Good day. My system is almost complete and I'm about to switch it on. 

5.48kw Kodak inverter, 10x455w JAL panels 2p5s and a 3.5kw supercap batt. 

What is the sequence for switching it on, check everything and then switching off please. 

Thank you

 

Edited January 29, 20251 yr by Herbie.

As per chatgpt😀

For a safe startup of your new solar system, follow this sequence:

 

1. Pre-Check

 

Ensure all connections (solar panels, battery, inverter, and load) are correctly wired and secure.

 

Verify that the battery is charged and within its operating voltage range.

 

Check that circuit breakers (AC and DC) are OFF before starting.

 

 

2. Power-Up Sequence

 

1. Turn on the battery first – This ensures the inverter has a stable power source before receiving solar input.

 

 

2. Turn on the inverter – The inverter will detect the battery and initialize.

 

 

3. Turn on the solar PV disconnect/breaker – The inverter will now start using solar power.

 

 

4. Turn on the AC output breaker – This will allow the inverter to supply power to loads.

 

 

 

3. System Check

 

Monitor the inverter display or app to ensure proper operation.

 

Check that the battery is charging and the PV input is stable.

 

Verify that loads are receiving power correctly.

 

 

Shutdown Sequence (if needed)

 

1. Turn off AC output breaker

 

 

2. Turn off solar PV disconnect

 

 

3. Turn off inverter

 

 

4. Turn off battery

 

 

Gotta love ChatGPT @DeezGP 😁


Process I use for Sunsynk...but should be similar for all types...

Shutdown process:

1. Flip the Change Over Switch to Grid (To power the house from the Grid and bypass the system)
2. Flip the Inverter breakers Off in the AC Combiner DB Box
 2a. Flip the breakers for each PV string Off (IF you have breakers for your panel string/s)
3. Flip the PV (DC) Isolator on each Inverter Off
4. Press the On/Off button on the Inverter to turn Off (Takes about 60-90sec for the inverter to turn off completely)
5. Flip the breaker/s on the battery to Off

System is now shutdown and safe to work on.

Startup process:

1. Flip the battery breaker/s to On
2. Flip the Inverter breakers in the AC Combiner DB Box to On
3. Press the On/Off button on the Inverter to turn On
4. Flip the PV (DC) Isolator on each Inverter On
 4a. Flip the breakers for each PV string On (IF you have breakers for your panel string/s, it will take a few seconds for the PV to kick in on the inverter)
(WAIT for the system to startup fully and Normalize, at this point you will see the DC(if during the day and you have panels) and AC lights. The NORMAL light can take 60-120sec to illuminate you will hear the relays when this happens.)
5. Once you see the NORMAL light you can now flip the Change Over Switch in the AC Combiner DB Box to Inverter for the system to pick up the load.

Thanks Deez and Carl but shouldn't the battery be disconnected before the PV strings? 

Edited February 5, 20251 yr by Herbie.

The sequence I got was from my installer, which I have used a few times in that order and have had no issues.

Essentially you are stopping the load running through the inverter, then you stopping the flow of PV, then you switching off the inverter and lastly switching off the battery.

Battery will still supply power to the inverter, after you drop the AC supply to the inverter. Way I see it it allows for a safe shutdown…

That's how I do it, ok, only once when we upgraded the panels, but it worked 100%..(no smoke)😀

On 2025/02/05 at 5:56 AM, Carl Anthony said:

Gotta love ChatGPT @DeezGP 😁


Process I use for Sunsynk...but should be similar for all types...

Shutdown process:

1. Flip the Change Over Switch to Grid (To power the house from the Grid and bypass the system)
2. Flip the Inverter breakers Off in the AC Combiner DB Box
 2a. Flip the breakers for each PV string Off (IF you have breakers for your panel string/s)
3. Flip the PV (DC) Isolator on each Inverter Off
4. Press the On/Off button on the Inverter to turn Off (Takes about 60-90sec for the inverter to turn off completely)
5. Flip the breaker/s on the battery to Off

System is now shutdown and safe to work on.

Startup process:

1. Flip the battery breaker/s to On
2. Flip the Inverter breakers in the AC Combiner DB Box to On
3. Press the On/Off button on the Inverter to turn On
4. Flip the PV (DC) Isolator on each Inverter On
 4a. Flip the breakers for each PV string On (IF you have breakers for your panel string/s, it will take a few seconds for the PV to kick in on the inverter)
(WAIT for the system to startup fully and Normalize, at this point you will see the DC(if during the day and you have panels) and AC lights. The NORMAL light can take 60-120sec to illuminate you will hear the relays when this happens.)
5. Once you see the NORMAL light you can now flip the Change Over Switch in the AC Combiner DB Box to Inverter for the system to pick up the load.

To "flip over" the changeover switch, doesn't the power fall away and 0.5 sec later, gets replaced by the grid power?

If that happens wouldn't it be detrimental for any fridge/freezer compressors who might be running at that moment, because they will stop and the start against back pressure?

Or do you use a refrigiration surge protector plug with a built in restart time delay? 

1 hour ago, Vaal said:

To "flip over" the changeover switch, doesn't the power fall away and 0.5 sec later, gets replaced by the grid power?

If that happens wouldn't it be detrimental for any fridge/freezer compressors who might be running at that moment, because they will stop and the start against back pressure?

Or do you use a refrigiration surge protector plug with a built in restart time delay? 

Depends how you flip it, flip it slow then yes power will drop and return.

Flip it fast enough and there is no break in supply.

Use to do this with my change over switch when I use to run the generator, when grid restored I would flip it fast enough so there is no drop in power.

Disclaimer: this is my process to use and unsure if this is the “proper” way to do this. I have done it for years on the change over with the generator and since I got solar have done this a good few times already without issue. *touch wood*

I also do it fast and no power drops

On 2025/02/11 at 9:15 PM, Vaal said:

To "flip over" the changeover switch, doesn't the power fall away and 0.5 sec later, gets replaced by the grid power?

If that happens wouldn't it be detrimental for any fridge/freezer compressors who might be running at that moment, because they will stop and the start against back pressure?

Digging up an old post (again 🙂), but just wanted to say THANKS to @Vaal for this - so obvious, but so easy to overlook... And not mentioned in any of the manufacturers' recommended sequences.

1 hour ago, HennieL said:

Digging up an old post (again 🙂), but just wanted to say THANKS to @Vaal for this - so obvious, but so easy to overlook... And not mentioned in any of the manufacturers' recommended sequences.

Good info. Due to this reason I have been making sure the power of off about 30+ sec before the fridges gets power again .My standard way for many years .

One the other hand I doubt manufacturers give guidance for specific loads as some inverters have a setting to allow enough time for it to synch to the grid. The Syns/Deye has quite a longish period after the inverter is switched on after a manual total shut down.

Edited September 13, 2025Sep 13 by Scorp007

On 2025/09/13 at 12:47 PM, Scorp007 said:

Good info. Due to this reason I have been making sure the power of off about 30+ sec before the fridges gets power again .My standard way for many years .

One the other hand I doubt manufacturers give guidance for specific loads as some inverters have a setting to allow enough time for it to synch to the grid. The Syns/Deye has quite a longish period after the inverter is switched on after a manual total shut down.

Scorp, you mention waiting 30s before your swith on your compressor driven appliances.

Fyi the cheaper refrigiration surge protector's restart delay are about 2 to 3 minutes but the Clearline unit's delay is nearly 5 minutes.

What is nice about these Refrigiration Surge protectors are that if you use models by different manufacturers, you can stagger the startup times of different devices, as not to get a start-up overload when the power comes back on.

Haha, it is very frustrating to wait so long for a freezer/fridge to start up after you worked on it. LoL

7 hours ago, Vaal said:

Fyi the cheaper refrigiration surge protector's restart delay are about 2 to 3 minutes but the Clearline unit's delay is nearly 5 minutes.

Agreed - I wait 5 minutes between flipping the change-over switch to "Off" (middle setting) before then switching it to either "Grid" or "Inverter" as the case may be.

10 hours ago, Vaal said:

Haha, it is very frustrating to wait so long for a freezer/fridge to start up after you worked on it. LoL

I have never timed the surge relay. If you have my memory then you will find that after switching off the fridge to switch on again I have forgotten a few times to switch on. I have just seen that the fridge tends to not battle to switch on after 30sec or when the fridge switches on when checking the power draw. I prefer a 2 min + waiting period.

A fridge "battles to start" after rapid power cycling because the high-pressure refrigerant needs time to depressurize, allowing the compressor's start components to build enough torque for a successful startup. If power is repeatedly switched off and on, the compressor components, like the PTC thermistor or start capacitor, may overheat or be unable to provide the necessary starting torque, causing the motor to click or fail to start, typically produce a loud humming sound overloading the compressor motor until the PTC trip temprature is reached, so yes the time will vary from compressor to compressor.