Solar Inverter Growatt 5K Programing Grounding & Battery Comms 

ALL OF OUR SOLAR EQUIPMENT...CLICK HERE: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=countrylivingexperience

Great video, really appreciated. Just a correction: at 6:19, "36" is not a protocol number, its a setting number. To run through your process ... You are at setting #5 (the battery type). You press enter, and the value of that setting is set to US2 (which you correctly say is the User #2 setting, used for dumb lithium batteries, where the battery is controlled by voltage only, not by comms). You press the down arrow and change the setting to LI (Lithium). When you press enter again, you are not looking at a setting of "protocol 36", you are have been jumped to SETTING #36, which is "Protocol" (the left side shows a cryptic "Ptcl" which means PROTOCOL). Here, you are setting the protocol number, in your case to "01". Protocol numbers (for Growatt and a number of similar all-in-ones) 01, 02, etc up to 49 are variations of the RS485 protocols. This protocol is a request-response protocol (ie the Growatt asks for data, and the battery answers) Protocols 51, 52, etc up to 99, are variations of the CAN protocol. The CAN protocol is a broadcast protocol, ie the Growatt just listens, and the battery repeatedly broadcasts its requested charge voltage, SOC, requested current, etc etc, and doesn't care if nobody or everybody is listening. For other readers: If you BMS is a fairly typical BMS of the current era, its likely to have a CAN port, an RS485 port, then an RS232 port (6pin), then a pair of RS485 ports. If so, you can use the BMS port on the Growatt, the CAN port on the battery, and protocol 51 or 52. If your battery only has RS485, or if you want to use RS485, or if your battery/BMS is more reliable over RS485, you can use the BMS port on the Growatt, the RS485 port on the battery, and protocol 01 or 02. One other correction - you say that older Growatt SPF5000ES used the RS485 port. This is correct, but "which port on the Growatt will work" is comms-board and firmware dependent. Older versions of the comms board and firmware had a limitation where every parallel inverter had to have a cable, and a MODBUS hub did the job of making sure all units saw the same data. Newer comms and firmware, as you correctly mention, share that data over the grey serial cable, so only the master Growatt needs a cable to the battery. The red/black is the cable that allows the inverters to sync their (output) sine wave. It might be more correct to call them frequency sync cables, rather than communication cables. An important note is that you can't really stuff up the grey cables, as they are gendered. You can stuff up the red/black cables, but I don't know the result of this. At 8:58 you enter setting 23 (in standby mode) and change to PAL . This is correct, but you are not correct that you "can just esc out" - your setting was not saved, and at 9:01 you can see that the settings have changed back to SIG (inverter in "Single Inverter" mode). This probably worked out OK for you, because (at least with modern firmwares) when the units power up again, and see the grey serial cable is connected, they will know they are in parallel mode and default to PAL. With all settings, the setting is not saved (and also not checked for compatibility with other settings) until you press enter. Note: If you setting is NOT accepted (lets say the value you set is outside the acceptable range, or conflicts), at the point you press ENTER, the setting will change back. Another note: If the setting is READ ONLY (ie setting #2 for a comms battery), when you press ENTER to jump into the value and change it, you will instead end up on the next setting down, in this case setting #3. This is how you know the setting is read only. Also, with newer firmwares, some settings in the manual that say "This setting is only available when the inverter is in standby mode" are actually settable in both modes. One example is the output voltage; we regularly change the output voltage (setting 08) without turning off the inverter switch - you will get a ~2 sec outage where the inverter stops, then restarts, but you do not need to turn off the switch. DIS is Disabled, not disconnected, but same same really. "Setting #11 is only for lead acid batteries" - No, setting 11 is not relevant in your setup, but not because its for lead, its because you don't have a generator or grid backup. Setting #11 is how you control how fast the batteries charge from UTI (utility, aka grid or gen). This enables you to limit how much your Growatt pulls from the generator for recharging (vs running the house). Setting #12, you are mostly correct, this controls when the grid or generator kicks in, but it *wont* prevent your battery discharging past X percent - the Growatt is still drawing 80w, and the house is still drawing power. Once you get to setting #12's percentage, the dry contact will change over (potentially starting a gen), and if power is then available on the input terminals, it will start to be used. *Now* your SOC will rise, but only if gen/grid continues to be present. Its moot, but important: at this point, the battery is STILL being used to run the overhead of the Growatt (~80w per inverter), so if (as in your case) you have no grid and no generator, even if you disconnect the house, you will be slowly dropping in SOC. This might seem like nitpicking, but its important; if you hit #12 at say 6pm in winter, with no grid/gen and a disconnected house, you might need to handle 160w of draw (2 growatts) for another 16 hours until the sun hits your panels again. You can prove this by setting #11 to zero amps, turn off your solar breaker (simulating night) and see that when the battery gets down to #12's set point, the battery is still being drawn down. Setting #13 is nothing like you describe. This setting is where the generator will stop (the dry contact will be switched back to "normal"), or the grid will stop being used. If you reach as low as setting #21 (probably the setting you were thinking of), the inverter will stop powering the house, and grid/gen will power the house (in bypass mode) and optionally recharge (at the rate of setting #11). If grid/gen is not available, the inverter will still power the house (and the batteries will therefore continue to drop). Once you get some incoming power (solar or grid or gen), its something like 5% (seems to be firmware dependent) above setting #21 that power comes back on (ie the inverter starts inverting again). I don't understand why you say charging the batteries from grid is not good for them. We charge from grid all the time, also from generator (which is almost the same except the power is not as clean). The SPF5000ES has no dedicated grid-to-battery charger - the grid/gen powers the DC bus, as does the solar, and this bus can handle from 150v to 450v, and DCDC this power down to Vbatt (the specific voltage depends on the battery type, SOC, charge algorithm, and settings 19/20). There is no problem running the system without PV - this occurs all night, and any time the PV disconnectors are off. We also tell customers not to run without PV but only because it could be weeks before they finish the PV part of the install, and recovering a battery from protection mode (when the voltage is so low the BMS disconnects the cells from the terminals to protect itself) is a pain, so i expect that SS are also saying that to avoid support calls from people leaving the SPF5000ES dragging 80w all day and night, and eventually causing a low battery issue. Great video, its awesome to hear good quality audio, steady and in focus video, and clearly enunciated words, well done.

I have enjoyed all of the videos I have seen from you so far, great info and well articulated. We, that's my wife, young adult son and I, are about to embark on a similar journey in central Mexico. We are about to take possession of a little 38 acre ranch at an altitude of 8000 feet. Out of the 38 acres, 10 acres is a pond. The pond is 25 acres in total but our geographic boundaries include 10 acres and our neighbors owns the rest. The property is on a main road and has access to electricity, but it was never run in. Instead of going through that process, we have decided to go with an off grid solar system, which is similar in installation cost, but offers us complete independence. I have looked at many different solar systems, but the Growatt All In One system appeals to me the most, as it is cost effectively distributed here in Mexico. I also like the MPP Solar units, but they would have to come from Taiwan. I really like how you can string the units together, as it makes it easy to increase the system output size and if one unit breaks down you can at least function on reduced capacity. I'm looking at 2 or maybe 3x 3000 watt units, with 8000 watts solar and 20000 watts battery back up. Not requiring heating and air conditioning, makes life easy in regards to energy requirements.

My understanding of the whole grounding/bonding discussion is that an electrical system will work okay in most cases with various configurations of grounding/bonding, but where it becomes an issue is IF there is either a lightning strike or a fault in the system caused by a short in a load. In the case of a lightning strike the ground rods are the primary resolution. However, if I’m correct in interpreting NEC guidelines, there should only be one earth grounding point (rod or rod sets) for the same building even it has multiple sub panels due to the fact that voltage potentials could be different with a rod on each panel which could create an arc across something in the building. Regarding a system fault from a load short, since the voltage always looks for way back to its source, the neutral plays a big part in clearing a fault via the breaker in the panel. If sub panels are bonded (neutral to earth ground) where they should not be, the voltage doesn’t have a clear path back to its source to clear the fault. Again, if I understand correctly, that means the panel that combines the AC from the inverters as well as the mid-point transformer that creates the neutral for the 120v loads should be the point at which the neutral bus is bonded to earth ground on an off-grid system.

Down Arrow and Enter at the same time will remove the beep temporary so you don't have to listen to the beep when you are adjusting settings.

I bought a two LFP system from system solar with case with out doors and top. I am trying to build a moveable system. I will send pictures. I put the GroWatt system on one side. I plan to charge from the house ( solar ) to the two batteries. And use the GroWatt to go from DC to AC. I Plan to use extension cords to power the items in the home.

In my area they require 2 ground rods. The second needs to be at least 6 apart from the first

Top quality gear there sir; I’m frugal and agree a Grow-watt is worth it

Earthing is only recommended if you are attached to the grid. Earthing has been done for stability of the voltage, (Look up MEN,Multiple Earthing Neutral) of the Power Stations. You are less likely to be electrocuted if you are not earthed.

Thank You for explaining clearly . However, I have a buddy who has worked for the utilities for 40 years . He tells me you should never ground a battery . The ground will draw from the battery quickly ! If you do try it, please check your levels every few hours . GOOD LUCK

Great video I’m replacing my EG4 6kw with these units Thanks for the amazing setup help dude 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼❕❕❕

I just got off the phone with Sig Solar as well. The are going to provide schematics for proper grounding, are working on them as fast as possible, and will post them soon. We run the 5000es as a completely off-grid system and the model we have has the bonding screw removed so I am not that worried. Additionally, the Growatt transformer they are selling now is different than the SolarEdge. They will provide further info on this soon as well.

Thz for sharing step by step programing

another cool video...disappointed to see all the cables between the inverters. seems like rj45(ethernet) could have handled all of that. kind of silly to have the rs232 cables as well as the twisted pair set. They probably could have just connected them with usb. Its not like there would be gigbits of info flowing there.

We are Saved by Grace Through FAITH NOT WORKS. Salvation is a free gift from GOD given to those all who will believe LORD JESUS CHRIST DIED AS A SALVATION LAMB for our sins by the BLOOD OF LORD JESUS CHRIST HIS BLOOD CLEANSES Our SINS

Where I live in Florida I can get 15 volt differential between grounds!

great informative video but opens up a box of questions😁. *1* on t=4:27 how would I know I have the older or the newer version (visually or screen info)? *2* on t=10:10 if the setting was SBU or SUB (if the inverter was connected to utility), this means the solar will provide power but for some reason solar power was not enough (excessive load, not enough panels), will it compensate from the next selection or will it switch 100% to the next selection? *3* on t=13:12 why charging the battery is better-off to be charged by solar if I have utility (clean and steady) connected? *4* on t=15:30 why it is important that I have battery before I power the system, is that because I may not be generating enough voltage (nominal operating voltage) from solar and this will result in error (auto-restart)? I was thinking to go battery-less and have only solar and utility🤔. fyi: I have 230v/50hz utility

Thank you so much. Your videos are so helpful. You say to not charge from the grid. But SS has said I can do that and it will work fine. Why do you say it is not good for the health of the system? What happens if your batteries get too low and you don't have enough power for your home?

BONJOUR MERCI POUR CETTE VIDÉO

It's working all wase

Hey there again. I w finally got my Growatt Grid Tie setup in place and running great. It’s now time to start looking at batteries and was curious as to how much life each day you get out of your batteries? I know the larger draw you put in them the quicker they’ll run down, I’m just trying to get a general idea how they do. I’ll most likely be buying one at a time, slowly adding more capacity as time goes on. As usual great video(s) and very informative.

Be nice to see a dc disconnect wiring video

Great video. Thanks for taking the time to make this. Learnt alot.

Excellent explanation my friend. What about the reliability of this model? My project is exactly as yours. I’m gonna buy 2 inverters, 12 550w solar modules and 30Kw of lithium batteries.

This grounding thing is killing me in my setup. I like you have watched so many videos, researched so many documents..tried to understand NEC code, etc. On the 5000ES the AC in and AC grounds are connected and they are also connected to the case (verified with ohm meter). In my setup the AC in from grid comes off my main panel which is obviously grounded (bonded neutral). If I were to connect the AC in ground to my utility panel. Then connect the AC out ground to my Feeder panel for solar. And lastly the ground on the inverter to the Feeder panel ground. In my mind, this leaves one path to ground. All the breakers, the Transformer up through the inverter, back to the main panel ground and that just doesn't seem "right" to me. My thought is. Run a ground only from my utility panel ground to my feeder panel ground. Then run all grounds as part of this system (AC IN, AC OUT, Inverter) to the feeder panel ground. In this case every ground goes direct and doesn't flow through the inverter. I don't know if its right....but it feels right with having a single ground and a most direct path to it. I could see having a separate ground on the DC side that would ground the batteries and solar panels themselves but couldn't argue why you wouldn't just use the same ground.

Labas. Geras video. Ar galėtumėt paaiskinti,kas netaip mano Growatt? Išanksto dėkoju.

I'm a supervisor electrician here in Oregon and that ground rod is not going to do crap other than cause some earthworms to come up if there's a fault.

What size lugs for the inverter and what battery cable size is that? tried to find when you hooked up your batteries but missed it somehow. Thanks for your videos. You explain things well.

Hi. I have one unit of SPF5000ES working good with pylontech Li batteries by can BMS port for 3 months. Now I just buy the second unit for paralleling. Both inverters will work with the same 14kw Li bateries. Do I have to buy the hub rs485/can growatt 8 ports ? Or not Please explain me. Thanks/Barcelona

Great series. Why is it not a good thing to charge the batteries from the grid? I want to run my system without solar.

Are you considering using Generator AC input to charge batteries when PV is not available? I found the RS485 vs BSM jack swap in the new units the hard way. I fully expect to use the system without PV connected as a stand alone battery backup.

It's a great video, thanks to you

Hi there! Just saw your video today after installing two of the very same Growatt Inverters. Following the manual in setting up the PAL setting, I‘m unable to access the menu point 23. I‘d very much appreciate if you could write down the step by step procedure on how to enter into the stand by mode and set the menu point 23 to PAL and safe that setting. Many thanks for your great helpful videos and your effort. Greeting from Hungary!!

@CountryLivingExperience First of all thanks for the video, and it's help me a lot. I live in area where lightening would be happened a lot. So I initially planned to disconnect my PV array when there will be high lightning, in order to protect my system. My solar panels were installed on roof (little bit high point) and my house located in kind of valley. So what will happen, if I disconnect my PV array, without switch off the growatt inverter and battery pack?

You were told not to run power to the AC out if solar is not connected? That doesn't make sense, can you not run these overnight when the PV system is creating zero power?

Thank you for the video. This is the information I am looking for. Never thought I will be interested in solar until I see David poz and your video, so I know the system is really work. I already bought the same system that I saw in your video just not install yet. I am really enjoying your channel because I love doing garden too. Are you using your solar power every day or just for back up? I already have a transfer switch installed and used it when the power is out now, I can use it for those chosen breakers every day by solar power if it goes well, I will expand later as you mentioned in the video. Great videos thank you!

As a lifer electrician and professional solar installer. I’m very curious if there’s a fault in your house panel/critical loads panel and it travels through your input or output wires without be bonded how will it clear the fault and not fry your inverters. Putting a ground to a ground rod will do nothing.

yup

Good video, thanks

talked me out of growatt before even half way through. Thanks!

13:08 you mention you that charging batteries form the grid is not a good thing to do for the health of entire system. Why is that? I thought this is common if you want to charge batteries for during cheap night rates. you can restrict amps in another settings. I just cannot see a reason why this would be bad

I find your videos really informative and do enjoy the presentation. I see each inverter has a battery connection but can’t see how you’ve connected them up. Do both inverters go back to the same battery bank and if so how do they connect to the same bank. Cheers David from NZ

Any update on your grounding setup? I'm setting up two 3k 24v Growatts in split phase and have questions around proper grounding. Right now my plan is to bond the AC out grounds and neutrals to the off grid panel which will have it's own ground rod(s). I'm also wondering if I can ground the battery chassis and solar panels to the same rods.

Are you sure about having two grounds ? I was assuming everything was going into the same ground . Either case you can make a circuit over the ground

OBS! Connecting the "Current sharing ports" It is NOT korrect what You say in the video: 7:02 - 7:13/16:15 The "Current sharing ports" should NOT be connected left to left and right to right BUT left to right and right to left. Please read the manual ;-) :-)

I have a Off grid system not connected to the grid (no AC in). To have a 10-90% lithium battery discharge/charge what parameters should I set in program 12,13,21? (Inverter is Growatt spf5000es)

around the 13 minute mark, it was mentioned that AC/grid battery charging was a bad idea. Could you restate that point or recommend a resource to query on that aspect? I was surprised by it

Why not charge batteries via grid?

You can put your dc setup to a rod but your ac definitely needs to be bonded to panel.

Hi have you ever had An AC leak from the pv in to ground with these units. I copped a bad and unexpected shock from the pv DC in from the grow watt es5000 I own. I fear it is faulty but im just glad im not dead.

in Ptcl why L01 ? is right ptcl number of battery or what thank you

The problem I'm faced with, is that i have 4 12v 100amps lithium battery hooked up with my 13kva Growatt system in split unit. The issue is that i didn't hook the batteries on BMS, so i set my battery type to user2...i want to set my dod at 30 %, but the under setting 12, instead of Showing me the percentage, it showing me the voltage...so i want u to tell me which volt should i set it to obtain the 30% depth of discharge

When you show your next video connecting everything. Please show how it is connected to your main panel!

Some questions: 1) are both inverters in phase with each other or are they 180 degrees out of phase? 2) i feel like there should be a main breaker between the inverter output and the autotransformer then from autotransformer into the distribution breaker box? opinions? 3) if the inverters are on same phase, do you just connect L1 and L2 together? 4) if the inverters are out of phase, do you consider only L1 from master to main breaker, and only L2 from slave to main breaker, but neutrals and grounds from each go to the main breaker box??? 4) what are the benefits of having the inverters in phase versus 180 degrees out of phase? Thank you for your responses.

Pls I have a question, the inverter AC output is it two phase ? In your last video you make mentioned of two hot line. Thanks

i do not know why the New Growatt 5000ES bonded the AC input Ground to The AC Output Neutral . I did openup the inverter trying to unbond the neutral & ground but i cant find where to unbond it . This is because i am using Solar to charge my batteries LIFEPO4 & same time power up my loads , just that when at night i requires the Grid to charge my batteries . Ended up it trips my main power ELCB and not able to get it function . Previously bought all the inverters are not bonded , need help what should i do to unbond the neutral and ground ? Do i need to use the dry contact to trigger the unbond ? thanks

Between the batteries and the inverter does it not require a device for over current protection?

Any recommendations for 3 pole (split phase) transfer switch to feed utility's hot lines and neutral on one end and the Inverters' hots and the mid point transformer neutral on the other? That way I can either manually or automatically switch between electrical sources.

Manipulating the controls with your hand on top of the positive battery cable looks dangerous. Are they covered normally or always exposed?

Right off you got me confused. Your connecting your batteries and inverters on the DC side to it's own ground rod. ?? Do you mean the battery case is connected to the ground rod, also the DC side of the inverter??? The only DC connection on the inverter is the PV in which has a 2 wire connection. + and - . Where is the ground rod connected in the inverter?

So the AC and DC systems have separate grounding systems each with a single ground rod for each system? Is the combiner box a good place to ground the DC system?

hello, thank u so much for this video! what type of ethernet cables do I need to buy?

Sir, do you know the pin of the communication cable between inverter and BMS?

Quick question, is it OK to connect the inverter to AC IN without PV, Batteries, or AC OUT? Why I ask, I would want to startup the inverter inside the house so I can setup Wifi before moving into it's final spot where the Wifi is weaker.

at 9:10 you want to switch to parallel but you quit the action and stick with two single inverters... don´t understand that

I thought we don't use master/slave anymore. At least it's gone from the computer industry. I've shared your info in other videos and got some push back on the separate grounding and awaiting response from SS. Thanks for the informative videos

The grey box with the switch on it is that ur ac 120 output that's where I think I got lost i never seen u actually hook that particular box up

Can you tell me when paralleling, do you have to program the second unit also, or does it get he settings from the primary/master unit?

Why is it bad for the inverter to charge your batteries from the AC grid or generator as you say? Is the a problem with the design? If someone on the grid without solar and wants to use the invertr as a backup unit, you need to charge from the power line!

I have a growatt for off grid and I use a generator, now do I have to hit the switch manually to power my growatt with gas generator or does the unit to automatically?

I’ve set mine up like you’ve shown and also with setting 5 to LI and setting 36 to L01. My inverters are limiting charging current to 10A regardless of source and regardless of available solar power. Any idea why?

Please help: I have a growatt 3000 and it doesn’t recognize my PV input at all. My panels are in series. 8X370 watt panels. I have a pv shut off switch hooked up. Any thoughts?

Does the growatt take 9x 550w panels in series with 49V voltage ?

I just watched this video I still don't see no emphasis on the 120ac current wiring coming from the solar edge mid point transformer box you showed how to wire into the box but I never seen you show how to wire out of the box

Can you use a DIY battery (cells + BMS) with Growatt inverters?

why you published a video about second hand knowledge from SS?

Please why is it a bad idea to charge the batteries using the growatt inverter from the ac grid?..

Hello again. Hope all is well. Question: how can I tell if I have the newer ES5000 or the older one. I purchased them in June 2022. I am running into trouble with my Growatts charging my EgLL’s. Wondering do I need the communication cables. Please advise.

Have the older model es and a new model es. Cannot get them to parallel. Have you any feedback on that. Signature is no help.

What wires/cables are connected between the two inverters to parallel the?

Did to come to a decision on whether or not to ground your batteries? Have you grounded your case? I have the exact same setup and I was curious of what you decided?

Hey! Great video! I guess I missed it but at that subpanel are you neutral bonded there or are these inverters neutral bonded? Just curious on that. Thanks!

I know you have stated that you are off grid, so no connection at all to your local power company. But, I don't think you've talked about selling power back to the utility, which would require a connection. Does the system you have support that? If so, is it worth it (connection fees vs. income from selling power)?

Your transformer only has 1 conduit - for primary and secondary conductors?

@ 9:00 your setting #23 to PAL, The master and Slave 1 at the same time. I have 4 inverters, Can I set them one at a time starting with the master then S1,2 then 3 or do I have to shut of all 4 and set them at the same time. This probably is a strange question, but I'm at the point that everything is wired up except my PV and I am about to turn them on for the first time and I'm am a little nervous.

Do you know how to turn the annoying beep off when you push buttons

Can I parallel 5kw and 6kw both of 48V rating growatt inverters?

I have two spf5000es parallel in same phase as your system and i have felicity lifepo4 battery , i tried to connect rs485 cable from battery to master inverter but the communications faild. In my cable i am using pin 1,2 at inverter side and 5,6 at battery side. Can i know what pins are you using in your eathernet cable?

Hi how we keep fan Stand by mode

Are the output AC wires for these parallel inverters connected together in a circuit breaker ?

How do you make sure you don't push power back to the grid

Can they work without battery bank just Sun and AC company on night?

My unit doesn't even turn on without grid power. No display with batteries.

Ethernet cables have RJ45 connectors.

Did your batteries come with power cables and the communication cables?

I'm worried that these new inverters have a lot of controls that it allows for more failures especially when you're off grid. I want something extremely simple.

Hi man. A have a problem in my inverter. It shows me 07 error witch mean overload timeout. What is this problem. I don't have a load only 25 %

I've noticed in all the videos I've watched on the Growatt 5000 nobody has installed a fuse from the batteries to the inverter? Unless I'm missing something. I'm trying to find out what size I need from the 6 EG4's to the inverter.

hello sorry if I disturb you or just installed my growatt 5000es or connected the lithium battery 48 volt 100ah with voltage 52.5 volts or tried to turn on and it did not turn on you can help me please thank you.Then or connected the 230volt network and it turned on but at the output it did not give me the 230volt to power the loads, and despite the battery is connected as soon as I remove the 230volt utility

Does your inverters keep charging the batteries when they're turned off