Hi Folks

I finally had my system installed on Firday and Saturday past.

The 12 panels are split into 2 strings. 7 on the east string and 5 on the north string. The sun hours are roughly split between the two. The north string has limited roof space though I could probably add another in landscape above the exisitng.

I havent used the grid at all since Saturday which was the main aim of doing this. Only the electric geyser is left on the grid, the rest all run off the batteries. I have a gas geyser as the main geyser that supplies both house on my property. My mom lives in the other dwelling as she is renting out her properties otherwise she wouldve live alone since my dad passed a few years ago. Her stove and oven is gas. Only my cooking is gas with an electrical oven, airfryer, microwaves, multiple tv's, irrigation pumps and a pool pump. We ran the oven and kettle off the batteries last night and the batteries was at 60% SoC before it starting charging from solar this morning.

Thus far it is doing exactly what I want but I do think I am missing some performance. I will gladly take some advise on the settings below.

Off the cuff, I'm a bit concerned about that tree shade on the western end of your roof - I suspect that it will move over a part of your westernmost panels (and this could get worse in winter when the sun is lower...), and that could restrict your midday to evening solar yield. Watch it for now, and if it does become a problem then consider cutting down that tree - owners of solar systems invariably (and rapidly) also become owners of chain saws 😆

1 hour ago, HennieL said:

Off the cuff, I'm a bit concerned about that tree shade on the western end of your roof - I suspect that it will move over a part of your westernmost panels (and this could get worse in winter when the sun is lower...), and that could restrict your midday to evening solar yield. Watch it for now, and if it does become a problem then consider cutting down that tree - owners of solar systems invariably (and rapidly) also become owners of chain saws 😆

This picture was taken after 5pm. The is my guava tree that needs to be pruned but by the time when those shadows come on to the roof the sun is very low already. I will prune that tree soon otherwise my roof and gutters gets filled with guavas.

1 hour ago, jdido87 said:

This picture was taken after 5pm. The is my guava tree that needs to be pruned but by the time when those shadows come on to the roof the sun is very low already.

No problem then... Just watch it as the winter approaches.

I am wondering about that inverter. It is right under the corrugated roofing. I don't know how long it will last staying mounted there as heat will kill it very quickly. It gets insanely hot under metal roofs.

16 hours ago, Denns said:

I am wondering about that inverter. It is right under the corrugated roofing. I don't know how long it will last staying mounted there as heat will kill it very quickly. It gets insanely hot under metal roofs.

The eave of the house is over that particular section but I am going to insulate it and fit rhinoboard as soon as I am done with some other things in that room. It was my laundry room, poolpump house and toolshed. The washing machines and poolpump was removed. I will be installing a window in one of the walls as well just to control temperatures inside there. The windows has been delivered already and it will be installed over the long weekend

8 hours ago, jdido87 said:

The eave of the house is over that particular section but I am going to insulate it and fit rhinoboard as soon as I am done with some other things in that room. It was my laundry room, poolpump house and toolshed. The washing machines and poolpump was removed. I will be installing a window in one of the walls as well just to control temperatures inside there. The windows has been delivered already and it will be installed over the long weekend

Or you could install a small inverter type air conditioner - this has the dual advantages of both keeping your inverer and batteries cool in summer, and warm in winter if required, and also use up some wasted spare power generated by your system in summer - assuming that you designed your system with adequate winter production in mind... Aircons are relatively cheap, and extending your expensive batteries' life by a year or two by keeping their temperatures within the "Goldilocks zone" would probably fully cover this additional cost.

If I were you, I would also add a false ceiling with some Think Pink thermal insulation between this ceiling and the roof.

5 hours ago, HennieL said:

Or you could install a small inverter type air conditioner - this has the dual advantages of both keeping your inverer and batteries cool in summer, and warm in winter if required, and also use up some wasted spare power generated by your system in summer - assuming that you designed your system with adequate winter production in mind... Aircons are relatively cheap, and extending your expensive batteries' life by a year or two by keeping their temperatures within the "Goldilocks zone" would probably fully cover this additional cost.

If I were you, I would also add a false ceiling with some Think Pink thermal insulation between this ceiling and the roof.

The room has no direct sunlight and stays relatively cool most of the time. I am doing double insulation with a layer of sisalation and isotherm. It worked a charm in my brain room. I just need to sort out the ventilation. Started with the window opening today. I will have to tint that window as that wall is hit by direct sunlight for the most of the day. I am going to mount an extractor fan in the door that can run permanently during the day.

By what time are your batteries full? Why not heat the geyser with free solar electricity?

When I'm at home, as soon as my panels generate more than 2.5kW/hr, I switch my geyser on. To install a 2kW element was one of the best moves I've done. If I'm not at home the geyser gets switched on at 10h30 (season depending) with a timer.

My average grid consumption is less than 1kw/hr per day.

29 minutes ago, Vaal said:

By what time are your batteries full? Why not heat the geyser with free solar electricity?

When I'm at home, as soon as my panels generate more than 2.5kW/hr, I switch my geyser on. To install a 2kW element was one of the best moves I've done. If I'm not at home the geyser gets switched on at 10h30 (season depending) with a timer.

I fully agree - the 2kW element allows for earlier start, and later termination of heating... and it's great to know that your hot water is there thanks to otherwise wasted PV power.

On 2026/04/10 at 8:41 PM, Vaal said:

By what time are your batteries full? Why not heat the geyser with free solar electricity?

When I'm at home, as soon as my panels generate more than 2.5kW/hr, I switch my geyser on. To install a 2kW element was one of the best moves I've done. If I'm not at home the geyser gets switched on at 10h30 (season depending) with a timer.

My average grid consumption is less than 1kw/hr per day.

The batteries are usually full by 11 to 12. I am going to supply the electric geyser with the additional solar capacity however I just need to make a few changes to my plumbing that would make it easier to switch between the two geysers. Currently I have to get into the roof to close a ball valve for the electric geyser. I need to create an easier access point for this. I am busy building a second bathroom and the plumbing is up next so I will do it in the next few weeks when I have some time.

Can I correct the electric geyser to a sonoff smart switch or is there a specific switch that needs to be used given the power demands of the geyser?

I hardly use the grid at all since my system has been installed. There is just a 20w charge from the grid.

I need some advice.

My discharge rate is set at 120amp. Is this too high?

1 hour ago, jdido87 said:

I need some advice.

My discharge rate is set at 120amp. Is this too high?

You are spot on at 120A if you read the warrenty clause on the OEM spesifications. 43A x 3 = 129A charge discharge for the 3 batteries in parallel. See bottom section of spec sheet highlighted in yellow.

@TaliaB They specify max continuous discharge current at 150A, surely this 0.5C is just a suggestion to get more than 6000 cycles out of the battery? If you had to set max discharge on the inverter at 180A thats only 60A on each battery. Just the way i interpret it🤷‍♂️

30 minutes ago, Mattyboy said:

@TaliaB They specify max continuous discharge current at 150A, surely this 0.5C is just a suggestion to get more than 6000 cycles out of the battery? If you had to set max discharge on the inverter at 180A thats only 60A on each battery. Just the way i interpret it🤷‍♂️

I agree with you no problem discharging at 0.5C but if the op doesn't need it to be set higher than 120A as the installer set it up then it is fine why change it. If the load depicts higher draw from the batteries there is ample capacity.

2 hours ago, jdido87 said:

I need some advice.

My discharge rate is set at 120amp. Is this too high?

I was merely responding to the op's question and referenced the spesification sheet.

2 hours ago, jdido87 said:

I need some advice.

My discharge rate is set at 120amp. Is this too high?

Your 120A is very close to 43Ax3 for the batteries to last longer as the recommended guideline listed in yellow as @TaliaB posted to @Mattyboy

While the battery can supply 1.5C lower current will always provide a longer life.

0.5C is good for extended battery life, as @TaliaB and @Scorp007 confirmed - just be aware that the manufacturer's warranty also state "@ 25 degrees Celsius"...

Inverters generate a lot of heat, and batteries also heat up when charging. It was mentioned earlier in this thread by @Denns that the "inverter room" being quite small, and with an IBR (metal) roof with no ceiling could become hot. The response from @jdido87 did confirm that insulation would be installed, and that this would (obviously) keep external heat out... but the same insulation would tend to keep internal heat in... Just something else to keep in mind...

On 2026/04/29 at 9:04 AM, jdido87 said:

The batteries are usually full by 11 to 12. I am going to supply the electric geyser with the additional solar capacity however I just need to make a few changes to my plumbing that would make it easier to switch between the two geysers. Currently I have to get into the roof to close a ball valve for the electric geyser. I need to create an easier access point for this. I am busy building a second bathroom and the plumbing is up next so I will do it in the next few weeks when I have some time.

Can I correct the electric geyser to a sonoff smart switch or is there a specific switch that needs to be used given the power demands of the geyser?

I hardly use the grid at all since my system has been installed. There is just a 20w charge from the grid.

Yes you can use a Sonoff to control when you want to switch the geyser on or off manually. Just make sure the switch can handle the current drawn by the element.

I only use a timer.

If you are scared to overload your inverter you can use a Load Control Relay to switch the geyser off when more than a specified amount of power is drawn by the rest of the house.

Mornings

I seem to have an issue. It is a beautifal sunny day in Cape Town but I am only generate 338w. If I turn on a pump then the pv generation spikes. With the storms we had recently I changed the quick settings in the Deye Cloud app to force charge mode so that the batteries could charge from the grid. I have since changed it to self consumption mode as I cannot seem to disable them from the app. I also disable grid charge and enable time of use again.

Any idea what can cause the low pv generation? No shadows at all being cast over the panels.

I notice that the inverter is not prioritizing charging the batteries.

Edited May 14May 14 by jdido87

16 minutes ago, jdido87 said:

Any idea what can cause the low pv generation? No shadows at all being cast over the panels.

I only have experience with the Sunsynk app, so no direct advice... but why don't you just switch off your grid and see if there is any change to the PV generation? With more info someone is bound to come up with a solution...

27 minutes ago, HennieL said:

I only have experience with the Sunsynk app, so no direct advice... but why don't you just switch off your grid and see if there is any change to the PV generation? With more info someone is bound to come up with a solution...

It seems the inverter is only powering the house load.

with regards to the system not prioritising charging the batteries, under system work mode 1 ensure that the energy pattern is set to "Batt First". Would be beneficial to post a screenshot of your system work mode's setttings.

38 minutes ago, Mattyboy said:

with regards to the system not prioritising charging the batteries, under system work mode 1 ensure that the energy pattern is set to "Batt First". Would be beneficial to post a screenshot of your system work mode's setttings.

See attached screenshots of the settings. The workmode is set to Batt First.

that is super strange, everything seems to be in order. what are your batteries currently at? you may aswell enable grid charge (your TOU has ensured as minimal grid usage as possible). Try disabling your "MPPT Multi-point Scanning" setting as you mention you don't get affected by shading. if this doesnt work, try turning your PV off and waiting until there is no voltage for pv on your inverter screen and then turn it back on.

1 hour ago, Mattyboy said:

that is super strange, everything seems to be in order. what are your batteries currently at? you may aswell enable grid charge (your TOU has ensured as minimal grid usage as possible). Try disabling your "MPPT Multi-point Scanning" setting as you mention you don't get affected by shading. if this doesnt work, try turning your PV off and waiting until there is no voltage for pv on your inverter screen and then turn it back on.

1 hour ago, Mattyboy said:

that is super strange, everything seems to be in order. what are your batteries currently at? you may aswell enable grid charge (your TOU has ensured as minimal grid usage as possible). Try disabling your "MPPT Multi-point Scanning" setting as you mention you don't get affected by shading. if this doesnt work, try turning your PV off and waiting until there is no voltage for pv on your inverter screen and then turn it back on.

The battery has been on 64% all day. It was on 65% just prior to the solar taking over the house load. The installer updated the firmware as well earlier on but no change. The moment turn on the pool pump the solar generation increases to match the load but no excess solar are going to the batteries.

Also, I enabled grid charge and turned off time of use. The batteries aren't charging from the grid either. This worked fine a day ago with the storms.

Edited May 14May 14 by jdido87