Enphase

southfork

24 Microinverters

1 Envoy Wi-Fi

kelsey, CA

59°F

Microinverters Not Reporting

This is the message being sent started yesterday . My smart meter shows power coming from panels what's happening . I rebooted the envoy and the array still not reporting .

BB.

Not knowing anything about the Envoy--It sounds like it may have lost or corrupted its "configuration". 

Can you go through the "Discover Devices" again?

The other thing to look at is the CT (current transformers, if installed)... I don't know if they use the CT for "communications", or if it is purely done on the 120/240 VAC power leads (most likely)...

https://www.solar-electric.com/lib/wind-sun/IQ_Envoy_Manual.pdf

Be very careful with Current Transformers--If you find a broken/loose connection, a CT can output a very large voltage if not connected to the Envoy (monitoring load). The AC mains should be turned off when working on the CT connections (I believe).

-Bill

southfork

Today the Envoy is operational / Normal it's plugged into a 120 outlet with WIFI to my computer shows just three microinverters reporting back on line . I will check later to see if the rest are coming back on line .

southfork

System not reporting I tried rebooting the array and Envoy no reports since the 4th . All the micros are flashing red .

BB.

Sounds like it is time to call Enphase (or your supplier) for warranty service.

Assuming that you have not changed the wiring system, and you have not installed something with a lot of electrical noise (large brushed motor--such as those used in vacuum cleaners/electric drills) or other high power transmitters.

And you have not installed the enphase Envoy on (for example) a power strip with (electrical) noise filters (capacitors+inductors) that could block the (I assume) over the wire communications path.

-Bill

southfork

I have not changed anything and the solar panels are working the smart meter is showing production .

Ralph Day

I had an incident where one or two inverter panel pairs was not reporting, first and only time.  I went out and checked with a clamp on multi meter and the guilty unit was producing just as much as it's neighbours.  After 24 - 36 hours it started reporting as usual, and has remained so.  My installer wondered aloud how many inverters he has replaced when they were non-reporting.  He'd never checked to see if the unit was producing, just went off the envoy's reporting of a bad inverter.

I haven't had one inverter need replacing after 10 years service (of 52).  It's also running at the maximum design limit for AC input voltage.  That's programmable by enphase through your internet link.

Good luck, hope yours is a simple fix.

Ralph

southfork

Just got off the phone with Enphase nice lady reading from a prepared trouble shooting guide not what I needed . I already went through the trouble shooting guide 6 x times and the installers / Energy company won't answer the phone I guess with the covid19 I will have to wait for a tech to come out and unplug my envoy and plug another one in and hand me a bill lol . 

BB.

One other possible off the wall test... If you have two (or more) parallel 240 VAC strings of panels, turn off one string and then the other. It would not be the first time a remote "transmitter" went off the deep end and transmitted garbage over all the other "well behaved" units' communication.

If you have not tried it, turn off the 240 AC to the array (even if single string)... And see if a "hard reboot" brings their brains back (at least temporarily).

-Bill

southfork

I rebooted one string at a time still not reporting . I'm going to try again when the sun is shining cloud cover all day .

BB.

It was a long shot anyway... Sorry no joy yet.

-Bill

southfork

Could a lightning strike in the area caused my problems ? So all my problems started the 4th but can't remember if that is the day we had a little lightning . I have eyeballed the system and no damage .

BB.

Certainly is possible (a strike in the distance also can knockout satellite receivers/LNBs).

Our (now retired founder) has said that most lighting induced failures for off grid systems seemed to be on the 120/240 VAC side of the system (AC inverter output stage).

Using some sort of lightning suppressor to reduce the chances of a lightning surge damaging your equipment:

https://www.solar-electric.com/residential/circuit-protection/surge-protection.html

Midnite has done a lot of research during their surge protection development:

SPD (Surge Protection Devices)

• SPD E-Panel Install
• SPD Comparison
• SPD Install - Hawaii
• SPD Flush Mount Installation
• Introduction to SPDs
• MidNite Surge Protection Device and Delta Comparison

-Bill

southfork

Today 4 - 14 - 2020 Playing tech I moved the Enyoy to another circuit farther away . Then ran a communication check and reboot bingo all Inverters are green . And producing 4.61 KW at 10.15am besides a different circuit the TP stick is in a direct line with WIFI router .Maybe to much traffic on the web this was my Wife's idea and it worked . All reports are normal now but showing low communication  power on the Envoy LCD screen . 

BB.

Congratulations Southfork... I am not sure I understand what exactly changed, but years ago, a friend had his laptop right next to his WiFi router. And his connection was terrible. I had him move the router 6 feet away or so--And all was fine.

So, wireless links being too close together can be a problem too (close by WiFi transmitter overdriving the Envoy receiver(s) for the data over powerline link?).

One other possibility... I have some "cheap" IoT devices (Internet of Things)... My old but working OK WiFi router was working fine, but IoT devices were sometimes a bit flaky/loss of connections/etc.

I got a new WiFi Router (Ubiquity Dream Machine--Not sure it matters specifically)--And configured an IoT network with 3G only--And a slower beacon (1 Mbit?). So far (a few weeks), my IoT things (Feit IoT bulbs), have been rock solid.

Does not necessarily address why the Envoy was not seeing the micro inverters... But "things happen" with software (and hardware too).

-Bill

Ampster

southfork said:

Today 4 - 14 - 2020 Playing tech I moved the Enyoy to another circuit farther away . Then ran a communication check and reboot bingo all Inverters are green . And producing 4.61 KW at 10.15am besides a different circuit the TP stick is in a direct line with WIFI router .Maybe to much traffic on the web this was my Wife's idea and it worked . All reports are normal now but showing low communication  power on the Envoy LCD screen . 

My experience with an older 120v Envoy is that it was sensitive to which circuit it was on. I have a new IQ Envoy on another system that is direct wired to 240 and have not needed change the position of the circuit breaker. In both cases they were direct wired so I did not change any of the Envoy to Router dynamics. 

southfork

Thanks for the help up to 5.84 kw at 1: 30 pm if it will make it another 2 years it will have paid for itself and free power at the same time .

daklein

I have m190 & m210 micros with Envoy ENV-120 (old egg style).  The first few years we had intermittent communication issues.  I added another circuit from the AC combiner box, running into the basement with an outlet on it for the Envoy to plug in to.  It's the closest circuit to the microinverters, and it works pretty well now.   I use ethernet cable from the Envoy to the router, not wireless.

mike95490

if you have had trouble in the past, with your inverter shutting down from high voltage, switch OFF the other array, leaving the "twitchy" inverter running, and see, if with less power on the AC line, it it runs OK without error. 

I think that's what I understood you said.