To bypass the 13A limit on a 5kW Sunsynk, can I add a 60A MicroCare MPPT and run the panels through this? System is not installed yet, nor have I bought panels yet. Thanks, Peter

3 hours ago, dax021 said:

To bypass the 13A limit on a 5kW Sunsynk, can I add a 60A MicroCare MPPT and run the panels through this? System is not installed yet, nor have I bought panels yet. Thanks, Peter

The 5kw Sunsynk inverter Mppt's is capable of 6500w pv input power. The 60 A Microcare Mppt is capable of 3000w. If you asking if you can add the Microcare Mppt to the battery bus in conjunction with the Sunsynk then the answer is yes then you can configure 9.5kw of solar.

Thank you, just what I wanted to hear. So basically I can put a combined 6.5kW E and W strings on the two Sunsynk MPPT's and another 3kW N string on the MicroCare feeding the same battery. Is that what you're saying?

Edited September 12, 2025Sep 12 by dax021

6 hours ago, dax021 said:

To bypass the 13A limit on a 5kW Sunsynk, can I add a 60A MicroCare MPPT and run the panels through this? System is not installed yet, nor have I bought panels yet. Thanks, Peter

I'm concerned that you are confusing the input current coming in from the panels, with the output current going towards the batteries. The 5kW Sunsynk has got a 13A limit on the input current, yes, but on the output side you can get up to 120A charging current. So saying you want to "bypass" the 13A limit on the 5kW Sunsynk by using a 60A (output) Microcare MPPT makes no sense.

What size battery bank are you talking about here, and what panels will you have connected?

Edited September 13, 2025Sep 13 by GreenFields

Hi GreenFields, thanks for that. I am just clutching straws at the moment and don't have panels or batteries yet, just the Sunsynk, Microcare MPPT and an Axpert 3kVA 48V. I assumed, probably incorrectly, that the 60A was input from the panels. My plan is to maximize the panels in order to run the whole house during the day and still have a full battery going into the night. I would like to go offgrid completely, but that depends on my budget for batteries and panels

14 minutes ago, dax021 said:

Hi GreenFields, thanks for that. I am just clutching straws at the moment and don't have panels or batteries yet, just the Sunsynk, Microcare MPPT and an Axpert 3kVA 48V. I assumed, probably incorrectly, that the 60A was input from the panels. My plan is to maximize the panels in order to run the whole house during the day and still have a full battery going into the night. I would like to go offgrid completely, but that depends on my budget for batteries and panels

Personal opinion: Your best bet is just to connect the Sunsynk 5kW first with an amount of batteries and panels that you calculate from your daily usage. It's a bit small, though, to go off-grid for your whole house with just a 5kW inverter. It will probably be tripping too often. You could divert a fair amount of power to your loads with it as long as you stay connected to the grid, but for going totally off-grid, you'd either want an additional 5kW inverter, or otherwise maybe you could then use your 3kVA Axpert to feed some dedicated loads.

Either speak to an installer to advise on the batteries or panels you need, or else if you say how much power you use per day or per month and what time of day, someone here could maybe give you some high-level ideas.

Thanks, food for thought. I haven't taken occupation yet, so can't measure usage, but the present owner says she spends about R700/mth on electricity (1yr ago). I have been living offgrid for the last year on my 3kVA system, so understand monitoring and managing my loads (sort of). Will only be 2 to 3 people living there.

Edited September 12, 2025Sep 12 by dax021

There is an option to add a Grid-Tie onto the Aux port on the 5Kw if you want an extra mppt for more panels.

Advantage is that the 5kw will restrict production when the extra power is not needed.

Unfortunately can't use the AXpert though as it is not a grid tied (as far as I know) and won't sync to the frequency the 5kw is running at.

12 hours ago, GreenFields said:

Personal opinion: Your best bet is just to connect the Sunsynk 5kW first with an amount of batteries and panels that you calculate from your daily usage. It's a bit small, though, to go off-grid for your whole house with just a 5kW inverter. It will probably be tripping too often. You could divert a fair amount of power to your loads with it as long as you stay connected to the grid, but for going totally off-grid, you'd either want an additional 5kW inverter, or otherwise maybe you could then use your 3kVA Axpert to feed some dedicated loads.

Either speak to an installer to advise on the batteries or panels you need, or else if you say how much power you use per day or per month and what time of day, someone here could maybe give you some high-level ideas.

It all depends on use. I am running the whole house off a 3.6kw inverter. 90% of the time the load is under 600W.

All high power items are scheduled during the day with their own apps (SmartLife as they are Hisense) (dishwasher, washing machine etc). I have never tripped. The inverter does not even have a AC input from Eskom.

Geyser will be on a Geysertech controller next month and I am getting the house disconnected early next year.

Edited September 13, 2025Sep 13 by Denns

12 hours ago, dax021 said:

Thanks, food for thought. I haven't taken occupation yet, so can't measure usage, but the present owner says she spends about R700/mth on electricity (1yr ago). I have been living offgrid for the last year on my 3kVA system, so understand monitoring and managing my loads (sort of). Will only be 2 to 3 people living there.

Yes, it’s all monitoring etc and I let apps schedule everything automatically. I have a 3 bed house with 3 garages, pool, fish pond pumps, oven, dishwasher machine, washing machine, toaster etc. my 3.6kw is doing just fine.

I also am connecting an additional charge controller to my battery bank next month. Everything is ready and I just need the panels. Current inverter has 4.55kw installed and I will add 1100W via a charge controller to it.

Extra panels are not needed but I want to be covered even for cloudy days as I am going off grid next year.

10 hours ago, Denns said:

Yes, it’s all monitoring etc and I let apps schedule everything automatically. I have a 3 bed house with 3 garages, pool, fish pond pumps, oven, dishwasher machine, washing machine, toaster etc. my 3.6kw is doing just fine.

I also am connecting an additional charge controller to my battery bank next month. Everything is ready and I just need the panels. Current inverter has 4.55kw installed and I will add 1100W via a charge controller to it.

Extra panels are not needed but I want to be covered even for cloudy days as I am going off grid next year.

As you indicated it can be done but I am sure more than 80% of households will not cope this way. Using 2 items in the kitchen and someone switches on a heater in winter and the inverter could be in overload .

I have been able to get around with a 3kW but excluding more than 1 high power load. Now with a 5kW with high bypass I can use any load and with 2 loads on in the kitchen. Even using my 1.8kW lawn mover during sun periods.

2 hours ago, Scorp007 said:

As you indicated it can be done but I am sure more than 80% of households will not cope this way. Using 2 items in the kitchen and someone switches on a heater in winter and the inverter could be in overload .

I have been able to get around with a 3kW but excluding more than 1 high power load. Now with a 5kW with high bypass I can use any load and with 2 loads on in the kitchen. Even using my 1.8kW lawn mover during sun periods.

I guess it just goes with how each household uses their power. The best scenario is always a bigger inverter but I was just highlighting that there’s no real reason you can’t use a smaller one to do the same job.

I have read on here some people are afraid of going off grid because they have a 5kw or 6kw inverter and I find it hard to understand how it is considered small to run a house off.

14 hours ago, Denns said:

I have read on here some people are afraid of going off grid because they have a 5kw or 6kw inverter and I find it hard to understand how it is considered small to run a house off.

Because the limit is low. I have a 4.6 kW inverter. Twenty amps. Most of the time I can run off of that OK, but early on we tripped the inverter fairly regularly. Typical scenario: Water heating is running (about 1.5 kW), dishwasher is turned on an heating water, kettle on, toaster on. Bingo! There's 20 amps and more. System trips.

So we cracked that one, mostly by timing the water heating and having rules about when we use appliances. The remaining problem is the electric lawn mower - guaranteed to draw more than 20 amps on start up - and probably other power tools. When we had our kitchen refurbished the guys that were doing that work had some sort of power saw that they used to cut granite, that's going to draw a bit more than an electric blanket.

So it's catering for the worst case that is the challenge. Going off-grid 95% of the time is easy peasy if you can agree on a routine.

1 hour ago, Bobster. said:

Because the limit is low. I have a 4.6 kW inverter. Twenty amps. Most of the time I can run off of that OK, but early on we tripped the inverter fairly regularly. Typical scenario: Water heating is running (about 1.5 kW), dishwasher is turned on an heating water, kettle on, toaster on. Bingo! There's 20 amps and more. System trips.

So we cracked that one, mostly by timing the water heating and having rules about when we use appliances. The remaining problem is the electric lawn mower - guaranteed to draw more than 20 amps on start up - and probably other power tools. When we had our kitchen refurbished the guys that were doing that work had some sort of power saw that they used to cut granite, that's going to draw a bit more than an electric blanket.

So it's catering for the worst case that is the challenge. Going off-grid 95% of the time is easy peasy if you can agree on a routine.

100% understandable. Because we had to buy new furniture etc for the house when we got it i did cater for high power loads by buying lower power items.

kettle is a gas one but we have a 1.5kw electric one in case someone wants to heat quicker. Microwave we got the largest size we could but pulls no more than 1.5kw also. Air fryer also tops out on 1.5kw of using the larger side. If using both sides then it uses 2.9kw.

Dishwasher uses 1.5kw when the element turns on otherwise for a 2hr cycle the element kicks in for 20 minutes. Washing machine uses 1.3kw if the element kicks in which is for 5 minutes. Toaster is a 1.1kw 4 slice one.

The only day we can’t run 2 items is when the Garderner comes and he is using the electric blower and the electric cutter. Those pull 1.8kw but because he comes once every 2 weeks we just decided on the Saturday when he’s here we just watch to not turn on 2 things at a time in the morning but we are mostly out and about as the cleaner is also in so no one is home.

The whole process was made easier because it was a new house so because I knew what inverter I had I planned around it. So we can run 2 items at a time comfortably. Pool runs during the week for 8 hrs a day and so does the washing machine and dishwasher because no one is at home between 7am and 4pm.

It’s not worth the effort for the average household though, inverters are cheap nowadays so there’s little reason to be buying anything less than 6kw. I would just bite the bullet and buy a 8kw plus if one is starting out in solar.

Edited September 14, 2025Sep 14 by Denns