour to heat up (this is an assumption i get, it depends on things such as the water starting temp, capacity, the insulation and the end goal temp) - that means it completely heats the water 3 times per day? 
please note I don't want to derail or argue, i am really also just trying to understand.

really?  surely this is at a medium to high usage?

great review, entered 👍

The SNA5000 can in theory export to grid. It has the option to do so within the settings menu.
We have not set them up to do so on any of our installations yet to confirm whether it works or does not.
 

Agreed they are good value for money, but obviously not the best you can get, I am very happy with mine though, personally I would say spend a little more and at least get the king

Well, there is this saying: never change a working system. So if nothing really bothers you I would not change anything.
A few things were bothering me i.e. the 2A current the machine was drawing from the grid and one couldn't turn it off. So I went and upgraded (in steps) U1 to 71.95 and U2 to 02.60 what I found being the best combination for me and my machine (exactly the same as you have). I use solpiplog on a raspberry pi to monitor and control the inverter. That works fine for me and a lot of issues are solved but what hasn't been solved is that the inverter is not SOC controlled but voltage controlled. Apparently this can be overcome with solpiplog but I haven't been able to verify it.
Last not least the BMS works fine with the inverter. Especially the charge current setting and the do not charge command. On the other hand the charge voltages are 53.2V for bulk and float. There are opinions that this is too high although Pylontech confirms this being right. So if you think these voltages should be lower you must not use the PYL option because it forces the voltages to 53.2V.
 

That's two separate questions. I'd try using your existing inverter firmware first.
There are threads on what you miss out on if you don't use the cable to the BMS. I note that you can also use the cable to connect the battery BMS to a Pi running Solar Assistant or the like, though that's extra money.
I'd say it's worth trying (to connect the inverter direct to the BMS). You'll need a cable with the correct pinout; it seems that supplied cables may not work. The main thing is that if a single cell goes too high or low in voltage, the BMS can stop charging or discharging that cell to save it. With USE setting, that won't happen, or is sudden death.
Yes. No-one seems to have the Bluetooth firmware (U3), and the SCC firmware never seems to need updating (U4).
There are no release notes to tell you what version goes with what. So best to update both to the latest you can find. You will need a Windows PC and compatible USB to RS-232 adapter for firmware updating, as well as the update files themselves. Instructions here.

I would start smaller but allow myself to scale, and also just find a reliable installer that is willing to travel a little, you would probably need to provide accomodation or be willing to pay for it if the job goes over a day which it probably will.

The Voltage is the relevant one here, as long as the Voltage of the panels stay within the limits of the inverter, all should be fine, since the inverter will limit the current drawn.

I assume your question is, what are the consequences of charging lower than the recommended maximum, and secondly of charging higher.
Charging at a lower rate than the recommended maximum will not directly damage the battery modules. As @Dex_ has said, it will just charge the battery slower. But this may waste some available solar energy under some circumstances, which may require the battery to stay at a lower state of charge say at the end of a long blackout or rain period. So you may as well set it to the maximum recommended charge rate, if possible.
Oops, I didn't notice that the bottom module is a US2000. Since your solar charger (even with utility charging current added?) can't reach 99 A, just set it to the highest setting it will go.

Newest battery should come first with positive to inverter and last/oldest battery negative to inverter.

 
Should all be 0
 
100% correct
 
I adjusted to 40A

50 A is safe. 25 A per US2000, divided by the number of inverter-chargers (here = 1).

I haven't yet however I am really considering it, my flat plate collector is also somewhat damaged and I have a small 150L geyser with 4 adults taking showers all over the place, so I can't really plan my hot water consumption that well, which is where a heatpump shines (Excuse the pun)
IIRC you have a Axpert setup so it might be a little of a chore for you to add it to your setup, but I am sure with a Sonoff flashed with Tasmota and some ingenuity you could implement something that could turn the heatpump off whenever you have a grid failure.
The upsides for me are:
- Lower power consumption vs element
- Use existing excess PV power to power the unit
- Ability to actually heat the water from the battery bank without spending a boat load of money on batteries.
- Less worries around hail/EV Tubes overheating or a circulation pump failing
If you where in a pinch, say you had 0 Eskom power and it was cold/cloudy outside thus hamstringing your EV tubes you could theoretically heat your geyser using your battery bank without breaking much of a sweat. the ITS heatpump I see does 3KW worth of heating for 750W worth of electrical energy. 
 

I have a 150l geyser and tubes, retrofit. It works perfectly, but as above, one needs to increase the amount of water , a 300l geyser is good for a family of 4.
If only the 2 of you, 200l will be enough,  we use 150l for 2, 1 bath and 1 shower....
In summer I get temps of 70C on a N facing roof, in winter 45-50C.
The cost was approximately R15K , all in. I used a geyserwise system to control temp and pumping etc.
I had a flat panel, threw it out in favour of the evacuated tubes, much more efficient in my setup.
Hilton did my solar water, tube setup, he's reliable and knowledgeable. Hilton Melck. [email protected]
 
 

why on earth are you running a heater in summer xD
its likely the inrush current of the heater is overloading the inverter, that or your batteries are chronically under charged. Does the inverter power other loads fine?

the output will definitely be too light later when you add much more. what is worse is the colour coding 😛 

I'm betting it is 145

maximum input voltage?

the output will definitely be too light later when you add much more. what is worse is the colour coding 😛 

Dex I'll get you those when I'm home this afternoon.

Yes, certainly.
Yes, I believe that your inverter is designed for pairs of nominally 24 V panels in series. What is the Voc rating of the panels? How cold does it get in winter?
If your panels' Voc is 31 V or less, and you only go down to 0°C in winter, and they have normal temperature coefficients, you should be OK with 3 panels in series. But with Vmp = 29.4, this seems unlikely.
Yes, this is likely the solution to your problem. Wire two panels in series for now, and get a fourth panel to have two strings of two panels in series. Both strings should have their own fuses or breakers.
No, the load isn't your problem at all.

No. SOL output source priority mode is about keeping the battery full. Good if you want to last the longest during blackouts, but bad if you want to minimise utility costs.
No. Assuming that you want to minimise utility usage, you want to prioritise battery over utility. So the B has to come before the U. 

Not at all, as @Dex_ has stated. At 5000 W load, you're discharging at some 108A (using 50 V battery and 93% efficiency). Again, split over 3 battery modules, so some 36 A each.

Thank you. we will monitor it and let update as we go
 

why not just bolt the brackets down?
 
Otherwise building lintels would work perfectly... you could bolt a regular frame to them, just drill carefully.
 
edit: i think rubicon has them also...