Enphase

southfork
southfork Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭
24 Microinverters
1 Envoy Wi-Fi Wi-Fi
kelsey, CA
Clear 59°F
E3 icon sqr micro 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 .
 24 solar world 285 watt panels with 24 Enphase 250 s ground mount grid tied .                                                                

Comments

  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    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
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • southfork
    southfork Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭
    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 .
     24 solar world 285 watt panels with 24 Enphase 250 s ground mount grid tied .                                                                
  • southfork
    southfork Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭
    System not reporting I tried rebooting the array and Envoy no reports since the 4th . All the micros are flashing red .
     24 solar world 285 watt panels with 24 Enphase 250 s ground mount grid tied .                                                                
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    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
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • southfork
    southfork Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭
    I have not changed anything and the solar panels are working the smart meter is showing production .
     24 solar world 285 watt panels with 24 Enphase 250 s ground mount grid tied .                                                                
  • Ralph Day
    Ralph Day Solar Expert Posts: 1,019 ✭✭✭✭
    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
    southfork Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭
    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 . 
     24 solar world 285 watt panels with 24 Enphase 250 s ground mount grid tied .                                                                
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    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
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • southfork
    southfork Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭
    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 .
     24 solar world 285 watt panels with 24 Enphase 250 s ground mount grid tied .                                                                
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    It was a long shot anyway... Sorry no joy yet.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • southfork
    southfork Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭
    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 .
     24 solar world 285 watt panels with 24 Enphase 250 s ground mount grid tied .                                                                
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    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)
    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • southfork
    southfork Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭
    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 . 
     24 solar world 285 watt panels with 24 Enphase 250 s ground mount grid tied .                                                                
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    edited April 2020 #15
    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
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Ampster
    Ampster Registered Users Posts: 174 ✭✭✭
    edited April 2020 #16
    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. 
    8 kW Enphase micros AC coupled to a SolArk 12K
  • southfork
    southfork Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭
    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 .
     24 solar world 285 watt panels with 24 Enphase 250 s ground mount grid tied .                                                                
  • daklein
    daklein Registered Users Posts: 15 ✭✭
    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.
    4.7 kW rooftop grid-tied Enphase M190s (1/21 surviving, have replaced and re-replaced the rest), 21x SolarWorld 225W
    2.6 kW ground mount AC coupled to SMA SI6048 x2 & 1080Ah 48v Exide FLA forklift bank, 10x Talesun 265W (a DC Solar trailer), Enphase m210/M210IG
    3.7 kw  rooftop 12x Astronergy 305W,  9 panels DC coupled w/ Midnite 250-CP CC,  3 panels AC coupled Enphase M210IG
    (sold) 480 W camper system, 2x Panasonic 240W HIT, Midnite Kid CC w/ Whizbang Jr, 2x 6v GC2 FLA 230Ah
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    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.
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