Battery keeps charging from the grid?

[mslizd]

Any tips or advice very welcome!

We've just had our PV system installed with a FoxESS H1 Hybrid Inverter 5kw and FoxESS ECS Series batteries 8.64kWh.
We have the off peak Eon Next Drive Tariff so I’d like to set the battery to only charge from solar or during off peak (12 - 7am). And for the house load to use solar, then battery, then grid.

I’ve tried to set up or system to Enable Grid charge only during 3am - 6.59am. But for some reason the battery keeps charging from the grid then discharging on a loop since the PVs stopped generating at end of day (4pm / midwinter).

Here is what I’ve set in the app:

Any idea what I’m doing wrong?

[Dave Foster]

It’s possible your CT clamp has been fitted in the wrong orientation - the CT clamp measures the power flowing in or out of the house and if it is fitted facing the wrong direction you get a similar symptom to what you have just described.

Can you take a screenshot of the graph at the bottom of the Site Overview page and also the graph from the Device page - click ‘device’ tab at the bottom select the inverter and scroll up the page to show the graph that shows output power, feed in, charge, discharge - post them below please

[mslizd]

Thanks for your help!

Here are the graph screenshots:
Site overview:

Device stats:

[Dave Foster]

Sorry to be a pain but i’’m going to need to see the battery SoC as well - could you download the FoxCloud V2 app - it used the same username / password credentials you use for the V1 app but it has a much better graph which shows the main stats and also the battery SoC through the day.

If you can download that, log in and when on the ‘house’ page swipe the screen left at the bottom of the page you’ll se a graph that shows the main stats and the battery all together.

The V2 app graph looks like this

[mslizd]

Ok here’s a screenshot of that:

[Dave Foster]

Ok thanks, it’s not the CT clamp all of the traces appear to show the correct polarity - your battery appears to be behaving fine in meeting the load and discharging gradually through the day but there is no sign of it charging at 3am as your charge period suggests, instead starting to charge around 6pm - almost as if your inverter time clock is incorrect ?

If you go to the ‘house’ screen in the V2 app and click on Quick Settings here, does it also confirm your Battery Reserver Capacity (minSoC on grid) and System MinSoc as 10%, the work mode as ‘Self-Use’ and at the bottom Mode Scheduler should be ‘Disabled’ - If you also click on Charging Time do you see your 03:00 - 06:59 charge period with charge from grid enabled. ?

[Dave Foster]

Can you also check the firmware versions - click on the ‘Device’ tab at the bottom, select ‘Inverter’ at the top and just underneath the picture of the inverter you’ll see the serial number - click on that and it will show you Master, Slave and ARM versions - can you post them and i’ll check they are up to date.

[mslizd]

Yes all those settings are present and correct. I’ve only set those settings this morning so it wouldn’t have charged last night at 3am. But I just can’t work out why it’s been charging since 5pm today (it discharged briefly at 6pm then carried on charging - it’s now 100% and sitting idle).
Does it just take a while for the settings to register with the system?

Here are the versions:

[Dave Foster]

Your firmware versions are old - the H1 (G2) is quite a new inverter and has seen quite a few updates - it’s now settled down but I would recommend getting those updated, your installer can do it remotely for you (or a request to Fox service with your inverter serial number)

For reference the latest versions are Master 1.29, ARM 1.44

I can’t see anything obvious as to why it has charged up (unless the batteries are very, very cold ~0C) I think the best thing to do now that you have confirmed all the settings is to let it run and monitor it in the morning to see what happens overnight - if it continues, i’d suggest getting your installer back and have him check over all the inverters settings.

[mslizd]

Ok will do. Thanks for all your help!

[Kafka]

I had the same problem. It started charging the battery from grid early in the evening. Thankfully I checked the inverter’s clock and it was incorrect as mentioned in this post. Thought that the inverter would use the WiFi to update time and date.
Thank you Dave!!!