June 17, 20242 yr We installed a sunsync 5KVA system a week ago and since then my geyser electricity consumption has shot through the roof. I have a CBI timer on my geyser and before the installation we were consuming approximately 25-30KWH on a 150litre geyser with it switched on all day. Since the installation this has sky rocketed to 80KWH a day and I have had to switch it and off to try spare electricity at intervals during the day. Apparently they installed a grid tie setup which is supposed to assist with the water heating through the day. Our usage of water has stayed the same. With it only running at intervals throughout the day (approximately 9 hours in total) we are now consuming 35kwh a day which is still more than when I had it on all day pre install. I went and doubled checked our meter reading as I had to submit to council a day after the install. (The solar team are also saying it is the CbI app which is incorrect.) Our average units a day in May were 41KWH with the geyser on all day, we use gas for the ovens and kettle etc. since the solar install this has shot to 61kwh a day on average. The team who installed the solar are saying it is my geyser as well however I have had the element and the thermostat replaced since the installation and this has not helped at all. I brought out another electrician and they checked the DB board and said all was fine there. The plumber says my geyser is also in working order. However I find it too coincidental that since they installed the solar there is now a huge problem with the geyser. Does anyone have any ideas on where we can start to troubleshoot this? the people I have consulted say there is nothing wrong but there definitely is a problem.
June 19, 20242 yr On 2024/06/17 at 7:35 AM, AnthB said: We installed a sunsync 5KVA system a week ago and since then my geyser electricity consumption has shot through the roof. I have a CBI timer on my geyser and before the installation we were consuming approximately 25-30KWH on a 150litre geyser with it switched on all day. Since the installation this has sky rocketed to 80KWH a day and I have had to switch it and off to try spare electricity at intervals during the day. Apparently they installed a grid tie setup which is supposed to assist with the water heating through the day. Our usage of water has stayed the same. With it only running at intervals throughout the day (approximately 9 hours in total) we are now consuming 35kwh a day which is still more than when I had it on all day pre install. I went and doubled checked our meter reading as I had to submit to council a day after the install. (The solar team are also saying it is the CbI app which is incorrect.) Our average units a day in May were 41KWH with the geyser on all day, we use gas for the ovens and kettle etc. since the solar install this has shot to 61kwh a day on average. The team who installed the solar are saying it is my geyser as well however I have had the element and the thermostat replaced since the installation and this has not helped at all. I brought out another electrician and they checked the DB board and said all was fine there. The plumber says my geyser is also in working order. However I find it too coincidental that since they installed the solar there is now a huge problem with the geyser. Does anyone have any ideas on where we can start to troubleshoot this? the people I have consulted say there is nothing wrong but there definitely is a problem. The 1st thing is that if your system is not installed correctly with the CT in right direction as well as settings you could be exporting power and it is measured as power used. Why the geyser uses more power I have no idea. It cannot use more to do the same heating whether the AC power comes from the grid or the inverter. Start by switching it off and study the power at your power meter from munic.
June 19, 20242 yr On 2024/06/17 at 7:35 AM, AnthB said: we were consuming approximately 25-30KWH on a 150litre geyser with it switched on all day. Can we start with a description of how much hot water you use and when? If you're using 25-30kWh per day on the geyser, even before the solar, that suggests that you are emptying the geyser out and re-heating it about 5 times per day. Just speculating, it could be for example for 5 people each taking a full bath or long shower during the day, and most likely when the sun isn't up, and a usage pattern like that could explain why solar water heating (any type) might not be giving you the savings you were expecting. Again, just speculation. Beyond that, could you confirm the amount of solar panels you've got connected, what the timer settings are for turning the geyser on and off, and how this corresponds to the inverter's operating settings, work mode settings. Other than that, can you confirm whether maybe your inverter's work mode settings are set up for solar export to the grid, and whether a pre-paid (??) meter is registering your exportation as consumption. Maybe post pics of the inverter screens. I'm assuming your installer has put the CT coil in correctly, but should be checked anyway. Edited June 20, 20242 yr by GreenFields
June 21, 20242 yr Have you checked for any leaks on the hot water line? May sound odd, but I had a leak under the floor in the bathroom, this caused my geyser to run more than often.
June 21, 20242 yr On 2024/06/19 at 8:44 PM, Scorp007 said: The 1st thing is that if your system is not installed correctly with the CT in right direction as well as settings you could be exporting power and it is measured as power used. sounds like the cuplrit 99% sunsynk/deye issues are incorrect ct installation and or settings MY Opinion Edited June 21, 20242 yr by WannabeSolarSparky
June 21, 20242 yr 3 minutes ago, WannabeSolarSparky said: sounds like the cuplrit 99% sunsynk/deye issues are incorrect ct installation and or settings MY Opinion Here I have to agree. So many installers have not even opened the manual if we go by how problems have been solved. Agree on settings and CT not as in the manual. When having errors the owners can also check some items against the manual and not just go by what the installers tell you just so that they can attent to the next call without "wasting" time.
June 21, 20242 yr Quote I have a CBI timer on my geyser and before the installation we were consuming approximately 25-30KWH on a 150litre geyser with it switched on all day. Since the installation this has sky rocketed to 80KWH a day and I have had to switch it and off to try spare electricity at intervals during the day. Apparently they installed a grid tie setup which is supposed to assist with the water heating through the day. Our usage of water has stayed the same. With it only running at intervals throughout the day (approximately 9 hours in total) we are now consuming 35kwh a day which is still more than when I had it on all day pre install. Like @Gavin van Dam said earlier - check for a hot water leak. You say your water usage has stayed the same - not sure how you checking - but in my case I had a hot water leak in the shower behind tiles - there was no visible indication of a water hot leak.
June 21, 20242 yr I would rather have my high water use than high hot water cost. In my case it was partially a leak at the meter. After it was replaced it improved but I could still not get back to 10kL/month. Looked all over. Stopped looking and a few months later with no action it returned to normal. Sometimes one must just not worry about the small change.
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