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pete0141 avatar image
pete0141 asked

MPPT solar charger 250/70 - PV short after error 38

Hi guys,

My new system had some random failure and reported error 38 which caused the shorting PV line. The system ran for 3 months without any issues until now, so there is no question about solar polarity. In fact, I have followed all the troubleshooting including all connections, solar panels and power-down procedures. All for nothing. The system is stuck on the PV short and powering down is not helping at all.

The system is visible in the app however as soon the Solar is switched on the voltage drops from 68V to 1V.

Is there any hope to recover from that or is it totally broken?

MPPT SmartSolarEasySolar All-in-Oneerror 38
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6 Answers
Lasse avatar image
Lasse answered ·

It is possible to recover from error 38 by disconnecting the solar panels and battery, waiting for 3 minutes, then reconnecting the battery first and then the panels. If that doesn't work it is possible that the mosfets are shorted / broken. I am no expert so it will probably be a good idea to contact your dealer.

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nesswill avatar image
nesswill answered ·

It sounds like at some point you have had the solar panels connected to the MPPT without the battery being connected causing damage.

This could of happened without you realising then worked fine for a while before falling.

If you provide the serial number perhaps the dealer or Victron can track it down??

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pete0141 avatar image
pete0141 answered ·

Sorry... had to went out as it's so frustrating and disappointing. I have contacted Victron who forwarded me to the distributor and I'm stuck without further movement.

That's almost impossible to disconnect the battery from the system. At least physically. It reported error #38 and didn't recover since.





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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ commented ·

@Pete0141

If there is still an issue, one more thing you can do (disconnect solar) is reset to defaults and re program the unit. Particularly making sure the battery voltage is set correctly. Switch on the solar again to check.

It is not normal for an error 38 to be the end of the unit. But if it is it and no problems were found in your install, it will be replaced.

Unfortunately because proof of purchase (which is usually required for any product from any company for a warranty claim) is a problem for you to produce, the process is a little bit longer. But since the records of serial numbers is a good system, then it can be traced. It will just take time. The Chinese one would not be replaced under warranty, you would just buy a new one, so I guess from that stand point would be faster ;)

For future reference though, Victron products are warranted for 5 years, that is how long you need to keep the box it came in and proof of purchase.

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pete0141 avatar image pete0141 Alexandra ♦ commented ·
top man!
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pete0141 avatar image
pete0141 answered ·

I have disconnected the battery and solar many times now. yesterday I disconnected both and measured- wait for the voltage to drop to 0V. There is always a bit of power in capacitors. The system is still short on PV site.

I think the solar charger is definitely faulty :( so upsetting when the weather is great...

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particle avatar image
particle answered ·

My 250/85 shorted PV while taking less than two A and 40 V below overvoltage.

With PV on, I get 18 A (3 kw peak, 2x 360 cell strings) at 0.3 V.

Someone please confirm that this is not a protection mode? I'm 1000s km away from the site, replacement would be the most straigthforward approach.

Double checked the manual. PV short is in the specs but not explained when it's needed.

I'm 99% sure that I never had solar connected without batteries.

System ran flawless for 4 years. Lightning strike very unlikely but I wasn't there.

No alarms.



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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ commented ·
@particle

The usual reason for short on the PV side is that the mppt thinks the battery is being overcharged. The mppt actually does it to protect the battery.

It is explained in the manual. As well as the procedure for recovery.

So look at the battery voltage widgets. You will need to find the reason why the battery voltage has risen too high. The PV side is not the concern.

If the unit is faulty, then an RMA would need to be submitted. Basic testing of unit is found in this document.

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particle avatar image particle Alexandra ♦ commented ·


Thank you for the quick response! Will check your links.

I have Pylontech 3x 3.5 kWh. Color Control. Charger managed by Color Control. On day of shutdown or any other day, I see no overvoltage.

No error Codes on that day.

Would the shorted PV be disengaged by itself or need controller reset?

Trying to decide whether I should send the tech to the site with or without a spare charger. Each trip is time consuming because of other workload.


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particle avatar image particle Alexandra ♦ commented ·
Local distributor (Namibia) tested my MPPT and said it's faulty. I bought it 3.5 years ago. Distributor can't process the warranty stating it was made in week 19, 2018, more than 5 years ago.


I had to buy a new MPPT to get the site up in any reasonable time.


Distributor says they're trying to work with Victron to get a warranty claim through anyway.


My whole concept of paying premium price for Victron reliability took a big dent today.

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JohnC avatar image JohnC ♦ particle commented ·
@particle

As I understand it, the serial number contains the manufacture date, but Victron have a record of when it was actually despatched to the distributor. From then, it's 5 years and 6 months. A grace period for handling/showroom stock.

You get 5 years from the date of the retail purchase.

Don't let a lazy counter attendant stymie you. This should be honoured without question.

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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ JohnC ♦ commented ·

@particle

The warranty is extendable to 10 years BTW. I dont know about now as an after fact.

See here. The warranty document is clear and supports @JohnC . 5 years plus 6months you will be in the window.

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particle avatar image particle JohnC ♦ commented ·
I agree with you and thank you for the comment. The employee in the distributor is pretty high ranked but I think they deal with the South Africa regional office.


The site is up with a new 250/70 and I plan to add a second MPPT later for redundancy. One string per MPPT.

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Dušan Klofutar avatar image
Dušan Klofutar answered ·

Why so many Victron MPPT devices have malfunction lately?

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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ commented ·
@Dušan Klofutar

Don't forget no one complains when things are working....

This forum will never have people posting that it works. So the bias is always well on the complaints side.

The other thing is as solar is becoming more popular especially in the DIY field where knowlege of best oractice on install is not down, and technical diagnosis and repair knowlege is being searched for.

It might seem like alot but faliures percentage wise of total product on the market is low.


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