[RE-wrenches] Solark-Fortress Com? (was Fortress Battery Heater)

Thu Feb 9 17:56:35 PST 2023

For systems where the batteries are getting a relatively full charge every
week or and cycling down below 30% at least every now and then, closed loop
is certainly the safest way to go since the battery BMS is determining the
SOC, not the inverter's algorithm.

I've been told by a tech at Fortress that has done installation and service
that unless the batteries cycle at least occasionally, the battery's BMS
can really lose accuracy. So even in closed loop, you can have significant
discrepancies.

I ran into this a couple of weeks ago on a system that had been cycling
between 20 and 45% for several weeks. Even though the BMS was reporting
around 40%, the batteries shut down on low voltage. In cases where the
batteries aren't getting a relatively full cycle at least every week (or
2),I was told to switch over to switch the Sol Ark over to operate on
voltage instead. And to set up the charge algorithm to bring the batteries
up higher every now and then.

So far, things have worked better.

Howie Michaelson
Sun Catcher

On Thu, Feb 9, 2023, 8:10 PM Chris Sparadeo via RE-wrenches <
re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:

> Ray,
>
> Establishing CAN is straightforward. Most important steps:
>
> -Pins 1,2,3 on eVault go to pins 4,5,6 in that order
> - Update the eVault with CAN firmware
> -Use protocol 6 on the battery and protocol 00 on the Sol Ark
>
> Closed loop is an important feature that I personally wouldn’t want to
> pass up. I have found CAN to be much more solid than RS485 with regards to
> the eVault Max. I’ve conducted plenty of firmware upgrades and have yet to
> run into trouble. Key is to turn off breaker so battery is not charging or
> discharging.
>
> I’d reconsider blowing off this feature.
>
> Kindly,
>
> Chris
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 9, 2023 at 5:35 PM Ray Walters via RE-wrenches <
> re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi Chris;
>>
>> That's not for the eVault.  Other Wrenches have mentioned using a pet
>> heating pad with a 120 vac plug in thermostat.  I'm going to try that, I'll
>> report back to the list what I find.
>>
>> Secondly, I am having issues figuring out how to do the closed loop
>> coms.  The Fortress instructions contradict themselves on how to even make
>> up the proper CANbus cable, as apparently MODbus is not stable anymore,
>> after the latest Solark firmware upgrades.  I'm about to just apply the
>> KISSbus,  which is to blow off the closed loop com all together, and *Keep
>> It Simple S#@$%*!, otherwise known as No Coms at all.
>>
>> I've screwed with Com stuff since the 90s, but usually been disappointed,
>> to downright horrified with the final results.  Somebody explain to me like
>> a 2 year old again, why closed loop is so much better?  Think off grid,
>> where reliability is 10 times more important than squeezing an extra 5%
>> capacity out of the battery.... Notes in the online instructions such as "*Failure
>> to properly upgrade the firmware may cause the battery to stop working!",  *
>> are not making we want to push ahead with closed loop either.
>>
>> Ray
>> On 2/9/2023 11:01 AM, Chris Schaefer via RE-wrenches wrote:
>>
>> Ray,
>>
>> I'd suggest reaching out to the Fortress techie's as they just introduced
>> a heater product for their enclosure products. While I don't believe they
>> have a unit specif to the eVault but you should be able to make it work.
>>
>> Christopher
>>
>> On Wed, Feb 8, 2023 at 6:43 PM Jerry Shafer via RE-wrenches <
>> re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Pet heater have worked for me, I air gap a sealed heater box under the
>>> battery, thermostat inside the top of the battery.  It's slow and low power
>>> but does the trick
>>> Fun times
>>>
>>> On Wed, Feb 8, 2023, 3:05 PM Ray Walters via RE-wrenches <
>>> re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi All;
>>>>
>>>> I have a fresh Fortress Evault installation with a Solark inverter.
>>>> The
>>>> batteries are indoors in the center of the house, but the customer is
>>>> not there full time, so the battery is unfortunately going below
>>>> freezing.  What are the best options for setting up a heating system
>>>> for
>>>> the E Vault?
>>>>
>>>> Here are ideas that I have not tried, but am considering:
>>>> 1) add a 240 v, 1000 w baseboard heater in the room near the battery
>>>> that is wired to only run off the generator.  Run the generator until
>>>> the heat comes up, and then hopefully after 30 minutes, the battery
>>>> would begin accepting a charge.
>>>>
>>>> 2) Add an 120 vac heating blanket under the evault that would be wired
>>>> to a thermostat, but also have a relay control from the PV system, so
>>>> that the heater would only operate when the sun was out, and the
>>>> battery
>>>> was below 50F.   I don't quite know how to set this up with the
>>>> Solark's
>>>> load controls.
>>>>
>>>> I've considered some DC options, but they don't make much sense, since
>>>> the inverter has to be on to charge from PV anyway.
>>>>
>>>> The long term plan is for the client to finish the insulation, and
>>>> sheet
>>>> rock, and add a gas wall heater in there as needed.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Ray Walters
>>>> Remote Solar
>>>> in the Colorado mountain cold.....
>>>>
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>>
>> --
>>
>> Chris Schaefer’s
>> <http:www.solarandwindfx.com>
>>
>> *Tel/Fax 585-229-2083 or Cell 585-748-1870  *
>> *5115 South Hill Road ~ Canandaigua New York 14424
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>> **www.solarandwindfx.com <http://www.solarandwindfx.com> ~ E-mail:
>> chris at solarandwindfx.com <chris at solarandwindfx.com>*
>>
>>
>> Thomas Jefferson, the author of our great Constitution, once said,
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>>
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>> --
> Chris Sparadeo
>
>
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