Solar sensor placement

[Solartel]

Hi all, wonder if anyone could help. Had my solar installed before the smart meter. Just had the smart meter installed last week and all my readings don’t align. I think this is due to the sensor being placed in the wrong location but I have tried every placement with no luck. Images below are of the smart meter / app that came with the solar setup and British Gas reader tool.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[johnb2713]

You dont say in what way the readings dont align?
The two CT's that are in photos, one is controlling the energy diverter and the other (in your hand) is only sensing part of the energy flow, not all of it.

 

[Solartel]

You dont say in what way the readings dont align?
The two CT's that are in photos, one is controlling the energy diverter and the other (in your hand) is only sensing part of the energy flow, not all of it.

Sorry first time approaching the subject. So my solar system is saying that I am providing all my own energy (image 3), but the British Gas tool is saying I’m importing energy. They pictures were taken less than a minute apart.

 

[johnb2713]

Have you tried it with the CT that was in your hand on the brown cable from the meter with the arrow on the CT pointing away from the meter?

Without seeing what is cabled where, its hard to fault find remotely.

 

[MHarv]

Your Load is 1095w, your solar is 547w
and importing 557w and battery 57w near its 10% SOC level soon to cut out.

What was the house load at the time?
Seems working fine

My solax does the same with my Solax batteries importing when house load is more than solar, very rarely my two Solax batteries reach below 10% and make up the difference.

If you rely on solar charging for the battery; one solax 5.2kWh usable capacity will not last a full day whereas two will with additional solar input at this time of year

 

[Solartel]

Your Load is 1095w, your solar is 547w
and importing 557w and battery 57w near its 10% SOC level soon to cut out.

What was the house load at the time?
Seems working fine

My solax does the same with my Solax batteries importing when house load is more than solar, very rarely my two Solax batteries reach below 10% and make up the difference.

If you rely on solar charging for the battery; one solax 5.2kWh usable capacity will not last a full day whereas two will with additional solar input at this time of year

Thanks for that however see this evenings screenshot 76% battery available and it chooses to get power from the grid.

 

[MHarv]

Can you do “Soft Reboot” on inverter
Hold down one of the buttons and lnverter screen wii ask if you want to reboot select yes and the inverter will turn to “Standby Mode”

Do the same procedure to Start the inverter
(This is the same if you turn off the isolator
but the Soft Reboot is kinder to the system electronics instead of cutting power to the inverter.

Inverter will start up saying “Waiting” with 30 second countdown.

Or use the android or IOS App.

The Main Screen on App select Centre Icon that is your Inverters will take you to another screen

Select your inverter and tap on the top right icon Blue Cog for the Settings

You can see Basic,Advanced, Super Settings

Basic No password is required
Check your “Work Mode” ie Self Use or Force Time Use check settings

Advanced is password protected which is easy to find if you don’t know it

It might just be a “Reboot of inverter is required

Are you using the Hybrid AIO (All In One) inverter

 

[MHarv]

The manual for the G4 Hybrid shows the CT clamp direction towards the Grid,

Look at the manual or download it

Your picture shows the the CT clamp “Arrow” pointing towards the Consumer Unit and Not towards the Public Grid

 

[MHarv]

The bottom CT clamp is correct for the iBoost +.

Undo the tab on the top CT clamp and turn it 180 so the “Arrow” faces towards the Grid.

 

[Solartel]

Can you do “Soft Reboot” on inverter
Hold down one of the buttons and lnverter screen wii ask if you want to reboot select yes and the inverter will turn to “Standby Mode”

Do the same procedure to Start the inverter
(This is the same if you turn off the isolator
but the Soft Reboot is kinder to the system electronics instead of cutting power to the inverter.

Inverter will start up saying “Waiting” with 30 second countdown.

Or use the android or IOS App.

The Main Screen on App select Centre Icon that is your Inverters will take you to another screen

Select your inverter and tap on the top right icon Blue Cog for the Settings

You can see Basic,Advanced, Super Settings

Basic No password is required
Check your “Work Mode” ie Self Use or Force Time Use check settings

Advanced is password protected which is easy to find if you don’t know it

It might just be a “Reboot of inverter is required

Are you using the Hybrid AIO (All In One) inverter

Hi went in and checked the setting and rebooted the inverter and it’s an all in one. I still think the overarching issue is the placement of the sensor, some the smart meter install. Wonder if you could have a look at my placement to see if it’s in the right locatction.

 

[MHarv]

 

[Solartel]

The bottom CT clamp is correct for the iBoost +.

Undo the tab on the top CT clamp and turn it 180 so the “Arrow” faces towards the Grid.

Thank you changed it and rebooted it will give it a few mins and see what happens

 

[MHarv]

Your placement is correct as the manual just the “Arrow” is pointing the wrong way!

Read the downloaded manual
When satisfied after reading just undo the clip and turn it upside down so the “Arrow “ on the CT clamp is pointing to the Grid.

 

[MHarv]

Thank you changed it and rebooted it will give it a few mins and see what happens

Getting there at last nice one

 

[MHarv]

The phone App can do all settings as inverter
PW for Advanced 6868 or 2014 for inverters

 

[MHarv]

 

[Solartel]

Hi the problem is deffo the sensor, it hangs loose around the cable, don’t know if that matters? I know at this time of night the house uses around 230w of power, however the system shows 0w in use currently. I’ll call the chaps on Monday to get it sorted. Thank for all the help MHarv.

 

[johnb2713]

The sensor that is being moved around i.e. not the iboost one isnt measuring the whole supply but we dont know what it is supposed to be measuring. Where do the tails in the bottom left hand corner go? where do the tails at the top go?

 

[runningpiglet]

Hi the problem is deffo the sensor, it hangs loose around the cable, don’t know if that matters? I know at this time of night the house uses around 230w of power, however the system shows 0w in use currently. I’ll call the chaps on Monday to get it sorted. Thank for all the help MHarv.

The looseness does not matter, as long as the sensor clip is closed. The sensor is a kind of current clamp meter (search online and see how huge some are) and all that matters is that it fully encircles the wire, loose is fine.

 

[johnb2713]

Hi the problem is deffo the sensor, it hangs loose around the cable, don’t know if that matters?

The CT is fine being loose on the cable, it's a transformer and works by induced current (magnetism). What make and model inverter do you have? convention is the arrow on the CT points towards the consumer unit, a few inverters are the opposite. It does seem odd that it's fitted to a meter tail that isnt covering your whole property supply.