duwdu:


I earlier today acquired one of these MUSt units, as advertised. Many thanks, kiekie1, for the sale and very prompt delivery service.

Dear forumites, let me in a way come out of my small DIY closet, lol... this acquired unit is part of my ongoing ensemble that includes an MPP Solar PCM60X CC, 1.320KW of panels (soon to be upped to approximately 3KW) and 800AH of AGM storage (not yet in place, but planned to be 400AH @ 24V.)

In all of this, I must mention here that NiyiOmoIyunade, davodyguy, as well as others have kindly provided me with most of the education, technical support and encouragement I've needed in the background. And for that, as well as the amazing posts on here that I've seen, I'm very grateful, guys!

I look forward to reporting back on here, as this project gets off the ground, and possibly goes into production and harvesting.

........
P34c3
.....
...

Congrats na small small o. Especially in this economy. Gradually acquiring your solar components not only bend time value of money in your favour. It also allow you time to learn as your assemble components which reduces the chances of mistakes.

BTW where did you get the mpp solar inverter?

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Oga KieKie - we all know that battery balancers do not perform magic on batteries - they simply shift power from stronger to weaker battery and by this method they would buy you a few extra hour(s) of backup in a scenario where you had one or two weak batteries in a larger set of four.

You have expanded your post now to cover dead cells, sulphated batteries, loss of positive plate active material and other matters which you didn't mention in your original post. All in all a mish-mash of matters which I don't even understand their relevance to the OP's original question except perhaps you have an insider's perspective since you may have sold/sell batteries and other equipment to him

Going back to the original question, I have used balancers in battery banks where one battery was going weak and drifting relative to the other batteries in the bank and recorded significant success - people can get a balancer to get maximum mileage from their existing battery bank and simply migrate the balancer to their new batteries whenever they are ready for a change/upgrade.

To be clear you must apply the right treatment to the right problem so a battery balancer such as the ZHC was never designed to fix battery sulphation or dead cells e.t c so if that was the stated problem, then other interventions up to and including battery replacement are indicated.

Haha now you are talking .. They don't do magic , neither do they do super jobs on defective 2v cells ! They just do battery balance not cell balance as you aptly said ! I viewed a nice clip on how balancers works and hope this applies as a guide .. A faulty battery already dropping on load, even when you do individual charge and load test , it still keeps dropping is best disposed off .... I rest my case ! Thanks


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7bIwEB3iWk

The ZHC is rated to do 2v/6v/12v batteries provided they are standalone individual units. It is called ZHC battery balancer not ZHC Cell Balancer for a reason. I don't know why but it seems to me you keep changing the reference point for this issue we are discussing.

If you have individual/standalone 2v batteries, the ZHC will work to keep them all in sync same as individual 6v batteries or 12v just that you may be needing more units of the ZHC for lower voltage batteries depending on your setup - also at 2v there is a minimum voltage the battery has to get to for the balancer to start working. As far as I know, there is no non-invasive mechanism to work on an individual 2v cell within a 12v battery for example save for desulphation via pulsing or controlled overcharge (equalization) and this treatment will affect all the cells in the battery both the healthy and the ailing ones.

That is a nice video you posted - some authorities believe that Linear Technology's circuit design is/was the basis for all other balancers - I traced the origin of ZHC to taicopower.com - I dunno who discovered the method first but the ZHC/Taicopower internals are rather different. I like the video because it allows a layman to easily understand why and how batteries go out of sync and how a tiny initial difference in batteries internal state and SoC can grow so large as to cause premature failure ....

kiekie1:


Haha now you are talking .. They don't do magic , neither do they do super jobs on defective 2v cells ! They just do battery balance not cell balance as you aptly said ! I viewed a nice clip on how balancers works and hope this applies as a guide .. A faulty battery already dropping on load, even when you do individual charge and load test , it still keeps dropping is best disposed off .... I rest my case ! Thanks


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7bIwEB3iWk

NiyiOmoIyunade:
The ZHC is rated to do 2v/6v/12v batteries provided they are standalone individual units. It is called ZHC battery balancer not ZHC Cell Balancer for a reason. I don't know why but it seems to me you keep changing the reference point for this issue we are discussing.

If you have individual/standalone 2v batteries, the ZHC will work to keep them all in sync same as individual 6v batteries or 12v just that you may be needing more units of the ZHC for lower voltage batteries depending on your setup - also at 2v there is a minimum voltage the battery has to get to for the balancer to start working. As far as I know, there is no non-invasive mechanism to work on an individual 2v cell within a 12v battery for example save for desulphation via pulsing or controlled overcharge (equalization) and this treatment will affect all the cells in the battery both the healthy and the ailing ones.

That is a nice video you posted - some authorities believe that Linear Technology's circuit design is/was the basis for all other balancers - I traced the origin of ZHC to taicopower.com - I dunno who discovered the method first but the ZHC/Taicopower internals are rather different. I like the video because it allows a layman to easily understand why and how batteries go out of sync and how a tiny initial difference in batteries internal state and SoC can grow so large as to cause premature failure ....

Oga Niyi my brother from another mother .. You know I like controversial arguments as one thing definitely leads to the other .. lol ! Let the op just order the zhc you advised and give us feedback on aftermath results #Nagode

lol nice exchange, for me i would recommend the following, in order of importance

1. old , SULPHATED BATTERIES - DESULPHATOR is primary, balancer secondary
2. new batteries - balancer primary, desulphator secondary.

has anyone tried hooking up a desulphator and balancer on the same batt bank?..that would be the best combo, if they can function ok, without interferring and cancelling out each other

I think desulphators are scams...balancers however are highly OK and needed

earthrealm:
lol nice exchange, for me i would recommend the following, in order of importance

1. old , SULPHATED BATTERIES - DESULPHATOR is primary, balancer secondary
2. new batteries - balancer primary, desulphator secondary.

has anyone tried hooking up a desulphator and balancer on the same batt bank?..that would be the best combo, if they can function ok, without interferring and cancelling out each other

Jamzig1:
Made in Nigeria, by Nigerians and for Nigerians Lithium based Powerwall coming soon... Watch this space

It was about time. Wish you all the best

MY SUPER WONDERFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE WITH MORNINGSTAR CORPORATION

I have two MorningStar 60a MPPT CCs which regulate the DC electricity that runs my entire house - the older of the two CCs intermittently throws a fault <DIP SWITCH CHANGED> due to some software error apparently but otherwise functions well and enters absorb and float normally.

Two years after I purchased this CC from an Amazon seller, I raised a support ticket with MorningStar Corp directly about the error I regularly saw logged on the CC - we worked through troubleshooting steps together and without any push or threat or force on my part, MorningStar already sent me a brand new MorningStar MPPT 60a as replacement CC entirely free of charge - bear in mind I did not purchase the CC directly from them o! They did not ask me for proof of purchase, they did not imply that I had somehow caused the fault, they simply determined that there was an issue with a product under their global 5 year warranty and immediately shipped a replacement out to me once I provided them the serial number of the product for their records

I was so humbled and grateful I told them to ship to my US address so that they would not have to bear the costs to ship to Nigeria - they were actually willing to ship it to me here.

This sets the standard for what a customer should expect from sellers and manufacturers when he buys from them and that way the customer can buy with confidence. MorningStar have made a customer for life with me.

See below juicy titbits from my engagement with MorningStar support.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
MY SUPER WONDERFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE WITH MORNINGSTAR CORPORATION

I have two MorningStar 60a MPPT CCs which regulate the DC electricity that runs my entire house - the older of the two CCs intermittently throws a fault <DIP SWITCH CHANGED> due to some software error apparently but otherwise functions well and enters absorb and float normally.

Two years after I purchased this CC from an Amazon seller, I raised a support ticket with MorningStar Corp directly about the error I regularly saw logged on the CC - we worked through troubleshooting steps together and without any push or threat or force on my part, MorningStar already sent me a brand new MorningStar MPPT 60a as replacement CC entirely free of charge - bear in mind I did not purchase the CC directly from them o! They did not ask me for proof of purchase, they did not imply that I had somehow caused the fault, they simply determined that there was an issue with a product under their global 5 year warrantly and immediately shipped a replacement out to me once I provided them the serial number of the product for their records

I was so humbled and grateful I told them to ship to my US address so that they would not have to bear the costs to ship to Nigeria - they were actually willing to ship it to me here.

This sets the standard for what a customer should expect from sellers and manufacturers when he buys from them and that way the customer can buy with confidence. MorningStar have made a customer for life with me.

See below juicy titbits from my engagement with MorningStar support.

This is a wonderful news to hear.
I purchased a morningstar tristar mppt 60A via amazon too last week. It should be arriving Nigeria this weekend or early nextweek. Im glad to hear that they have a global/worldwide customer service experience. item was pricey but then again, i had to stomach the premium cost for the CC as against the chinese cheaper ones to avoid "had i known stories"

Nice one! We'll get there

Well I can tell you for sure you won't regret buying or using a Morningstar CC - the particular one throwing an intermittent fault is still mounted in my house and chugging along like a champ and squeezing an average of 11KwH per day from a 3.6kw west facing array of Flames 300w panels - it was just a minor annoyance going through the logs and seeing that error message logged 6 days out of 10 - there was no impairment to functionality whatsoever.

I feel even luckier when I consider that they effectively dashed me a CC that costs at least 240k landed cost in Nigeria while allowing me to keep the still functioning one they were replacing - when the new CC arrives I have to decide whether to mount it or keep it as a spare.

Imagine that, having a spare Morningstar MPPT 60a to at zero cost

The day a Naija based seller or supplier on this forum is able to perform such a feat as this one that Morningstar just pulled, they would win my respect and loyalty forever - at the minimum if they cannot replace faulty goods under warranty, they should at least treat the customer with respect and consideration for relationship's sake.

hancock:


This is a wonderful news to hear.
I purchased a morningstar tristar mppt 60A via amazon too last week. It should be arriving Nigeria this weekend or early nextweek. Im glad to hear that they have a global/worldwide customer service experience. item was pricey but then again, i had to stomach the premium cost for the CC as against the chinese cheaper ones to avoid "had i known stories"

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Oga Jamzig don't do like this na. Tell us more - internals, specs and price expectations.

Is this a DIY project? or you are building for for commercial purposes?

Oga Niyi, its a product for commercial purpose not a DIY project. Battery chemistry is Li NMC, Inbuilt MPPT, AC charger(SMPS), BMS, Internal Automatic Transfer Switch with voltage regulator, Transformerless Inverter. Its still undergoing final tests as the picture posted is a prototype. Its been undergoing R & D for almost a year to perfect the design. That's all details I can give for now. Concerning price expectation, its definitely going to be cheaper since its going to be manufactured here. I work with the company developing it.

pranil:
It was about time. Wish you all the best

Thanks.. all the above mentioned also has scalability in mind. Coming soon

Nice work Sir. I hope there will be a storage focused option with battery and BMS only? Some of us would still like to make our own destiny as per CC and inverter by ourselves.

Jamzig1:

Oga Niyi, its a product for commercial purpose not a DIY project. Battery chemistry is Li NMC, Inbuilt MPPT, AC charger(SMPS), BMS, Internal Automatic Transfer Switch with voltage regulator, Transformerless Inverter. Its still undergoing final tests as the picture posted is a prototype. Its been undergoing R & D for almost a year to perfect the design. That's all details I can give for now. Concerning price expectation, its definitely going to be cheaper since its going to be manufactured here. I work with the company developing it.

Please can anyone help with a contact who can remould broken/degraded Trojan L16 battery L terminals? I came across a new client who has 3 or 4 broken in a bank of 16.

The would be repairer must be willing to commute to Lekki to perform the fix as client is unwilling to release the batteries to go out of their control/custody.

Please see pictures below

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Well I can tell you for sure you won't regret buying or using a Morningstar CC - the particular one throwing an intermittent fault is still mounted in my house and chugging along like a champ and squeezing an average of 11KwH per day from a 3.6kw west facing array of Flames 300w panels - it was just a minor annoyance going through the logs and seeing that error message logged 6 days out of 10 - there was no impairment to functionality whatsoever.

I feel even luckier when I consider that they effectively dashed me a CC that costs at least 240k landed cost in Nigeria while allowing me to keep the still functioning one they were replacing - when the new CC arrives I have to decide whether to mount it or keep it as a spare.

Imagine that, having a spare Morningstar MPPT 60a to at zero cost

The day a Naija based seller or supplier on this forum is able to perform such a feat as this one that Morningstar just pulled, they would win my respect and loyalty forever - at the minimum if they cannot replace faulty goods under warranty, they should at least treat the customer with respect and consideration for relationship's sake.

I actually had similar experience with but Epsolar and Fangpusun. On both occasions I informed them of a defective units and was sent a replacement FOC without much hassle. The Epsolar was great because I actually procured the device from Jumia and the issue I had related to the external display.. But lo and behold I Wass set a brand new charge controller via DHL once I contacted them. Same thing happened with Fangpusun.. At least with the latter I purchased the product from aliexpress. The later case related to me upgraded a poisoned firmware update from victron designed to slowly kill off Fangpusun clones. I informed Fangpusun and rather than blame me agreed to send a replacement immediately without asking me to send the defective unit back or even asking me to take a picture. I did not state the story here because I fear our people. Last thing I wanted was for someone to abuse the system and shut that door for Nigerians.

This is why I often ask people who have issues with their product to first try contacting the manufacturer directly rather than wasting time pinging he marketer who sold to them.

Thanks to NiyiOmoIyunade. Got my Morningstar CC upgraded to latest firmware and two weeks running have not experienced black webview anymore.

Yaaaay! Wonderful news.

mank1234:
Thanks to NiyiOmoIyunade. Got my Morningstar CC upgraded to latest firmware and two weeks running have not experienced black webview anymore.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Please can anyone help with a contact who can remould broken/degraded Trojan L16 battery L terminals? I came across a new client who has 3 or 4 broken in a bank of 16.

The would be repairer must be willing to commute to Lekki to perform the fix as client is unwilling to release the batteries to go out of their control/custody.

Please see pictures below

The terminals seem to have been tightened without washers to spread out the pressure they experienced.
Some "battery charger" shops around you might have the high wattage soldering iron and thick solder used for what you seek.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
MY SUPER WONDERFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE WITH MORNINGSTAR CORPORATION

I have two MorningStar 60a MPPT CCs which regulate the DC electricity that runs my entire house - the older of the two CCs intermittently throws a fault <DIP SWITCH CHANGED> due to some software error apparently but otherwise functions well and enters absorb and float normally.

Two years after I purchased this CC from an Amazon seller, I raised a support ticket with MorningStar Corp directly about the error I regularly saw logged on the CC - we worked through troubleshooting steps together and without any push or threat or force on my part, MorningStar already sent me a brand new MorningStar MPPT 60a as replacement CC entirely free of charge - bear in mind I did not purchase the CC directly from them o! They did not ask me for proof of purchase, they did not imply that I had somehow caused the fault, they simply determined that there was an issue with a product under their global 5 year warranty and immediately shipped a replacement out to me once I provided them the serial number of the product for their records

I was so humbled and grateful I told them to ship to my US address so that they would not have to bear the costs to ship to Nigeria - they were actually willing to ship it to me here.

This sets the standard for what a customer should expect from sellers and manufacturers when he buys from them and that way the customer can buy with confidence. MorningStar have made a customer for life with me.

See below juicy titbits from my engagement with MorningStar support.

Stories like this comfort me whenever I look at the MorningStar TS MPPT 60 controller I bought and ask myself if it was really worth spending so much for an MPPT controller.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Please can anyone help with a contact who can remould broken/degraded Trojan L16 battery L terminals? I came across a new client who has 3 or 4 broken in a bank of 16.

The would be repairer must be willing to commute to Lekki to perform the fix as client is unwilling to release the batteries to go out of their control/custody.
I
Please see pictures below

Close to 30yrs, was the first time I had seen a battery charger using size AA Berec battery cathode and 12v DC to weld. Today am sure they must have mastered the skills


As DIY.
If am in your shoes, I will just weld 35mm cable permanently to the terminal and long enough to disallow it pulling off the terminal. Such a battery is too good to be idle.

Oga Niyi, with your taste & level of professionalism, I know my suggestion may look crude but keep the house posted so that we can learn.

bigrovar:

Congrats na small small o. Especially in this economy. Gradually acquiring your solar components not only bend time value of money in your favour. It also allow you time to learn as your assemble components which reduces the chances of mistakes.

BTW where did you get the mpp solar inverter?

Great comment there, bigrovar, especially about time value and the learning bits, thanks.

I got in direct touch with MPP Solar in Taiwan (sales@mppsolar.com => peggy@mppsolar.com) and had the CC shipped to me via EMS.

The unit is surprisingly relatively small in physical size, vis-à-vis its good reputation I've read about; but it's quite heavy and appears premium and very well built. So, we'll see.

........
P34c3
.....
...

I have not used their product. I should consider them too. Thank you for sharing

NiyiOmoIyunade:
MY SUPER WONDERFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE WITH MORNINGSTAR CORPORATION

I have two MorningStar 60a MPPT CCs which regulate the DC electricity that runs my entire house - the older of the two CCs intermittently throws a fault <DIP SWITCH CHANGED> due to some software error apparently but otherwise functions well and enters absorb and float normally.

Two years after I purchased this CC from an Amazon seller, I raised a support ticket with MorningStar Corp directly about the error I regularly saw logged on the CC - we worked through troubleshooting steps together and without any push or threat or force on my part, MorningStar already sent me a brand new MorningStar MPPT 60a as replacement CC entirely free of charge - bear in mind I did not purchase the CC directly from them o! They did not ask me for proof of purchase, they did not imply that I had somehow caused the fault, they simply determined that there was an issue with a product under their global 5 year warranty and immediately shipped a replacement out to me once I provided them the serial number of the product for their records

I was so humbled and grateful I told them to ship to my US address so that they would not have to bear the costs to ship to Nigeria - they were actually willing to ship it to me here.

This sets the standard for what a customer should expect from sellers and manufacturers when he buys from them and that way the customer can buy with confidence. MorningStar have made a customer for life with me.

See below juicy titbits from my engagement with MorningStar support.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Please can anyone help with a contact who can remould broken/degraded Trojan L16 battery L terminals? I came across a new client who has 3 or 4 broken in a bank of 16.

The would be repairer must be willing to commute to Lekki to perform the fix as client is unwilling to release the batteries to go out of their control/custody.

Please see pictures below

Seeing this reminded me of a local battery charger/repairer I once saw at work. The guy melted a white metallic substance (Aluminum??) , created a mould at the top of the terminal after filing it clean, poured the molten metal on the terminal and voila, a new terminal head! Took about 5-10 minutes .

This is exactly the kind of guy I am looking for. Someone who can fashion a mould and rebuild the terminals with molten lead.

All the 'battery chargers' here in Lekki are too lazy - the only moulds they have are the ones for car batteries and they can't seem to bring themselves to rig something up.

durodee:

Seeing this reminded me of a local battery charger/repairer I once saw at work. The guy melted a white metallic substance (Aluminum??) , created a mould at the top of the terminal after filing it clean, poured the molten metal on the terminal and voila, a new terminal head! Took about 5-10 minutes .

NiyiOmoIyunade:
MY SUPER WONDERFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE WITH MORNINGSTAR CORPORATION

I have two MorningStar 60a MPPT CCs which regulate the DC electricity that runs my entire house - the older of the two CCs intermittently throws a fault <DIP SWITCH CHANGED> due to some software error apparently but otherwise functions well and enters absorb and float normally.

Two years after I purchased this CC from an Amazon seller, I raised a support ticket with MorningStar Corp directly about the error I regularly saw logged on the CC - we worked through troubleshooting steps together and without any push or threat or force on my part, MorningStar already sent me a brand new MorningStar MPPT 60a as replacement CC entirely free of charge - bear in mind I did not purchase the CC directly from them o! They did not ask me for proof of purchase, they did not imply that I had somehow caused the fault, they simply determined that there was an issue with a product under their global 5 year warranty and immediately shipped a replacement out to me once I provided them the serial number of the product for their records

I was so humbled and grateful I told them to ship to my US address so that they would not have to bear the costs to ship to Nigeria - they were actually willing to ship it to me here.

This sets the standard for what a customer should expect from sellers and manufacturers when he buys from them and that way the customer can buy with confidence. MorningStar have made a customer for life with me.

See below juicy titbits from my engagement with MorningStar support.

niyi,
reading through your post i couldn't help but shake my head in disgust when i place my horrible experience
with protek energy side by side your sweet experience with morningstar. after making me climb up and down
my hot water tank for several days in a row they had to wash their hands off the same warranty they used
to peddle their product. interestingly i notice they now mostly advertise inverters, cc and solar panels these
days. no more mention of solar water heaters. but peeps should not be deceived. if they could shy away from
honouring their warranty on solar water heaters claiming flimsily that they were not the ones that did the
installation, they could as well do so for inverters and panels whenever issues arise. all they need to do is
claim that the customer installed their inverters wrongly and hence not their fault. end of warranty,
end of story!

GeorgeD1:


niyi,
reading through your post i couldn't help but shake my head in disgust when i place my horrible experience
with protek energy side by side your sweet experience with morningstar. after making me climb up and down
my hot water tank for several days in a row they had to wash their hands off the same warranty they used
to peddle their product. interestingly i notice they now mostly advertise inverters, cc and solar panels these
days. no more mention of solar water heaters. but peeps should not be deceived. if they could shy away from
honouring their warranty on solar water heaters claiming flimsily that they were not the ones that did the
installation, they could as well do so for inverters and panels whenever issues arise. all they need to do is
claim that the customer installed their inverters wrongly and hence not their fault. end of warranty,
end of story!

On the issues of warranty I think it's apt to put another experience out on here, this time from a company a bit local.

The long part of the story is documented in my blog here http://bobby.com.ng/2018/05/20/lightning-fan-and-warranty-issues/
The top long didn't read tldr version of the above is.. My inverter started misbehaving after a lightning strike. Took up the issue with felicity inverters because it was under warranty. Was directed to an Abuja service center where the issue was fixed in fact a new control board was installed in less than 2 hours and inverter was working back as new. Not a kobo was asked for or paid. I was impressed not just because of the honored warranty but because of the spread of their service center for a relatively new entrant to the market to not only have service centers in outside of lagos but to also ensure those centers are well stocked with parts. It was a pleasant experience and I would definitely recommend their product based on above.

bigrovar:


On the issues of warranty I think it's apt to put another experience out on here, this time from a company a bit local.

The long part of the story is documented in my blog here http://bobby.com.ng/2018/05/20/lightning-fan-and-warranty-issues/
The top long didn't read tldr version of the above is.. My inverter started misbehaving after a lightning strike. Took up the issue with felicity inverters because it was under warranty. Was directed to an Abuja service center where the issue was fixed in fact a new control board was installed in less than 2 hours and inverter was working back as new. Not a kobo was asked for or paid. I was impressed not just because of the honored warranty but because of the spread of their service center for a relatively new entrant to the market to not only have service centers in outside of lagos but to also ensure those centers are well stocked with parts. It was a pleasant experience and I would definitely recommend their product based on above.

bigrovar just curious on how the lightning strike affected your inverter. I thought you had lightening surge protectors installed?

Gurus in the house...i need your opinion and help please

i paid for solar plus inverter back in January this year at a cost of over N700000 for which the installer supplied a 2.4kv prag inverter plus two GDM 200Ah batteries and three 300w flames mono solar panel with a roy solar controller so its safe to say that the installer made a very very good profit on my job because if I had bought all that myself and called him to just install, the materials won't cost me more than 525k as at then and am sure he can't charge me 200k for just installation

but i wanted to avoid issues so I let him buy everything and avoid "i am not the one that bought it, i just installed it" issues but unfortunately those issues i wanted to avoid
all came back now making it turn out to be the worst purchase i ever did in my life.

first off...i knew that solar was fishy as its mostly reading arnd 7 to 11A even under bright hot sun.

from day 1..i hardly got 20A charging frm the solar(frm my calc..900w solar should give upto 40A at 24v)...so even at full sunny day..once phcn doesn't bring light for a full day..inverter goes down arnd 6 to 7pm..now the solar charging is so bad that if nepa takes light frm morning, the inverter goes off mid day arnd 1-2 pm when the sun is at its brightest

just 6 weeks after installation, the useless prag inverter gave up..thats when i knew something was fishy 100%...the inverter would be supplying light to mains when in battery mode..had to take it in to warranty repairs.

now the inverter hardly gives 3.5 hrs backup down frm about 9 hrs when it was new in january(same load)..this is something less than 4 months old and has never worked for more than 7 weeks at a time without going nuts

usually nepa takes light by 12 midnight and bring by 4am....now even b4 4am..dis unverter would be screaming low battery and shutdown anything frm past 3am...just dissappointing for a setup costing over 700k

the installer is very nonchalant because i paid him in full so he doesn't seem to care. always forming busy and like he is doing me a favour to even respond to my messages

lesson av learnt so far is never pay any technician/artisan in full upfront and also never ever buy a prag inverter...never..dat brand is just useless!!!

can u believe that after the inverter packed up just 6 weeks after installation, it took this idiot installer another 6 weeks to show up and take it to the service center?

later...dey will say its village people when its just deir stinking attitude thats killing their prospects

if i had been on installment with this proud fool that installed this nonsense..he would have been forced to fix all this

now to why am here..any suggestions on how I can at least get arnd 6-7 hrs backup regularly?

because as it is...the prag inverter is crap(i mean i knw many ppl on luminous that has worked for years)

the solar is semi crap

now it seems the battery too is giving up

all these barely 4 months after installation that cost over 700k

ppl just don't have fear of God in this country

load is about 4 fans, 3 energy bulbs, 2 lcd TVs and 2 laptops

any suggestions on how to remedy this pathetic situation highly recommended!

thanks in advance

So sorry for the issues your are experiencing - this is the typical experience of the average solar user who has had a sub-par installation foisted upon him/her - I would say the issues as described are mostly the result of poor design choices....

The improvements you may make;

1) Get more solar panels - an additional 5 units of Flames 300w Solar Panels to take your total array to 2,400W (8 pieces 300W panels). Under optimal conditions, your current 900W of panels will generate a max instantaneous 720W (900W x 80%) which is about 25A max charge (assuming 28volts average charging voltage over the course of one solar day). Your stated loads average 600W - if you were to put them all on during the day, your solar panels would not be making enough power to run these loads, hence you source the balance of your power needs off your batteries, hence your batteries conk off right in the middle of the day.

Taking your array to 2,400W guarantees enough power to run your day time loads even under average weather conditions and enough excess power to charge your batteries fully ready for night time use. If your day time loads are under 300W then you may get by with a 1,800W array.

2) Get a decent MPPT charge controller e.g. Fangpusun 80A (80A CC will help you squeeze max juice out of a 2,400W PV array with your 24v battery setup)- this will help you push max power into your batteries per time. I have a running joke that MPPT permits us to be lazy engineers - any average Joe can cobble together an installation using an MPPT CC and get decent performance, but it would take a really good engineer/designer to setup a robust and efficient system using PWM especially in a fairly large system.

If you are willing to spludge or spend for the long term, then of course you can buy a more premium CC e.g Midnite Solar or Morningstar.

3) You may ultimately have to upgrade your inverter and battery combo - the GDM batteries sound to me like your standard Sino-origin grey grade offering and you are definitely stressing them by running them down to 0% (you want to stay at 50% DoD limit if possible) and also presenting a C8 discharge rate at 600W load instead of a C20 240W load they were designed for is not helping their life - I cannot speak for or against Prag - I only ever used their inverter once and I was not particularly impressed with it as per build quality although the one I installed did not break or have any issues. I know for sure they can improve on their warranty and customer service experience based on other interactions I have had.

If you upgrade your solar panels and CC, you are looking at a 400k range spend - that will at least give you time to see that you now have a working system and then later you can upgrade your batteries if they prove to have gone bad. I'll leave what to do with your inverter up to your discretion.

Those are my thoughts - other people in the house will give you any additional perspective to help you return to a happy state.

solibayo:
Gurus in the house...i need your opinion and help please

i paid for solar plus inverter back in January this year at a cost of over N700000 for which the installer supplied a 2.4kv prag inverter plus two GDM 200Ah batteries and three 300w flames mono solar panel with a roy solar controller ..>>.. making it turn out to be the worst purchase i ever did in my life.

first off...i knew that solar was fishy as its mostly reading arnd 7 to 11A even under bright hot sun.

from day 1..i hardly got 20A charging frm the solar(frm my calc..900w solar should give upto 40A at 24v)...so even at full sunny day..once phcn doesn't bring light for a full day..inverter goes down arnd 6 to 7pm..now the solar charging is so bad that if nepa takes light frm morning, the inverter goes off mid day arnd 1-2 pm when the sun is at its brightest

just 6 weeks after installation, the useless prag inverter gave up..thats when i knew something was fishy 100%...the inverter would be supplying light to mains when in battery mode..had to take it in to warranty repairs.

now the inverter hardly gives 3.5 hrs backup down frm about 9 hrs when it was new in january(same load)..this is something less than 4 months old and has never worked for more than 7 weeks at a time without going nuts

usually nepa takes light by 12 midnight and bring by 4am....now even b4 4am..dis unverter would be screaming low battery and shutdown anything frm past 3am...just dissappointing for a setup costing over 700k

the installer is very nonchalant because i paid him in full so he doesn't seem to care. always forming busy and like he is doing me a favour to even respond to my messages

lesson av learnt so far is never pay any technician/artisan in full upfront and also never ever buy a prag inverter...never..dat brand is just useless!!!

can u believe that after the inverter packed up just 6 weeks after installation, it took this idiot installer another 6 weeks to show up and take it to the service center?
...
now to why am here..any suggestions on how I can at least get arnd 6-7 hrs backup regularly?

because as it is...the prag inverter is crap(i mean i knw many ppl on luminous that has worked for years)

the solar is semi crap

now it seems the battery too is giving up

all these barely 4 months after installation that cost over 700k

ppl just don't have fear of God in this country

load is about 4 fans, 3 energy bulbs, 2 lcd TVs and 2 laptops

any suggestions on how to remedy this pathetic situation highly recommended!

thanks in advance

solibayo:
Gurus in the house...i need your opinion and help please

i paid for solar plus inverter back in January this year at a cost of over N700000 for which the installer supplied a 2.4kv prag inverter plus two GDM 200Ah batteries and three 300w flames mono solar panel with a roy solar controller so its safe to say that the installer made a very very good profit on my job because if I had bought all that myself and called him to just install, the materials won't cost me more than 525k as at then and am sure he can't charge me 200k for just installation

but i wanted to avoid issues so I let him buy everything and avoid "i am not the one that bought it, i just installed it" issues but unfortunately those issues i wanted to avoid
all came back now making it turn out to be the worst purchase i ever did in my life.

first off...i knew that solar was fishy as its mostly reading arnd 7 to 11A even under bright hot sun.

from day 1..i hardly got 20A charging frm the solar(frm my calc..900w solar should give upto 40A at 24v)...so even at full sunny day..once phcn doesn't bring light for a full day..inverter goes down arnd 6 to 7pm..now the solar charging is so bad that if nepa takes light frm morning, the inverter goes off mid day arnd 1-2 pm when the sun is at its brightest

just 6 weeks after installation, the useless prag inverter gave up..thats when i knew something was fishy 100%...the inverter would be supplying light to mains when in battery mode..had to take it in to warranty repairs.

now the inverter hardly gives 3.5 hrs backup down frm about 9 hrs when it was new in january(same load)..this is something less than 4 months old and has never worked for more than 7 weeks at a time without going nuts

usually nepa takes light by 12 midnight and bring by 4am....now even b4 4am..dis unverter would be screaming low battery and shutdown anything frm past 3am...just dissappointing for a setup costing over 700k

the installer is very nonchalant because i paid him in full so he doesn't seem to care. always forming busy and like he is doing me a favour to even respond to my messages

lesson av learnt so far is never pay any technician/artisan in full upfront and also never ever buy a prag inverter...never..dat brand is just useless!!!

can u believe that after the inverter packed up just 6 weeks after installation, it took this idiot installer another 6 weeks to show up and take it to the service center?

later...dey will say its village people when its just deir stinking attitude thats killing their prospects

if i had been on installment with this proud fool that installed this nonsense..he would have been forced to fix all this

now to why am here..any suggestions on how I can at least get arnd 6-7 hrs backup regularly?

because as it is...the prag inverter is crap(i mean i knw many ppl on luminous that has worked for years)

the solar is semi crap

now it seems the battery too is giving up

all these barely 4 months after installation that cost over 700k

ppl just don't have fear of God in this country

load is about 4 fans, 3 energy bulbs, 2 lcd TVs and 2 laptops

any suggestions on how to remedy this pathetic situation highly recommended!

thanks in advance

Welcome to the world of Nigerian Renewable Energy.

I have a near similar experience with urs and I now understand why people keep telling me that Solar is expensively unreliable.

My next few post I will highlight my own experiences and how I have manage to overcome them.

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