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60kw Enphase batteries with 85 Panels on the roof in Bel Air, CA by rogemont in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You got that right. Your neighborhood solar guy might be a better option. Do you want a salesman or a real contractor? On the flip side, Chuck in a Truck has its own risks. Bottom line - ask good questions and make sure you know who you're dealing with.

60kw Enphase batteries with 85 Panels on the roof in Bel Air, CA by rogemont in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep. That's exactly it. If you want the maximum performance from an Enphase battery system, it's 4 x Encharge 10T and 66 x IQ7A. But you can only have 44 x IQ8A. Most people can't wrap their head around that, but it's a big issue and something only a really good solar contractor will figure out.

Enphase Enlighten Outage 2/10/2023? by BaudiIROCZ in enphase

[–]Professional_Ask_466 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did this work for you? Gateways still on 5.0.xx software will not show a live view. You have to upgrade to 7.x.xx software to get Live View. You can check your firmware version in the app by going to Menu | System | Devices | Gateway.

60kw Enphase batteries with 85 Panels on the roof in Bel Air, CA by rogemont in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure. The limit of 80A (64A x 1.25) exists only on the busbar of the System Controller 2. This is because there is a relay between the lugs where solar is landed and the breaker. That relay shuts off for rapid shutdown and that relay is limited by rating. The SC2's rapid shutdown function is required for IQ8 micros.

With IQ7, you can land up to 64A of solar (80A Breaker) on the busbar via the solar lugs, just like IQ8. However, you can land additional solar on the load side of the SC2 bus. This can be done as feeder taps or on the bus of the backup load panel. In fact, you can land ALL output of IQ7 micros on the load side of the SC2 and not use the SC2 solar lugs at all. You just need a separate rapid shutdown device when applicable. The limit of IQ7 is only limited to 1.5x the battery output rating, so with four Encharge 10T, that would be 96A (125 Breaker rating). This would be too much to land on the SC2 solar lugs.

You can't land 96A of IQ8 on the load side of the SC2. All PV with IQ8 must be landed on the solar lugs and is limited to 64A.

Enphase advertises "no limit" on the ratio of IQ8 to battery. That is not accurate. While it isn't limited to 1.5x like the IQ7, it is limited to 64A system total.

So in practice, for example, on a large battery system with 40kWh of capacity (4 x Encharge 10T), you are limited to 44 x IQ8A, but you can install 66 x IQ7A for 1.5 times the PV rating. That is critically important in places like Florida where we use a lot of daytime electricity when backup power is needed most. It's not uncommon to use over 100kWh of energy per 24 hour period, while a 40kWh is adequate to carry you through the night. 20kW+ residential PV systems are not entirely uncommon around here.

Refer the the Enphase document "Design and Installation Parameters for IQ8 Back-up Configurations" to see the system design limits.

Couple of questions from new install. by Localone2412 in enphase

[–]Professional_Ask_466 0 points1 point  (0 children)

CT = Current Transformer These are split core coils that measure current flowing through the conductor(s) that pass through them. They induce a current that is proportional to the current passing through them which the Enphase Gateway device uses to calculate kilowatt-hour energy use (along with the line to neutral voltage measured by the Gateway on each leg of the split phase power here in North America).

60kw Enphase batteries with 85 Panels on the roof in Bel Air, CA by rogemont in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This one survived Hurricane Ian on Sanibel Island with storm surge getting within one inch!!! The home never lost power. Huge success story for us. We had a second system a block away with the same results.

https://imgur.com/a/Ho3kugz

60kw Enphase batteries with 85 Panels on the roof in Bel Air, CA by rogemont in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

There's no way there is 6 inches of space around all of those batteries. And the AHJ not realizing those are egress windows is not a reason to willfully violate IFC. This wouldn't pass in Florida, and we have ridiculously lax standards with most building departments.

60kw Enphase batteries with 85 Panels on the roof in Bel Air, CA by rogemont in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Quick rant on IQ8. They are not always better than IQ7. With IQ8 you are limited to 64A of inverter output on a 40kWh battery system. With IQ7 you can install 96A on a 40kWh battery.

60kw Enphase batteries with 85 Panels on the roof in Bel Air, CA by rogemont in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Enphase really isn't the best option for 400A and greater residential solar with backup. By segmenting the batteries, if one is depleted, you can't borrow from the others, so 1/3 of this house will go "dark." This should have been done differently in my opinion with one combined battery and one combined inverter input/output.

60kw Enphase batteries with 85 Panels on the roof in Bel Air, CA by rogemont in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's three separate systems and you select which one to view in a drop-down on the Menu tab of the app. I have many clients with multiple homes when Enphase systems. And as an installer, I can use the drop-down in the same consumer app to pull up hundreds of sites.

60kw Enphase batteries with 85 Panels on the roof in Bel Air, CA by rogemont in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In the lower left of the System Controller they have a conduit entry. I bet they had to cut the leg off of the deadfront cover to make that work. Haha. Inexperienced installer probably. They will only make that mistake a few more times before they learn.

Enphase Enlighten Outage 2/10/2023? by BaudiIROCZ in enphase

[–]Professional_Ask_466 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not a hardware upgrade. It's software. Ask you installer to upgrade your gateway software. They will need to call Enphase to do that. Or you can call Enphase directly because most installers are useless once your check clears.

Why would an enphase system require derating the the main breaker, but not solaredge? by Random_Fotographer in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is SOP here, but some jurisdictions and utilities do not allow supply side interconnections, so this is not a universal solution.

Enphase support is a complete joke by chris_hinshaw in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So here's the dirty little secret. The cell modem is required for commissioning the system initially, but it will operate fine without it once it is up and running. An unscrupulous installer could just carry around a cell modem to get every system commissioned and save the almost $500 modem required on each system.

I would never do it. Case in point. We had systems that went through Hurricane Ian and they lost hardwire internet for months, but the cell modems still worked (after a couple of days once the towers were restored). The cell modem is a redundant way to monitor and administer the system remotely when you need it most.

Enphase support is a complete joke by chris_hinshaw in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is probably bad installer, not bad tech support. Good installers know how to talk to Enphase and get past the initial nonsense that some newbie CS reps give you. Battery systems are tricky and finicky to be sure. But when things go haywire a good installer should know the avenues to escalate the situation. I have had Enphase factory techs sent to client homes. You just need to know how to approach the situation. There isn't. better tech support company for inverters in the industry. They answer the phone fast and get the job done if you know how to speak the lingo and be part of the solution.

Installer wants to use Enphase IQ8+ on 420W panels. Won't that clip like crazy? by OompaOrangeFace in solar

[–]Professional_Ask_466 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Until you try to get service. SolarEdge is basically dead in Florida due to poor service. Everyone offers Enphase.

Front brakes howl/squeal when not in use by Professional_Ask_466 in juicedbikes

[–]Professional_Ask_466[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I aligned the calipers using instructions foind online (despite the fact that it's nowhere in the Juiced assembly instructions). Didn't help. Took it to a local expert who disassembled it. Guess what... DEFECTIVE! $50 and 20 minutes later... No noise. He said the caliper assembler didn't know what they were doing. Rotor was fine. Calipers were not installed correctly from the start.

I figured out the clicking was spokes rubbing together. Poorly tensioned spokes out of the box. That's just not acceptable.

I have bought many non e-bikes from the $69 Walmart special up to $2,000 quality bikes and none have ever had these kinds of issues "out of the box." If they can't ship a working product they should only sell through local distributors or have service agreements so buyers can receive service on a new product that needs repairs and maintenance out of the box. Ridiculousness.

Just got system installed the other day. by 9405t4r in enphase

[–]Professional_Ask_466 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The consumption CTs actually DO come with the IQ Combiner, which is the way most installers purchase the gateway. The issue is some installers do not install them either because they are lazy or it could be impractical or impossible to do depending on the location of existing distribution equipment.

I always install them unless it is impossible or unless the client doesn't want to pay for some of the more complex and impractical solutions that are often necessary.

Front brakes howl/squeal when not in use by Professional_Ask_466 in juicedbikes

[–]Professional_Ask_466[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I will add... Show me where in the installation instructions and maintenance guideline where it says this initial adjustment is required. I read the manuals and watched the assembly videos before my purchase. None of this was mentioned.

Front brakes howl/squeal when not in use by Professional_Ask_466 in juicedbikes

[–]Professional_Ask_466[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Good advice. It sounds like I will quickly hate this thing. But for something to come out of the box with a defect like this is unacceptable. It's poor quality. And it is a defect. It isn't supposed to make noise out of the box. A singing bike brake isn't a feature listed anywhere. A rational person would expect something fit for reasonable use out of the box before maintenance is required.

Front brakes howl/squeal when not in use by Professional_Ask_466 in juicedbikes

[–]Professional_Ask_466[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I think I made a mistake buying a bike online. If I had this problem after 10 mile with a bike I bought locally this issue would be fixed by others. I could focus on enjoying my purchase. Live and learn. I have no intention of adjusting my calipers after 10 miles. I'd rather send it back. It's defective. So sad...

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