Growatt SPH3600 hybrid inverter + 2 x 6.5kw batteries + solar

[user 36882]

First, I am new to the forum, but thank goodness I found it. I am comforted to see that others have similar issues and questions, and that I am not confused or stupid (as the installer of our system implies). Thank you!
Our system was initially installed in November last year without batteries. After a lot of bother the installers eventually got the solar and inverter working and all seemed fine, logical and doing what it was meant to do. The installers weren't able to give any advice or guidance about the Shine app or the web server, simply saying 'it's a smart inverter and we need do nothing'.
We then added the battery storage (same installers) and since then it's all gone a bit crazy. We seem to have no control over battery charging or discharging, the app and web server has stopped showing any import from or true export to grid (although smart meter shows a lot of export to grid).
We have tried to manage the battery charge / discharge via the app, but it still seems to behave randomly and a lot of the data we see make little sense.
What we would like (to fit our usage pattern) is for the batteries to charge from solar in the day when our consumption is minimal and discharge in the evening and overnight, and if I understand the mode priorities correctly what spare from load consumption and when battery is full will export to grid.
The settings on the web server and app seem relatively logical (though anything but intuitive and clear).
We have therefore set:
Battery First Mode from 6am to 6pm
Left Load First as default for the rest of the time.
The system does not however seem to behave this way, and the battery never discharges unless we use the TOU on the app, which sometimes works and at the moment returns only 'system error' if we try to change it.

I attach a couple of screen shots of data we are seeing:

1. The day the battery was installed and deployed at precisely 17:20 the 'normal data' 'stopped and we no longer see import from grid. Until then all made sense.


2. Load consumption now is always same as solar production (unless the battery is charging) as you see from today



and it looked like the battery was charging from the grid at one point!!! - though shows export to grid and not import from.


3. We see battery charging o/night when we time it to discharge and when it does discharge rate is always 2.98kw (regardless of consumption)



I will stop here as I feel already I am taking a bit of a liberty, but installers deny there is anything wrong and will not advise. I do not feel informed enough to complain constructively, so have been observing over past few months and trying to put together an argument that at the very least they should assist in working stuff out for us.

Any observations, questions, help is greatly appreciated.

 

[binky]

Sounds like the CT clamps that may be wrong. It's fair to say it takes batteries a couple of days to settle down, and can do some odd stuff whilst sorting themselves out. Hopefully John will be along soon as he had GroWatt inverter.

 

[bladerunnerpv]

What make and model of batteries do you have installed?

 

[user 36882]

They are Growatt Lithium ion GBLI6532

 

[Si_Oakwood]

Hi, I just wanted to check whether you actually should be using Battery First mode during the day? It says in the manual "it's suitable working on the period when the electric charge is low".

Personally, I use Load First all the time (had it for 10 months now) which is the default setup and use virtually nothing from the grid. I did use Battery First (with AC grid charging activated) for an hour or so at night (economy 7 rate) in Dec/Jan to top up the battery to avoid paying day elec rates in winter.

I can't work out why your consumption matches solar when the battery is at 100% (if your battery was charging it'd make sense), except perhaps that something has been installed to automatically use excess solar (car charger or immersion e.g. Eddi maybe?).

I'd be interested to see how your usage graph looks when in Load First. The strange thing is that you're not showing any imported power, although if it's just obscured because it's always around 0 then that's a good thing.

Here's how mine looked yesterday (you can see when the battery hit 100% at around 12:30 because then it starts exporting the excess):

 

[johnb2713]

First, I am new to the forum, but thank goodness I found it. I am comforted to see that others have similar issues and questions, and that I am not confused or stupid (as the installer of our system implies). Thank you!
Our system was initially installed in November last year without batteries. After a lot of bother the installers eventually got the solar and inverter working and all seemed fine, logical and doing what it was meant to do. The installers weren't able to give any advice or guidance about the Shine app or the web server, simply saying 'it's a smart inverter and we need do nothing'.
We then added the battery storage (same installers) and since then it's all gone a bit crazy. We seem to have no control over battery charging or discharging, the app and web server has stopped showing any import from or true export to grid (although smart meter shows a lot of export to grid).
We have tried to manage the battery charge / discharge via the app, but it still seems to behave randomly and a lot of the data we see make little sense.
What we would like (to fit our usage pattern) is for the batteries to charge from solar in the day when our consumption is minimal and discharge in the evening and overnight, and if I understand the mode priorities correctly what spare from load consumption and when battery is full will export to grid.
The settings on the web server and app seem relatively logical (though anything but intuitive and clear).
We have therefore set:
Battery First Mode from 6am to 6pm
Left Load First as default for the rest of the time.
The system does not however seem to behave this way, and the battery never discharges unless we use the TOU on the app, which sometimes works and at the moment returns only 'system error' if we try to change it.

I attach a couple of screen shots of data we are seeing:

1. The day the battery was installed and deployed at precisely 17:20 the 'normal data' 'stopped and we no longer see import from grid. Until then all made sense.
View attachment 15478

2. Load consumption now is always same as solar production (unless the battery is charging) as you see from today

View attachment 15479

and it looked like the battery was charging from the grid at one point!!! - though shows export to grid and not import from.

View attachment 15481
3. We see battery charging o/night when we time it to discharge and when it does discharge rate is always 2.98kw (regardless of consumption)

View attachment 15480

I will stop here as I feel already I am taking a bit of a liberty, but installers deny there is anything wrong and will not advise. I do not feel informed enough to complain constructively, so have been observing over past few months and trying to put together an argument that at the very least they should assist in working stuff out for us.

Any observations, questions, help is greatly appreciated.

The modes in the Growatt Inverter are very poorly explained and very confusing. Here are my settings that work for me which seems to be the way you want it to work too.

 

[user 36882]

@ all, thanks for helpful observations and reply.
Current settings attached, that seem same as yours @johnb2713





There are things that I still cannot understand about some data / behaviour:

• Showing no import from grid, when smart meter records imports of several kWh per day (this was not the case when system first installed pre battery)
• Apparently charging battery from no source... see below from today, early hours

• battery discharge almost always at 2.99kw when load is minimal - for example, yesterday evening after going to bed at around 10:00 only appliances active were my laptop and phone (charging), clock on oven, fridge/freezer, small chest freezer.

@Si_Oakwood Our day time consumption is minimal, so makes sense to store in battery and export excess to grid until evening when we consume more (usually 20:00 - 22:00)

I wonder if there is a CT issue, but the installers did check and said all is ok, but I do not know how to check/validate that statement myself.

Cheers all

 

[Si_Oakwood]

Our day time consumption is minimal, so makes sense to store in battery and export excess to grid until evening when we consume more (usually 20:00 - 22:00)

ok cool I see that now, especially with your evening usage, thanks.

Also, in case it helps, binky mentioned CT clamps. My installer put the clamp on backwards (head-office told him to do it that way) and so my graphs were upside down which made them confusing. I found an installation video from Growatt on youtube that shows the correct way round (if I recall the arrow inside the clamp should point to load)

 

[johnb2713]

ok cool I see that now, especially with your evening usage, thanks.

Also, in case it helps, binky mentioned CT clamps. My installer put the clamp on backwards (head-office told him to do it that way) and so my graphs were upside down which made them confusing. I found an installation video from Growatt on youtube that shows the correct way round (if I recall the arrow inside the clamp should point to load)

Correct IF it's on the Live tail, if it's on Neutral, the other way round.

 

[johnb2713]

There are things that I still cannot understand about some data / behaviour:

• Showing no import from grid, when smart meter records imports of several kWh per day (this was not the case when system first installed pre battery)
• Apparently charging battery from no source... see below from today, early hours

View attachment 15491

• battery discharge almost always at 2.99kw when load is minimal - for example, yesterday evening after going to bed at around 10:00 only appliances active were my laptop and phone (charging), clock on oven, fridge/freezer, small chest freezer.

View attachment 15492
@Si_Oakwood Our day time consumption is minimal, so makes sense to store in battery and export excess to grid until evening when we consume more (usually 20:00 - 22:00)

I wonder if there is a CT issue, but the installers did check and said all is ok, but I do not know how to check/validate that statement myself.

Cheers all

You seem to have very high continuous loads, double check the CT's are the right way round.

 

[user 36882]

Thanks again for help all.
CT is in good position and pointing in the right direction, but import/export to grid is still not accurate ( in fact barely showing anything). Really at a loss about what to do as installers don’t want to know and just tell me that our consumption must more or less the same, constantly, as solar production and battery - patently not the case e.g. yesterday smart meter registered 3.7kWh import and 13kWh export, but app/web server says zero or close to on both in same 24hr:


Faulty CT clamp? Wrongly wired? I noticed 2 import spikes, one when battery stopped discharging just after midnight and other just as solar would kick in ( sun first falls on roof just about then right now).

Sorry for all the questions and observation that must seem basic to the knowledgeable, but I need to be sure I have a properly installed and functioning system.

Thanks as always for any wisdom.

 

[johnb2713]

Could we have a photograph of the incoming supply and the CT location please, we may be able to spot something.

 

[user 36882]

Will do. I’ve just left on hols, but back 1 June and can do then
Much appreciated.

 

[user 36882]

@johnb2713​

Just back and posting supply wiring and CT position pic as suggested.
Perhaps some clues about the issues I appear to be having.
As always, much appreciated. Thanks