Hybrid grid tied - critical vs non critical loads

Yeah, in my experience so far, if a Victron thing doesn’t do what you want it to do, you just haven’t found the right setting yet!

Jip, those and similar instances where Eskom takes over, is where my path is at the present, after tuning it all for the last couple of years. Ask @plonkster :laughing:

Amen. What I’ve recently discovered, less interference daytime, makes for a happy system. :wink:
Just the damn DC Ripples because I have more panels than what I Need, a Want.

Go and try it …

PV will still be used to power the loads yes. Try it.

50+AC amps is not the same as 30amps DC.
Limiting the system to 30amps DC, due to batteries so you must, does lower the potential of the system yes. See what happens when the geyser is one …

T-Man,

You were right!

I set a scheduled charge for 14h00-15h00 and started the geyser. The MPPT ramped up and did its thing whilst the batteries just sat there smirking!

Unless I’m seriously missing something, this solves my problem 100%. Batteries are happy not being hammered, and PV is helping Eskom to warm my water.

I have also set my fridges timers to be off during this hour so that all PV can go to the geyser.

Ok so what am I missing???

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Just check whether, when your batteries are full and your MPPT is idling and suddenly the large geyser load comes on, it ramps up. Mine sometimes does, and other times doesn’t… I don’t know why.

I’ll check for this, but if I understood you correctly, doesn’t this issue only present itself whilst on the “keep batteries charged” setting?

Or does it for you also happen with the scheduled charge setting?

Actually, it ONLY (thus far) presents itself on “scheduled charge” and NOT on “keep batteries charged”.

However, I haven’t run it on “keep batteries charged” often, so not sure if it’ll happen on that also.

No man.

These are different things in my mind.

You get either “Keep batteries charged” or Optimize with/without battery life.

And then you get scheduled charged which is a different thing.

I understood from the comments above that the issue comes when you use the keep batteries charged - which uses Eskom.

And not that there is such issues with scheduled charging. Forgive any ignorance, still finding my feet here.

So the issue must either come from:

  1. Keep batteries charged - whilst on sched charging;
    OR
  2. Optimize batteries with/without life - also whilst on sched charging

Which one presents the issues for you?

Not when they are 100% full, then it is the same as scheduled charging.

Nothing. :smiley:

As I said, Keep Charged only uses Eskom if the batts are not at 100%, for the command is, “get the batts charged now”.
Otherwise Keep Charged has the same result as Schedule Charging i.e. not using batteries.

Same here … it has to do with the DC volts and a parameter or two more, that the system does that. @plonkster can give the technical details why it happens.

Thank you guys, I have learned something new and this suits me to a T.

I will check for this issue you mention. In fact, 14h00 will be a good test run. Batteries are full and geyser is cold.

MPPT stepping up and doing its thing! Happiness!

Now add 6 more panels so that PV takes the whole load.

It’s always nice to have something confirmed by a test :slight_smile:
Just to confirm: You’ve now got a scheduled charging time set from 2pm when the geyser timer kicks in, right?

That first bullet will definitely be a cheaper option and it will prevent you from running into the issue where your panels are just sitting idle with no load to direct them to and great sunshine after your batteries are full and your geyser up to temperature. If you want it all to come from PV then I guess another 2 or so panels should do the trick along with the 2kW element.

As you’ve got the 48/3000 Multiplus-II you can only invert a continous 2400W at 25°C (2200W at 40°C).
If I understand it correctly (@plonkster / @JacoDeJongh etc. please correct me here if I am wrong) your MPPT will in any case be limited to provide 2400W to the inverter to provide to the critical loads first and the rest to the AC loads with the balance coming from the grid, although you might be able to get a bit more out of the resistive load of the geyser.

The 2400W is correct.

Swartkat did mention he is planning to install a smaller geyser element. That should bring the power to below the inverter max.

TTT, guess what I have done…

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Did you get a Geyserwise element that can do DC as well?

No, wait whaaat??? What is this? never heard of it. You get elements like that?

How would one tie that into the existing setup? Does it need to be on a separate stand alone system?

No, I just replaced the 3Kw element with a 2Kw one so that TTT can stop making fun of me.

The Geyserwise PV system use a geyser element that can do both AC and also DC.
The DC is used to heat from PV panels using their MPPT, while the AC is the backup as normal.

You could (in theory) use this DC side to push your excess PV to the geyser. I have smaller Victron MPPTs that have a Load Relay that I want to repurpose for this, but I have yet to get myself one of those AC/DC elements.

Aaah thanks. Doubt it will work for me. Where my geyser is at will take a whole lot of cable laying again to accomplish this.

Why? :laughing:

Good job on the element though … now the panels are more in line with the geyser and inverter.