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Topic starter
March 10, 2025 10:33 pm
I have three EG4 280 Ah batteries connected to a Sol-Ark 15K with 13Kw of solar panels. Batteries are installed in the garage and a split mini heat pump keeps the temp above 50 deg F in the winter and below 80 deg F in the summer. During the winter the system goes for months without an F20 error, but as soon as the longer days show up in spring (late February, early March) the F20 errors begin to reappear every three to ten days. Nothing new is running to cause the error. Sol-Ark says the batteries have problems working with their inverters and that the F20 error is caused by out of spec voltages while the EG4 batteries are charging, and EG4 says the batteries will work with Sol-Ark inverters. Sol-Ark refuses to add the EG4 batteries to their list of "Battery Partners" due to problems reported by users. The contractor has tried to fix the problem several times without success. I'm wondering if anyone here has had a similar problem and has any suggestions? The system is closed loop, and, as far as I can tell, all settings meet EG4 battery requirements. Other than the F20 issue the EG4 batteries are great, and the $/kWh is excellent. I can live with the F20 errors cropping up every few days, but would very much like to eliminate them if possible.
March 11, 2025 2:03 pm
What is the F20 error?
Topic starter
March 11, 2025 11:50 pm
@pawnee, from Sol-Ark Error codes: F20 Tz_Dc_OverCurr_Fault It is typically caused by DC current form the battery that is too large (ex: 4 Ton AC Unit) or too much PV current (3 or more strings in parallel).
Neither of the examples Sol-Ark gives exist in my system.
Topic starter
March 12, 2025 12:31 am
Not certain what is meant by protocols, but have attempted to attach two snapshots. If this doesn't answer your question maybe an example would help me understand?
March 18, 2025 8:51 pm
@danrpr1
You can watch this video; it explains step by step on how to get the WallMount battery to communicate with the Sol-Ark inverter. The information on the screen isn't correct.
These numbers may be too high, so you can try making them lower and see if that helps. The video shows different numbers on this screen.
Sol-Ark 15K + EG4 Batteries | How to Setup Closed Loop! - YouTube
Topic starter
March 20, 2025 2:38 am
Thank you, Eric! I looked at the video and I am confused about the Batt Setup screen. I have three batteries and the video has only one battery. EG4 says the battery capacity is 280 Ah, yet the video shows 400 Ah? Since I have three batteries the Batt capacity is set to 3 x 280 = 840 Ah. EG4 says the battery Max A charge is 200 A, but the video shows 40 A? Since I have three batteries (in parallel) the Max A charge is limited to the max value the Sol-Ark 15K permits, which is 275 A. Same for the Max A discharge. According to Sol-Ark, the 15K will set the TEMPCO to - 0mV/C/Cell by the closed loop system and I have no option to change it. The Activate Battery is not selected in the video, but according to Sol-Ark it is used to communicate with the battery through a single RJ45 port labeled "Battery CANBus".
The contractor is experimenting with different settings to see if they have any effect on the F20 error, so I am currently out of the loop on the setup. I will forward the link you gave me to him. The F20 errors are now occurring daily. I'll let you know if any of his changes improve the situation. Again, thank you, Eric!
Topic starter
March 22, 2025 6:34 pm
@eric Some progress. The contractor pointed out to me that I have 4 strings, and the Sol-Ark 15K has 3 MPPTs. I am allowed to put a max of 2 strings (in parallel) on each MPPT, with a max current of 26 Amps total on each MPPT. The Sol-Ark 15K MPPT with 2 strings is displaying a little over 24 Amps before and after the F20 error occurs. Since the sample rate seems to be once every 5 minutes I cannot say what the current is when the F20 actually occurs. We're going to watch it for a few days (weeks?) and if the F20 error always occurs when the current on the MPPT is fairly high, we will then modify the strings (disconnect a couple of panels?) and see if the F20 error goes away. I'll post what we find.
