Adding a new Pylontech US2000 battery to my home energy storage.
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- In this video I talk about the Pylontech batteries that I use for my main home storage. I also add a new module to my existing setup, taking me to over 14 kWh of energy storage.
Some items mentioned in this video
en.pylontech.co...
www.sofarsolar...
www.tesla.com/...
• Pylon US range install...
This was the best video I've seen on how to do this. Will connect my new batteries tonight when the voltages are the same. Thanks for the help pal!!
Just bought another battery so this has been perfect as it's the first one I'll have installed myself!
I have racked three of these In old IT Comms cab that fits great. What's so good about these batteries is you can add more batteries when you want. I have 2 years . Very pleased
Hi Nicolas. Did you stack this last us2000c on top of another? Did you eventually fit any spacers as you did between the others? I am adding one myself and was wondering if it is alright to just stack it on top for now till summer?
I do have spacers between them. I use off cuts of wood to make a gap for air flow. I also have some PC case fans blowing air between the batteries in the stack.
Nice installation video. I found a small mistake here. Actually, you need to move the external COM cable to the new top battery. As the Top battery module has an empty Link port 0 and will be automatically considered as a Master battery. The Master battery should be the one communicating with the inverter.
I've just checked and I do have the comms cable in the master battery (top). I thought I did it during the video but perhaps I did it off camera. You're right though it should be in the Master battery.
@@nicholashowell Perfect bro!
Hi Nicholas. I have just got us3000 c pylontech batteries. I haven’t got to installing them yet but I wasn’t sure about the leads that go to the inverter. Daisy chain the batteries and then have one negative at one end and one positive at the other and on either end there is one redundant positive and a negative? Should there be these left over or can you connect them with the other long dc leads? Reason I ask is that I have 8 batteries and I was going to have them in 2 stacks of 4. So I thought I would have 2 packs of long dc to inverter leads. They sent me 4 packs. So I’m a bit confused. Any help would be very much appreciated.
That is correct, each battery has 2 positive and 2 negative terminals. That first and last battery will have a spare terminal (keep the cap on these ones). If you are going to put them in 2 stacks of 4 then you should only need 2 sets of the long DC leads (one for each stack). What inverter do you have and what is its maximum output (Watts)?
@@nicholashowell thank you for your reply. The inverter is a victron Quattro 10,000 kva. I think I see where you are going. The cables the pylontechs come with take 100 amps nominal I think. Maybe more cables to spread the amps. So stacks of two? Am I on the right track or just need to re-hydrate? The fuse I need to use on inverter end is a 400 amp. So it’s prob pretty close to needing all 4 cables? This is so not my line of work, and you clearly know what you are doing. So any help is so appreciated. Many thanks.
@@The_OffGridFamily You are correct, these cables are only good for max 100A so if your inverter can pull up to 400A then you will need all 4 cables to spread the current so that each cable does not exceed its current rating. I think you might need to have 4 stacks of 2 batteries each because the smaller cables that connect two batteries together in parallel are also only rated to 100A. If you have 2 stacks of 4 batteries you could overload these smaller cables. So I think I would wire them as 4 sets of 2 batteries. Each of the 4 sets connected to the inverter with a set of long cables. Does that make sense?
@@nicholashowell thank you for your reply. That makes perfect sense. That’s been a great help. Thank very much.
Great video. How much u had to pay for 1 of this whit shipping??
Great video lots of info thanks for that I have been thinking about adding batteries to my solar system for a while so have now made my mind up, thanks again.
Just used this video for reference whilst I added 2 new battery’s
Life saver 👍🏻🍻
The voltage difference, is this really critical? I'm not an electrician. Also if I fit a couple more do i need to tell my Solis inverter of the difference or will it know through the canbus (for the app etc)
If there is too big a difference between voltages then a large current can flow from the higher voltage battery to the lower voltage one. If the current flow is too high the BMS in either battery may disconnect to protect itself. I'm not familiar with the Solis inverter, does it need to know the capacity of the battery bank? If so then I think you probably will have to tell it.
Thank you@@nicholashowell
Hi, I have an inverter charging my batteries and wondered if I need to power that down or change any settings prior to installing additional batteries.
Also, I run US2000 batteries so would I need to add more of the same or could I add a US3000 or US5000 units?
Thanks Phil.
You would want to power down the inverter. Make sure your new batteries are similar voltage to your current ones before connecting them. You can mix 2000,3000 and 5000 but the bigger/newer has to be master.
How noisy is the setup?
I'm considering adding a solar system but I'm lacking storage space so I'm thinking about placing the inverter (Growatt SPF 5000ES) and a bunch of these batteries in the bedroom. Would they keep me up during the night?
Thanks!
The Pylontech batteries make no noise at all, they don't have any built in fans. In my experience inverters are pretty quiet at night as they are not doing all that much, with no solar coming in. However I don't know much about the Growatt SPF 5000ES except that it looks like a rebadged MPPSolar similar to mine. It does have a fan that is fairly quiet when under light load, but gets louder as the load on the inverter increases.
Hi and thanks for the informative video. Maybe I am missing something, but I did not see that you exchanged any fuses or increased their max Amp. Is not this necessary or do the batteries have an internal fuse bult-in? Thanks for the clarification. Regards, Ronald
The current pulled from the batteries is determined by my inverter. It's 60 amps max so adding a new battery will not need an increase in fuse (80 amp installed) as it still won't pull more than 60 amps.
Hi Nicholas, did you not have to switch off your inverter to install your new battery?
It depends. If you already have quite a large stack and the one you are adding is very close in voltage to the stack and if the inverter is not pulling very much then it would be ok. What you don't want is a big voltage difference and/or a heavy draw going on. The safest way is to turn off the inverter first and is what I would recommend people to do.
Thanks Nicholas. Don't these come with an earth bonding lead too, that you connect to the screws on the left and then to the EB on your inverter?
Yes they do. I didn't connect mine in the video but I do have them connected.
Hi! Can you please tell is it no any lost of capacity if I connect the US5000 as master and US3000C as slave? And how to balance the voltage between it? Is it possible at all becauae these batteries are diffderent capacities and different min/max voltage?
You can connect a US5000 and US3000 together without capacity loss.
Hi Nicholas, thanks for the video. Did you had any situation where the battery array goes to Alarm (red LED) and shows a Open battery error on the inverter?
Once or twice I've had the red light on the battery. Switching it off then back on again had resolved it. If yours is staying on after a reboot then I think you have a problem and will have to contact your supplier.
@@nicholashowell Yes, is not going away. But if I disconnect them from the inverter they boot normally.
@@siralexis91 Sounds like the connection to the inverter is the issue. If you have a multimeter you can check the battery voltage while not connected to your inverter and see what it is. If it's around 48v then battery seems ok.
@@nicholashowellThanks for the feedback. I have already measured the voltage at the batteries when the issue happend, they had 49.5V but the pylontech BMS information was that they had 42% charge, this didn't match the SOC LEDs as only 2 where on (when unpluged from the inverter). Maybe I have a issue on the inverter as you mentioned but I had the Growatt service connected and they say all is ok. On the other hand I have tried to charge the batteries with an external charger and this doesn't trigger the alarm. The other strange thing is that from the three racks I have end up with different charge voltages 51.7, 50.5 and 50.8V with the SOC LEDs indicating full charge in all of them. Do you know if there is a way to force the BMS to balance the SOC? It should have all the SOC LEDs with 53.6V, no?
Do you actually need to move the red output cable to the top battery, or could you leave the red and black output cables coming off the bottom battery? They look like they might just be all connected together as a bus bar.
Ideally you want the positive connection at one end of the chain and the negative at the other end.
it is done like this to compensate for slight losses in the cables and connections else the battery furthest away is at a disadvantage if both connections are on the first battery.
I just bought my 2nd Us3000c and wonder how much difference in voltage is acceptable, also it the new battery doesn't want to switch on. I put them vertikal with the front plate facing up to have termal convection between them. Is that good?
What about temperatures problems when the modules are together without space between. How warm do they get at full load?
They do have space between them and there are also fans in the cupboard controlled by a raspberry pi computer that is monitoring the temperature in the cupboard. The batteries have never even felt warm to the touch unlike the inverters. which do.
Great video Nicholas. I've been pondering adding some batts to my 7.2kWp PV. Do you know - is a cycle defined as any amount of charge/discharge? If the battery is covering occasional spikes during an overcast day for example, when the primary baseload is provided by PV, and the battery is topped up, is that really equivalent in lifetime terms to 'true cycling' of charge during the day and depletion after sunset?
The honest answer is I don't know what they consider to be a "cycle". My batteries regularly reach full then discharge a bit then get charged again in a single day. It not ideal but it doesn't bother me too much. Temperature extremes are more likely to cause degradation in my opinion. Maybe I should do a video on my original batteries and how they are holding up after 5 years or so.
@@nicholashowell A full cycle is when 100% of the capacity has been used over time - so five days of using & charging 20% = 1 full cycle!
Also: after the stated battery life the batteries will still function fine, but they will have lost 20% of their capacity - according to a lot of data concerning Tesla batteries the capacity loss below 80% slows almost to a complete halt. If you scale your battery system to have an over capacity of say 20-25% you'll probably wont have to replace cells for about 25 years... (Maybe even more - if the internal electronics stand the test of time)
Thanks for the unboxing! hard to find a "start to finish" on these things, this was informative. :)
Hi thanks for the video. Do you know if these battery packs can operate without being controlled by an inverter over the CAN bus? So if I have a simple offgrid charger/inverter it will just work hooked up to the battery terminals, with the internal battery BMS protecting and managing the cells autonomously?
Yes, you don't have to have a CAN connection to use them.
@@nicholashowell Many thanks.
when i had my system installed i had 3 x us3000c pylontech and 3 k of panels on a 3k solis hybrid inverter . The tech who did it had a 27kwh pylontech system , so he was very familiar with the technology. He said when adding a battery, dont worry about balancing the batteries the onboard bms will do that for you.
It's true that the batteries are so large that they can be quite different in voltage when connected together without excessive current flowing between them. However if the current flow was too high the BMS would just disconnect and so the battery wouldn't balancer at all.
When adding a new battery to existing pack, try make sure voltages of new & old are as close to each other as possible otherwise they may never totally balance out at all if variance is too high.
Great video, really useful. I did notice though that you didnt set any of the dip switches, I thought you had to have a master battery then slaves off that. It doesnt look as though any of your dip switches are set. Are they needed?
No, the master battery is determined by the link cables. The dip switches are only really needed for very big setups where you have many banks of batteries.
Are these fan cooled, since I am planning a rack in my office? Noise could be a problem.
No, they have no fans. If you are installing many of them together in a rack you may want to add some fans of your own depending on how hard you are going to charge/discharge them.
Thanks for the quick reply. I will make provision for fitting fan cooling, just in case.
Hi.
Im interested in these myself.
Looking to charge them off-peak with Octopus Go Tariff, and discharge during the day /evening to reduce energy bills.
How much are these units and where would you recommend I buy them from ?
Also what inverter / charger are you using and do you also charge with Solar ?
Thanks !
Did you look around for the best price / supplier ?
It's a worthwhile idea I think. I think there are many people selling them on Ebay or Midsummer energy also sell them I think. You can buy a battery inverter and several batteries together but unless you know what you are doing you will need an electrician to install it all. You also have to get approval from your DNO before installing. What part of the country are you based in? I had solar panels fitted at the same time when I had mine installed so I do charge from solar yes.
Very clear, thanks for the video. Is it possible, using polyontech 2000C batteries, to have them powered by solar and mains electricity?
It is possible as long as your inverter supports it.
thanks, I'll check it.@@nicholashowell
Hi Just watched your video on adding an extra battery to existing system, I currently have 3 batteries same as your demonstrated and am looking to add a further 2 batteries, it looks very easy to do from your video, my only concern is ensure new batteries are the same voltage as the ones installed, luckily for you when adding your extra battery they were ok to install, how would you correct the volatile if they had been different and how much difference would make you adjust the voltage Thanks
I would have waited till my existing batteries were at the same voltage as the new ones. If you keep an eye on your existing ones as they discharge, you can pick the right moment. Get them as close as you can, a few volts either side should be ok. If the red lights flash then too much current is flowing and you need to get them closer in voltage.
Hi Nick, wonder if you can answer something for us that has just been brought to our attention : If there is a power cut and the grid goes down - does your solar/battery system go down too or does that still continue to power the home ?
It depends on what system you have fitted. If you just have solar (no batteries) then if the grid goes down your solar will stop working. This is to protect workers who might be working on the lines from getting a shock from your solar. If you have batteries aswell you may be able to have power in a cut depending if your system supports it but you would need a transfer switch to disconnect one of your circuits from the grid completely. This disconnected circuit can then be supplied from the batteries but only up to the level the inverter supports so running an electric range cooker would probably overload it. I just run the lights, TV, broadband and a few sockets off mine.
Interesting value proposition for home storage. Thank you!
Hi,are those batteries completely silent?they are going into the attic above my head so just want to make sure,as they are no moving part? can't tell with your fans running there
They are silent but I wouldn't put them in your loft. They don't like temperature extremes.
@@nicholashowell thanks Nicholas, I think I have no other option, floors are insulated but not the roof (yet)so temperature is about +8 in winter and 25-30 in the summer, do you think it's too much of a difference?
@@nicholashowell also can you advise where do you buy them batteries? just want to compare the prices, here in Ireland it's about 980 before the delivery
@@peterk9797 There are various places selling them but they are no good on their own, you will need a battery inverter/charger too. £980, that's about how much mine cost.
@@nicholashowell I want to just expand from 4.8kw, thanks for your reply
Silly question but do i need to set up the old Pylontech batteries with the new inverter or should it all work once connected ??
I'm not sure what you mean by set up. You connect the batteries to the inverter. If capable, your inverter should also be able to talk to the Pylontech BMS over the CAN/RS485 connection but this is technically not required. You will have to configure your battery inverter to work with Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries (LiFEPO4) by inputting the correct charge and discharge voltages (from the Pylontech manual). Most battery inverters support Lead Acid batteries as well as Lithium so it is important to configure them correctly.
@@nicholashowell Thanks. Just noticed the BMS cable was plugged into the Lan port (opps) so will try everything tomorrow and fingers crossed
Hello, thanks for the video, I have a problem I conected two batteries just like you showed, but they are not charging, the system is conected to a goodwe inverter. ¿may be a communication problem?
Was one of the batteries connected originally and you have just added another one? Or have you just bought two batteries and are trying to connect them to your inverter for the first time?
I have 1 battery and need to move it for a short time. Is it a simple case of isolating the battery from system and disconnecting the + and -?
Turn off your inverter first, then turn the battery off before you disconnect it.
Hi Nicholas. Great video. I just fitted 4.1kwh panels in my roof with a Solis hybrid inverter. I also have a Eddi hot water diverter which comes handy. I was considering to add a battery but a lot of people say they dont make financial sense. Would you still recommend one? Would you recommend to go for the Pylontech US3000? Also, can you mix the Pylontech US3000 with the US2000? Thanks
Hi David. If you have a hybrid inverter, I assume you have a battery already? You can mix US3000 and US2000 without issue. I don't think you would lose money over the long term, at worst it would be break even but it depends how well you can utilise them.
@@nicholashowell I got a hybrid installed just in case I would like to go the battery route later on which now I am thinking to do. By the way, are you familiar with Dyness batteries? In particular with the Dyness B3? It seems to have a higher discharge capacity than the US3000. Would you know if you could mix batteries of different brands if both have the same voltage?
@@GreenEverAfter I'm not familiar with Dyness but looking at one it looks very similar to the Pylontech. I wonder if it is a clone of some kind. In theory you can use different batteries so long as they are of the same time (LiFePO4), but I doubt the BMS would talk to each other so it's probably not recommended. That being said if it is a clone of a Pylontech, it might use the same BMS but who knows. Without being able to test it I couldn't say for sure. It would make more sense to stick to one brandI think. There are other advantages to having a battery than just financial returns. If you are interested in it or if your inverter has an off-grid mode then these factors can also play a part in your decision.
@@nicholashowell Thanks for the advise and info. I think I may get a US3000 instead of a 2000 and build from that. By the way, what's the battery loss % (roughly) from energy being sent to the inverter then to battery and ultimately discharge for usage at home? Also, is there a way to change the priority once there's excess? At the moment excess is going to the Eddi but if I had a battery I believe it would go to the battery first. I'd like to have control about these priorities but not sure if easily doable.
@@GreenEverAfter Round trip efficiency will depend on many things, the efficiency of your inverter being the main one. I've not actually measured mine (it would probably make a good video so I'll see if I can set something up in the future). My guess would be something like 80%, but it's just a guess. Your hybrid inverter will prioritise filling the battery and only export when the battery is full. Your eddi with then see the export and start to use it for your hot water. I don't think there is an easy way for you do what you want. My software MonACle will let me do that but it's not ready for public use yet.
Hi
My inverter has recently started making a loud buzzing noise - very odd. Only installed the day before and I did just plug in the Wi-Fi dongle before the noise started? Any ideas please
I turned it off but doesn’t actually turn off?
Might be worth contacting the supplier about it. If it's under warranty they might replace it.
@@nicholashowell thanks for the reply. I turned it off and when the inverter finally powered down the noise stopped and no noise on restart :-)
Does Pylon have anything bigger than a 100 Ah capacity ? I need 20 kWh capacity but I don't really want to buy 8 to 10 units? Please advise
To my knowledge Pylontech do a 50 Ah and 74 Ah module. If you went for the bigger one (3000C) then you would need about 6 to give you 20 kWh.
Great video, very helpful - may i ask your opinion on something, in 3 weeks time we are having a solar system installed x16 400w panels and x3 3.5kw pylontech batteries, but i have a little bit of extras spare cash and am wondering what is the best option to expand the system with - a few more panels or another 3.5kw battery - what would you recommend ? my thoughts would be solar panels, only because its something i could not fit myself and would need scaffolding, so is best to get as many panels as permitted up on the roof in one go or buy batteries ?
If it were me, I'd get as many panels as will fit. In the winter it will help out a lot.
@@nicholashowell Thanks Nick, my thought too
It would depend how much your daily usage is and if the panels that you have would cover this. If you have lots of excess energy chances are you will sell this back at 5p whereas if you have to buy the same electricity it will cost you at least 29p per Kw which means in the current climate batteries might be the answer. But as I say it depends on how much you are using each day.
Want to ask a question if I may , I have 2 pylontech batteries and 1 seems dead but I notice on mine the installer connected the positive and negative from inverter to one the same battery is this the incorrect configuration and could it be reason 1 isn't working thanks
I'm not sure exactly what you are saying but if you are asking if it matters that the leads to the inverter come off one of the batteries (presumably you mean the other battery is daisy chained to the first) then it's not the ideal scenario but won't really cause one of the batteries to not work. Ideally with the two batteries daisy chained together, you want the positive to the inverter coming from one and the negative to the inverter coming from the other. Like I say though it shouldn't cause one to die if you don't.
@@nicholashowell yes Nicholas you've answered what I was referring too , thanks
Hi how do you charge the battery if it’s not the same? Also should the communications battery be at the top? Thanks.
I'm not sure what you mean by, "it's not the same"? It doesn't matter where the master is physically, it's simply the one with nothing in the Link 0 port.
I just want to ask what you will do if the voltage is not the same ? Thanks
Did I not say in the video? It depends how different the voltages are.
Thanks for the video, very helpfull. Small question do you need to change anything on your inverter? The company that installed it put a passcode on the inverter and I just want to be sure the inverter should not be modified. Tx Pieter
Depending on how long ago your inverter was fitted it may need a firmware update to work with the latest BMS in the Pylontech batteries.
It was only installated 3months ago, so I would hope it is ok
@@pieterhom7137 what inverter is it?
@@nicholashowellsofar solar 3kw
@@pieterhom7137 There is a new firmware out for it to work with the US5000 but it may still work with the US2000 out the box.
Hey Nicholas, i have a Victron Multiplus GX with 2 Pylon US3000C. After installing, everything works fine. Charging ist no Problem. Then late at Night at SoC in about 50-60% i get in internal error. One Batterie does a signal-sound und flashes red, Batterie ist offline. When i turn everything off an restart it, the error comes again after a few minutes. When starting ist at charging-time in the morning, everything is fine charging up to 100 Soc. Then later at night, the same at SOC 50-60% again. When i use only one Battery, everything is fine an both Batteries work 10-100 SOC, charging an discharging. Do you have in Idea, what I can do? Is it a Problem with balancing or does the one Battarie have a big Problem. Sorry for my English, did not use it a long time. Thanks very much for your Help.
Are they new 3000C or used? If new, I would send it back under warranty. It has a problem.
The company that fitted my solar panels and 3 of these batteries are now quoting me £2800 for another battery (each!). I’ve seen them for sale online for around £650 but the company that fitted the originals said if I don’t buy the batteries from them my warranty becomes obsolete! What are your thoughts please?
@@barbsdee3831 To be honest at £2000 over price each the amount you would save would more than pay for a new inverter or such if you ever required a replacement. However if you buy them and have them fitted by a qualified electrician then your warranty should not be affected in my opinion. That price you've been quoted is extortionate.
@@nicholashowell I agree I could buy 3 batteries for that price. Thanks for your reply 👍🏼
Is it not necessary to switch the inverter off and back on again at some stage?
Not from a power use point of view but I guess some inverters might not notice the data feed from the new battery unless they are rebooted. I haven't seen that with my inverter though. It won't hurt to cycle your inverter though if you are in any doubt.
Can you recommend an inverter that will allow the charging during the 4hr cheap rate and from my solar excess?
The Sofar ME3000SP battery inverter can be configured to do this and works with Pylontech batteries. It is AC coupled so will also stored energy from you existing solar. I'm sure there are others but that is the one I've been looking at.
if the batteries are really diferent voltages how do you balance them first before connecting them together a bulb between them maybe ?
Charge or discharge one of them until it's at a similar voltage to the other, then connect them in parallel and leave for 24 hours to equalise with each other.
Nice set up, looking at starting my own battery kit, with these. Currently using micro grid tie inverters, on my solar panels, and hence all the day time electric goes to the grid for free, which I don't use, not on a feed in tariff, as self instalation.
Was looking at scrapping the micro inverters and getting the Sofar HYD300, or the 3600 so can add my panels to it, with the battery packs.
Or keep my original grid tie inverters, and use the Sofar ME300SP which ties in. Probably best on the first idea.
What grid tie inverter are you using. Thanks.
I'm using the Solax Hybrid inverter (older model). They also now do an AC charger like the Sofar ME3000 but I don't have one of those. www.solaxpower.com
@@nicholashowell Thanks for your reply, I'll take a look. Many thanks.
Hi, do you know if the Pylontech battery can charge off the grid on low tariffs at night?
If you have a compatible battery inverter then yes. The Pylontech batteries are just that, they are batteries. You will need a battery charger/inverter to use them in your home (things like the Tesla battery actually have the inverter/charger built in). I charge mine from the grid using cheap night rate during the winter when not much solar available.
@@nicholashowell This is exactly what I want. I am hoping the Solaredge Inverter will do that. I have asked them the question, as their own 10kw battery is £1,500 more than 3 Pylontech US3000C batteries.
what would you have done if they were not at the same voltage?
I would have allowed the existing units to charge/discharge until they were at a similar voltage to the new unit, then I would have connected it.
Seems they can balance themselves safely:
ua-cam.com/video/FWZesqyq0Mw/v-deo.html
I have this set up and looking to add another battery. The Sofar inverter also takes in wind generation so adding a small 500w rated turbine to see if in the winter months it can generate when the sun isn’t shining. The good thing of the pylontech and Sofar is the choice to charge on over night cheap electricity. It’s incredibly cheap to run the house in winter using the batteries which have the Octopus Go tariff. I also have and EV, Zappi and Eddie. The wind turbine is next to play with and cross fingers this will trickle in a fair amount in the dark winter months.
I would also like to get a small wind turbine but I think unless you live on the coast or near large empty fields the air will be too turbulent to generate anything meaningful from one. Probably better off spending the money on more solar panels. I'd be interested to hear what you get out of it.
good idea what are you considering, a vertical axis turbine ?
did you do it? How did it go? I would love small wind turbine, even to help balance my 200 watt home baseload on dark winter days
@@nicholashowell
I do live by the coast in Devon, the average wind here is quite high. The output estimate is around 3400 kWh per year for a 1kw turbine, combined this with the solars and it’s way way more than I actually need.
@@mollyfilms Have you actually got the wind turbine installed yet?
Ace video
What make was your battery cabinet that you don’t use
It's a Solax.
Do you need to have same voltage on both batteries to add them together ? What is recommend to be all 99% charged or what happend when u join them together without checking voltage ?
The batteries need to have about the same voltage when you join them together otherwise power will flow from one to the other and if they are too different then a large amount of current will flow potentially damaging the batteries. The charge level is not so important as long as they are both the same voltage.
the state of charge is not so important. Each battery has its own BMS. After connecting (and switching on), the battery packs with less charge are simply charged by the other batteries. The first battery is always the master and communicates with the other batteries via the data cable. This makes expansion super easy.
@@marcoliverreinschmidt5775 The important thing is that the batteries are similar in voltage when joined together. If their voltages are too different then large currents could flow which would not be good for the batteries. The BMS would almost certainly go into over current protection mode and disconnect, preventing the battery from being used.
A couple of questions please. Whats percentage variation in voltage would be classed as different? Also if the voltage is significantly different, what can you do to get the voltage into the 'acceptable' level. Thank you.
Great video, thanks. I have two US2000plus 2.4kwh Pylontech and want to add more. Can I add US3000 3.5kwh with existing please?
I believe you can mix the 2000 with the 3000.
thanks for the overview.
I have 3 x US2000 batteries and want to add a US3000c. I have space for a rack but they seem to be relatively expensive. The most cost effective option I have found so far is Pylontech's own rack which can house 10 x US2000 / 6 x US3000 (want to have space for additional batteries if needed) but can only find it with an EU based supplier. I noted in your video that the brand you have is X-Solax, do you know where I could buy this type in the UK?
I can sell you mine. I am not using it.
@@nicholashowell thanks for responding how many batteries can it hold?
@@johnford6723 I'll have to double check tonight when I get in but off the top of my head I think it can hold 6 of the 3000 series, more of the 2000 series as they are thinner.
@@nicholashowell sounds perfect would be grateful if you could confirm. As a guide the Pylontech 6 x 3000 rack is about 1 metre tall. Not a You Tube expert Is there a way we can go private so we can talk price and collection/delivery?
@@johnford6723 Sure thing. Let me check first and then I'll be in touch this evening with contact information.
Both the SOC lights only have 1 dot lit and then they both switch off ?
If they show only 1 dot then they are near the bottom of their charge. Have you charged them up to full? Do they show all the lights then?
@@nicholashowell I replaced the inveter for a brand new one thinking that was the problem. Unfortunately both Pylontecs keep shutting down. Both have 47v when checked and on app showed as charged but then they keep shutting down with 1 green light on each. Can i run a diagnosis on the batteries ?
This is excellent, and just what I need, thank you. I've just had solar panels installed (6.8kWh) with storage being provided by two 2.4kW Pylontech US2000 modules. On watching the performance, I have concluded that I need a further module to provide enough power to last the night. I was planning to call the installers back, as I had no idea of how complicated adding a new module may be. With this information (and the advice of an electrician friend of mine) I'm sure I could do this. This might seem a stupid question but will the system automatically recognise the increase in storage capacity. Thanks again.
Yeah it should be fairly simple. What battery inverter do you have?
@@nicholashowell Thanks for the swift response. It's a Solis. Is the US2000C the newest model of module?
@@julianshreeve3934 I believe it is but go for the same model as your existing ones. I've not used the Solis but I'm sure it will be fine.
@@nicholashowell Thanks very much for your help.
@@julianshreeve3934 you can upgrade to the larger one, there's a video on here showing how they should be connected.
Hi Nicholas, thanks for sharing your experiences with your system. I had a Solax inverter and a 4.8 kWh battery installed 5 years ago, the original battery has deteriorated so now holds less than half of its rated capacity which is disappointing to say the least, but I believe it would have been made with inferior quality cells so perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised. I have just bought my first PylonTech 3000 battery to replace it and make the system scalable as and when I can afford to, however I am really struggling to get the inverter to talk to the BMS, I have tried both the Canbus and RS438 connectors and neither talk to it, so I no longer get the percentage displayed on the front of the inverter and it seems to be making wild guesses about the Pylontech's SOC, can you offer me any advice as a steer? Thanks
I think the original Pylontech batteries talked over serial to the inverter. The new ones don't. Not sure what the solution would be. Try contacting Solax support?
@@nicholashowell I managed to solve it, and it does communicate. Basically the pinouts for the Pylontech don't correspond with the Solax, so I had to patch pin 1 to pin 4 for CAN-H and pin 2 to pin 5 for CAN-L and all is working fine now for the BMS. Hopefully this info will save somebody else the hours of head scratching I had!
@@jeremybottrill7644 That's great, useful information. Thanks.
Great video by the way. I am wondering what is the maximum number of batteries you can attach? Am i right in saying it is 16 batteries? Also has anyone ever attached these batteries to the Eddi as I believe using the My Energi app you can see the performance of the batteries?
You need to check the manual for your system. For instance, I have a Lux system and its 8 batteries per Squirrel Pod.
Just one question: Why didn't you connect the earth connection on the batteries(left from switch)
I have now. I had just moved them before the video to make space for the new one and so the earth connection also needed moving. I did it soon after.
@@nicholashowell glad to hear. I ordered this setup (4x2.4kWh) with a 4.5kWh peak panel setup. Hear many good things about them.
What about grounding them is that needed? Also will they work without communicating to the inverter?
The batteries should be earthed/grounded. Each one comes with a cable to ground it to the next one. They can be used without communicating to the inverter if your inverter doesn't support that. Some inverters won't work with the battery unless they can talk to its BMS.
@@nicholashowell so I just need to ground them to each other? I don't need to drive a metal pole Into the ground and connect them to that as well? Thank you for your quick reply, my flooded lead acid batteries are failing :( but I've got two pylontech on the way just trying to prep for installation, had my eye on them for a while but your video sold me on them:)
@@shitina.bucket9699 No you need to link them together with the supplied ground cables but then you must ground one of the units (and by effect, all of the cases will be grounded).
@@nicholashowell sorry for all the questions but would a 3/8 copper 4 foot earth rod do the job? Or what type of grounding rod do I need?
@@shitina.bucket9699 Sorry, can't really help you there. Here in the UK I have mine earthed to the same earth as the inverter/rest of house. Not sure if that's any help.
How efficient are they please?
Good question. Round trip efficiency (including losses in the inverter converting to and from AC) is probably something like 80%. I don't know for certain (without doing some tests) but that would be my guess.
What if the voltage is not the same though. And what is the ADD switch for?
If the batteries are too different in voltage then when you connect them together in parallel current will flow from the higher voltage pack into the lower voltage one. If the current is too big the BMS will disconnect the cells to protect the battery and so it won't balance at all. You can work out how much current will flow and so long as it is within the charge/discharge specs of the battery you are ok. The ADD switch is for configuring multiple banks of batteries but you probably don't need to touch it.
Does the can cable should be connected to the top battery?
Wheres the best place to have a battery stack. I wanted the garage but cold weather is bad for these..?
Yeah, very cold or very hot places will shorten the life of the batteries. It might be ok in the garage, depends how cold it gets in there in winter.
Hi, how many batteries can be used in one system please? You said you had 12kW so that's 5 batteries.
I actually have 6 batteries at the moment. According to the manual, you can have 8 in a stack but you can have multiple stacks. Each stack has to have its own master unit. So I think you could easily have 40 or more units. Don't think anyone would need that many however.
Thanks, and another question please. I have only 2 batteries atm but will buy a third shortly and install hopefully myself. I’ve just noticed though that my 2 are just stacked on top of each other with no spacers, is that ok or should I make a gap between them with something? The installers did it like that. Thanks
Hi
I have two 3000 pylontech s,I want to add two more,it appears simple.
My installer wants £1400 each,other suppliers £1070,so a massive difference.
Should I have confidence to get them and do it myself?
There isn't a lot to it. So long as you make sure the voltages are very close you should be ok. If you don't feel confident then get someone in too do it for you.
@@nicholashowell at the price difference,I will do it.
Thanks for video,simple and clear.👍
@@nicholashowell hi
I contacted the supplier who iam buying from,he said you don't need to balance,he said they will balance themselves out in a couple of weeks.
@@alanrobinson2229 Correct but not the full story. They will balance out on their own but when you first connect them together you don't want them to be too different in voltage otherwise you will get a huge flow of current from the high one to the low one which could cause problems. When you connect the new ones to the old ones try to do it when the old ones are at about the same voltage as the new ones.
@@nicholashowell so my two new us3000 batteries arrived.
I can't find my multimeter.
Most people say they come with about 50 percent SOC, so if my existing batteries are are at 50 percent on the app,I can'tgo too far wrong connecting them?
Hello. Just thought I would say hi and give you an update on the battery that wouldn’t work. So pylontech according to our supply won’t allow a battery that won’t work to be replaced. They must first try and fix it, then send it back even if you have never used it. It’s not like buying a fridge…… won’t switch on……they take that away and bring you another. So pretty bad service. I was within my 30 days and could get a full refund. The company couldn’t find anything wrong with it and had been running circles on it for 3 weeks. I had to argue that it was now second hand. The rest have been working fine. Turns out this time of year I don’t need 8. 😎
So did you get a refund? What company did you source them from?
@@nicholashowell Yes we got a full refund. The company was Midsummer Energy. To be honest they have been pretty good, but they say that that's Pylontech's policy and they can't do anything about it.
my telephone wire has only 2 wires in it if i added another battery would the telephone wire need to be the same ie 2 wires or could i just plug in the new wire from one battery to the other
I'm not sure I understand what you mean. What does a telephone have to do with a battery?
@@nicholashowell ok will call it the data cable
Hi,
Thanks for the this video, I'm running 4 us2000 and tried adding another us2000 today but with the new battery connected the master battery keep flashing up the red alarm light, the funny think is I tried my battery set up with the master disconnected and the new battery and the other 3 seem to all be fine, tried connecting up the master battery and the red light flashing again. Back to my original set up without the new battery and its all fine again.......any ideas that could help me........unfortunately in this instance, Bobby wasn't my uncle.
My guess is that your new battery has a newer firmware than your older batteries. If this is the case, you need to make your new battery the master as it can talk to the older ones but the older ones can't talk to the newer one. So try making the new battery the master.
@@nicholashowell thanks Nicholas, sorry if I'm being dumb but is the master battery currently the one that is connected to my inverter ? So I would plug this lead into my new battery? I also wonder if I should also try leaving all the batteries disconnected from my system to allow them to balance and sink for a maybe a day before connecting back to my Lynx 1000 / victron inverter?
@@thomasbell6655 The master is determined by the communications cables. On the matter battery, the Link Port 0 is not connected (Link Port 1 will be connected to Link Port 0 of the next battery and so on). This matter battery is the one that you want to also connect to your inverter (RS485 or CAN depending on what your inverter talks).
That's very helpful, I'll try this tomorrow and see what happens, hopefully no red light. Kindly regards Tom
If the new battery isn’t at the same voltage please explain the procedure to attain the correct matching voltages.
You just need to get your existing battery to a similar voltage as your new one so either wait for it to charge up if it's too low or wait for it to discharge a bit if it's too high.
@@nicholashowell Thankyou very much for the prompt response and necessary information to allow the correct and safe procedure to couple up further batteries to my installation. Very helpful
If the voltage doesn’t match, presumably there is something you can do to fix that?
You would either have to charge the lower voltage one up to match the voltage of the higher or discharge the higher till it matches the voltage of the lower. I was lucky when I checked that by chance the existing batteries were at about the same voltage as the new one. Otherwise I would have waited for them to be charged/discharged by the inverter enough to match.
@@nicholashowell Thanks
How long do these take to charge? At the 25A rate?
Well they are 50 amp hours each so it should take about 2 hours to charge 1 unit at that rate.
ive got two, takes about 3h 20m to charge from 20 to 100%, just added a third today.
How do you set up the pins on each battery starting from the master downwards please
When you say the pins, do you mean the little dip switches (red and white)? If so then you leave them all down for all the batteries. You only have to fiddle with these if you have multiple battery stacks and a comms combiner unit.
@@nicholashowell many thanks, top man
Good video did you have to adjust the DIP switches
No. I don't have enough batteries to require that.
At 9-10 minutes, you show measuring the voltage (at about 49v) which all Pylontechs provide, anyway.. More important is to balance old and new batteries before you join them - make sure you have 100% (or nearly) SOC before asking them to work together as a team.
I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to say (about 49v). However so long as the batteries are similar in voltage you can connect them together and because they are in parallel, they will balance with each other given enough time (before you start using them). It's best to charge the battery to 100% before using it for the first time.
must all the dip switch up or down ?
If you only have a single stack of batteries (up to 8 batteries in a stack) then you want them all down on the US2000.
Having issies with mine turning off. What if one has lower voltage ?
If they are connected in parallel then one shouldn't have lower voltage.
@@nicholashowell I tried connecting them separately (just one) and same thing happens for both units. Only a couple of years old. If they had been left uncharged for a while would that ruin the batteries ?
@@FireFlySamson It depends on how long they were left discharged and how much they were discharged. If they were down at 0% for time then they are very probably damaged.
@@nicholashowellBoth the batteries left on overnight and separated. This morning they are both 47.7 volts. Can they have that voltage but be drained of power?
@@FireFlySamson No if they are 47.7 volts they are fine.
You have them stacked to close they need room for air flow!
It might not look it but there are actually spacers between them and fans mounted behind to blown air through.
Thanks for your help
They don't mention the c rate of the useable capacity.
MMM? Can't see the earth cables connected?
They weren't at the moment of filming but they are there.
Hello great video, I've used twice now first adding in one battery and tonight another 3, inverter can take 8 in total. But when the original install was done by an MCS credited installer who did a great job, 20 panels, LUX inverter and originally 3 batteries they didn't earth the batteries. After reading the battery manual I did query this with them and the said earthing a DC battery to something that is already earthed to AC will cause it to trip like mad. I wondered if any one had any thoughts on this though I've not had any problems so far I do have a final battery to put in just will have to move the orientation of them all to fit in. Any thoughts on the earthing would be most appreciated.
When my original system was installed by MCS solar company they did earth the batteries as per the instructions. I'm not sure why they think it should trip like mad, I can't think why that should happen.
When I had the my system installed with Pylontech batteries the also did not earth them, but I only noticed after they left and to be honest it was too much hassle getting them back so I did it myself. Had no issues to speak of.
the battery you add in not doing the same with others, flushing of lights is different .(communication not okay )
See the response to this question further down. Someone else already asked it.
Thanks for the video, can I ask for a link to the rack please?
I'm not sure I have one but any iT server rack would do I think.
@@nicholashowell
Thank you kindly, is there a model number please
Whats the scheduler like does it have one to set charge times and exporting etc
What scheduler are you referring to, the Solax hybrid inverter?
I am in the process of getting my Shitty Powervault refunded as was badly designed and fell over more than a 1960s Ford.
But it does have a good portal scheduler
So bear with me How do you schedule charge discharge is it via the inverter sw only ...
I can currently schedule when I charge the Battery when i want to dump export from it on Octopus Outgoing which is a really good justification for having a battery.
@@Joiedevivredesilives I see what you mean. My software called MonACle allows me to set charging and discharging times. I've been giving some thought to modifying it to work with Octopus Agile prices but I'm sticking with Octopus Go for now so I'll probably not do it anytime soon.
@@nicholashowell Agiles seriously expensive since Brexit only reason it pays off is if you have Outgoing too.
Hence I need to be able to export during 4pm and 7pm best rates.
Hi. The lights of the battery they not turning on green lights not flashing. why? thank you
If you have turned it on with the switch and then pressed the red button the lights should come on.
@@nicholashowell thank you for answer. that is the problem, nothing come on.
I have solar panel (solis) that makes the connection with the pylon battery box. the alarm light flashes, and the message says e can fail. DISCHG-OCP-BMS. We've been in this for over a month
@@gamerfrog.2112 Do you have the communications cable connected between the Solis inverter and the Pylontech battery? Is it plugged into the CAN port or the RS485 port. Which Solis inverter do you have?
Hi there, excellent and informative video. We too are looking at getting a Pylontech battery system installed. I see you've also got solar pv panels.... question, the batteries obviously charge up via solar during the day, but can they also take advantage of cheap nighttime energy rates and charge up via the grid at night.?
Hi Nick. The batteries can also be charged from the grid to take advantage of cheap night rate electric. I actually do this in the winter months so that I never have to use daytime rate electric.
Thank you for that.... and would you recommend buying/installing a system that has as many batteries as you can afford so you can charge them up via solar or cheap rate electric tariff even tho you may not use all the stored electric in a single day.? If you have a system of 4 or 5 batteries for example i presume you can draw the same max(?) power as a single unit but for a longer period.?
@@nicksportster8711 I think like many things it depends on your situation but you would want a minimum of 2 units. You are right in that if one battery can supply 25 amps, 2 batteries can supply 50 amps for the same amount of time or 25 amps for twice the time. The power that can be supplied will likely be limited by your inverter though. The Sofar ME3000 for example has a max output of 3000 Watts no matter how many Pylons are attached to it. If you can work out how much power you use in a day (in kWh) and want to be able to supply that much from batteries in the winter with little or no solar to help then you can work out how many Pylons you need as they are 2kWh (usable) each (for the 2000C) or 3kWh each for the bigger version.
hmmm.... i did a nice long reply but it seems not to have posted (user error maybe... dohh...), i'll try again...
We have had an 'Owl' gadget on the kitchen windowsill for more years than i care to remember, 10 or 12yrs.? And that showed an annual electric usage of approx 3,000kwh. We then had a 3.6kw solar pv array installed 8yrs ago (best investment we've ever made) and has worked faultlessly. And the 'Owl' (and Octopus statements) now show an annual usage of approx 2,000kwh.
Like Soothe & sound we too have received a quote from the local council from a 'group buying' scheme for battery installation using the Pylontech batteries. And we're just trying to figure out "should we opt for the max size we can get" (buy now while its at group rates.?) or is that just money wasted.?
You say you have 'fans' where your batteries are located... are these built in to the batteries or something you have added.?
I'm liking the server style racking, its a shame you cant make use of it in your setup.
And not wishing to tread on the toes of UA-cam etiquette(?) i hope you dont mind but i've sort of hi-jacked your post a bit and messaged Sooth & Sound re his posting/inquiry about the Pylontech batteries.....
@@nicksportster8711 If you have a 3.6kW array there is a limit to how much solar you can generate from it on a perfect day. There would not be much point getting more battery storage than you can fill from your solar on a perfect day. Unless you have high daily consumption and you want to supply all your usage from the batteries and charge them up at night using cheap rate electric. I have a very large array approx 10kW so need a lot of storage to keep all I can generate. However if you have an EV then you already have a large battery and using something like a Zappi charge point you can push any excess solar into the car battery. So my advice would be to see how much solar (in kWh) you generated on a really good sunny day and use this to work out how many batteries you would need. Be aware that there are 2000C and 3000C models of the Pylontech battery (with different capacities) and so depending on which ones you are being offered will affect how many modules you will need. The fans are something I've put in my understairs cupboard where my batteries are located, they are not part of the battery itself. If it weren't for all the inverters in that cupboard I wouldn't need the fans for just the batteries as they don't get warm hardly.
could you show the cabling from the battery to the inverter
I can try to show it in a future video. Essentially the positive and negative leads from the batteries go to a double pole fuse disconnect with a 100 amp fuse on each lead.
Is pylontec safe to have inside a UK loft?
Safe, yes. Advisable probably not. The key thing is temperature. Lithium batteries will have a shorter life if used when they are too hot or too cold. If your loft is anything like mine it's like an oven in high summer and freezing in mid winter. So I personally wouldn't recommend it unless your loft isn't like mine. The batteries are not cheap so you want them to last as many cycles as possible.
@@nicholashowell thank you so much for your reply. Its highly appreciated. And yes my loft sounds a lot like yours lol. The other option I am thinking of is to get a steel box made and attach it to the side of the House. (A bit like a Tesla battery) might implement some sort of radiator inside it to keep it warm in extreme weathers and then add a fan for summers
@@everythinghelp4u458 I've got mine in the under stairs cupboard.
@@nicholashowell is that doing well in winters and summers?
@@everythinghelp4u458 it stays warm in there in the winter and in the summer it's ok too because I have fans that suck cold air in from the underfloor.
You don't need to press all the red buttons at the same time to start the batteries, you only need to press the red button on the master and it will start up the rest.
Yeah, I put a message to that effect on the video at 13:48.
You shouldn't be putting one on top of the other. Ventilation needed between batteries (cooling). It is important.
There are actually spacers between the batteries to allow airflow between from the fans mounted behind the stack.
@@nicholashowell are the fans the sound in background? Are they part of the battery?
@@nic47531 No. The batteries have no built in fans. The sound is probably the fans in the inverter.
@@nicholashowell okay. What inverter you use? Many seem to be fanless these days.
@@nic47531 it's a Solax Hybrid inverter. Had it nearly 10 years now.
very good
The batteries in the video are B version, C version the connectors are different and the logo says C.
You are quite right. I noticed this after I had uploaded the video but they are very similar.
@@nicholashowell no problem, b and c are just a revisuon update, c brings up some improvments, they all work just the same
I have this batery in pakistan but have not cables to contact with terminal
When I bought mine the battery comes with small cables to connect to the next battery but the long cables needed to connect the battery to the inverter/charger have to be bought separately.
talking about how attractive a battery is.... leads me to have doubts about the value of the rest of the video. My relevant criteria is information regarding reliability, efficiency..... technical stuffs.
Fair comment.
Dirty wall I thought it was my laptop 😃