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Hi Steve, thanks for the feedback. In hindsight I should have started a new topic about this. I had a look at this generator already before but what worried me is their own statement: This generator is not suitable for use as a backup to a solar inverter due to harmonic feedback. Learn More https://mzansipower.co.za/product/6-5kva-1-phase-diesel-generator-bp6500s/ If you go to the "learn more" you get an article from Bundupower explaining the problematic harmonics between the inverter and generator, especially Voltronic and clones thereof inverters, also a list of inverters known to work and not to work. But as you experienced the Kodak OG7.2 to work well my, Kodak OG10kw might/should also work? I send them an email to check this. We are still connected to the grid and used this grid for only 7kw in total the last 5 months but obviously this will increase during the rainy season, the grid is still by far the cheapest and convenient backup at the moment as we currently don't pay a connection fee , but if they come with a ridiculous connection fee of R900 a month as rumored for the couple of kw's we use then I want to go off grid and need a generator for back-up.

Hi Steve. I don't have a challenge yet because I didn't buy a generator yet, but it seems as if it is a challenge to get a Voltronic to accept the charge from a generator. So what generator did you connect and what inverter is used?

During your wife's cooking the usage (including 2kw of the pool pump) is about 11-13kw non-stop for over 2 hours, that is a hell of a lot of cooking. Does this sound right or is EVERITHING maybe somehow measured double?

Hi Kenneth. And this inverter generator is accepted? But your previous generator also worked, or did it give problems later on?

Hi Steve, really very neat indeed, my compliments. This might be off-topic but is any of your installations completely of grid without a grid connection at all, and if so, did you connect a generator for backup to a Kodak/axpert inverter?

Thanks Coulomb, the existing panels (north but slightly east facing) do have their own earth spike, end the additional panels (at the western facing side of the house) also get their own additional earth spike. somebody told me you can't earth to much.

Thanks Coulomb, I will be using Mono panels 9x540w so I am staying well below the 450v max of the inverter. And this earth from the panels I connect to these surge arrestors?

Hi Guys I want to upgrade from a MKSII with 1 PV array( that only had a DC isolator in the string, running now for 3 years beautifully) to a Kodak 10kw inverter with 2 PV arrays and I want to make sure that I connect the PV strings the right, legal and safe way. It is an off grid system and each PV panel/array is grounded with it's own spike as are the inverter/off grid DB box and Pylontechs. The Picture shows the connections of fuses and DC breaker and surge arrestor very clearly, to connect this 'box' the string connects to the fuses and the MPPT's connects to the DC breaker, but do I connect the Panels earth to this surge arrestor or one of the other earths? What confuses me is that the Inverters manual states very clearly that: To avoid any malfunction do not connect any PV modules with possible current leakage to the inverter. for example grounded PV modules will cause current leakage to the inverter, please be sure NO grounding (NO in capitals nogal).

Thanks Suly. By splitting my loads you mean: keeping two sepparate solar systems with each their own load? This would not very practical with the one DBboard we got, should split this also in two then.

We have an axpert MKSII inverter with 3xUS3000 batteries. We want to go completely off grid and upgrade to 2x7.2 kodak inverters with an extra 3x US3000C or 3x UP5000 batteries. To exclude the mentioned battery mixing problems is it possible to connect our 3x US3000 to the slave inverter and the new 3x UP5000 to the master inverter???

Hi 87 Dream I want to ask you something off this topic. We have a off grid solar system, 12x360 panels, 3x3.6 pilontech, mecer MKS2 5kw inverter with ICC monitorring, running very well for 2.5 years. We want to upgrade the inverter to a 8kw axpert max, for the extra peak and second MPPT You seem to me like a installer and maybe dealer, I am in Centurion, would it be possible to come and see you and discuss our options?

Thanks guys, so it would not be a problem adding those panels.

I have a Mecer 5kva MKSII inverter with 4.260kw Solar panels and 3x US3000 Pylontech batteries. My Panels are slightly east of North facing so it starts charging very well in the mornings but tapers of about 2 hours before sunset. I would like to put another 1.2kw of panels on our west facing roof to extend the useful day and also to help with the cloudy days. The Max solar input for this inverter is 4.5kw, what will happen if on a sunny day at noon the combined panels deliver more than this 4.5kw? does the inverter trip or does it just take 4.5kw and the rest is lost?

Thanks Coulomb.

I have a Mecer MKS II 5KVA inverter with 12x355w pv panels facing north connected in 2 strings to a combiner. The pv input limit for the inverter is 4.5kw witch if fine for us on sunny days, on cloudy days we can use a bit more than this so I think about a couple of extra string pv panels on a west facing 30deg roof so it also lengthens the day a bit. My question is: what does the inverter do when the pv input exeeds the 4.5kw, will it just take 4.5kw and the rest is wasted, or will it disconnect the pv panels, or will it trip/switch off?

thanks Coulomb I am a little hesitant to set setting 29 below the minimum stated by Pylontech, even if it switches 2 volts earlier then it is set, why is it not switching when it is supposed to according the setting but 2 volts higher? Does anybody else uses these settings for 12 and 29?

Thank you all for your input.

Hi Coulomb Thanks for your input. Setting 12 is set to 45v, setting 29 also 45v, (Pylontech min. discharge voltage is 44.5v) Is it safe to set setting 29 to 43v to make up for the 2volts it sets it above this setting? You mentioned: "That way, you let ICC do the switching" , do you mean that I should set the voltage of 12 and 29 even below the minimum recommended by Pylontech to bypass the inverter and let the ICC do the switching? the only option I see on the ICC settings is the low battery setting that I set to 25% DOD and comes back at 35% What puzzles me is, during the night from 24h00 til 6h00 the fridge is the only load and when it switches on the ICC measures a 2kw surge (only 1 out of 10 times, I suppose it takes a reading every second and most of the times it misses the surge) that comes strait out of the batteries and NEVER causes the inverter to switch to the grid, as an example: during the day with a load of 3500w (panels also 3500w) the fridge switches on and the 2000w (now 5500w total) surge needs comes out of the batteries but causes the inverter to go to the grid, the voltage drop in the batteries should be the same shouldn't it? this morning the the load was about 2600w, the kettle of 1900w was switched on for 2minutes (load now 4500w )when coincidently the fridge came on and causes the system to go to the grid, see dashboard and battery trend pictures. Makes me think that the 5500w is the problem although the inverter should be able to handle a 150% overload for 5 sec, and has a surge capacity of 10kw for 5 sec according to the spec sheet. How can we establish if it is the low voltage or the overload protection that is switching it over???

Hi All Our Solar system is made up of the following: 1xMecer MKSII 5KW, 12X355W panels, 2x 3.5KW Pylontech's, and an ICC. All works fine for 3 months now except for the start-up current of the (brand new Bosch A++) fridge. During the night when only the fridge runs I see on the ICC that at start-up there is a peak of 2KW for a second then it drops to 90W until it switches off again. This is no problem during the night, but during the day it means we can only use 3KW continuously, if we use 4KW and the fridge start up the system switches over to the grid for 8 minutes although the inverter is able to handle 10KW for 5 seconds. I am not sure if the inverter switches over or the ICC does it?? Strange enough when I disconnect the grid it handles the surges without a problem! On the internet some people advice to get a "soft start" device, others say this does not work. I can imagine some sort of a capacitor that charges and discharges and so absorbs or lessens the inrush current? does anyone know of a device like that. Please help/advice.

Thanks Coulomb, so if I just want to switch it of for the night we have guests, I just switch of the inverter, leave everything connected and switch it on the next morning?

Good day to all. We have the following Solar system running for a month now without any problems: Mecer 5Kva MKSII, 12x355w PV panels, 2x3.5Kw pylontech, ICC, Extra DB board just for the Solar system, and a feed-in from the grid to switch over when the batteries reach 25% DOD. As the System is set up in our spare bedroom and the Mecer can be noicy when under load I want to know in the event of having guest to sleep over, can I just switch the Mecer off to shut down the system and switch it later on again? I also would like to know if I for example want to add another Pylontech to the system, what is the right sequence to disconnect every isolator to shut the system down and work on the it savely, and the sequence to start it up again?

Hi I use 2 US3000 batteries with a Mecer MKSII inverter. The installer disabled the battery equalization function (program 33), is this right? On the ICC I see that they charge/discharge absolutely the same. If you people talk about "balance" is this the same as equalization?

what about the CD that came with the MKSII?