Good Day, hope someone can help?

I picked up the problem with two separate Goodwe 5048's, both connected to at least 7kWh Pylontech batteries:

 Both systems set up in backup mode. When there is no grid and no PV and the backup output trip due to overload (hairdryer probably!), the backup output does not switch back on unless there is grid power or PV power. So this will typically happen at night when there is loadshedding, the time when you really need the backup output.When there is grid or PV power, the backup switch on ok.

Both inverters are on the latest firmware and it happens even when the batteries are 100% full.

19 hours ago, Solisimo said:

I picked up the problem with two separate Goodwe 5048's, both connected to at least 7kWh Pylontech batteries:

did you check if it is not the batteries getting overloaded and switching off? Also check if the inverter has been set up to restart the batteries.

13 minutes ago, Fuenkli said:

did you check if it is not the batteries getting overloaded and switching off? Also check if the inverter has been set up to restart the batteries.

I second Fuenkli's suggestion. Two 3.5kWh pylontechs won't be enough to provide a continuous load of 4.6kW to the Goodwe, so they might overload after some time. They are only good for a continuous draw of roughly 70A, so 3.5kW. However, this would be before accounting for the AC to DC conversion, so technically a continuous draw of about 3.2kW on the AC side. Not sure to what extent inductive loads might influence this, so to be safe (if there's a few inductive loads), I won't try to pull more than 3kW from them continuously on the AC side.

You might have to then restart them manually. However, I've never actually pushed my two 3.5 Pylontechs so far as to actually overload them so not sure of the procedure.

My layman's recommendation would be to add a third battery to the 4.6kW Goodwe. I'm also planning on adding another 3.5 to my pack, at some point in the future.

Thank you for the suggestions - it makes sense

I had exactly the same problem with a goodwe ES 4.6, but I have 4 Pylon US3000. If I check PV master Battery Activated is ON. Is there any other parameter that needs to be set

Did you make sure that Back-up supply and Off-grid output switch is on?

Hi Solisimo. I thought I had so I checked PV Master and it appeared OK, so I checked the PV Master manual and Lo and behold, there is NO Off grid output switch! That is, there is one shown in the manual (p11) but it doesn't appear on PV Master - although the associated text is there. Look at the attached screen dump and it should become clear.

Thanks for the help - I'll phone Goodwe today to see what they have to say.

 

Did you ever work out what was going on with this? I've got a similar problem (with my replacement Goodwe inverter), and can't access the "Off-Grid Output" option either.

I think the option may only be active under certain modes e.g. backup mode

Hi Solisimo. I can't believe that, but if true it is unbelievably stupid on the part of Goodwe. I haven't followed up as it was quite urgent that I solved the problem so I did this by moving the offending item onto the non critical side. However it was a work around rather than a fix. I have in fact sent emails to Goodwe in UK and Germany as I cannot find the Goodwe contact in SA, but I got no response. If somebody could supply a phone number or Email for Goodwe locally then I would be happy to try and get an answer from them

17 hours ago, Dave Thomas said:

Hi Solisimo. I can't believe that, but if true it is unbelievably stupid on the part of Goodwe. I haven't followed up as it was quite urgent that I solved the problem so I did this by moving the offending item onto the non critical side. However it was a work around rather than a fix. I have in fact sent emails to Goodwe in UK and Germany as I cannot find the Goodwe contact in SA, but I got no response. If somebody could supply a phone number or Email for Goodwe locally then I would be happy to try and get an answer from them

I was directed to Dave Havenga (Goodwe rep Southern Africa): [email protected]

He responded to my query about RMA, so maybe he can advise?

My setup is running in UPS (backup) mode, and it's sometimes failing to reconnect to the grid, not sure why.

Thanks Rambler, I'll drop him an email. I am not in backup mode but if my system trips whilst load shedding it will not restart until Eskom returns, at which point it automatically reboots. The guy that installed the system came around and we tested all possible scenarios and if there is sunlight it restarts but No Eskom and No sunlight equals no restart. I have 4 Pylontech US3000 batteries that were fully charged so electricity should not have been the problem, just a bad piece of software. I'll let you know what happens.

My understanding is that the ES needs either grid or PV to start up. If PV it needs 150v on at least one string. 

RE batteries, there is a setting to kick start the batteries when the system starts. I had this set when, early on, my batteries would turn off and would not reset by means of the reset button on the control unit inside the battery cabinet.

This was not the system tripping but a failure of the interaction between inverter and batteries. If it had happened during the night when there was load shedding I would have been without power, but by sheer fluke that never happened.  In the morning when the PV came on line the inverter would send a current to the batteries that would have the effect of kicking the batteries back to life  (note my command of technical terminology).

The resolution in my case was to put in comms between the BMS and the inverter. A further twist was that because the BMS on my system is BYB I had to cut some connectors in the cable. Since the comms were put in place the system has been 100% reliable.

Edited December 30, 20205 yr by Bobster

4 hours ago, Rambler said:

I was directed to Dave Havenga (Goodwe rep Southern Africa): [email protected]

He responded to my query about RMA, so maybe he can advise?

My setup is running in UPS (backup) mode, and it's sometimes failing to reconnect to the grid, not sure why.

What version of software are you on?

50 minutes ago, Bobster said:

My understanding is that the ES needs either grid or PV to start up. If PV it needs 150v on at least one string. 

RE batteries, there is a setting to kick start the batteries when the system starts. I had this set when, early on, my batteries would turn off and would not reset by means of the reset button on the control unit inside the battery cabinet.

This was not the system tripping but a failure of the interaction between inverter and batteries. If it had happened during the night when there was load shedding I would have been without power, but by sheer fluke that never happened.  In the morning when the PV came on line the inverter would send a current to the batteries that would have the effect of kicking the batteries back to life  (note my command of technical terminology).

The resolution in my case was to put in comms between the BMS and the inverter. A further twist was that because the BMS on my system is BYB I had to cut some connectors in the cable. Since the comms were put in place the system has been 100% reliable.

Glad to hear that and it makes sense now. I tried to change a setting which required a restart when the grid was down and at night (no PV) . The inverter would not come back on again, no power in the house. At 5am when the PV started (I cannot remember the Voltage) , but the current was minimal, the inverter started up again by itself. Its actually quite wonderful as to how it all works...

I have an issue where a Fault is logged but I have no idea why...Happens every morning at 2:35! The system comes back up again and so we go....

12 minutes ago, FixAMess said:

What version of software are you on?

Firmware 1202012 (said on the box 2020C). So think this is latest.

16 hours ago, Rambler said:

Firmware 1202012 (said on the box 2020C). So think this is latest.

Yes, I'm on  6181812...Now to arrange for an upgrade!

As suggested I sent an email to David Havenga of Goodwe, and he replied the same day. I'v copied his reply in full bvelow.

"

Good Day Sir,

In future please log support queries on our support page https://support.goodwe.com/portal/home.

This is how our devices work if the device is overloaded with only battery as a source they do not normally restart. However in our latest firmware we have added a feature to start the unit back up. Please submit a ticket and we will update the device remotely for you.

 

Regarding the off grid output switch it is only visible when the grid is unavailable. Should the device be off during an outage you will see it available to turn back on.

 

Kind Regards

 

David Havenga

Technical Manager for Southern Africa

GOODWE POWER SUPPLY TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD.

"

So there's our answer. I have to say that I was suitably impressed by Mr Havenga. He replied within hours of my email, and actually answered the question. Not often do we get such service in South Africa.

My attempts to contact Dave Havenga and get actual assistance from him have come to nought.

So much so that I have ditched my 2 year old Goodwe 5048ES and replaced it with a Deye 8.8.

Dave seems to rely solely on being able to access the Goodwe via SEMS... but... my initial problem was that I could not get the Goodwe to communicate with my Router at all, so it was always invisible to SEMS. No SEMS = no help = no options at all.

The Goodwe also refused (at inopportune times) to respond to its own WiFi. The hours and hours I spent trying to get the sodding thing to restart left me despondent and frustrated. My summation: it is barely adequate, but has issues (probably firmware and software), has crappy comms and even worse local support.

It's just not worth the effort.

By contrast... I needed to finetune the Deye at my office - it works perfectly fine right out of the box, but I wanted to make it do something not intended by the makers. I contacted Deye and asked for SAn support. I was referred to Shabir (who is located in Jhb) and he came out on Christmas eve and spent two hours going over and adjusting the settings to make the inverter do EXACTLY what I wanted it to do. No charge, no hassle.

So when I hit the wall with my Goodwe at home a week later the decision was based solely on where I could scrape the money together from and how to contact Gary from Inverter Warehouse (over the holidays) to open up for me and supply a new Deye (which he did last Monday morning!).

20 minutes ago, PaulinNorthcliff said:

The Goodwe also refused (at inopportune times) to respond to its own WiFi. The hours and hours I spent trying to get the sodding thing to restart left me despondent and frustrated. 

This is a problem I had early on. It was solved with a firmware update. Note that there are two sets of firmware - the wifi module has it's own. Once that is in place then, as you say, Goodwe can access the machine over the internet, interrogate it, update it.

Not much help to you now, of course, but may help somebody else who reads this thread in the future.

My experience with Goodwe SA has been very different, but I think a significant part of that is that by the time I turned to them the wifi and thus the internet connection was sorted out.

1 hour ago, PaulinNorthcliff said:

By contrast... I needed to finetune the Deye at my office - it works perfectly fine right out of the box, but I wanted to make it do something not intended by the makers. I contacted Deye and asked for SAn support. I was referred to Shabir (who is located in Jhb) and he came out on Christmas eve and spent two hours going over and adjusting the settings to make the inverter do EXACTLY what I wanted it to do. No charge, no hassle.

So when I hit the wall with my Goodwe at home a week later the decision was based solely on where I could scrape the money together from and how to contact Gary from Inverter Warehouse (over the holidays) to open up for me and supply a new Deye (which he did last Monday morning!).

Why did you go Deye and not Sunsync?  I believe they're the same box, but Sunsync has better software??

Is the Deye and Sunsync support guy the same person?

20 minutes ago, FixAMess said:

Why did you go Deye and not Sunsync?  I believe they're the same box, but Sunsync has better software??

Is the Deye and Sunsync support guy the same person?

It's six of one and half a dozen of the other. TBH the Deye is the inverter that was presented to me by Inverter Warehouse. My investigations revealed no reason to NOT go with Deye.

The difference is in the firmware. The Sunsynk has a more 'Westernised' UI. The support guys are supposedly separate, but Shabir tells me he does support Sunsynk also.

Edited January 6, 20215 yr by PaulinNorthcliff

I've had similar problems with the Goodwe tripping while the grid was down, I was able to fix it by changing from general to off grid mode in basic settings in PV master (obviously making sure anything drawing a "big" current turned off). 

As extra precaution I connected router to a backup system to ensure wifi remained on even if power failed.

 

Edited January 7, 20215 yr by BGb