Full capacity battery not powering my house

[Bob Solar Battery]

My inverter is working and charging the battery.
The battery is connected to the Consumer fuse box.
The battery is not discharging.
The Grid continues to provide ALL power to my house.
Why is the battery not providing power to my house?

[Dave Foster]

Is it a new install, has it worked before ?

If not this is usually because a charge period has been set, if the grid charge is enabled it charges from gird but if it is turned off then it stops the batteries from discharging - both times should be set to 00:00 if not in use.

Also worth checking you minsoc settings are set to 10%

[Bob Solar Battery]

Thanks Dave,
It was a new install on 31st May 2023.
I've not worried until the heating went on and the Grid showed all the cost with nothing discharging from the battery.
Can't get the App to work so I can't see data.
I'm no techinal expert, just a energy consuer. So I apologise that you valued words mean nothing to me. Why isn't the battery discharging to power my house automatically when it is connected to the mains fuse box.
Any help is much appreciated.

[Dave Foster]

Without the app you are going to struggle as the majority of the things you need to check are possible through that.

Do you still have access to the original installer?, we really need to get you access to your data and system - were you given a username and password to log into the app?

[Bob Solar Battery]

I've registered with Fox Ess Cloud and set up the App but it shows no data at all. It's SO complicated: I enetered the Inverter SN and the Datalogger SN but still no data. I've no idea what a "Plant" is. Every input to the App is so technical. I've just tried a different App Energy Stats and looks brilliant but so far I can't enter any details about my system to get started: I just get the main screen. The DEMO mode shows me exactly what I want.
It's all so frustrating.

[Dave Foster]

It sounds as if you’re inverter is not connected to the cloud but you have set up the app ok so you are close.

When you look at the front panel of the inverter, plugged in underneath on the left hand side there is a wifi dongle (datalogger) it’s a bit like a large USB drive sticking out of the bottom of the inverter.

On this there is a red light, which flashes rapidly if it isn’t connected to your wifi, and if it flashes red slowly with a green pulse every ~10s it is connected - i’m guessing it is flashing rapidly, lets check that first and then go from there.

[Bob Solar Battery]

You are spon on, Dave! Flshing rapidly red. It's never flashed green.
What do I do next?

[Dave Foster]

You will need your routers wifi SSID (it’s broadcast name), and also the wifi password.

The next bit is tricky but what you have to do is stand near your inverter with either a phone or table and do a wifi search - the datalogger will be called something like ‘W-xxxxxxx’ you need to connect to this wifi and the password is mtmt2020

I’ve attached the datalogger sheet, if you follow it from step 3 and tell it your routers ssid and password it will connect and after approx 30 seconds settle down to a slow flash with ocassional green light.

Once connected after approx 5 minutes you should start to see data turning up in the app - but just a quick heads up the Foxesscloud is under maintenance at the moment and the battery settings aren’t available.

[Bob Solar Battery]

Thanks Dave. I seem to have done this yesterday. I have the datalogger connected to the internet but after 10 seconds it disconnects. Happens every time. I gave up yesterday in frustration. I did see one green flash. Just the one.
I must be completely stupid. Can't work out what. Grrrrrr! I feel guilty I'm taking up your Sunday, too.
I seem to be not far away, though.

[Dave Foster]

It's strange that it connects then disconnects, with the Foxess website having trouble it might be worth leaving it for 24 hours and when we know that is working properly, see how it behaves then, with luck it might just connect up ok

I'm near Warrington, where are you based ?

[Bob Solar Battery]

Aha! The rapid flashing red changed to a slow flashing red on the datalogger. But then stopped flashing completely so I am left wondering if it's stopped because it's dark oustide. But at least I have witnessed a change to slow flashing which is evidence of Wi-Fi communication I guess.
Almost there!
I'll wait and see what happens in the morning daylight.
Thanks Dave.

[Bob Solar Battery]

I'm in a village near Brackley, Northants.

[Bob Solar Battery]

Spent most of yesterday getting nowhere.
The Fox ESS Ap on my phone refuses to show any data despite the Wi-Fi connection to the datalogger working okay.
I managed to get a connection through my laptop and I get live data. Brilliant, so I thought, but I do not get the image of the battery: it's missing from the screen full of data.
So I can't stop the Grid from supplying power instead of the battery.
I'm going round and round in circles and getting noweher. The men in white coats will be coming for me anytime soon.
No idea what to do.

[Dave Foster]

Ok, could do with going back to the beginning and working out exactly what you have installed.

You said you have an inverter and a battery - the battery is normally connected to the inverter, which inverter is it, an H1 hybrid, an older solar only inverter ?. And is your battery connected to another inverter or the same one

What batteries are they HV2600, Mira, ECS (Cube) etc.. - a few pictures would help to identify them

[Bob Solar Battery]

Inverter: S2500
http://foxesschttp://fhttp://foxesscomm ... 0217a819b8

[calum]

Do you have a separate inverter that the batteries are connected to? The S2500 is a solar only inverter, it cannot be connected to batteries (at least not directly).

Some pictures of the battery installation would help a lot as Dave says.

[Bob Solar Battery]

Oh oh! Am I wrong in thinking my s2500 inverter contains a battery?
If it doesn't, then what is the meter ecording? Where is the generated power going/being stored?
If it goes to the Grid then what was the point of having slaor panels installed in the first place?
Why is it not powering my house?
Confused dot com!

[Dave Foster]

As Calum said there's no battery in there, it's a solar only inverter.

If there is enough solar, the inverter will provide power to feed the house during the day - it doesn't appear to have a very large array (2.4kwp) so large appliances like kettles (3kw) will still draw some power from the grid even on a sunny day but the vast majority of your house load will be being covered.

Those traces show you are feeding the unused power to the grid and you should be being paid for your export, but you have to apply to whoever supplies your energy (Octopus, EDF etc..) as they have to set you so they can read your export meter and give you an export tariff - if you haven't done that get onto it straight away as the power you are exporting is going to the grid for free until that is done.

[calum]

Hi Bob

Am I wrong in thinking my s2500 inverter contains a battery?

Afraid so - the S2500 converts power from your panels to mains AC that your house can use. Assuming there's no storage however, if there is more power being produced than the house is using at that moment, the excess is exported to the grid. Conversely, if the loads in your house exceed the power from the inverter, the difference will be imported from the grid.

If you are on the right tariff you can get paid for the power that you export.

Presumably you have an invoice from your installer - what does it show? Are there any other bits of equipment in your house other than that inverter and the panels on the roof?

Edit: Dave replied while I was writing my post, to emphasise what he said about getting paid for the power you export, this is something you'll need to actively arrange with your supplier, they won't do it for you unfortunately.

[Bob Solar Battery]

Thanks guys. I feel such an idiot. The installer didn't tell me anything about batteries or the lack of or that it would go to the Grid. There is no other equipment they installed other than what you see.
I've heard that energy suppliers don't pay well for supplying energy to the grid. Ah well. C'est la vie. It is what it is. I never stop learning.
Apologies for taking up your time but thanks for your help.

[Dave Foster]

It's really no problem at all, it looks like your system is performing ok, so well worth getting your export tariff sorted out.

You can add a batteries storage system but they are not cheap, possibly as much as you paid for your solar install.

There are a few 'reasonable' SEG export tariffs about, Octopus are currently offering 15p/kwh, Scottish power 12p/kwh then it's British Gas I think is 6.4p

The good news about the SEG tariff is that you can buy your power from one supplier and sell it to another - they are completely separate things.

That said it is much easier to have one supplier then it's one bill with import and export covered by it - best of luck