Geyser timer solution for solar

[denmendez65]

So solar setup is installed. I don't know but I was hoping he would angle the panels a bit for better production and to make use of the bifacial panels but I will see later to optimize the setup a bit more.

So, the Navasolar Inverter even though it's in SUB mode it's still pulling from the battery. I need to go through the manual a bit more to understand exactly how this inverter will behave but so far when it was sunny I pull 4.5kw easy all via Solar and excess from battery/grid then the clouds rolled in. Ai

You would need stands. Nothing much he could have done.

I mentioned yesterday that SUB and SBU does nothing. The inverter will pull from the battery until the cut off is hit and then switch to the grid. It unfortunately means limited savings if you dont have enough battery to last the night.

Can set the inverter to SOL, so that when it drains your battery to the cut off, it switches to the grid but only solar charges the battery. You would need to set the cut off a a SOC where if power goes, you still will be fine.

 

[denmendez65]

So solar setup is installed. I don't know but I was hoping he would angle the panels a bit for better production and to make use of the bifacial panels but I will see later to optimize the setup a bit more.

So, the Navasolar Inverter even though it's in SUB mode it's still pulling from the battery. I need to go through the manual a bit more to understand exactly how this inverter will behave but so far when it was sunny I pull 4.5kw easy all via Solar and excess from battery/grid then the clouds rolled in. Ai

I see also the setup wont make it easy to install a second inverter in parallel. Would have been nice if they left some space.

 

[cavedog]

You would need stands. Nothing much he could have done.

I mentioned yesterday that SUB and SBU does nothing. The inverter will pull from the battery until the cut off is hit and then switch to the grid. It unfortunately means limited savings if you dont have enough battery to last the night.

Can set the inverter to SOL, so that when it drains your battery to the cut off, it switches to the grid but only solar charges the battery. You would need to set the cut off a a SOC where if power goes, you still will be fine.

Yes saw you mentioned it. Pity because the manual says SUB should only drain the battery if grid becomes unavailable.

Damn so I would need to tweak the cut off to prevent the battery getting drained and then a grid power failure will leave me in the dark still.

 

[cavedog]

I see also the setup wont make it easy to install a second inverter in parallel. Would have been nice if they left some space.

Yes that too.

 

[denmendez65]

Yes saw you mentioned it. Pity because the manual says SUB should only drain the battery if grid becomes unavailable.

Damn so I would need to tweak the cut off to prevent the battery getting drained and then a grid power failure will leave me in the dark still.

Yeah, not entirely accurate that manual lol. I was a bit irritated with that on my MUST inverter also.

If you want to save on grid usage, try and shift as many loads to day time. Might be worthwhile to get a second 5kWh battery. Then set the cut off to 50% if you think 5kWh of the 10Wh is enough for power outages. Then set the charging priority to SOL (solar only charging). The grid only gets used for the remaining time at night after you drain half your battery to supply the load but not to charge the battery.

Set the return to battery SOC around 80% then the inverter will switch back to supplying your loads with solar again after it has charged your battery with solar to the 80%. It will need some playing around on your side unfortunately.

 

[denmendez65]

In light of the inverter overload discussion yesterday. I will experiment with the Tuya app to see if I can use the app to kill the power before the inverter catches it. My inverter has overload protection of 1 second @ 150% load and 10 seconds @105% to 150% load.

I set the app to switch off the kitchen (non-essential) if the power is over 3000W. So will deliberately load more than 3kW on the kitchen to see which one is faster, the switch/app or the inverter. I think the inverter should be faster. Will try 2500W if the inverter catches it faster than the app.

It might be a decent way to avoid overloading the inverter by accident. Pressing a button on the phone is way easier than restarting the inverter every time it gets overloaded.

 

[wingnut771]

So solar setup is installed. I don't know but I was hoping he would angle the panels a bit for better production and to make use of the bifacial panels but I will see later to optimize the setup a bit more.

So, the Navasolar Inverter even though it's in SUB mode it's still pulling from the battery. I need to go through the manual a bit more to understand exactly how this inverter will behave but so far when it was sunny I pull 4.5kw easy all via Solar and excess from battery/grid then the clouds rolled in. Ai

Its cheaper to add more panels than build an elaborate angled mounting structure.

 

[wingnut771]

Yes that too.

How did you convince them of the 2kW geyser element?

 

[denmendez65]

Its cheaper to add more panels than build an elaborate angled mounting structure.

Case in point. SW facing and also a bit flat.

 

[wingnut771]

Case in point. SW facing and also a bit flat.
View attachment 1870215

You should retake that pic without all the shadows. Its not a good look.

 

[denmendez65]

You should retake that pic without all the shadows. Its not a good look.

You don't want to be on that roof in the middle of the day . This was taken around 5:30pm, when it was cooler, hence the shadows. When you do your solar, work only when it is cloudy or late afternoon, or very early morning. Roofs are mad hot, and you get dizzy quickly.

 

[cavedog]

Its cheaper to add more panels than build an elaborate angled mounting structure.

He told me that and I didn't believe him

He said proper strong rust resistant mounts will cost me the same as another set of 8 solar panels that he can install on a different side of the roof if I want more coverage.

How did you convince them of the 2kW geyser element?

I didn't but they were very nice. They installed a switch over for me in case the inverter gives me issues. They installed a separate db with the geyser breaker so I can install a smart timer. They still insisted 1.5kw element max.

 

[wingnut771]

He told me that and I didn't believe him

He said proper strong rust resistant mounts will cost me the same as another set of 8 solar panels that he can install on a different side of the roof if I want more coverage.



I didn't but they were very nice. They installed a switch over for me in case the inverter gives me issues. They installed a separate db with the geyser breaker so I can install a smart timer. They still insisted 1.5kw element max.

You may aswell wing it with the 3kW then.

 

[denmendez65]

He told me that and I didn't believe him

He said proper strong rust resistant mounts will cost me the same as another set of 8 solar panels that he can install on a different side of the roof if I want more coverage.



I didn't but they were very nice. They installed a switch over for me in case the inverter gives me issues. They installed a separate db with the geyser breaker so I can install a smart timer. They still insisted 1.5kw element max.

He is very right. Check the price on the one below from Temu. Probably/Definitely not good quality and you will spend 550 without VAT. Proper ones will be double.

A panel is 1.1/1.2k. You dont want fong kong mounts with the strong winds that come also this period.

 

[wingnut771]

He is very right. Check the price on the one below from Temu. Probably/Definitely not good quality and you will spend 550 without VAT. Proper ones will be double.

A panel is 1.1/1.2k. You dont want fong kong mounts with the strong winds that come also this period.

View attachment 1870220

Nevermind it turns it into a sail and advertising board for thieves.

 

[cavedog]

Yeah, not entirely accurate that manual lol. I was a bit irritated with that on my MUST inverter also.

If you want to save on grid usage, try and shift as many loads to day time. Might be worthwhile to get a second 5kWh battery. Then set the cut off to 50% if you think 5kWh of the 10Wh is enough for power outages. Then set the charging priority to SOL (solar only charging). The grid only gets used for the remaining time at night after you drain half your battery to supply the load but not to charge the battery.

Set the return to battery SOC around 80% then the inverter will switch back to supplying your loads with solar again after it has charged your battery with solar to the 80%. It will need some playing around on your side unfortunately.

So it looks like it can do it it just chooses not to offload more to the grid. Its feeding some of the load of the grid but still chooses to use the battery. Stupid thing.

I wonder if it's not the weather causing the power tracking of the solar to struggle a bit, so it pulls more from than the batter than expecting. It is showing the mppt there so it's struggling to get decent output.

 

[wingnut771]

So it looks like it can do it it just chooses not to offload more to the grid. Its feeding some of the load of the grid but still chooses to use the battery. Stupid thing.

I wonder if it's not the weather causing the power tracking of the solar to struggle a bit, so it pulls more from than the batter than expecting. It is showing the mppt there so it's struggling to get decent output.

View attachment 1870224

Is it sunny?

 

[cavedog]

Is it sunny?

No we just had a hailstorm so definitely not sunny.

 

[wingnut771]

No we just had a hailstorm so definitely not sunny.

Then solar is a lucky packet. Only panic about battery SOC after 4pm.

 

[denmendez65]

So it looks like it can do it it just chooses not to offload more to the grid. Its feeding some of the load of the grid but still chooses to use the battery. Stupid thing.

I wonder if it's not the weather causing the power tracking of the solar to struggle a bit, so it pulls more from than the batter than expecting. It is showing the mppt there so it's struggling to get decent output.

View attachment 1870224

In what proportion is it doing it? That is with the 3.4kVA load how much is coming off battery, PV and grid? Now that I think about it, the issue is at night. I cant recall the bevior during the day with the grid connected but definitely at night it chooses to only use the battery until it hits the cut off.

During the day I cant recall how it worked but the blending it is doing looks familiar. Wait for the sun to completely disappear and see if it will switch to grid automatically. Mine refused in both SUB and SBU.