[RE-wrenches] Sol-Ark 15KW is rock steady, but crazy wild grid voltages when connected to grid

[Jason Szumlanski]

By the way, you can test this yourself and possibly track it down to
whether it's the meter base or the transformer connection. Shut off all
loads and plug in a hair dryer to a 120V circuit. Measure the voltage. If
it sags on that line and rises on the other, you have a loose neutral, but
you still don't know if it's on the customer side or the utility side. Find
a friendly neighbor on the same transformer. Ask them if they are having
issues and offer to test their voltages to protect their appliances. Do the
same at their house. This is how we tracked down an issue in Cape Coral, FL
for a client and proved to the utility (who initially said the voltage was
fine) that there must be something wrong at the pole. Sure enough - they
found a melted tap connector on the neutral.

We would have never known, except the customer's Enphase System
Controller was going haywire because it detected a line-side voltage issue.
We probably saved a bunch of appliances for multiple utility customers.

Jason Szumlanski
Principal Solar Designer | Florida Solar Design Group
NABCEP Certified Solar Professional (PVIP)
Florida State Certified Solar Contractor CVC56956
Florida Certified Electrical Contractor EC13013208


On Fri, Sep 13, 2024 at 8:35 AM Jason Szumlanski <
jason at floridasolardesigngroup.com> wrote:

> Yep, sounds like a loose neutral either at the utility pole or the meter
> socket.
>
> Around here the utility companies have a meter that they plug in to the
> socket that has two "hair dryers" internal to the meter to test for a loose
> neutral. They shut off the main disconnect to the house, plug in the test
> rig, and test the heating element on each leg. If there is a voltage
> sag/rise, it's a loose neutral somewhere. The voltage drop on one leg will
> be proportional to the rise on the other leg.
>
> Look up "Super Beast from HJ Arnett Industries."
>
> We had tons of these problems after Hurricane Ian. The linesmen from out
> of state who were assisting the locals were doing whatever it took to
> restore residential services, including using insulation piercing taps at
> the transformer. These don't meet the local service standards that require
> crimped connections. We saw plenty of people with destroyed appliances.
>
> Jason Szumlanski
> Principal Solar Designer | Florida Solar Design Group
> NABCEP Certified Solar Professional (PVIP)
> Florida State Certified Solar Contractor CVC56956
> Florida Certified Electrical Contractor EC13013208
>
>
> On Fri, Sep 13, 2024 at 7:34 AM Peter Giroux via RE-wrenches <
> re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>
>> Scot
>>
>>
>>
>>   We had this exact same thing happen last year with a 15. Voltage swings
>> got pretty wild. It was a bad neutral in the meter base. Older meter base
>> that had leaked and the neutral was a bar that compressed against the back
>> of the base. Corroded and gunked up from the years of that small leak,
>> needed a new meter base.
>>
>>
>>
>> Peter Giroux
>>
>> American Solar
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* RE-wrenches <re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org> *On
>> Behalf Of *Scot Arey via RE-wrenches
>> *Sent:* Thursday, September 12, 2024 8:37 PM
>> *To:* 'RE-wrenches' <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
>> *Cc:* scot.arey at solarcentex.com
>> *Subject:* [RE-wrenches] Sol-Ark 15KW is rock steady, but crazy wild
>> grid voltages when connected to grid
>>
>>
>>
>> I have Sol-Ark 15KW with 31kwh battery has been installed for year+.
>>
>>
>>
>> Customer has for two days been having grid voltage issue seen as dimming
>> lights. No neighbors reporting issues. He called his electrician who noted
>> one high conductor and the other low. Have seen this before unrelated to
>> solar and it was a bad neutral. His electrician says ok.
>>
>> Customer disconnects from the grid because the fluctuations so severe and
>> when he does, voltage issues go away and Sol-Ark is rock steady at
>> 120-volts per leg. I send my senior tech over to ensure we don’t have a
>> loose neutral or any grid conductors to the grid input. Nothing found.
>>
>> Picture attached of grid voltages from the Sol-Ark monitoring (very
>> helpful, I might add.)
>>
>> The electric cooperative is sending a tech out tomorrow. Any body have
>> insight or history with this?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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