Re: [RE-wrenches] HomeGrid Battery Experience
Hi Dana, All, Is there any updated feedback on Outback Radian integration with HomeGrid? I understand it is open loop only. How is this pairing working? I have a client with three GS8048 inverters who is looking for a battery upgrade. He has a neighbor who has new-in-box Homegrid batteries that they decided not to use, so he can get them for cheap. I am debating whether to allow the Outback pairing or if I should change them out for dual Sol-Ark 15K. Thanks, Jason Szumlanski Principal Solar Designer | Florida Solar Design Group NABCEP Certified Solar Professional (PVIP) Florida State Certified Solar Contractor CVC56956 Florida Certified Electrical Contractor EC13013208 On Sat, Apr 15, 2023 at 11:27 AM Dana Orzel via RE-wrenches < re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote: > I installed a 400AHR set of Home Grid on an existing grid OB Radian system > replacing AGM batteries. I had to replace the FM 80 CC for an Fm 100 as > the FM 80s were to sloppy on their finish voltage [the microprocessors are > too slow]. I received 2 damaged [warped] Top sections with the BMS before I > could complete the installation. The shipping boxes were stout & fine so I > can only assume that the defect was factory based. HG sated that they open > & check every battery box as it come in from China… Hopefully now they will > check the BMS units too. > > > > Since completion though the system has been working smoothly as in no > issues. Grounding straps on the left side secured the battery set together > on the left, but the right side relies on gravity to keep the individual > batteries nested which is interesting as the right side is where the > battery interconnects are located. I would like to see a set of straps typ. > Of the left side on the right side to tie the pack tight, literally someone > could lift the right side up under load & cause a lead separation & major > sparky event. No conduit box on the back just a couple of compression TA’s > to secure the battery cable out to the inverter. > > > > Communication with Home Grid was very good & they sent me a com box to > allow them to look in on the battery bank though with no internet on site > that was a miss. Oh yeah the assumptions at the factory level. > > > > **Last item - they charge to a lower voltage setting than almost all other > LI batteries so check as to whether your CC can stop that low. I think it > was 52.4vdc? > > > > That said I am sure that I will install more sets of Home Grid batteries. > Neat clean look finished. > > > > > > *Dana Orzel - E - d...@solarwork.com - C - 208.721.* > *7003* > > > > *From:* RE-wrenches *On > Behalf Of *Kienan Maxfield via RE-wrenches > *Sent:* Saturday, April 15, 2023 8:49 AM > *To:* RE-wrenches > *Cc:* Kienan Maxfield > *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] HomeGrid Battery Experience > > > > Howie, > > > > I don't have experience with HomeGrid, but I have a well respected friend > (Jason Lerner) who loves them. > > > > I have had awesome experiences with Fortress, and I have been looking for > a chance to try HomeGrid as well. I think the stack idea is really cool!! > > > > I know that this is extremely nit-picky... The only thing I've seen so far > that I don't like about HomeGrid is that they use 15 cells in series > instead of the standard 16 cells. This just means that the voltages will be > lower than what I'm used to, and amperage will be a little higher. It's not > a big deal, everything will still work great, but I like the higher voltage > of a 16 cell bank. I just have all the numbers memorized for a 16 cell > battery bank, and while you should always double check the manufacturer's > instructions, it's nice to know off the top of your head if the numbers are > appoximately correct. > > > > When Fortress released their new inverterter that's essentially the same > as the Solark (comes from the same factory), Solark got mad and they pushed > out a new non-voluntary firmware update that broke the Modbus communication > with Fortress. People didn't even know that the Firmware had changed. All > they knew is that suddenly, their system wasn't working and it was shutting > down randomly. It worked one day, didn't work the next. Fortress made a > new firmware to communicate with Solark via canbus instead, so everything > is working great again now. I don't know if Solark is finished with their > vendeta against Fortress, but if Solark figures out a way to cause trouble > again, then anyone with a Fortress-Solark combo could experience a coms > disruption again... I really don't believe this was an accident on Solark's > part. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that Solark isn't mad at > HomeGrid right now, so that might be a better bet. I personally don't use > Solark. I'm leary of a company who pushes out Firmware updates that break > things. > > > > One question, does HomeGrid officially support combining new batteries > with old batteries? Fortress does not, they say in their documentation that > you shouldn
Re: [RE-wrenches] HomeGrid Battery Experience
Hi Jason, This pairing should work fine. There is an open loop setting for the Homegrid and the flexnet can work pretty well keeping track of SOC. I'd stick with the Outback at least initially. The 15 cell Homegrid is lower voltage so it can work with older equipment with 48V lbco limit easily. You can also connect the Home grid to WiFi directly and tweak it as needed. Let us know what you learn On Tue, Jun 11, 2024, 9:25 AM Jason Szumlanski via RE-wrenches < re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote: > Hi Dana, All, > > Is there any updated feedback on Outback Radian integration with HomeGrid? > I understand it is open loop only. How is this pairing working? I have a > client with three GS8048 inverters who is looking for a battery upgrade. He > has a neighbor who has new-in-box Homegrid batteries that they decided not > to use, so he can get them for cheap. I am debating whether to allow the > Outback pairing or if I should change them out for dual Sol-Ark 15K. > > Thanks, > > Jason Szumlanski > Principal Solar Designer | Florida Solar Design Group > NABCEP Certified Solar Professional (PVIP) > Florida State Certified Solar Contractor CVC56956 > Florida Certified Electrical Contractor EC13013208 > > > On Sat, Apr 15, 2023 at 11:27 AM Dana Orzel via RE-wrenches < > re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote: > >> I installed a 400AHR set of Home Grid on an existing grid OB Radian >> system replacing AGM batteries. I had to replace the FM 80 CC for an Fm >> 100 as the FM 80s were to sloppy on their finish voltage [the >> microprocessors are too slow]. I received 2 damaged [warped] Top sections >> with the BMS before I could complete the installation. The shipping boxes >> were stout & fine so I can only assume that the defect was factory based. >> HG sated that they open & check every battery box as it come in from China… >> Hopefully now they will check the BMS units too. >> >> >> >> Since completion though the system has been working smoothly as in no >> issues. Grounding straps on the left side secured the battery set together >> on the left, but the right side relies on gravity to keep the individual >> batteries nested which is interesting as the right side is where the >> battery interconnects are located. I would like to see a set of straps typ. >> Of the left side on the right side to tie the pack tight, literally someone >> could lift the right side up under load & cause a lead separation & major >> sparky event. No conduit box on the back just a couple of compression TA’s >> to secure the battery cable out to the inverter. >> >> >> >> Communication with Home Grid was very good & they sent me a com box to >> allow them to look in on the battery bank though with no internet on site >> that was a miss. Oh yeah the assumptions at the factory level. >> >> >> >> **Last item - they charge to a lower voltage setting than almost all >> other LI batteries so check as to whether your CC can stop that low. I >> think it was 52.4vdc? >> >> >> >> That said I am sure that I will install more sets of Home Grid batteries. >> Neat clean look finished. >> >> >> >> >> >> *Dana Orzel - E - d...@solarwork.com - C - >> 208.721.**7003* >> >> >> >> *From:* RE-wrenches *On >> Behalf Of *Kienan Maxfield via RE-wrenches >> *Sent:* Saturday, April 15, 2023 8:49 AM >> *To:* RE-wrenches >> *Cc:* Kienan Maxfield >> *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] HomeGrid Battery Experience >> >> >> >> Howie, >> >> >> >> I don't have experience with HomeGrid, but I have a well respected friend >> (Jason Lerner) who loves them. >> >> >> >> I have had awesome experiences with Fortress, and I have been looking for >> a chance to try HomeGrid as well. I think the stack idea is really cool!! >> >> >> >> I know that this is extremely nit-picky... The only thing I've seen so >> far that I don't like about HomeGrid is that they use 15 cells in series >> instead of the standard 16 cells. This just means that the voltages will be >> lower than what I'm used to, and amperage will be a little higher. It's not >> a big deal, everything will still work great, but I like the higher voltage >> of a 16 cell bank. I just have all the numbers memorized for a 16 cell >> battery bank, and while you should always double check the manufacturer's >> instructions, it's nice to know off the top of your head if the numbers are >> appoximately correct. >> >> >> >> When Fortress released their new inverterter that's essentially the same >> as the Solark (comes from the same factory), Solark got mad and they pushed >> out a new non-voluntary firmware update that broke the Modbus communication >> with Fortress. People didn't even know that the Firmware had changed. >> All they knew is that suddenly, their system wasn't working and it was >> shutting down randomly. It worked one day, didn't work the next. Fortress >> made a new firmware to communicate with Solark via canbus instead, so >> everything is working great again now. I don't know if Solark is finished >> wit
