Posted April 8, 20231 yr Hi Last year my daughter needed an inverter for her flat due to severe load shedding. She only needed lights, the Internet and the TV. I advised her to buy a small inverter with a lithium battery pack. Not wiser she settled on the GENTECH GPP1600 trolly inverter (which is an Axpert 2000vA inverter rebranded) as it is an all-in-one. 7 months later the batteries have given up. I had a look at the default settings and this is what I found. The default Low Cut Off Voltage is set to 19.8v for a 2x 12v in series (24v). This value is ridiculous as the battery is completely dead at this value. The 25% value for gel batteries is about 24V. The value cannot also be set higher than 23.8v. The warranty of the batteries in the unit is only for 7 days and can be seen below and on their website. I advise to anybody wanting to buy this type of unit to avoid it as you will lose your batteries. I have replaced the batteries with lithium batteries. The only problem is the bulk charging (CV voltage) voltage which should be set at 19.2v can only be set to 18.2v maximum. GENTECH POWER 1600-WATT SOLAR HYBRID INVERTER SYSTEM SKU: GPINVERTER2 1600-Watt Solar Hybrid Inverter Head I 12 Months Warranty I Gentech Power Gel Battery I 7 Days Limited Warranty DISCLAIMER: Flat batteries and or reduced running time are not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. Should you experience a reduction in running time please recharge the batteries for ± 48 hours or consider purchasing new ones. Premature damage to the battery due to improper use is not covered by the manufacturer warranty. It must be noted that lead acid, AGM and gel batteries are not ideally suited for frequent, long, and deep discharges as currently experienced with load shedding. These types of batteries require a minimum of 48-72 hours of uninterrupted charging after each discharge to ensure they perform as specified. Load shedding directly reduces the capacity, performance and life span of these batteries which are beyond the manufacturers control. The Gentech Power Battery charge cycles are rated to last as follows: 100% Depth of Discharge = +- 350 Charge Cycles 80% Depth of Discharge = +- 520 Charge Cycles 50% Depth of Discharge = +- 730 Charge Cycles Due to the current and continuous load shedding, these cycles can be depleted between 3 to 6 months. Once these charge cycles are depleted, the battery will have reached its “end of life” and will need to be replaced immediately. We recommend that during Load Shedding Stage 3 – 6 that the inverter power switch is turned “OFF”. Only use the inverter when urgently required. Battery Warranty Disclaimer: Due to excessive load shedding this battery carries a limited warrantee of 7 days only. It is designed to perform as specified. The lifespan of this battery is pre-determined by the amount of charge and discharge cycles it will undergo over a period. These cycles are considered normal “wear and tear” and are not covered by the manufacturer warranty policy. Regular charging / discharging cycles will have a direct impact on the performance and or running time of this battery. Please refer to the performance and discharge data below. Please charge for 48 hours prior to use. Edited April 8, 20231 yr by Peter Topp
April 9, 20231 yr 5 hours ago, Peter Topp said: Hi Last year my daughter needed an inverter for her flat due to severe load shedding. She only needed lights, the Internet and the TV. I advised her to buy a small inverter with a lithium battery pack. Not wiser she settled on the GENTECH GPP1600 trolly inverter (which is an Axpert 2000vA inverter rebranded) as it is an all-in-one. 7 months later the batteries have given up. I had a look at the default settings and this is what I found. The default Low Cut Off Voltage is set to 19.8v for a 2x 12v in series (24v). This value is ridiculous as the battery is completely dead at this value. The 25% value for gel batteries is about 24V. The value cannot also be set higher than 23.8v. The warranty of the batteries in the unit is only for 7 days and can be seen below and on their website. I advise to anybody wanting to buy this type of unit to avoid it as you will lose your batteries. I have replaced the batteries with lithium batteries. The only problem is the bulk charging (CV voltage) voltage which should be set at 19.2v can only be set to 18.2v maximum. GENTECH POWER 1600-WATT SOLAR HYBRID INVERTER SYSTEM SKU: GPINVERTER2 1600-Watt Solar Hybrid Inverter Head I 12 Months Warranty I Gentech Power Gel Battery I 7 Days Limited Warranty DISCLAIMER: Flat batteries and or reduced running time are not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. Should you experience a reduction in running time please recharge the batteries for ± 48 hours or consider purchasing new ones. Premature damage to the battery due to improper use is not covered by the manufacturer warranty. It must be noted that lead acid, AGM and gel batteries are not ideally suited for frequent, long, and deep discharges as currently experienced with load shedding. These types of batteries require a minimum of 48-72 hours of uninterrupted charging after each discharge to ensure they perform as specified. Load shedding directly reduces the capacity, performance and life span of these batteries which are beyond the manufacturers control. The Gentech Power Battery charge cycles are rated to last as follows: 100% Depth of Discharge = +- 350 Charge Cycles 80% Depth of Discharge = +- 520 Charge Cycles 50% Depth of Discharge = +- 730 Charge Cycles Due to the current and continuous load shedding, these cycles can be depleted between 3 to 6 months. Once these charge cycles are depleted, the battery will have reached its “end of life” and will need to be replaced immediately. We recommend that during Load Shedding Stage 3 – 6 that the inverter power switch is turned “OFF”. Only use the inverter when urgently required. Battery Warranty Disclaimer: Due to excessive load shedding this battery carries a limited warrantee of 7 days only. It is designed to perform as specified. The lifespan of this battery is pre-determined by the amount of charge and discharge cycles it will undergo over a period. These cycles are considered normal “wear and tear” and are not covered by the manufacturer warranty policy. Regular charging / discharging cycles will have a direct impact on the performance and or running time of this battery. Please refer to the performance and discharge data below. Please charge for 48 hours prior to use. Hi Peter there is a lot of these trolley inverters out there that uses Sla or Gel that won't last with current LS cycles. The setting on the inverter for Bulk charge that you stated does not make sense. You need a bulk charge for Lead Acid at least 27.6v and for LFP between 28v- 29.2v. What is possible on the inverter charge setup. What LFP batteries did you purchase. Do you have solar panels connected? Send a list or pictures of current setting. Where are you stationed?
April 9, 20231 yr Author 5 hours ago, TaliaB said: Hi TaliaB The settings for the gel batteries were correct only the low cut off value I had a problem with as stated. The lithium batteries I replaced them with are 2x 12v 100Ahr Batteryx batteries The only value I have I have a problem with is the CV voltage which I would have liked a bit higher than the max it can be set at 28.2v
April 9, 20231 yr 13 hours ago, Peter Topp said: have replaced the batteries with lithium batteries. The only problem is the bulk charging (CV voltage) voltage which should be set at 19.2v can only be set to 18.2v maximum. I was confused about your statement above but all good
April 9, 20231 yr Author Hi Sorry, it should have read 29.2v and 28.2, not 19.2v and 18.2v. Posted late last night and was tired.
June 12, 20231 yr Hi.Guys ...please advise where do we adjust the settings on the GenTech 1600 inverter. And also, where do we get new batteries when the inverter alarms repeatedly. What are the specs for these batteries...assuming they not the same. And how do we replace them.....is it easy to replace? If the cost is circa R8000 per battery, then is it not wiser to replace the entire unit. Lastly, how do we know the battery needs replacing.....if we cannot recharge the unit uniteruptedly for 48 to 72 hours....because of loadshedding??? Kindly advise or assist.....this is all new for me.
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