question

Alan, in the previous post, I sent you a wish list of info which everyone here will need to help you better. We really need to see how it is all configured. If you can post screenshots of this info it will make it much easier to avoid guessing what the issue may be.

Modes are set in the ESS section of the GX but you need to check the end-to-end config for your battery. The entire recommended setup is in the battery compatibility link I sent to you previously.

Which specific make and model of battery do you have?

Have you checked that on the GX, system setup, that the battery BMS is auto/manually selected as the source?

Hi thanks, Nick, not sure on the preferred way to share settings but there is an extract from VE Config and some screenshots and additional info. I've explored the previous links you sent thanks.

I've added the additional info to my original post (hope this makes more sense)

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Some quick observations:

It appears that you have a 15 cell battery. Can you confirm if this is true or not?

Your charging voltages are way too high in this case.

The cut off voltages are too low.

Minimum SOC at 10% is kind of low. If you frequently need to discharge the battery that much, you need a bigger battery.

Sustain voltage at 50V is high if you have 15 cells (and not 16 cells).

Do not get cell voltage above 3.6V when charging.

Do not get cell voltage under 3.0V when discharging.

Can you see cell voltages?

Do you have a SmartShunt/BMV?

I would have preferred to have the inverter settings vsc file, not a transcription of the settings.

Thanks, everyone very much for the feedback, most useful. I will contact the battery manufacture again to confirm some of your questions and observations. I have also attached the inverter settings file (hope this is correct).

FYI I have only recently (yesterday) lowered the back to grid SOC from 20% to 10% in the hope I can see a pattern in what triggers the charging mode to start.

FYI I have also had had, 'low battery' and 'high discharge' alarms for some months, I'm wondering if these are related to each other and will look for patterns and feedback to this forum. I've attached 2 examples of these below, alarms seem to be generated when the actual battery voltage is high (above 60% SOC).

I do have a BMV but I don't have a spare Victron Direct port on my GX to be able to download logs (is there another way). The BMV is not completely in sync with the voltages and SOC displayed in ESS (about 10% difference) so I have some work to do in this area as well.

FYI The battery manufacture (Hubble) does make their own CAN (RIOT) monitor with individual cell values as an optional extra, I will try and get hold of this device and share the individual cell values ASAP.

Thanks again for the quick and detailed feedback, apologies for not providing sufficient information in my first post.

Regards

Alan

OK so I do have a BMV installed, (this is what I call an additional battery monitor). I will try to pull stats from this BMV device and add them to the post.

VSC is attached in zip format Victron Falckies ESS Settings for community.zip

Here is another example of how the system will self counsum one day and sustain at around 80% the next. FYI My overnight loads are around 300w so a 5Kva battery should cope with self consumption over 12hrs (3.6kw over 12hrs about 70% discharge) or am i missing somthing here ?

PS I'm located in Cape Town (mid summer) we have massive solar yeilds here.

Does Victron take weather forcasting into consideration in the ESS algorythem, (as today is forcast as cloudy) ?

Well, from the settings file you attached, I see that you have lots of things wrong.

First, you are not actually using ESS.

As a side-note, ESS requires a country code (you have no country code set). Be careful to select the correct one, because once you set it the first time, you will need a password to change it again. You can get that password from your Victron distributor.

Enable battery monitor from General tab should be checked.

Voltages are wrong, as I already wrote.

OK, clearly it takes some time to get familiar with all the vendor's terminology (I have confessed to being a newbie). I now have a better idea of what screenshots you are talking about and where I may be going wrong (thanks). I've tried to export the setting but again it's a learning curve.

I have contacted the Hubble battery manufacture and I'll be installing a CloudLink (RIOT) device that should offer more granular data in the CAN communication including information on the (13 cell) individual values.

I'm fully aware the Hubble battery is not on the Victron hardware compatibility list ( we don't always have the luxury of competitive approved local supply). I'll report back with this and other information I've clearly omitted, so sorry I've wasted anyone's time.

PS I know I'm pushing the battery hard but this is how one learns and why I moved from AGM to New Li-ion Prismatic Cells so I could use more of the capacity overnight (within reason). I do have a similar installation working perfectly (with higher overnight loads) hence approaching this community for some guidance, more screenshots to follow.

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That should read Li-ion Prismatic Cells (couldn't get to the editor fast enough)

I fully understand no manufacture can support unapproved products (not at least on a hardware compatibility list). I'm now confident my issue lies with the battery and its native Can Bus communication (simple emulation). I'll install the Cloud Connect product measure against physical reading and myBMV and see if this resolves the inconsistency and report back, thanks for all the guidance thus far.

Hi Everyone here is an update on my progress. Hubble Lythuim has supplied me with a RIOT Cloudlink device, ( this interfaces with the battery via RS232 and now delivers a granular CAN dataset to the Multi) https://www.hubblelithium.co.za/hubble-cloudlink.html. This includes data down to a cell level and supports - Victron extended protocol . (Hubble also have their own batt management portal). I've had the Hubble engineer confirm my 13 x Li-ion Prismatic Cell battery is in good health and perfectly balanced.

I'm still seeing my system use grid power overnight despite being plenty of SOC in the battery (seems to hit a sustain voltage level and either maintain this level or fully recharge the battery).

FYI an almost Identical spec system of mine (5Kva Multi GX ESS) but with a larger 15Kva Freedom Lite LifePo4 battery performs flawlessly every day over months.

I've uploaded my latest Victron setting zip file (above) in the hope someone can give me some guidance on what to look at next to resolve this issue.

Hi here is the end solution.

I was able to borrow a 5Kva BSL (Victron Approved) battery, the problem went away immediately, with the same ESS settings. I returned the Hubble battery to the manufacturer, they detected a faulty cell (despite their remote diagnostics saying all was well). The system works perfectly now.

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