The right inverter for battery storage and some other Qs

[Stinsy]

So best to your knowledge and experience, when it comes to battery storage, am I correct I have to use electrician to install inverter but can connect batteries myself?

Part P of the building regs (pretty much) says you have to use an electrician when installing any new circuit. But modifying an existing one you can do yourself.

[Oldgreybeard]

So best to your knowledge and experience, when it comes to battery storage, am I correct I have to use electrician to install inverter but can connect batteries myself?

Part P of the building regs (pretty much) says you have to use an electrician when installing any new circuit. But modifying an existing one you can do yourself.

Just a tip to add to this, if you think you might want to add other stuff in the future, then you can get spare circuits installed at the same time as other circuits that don't do anything. For example, if you are running a cable across the garden for a car charger, you can run a second cable at the same time and just have the electrician seal it off in a box. This then means that if you want to do something later, say fit lights, an outdoor socket, or even a second car charger, then as long as the spare cable is big enough you're good to go as a DIY job, as you're not actually installing a new circuit.

This is something I found out a bit too late, and kicked myself about several times. However, when I had a new cable put in to reroute the power for our sewage treatment plant, I did add four other cables around the garden and at the side of the drive, all just terminated in sealed boxes, doing nothing. I'm about to use one of them to run a set of new electric gates and power another CCTV camera, and this is all fine as a DIY job as the circuit has already been signed off.

[ducabi]

I just got email from ITS that my pylon US3000C batteries will be delivered soon, so I'm going to order Sofar HYD3600ES and will get my electrician engaged.

Apart from bits required for pylon batteries ( enclosure, cables etc) is there anything I need to buy to connect inverter?
How will inverter be connected? I've seen number of installations and can see different boxes next to inverter but can't figure out why they are there.

I will have soon installed commando socket using for ev charging using GARO G6EV40PME connected to meter using tails. However, it's not done yet so I wonder if there are better options in terms of what goes where.
The plan is that i switch to intelligent octopus and charge car overnight + charge batteries + program 1 washing machine and dishwasher to engage during cheap hours.

[Stinsy]

I just got email from ITS that my pylon US3000C batteries will be delivered soon, so I'm going to order Sofar HYD3600ES and will get my electrician engaged.

Apart from bits required for pylon batteries ( enclosure, cables etc) is there anything I need to buy to connect inverter?
How will inverter be connected? I've seen number of installations and can see different boxes next to inverter but can't figure out why they are there.

I will have soon installed commando socket using for ev charging using GARO G6EV40PME connected to meter using tails. However, it's not done yet so I wonder if there are better options in terms of what goes where.
The plan is that i switch to intelligent octopus and charge car overnight + charge batteries + program 1 washing machine and dishwasher to engage during cheap hours.

This depends on your electrician. Most electricians like to have two rotary isolators on the AC side, one next to the CU and another next to the Inverter. Basically so that someone working on the inverter can isolate it from the mains without going to the CU, and someone working on the CU can isolate it form the inverter without going to the inverter. This thinking is a bit "industrial" but the isolators aren't expensive so not too much bother. Some people fit DC rotary isolators to the PV strings which are less easy to justify because you're always going to have to make a live connection somewhere in the system! Various trunking etc. depends how neat you/the electrician want the install to be.

The pylontechs come with short cables needed to interconnect them with eachother, you have to order the long cables to hook up to the inverter separately.

[ducabi]

This depends on your electrician. Most electricians like to have two rotary isolators on the AC side, one next to the CU and another next to the Inverter. Basically so that someone working on the inverter can isolate it from the mains without going to the CU, and someone working on the CU can isolate it form the inverter without going to the inverter. This thinking is a bit "industrial" but the isolators aren't expensive so not too much bother. Some people fit DC rotary isolators to the PV strings which are less easy to justify because you're always going to have to make a live connection somewhere in the system! Various trunking etc. depends how neat you/the electrician want the install to be.

The pylontechs come with short cables needed to interconnect them with eachother, you have to order the long cables to hook up to the inverter separately.

He's happy to do what I want and I want to optimize safety. If I rely on someone specializing in PVs/storage then I have to wait couple months at least.

CU and inverter will be next to eachother.
No PVs for the next couple months at least.

Manual for ME3000SP says:
It’s recommended to install a rotary DC isolator (100A) between ME3000SP and batteries. Thus, ME3000SP can
be securely disconnected during installation/maintenance
It’s necessary to install a AC circuit breaker (25A) between ME3000SP and electrical grid

I can't find anything like that in HYD3600 manual but can't see a reason why a hybrid inverter would need less.

[sharpener]

CU and inverter will be next to eachother.
No PVs for the next couple months at least.

Manual for ME3000SP says:
It’s recommended to install a rotary DC isolator (100A) between ME3000SP and batteries. Thus, ME3000SP can
be securely disconnected during installation/maintenance
It’s necessary to install a AC circuit breaker (25A) between ME3000SP and electrical grid

I can't find anything like that in HYD3600 manual but can't see a reason why a hybrid inverter would need less.

One AC isolator will be enough then, it has to be two pole and lockable (most rotary isolators are)
You also need a dedicated RCD feeding the inverter and nothing else, preferably 100mA
It's a good idea for the 25A breaker to be Curve C so the individual circuits' breakers will trip first
AFAIR a DC isolator for the incoming PV is also prescribed in the CoP

A good diagram which may or may not suit your purposes here https://community.victronenergy.com/sto ... yout-2.pdf

[sharpener]

CU and inverter will be next to eachother.
No PVs for the next couple months at least.

Manual for ME3000SP says:
It’s recommended to install a rotary DC isolator (100A) between ME3000SP and batteries. Thus, ME3000SP can
be securely disconnected during installation/maintenance
It’s necessary to install a AC circuit breaker (25A) between ME3000SP and electrical grid

I can't find anything like that in HYD3600 manual but can't see a reason why a hybrid inverter would need less.

One AC isolator will be enough then, it has to be two pole and lockable (most rotary isolators are)
You also need a dedicated RCD feeding the inverter and nothing else, preferably 100mA
It's a good idea for the 25A breaker to be Curve C so the individual circuits' breakers will trip first
AFAIR a DC isolator for the incoming PV is also prescribed in the CoP, if you put it in now it will be there for when your panels arrive

A good diagram which may or may not suit your purposes here https://community.victronenergy.com/sto ... yout-2.pdf

[ducabi]

One AC isolator will be enough then, it has to be two pole and lockable (most rotary isolators are)
You also need a dedicated RCD feeding the inverter and nothing else, preferably 100mA
It's a good idea for the 25A breaker to be Curve C so the individual circuits' breakers will trip first
AFAIR a DC isolator for the incoming PV is also prescribed in the CoP

A good diagram which may or may not suit your purposes here https://community.victronenergy.com/sto ... yout-2.pdf

RCD100mA + Curve C 25A breaker. Would it sit inside in a mini cu between main CU and inverter?

Re diagram - the earth rod is confusing. Do I need one?

[Oldgreybeard]

I combined a double DC fuse and isolator for the required battery cable protection and isolation needs. The unit I used was this one, very pleased with it, easy to install and has a clear and obvious indication that the DC is completely isolated when it's in the off position: https://www.bimblesolar.com/extras/dc-f ... nect-2pole

[sharpener]

A good diagram which may or may not suit your purposes here https://community.victronenergy.com/sto ... yout-2.pdf

RCD100mA + Curve C 25A breaker. Would it sit inside in a mini cu between main CU and inverter?

Re diagram - the earth rod is confusing. Do I need one?

Yes, many people install a 4-way garage unit as a convenient way of housing these bits. If you are upgrading anyway you might also think about

(i) a Surge Protection Device
(ii) a bypass switch to connect the house to the incoming mains if the inverter is out of commission

If your inverter has got a UPS capability (like the Victrons) so it will power your installation in a power cut and it is type-approved for use for this purpose in the UK then it will have anti-islanding relays which will isolate the incoming mains and then connect the N to the E.
You then need your own earth electrode with an impedance of less than 200 ohms as you cannot rely on the incoming TN-C mains earth (e.g. they may have disconnected the cable somewhere to repair it). If no UPS capability you don't need it.