Battery not sensed

Have had the batteries installed a few weeks ago - 2*8.2KWh and AC coupled inverted
Was checking if the EPS was working and turned the mains off. The inverter went offline and one of the batteries was giving a clicking sound.

After turning the mains on - both batteries were offline and turning them on has not worked for one.
Both are not showing up on the Cloud/app or being sensed by the inverter.
I have contacted the installers, wondering if anyone else has faced this problem.
https://youtu.be/AFWbRMRBk9A

Are the battery LEDs lit? Status green and 1,2,3,4 Charge LEDs?

If the battery looks, on, but the Inverter thinks not. Check the Isolator didnt trip. Isolator should be in the Up (On) position

TheDragon (GivEnergy)
One of the battery - status led is green and the state of charge LEDs (all four) are lit.
Second one - turns on, then the status led turns red and the clicking sound appears and then turns off.
The isolator is ON.
The battery is sensed as 10Ah on the portal /inverter

So the clicking one, turn it off using the side button. At least you have 1 working till GE can get involved and look at it

Is the good one the Master or Slave?

Another thing to check, I read on another thread, a faulty USB key did similar. Removed it and turned it back on and it booted. If you know how to get at the USB key inside

TheDragon (GivEnergy) I think the master is kaput.
No idea how to get to the USB key.
Will wait for GE.
So much for EPS

ispookie666 The USB key is accessed by removing the front panel, for which I think you need to use an Allen key. If you're not comfortable taking the cover off to remove the USB key, log a call with your installer. The batteries are a fairly significant power source (enough to power house appliances overnight). A competent electrician would be perfectly comfortable removing the cover as there is no mains voltage present, "just" 50V DC.

But I would log a call with the installer anyway as they will be able to remove the USB key to see if that's compromising the power-up and may be able to come out to you quite quickly. If you wait for Givenergy, you may be waiting some time.

It's a pity there isn't a flap to expose an externally-accessible USB port that the owner can plug a USB key into.

When my system was installed last July, the installer was demonstrating the EPS he had set up for a power cut. When he switched the mains power back on, nothing worked anymore. After a couple of weeks+ a GE engineer turned up and replaced a circuit board on which I think a power thyristor had blown (not totally sure about this).
By the way, I believe 50VDC is more dangerous than 240VAC so be careful when removing the cover!

this sounds very like the fault I had, which GE said was caused by incorrectly installed wiring between DC breaker and the inverter - causing heating and a component to fail in the inverter. They came and replaced a component.

wrefordj By the way, I believe 50VDC is more dangerous than 240VAC so be careful when removing the cover!

Who told you that? 50V is the limit of what is considered "safe" but it can in theory kill you if your resistance is low enough to get some current through you - it is current that kills not voltage, so in theory a 9v supply could kill you if it has enough potential for current.
Having said that, the batteries do have plenty of capacity for current so do treat it with care!

Update - if I turn the DC isolator off, both batteries power up and stay powered up. When the DC isolator is turned on, one of the batteries stats making the clicking noise and shuts down. I guess it is the master battery. The other one stays on.
My installer has contacted GE, not much hopeful.
Maybe I should have gone with another brand.

wrefordj I believe 50VDC is more dangerous than 240VAC so be careful when removing the cover

I agree. If you're unsure, just leave it alone and let someone who has been trained do the job. That's what the warranty is for anyways. "It's the volts that jolts and the mills that kills" is what I was told. At one point in my working life, I used to do fault-finding on live 50Vdc and 110Vdc equipment with batteries the size of rooms. Despite training and being completely aware of the live components, I did receive a jolt on a couple of occasions and I can vouch that it REALLY hurts. I wouldn't want anyone to go through the same experience, at any voltage.

I can more than open up and do the necessary work. But do not want the installer or GE blaming this for the failure.

ispookie666 I had this exact same problem and Givenergy had to come out to fix it. A component in the inverter has failed (unsure what it was) and it took the engineer about 5 minutes to replace it.

judgepd
How long did Givenergy take to fix it?

ispookie666 I think it was about 10 calendar days from me reporting it, to the engineer coming and fixing it.

Still waiting for Givenergy to get their act together. Regretting getting this system every day!

ispookie666 Have you called givenergy and jumped up and down on them? The few issues we've had here with DC isolators getting trippy our installers were back out within a couple of days to check things over or swap one out.

Who did you contract with and pay for the installation? Unless it was direct with GivEnergy then it's the installer that you need to lean on. Don't let them fob you off or tell you to speak to the manufacturer....under consumer law the onus is on the business that you contracted with to sort this out (specifically the Consumer Rights Act 2015).
Also, if you used a credit card to pay (even a small amount as long as it is over £100 and direct to the installer) then your credit card issuer may be jointly and severally liable. That means you can go direct to the CC issuer and lodge a claim under Section 75.

Do not allow yourself to be fobbed off....the contract is between yourself and whoever you paid and NOT between you and GivEnergy.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/consumer-rights-refunds-exchange/#must
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/section75-protect-your-purchases/

The installer came out and did some checks, mentioned this is beyond them and Givenergy will be in touch.
I have heard nothing. Will give them a week or so and then push this further.
Really poor service!
Might actually force the installer to provide a solution different to Givenergy.

Amazed how a company can be this rubbish at customer service.
I raised this issue 15 days ago and have no technical assistance or even a date for an engineer to come out.
What a joke. !

ispookie666 You've had some bad customer service I think. The Givenergy tech seems really quite good but there are weaknesses in their hardware (DC isolators especially). The first port of call is with your installer. Givenergy will fix hardware if it's something beyond what a competent installer can resolve. Replacing a faulty DC isolator (actually just rocking up and looking at it) is definitely within their remit. Look to Givenergy to put pressure on the installer, but give your installer the grief to resolve the issue. If they don't perform, they won't be installing Givenergy kit in the future, or at least that's your conversation with Givenergy, I think. I suspect it's the state of the market currently that installers are rushed off their feet doing installations, but that's not a reason to ignore issues they've left behind; it's just good business sense to do a good job and make sure there's nothing left undone. I hope you get a good resolution soon.

Looking back through your trials, Givenergy should have at least looked at the problem and told you what the resolution is. Whether it's waiting on a part to be available or scheduling a slot to do the work, you should by now know what you are waiting for. Maybe phone Givenergy and ask them for the diagnosis and resolution? They are very busy but do eventually answer the phone and when you speak to a real human being they are usually helpful.

If your installer are MCS certified you can complain through MCS if you've given them time to respond/resolve and still not getting anywhere.

Hi, just picking up on this - it is a clear installation error in how the EPS was configured and looks to of caused damage to the inverter.

Nothing is known for sure until the site visit has been carried out but we will be visiting this as the customer has been contacted, I apologise for any delays surrounding this, the complexity in the error made was difficult for the normal teams to deal with, this has been passed to our senior engineer who has now been in touch and is looking to arrange a date.

@Adam-Reynolds
The EPS was working without a problem during the commissioning and when I tested it. Maybe the installation error only happens intermittently or It is something else.

I have yet to have a date or call from Givenergy for a site visit. The chasm in communication between the installer and Givenergy was breath taking.

Literally felt like being fobbed off, "its not us, its them!"

19 days and counting!!!!

Cdent
According to my installer

1. did a site visit as required by Givenergy
2. passed on all the information to Givenergy (which was more than 2 weeks ago).
   Someone is dragging their feet and it is not me 😆

@Tim Not holding out much hope on either front. Such appalling service, you never expect this to happen to you.

I informed Givnergy and my installer the day this problem happened. The installer came out within the next few days and said, its beyond their hands. Someone has buried their heads in the sand.

I asked for replacement units from the installer - the batteries are not going to happen(I have been waiting for these for >5 months) the inverter might be a few months!

If I had a choice, I'd just rip this whole thing apart and send it back to Givenergy to use a paperweight or door stop

Surely if you are capable, while waiting on GE there are some checks you can do yourself. As you say you are more than capable of opening the battery ad taking a look.

Check The Master and slave DIL switches are correct.
Master All down 0 0 0 0
Slave 1st switch up (1st Slave) 1 0 0 0

Check the Management cabling is wired correctly, Inverter to Master (2 way connector), Then Master Out to Slave In (4 way connector)

If that's OK. You could wire the Slave as Master, and the Master as Slave (Leave Slave turned Off, initially, side button)
Power up the isolator, does it work with the 1 known good battery.
If yes, then turn on the new Slave, does the ticking return? If Yes, you know the battery is defective, and you at least have 1 good one to use.

Note, I fully agree this is installer, GE business, but as your not getting the responses you wish, could be a quick fix

Also reading Adam's post above, A sound GE engineer, do you have some weirdly complex EPS setup? Option 1,2,3 or 4?

Solar PV panels have Enphase microinverters
I have not asked for anything other than having EPS to the garage. The system worked well from 25th May to 8th June, including a few forced power cuts (to check if EPS was working) and a few power cuts.
Master and Slave Dip switches are correct.
I'll have a think about rewiring the management cabling of Master as slave - do not want Givenergy or Installer using this as an excuse.

@thedragon
I swapped the wiring for slave and master and changed the dip switches. The moment I turn on the DC isolator the battery starts clicking and turns off. Either just the inverter which has gone or the whole lot!

Be patient. Every man, woman and their dogs in the country decided to install solar PV late last year and early this year. GE are run of their little feet and have a limited number of folks in vans to nursemaid poorly systems. Getting precious about it won't win you friends when you need assistance.

I hope you have better luck with the company when you need it.

ispookie666 I can understand the frustration, but they have replied above and said it's being looked at for you. It may take some time to get resources on site.

ispookie666 I have had them come out twice to sort out problems with my installation. Each time it took about one month from reporting the problem to Martin and his van coming out to fix it. There was no regular stream of communication between me and GE, but once they knew of the issue, none was needed.

I'm happy with the support I've got from them.

I have given up on Givenergy or my installer solving this.
I'm in the market for a new system.

And what will you do when there is an issue with your new supplier? Move on to yet another?

I am sorry to hear you're not happy with the support. We are in the middle of a worldwide energy crisis and this industry is the most busy it has been ever. All of us come early, stay late while riding through the storm currently.

The senior engineer likely wants to visit this himself down to the complexity in the EPS setup to figure out what's happened, he is out of the country currently on other jobs in Ireland but I will send him a message for you now to see if theres anything I can take over and push from my side in the interim to get this up and running as soon as possible - As stated, we do have this on the books, you haven't been forgotten about - but please do allow some patience during these busy times.

wilfleek
Thanks for your suggestion.. might actually consider it. Maybe other manufacturers might look at this differently.

Adam-Reynolds
thank you.
Please do increase the staffing if possible with the increase in work load.

Just on this - my lead engineer does indeed want to visit this as I'd thought. He has stated this is 100% install error following his diagnosis however to avoid further delays we have advised we will come and visit site instead of pushing this back to your installer to fix. We will be looking to get something arranged with you when he's back in the country. He should be in contact with you this Thursday/Friday

Adam-Reynolds
Thank you. Looking forward to this having rectified.

Finally has this sorted. Looks like the main inverter board was fried. Not sure of the cause, the engineer disconnected the EPS with a suggestion that it might be the cause.
Will need to get the installer to have a look at this.

Glad to hear that you're making progress with it!