₦airaland Forum

Most likely the fuse in the inverter is blown. Open up the inverter & physically check the fuse or use a multimeter to check for continuity

kristien4:
Pls has anyone experienced this before, an installer i introduced to a friend mistakenly reversed polarity for battery connection to inverter. And now, the inverter has refused to detect battery.. any solution to this wahala?

No be only the type of Sorotec I bought, just Google about Sorotec inverters, you will read a lot of sorry stories about it. Most of those sorry stories are from the western countries. If you remember, some members on this tread have spoken out against Sorotec inverters. The Sorotec I bought only worked for about 3 or 4 months before she died. Before her death, she was throwing up several problems. I had to reach out to Sorotec engineers myself & was communicating with them.

Have been using Felicity 3kw 100a MPPT hybrid inverter since first week in Nov 2022 & not a singly issue.

Valto:
but make i no lie. that your sorotec, i no too gbadu am..

If you work hard for the money you intend to spend on this installation, don't buy that sorotec inverter. You will regret it

yemi2plus:
Hello everyone,

It's been a long time since I branch here. Thanks to all the contributions to the thread.

I am now ready to add solar panels to my inverter system. My current set up consist of:

1. Sorotec 3.5kva 24v Hybrid inverter with 100A MTTP CC
2. 24V 300ah (7,680KWH) Lithium-ion LiFePO4 battery

I am considering going for 6-8 pieces of Jinko 435W/475W Monofacial Solar Panel. I want to buy the panels directly from LG Nigeria (Ibadan) since they're a trusted brand.

Please advice if my choice suit my current set. Thank you.

CC: valto

The fuse in your second picture can be found in AliExpress but I dont have any idea where you can buy this in Nigeria.

See the link below where you can buy it in AliExpress. I have the 200amp MEGA fuse but you need 150a.

Also note, the max rated volt for MEGA fuse is 32v while the fuse Felicity used in my battery is rated for 70v. The little I know about fuse is, if you go higher than the rated voltage, the breaking capacity reduces.

My advise, reach out to Felicity & let them send you the fuse.

Are you 100% sure the problem is the fuse? Did you use a multimeter to check for continuity? If the fuse is blown, temporarily bypass the fuse & see if the BMS will come on.


https://a.aliexpress.com/_EIyzu57

futurenix:
Pls anyone with info on where to get this fuse model? 150A

Buy a Motor Soft Starter from AliExpress. This product will help clamp down the surge from your submersible pump. I use 3kw Felicity hybrid inverter to power my 1.5kw submersible pump once in a while. It's advisable to use it on a good sunny day & your inverter will detect no surge. If you must use it at other times in the day, make sure your battery cables are 50mm2 & above. If it is 35mm2 you may see 0.5 - 0.7% surge. Also make sure your AC cables connected to your pump are genuine & adequately sized to carry the load.

If interested, I will suggest you buy SSR-40WA-R1 (1.5kw). See second picture on how to determine which size of motor soft starter to buy.

durodee:
Yes. But it will be showing a red warning light and beeping to show that it has been maxed out. So I DON'T routinely use it for that purpose. Few times I had used it to pump was in emergencies

The best way is to check battery manual or send a mail to the manufacturer

Ferdiwar:
How do one identify a battery that has an active balancer from factory?

The BMS in the Felicity lifepo4 battery I have came with a passive balancer. In the absence of an active balancer, it will be ideal to instal a battery balancer or switch the BMS with another one that comes with an active balancer. It's cheaper to just buy a lifepo4 balancer.

ojesymsym:
Isn't this what a BMS with an active balancer of 2A should be able to do itself?

Enjoy your new upgraded battery. What was happening before was, the cells were not balanced. One cell could be fully charged while another cell could be 50% charged. When you start discharging, once the cell that probably was 50% charged is discharged to 10%, the BMS will shutdown to protect that cell. Mind you, other cells are still probably 50, 60 or 70% charged. This scenario above is why you were unable to fully charge or discharge your battery to 10%. This is where the battery balancer comes in & correct the voltage difference between the battery cells

Moneyboyz:
Bro I wanna say thank you.

I followed your advise, unpacked the box and installed a balancer and now the battery pack is as good as new.

It doesn't go off anymore and all through the night I only use about 25 percent of its power compared to how it drains battery and goes off before.

I concur with you. For those who think Landlords who refuse solar panels on there roof are unreasonable should go to the market & find out how much it cost to roof the same house & imaging about 15% to 20% of the cost to fix the damaged sections of roof, then they will see & understand what the landlord see & understand.

Another option is to put down caution fee of about 500k or more Incase of any damage on the roof.

casualobserver:
I would never advise any landlord to allow a tenant to install solar, talk less remove. Too much Incompetence and story telling in our environment.

Existing tenant no chance at all, if you don’t like move out. New tenant let them know before hand that solar on the roof is not allowed.

I won’t even allow a tenant who says he will leave it when he leaves. Nigerians are not honorable people. The same tenant that you bent over backwards will come with one story when it is time to pack out. Or he will remove it without you knowing and start with Nigerians’ favorite phrase…”sorry don’t be annoyed”.

It’s the quality of the installation/uninstallation plus the likely hood of honoring agreements… too many points of failure/damage/stress…...not worth the hassle.

Go to LG (Fouani) outlet at Sapele road or Country home road, opposite Stella Obasanjo hospital.. You can also order online from

https://www.fouanistore.com/ng/en/products/power-solutions

And it will be delivered to your house. I checked there website and I noticed the solar panels are out of stock. I will still advice you go to there outlet in Benin & check maybe they still have some in stock.


Kristien4

If you are within or out of warranty, you can still take it to Felicity & they will fix it but if you are out of warranty, the fixing may come at a cost. Alternatively, you can buy Heltec 8S 5a lifepo4 battery balancer from AliExpress & it will most likely resolve the issue. I have 4 Felicity batteries & I fixed the battery balancer on all 4. All is good now. You can also buy a battery monitor from AliExpress to monitor individual battery cell in the pack

Moneyboyz:
Mine is the 2 years warranty version.

I disagree. Everything in this world has got the luxury side and affordable side. There are many poor/average Nigerians enjoying solar. Left to people like you, only the rich should have access to solar. Kindly stop mocking those who are not rich/wealthy like you

JUO:
solar is luxury not necessity

Na everybody dey do yahoo? If they can not afford expensive inverter/battery/panel, will you be happy if they invade your house & loot everything in it so they can afford it? You are meant to encourage people to buy what they can afford which is still good enough to do the job. How many can afford Deye or Victron product? How many can afford to live in Lekki or Ikoyi? How many can afford a 2023 car or Jeep?

JUO:
oga don't mind them, they get what they pay for

The most annoying thing is, there are people on this tread that will come to defend the inverter/Company. At times, I am tempted to believe, the inverter now has a manufacturing factory in ALABA. Just looking at the inverter, one will know, this inverter will die soon. Poorly built thing

durodee:
I have finally resolved never ever to buy any inverter named by or produced by SOROTEC again! It is truly SORROW TEC(HNOLOGY)! Anytime I think of the inverter I cannot think of a SINGLE good thing about it. it is that subpar! First, the finish is far below the name.
I strongly believe also that the self-consumption is higher than similarly sized inverters. I was not able to measure this though.
The fan is noisy and the inverter failed woefully where Gennex and MUST inverters of similar capacity have thrived. Despite my misgivings, I paid 120k for the useless inverter to be repaired a few months back. I then relocated it for domestic use in my weekend house where I am completely off grid. I tend to visit the place every fortnight ( spending the weekend only) and put a total load of a small fridge, a 22-inch tv and six light bulbs on it. I made sure it was only INVERTING, no other task. Yet, the same error has resurfaced. I am not sure the bloody thing has worked for a total of 30 days before showing its true colours again!!!

By the way, I live alone there before someone will say it was mis-used behind my back!

I thought, I was the only one that saw his closing remark. That's ARROGANCE

Obnoxious2001:
You where making sense until your closing remark.

That inverter you dey try inform me about I no go buy am from you .

I go buy am from who no put him problem ontop him Market...

Pax vobiscum

Why not buy from Lagos & the company will waybill it to Benin, somewhere around new Benin or Agbado. Shipping is very cheap unlike jumia or konga

isangjohnson:
@ TechGeek777.
Please, where can someone buy original 350w to 400w panel in Benin. Whether tier 1 or 2 will depend on price.
Thanks

Depending on what got bad on the board, it can be fixed in Arena (Oshidi, Lagos). It's also possible you can get another board there. If you don't stay in Lagos, look for those whose specialty is repairing this type of fan colloquially called solar fan

ajabani4allah:
My Dc celling fan has been failing but it stopped working completely yesterday and during my testing I discovered it's the driver board that's faulty. Pls who know where I can get the board below

The margin of difference in moving electricity from one point to another between stranded and solid copper wires in AC application is small.

Also, for outdoor application, solid seems to better because of corrosion at the point of joining cables together. If solid is corroded, get sand paper & brush of the corrosion but as for stranded, you have to cut the corroded part out & at times, what you may need to cut could be much.

desiji:
The Comster is a single starnd wire it is not good for long distances,also all Joint or connection points are position of losses rather look for strand wires long ones without joining, strands cables distribute electrons more they are expensive but worth the Money

2kw is still high. Probably the voltage drop (power loss) on your cable is high. Double your cables or switch to a higher size & good quality cable. If you do this, you will probably be seeing btw 1.6 to 1.7kw.

Jefferyzz:
U need to av 1.5hp submersible to know aw much power they consume.
Cause 1.5hp dey consume around 2kw for normal light n I'm sure it will b Abit higher for inverter.

The water table (top of underground water to surface) varies from location to another location. Most likely where you live, the water table is not deep.

Jefferyzz:
Unless those borehole people come n dig it up. Dem bury the whole tin. The only cable I see is that of the one control box.

2.2kw is high for a 1.5hp. Check your cables if it is properly sized. Better still, you can over size to compensate for high ambient temperature when in use in the afternoon. Also check for corrosion at the point where cables were joined together. This issue with this is, the point where the cables where joined, will be in the borehole.

Golgota:
It pdepends on the make of the pumping machine. My 1.5hp submersible consumes around 2.2kw steady though that is not a problem for my 5kva inverter but I won't try it in 3.5kva

Improperly sized cables to your submersible pump will amplify the surge from the pump. Another point to note is, if there is corrosion between the point where a cable was joined to the cable that came with pump, this will also amplify the surge. Part of the surge we see in our submersible pumps are coming from the points I mentioned & others I don't even know.

What I did, oversize the cable leading to my submersible pump & you will see a reduced surge. This will also help reduce power losses on the cable, meaning your pump will consume less kwh.

I once bought a 1.5hp submersible pump & was shocked how small the cable that came with it is. I had to cut part of it away & connected 4 mm2 Commester cable.

adrusa:
Irrespective of the amount of battery you have, a 1.5hp submersible pump will shut down your 3.5Kva inverter. I dare anyone to try this and report back to the house. I have tried with a 3KW HF inverter before and it promptly shuts down. The pump initial power surge can get to almost 5kW. A good transformer (LF) based inverter may try, but I will like to see a report.

Why then, did you go ahead to market such a cheap inverter with 3X surge power? Is it not a market strategy to increase sales and increase failure rate, thereby leading to further increase in sales again? You know, experience clearly states, don't surge those cheap inverters & you go ahead to market it with 3X surge power. That's wickedness. Let's call a spade a spade.

Most manufacturers of well built & expensive hybrid inverter state 2X surge power. The annoying thing is, you know the manufacturer of this inverter lied about this.

zeestone99:
It's common knowledge that low frequency inverters can handle surge up to 2 to 3 times it's rated capacity for few seconds to start up certain devices.
However it would be silly to load your device way above it's capacity because it says 3 times surge power. Common rule is to oversize your inverter or other equipments (generator etc) way above your loads. For me I will peg it at 50 to 60%.

For such a cheap inverter, you boldly give assurance of 3X surge power. Your client believes you & will connect appliance that will surge 3X the capacity of inverter. Inverter dies, your cabals will come after your client saying "HE ABUSED THE INVERTER".

To prospective client, don't believe the 3X surge power. Remember, if anything goes wrong with the inverter, there is no service center in Nigeria. You will be on your own. My 2 cent.

zeestone99:
These are the least of things the 3.5kva is capable of.
85% efficiency and 3 × surge power

It would carry your loads without stress

Samafroxy22, is the electric bicycle still available?

Samafroxy22:
Few month used powerful 26" adult folding electric bike (ebike) with throttle and pedal assist (PAS) including all necessary accessories.

The Pedal Assist will help pedal without much effort and boost your speed even when climbing a steep ground.

The hand throttle turns the bike into a motorbike; means it can ride without using the pedals just like normal bike.

Has a brighter light, much brighter than some cars. Comes with horn, charger, carrier and basket, front and back shocks, and 21 speed gears.

*Max Speed: 35km/h
*Battery power range: 38- 45km
*36v 350watt Motor
*LG battery
*Phone holder with charger The 21 speed gears makes riding a fun even when battery is dead.

PRICE: 380k

Wh@tsapp or c@ll 08100482812

As for the inverter AC not working well. It could be the filter is full of dust & blocked. This must be cleaned as often as possible. This I do when am around. For me, am enjoying my AC. No issues at all with them.

samnaija:
My brother, your experience is what makes this thread strong. You are advising people ahead.
This issue was brought up a while back about inverter ac , and whether to use transformer based inverters.
I opted for transformer based inverters and I stuck with my normal ac. And it has been fine my neighbors inverter ac , keeps giving the guy problems and does not chill very well.

Sorry for your loss.
I

TechGeek777, kindly resend the mail because I did not get it

TechGeek777:
Boss, I sent you email please reply.

I have taking note of your point. Kindly send me a link to YouTube video that explains how a inverter compressor can present itself as an inductive load. I tend to comprehend things like this by watching a good video. Thanks for the info.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
I read you correctly boss about what type of AC you use(d). You quoted me but neglected to read what I actually wrote and I have now bolded below.

Without going too technical, your inverter AC uses a VFD to achieve energy savings and some pf efficiency by regulating the compressor motor speed - this process involves taking AC from the mains, rectifying to DC and then inverting back to a different AC waveform to drive the compressor motor.

The workings of the VFD (inverter drive) create voltage spikes/transients/back emf and harmonic distortions which your HF inverter is very ill equipped to handle - it is not just a question of the load wattage your Sorotec saw, but all the noise and distortions and faults and transients generated in the power line as the VFD ran. In fact you may have been better off with a standard 1hp AC mated to the Sorotec.

Beyond the technicals above, it is common for el cheapos to have capacity overstated - they may well use the surge capacity as the running capacity of the machine. Also temperature derating when you use the inverter in a non climate controlled room is a thing.

You already took your loss so let me not belabour the point, all these are for other users to be guided - it is best with el cheapo products to load conservatively say a max of 50% including surge i.e your peak load including spikes should stay well within 50% of the advertised running capacity - only go more aggressive if you have verified your particular machine to be built for that duty cycle.

As for you friends inverter, I want to believe, it can be repaired. My was repaired buy a guy in Lagos. I have lost faith in that inverter.

Namzy:
I assisted a friend in getting such a clone because it has his desired capacity(3.5kva) and inverter didn't even last up to 6 months, now he has lost interest in HF inverters as it couldn't be repaired. These clones are hit or miss

Namzy, you seem to understand my point. I think some people on this tread think I am attacking SOROTEC. I only have issues with the particular inverter I bought. Also the seller assured me of the durability of the inverter compared to the other ones he is selling. From day one, I started observing strange things abt the inverter. On the first or second comment I made, I said the SOROTEC logo was poorly printed on the inverter which made me to reach out to Sorotec directly to confirm if this inverter is truly made by Sorotec & the lady on the other end confirmed that the Inverter is genuinely Sorotec.

Its possible, Sorotec did not make this perticular inverter & only put there logo on it. For those trying to defend Sorotec, go and buy this perticular inverter & after 6 months, come & give us your feed back. Abt four persons have given a negative review abt this perticular inverter. I also strongly believe, the inverter capacity is not up to 3.5kw. I stand to be corrected

Namzy:
I understand your plight and I believe you are right with been unsatisfied with sorotec. It seems these axpert clones apart from maybe growatt/felicity have same issue of unreliability. I have a 3kva ipowerplus which is an axpert inverter and occasionally run a freezer, 1.5hp inverter ac and fridge and nothing happened. Said inverter was bought 2018 and was retired after a thunder strike late last year, I bought exactly same inverter again and currently enjoying it. A simple Google search will reveal the unreliability of these axpert clones. There's even a decidated thread on it. It's a pity a known brand like sorotec will slap their name on those clones because I'm sure those inverter were not produced in house and therefore not as robust as their other models. I assisted a friend in getting such a clone because it has his desired capacity(3.5kva) and inverter didn't even last up to 6 months, now he has lost interest in HF inverters as it couldn't be repaired. These clones are hit or miss

Mankind 1234, total load of 1.5hp inverter compressor AC used on GEN MODE & a 219liters Thermocool freezer should be less than 2000w (plus freezer surge). How did I abuse it? If a so called well built inverter can not handle a load of abt 2000w out of the rated 3500 inverter capacity, re u saying I should only power LED bubs & DC fans?

mank1234:
You abused the inverter. You didn't interpret its data sheet well and you do not understand some things about electricity.
Learn about:
Surge or startup power: Freezer goes on and off at intervals, at startup is draws up to more than 5 times its rated power.
Power factor: a 1kw load may draw 1.2kva. Inverter is rated 3.5kw at power factor of 1
Temerature: derating: at higher temperature total power draw should be reduced.
Voltage deratinng: if you're connected to mains and its available, you should derate load below 170V. Mains supply in some places can go lower than 150V in Nigeria
As Niyi put it, HF inverter is more prone to damage than LF inverter but more efficient. My old retired HF inverter (cyberpower) does not do more than 2.5kw even though it's rated 3.5kva

Dear Mankind, how come all of you suddenly did not see that the AC is LG inverter compressor AC. Where is the surge coming from? Now imagine me using it on GEN MODE.
See my original comment;

The day the inverter died with a loud bang, LG 1.5hp inverter compressor AC & Thermocool 219 liters (not exactly sure) freezer were the loads on it.

mank1234:
I was even thinking it's a 5kw inverter the guys is loading a 1.5hp ac and freezer. Freezer alone has 5x to 10x starting power draw ( for a 150w freezer, that's like 700w to 1.5kw.
1.5hp ac is draws about 1.6kw to 2kw.
I'm pretty sure other minor loads were on - like light and fan.
It's insane to expect 3 5kw output from a 3.5jw inverter rated to just 5s at 105% load. It mean at 100%, it may just be less than 15min. Better inverters are rated to say 110% continuous load.

Again, he didn't even consider power factor of those loads.