[RE-wrenches] Problems with the Xantrex XW6048

[Jon Haeme]

What are the loads on the sub-panel being backed up by this system ?  
Any power being used on that sub-panel would not show up on the  
screen showing power being sold to the grid . Does your charge  
control show the full rated output from the array ?

Jon

Jon Haeme Innovations
NABCEP certified installer #102503-19
Kempton, IL


On Nov 28, 2008, at 12:22 PM, Peter Parrish wrote:

> I was hoping that I would not have to post the message, but I have  
> been unable to sort this problem on my own, and I am attempting to  
> gather information and advice from this august body.
>
>
> We install about two grid-tied battery backup systems a year in the  
> Los Angeles basin and will probably continue to do so at this rate  
> or greater for the foreseeable future. I might add, that it is  
> difficult for us to support these installs and sales because of the  
> added complexity of the systems and the extra knowledge and  
> terminology we have to master. Those of you for whom the off-grid  
> market is your primary market, know this stuff backwards and forwards.
>
>
> Having said that, the information I am looking for is any  
> experiences and advice that the wrenches may have and are willing  
> to share with me about the Xantrex 6048 (or similar) systems.
>
>
> We purchased a XW6048 with two MPPT60-150 charge controllers. We  
> also have a System Control Panel and all four boxes are wired up  
> using Cat5+ Ethernet cables (and terminations). The rest of the  
> system consists of 30ea Sharp 142W modules and 8ea 8A8D 12V/225Ah  
> batteries. The PV modules are configured as six strings of five  
> each and the batteries are configured as two strings of four each.  
> The module strings are combined using fusible combiners of three  
> strings each and fed into the charge controllers separately. The  
> batteries are hard wired using 2/0 cable within the strings and 4/0  
> cable after combining. We are using SS bolts/washers/nuts on lead  
> terminals. The XW system and batteries are located in a fully  
> furnished basement in an air-conditioned home in Los Angeles (i.e.  
> the temperature in the basement varies no more than 65F to 80F.
>
>
> Here’s the problem: I monitor the system around local noon on a  
> sunny day, and expect to see the system producing in excess of 3.0  
> kW, with the batteries fully charged. Here’s what we see: the  
> system is in sell mode and he output power goes through an  
> oscillation from about 2.15 kW to 2.90 kW and back down again. The  
> period of the oscillation is ~5 secs on the rise and ~2 secs on the  
> fall.
>
>
> In consultation Xantrex, here is what we have done:
>
> (1)   Fiddled with the GS voltage. Currently it is 53.0 V
>
> (2)   Upgraded the firmware to Rev. 1.03.00
>
> (3)   Fiddled with the max sell current, now 17.5 A
>
> (4)   Fiddled with 2-stage vs 3-stage charge cycles. 3-stage on  
> charge controller and 2-stage on inverter/charger
>
> (5)   Several other tweaks of no consequence
>
>
> We have made a total of six trips to this customer after  
> commissioning the system, each time with a different set of  
> suggested tweaks courtesy of four different members of the  
> technical support staff. One of the trips was solely for the  
> purpose of the firmware upgrade. All in all, I have been working  
> the problem now for over four months.
>
>
> At this point in time, I have been unable to reach a live tech  
> support person after four tries spread out over two weeks. About  
> five weeks ago, one of the tech support individuals commented that  
> this oscillation in output power was a known phenomenon, but this  
> was the same individual that thought the problem would be fixed  
> with the firmware upgrade. I’m at my wits end. Leaving messages is  
> a waste of my time.
>
>
> I apologize in advance for the long narration, but I was hoping to  
> get all the facts out there at once and minimize the amount of Q&As.
>
>
> (1)   Has anyone seen this phenomenon in the XW systems?
>
> (2)   If so, what was the fix?
>
> (3)   What is the knowledge level and responsiveness of Xantrex  
> Tech support on this system?
>
> (4)   Is anyone experiencing a general decrease in the quality of  
> Tech Support at Xantrex?
>
> (5)   To whom at Xantrex should I escalate this problem I am  
> having? In specific, I have spoken on two occasions with Erica  
> Yedid, who I understand is in charge of post-sales tech support for  
> the SW system.
>
>
> - Peter
>
> Peter T. Parrish, Ph.D., President
> California Solar Engineering, Inc.
> 820 Cynthia Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90065
> Ph 323-258-8883, Mobile 323-839-6108, Fax 323-258-8885
> CA Lic. 854779, NABCEP Cert. 031806-26
> peter.parrish at calsolareng.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> List sponsored by Home Power magazine
>
> List Address: RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>
> Options & settings:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>
> List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re- 
> wrenches.org
>
> List rules & etiquette:
> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
>
> Check out participant bios:
> www.members.re-wrenches.org
>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org/attachments/20081128/8b141faf/attachment-0003.html>