Growatt spf5000es not using solar when Utility is on

[Deeps]

Hi MikeP

 

Please email me at [email protected] and give me your firmware version. I have the last 2 versions and can mail them to you.

 

[Teo]

On 2021/07/21 at 10:50 AM, Supergeek said:

@PaulC - Check your inbox, I sent you a link to the firmware that fixed(for me) the issue you are describing.

I could post the link here publicly, but I am not sure if there are some rules against it, or if there are some "you-shall-not-share" fineprint from Growatt that I have not seen. Also, these firmware flashes are considered a risky operation, so there is a fair chance that things can go sideways and you end up with a bricked inverter.

Does anyone know about the fineprint? Also, are these public links allowed on the forum?

 

Can you please tell me from where to get that firmware update. I have the same problem

[FJ25]

On 2021/07/21 at 9:50 AM, Supergeek said:

@PaulC - Check your inbox, I sent you a link to the firmware that fixed(for me) the issue you are describing.

I could post the link here publicly, but I am not sure if there are some rules against it, or if there are some "you-shall-not-share" fineprint from Growatt that I have not seen. Also, these firmware flashes are considered a risky operation, so there is a fair chance that things can go sideways and you end up with a bricked inverter.

Does anyone know about the fineprint? Also, are these public links allowed on the forum?

 

Hi, could you please share it with me as well. Experiencing the exact problem. 

[FJ25]

On 2021/06/13 at 3:51 PM, Raymond88 said:

Hi, I have a Growatt spf5000es inverter with a Lithium battery and 6 x 455w solar panels the problem is when the Utility is on the inverter does not use power from the solar panels. The output setting is SUB solar Utility then battery so it should work as soon as i switch the Utility off the inverter starts drawing power from the solar panels.

Hi @Raymond88, I am having the same issue. Have you found the solution? 

[FJ25]

On 2021/06/23 at 10:51 AM, Supergeek said:

This is firmware related for sure, had the same issue and a firmware bump resolved it.

I have the firmware available if your issue is not resolved yet (040 04 301).

Hi, please can you share it with me. I am having the same issue. 

[zsde]

As info.
Firmware 40.05 and 41.05 had a change that I have been trying to communicate to Growatt about, but they seem to be in denial about the fact.
Setting 12, 13 and 21 in their manual states that they are Voltage settings and these are preset when using protocol 52 after selecting Li, (protocol 52 is the one that Hubble states in their User Manual for this Inverter) I opened a ticket with Hubble to advise them about this change but my ticket was duly closed without ever receiving feedback. I suggested that they should test with that firmware to find the actual Voltages that are now percentages as that will directly impact their recommended protocol and associated voltages.
With the mentioned firmware versions, which were sent to me by Growatt, these settings are now % (percentages). Yet the protocol still applies the same values.
I realised this when my battery shutdown when it hit 42% SOC. So setting 21 is the DC shut-off voltage which is set to 42V by Protocol 52.
Now being a percentage value it shut off at 42%. So I manually changed that to 20%.
Now I don't know what the impact of setting 12 and 13 are/will be as my setup is off grid. but you can be certain that with this firmware it's a percentage of a voltage range targeted by those settings. I have a suspicion that settings 12 and 13 may be the cause of the issues in this thread as a result of the firmware change from V to %
Anyone else ever even noticed this?
 

Edited January 28, 2022 by zsde

[JohnB111]

1 hour ago, zsde said:

As info.
Firmware 40.05 and 41.05 had a change that I have been trying to communicate to Growatt about, but they seem to be in denial about the fact.
Setting 12, 13 and 21 in their manual states that they are Voltage settings and these are preset when using protocol 52 after selecting Li, (protocol 52 is the one that Hubble states in their User Manual for this Inverter) I opened a ticket with Hubble to advise them about this change but my ticket was duly closed without ever receiving feedback. I suggested that they should test with that firmware to find the actual Voltages that are now percentages as that will directly impact their recommended protocol and associated voltages.
With the mentioned firmware versions, which were sent to me by Growatt, these settings are now % (percentages). Yet the protocol still applies the same values.
I realised this when my battery shutdown when it hit 42% SOC. So setting 21 is the DC shut-off voltage which is set to 42V by Protocol 52.
Now being a percentage value it shut off at 42%. So I manually changed that to 20%.
Now I don't know what the impact of setting 12 and 13 are/will be as my setup is off grid. but you can be certain that with this firmware it's a percentage of a voltage range targeted by those settings. I have a suspicion that settings 12 and 13 may be the cause of the issues in this thread as a result of the firmware change from V to %
Anyone else ever even noticed this?
 

please can you share the firmware with me urgently juan@ brunette.co.za

[zsde]

17 hours ago, JohnB111 said:

please can you share the firmware with me urgently juan@ brunette.co.za

The 2 bin files in the mail.
Just be aware of the value changes from V to %. 
You are on your own with setting 12 and 13 as neither Growatt nor Hubble in my case have tried to answer that question.
They just assume those settings are Voltages.

[CristianP]

Hello, can you guys also share with me the firmware update, I am having the same issue with SUB setting not taking power from PV when battery full and grid power is available.

Email address is [email protected]

Many thanks, Cristian

[Andre155]

Hi all,

Recently installed PV connected to my Growatt-SPF5000es. I have set setting 001 to SUB but the system uses the batteries first. On the dashboard  settings area (https://server.growatt.com/index), the AC Output Source states "Bat Priority" and the Charge Source is "Pv&Uti". Although I can change the AC Output Source to "Pv&Uti Priority, the setting is not saved and reverts backs to "Bat Priority". It seems that as soon as there is any light and the PV starts to provide power, it depletes the battery to 50% and then sits and waits until the load requirement is low and then only charge the battery. 

Hope this makes sense and that somebody can assist.

The display for my firmware is "040 04 301" and "041 04 301"

Andre

[LouisS]

Hi Guys

Who could you phone to speak to about the correct setting for the Growatt SPF 5000 ES?  I just would like to know what should show first on the screen.  Mine show currently SOl first then Utility First.  I got the AC bypass line permanent going to the house, the a line AC to the Inverter and also the line from the Solar to Inverter and battery.  If solar is not available after sunset the the AC lines stay. 

[Buyeye]

1 hour ago, LouisS said:

Hi Guys

Who could you phone to speak to about the correct setting for the Growatt SPF 5000 ES?  I just would like to know what should show first on the screen.  Mine show currently SOl first then Utility First.  I got the AC bypass line permanent going to the house, the a line AC to the Inverter and also the line from the Solar to Inverter and battery.  If solar is not available after sunset the the AC lines stay. 

Hi the best mode for this offgrid inverter is battery first on setting one. You have to get familiar with pressing those buttons. You hit enter long press to enter settings.

[Buyeye]

@LouisSyou will also have to set a high back to ac setting since you have lead acid batteries?

[LouisS]

6 minutes ago, Buyeye said:

Hi the best mode for this offgrid inverter is battery first on setting one. You have to get familiar with pressing those buttons. You hit enter long press to enter settings.

Thanks... my whole house is not yet off the grid, so I got the most important items on the inverter, what I realized is that if I use battery first with all these loadshedding (now Stage 4) and weather the battery do not charge enough to accommodate me during night time... but how could I set it so that if the battery runs down the AC kicks in?

[LouisS]

1 minute ago, Buyeye said:

@LouisSyou will also have to set a high back to ac setting since you have lead acid batteries?

I got the Lithium battery from Batteries SA 

[Buyeye]

5 minutes ago, LouisS said:

I got the Lithium battery from Batteries SA 

That is a nice battery, does it come with a bms connection cable? Because if it does then you will see battery percentage I stead of voltage. In the meantime you should also change setting 5 to user2 which is for lithium batteries without a bms cable.

Best is to connect the bms cable. That is a nice battery, 2 of those should last you the whole night. Since the battery is only 5kwh it should be fully charged early in the day depending on how many panels you have.

[LouisS]

7 minutes ago, Buyeye said:

That is a nice battery, does it come with a bms connection cable? Because if it does then you will see battery percentage I stead of voltage. In the meantime you should also change setting 5 to user2 which is for lithium batteries without a bms cable.

Best is to connect the bms cable. That is a nice battery, 2 of those should last you the whole night. Since the battery is only 5kwh it should be fully charged early in the day depending on how many panels you have.

I yes I got all the cables...  I got 6 Mono 445KW panels

[Buyeye]

38 minutes ago, LouisS said:

I yes I got all the cables...  I got 6 Mono 445KW panels

Try connecting the bms cable to the battery CAN port of the battery then the CAN port of the inverter. Then select Li on setting 5.

6 x 440 = +- 2600 watts around midday times 5 hours is around 13kwh which on a sunny day is plenty to charge the battery and power some loads. 

You have to be comfortable with adjusting the settings to the loadshedding schedule and weather.

Edited April 19, 2022 by Buyeye

[LouisS]

4 hours ago, Buyeye said:

Try connecting the bms cable to the battery CAN port of the battery then the CAN port of the inverter. Then select Li on setting 5.

6 x 440 = +- 2600 watts around midday times 5 hours is around 13kwh which on a sunny day is plenty to charge the battery and power some loads. 

You have to be comfortable with adjusting the settings to the loadshedding schedule and weather.

Thanks I will try...

[LouisS]

Hi Guys

 

Do you maybe know how to change the N of the Warning to Y?

[Antonio de Sa]

On 2022/04/19 at 2:45 PM, Buyeye said:

That is a nice battery, does it come with a bms connection cable? Because if it does then you will see battery percentage I stead of voltage. In the meantime you should also change setting 5 to user2 which is for lithium batteries without a bms cable.

Best is to connect the bms cable. That is a nice battery, 2 of those should last you the whole night. Since the battery is only 5kwh it should be fully charged early in the day depending on how many panels you have.

@Buyeye I have the same battery however in my opinion the battery has three flaws 

1. does not have a earth connection
2. The BMS cycles count it's crazy, every time it's goes past 80% SOC up or down counts 1 cycle. Mine is been in operation for just over 8 months and is already on 630 cycles. However, LBSA say they guarantee the battery for 10 years regardless of the number of cycles, the question is, will LBSA be in business in 10 years? 
3. I cannot connect the Growatt to the battery BMS.

 

[Neil S]

Hi Everyone.
I have just installed a Growatt SPF 5000 ES with a Freedom etower battery.
Problem I have is I am unable to save the LI selection for settings 5. Can save other settings but not for option 5. Currently setting 5 is set to USE2
Canbus connected and getting a flashing LI icon. Still see battery in V not percentages 

Any assistance greatly appreciated  - newbee

Neil
 

[TJ Human]

Hi guys. I got the new software from @zsde. My problem I have with my inverter onold software is as seen in photo, it runs of pv and just randomly some days at around 3pm it cuts of pv completely and goes back to utility. Have any of yoy had this problem before?

[zsde]

On 2022/05/31 at 12:13 PM, Neil S said:

Hi Everyone.
I have just installed a Growatt SPF 5000 ES with a Freedom etower battery.
Problem I have is I am unable to save the LI selection for settings 5. Can save other settings but not for option 5. Currently setting 5 is set to USE2
Canbus connected and getting a flashing LI icon. Still see battery in V not percentages 

Any assistance greatly appreciated  - newbee

Neil
 

Normally when you select Li in Program code 05 the invertter will jump to program code 36 where you then select a Protocol. In my case with the Hubble it is Protocol 52 and 52 is also used for Pylontech. Also check the pinouts for the CAN connection on the inverter and Battery side. You may have to make up a cable to ensure the Pinouts both sides are correct else it will not be able to communicate with the BMS.



https://www.freedomwon.co.za/wp-content/uploads/Freedom-Won-eTower-Installation-Manual.pdf

So you will need to make up a cable or have someone make it for you. In this case it is Pin 4 to Pin 4 and Pin 5 to Pin5.  That should ensure the comms between Inverter and the battery

You can contact these people to get the correct Protocol to choose for your battery

The International Rep for Growatt in China is Amos Yang and he is on Whatsapp
+86 132 6718 9226
And their local representative is  Nhlanhla  067 172 2120
[email protected]

Edited June 5, 2022 by zsde

[zsde]

1 hour ago, TJ Human said:

Hi guys. I got the new software from @zsde. My problem I have with my inverter onold software is as seen in photo, it runs of pv and just randomly some days at around 3pm it cuts of pv completely and goes back to utility. Have any of yoy had this problem before?

Could be the Back to Battery or back to utility settings. I am off grid, i.e. no utility connection, so mine is either solar or battery. What are your program code 12 and 13 set to?
Which firmware are you on currently running?