jdido87

Thank you very much. I will give this a go when I get home.

Switch OFF lithium/BMS communication and use “Lead Acid/User Defined”.
Manually enter safe lithium voltages ONLY as a short test. If the battery immediately starts charging the problem is definitely BMS communications or permissions.
This is one of the fastest ways to isolate the fault.
Based on the symptoms, my suspicion order would now be battery BMS charge inhibit
1.CAN/RS485 comm issue after firmware update
2.Max charge current accidentally set to 0A
3.Corrupted TOU/force-charge state
Less likely: actual PV issue
The fact that PV instantly ramps when the pool pump starts is actually very good news the solar side itself appears healthy.
Then Fully restart BOTH battery and inverter
Not just the inverter.
Proper sequence:
Turn off PV isolator
Turn off AC breaker/input
Turn off inverter
Turn off battery breaker/power
Wait 5 minutes
Then restart:
Battery first
Wait until battery fully boots
Inverter second
AC input
PV last
This often restores CAN/BMS comms.

that is super strange, everything seems to be in order. what are your batteries currently at? you may aswell enable grid charge (your TOU has ensured as minimal grid usage as possible). Try disabling your "MPPT Multi-point Scanning" setting as you mention you don't get affected by shading. if this doesnt work, try turning your PV off and waiting until there is no voltage for pv on your inverter screen and then turn it back on.

with regards to the system not prioritising charging the batteries, under system work mode 1 ensure that the energy pattern is set to "Batt First". Would be beneficial to post a screenshot of your system work mode's setttings.

0.5C is good for extended battery life, as @TaliaB and @Scorp007 confirmed - just be aware that the manufacturer's warranty also state "@ 25 degrees Celsius"...
Inverters generate a lot of heat, and batteries also heat up when charging. It was mentioned earlier in this thread by @Denns that the "inverter room" being quite small, and with an IBR (metal) roof with no ceiling could become hot. The response from @jdido87 did confirm that insulation would be installed, and that this would (obviously) keep external heat out... but the same insulation would tend to keep internal heat in... Just something else to keep in mind...

Yes you can use a Sonoff to control when you want to switch the geyser on or off manually. Just make sure the switch can handle the current drawn by the element.
I only use a timer.
If you are scared to overload your inverter you can use a Load Control Relay to switch the geyser off when more than a specified amount of power is drawn by the rest of the house.

I agree with you no problem discharging at 0.5C but if the op doesn't need it to be set higher than 120A as the installer set it up then it is fine why change it. If the load depicts higher draw from the batteries there is ample capacity.
I was merely responding to the op's question and referenced the spesification sheet.

Your 120A is very close to 43Ax3 for the batteries to last longer as the recommended guideline listed in yellow as @TaliaB posted to @Mattyboy
While the battery can supply 1.5C lower current will always provide a longer life.

You are spot on at 120A if you read the warrenty clause on the OEM spesifications. 43A x 3 = 129A charge discharge for the 3 batteries in parallel. See bottom section of spec sheet highlighted in yellow.

Or you could install a small inverter type air conditioner - this has the dual advantages of both keeping your inverer and batteries cool in summer, and warm in winter if required, and also use up some wasted spare power generated by your system in summer - assuming that you designed your system with adequate winter production in mind... Aircons are relatively cheap, and extending your expensive batteries' life by a year or two by keeping their temperatures within the "Goldilocks zone" would probably fully cover this additional cost.
If I were you, I would also add a false ceiling with some Think Pink thermal insulation between this ceiling and the roof.

The eave of the house is over that particular section but I am going to insulate it and fit rhinoboard as soon as I am done with some other things in that room. It was my laundry room, poolpump house and toolshed. The washing machines and poolpump was removed. I will be installing a window in one of the walls as well just to control temperatures inside there. The windows has been delivered already and it will be installed over the long weekend

No problem then... Just watch it as the winter approaches.

I am wondering about that inverter. It is right under the corrugated roofing. I don't know how long it will last staying mounted there as heat will kill it very quickly. It gets insanely hot under metal roofs.

Ja Swaer - the training of the wife is quite important: Don't put the kettle on while the stove is on, don't use your hair dryer whilst making toast... 😁😂
Let's continue in your new thread...

You are correct, the total battery capacity (3 units) is 289Ah (3 x 96.6Ah nominal capacity)
The Greenrich data sheet recommends a maximum charge and discharge rates of 0.5C, thus not more than 43A per battery - in your case thus 129A. Just note that this recommendation is for all charging and discharging to occur at a fixed temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, and that is not so easy to maintain in sunny South Africa... I'm conservative when it comes to battery charging and discharging (blame that on my first system that I installed many years ago that ran off lead-acid batteries...), and would advise to not exceed 0.25C (25% of the rated Ah capacity) in normal use, thus not more than 65A. This allows one to safely charge (and discharge) at more realistic temperatures.
Here's an extract form the Greenrich data sheet:

That's great - let me be the first to say "welcome to solar" 😁😁
Soon you will change from "how can I use less electricity..." to "what can I do to increase my electrical consumption - I have excess power that's being wasted..." 🫠😁

I will probably want to monitor production, etc. I heard that the Deye Cloud is better than the ap they had before.

Secondly, the Deye cloud app is much improved and even better than the Sunsynk app in my opinion.

I did see this before, but no mention of the maximum AC pass through current
A very important factor when selecting an inverter
Also no mention of it been able to backfeed non essential loads without exporting
Also very important

Well, as an owner of a Sunsynk, I can just say that I regret not having paid more cash for a Victron... But from what I've heard (no personal experience...) the new Solis S6 Pros are the best at the price - Talk to @Powerforum Store

Talk to the people at The Power Forum Store (https://powerforum-store.co.za/collections/inverters?page=2) (the host of this Forum) they have some good prices on better inverters than the Deye/Sunsynk brand - e.g. Solis S6 Pro 8kW unit for R25 070.00 (VAT included).
Be very weary of "specials" on lithium batteries - there are various "lithium" chemistries in the market, and many of them are either pretty useless, or dangerous. Even so-called LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate chemistry) batteries are made with cells from three (or more...) wholesale suppliers (CATL, BYD and REPT...) that are not interchangeable - and the sad news is that even semi-reputable brands such as Sunsynk regularly swap cell chemistries so that e.g. model xxx made in 2024 is not compatible with the same model xxx made in 2025 or 2026...
Moral of the story: you makes your choice and you pays your price... or to state it in fancy terms: caveat emptor - Cheap Chinese products (such as the Deye/Sunsynk) are cheap for a reason...

It seems it is all about what one finds important. Choices. Some guys will not even look at the APP for a week or more. Others every 30min or hour. When we have full sunshine days I have no real need to look at the APP. I might even look more on the screen to get the value of PV yield for the day when I walk past my inverter when getting home at night. This tells me what my SOC should be.

I have not had experience with the newest Deye, but on the older ones definitely a difference between Deye and Sunsynk
Deye App sucks
Installed both and Sunsynk definitely seems to work better and be more efficient especially back feeding to non essential loads
So generally I would choose Sunsynk over Deye same hardware different software
As for new model or old model, it will depend on your needs and setup
The newer version can take more solar power but if you don't need it then it doesn't matter
Also Sunsynk and I presume Deye has an even newer version just landed in SA
Wireless CT and one wireless smart switch and can add another 9 smart switches
About R 2 k difference in price between newer version and latest version i. e. Version 2 and 3
Voltex is selling all this stuff at close to cost or below cost to get rid of excess stock
They bought in to much stuff just before loadshedding ended
Speak to the salesman, they will split up those specials so you can get batteries from them and if you want newest inverter you can get elsewhere
Workout what the best price for you will be

I do not have first hand experience with the Volta batteries but have recently seen people complaining about them again and having issues with SoC and the battery not taking charge after the firmware update was applied previously.
 
If you do not want to go Svolt, I saw that BSL Batt is doing a bit of a special on some of their batteries and I have not heard anything bad about the BSL batts and I personally would pick BSL Batt over Volta and pricing is similar to the Volta at the moment.
 
BSL Batt: https://www.diygeek.co.za/product/bsl-battery-51-2v-3u-100ah-canbus-5-12kwh/?utm_source=Google Shopping&utm_campaign=All Products&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=21967&cmp_id=18046938637&adg_id=&kwd=&device=c&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAlcyuBhBnEiwAOGZ2SwKmoWwJd2Jsni-6Eug2AQoxHbJd-tx2_puCei6CZrGkzpf5jEUUkBoCtjwQAvD_BwE
 
Svolt Battery: https://www.snaga.co.za/product/svolt-51-2v-106ah-5-43kwh-lifepo4-battery-wall-mounted/
 
 
I have not ordered from DIY Geek before but have heard others on the forum have before without issues.
I have personally ordered from Snaga before and all was good and went smooth.

Haha, yes - higher end Inverter & cheaper batteries.
 
Not knocking the SNA5000 due to its warranty, what bugs me more is this fuse issue and the transfer time. I have heard transfer time does increase when you parallel the inverters so might be the difference between your situation and mine. Also the design aspect with the fans not running at night when you are running off grid only until temps reach a certain setpoint (which is high). I have had to add some extra fans to keep my inverter temps down at night when the inverter is basically sitting idle.
Heat is never good for electronics. During the day when there is a high load on the inverter the inverter temps are lower than at night when the inverter is sitting idle and just passing Eskom power through to the house. This does not make sense to me and decreases my faith in the inverter.
I have been monitoring my grid frequency & voltage around loadshedding time and it has never been an issue like in your above screenshot. I experience the same issue if I turn off my Eskom mains breaker - the lights still flash & fuses can pop. I suspect the fuses blowing is possibly due to the transfer time being a bit slow but cannot confirm this.
 
I also had the misfortune of having a 4 day old SNA5000 blow on me, I eventually managed to get a brand new replacement but it took 4 weeks and having to go to the distributor and speak to them and explain the situation. I understand out of box failure can happen (not quite out of the box in my situation) and the same could happen with just about any other inverter brand out there but that also did not leave me with a lot of faith in the inverter.
When I was at the JHB Luxpower distributor I was speaking to the one guy there and he said they had quite a few warranty claims on the Luxpowers, most due to incorrect installs and also voltage issues due to loadshedding. It seems as if the Luxpowers can be sensitive to under voltage / over voltage and he recommended a under/over voltage protection device and another installer told me that his supplier would force you to purchase a OVP/UVP device with the Luxpower otherwise they would not honor the warranty - despite me not having voltage issues in my area I purchased such a device for added peace of mind afterwards.
 
As I have said, apart from the above mentioned issues and concerns my SNA5000 inverters work well. They are loud with the fans but in my garage its less of an issue.
Functionality is great, easy to integrate into Home Assistant too. Probably the best budget inverter with some "smart" functionality.
 
As for the Svolt batteries, I do not feel Volta is a high end battery and their pricing does not say this either. I also have no clue who manufacture the cells in the Volta batteries.
Svolt manufacture their own cells for their batteries, they are a larger cell manufacturing company and have secured a contract to supply BMW with cells for their upcoming EVs. I have no reason to doubt the quality of life expectancy of my Svolt batteries and I will happily purchase more Svolt batteries once funds allow and I have added more panels to my system. I have dealt with Svolt support and they are fantastic and a warranty claim would not be an issue. I see the Svolt warranty as a no nonsense warranty, no need to jump through hoops and I would rather have a 5 year warranty where I know I will get a replacement battery under warranty if need be vs having a 10 year warranty where they may look for loopholes to get out of a warranty claim or not want to honor the warranty due to "incompatibility" between the inverter & battery or because I did not use comms between the inverter & battery or some other BS.
Based on my experience, I have faith and trust in Svolt. I do have my concerns regarding my Luxpower SNA5000 inverters and those concerns are listed above.
I am simply providing feedback based on my experiences and what I have heard as well. I own a SNA5000 and Svolt batteries. I am not saying that I would never recommend the SNA5000 inverter as that is not true, value for money it is a great inverter but I would definitely recommend having an OVP/UVP device in place if not just for peace of mind and that one be careful with what panels you pair with it.
With a 2.5 year warranty and being roughly half the price of a Solis S6 5KW and SunSynk 5KW inverter, if it dies after the 2.5 year warranty is up you could buy another Luxpower and be sitting at the price of a Solis S6 or Sunsynk. So for someone in a budget, it is still worth considering but there are some things to take into consideration first I feel.
Rather go into it knowing the possible issues you may experience and make an informed decision.