What I know for sure is that I know very little.
I am getting power surges/power cutting off while inverting. The results are my TV center, office and computers and clocks etc lose power for just a millisecond or so. The modem then reboots, the APC on the computer was kicked on and some clocks lose time. This occurs about 3-4 times a day.
I Use a Prewired Magnum MS4448 with a kid 250 CC. 2.5 kw array in an otherwise nicely working system.
Power will shut off during charge or float, different times of day. I do not recall this problem happening at night.
VOC set to 80, then tried 70 no apparent change. (maybe power cut out more often at 70, but not sure). Went back to 80 VOC.
Watt search set to off.
...and don't know what else to do.
Thanks for any ideas.
Sparky-
That is indeed an odd situation as you describe it.
Have you tried a complete reset to factory defaults? That sometimes clears my Schneider SW's head. But it's weird anyway. How long has the system been up and running before the problem? Did it function normally all that time? Do you have anything that would be a short large load, like a pump or water heater element of something? Has the skies been clearish enough to generate the charge and the loads?
What you are describing sounds like an inverter low voltage cut off issue during short (even just startup) heavy loads. If there is a setting to NOT off for XX number of seconds I would say try that, but it does not sound like you are getting down to LVC.
The system has been up and running for a few years, but not used to full capacity this whole time. These surges have taken place since I can remember. I have never tried to restore factory settings but I am willing to try. My firmware was last updated about 2 years ago, but does not seem to have anything to do with it.
There have been clear skies in the past to produce 90+ amps but that did not seem to affect the surging in any way.
The only other issue I can recall is the clocks on the appliances run slow but I am learning this is normal.
I will need to do some homework before I reset to factory defaults, but that is what I will be looking into now.
Maybe the first step is to record the settings as they are now. Will this reset the settings in the remote switch and the kid cc?
Thanks again-
Also, is there a fix for the Classic lcd screen getting blurred out? If I remove the cover and or power off and on, the screen comes back but for only a short period of time.
Thank you.
Just to be clear, I was talking about a reset in the Magnum. And that should have no effect on the kid
But after the inverter reset, once you've got all the parameters loaded back in, if the issue continues, would not hurt to reset the kid.
But this may wind up being a call to Magnum
It almost sounds like when too many loads are on or one of the loads surges it pulls the battery voltage down enough to reset or briefly shut down the inverter .
You should check all the connections on your batteries and everywhere else . Also maybe turn all the loads on and check the battery voltage and see if it takes a dive .
Not sure what kind of batteries you have but it could be some cells are failing. Or there is a loose connection somewhere - could be in a the prewired panel too - have to check everything and make sure they are tight and that nothing got hot or crusty from being loose.
I do not understand what you mean by saying that you changed the Voc - that is open circuit of the PV panels.
Larry
Thanks for pointing me back to the Magnum trail.
It was an email from Magnum that told me to change VOC 70, and turn watt search mode off.
It almost sounds like when too many loads are on or one of the loads surges it pulls the battery voltage down enough to reset or briefly shut down the inverter .
You should check all the connections on your batteries and everywhere else . Also maybe turn all the loads on and check the battery voltage and see if it takes a dive .
I will reset the Magnum shortly, and then test again.
The batteries are Rolls Surrette 6v 550 with nice thick cables that are crimped and soldered. The bolts are tight and the cables never get hot and don't move. The battery bank is original to the system which is about 3 years old. I would almost rule out the batteries and their connections.
The loads that are in the sub panel are not overly large. Lighting, tv, computers and such. Never draws more than 12 amps at maximum. Theses surges I have been describing will occur sometimes with battery voltage at 52 or even higher.
I don't know what I mean by saying I changed Voc either. :-[
In the Magnum remote settings I changed VOC to 70, this was advised from an email at Magnum. It didn't seem to have much of an affect.
Matrix and Classic Crazy. Thanks for the trouble shooting. I will report back with as much info as I can find.
At this point I am going to shut er down, check my connections thoroughly in the panel and then reset the Magnum.
Thank you-
I will check the prewired panel further, when I kill power to everything, I will check each and every connection.
Also check the wire connections at breakers .
Larry
Also if you have a temperature gun which you can purchase at a home improvement center or Harbor Freight fairly cheaply you can get the temperature readings at every connection there shouldn't be much more than a degree in Fahrenheit of temperature between anyone connection sometimes you can't feel the heat but a temp gun will tell you that something is getting hotter than other things
Hi Trust..,
Many of the most common causes for an Inverter dropping off-line have been covered.
When checking ALL of the wire connections, there are Torque specs for all of them. In particular, cable connections which use a screw at the contact point must be re-torqued after one day or so, after installation. And checked every six months or one year. Often these will need a partial turn of the screw, after some months.
When the batteries were first installed, the flag terminals should have been lightly burnished, and completely coated with Petroleum jelly. Then, the connecting bolts for the Tin-plated terminal lugs on the battery terminal lugs needed to be torqued to the correct values for the bolt size. These also need to be re-torqued on the same schedule as the screw type cable connections.
On the Charge Controller (CC) - is it a KID, or more likely, is it a Classic 250 ?
Regarding the batteries, and the settings on the CC;
What is your Absorb voltage setting?
What is the Absorb time?
What is the EQ voltage setting?
How often are the batteries EQed? For what period of time?
How often do you check Specific Gravities(SG) on each battery cell?
Do you use a Hydrometer? What type (glass, plastic, floating colored balls, etc), and brand?
How often do you need to add water to the batteries? Approximately what quantity?
Are you using a single string of batteries?
Do you have a copy of the Surrette Battery Manual?
Did you do the installation of the system? If not, is the system installer available to try to help you?
Do you know the Low Voltage Disconnect (LVD) setting in the Magnum Inverter?
It does sound like your inverter is doing an LVD, either due to poor connection/s. If you have ANY motor-starting loads, even a refer or freezer, this could be enough to cause an LVD if the batteries are Sulfated, or/and there are poor connection/s in almost any part of the system.
I, too, am uncertain about your reference to "VOC" of 70 or 80. The Classic CC has a setting similar to this, but would be quite surprised if a Magnum Tech person would have you change this. Almost ALL of us who use Classics never, ever even think to changing this setting in PV-based systems ...
Thanks for more answers on your system. Good Luck, Vic
I have read that having power that is NOT right on 60 Hz will cause your electric clocks to lose time.
Concur with retorqing ALL connections... and LVD is most likely cause of drop-off as Vic said.
Here are some of the settings currently.
Don't laugh, obviously something is wrong here. :'(
BATTERY-
EQ 57.2
ABSORB 57.2
FLOAT 54.4
CHARGE TIME-
ABSORB 2:00
EQ 1:00
TCOMP-
-4.0 MV
EQ COMPED NO
LIMITS-
OUTPUT 55 A
INPUT 99 A
MIN 40 V
MAX 62.3 V
MODE-
AUX 1 OFF
AUX 2 WIZ BNG JR IN/0UT
I am sill looking at some of the other suggestions mentioned.
Thank you all-
Hi Trustin..,
Thanks for that info. Will have a few comments, but need to finish one thing before commenting.
Thanks again, later, Vic
OK thanks Trustin..,
First, I forgot to ask if this system is off-grid. I assume that it is, not that it will make a huge difference in your CC charge settings.
Here is the Link to the Surrette Battery Manual for your Flooded batteries:
http://rollsbattery.com/wpcontent/plugins/rollsbatteries/pdfs/Rolls_Battery_Manual.pdf
Your Absorb voltage needs to be about 60 Volts.
The Temperature Compensation value needs to be -5 mV/cell/C.
You should check the level of electrolyte in the batteries, before making any changes to CC settings. The ideal height is about 0.25" (hope that you are in NA) below the bottom of vent tube that is below the cap on each cell. Unless the level is low, suggest adding only Distilled Water, during Absorb, which will help mix the water into the electrolyte.
The EQ voltage needs to be about 62.4 to 63.6 volts. An EQ should be done when the battery has just finished an Abosrb (when it is fully-charged).
Read the manual. Most battery manufacturers seem to change charge voltage recommendations, periodically. Surrette may have changed the above values recently, so check their Battery Manual.
Suggest raising the upper voltage Limit, in the Limits menu -- perhaps about 64 V.
An Absorb time of 2 hours may not be sufficient for batteries that have been discharged appreciably. Your SG measurements will tell you how deeply discharged the batteries have been, and will help dictate the best Absorb time setting for your typical use.
Also, a one hour EQ may not be sufficient for batteries that have not had an EQ at a high enough voltage (perhaps ever). If that is the case, an EQ could require many, many hours. It is possible that you might not have sufficient PV power available to reach the new, higher EQ voltage.
A long EQ will raise the battery temperature significantly. EQs are best done manually, under direct supervision. This supervision will allow monitoring the progress of raising SG on the lowest cells, temperature, etc.
Before starting an EQ, make certain that there is sufficient electrolyte in the batteries to cover the plates, and add Distilled Water before the EQ only if the level is low (the extra Gassing and temperature rise in EQ could cause electrolyte to overflow if the level is too high).
It is good that you are using the WbJr. This will help you manage the system.
When you get a chance, please tell us about your SG measurements (values), and approximately how much Distilled Water the batteries have been using, in what period of time.
Thanks, Vic
Do you get any red LED's on the Magnum remote when this happens? With the setpoints you gave if they have been that way for 3 years I suspect the Rolls are sulfated a lot but wouldnt imaging that causing the issue you are seeing unless the magnum is going into a low voltage shutdown
To me, it sounds like a very quick voltage drop. Cause could be turning old old fluorescent lights, water pump starting, microwave, furnace or hvac startup. These types of load do NOT show up on regular multimeter or kilowatts meter - they are too brief. If the wiring from the battery is undersized or has loose connections, startup loads would definitely drop the voltage momentarily, even though the static load looks fine. Some motors and electronics have startup loads 5 to 10 times the static
Clocks losing time usually means low frequency, which is usually cause by underpowered inverter or loads too high. ( same thig).
Clocks losing time is sort of normal on Magnums PAE. The PAE runs at 59.9Hz so the clock will run slightly slow. And if using the 6.0 or newer firmware and using custom battery mode this enables frequency shift that is designed to control the MicroGT. This starts shifting frequency down if the battery voltage exceeds the absorb setpoint by ~1 volt. So if the Classic was set for say 59.8 and the Magnum was set for 58.8 the PAE would drop the frequency more as it sees the battery as full.
Absorb and EQ at 57.2 (2.38v /cell) for 3 years - Isn't that below gassing voltage? ... Sounds like Sulfation to me. At least as a starting point. Has the OP never EQ'd the batteries at the Rolls spec of 63.6v? Seems if it has always been done at 57.2v this could be at least problem.
http://support.rollsbattery.com/support/solutions/articles/428-state-of-charge-charging-flooded-lead-acid-batteries
I would suggest a corrective EQ among all the other ideas noted here.
http://support.rollsbattery.com/support/solutions/articles/430-corrective-equalization-instructions
The system is on grid.
I have not seen any red LEDs light up on the remote during these quick surges.
The temperature on all the connections (battery, sub-panel, inverter, everywhere are between 65 - 68 F. (The room is 65 F.) Except for 3 GFCIs which are between 77 - 80 F. These GFCIs are new 20A with a pig tail for common, and only run three rooms drawing less than 4 amps total. Strange but I guess this is normal?
The batteries dive from 54 v to 49 after a load is put on them. They seem to stay at the 49 - 48 V range under load until the sun reaches high noon. There is enough juice from the panels to bring that number back up with just a moderate amount of sun.
I also have a fridge on this sub panel, and will disconnect during later experiments.
The SG was measured using a glass bulb type, during Absorb charge at 59.4 v 8 A.
Battery 1 (Neg side of the string) (all A's are on the neg side)
a. 1.205
b. 1.210
c. 1.220
Battery 2
a. 1.210
b. 1.220
c. 1.230
Battery 3
a. 1.240
b. 1.210
c. 1.215
Battery 4
a. 1.230
b. 1.215
c. 1.215
Battery 5
a. 1.215
b. 1.220
c. 1.225
Battery 6
a. 1.220
b. 1.225
c. 1.220
Battery 7
a. 1.210
b. 1.220
c. 1.235
Battery 8
a. 1.220
b. 1.230
c. 1.235
The last time I added water (good filtered) (not distilled I know) the level was just above the plates, not below. The level is now right at 1/4" below the vent tube.
The batteries hit low voltage disconnect twice in their lifetime, at 40 V, then spent most of their life sitting at about 54 V.
All battery cables are 4/0 awg crimped and soldered, except where it was pre wired to the inverter they are 2/0 awg.
The connections are tight, with only the tiniest amount of corrosion on one spot of 2 terminals. There is at least 1 sq. in. of clean contact area on these terminals, so there shouldn't be an issue there. (Although remove, clean and re-torque terminals is on the list.)
I am currently adjusting the settings as listed by Vic.
Thanks for the help!
Seriously, there is some expertise in here. Thanks for sharing.
Trust-
Hi Sparky,
Thank you very much for the SG readings. Those SGs show, at that point during Absorb, that the SOC is approximately 75%
After your next full-charge, suggest that you do an EQ for at least 90 minutes at about 62.5 volts, as a starting point. This is primarily due to the variations in SG readings between the cells.
If these batteries have never been equalized at a voltage above 62 V, ever, then it might take some time to reach the target EQ voltage.
Since you are Grid-connected, you could try using the Magnum inverter to do some part of the EQ, as, you may not have enough PV power/time to get up to the EQ voltage (Veq) after a full charge from PVs.
Is your system considered a Grid Backup system, or do you run part of your home from PV/inverter most/all of the time?
Because batteries are expensive, and Distilled Water, not so much, if at all possible, would suggest that you use a quality Distilled Water when adding to your nice battery bank.
All in all, I would have guessed that your SG readings would have been considerably lower than your measurements.
If your battery bank sits on Float much of each day, then your Vabs was not horribly low, verses a system that is cycled almost every day ...
More later, Thanks for the info, Vic
AND, Sparky,
Here is a good article from Surrette on a very good procedure for Measuring Specific Gravities:
http://support.rollsbattery.com/support/solutions/articles/4347-measuring-specific-gravity
I good glass tube/glass float Hydrometer is a fine way to measure SGs -- that is about all that I ever use.
Be certain to; RINSE, RINSE, AND RINSE AGAIN WITH DISTILLED WATER, AFTER EACH SG MEASURING SESSION. This will help keep your Hydrometer accurate for a long time. Without thorough rinsing, a sticky substance will build up on the inside of the Hydro. Air bubbles will stick to this residue, causing inaccurate SG readings.
Please do let us know how your EQ goes.
YES, please do remove the refer as a load, to see if it might be one of the causes of your power drop-outs.
I know nothing of the Magnum Inverters, BUT they do have a reputation of being a bit slow in regulating AC output voltage ...
AND, I have never seen any issue with clouding of the LCD display on the Classic MNGP control panel. So cannot advise.
Later, FWIW, Vic
With that much voltage sag with that little load I would agree sulfation is an issue, Also the filtered water could be an issue as it will likely still have some minerals in it but nothing you can do about that at this point. Definitely, use distilled water in the future it is pretty cheap compared to new batteries.
So this is grid connected, Are you using the grid all the time and setting up the Drop AC function in the magnum? Basically what I am asking is, When this issue is happening is the grid physically present to the Magnum or do you manually disconnect it?
This issue occurs only when the system has been disconnected from the grid and is running on the inverter. I don't notice any flicker from table lamps for example, but other appliances are more sensitive to the fluctuation. The modem and desktop computer however, resets and or goes onto an APC backup.
The battery bank is currently at 80 minutes of EQ. The battery voltage went to 62.8 V right away, and has since been slowly dropping to about 60 V at this time. The SG of each cell is rising and is averaging 1.240. The temperature of the cells is low, just about room temperature. Their is no risk of boiling over at this point, so I am hoping to reach 1.265 as the Rolls manual suggests. Then charge an additional 2 hours as recommended. (Batteries permitting.)
Thanks for the help!
It is much appreciated.
Sparky-
Quote from: TrustinHim on April 10, 2018, 05:36:18 PM
This issue occurs only when the system has been disconnected from the grid and is running on the inverter. I don't notice any flicker from table lamps for example, but other appliances are more sensitive to the fluctuation. The modem and desktop computer however, resets and or goes onto an APC backup.
The battery bank is currently at 80 minutes of EQ. The battery voltage went to 62.8 V right away, and has since been slowly dropping to about 60 V at this time. The SG of each cell is rising and is averaging 1.240. The temperature of the cells is low, just about room temperature. Their is no risk of boiling over at this point, so I am hoping to reach 1.265 as the Rolls manual suggests. Then charge an additional 2 hours as recommended. (Batteries permitting.)
Thanks for the help!
It is much appreciated.
Sparky-
Thanks Sparky for the update.
OK, so you charged the batteries, and then started the EQ. Is the EQ being done by the Classic?
For now, seems that you need to try to get the battery bank charged as much as possible, during an extended Absorb. Vabs about 60 V, and set the Absorb timer to about 6 hours.
You might want to do this more than once -- until the average SGs no longer rise, during the Absorb. This should define the maximum amount of charge that the battery bank will accept at that voltage.
Then do an EQ. It is generally a good idea to limit the battery charging current during an EA to not more than 5% of 20-hour Capacity. This would be about 21 Amps, if your single string of S-550s have a C of about 420 Ah ... guessing, for now.
If the EQ that you noted above was from the Classic, then it is probable that the descent in Veq would be due to too little PV power being available, and the charge stage would show as, EQ-MPPT.
If the batteries were quite Sulfated, this could cause the immediate rise in the Veq to the target voltage. It is possible that the descent in Veq could be attributed to some sulfate being returned to the electrolyte, and there being insufficient current available to maintain Veq due to the charge source not having enough current available.
Generally FLA batteries that were in need of a good charge, and EQ will emit a strong aroma of sulfur, and this is a good thing -- indicating that sulfur is being removed from the battery plates.
Charge stages that cause Gassing raise the battery temperature. Heavy gassing from EQs will cause a greater temperature rise, for a given time period. This heating can cause increase the electrolyte temperature enough to cause some expansion. This expansion plus aggressive gassing can cause some electrolyte to flow out of the cell caps. People do call gassing, "boiling", but of course this not the actual case.
L-16 batteries, like your S-550s do not have a large space for electrolyte, above the plates (sometimes called electrolyte reserve), so, if some cells happened to have been over-filled, there could be chance of this overflow.
Also, it is very important that you use a Battery Temperature Sensor (BTS) on ALL charge sources. Place then on a single battery at the center of the bank, about half-way down the side of the battery (not on the top of a battery).
Enough for now, please do let us know how you are doing. Thanks, Vic
I believe the EQ has finished, but the EQ screen still says EQ started.
The timer view shows
2:00 absorb
:28 EQ
5:10 float
This was charged while the inverter was off, still connected to the grid. I assume this gave the Classic all the power it needed.
There was a lot of gassing for quite some time. Based on how the charge cycle went, it gassed heavily for over an hour.
Are those numbers above an accurate account of what happen?
I am looking at starting an absorb time of 6:00 hours, and will post a new batch of SG numbers.
Thanks for everything. I will keep you posted.
Sparky-
I did a manual EQ charge, but I don't see how to initiate an absorb charge. Do I need to set this through auto EQ?
Thanks,
Sparky-
For the Classic you can use the Local Status app to force Absorb in the Basic Config settings
Larry
Hi Sparky,
OK, In the previous post, you said that the inverter was off, and you were connected to the grid.
So, the way I read what you said, is that the only charging would come from the Classic, which would only be able to use PV as a source of power.
I would go to the EQ screen, and Stop the EQ.
If you have ARST set to ON, the Classic will begin a new day at Midnight, and a new charge will begin when there is enough solar to begin the Bulk.
You can manually start a new charge by going to Tweaks>More>(force)Bulk. This will start a new Bulk - Absorb - Float charge cycle.
(NO, Auto EQ is different)
And, on those Timer numbers ... is that the second display page? The upper right Soft Key (rectangular button) takes you to the second page, where the remaining time is shown. Looks like the EQ still had 28 minutes remaining on the time set. Am at an alternate location, without a Classic to manipulate. Am having a bit of trouble with the 2:00 Absorb and the 5:10 Float time.
Later, Vic
Quote from: TrustinHim on April 10, 2018, 05:36:18 PM
This issue occurs only when the system has been disconnected from the grid and is running on the inverter. I don't notice any flicker from table lamps for example, but other appliances are more sensitive to the fluctuation. The modem and desktop computer however, resets and or goes onto an APC backup.
Thanks for the help!
It is much appreciated.
Sparky-
Ok something doesn't make sense If the modem and stuff resets that would take a significant drop in AC output for a period of time, BUT if that was the case you would definitely see that in a lamp. I would make sure you have a lamp that's on the same circuit as the modem and see if it flickers. I wonder if there is a bad connection on one side of the 120/240 or maybe something wrong either in the inverter. Logic would tell us if it only does it when you are off grid it would have to be in the "inverting" portion of the PAE. If this issue doesn't resolve for you soon I would call Darren or Glenn in tech support and tell them this info.
Quote from: Vic on April 10, 2018, 07:05:02 PM
For now, seems that you need to try to get the battery bank charged as much as possible, during an extended Absorb. Vabs about 60 V (or 2.5v /cell), and set the Absorb timer to about 6 hours.
You might want to do this more than once -- until the average SGs no longer rise, during the Absorb. This should define the maximum amount of charge that the battery bank will accept at that voltage.
Curious Vic,
Are you saying that SG would be higher at a higher voltage? And that even though you could get a higher SG at a higher EQ voltage, that a fully charged battery SG would be the SG number that is arrived at when charging for 6 hours at this lower absorb voltage (2.5v /cell)?
I had believed one should charge fully, then EQ at 2.7v /cell until SG stops rising and that this SG number would be the SG that would indicate fully charged and be the fully charged target SG. Perhaps I am mistaken. You seem to indicate that an EQ SG would be higher than fully absorb charged SG and that this lower absorb SG would be the target SG for fully charged.
At what point do you consider a battery fully charged? Is the SG that is achieved using higher EQ voltages actually an over charge? Interested to hear what your thoughts are on this.
Mike
Mike,
Was just trying to get the battery bank as fully-charged as possible, using an Absorb voltage. Then using EQ (which IS an overcharge condition for many cells in the battery bank).
Another way to do this, would be to Limit the output current to about 5% of 20-hour C, and doing an EQ, expecting that the current Limit would cause the battery voltage to rise fairly slowly to the Veq. Then EQing before the battery bank is as fully-charged as possible from a long Absorb.
There a number of things about this system, particularly the condition of the battery that remain unknown.
If the battery spent much of its time Floating, the low-ish Vabs and Veq would do a better job keeping the battery charged, than would happen if the battery was seeing regular cycling ... very difficult to know, at this stage.
Still, many, many questions. FWIW, IMO, etc, Vic
BUT, to me there has been some ambiguity in what was doing the EQ -- the inverter, the CC, or, perhaps both.
EQing FLAs at a current above about 5% of C, can have negative impacts on the batteries, in addition to an undesirable rate of battery temperature rise.
Here is some more feedback on the battery SOC and system settings.
I put the batteries back in EQ again since the avg SG only went from 1.220 to 1.240 avg after the first EQ of their lives and an absorb charge of 62.8 V and 60 V respectively. Again, during the 2nd EQ there was heavy gassing but for only a little under an hour. There is now very little bubbling/gassing.
I am still learning how to set the timer and voltage settings for a manual EQ function. Also, the actual Amps to the batteries during inverter charging has evaded me. Is this actual amp reading during charge found in the Classic or the Magnum Remote? Also, what needs to be done for the Magnum remote to receive COMM and is this necessary?
The inverter is definitely charging the batteries, and it looks like the PV is also contributing a negligible amount of power. The sub panel is being powered by the grid at this time so I am guessing the small amount of power from the PV must be contributing to the batteries also.
On the side of the prewired panel the AC/Gen input is switched to Invert not Bypass. (This power is coming from the grid, no gen.)
Much of the information I would like to report would come from the Magnum remote, but is showing values of 0.00 for some readings.
These are the readings from the remote.
The Magnum remote has lights on the left side:
Power led is lit.
Fault led is not lit.
CHG led flashing.
INV led lit.
Is it safe to say the Remote has authority over the Classic?
Here is what the Shore button is reading from the remote:
Shore Max= 30A<-
Here is what Meter button is reading from the remote:
FULL CHARGE
01 INV/CHG METER:
DC 54.9 V 0 A
02 BM: SOC
03 BM: METERS
DC VOLTS 0.00
04 BM: STATUS
BM : NO COMM
05 BM: SET UP
BM CHARGE OFF
CHG EFF= AUTO<-
06 BM: TECH
BM REV 0
MIN DC 0.00
MAX DC 0.00
Here is what the Setup button is reading from the remote:
01 search watts: OFF<-
02 LBCO: 42 V
03 Absorb hrs: 1.5<-
04 Bat Type: Flooded<-
05 Charge Rate: Max Chg = 100%
06 VAC Dropout: 80 VAC
07 Power Save 15 min<-
08 is just screen setup
09 Final Charge: Multi<- (with options of multi, float or silent)
10 Power Up: = no<-
Here is what the Tech button is reading from the remote:
01 Temperatures:
BTS: 19C/66F
02 Revisions:
Inverter 5.1
Remote 2.8
AGS 0.0
BMK 0.0
Router 0.0
03 Inv Model: MS4448PAE
04 Load Defaults
05 Ext Control
VAC Dropout: INT
Charge rate: INT
Shore Max: INT
06 Set Pin: 0000
Here is what the AGS button is reading from the remote:
01 AGS Control:
AGS= OFF <-
02 AGS Status:
AGS No Comm
03 Run Time hour
Run Time = 2.0 hr
04 Start Temp:
Start Temp = OFF<-
05 Start volts:
Start VDC= 44.O<-
06 SET TIME
HOUR = 1:45
07 QUIET TIME
quiet= off<-
08 AGS Tech:
Gen Run: 0.0hr
Thanks,
Sparky-
I am starting to wonder if the dropouts are from some setting in the inverter where it switches over from charging the batteries via AC input to PV input and maybe there is a delay in the switch over that drops the inverter out ?
but that isn't to say the batteries don't also need the extra charging too
Larry
Is the OP saying that he is running both chargers at once: PV and Inverter charger? What Larry is suggesting makes sense. I only use the Inverter charger when there has been no sun OR when I need to do a long sustained EQ.
I usually leave my Inverter charger off all the time otherwise.
The battery bank is still undergoing EQ to achieve full charge. This alone may help the intermittent surging that was being experienced because the batteries never received a full EQ before.
Also, the next time the the sub panel is powered up using just the batteries and inverter I should remove the refer from the circuit to see if this contributed to the power surging. It is not a very efficient fridge to say the least. It is an LG that failed to meet it's advertised energy star rating and was not repaired because the date of purchase did not fall into their requirement. Thanks LG. >:(
I can guess that the fridge is therefore not energy star compliant and may have been contributing to the power surging all along.
This is why I am hopeful that once the batteries have received their maximum charge, and the Energy Hog compliant fridge is removed, we might have eliminated the problem. More OP training never hurts either.
Thanks for helping.
Sparky-
Here is an idea for monitoring the surges.
shut off 'Grid power' and then all but the old LG unit and use ''Grahams Classic monitoring APP'', using the ''Live graph'' page/screen..
look at thee graph for the spikes, if they are as big as suspected they will be caught.
check screen 1, for Watts incoming and V and Amps getting to the battery and confirm Amps to battery with DC Clamp meter.
some of the other screen pages may assist too.
I may not have the correct names for the screens you will use but there are not that many.
Oh yes, there is a "Consumption " screen to and I was able to see the 'turn on ' spike from our fridge.
On a lot of the pages you can view either Watts or Amps by 'swipe-ing' across the 'dial' lightly.
hth
hth-
I have Graham's Classic Monitoring app installed now.
We will see what it will capture when the hog certified fridge powers up.
Thanks for the help,
Sparky-