Firmware update problem

I recently updated one of my 2 hybrid inverter/battery systems to D0.915-A0.915 and 3017. As expected, the batteries did a dump after the SW was installed. They didn't go down to 0%, only to 5%, my minimum SOC. Is this normal? However, the real problem is that they are getting charged overnight and then keep dumping to the grid during the day. I can't stop the export so they are draining all the time.

I don't have an timed discharge or timed export set and I have tried restarting everything but I can't stop the dump. Any ideas? IN case a GE person sees this, the inverter is ED2253G255.

Another problem is that my second inverter sees the one dumping as a load so it is sending everything it has to the empty inverter so draining both inverter systems.

Thanks all - this is driving me crazy!

Update...

Seems if I turn eco mode off, it stops the export. Have also tried creating settings for discharge and export and then deleting them again, in case some registers were left corrupted after the firmware update but that doesn't help. Only turning off Eco mode stops the automatic export so I'm still stuck, if anybody has any ideas...

could they be cross charging each other, 2 x inverter together will see each other as load

TheDragon (GivEnergy)

Thanks for the comment but I can see that it's all being exported from my Octopus stats. Is there a way to recalibrate the system without a firmware upgrade? THis only happened since the firmware upgrade. Was fine before...

Unfortunately, I know all about the cross-charging, since my installer sold me a system that doesn't work well and is, frankly, terribly supported. I'm awaitng a place on the new hybrid EMS trial.

SurreyMuso You mean the API based balancer? there is no Hybrid EMS, that is still in lab testing

SurreyMuso However, the real problem is that they are getting charged overnight and then keep dumping to the grid during the day. I can't stop the export so they are draining all the time.

I don't have an timed discharge or timed export set and I have tried restarting everything but I can't stop the dump. Any ideas? IN case a GE person sees this, the inverter is ED2253G255.

Does it start dumping immediately after the charge window, or does it start randomly?
Could try enabling then disabling timed-export, just in case portal has got out of sync with inverter register.
Another possibility - I believe that there is a register that stores the polarity of the CT clamp. If that has been inverted by the firmware update, it could cause a spontaneous dump to grid. (A small export is perceived as import, so discharge increases, and positive feedback escalates the problem.)

Another problem is that my second inverter sees the one dumping as a load so it is sending everything it has to the empty inverter so draining both inverter systems.

That's weird - it should see it as export and try to charge to consume it, not discharge to exacerbate.

DD Thank you - you may have hit the problem.

My installer (repeatedly useless but I'm stuck with them) decided to make a change to the incoming supply to fix a different problem but didn't test it when they left. As a result, the CT Clamp on the main feed seems to have the wrong polarity (and other problems as well). I can tell this from the results on my MyEnergi app. If that is wrong and your diagnosis is correct, that would explain everything. I have a call out to them but it took them 5 weeks to respond last time. The register is probably correct but the clamp is wrong.

For now, I've turned off Eco mode and turn it on if required in the evening. That keeps something in the battery as a reserve.

Why is it so hard to find good suppliers???

Thank you for your reply and all the other work that you do on this forum. You generously give a lot of your time and it is very much appreciated.

TheDragon (GivEnergy) Yes, I guess I mean the balancer. Not sure of the terminology but it's the cloud based solution that stops cross charging - or so my supplier tells me...

SurreyMuso For now, I've turned off Eco mode and turn it on if required in the evening. That keeps something in the battery as a reserve.

Timed discharge would achieve that, by pausing battery discharge until you want it.

Could reduce discharge power - won't resolve the problem, but at least when it gets into a state of dumping to grid, it's doing so more slowly, so lasts longer, and you get to consume more of the power.

(It's not hard to swap round the CT clamp yourself - you're not exposed to any live wires or anything.)

DD If I could beg your indulgence again. It's complicated...

I had my solar/battery system trip and that took out my house as well. So the installers decided to put the inverters on a new and separate consumer unit, installing what I think you called a Henley block in another of your excellent forum contributions. When leaving, I asked if they had they sorted the CT Clamps. WIth a shrug of the shoulders and in a rush, they put two on a single cable in my meter box. Since then, the MyEnergi app has reported incorrectly (house load is reported as incoming from the grid, instead of out to the house and the house icon is receiving all the exported power from the panels). There is more but you may by now get the picture of their incompetence.

It's for that reason that I consider your alternative theory re polarity quite feasible.

So, CT clamps possibly on the wrong cable and/or with wrong polarity. Who knows, which is why I'm not inclined to dabble myself.

You mentioned trying Timed Discharge. I had tried and got mixed results. Seems to be OK now. I don't mind exporting – I get paid more than it costs to charge overnight (Octopus Intelligent Go with export).

*** EDIT *** Eco on and with timed discharge set for later this evening still dumping now, mid afternoon. Nope - things not as expected

Enough for now. I'm sure you have a life to live outside of my problems :o)

Thank you again!

SurreyMuso zappi is slightly more complicated since can have multiple CT clamps, and you configure it to tell it what each CT clamp is doing. One is expected to be the main grid input. My installer put a second one on GE feed, telling zappi it's solar. Except since it's a hybrid, it can't distinguish solar from battery export, so of less use. (And since I don't want solar charging anyway, I ended up repurposing it to measure heat pump load.)

Like GE, I don't think myenergi directly measures consumption. They both infer it based on whatever else is going on. (eg my zappi distinguishes consumption from heat pump, whereas GE includes hp in consumption.)
My zappi CT clearly has an arrow showing direction of import. I don't remember if the GE one does, and whether it points in direction of import or towards smartmeter. (I think both conventions are in use ?)

Ideally (imho) you want the zappi to be invisible to GE so that GE doesn't attempt to supply power to car, even during bonus charging slots. So GE CT clamp would be after the Henley block for the zappi. You may already have seen a photo of my setup in another thread.

SurreyMuso So, CT clamps possibly on the wrong cable and/or with wrong polarity.

Perhaps (try to) post a photo?

SurreyMuso if your CT clamp for the grid supply is the wrong way round, this can be changed in inverter config, or you can just unclip the CT clamp and swap it round the other way. There’s no electrical risk at all, you can do this yourself.

There’s is an arrow on the CT clamp indicating the direction but the givenergy inverter installation instructions are contradictory as to which way round it should point, so best thing is to test it operates as expected.

I had an octopus engineer replace mine the wrong way round when they fitted a new smart meter, the inverter would then export all the time trying to meet phantom house load. Took me a day to realise the problem and seconds to swap it round

SurreyMuso *** EDIT *** Eco on and with timed discharge set for later this evening still dumping now, mid afternoon. Nope - things not as expected

Hmm... that is odd. Timed discharge is implemented using the pause timer, with discharge paused outside of the window. (ie the pause timer is set to the inverse of the requested timed-discharge time window.)

So battery ought not be discharging while the pause timer says not to. I'm not sure if timed-export takes precedence over timed-pause.

DD Thanks all - I appreciate your help. I didn't think that a photo would help. I have three different sets of CT clamps and, of course, they need to tie up with the all connection in the black CT boxes. Supplier arrived today (a month after the problem arose) and fixed the clamps. Two had the wrong polarity and 1 was on the wrong cable.

What can I say? Poor installation and no testing. If anybody wants a recommendation on suppliers, I can tell you who NOT to go with...