Leonb

OK, so last night I did some tests. I cannot make sense of the results and am both very confused and worried: 1) During normal operation when the grid is supplying power, i.e no loadshedding I get the following Voltage readings: N to L = 214 V N to E = 1 V L to E = 216V This is more or less what I expected, although a bit on the low side? 2) During loadshedding when Inverter supplies power to essentials from battery. This is when the N/E bridge box is supposed to work: Now this is where I get lost. I get different readings when I switch around the red and black leads of the multimeter N to L = 227 V (black lead on N; red lead on L; and vice versa) N to E = 8 V (black lead on N; red lead on E) N to E = 220 V (black lead on E; red lead on N, i.e. leads swapped around) L to E = 235 V (black lead on E; red lead on L) L to E = 20 V (black lead on L; red lead on E, i.e. leads swapped around) The tests above was done on various plug points in the house. I have not opened any DBs, etc to test light or other circuits. From what I understood previously, on AC, even if you switch the pos/neg leads around, the Voltage reading should be the same. And yes, the selector is on AC, not DC. I cant make sense of the above. Any ideas before I call out the installer, or another electrician? The earth leakage breakers do trip when I press test button, both when grid is on and off. There is one on essentials and one on non-essentials. The installation was certified by 3rd party electrician with COC covering the new installation.

Does this apply to asbestos slate tile roofing as well? Probably. So what are my alternatives?

I believe this bridge box activates independently of the inverter. It seems to be a solution for any type of inverter that needs a bond, ie. does not need a signal from inverter. It seems to activate on the grid falling away. It has a bare wire running inside saying "test point", but Im not sure how one is supposed to test the bond using this. Maybe someone with knowledge of this specific bridge box can assist?

1) The signal island mode is not checked. Is it required when using this specific bridge box? Does it not engage independently from inverter when it detects that the eskom power is down? See wring diagram below: 2) Where on this bridge box is the "red LED" light to indicate bond? 3) I will check settings and voltages when at home later. Thanks

Thanks for this. But the glow is only during loadshedding when the inverter backup supply power. During normal operation when Eskom is online, there is no glowing of any led lights.

Thanks. I will try to confirm where the installer picked up the earth for inverter, but he did not install any new earth spikes, so I think there is only one earth reference. The distance between the main DB in my house and where the inverter (incl.the N/E bridge) is is about 20m. He installed a 6mm 4 core surfix cable which has an earth wire of 2.5mm. If he picked up the earth in the main DB, could the distance between main DB and inverter be the reason for the potential difference between earth and neutral during backup power supply/loadshedding?

No one with any ideas to what might cause this?

Good day Over the weekend (while trying to spot this illusive green comet) I switched off my perimeter lighting while there were loadshedding. All of my LED spotlights had a faint but very noticeable glow while being switched off. Google tells me it could be due to a "floating neutral". So using my multimeter I checked a few of my plug points in the house, and while being supplied by Eskom/municipality the difference between my earth and neutral is 1 V, and while on the inverter the difference is 11 V. I have a Sunsynk 5kw inverter & battery combo, with this box below installed to bridge earth/neutral when eskom falls away. How can I check if this box is doing its job? https://segensolar.co.za/product/segen/protection-segen/ac-protection-box/earth-neutral-bridge-box-for-ac-protection-box/ I was under the impression that a floating neutral due to earth/neutral not being bonded is 100+ V. Could there be another reason for this voltage difference between earth and neutral when Eskom falls away? My municipal supply is neutral/earth bonded in the supply box on my property to an earth spike. Thanks for the help

Is it possible that this noise issue is related to how the inverter is installed (type of wiring, distance of wiring to DB, NE bond, etc) or to the characteristics of the existing house wiring? Or has the noise stopped in some instances where the unit was replaced like for like with a new unit, without making any changes to the installation?

Thanks. I will try this.

Hi So I managed to get my Synsynk inverter connected to Home Assistant and can read all the sensors (grid power, load power, battery SOC, etc, etc. I'm new to Home Assistant and my programming skills (which are basic in the first place - used some Fortran/Pascal 20 y back ) are rusted. I would like to get the basics running and then later on when I have some time dust off the programmings skills and start using the YMAL scripts to fine tune my automations and other setups. So for now I'm looking at using the built in Automations Visual Editor. First on my list is to switch off certain devices when load shedding kicks in to prevent the Inverter tripping on overload. Kettle is first on the list. So I created an automation that switches off kettle (using sonoff switch) when inverter load is above 3000 W, and with the condition that it checks if the Grid is on or off. So when the Inverter load is above 3000W and grid power is available, it will not switch off kettle and if the Inverter load is above 3000W and the grid power is down, it switches off the kettle. I tested this and it is all good. But how do I now switch the kettle back on if grid power comes on. Can this be done in the same automation, or must I create a new one. And if I create new automation to switch kettle back on, how does the 2 automations work together.? Sorry if this is a trivial answer. Thanks!

So what is used as proof for a claim 5 years down the line, when the installer is long gone?

Im sure there are 100s of people that have done this before?

Hi What happens after registering your warranty on the Sunsynk website. Do you get some sort of confirmation or proof of this registration? I registered my newly installed Sunsynk inverter and battery yesterday, but other that the popup say successfully summited, I have not received any proof via email, or other. Can you anyone that did this previously shed some light. Thanks

I must be one of the lucky (or deaf) ones. Our 5kw unit was installed last week in the garage. Only faint high pitched noise on unit itself when close, but nothing I can hear from electronics or DB inside the house.

Thank you for the explanation and directions. I will give it a try.

Good day I had a 5kw Sunsynk inverter and 5kwh Sunsynk battery installed yesterday as backup system only (solar will be added later). So during periods of no loadshedding, must the battery be discharged daily/weekly to keep it healthy, or can it stay on full charge for extended periods? Any requirements for the warranty? Thanks

Good morning, My 5kw Sunsynk inverter + 5kwh Sunsynk battery was installed yesterday as a power backup system for now (solar panels later). I only have the geyser and stove on non-essentials, the rest on essential. So on the display under "GRID" it only shows the power that goes to the inverter to charge battery and power the Essentials. Power to the geyser and stove, when I switch these on, is not picked up. So I cant see what my total power draw from grid is, and therefore power to non-essentials. I would have liked to see these to also monitor power use in the house. So my installer says that the CT coil is properly installed on the main incoming line from Eskom. According to him, because it is a Backup/UPS system only, they select "zero export", and "limit to load", and this is the reason I cant see the non-essential info, and that it will display correctly once the solar panels is installed. Is above correct, and is there a way to display the info I need? It seems to me the CT coil is not providing any benefit in this configuration. What will happen if I uncheck "limit to load", for example? Thanks.

Lets rather call it essentials, but not essential all at the same time...

During load shedding, i.e. how to limit the essential power draw to 5kw during period where there are no power from grid. For example where the wife and kids use hairdryer, microwave and kettle at same this in this period.

I still dont understand why some installations have this problem and others not? I'm also planning to have a 5kw unit installed next week, and concerned about the noise. My installer, on the other hand, says he has never had this issue before on his installations...?? Lets see what happens, but I told him straight that the inverter will have to be replaced if this does happen..

What would be the best way to prevent "non-essential" equipment from exceeding the max inverter load, other than manual intervention. Is there an automated way of cutting loads to prevent the inverter from tripping?

Thanks. I think this is the route I will go...

OK thanks. It would have been nice to have a option to cut the "smart loads" if the inverter output exceeds max (5kw/8kw) to prevent it from tripping during loadshedding, i.e. having two levels of essential loads.

Could it be that the electrical wiring of certain houses makes it more susceptible to this high pitch noise being transmitted throughout the house vs only the inverter making the noise?