Settle a bet - CT Clamp and Pgrid watt usage
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2023 5:55 am
Good day people - I’ve had an ongoing arguement with my Fox dealer/agency for almost a year.
We have the H6 6kw All in One unit with 4 batteries installed and an 8kw solar array.
The dealer keeps saying “we use too much power” - ie: up to 8kw when running an oven/iron/geyser” and are told we’re ‘overloading the system’. But our wiring has essential and non essential loads - during daily load shedding, only runs essential load (which removes those high use devices)
They have said we must now rewire the house and kitchen and only have 1 plug running … which I feel very uneasy about. I’ve run basic tests - oven, geysers - which are all on non essential DB boards … and all those devices show an increased wattage usage under Pgrid on the screen (when on the grid)
That usage or current is read by the CT clamp meter on the Fox - which reads all power coming in and out the house (ie: sum of all DB boards)… I think the dealer is confused and seeing any usage as ‘loading the invertor’
I did a deep dive reading about the CT clamp - and it’s a vital part of the management system (to balance the load from grid and transition seemlessly with solar power. It also monitors and makes sure to not charge batteries when high use devices are on)
I understand that it’s a 6kw backup system… but It’s impractical for us to always use under 6kw, when connected to the grid power. As we have a tennant with an extra geyser (non essential load wired)
But when there is loadshedding (grid interrupt), those switch off automatically.
I’ll also say, the whole system seems to be working fantastically well, and I see no issues within the house … it’s just my dealer keeps saying “we using too much power”
Can anyone else have a look on their systems and confirm the same? Or the more technical minded give input - I think I am correct in my understanding but want to double check
We have the H6 6kw All in One unit with 4 batteries installed and an 8kw solar array.
The dealer keeps saying “we use too much power” - ie: up to 8kw when running an oven/iron/geyser” and are told we’re ‘overloading the system’. But our wiring has essential and non essential loads - during daily load shedding, only runs essential load (which removes those high use devices)
They have said we must now rewire the house and kitchen and only have 1 plug running … which I feel very uneasy about. I’ve run basic tests - oven, geysers - which are all on non essential DB boards … and all those devices show an increased wattage usage under Pgrid on the screen (when on the grid)
That usage or current is read by the CT clamp meter on the Fox - which reads all power coming in and out the house (ie: sum of all DB boards)… I think the dealer is confused and seeing any usage as ‘loading the invertor’
I did a deep dive reading about the CT clamp - and it’s a vital part of the management system (to balance the load from grid and transition seemlessly with solar power. It also monitors and makes sure to not charge batteries when high use devices are on)
I understand that it’s a 6kw backup system… but It’s impractical for us to always use under 6kw, when connected to the grid power. As we have a tennant with an extra geyser (non essential load wired)
But when there is loadshedding (grid interrupt), those switch off automatically.
I’ll also say, the whole system seems to be working fantastically well, and I see no issues within the house … it’s just my dealer keeps saying “we using too much power”
Can anyone else have a look on their systems and confirm the same? Or the more technical minded give input - I think I am correct in my understanding but want to double check