Inverter not producing any solar power

Hi
My battery as stopped working after the recent cold spell, also my inverter has wont generate any solar.

Will a faulty battery stop my inverter from working?

DJtheengineer as an experiment I guess you could power everything down, then power up the inverter without the battery to see if it converts solar?

You have created another thread asking the same question...

It's good practice just to have the one...

Hi DD
Just tried that, still not generating any power.

The LEDs on the inverter are saying that's there is power from the array and to load but only taking power off the grid!
On the app I can see that the battery says 2.5v sometimes 2.6v so it must be reading some data, but it also says temperature is 0c, but it's been around 9c ambient temperature for the last couple of days.
I'm at a loss.

DJtheengineer Have you looked in the notifications log on the portal to see if there are any messages / failures. If you are not getting voltage and temperature is zero then it could be the battery cable under the inverter has come out.

Please supply details of inverter type, battery size, etc so we can help advise

DJtheengineer On the app I can see that the battery says 2.5v sometimes 2.6v so it must be reading some data

Where on the app are you seeing 2.5v or 2.6v ? On my hybrid system, the official app on android reports a voltage of around 50v, which is about correct for a low-voltage battery (16 cells of around 3.2V each).

There is an unofficial app which can show individual cell voltages: I think 2.5V would be dangerously low.

Is this a recent install? If so, reach out to the installer.

My inverter is a Hybrid 3.6 with a 5.1kw battery.
Both are on the latest firmware I think
Inverter firmware DO.450-AO.451
Battery 3017
Updated August 2024
I've had a few notifications most common is BMS under voltage and BMS charger under temperature.

Looking at the battery data on the app, the volts are now 0.4v zero temp

Hi DD
On the home page tap the battery symbol then you will see battery data, it used to read around 40v but now virtually zero

DJtheengineer Perhaps a quick check on the DC breaker between the batteries and the inverter might be in order. If it has tripped out you might see such a low voltage.

Hi Windy
I think the breaker had tripped which I didn't notice at first because the installer's had fitted it upside down, anyway it's now in the on position and the volts are dropping. I think when it reaches zero the battery turns off.
The next day it will read around 4v

Another note, I can't force it to change either because my inverter wont do anything.

DJtheengineer Another note, I can't force it to change either because my inverter wont do anything.

There's a minimum threshold below which the battery is too sick to charge. I don't know what it is, but perhaps around 2V or 2.5V per cell, so 40-ish V for the whole battery. Below that, remedial steps are required to recover the battery.

DJtheengineer My inverter is a Hybrid 3.6 with a 5.1kw battery.
Both are on the latest firmware I think
Inverter firmware DO.450-AO.451
Battery 3017
Updated August 2024
I've had a few notifications most common is BMS under voltage and BMS charger under temperature.

Looking at the battery data on the app, the volts are now 0.4v zero temp

From this firmware version you have a 3.6kW Gen 1 hybrid inverter, with a 5.2kWh battery (not 5.1).

Does the temperature sound realistic, is your battery outside, or inside in a garage?

It sounds to me that the BMS control cable from your battery to your inverter could have come loose and this is why you are getting exceptionally low voltage and temperature readings. It happened to me. It is a thin black cable going from your battery to the bottom of the inverter on the right hand side.

What you can do is to carefully unscrew the cover that the cable goes through and gently pull the cover down so you can see if the plug is inserted fully. If possible try not to dislodge the plug as you want to push it firmly back into the socket it is in. There is no retaining clip which is how they come loose - it happened to me before.
If the plug has come out then you’ll need to plug it back in, and unfortunately there are two identically sized sockets. Look at the installation manual, but if you get the wrong one it won’t cause any harm, you’ll just get different errors in the inverter notifications.

Thanks I'll try this tomorrow

DJtheengineer
My BMS cable "fell" out a couple of times. I plugged it back in and then taped it where it enters the removable plastic cover so that cable weight is supported by the cover and tape, and not pulling on the plug connection. Been fine now for 3 years

Hi guys

Quick update.
I tried all that you said with no problems found. The cable was snug in its connector, I also removed the front battery cover and tested the wiring continuity from each ends, all okay.
Also with the cover off you can access the main battery terminals which I measured the voltage, only 2v DC, the battery is well flat, the data battery on the portal shows 2.7v and does not increase from that.

DJtheengineer Also with the cover off you can access the main battery terminals which I measured the voltage, only 2v DC, the battery is well flat, the data battery on the portal shows 2.7v and does not increase from that.

Thanks for the update. If its that flat you will almost certainly have to get your installer out to ‘jump start’ it. GivEnergy might be able to remotely force it to charge but it does sound very low

Something I've just remembered, The 2.7v batt data which I read from the portal, was still updating with or without the cable connected!
So where does it get the data from?