Setup for Growatt Inverter and a Pylontech Battery.

[Walter_B]

I have read the posts on this forum but unfortunately haven't been able to find the detail I need.
I have a Growatt SPH3600 4.1kWh Inverter and a Pylontech 4.8KWh US5000 Li-Ion Battery. The panels/inverter supplies power OK – I’m getting between 1 and 3kWh/d depending on weather at the moment.

I cannot find out how to set the battery and inverter up to talk to each other properly though. I only thing I’ve managed to set up properly (I think) are the DIP switches on the battery – they are set to 1-On 2-Off 3-Off 4-Off which gives the 9600 baud rate. The battery is being charged, but is not discharging to the inverter to give me mains power.

I have the RJ45 cable connected to the battery and to the CAN port on the Inverter as that is the only port that I don’t get an error on. I understand there are settings to be changed on the inverter to let the inverter know the type of battery that is in place, but I cannot get into the inverter software to set that up. I have tried pressing the OK button for >5 seconds but it seems to stay in standby mode, although I can scroll through some settings and change from lead acid to lithium battery – that doesn’t seem to help at all though. I have got ShinePhone software installed on my phone as that was what I was told I needed by the installer of the panels and inverter - they did not supply the battery. All that that software seems to do is to give detail on what the system is producing – I can’t find any way to change settings within that software.

As you can see I have major problems. Any help you can give would be very gratefully received.

Thanks very much for looking,
Walter Burnett

 

[johnb2713]

The Shinephone app doest give you access to the settings (or at least mine doesnt). Going on a PC however does make the settings available.




Click on the settings icon about halfway down the first page. To save your settings the password is the date backwards eg today is 20230307

J

 

[Steviesparkie]

The Shinephone app doest give you access to the settings (or at least mine doesnt). Going on a PC however does make the settings available.

View attachment 15063


Click on the settings icon about halfway down the first page. To save your settings the password is the date backwards eg today is 20230307

J

Also.as the server is in china you sometimes have to put yesterdays date in.my phone lets me into controls.password is growatt and date.

 

[johnb2713]

Also.as the server is in china you sometimes have to put yesterdays date in.my phone lets me into controls.password is growatt and date.

I’ve never had to use any other than uk date.

 

[shaunuk]

Ive not found a way to do that with third party batteries yet. Growatt like to stay as proprietary as possible, so for now im just running in lead acid mode, with the high and low voltages set and no communications.

You seem to be expecting the inverter to be able to communicate to the bms, have you seen any documents or comments online showing others that have managed ? if so Im happy to have a go with mine and report back, but to my understanding, pylontech dont speak the same cambus language as the growatt cambus.

 

[Walter_B]

I'm a virgin as far as solar and terminology is concerned I'm afraid.
I checked ShinePhone on my phone today (I haven't got it set up on computer yet - my bad!) and it was showing 96% battery with 0.5kWh discharged this afternoon - just checked again & it's showing 95% with 0.7kWh discharged to the system.
I'd expect a loty more than that as since the sun has gone done I would have thought it should be giving from the battery until the cut-off point (whatever that is).
I just MUST bite the bullet and get things moving - I apologise for not moving on all the good info I've had. It WILL be done!
Cheers,

Walter

 

[johnb2713]

Double check all of the settings, the Growatt Inverter, they can configured to prioritise grid power over battery and also look at scheduled AC charging times and make sure theyre no enabled during peak energy times eg if youre on Octopus Intelligent they should be 23:30 to 05:30.

 

[Walter_B]

Thanks for all you help, much appreciated. However (there's always one of those however ), none of it worked, but my system is now up and running beautifully with the battery now feeding into the inverter rather than just being charged – and the problem was so easily resolved.
I’ve got a main distribution panel, and another panel that feeds the electric shower (which will be disappearing on Monday when I get new bathrooms installed), so I have a splitter to give me power to each panel. I maybe (probably) should have mentioned that in my first post).
The solar panel/inverter installer had used the live from the splitter to the main distribution panel for the CT clamp. I moved that clamp to the live coming from the distributors 60 amp fuse (it's low I know, but enough for my needs). I’m surprised it made a difference because the shower wasn’t on when the clamp was moved, but it now works so I’m happy.
Have any of you come across that before? If you have I do apologise again for not mentioning the dual panels prior, but my excuse is I hadn't a clue that that might make a difference.
Cheers,

Walter

 

[johnb2713]

Thanks for all you help, much appreciated. However (there's always one of those however ), none of it worked, but my system is now up and running beautifully with the battery now feeding into the inverter rather than just being charged – and the problem was so easily resolved.
I’ve got a main distribution panel, and another panel that feeds the electric shower (which will be disappearing on Monday when I get new bathrooms installed), so I have a splitter to give me power to each panel. I maybe (probably) should have mentioned that in my first post).
The solar panel/inverter installer had used the live from the splitter to the main distribution panel for the CT clamp. I moved that clamp to the live coming from the distributors 60 amp fuse (it's low I know, but enough for my needs). I’m surprised it made a difference because the shower wasn’t on when the clamp was moved, but it now works so I’m happy.
Have any of you come across that before? If you have I do apologise again for not mentioning the dual panels prior, but my excuse is I hadn't a clue that that might make a difference.
Cheers,

Walter

We forgot to ask the most basic of questions, yes of course the CT or power meter needs to be the incoming supply.

Well done, thanks for the update.

 

[Walter_B]

Thanks for that John.Sorry for asking another question as I know you are a very busy man, however (there it goes again ), why does it not work on what is basically a straight through line?
The solar panel 'professional' installer put the clamp on the feed line (18" from where it is now) to the distribution panel with the highest power take, and the shower was not powered up on the other panel. Granted it's through both an isolating switch that I put in when I installed the distribution panel, a smart meter (installed before I bought the house in August), and then into the splitter (I was wrong initially when I said it was through the splitter as well - sorry). I'm therfore doubly surprised that the probe didn't work as the line it was on was taking the full load.
There are a lot more cables where the installer put it so there'll probably be noise and electromagnetic interference for that clamp to have contended with, but is that the culprit, or.....??
Cheers,
Walter

 

[johnb2713]

Hard to see the full installation, when the CT was in the original position was it just round the Brown cable or did the two cables go though it? (Hard to see on phone screen if it could fit both).

 

[denmancentral]

slightly off topic but shouldn't that isolator be after the smart meter?

 

[johnb2713]

slightly off topic but shouldn't that isolator be after the smart meter?

Maybe regulation would say yes but from a purely technical point of view, no.

If something was to go wrong with the meter it would be useful if you could isolate the incoming power.

 

[Walter_B]

slightly off topic but shouldn't that isolator be after the smart meter?

That's why I put the isolator where I did, to be able to work on anything without pulling the distributors fuse. I also have to admit I didn't check any regs beforehand.

Hard to see the full installation, when the CT was in the original position was it just round the Brown cable or did the two cables go though it? (Hard to see on phone screen if it could fit both).

It was only around the brown line cable.

 

[Walter_B]

I'll never get a photographer of the century prize, but this should be enough to show you the basic setup. The black box under the distribution panel is for the garage, and it feeds from the distribution panel (why it's there I don't know!). The white box to its right is for the shower - it used to have the light and fan for the bathroom as well but I put that into the distribution panel when I fitted it. It'll be disappearing when the new bathrooms go in.
The rest you know.

Back to the Growatt Inverter.
I've been told by a local enthusiast that my inverter won't allow me to set up to buy electricity at night to top up the battery. Very disappointed with that news. I really don't see any point in considering buying another battery as I don't have that overnight charging facility.
The battery is being charged quite quickly just now so I'm winning, but it is running out during the evening.

 

[binky]

Maybe regulation would say yes but from a purely technical point of view, no.

If something was to go wrong with the meter it would be useful if you could isolate the incoming power.

Some twot of a meter fitter recently removed an isolator in such a location, think he was a member of Wadebridge Sailing club, W

 

[johnb2713]

Back to the Growatt Inverter.
I've been told by a local enthusiast that my inverter won't allow me to set up to buy electricity at night to top up the battery. Very disappointed with that news. I really don't see any point in considering buying another battery as I don't have that overnight charging facility.

Yes you can, your local enthusiast is WRONG.

In the settings you will see:-


Set the AC charge to on, add times into the time slot and also set it to on. Save the settings all done.

 

[Walter_B]

Yes you can, your local enthusiast is WRONG.

In the settings you will see:-
View attachment 15136

Set the AC charge to on, add times into the time slot and also set it to on. Save the settings all done.

Thanks for that John.
I'll have to wait at least until tomorrow to change the settings - pain from cancer too much today and even the Fentanyl isn't giving relief - my inverter & battery are in the loft.
Looking 4wrd 2 getting the system up and running properly.
BTW, are you an engineer or an enthusiast who is self taught? You obviously have a vast amount of knowledge on this subject - and I see the number of posts you've made so you must have expertise in many other areas. Wonderful that you take the time to pass on your knowledge.

 

[johnb2713]

Thanks for that John.
I'll have to wait at least until tomorrow to change the settings - pain from cancer too much today and even the Fentanyl isn't giving relief - my inverter & battery are in the loft.

Private message sent

Looking 4wrd 2 getting the system up and running properly.

Absolutely, it's good when you forget about it, just let the system run.

BTW, are you an engineer or an enthusiast who is self taught? You obviously have a vast amount of knowledge on this subject - and I see the number of posts you've made so you must have expertise in many other areas. Wonderful that you take the time to pass on your knowledge.

I started my working life as an apprentice electrician in the steelworks, I studied electronic engineering at college to HND level but in my days, transistors were only just appearing. I left the steelworks after 10 years and worked as a service engineer worldwide on weighing equipment for Avery Weighing Scales. I was seconded to a Japanese company for 2 years working in Kyoto on development adapting their revolutionary product for the European market. I then worked for 20 years or so developing Microprocessor based control systems - hardware design, schematics, PCB layouts and programming in assembler code (low level). After that I started an IT business in Gainsborough (I gained Microsoft, Novell and Cisco accreditations) which is still running today by my son and my wife. I was asked to go and work at a local Technology School as their network manager - a council job, that was to set me up to my retirement. 7 years in, a new school was built, £35M spend, £3.3M IT spend all for me LOL. Everything was planned, obtained, installed and working within budget on day 1, on day 7 I was made redundant). A short foray as an DSA approved driving instructor, I gave up on that and went off to sea for few years as an ROV Pilot / Technician & Supervisor working in the oil and gas industry.

Me at work in the North Atlantic flying a $2M Remotely Operated Vehicle


After a very near miss with a helicopter losing it's rotorhead in Bergen, Norway I quit this job and started work on becoming a Civil Aviation Authority approved drone training and testing centre. I formed my new company Skeyetrain to provide drone training and testing. It took 18 months to gain the approval for our course and we started work. 4 years in I had the opportunity to sell our company which I did and retired. I gave up all of my flying, I allowed my Private Pilots License to lapse, gave up commercial flying of drones (mainly power line and wind turbine inspections with the odd TV / Film roles), I sold my fleet of model aircraft - helicopters and fixed wing, gave up being an Area Chief Examiner for the British Model Flying Association and took up playing keyboards LOL. When the energy crisis was looming I decided it was time to look at solar again and this got my old grey matter working again. With a lot of help from the guys on here I got a system installed to my specification, quickly learning it's shortcomings - storage. That led me on a very steep learning curve building my own battery as you may seen elsewhere on here. I learned massive amounts with regard to battery storage from the tons of content online. I'm indebted to members of this forum for the help and advice I've received even the harsh comments LOL. I'm more than happy to help others if I can with the knowledge I have acquired.

 

[monkey5]

Interesting life you've had John, with masses of experience, very jealous. Just down the road from me, I'm in Saxilby.