I've read extensively about the Aux port on the Sunsynk and Deye inverters on this forum incl. the helpful PDF. Are there any downsides or limitations of using this port to connect to all NON-essentials?

I am looking at getting a 5kw version and it seems that installers and SaaS providers are not keen to use the Aux port but the reason is unclear.

Before anyone suggests to  move all the NON-essentials to Essentials to keep it simple, please note this will not work for me. I need them split. However, esp. if we are going to stages 8-10 with >12 hours a day outages, it would be great to be able use NON-essentials on days when there is enough excess solar power on a sunny day (Esp. in a managed way). SO what are the downsides of making Aux = NON-Essentials? 

When the GRID is ON  then I assume everything connected to the Aux port works exactly as if if it weren't on the Aux port as per traditional NON-essential setup? Is there any limitation in terms of amperage throughput or power "blending" of the different power sources to feed the load on Aux(i.e. the inverter sill uses solar, battery and AC grid power to service everything as optimally as possible)? Let's say I had a 5500W NON-Essential watt load running on the Aux with GRID ON. Would it simply use the AC passthrough or power from Grid to enable this?

When the GRID is OFF, worst case scenario, Aux doesn't function as advertised OR you do not have enough solar/battery then all the NON-essentials are off and cannot be used anyway, just like when they are not connected to the Aux in the traditional case - no downside....I understand that you will still be limited during load shedding to the inverters rated output but if you have spare capacity within that limit you could use it.....

I can't figure out why the default install method is not putting Non-Essentials on Aux.....

5 hours ago, Octave said:

I've read extensively about the Aux port on the Sunsynk and Deye inverters on this forum incl. the helpful PDF. Are there any downsides or limitations of using this port to connect to all NON-essentials?

I am looking at getting a 5kw version and it seems that installers and SaaS providers are not keen to use the Aux port but the reason is unclear.

Before anyone suggests to  move all the NON-essentials to Essentials to keep it simple, please note this will not work for me. I need them split. However, esp. if we are going to stages 8-10 with >12 hours a day outages, it would be great to be able use NON-essentials on days when there is enough excess solar power on a sunny day (Esp. in a managed way). SO what are the downsides of making Aux = NON-Essentials? 

When the GRID is ON  then I assume everything connected to the Aux port works exactly as if if it weren't on the Aux port as per traditional NON-essential setup? Is there any limitation in terms of amperage throughput or power "blending" of the different power sources to feed the load on Aux(i.e. the inverter sill uses solar, battery and AC grid power to service everything as optimally as possible)? Let's say I had a 5500W NON-Essential watt load running on the Aux with GRID ON. Would it simply use the AC passthrough or power from Grid to enable this?

When the GRID is OFF, worst case scenario, Aux doesn't function as advertised OR you do not have enough solar/battery then all the NON-essentials are off and cannot be used anyway, just like when they are not connected to the Aux in the traditional case - no downside....I understand that you will still be limited during load shedding to the inverters rated output but if you have spare capacity within that limit you could use it.....

I can't figure out why the default install method is not putting Non-Essentials on Aux.....

Non essentials normally have high power requirements. A geyser is fine on the aux port but not all non essentials

In principle agreed. Maybe I need to qualify this use case more: Put all non-essentials on Aux so that when needed, you can manually activate the Aux and manage the attached non-essentials to stay within the supply/load parameters. Imagine a 3-4 days outage (have had 2 of those this year). In such as scenario, I would love to go onto the app, activate the aux and manually load manage the non-essentials (example, if enough solar, then run the oven off solar, whilst checking that geyser is off and vice versa) - so it afford the opportunity of responsible use of the non-essentials with manual intervention which is better than not having them work at all when the grid is off and you have enough solar/battery at a given time...

I'd like to share my experience with my aux port (Smart Load).

I think that the main reservation behind it is that there's a lack of experience with it in general.  Also to wire it up is a proper mission since you have to totally divorce whatever is wired to it from the rest of the house or it causes issues.

I've personally had my six geysers put onto Smart Load purely to force them to use the sun and leave my battery alone at night.  I think if I wasn't on a parallel system it would work perfectly fine (We still have some kinks to work out and are converting some to gas).  I have also sometimes turned on the "On when on grid" function to force it on when I have a lot of guests.  For me it's meant the difference between 2kW draw and 20kW draw and my one battery lasts a lot longer at night.  I can now even pick and choose which one runs:

So for your case I definitely recommend it, but find yourself a brave... no brave is the wrong word... a determined electrician who is willing to do the leg work and wire things correctly.  If you so much as share a single neutral it's a bugger up (which we had in my case).  The electrician I had actually popped one of my aircons.

Thanks for sharing! That's exactly what I'm hearing: "it can be done....but..." or "we just not used to doing it this way, but it should work..."

Instead of using aux, would it be simpler to create an additional manual switch to move the non-essentials to essentials manually when there is enough solar for a temporary time while the grid is down. I know for average Joe this would not be …but for my scenario, in a small household where I can control and understand the parameters, I'd check that the solar output is more than enough and the activate whatever non-essential  I'd need. After 1-2 hours, I'd then switch them off and move non-essentials back to essentials. I understand that if there is a sudden drop in solar, then the inverter would trip. But again, this is more for an emergency situation, say 3 day outage and you get desperate to use oven or get more hot water.... 

Disclaimer: I don't have much experience with aux (yet, by next week my father in law's geyser will be on aux)...

I would do as you're suggesting- all non-essentials on aux, wire and program correctly, but include a change-over switch to Eskom. That way, you manually manage your loads while on aux (and correct setup will disconnect aux below certain battery level), but you still have option to connect direct Eskom in case you need to run beyond pass-through limitations (seldom, but best to future proof from the start)...

Best of both worlds 😉