Sold lithium batteries that are not working as promised

[RSA77]

Hi all

I bought 2 5kva lithium batteries round about march ,we did not connect them as we wanted to use our existing gel batteries till they packed up. So a month and a half ago the batteries get connected and thats where the problems started .There is no communication between the inverter and batteries and as a result they crash to 0% daily or crash so much they cannot restart .I have not been able to run them longer than 2 days with some or other problem occurring.

The batteries carry a 10 year warranty ,no stipulation of replacement or refund . I am so fed up with this situation, I do not want a replacement since I feel this brand is not the best even though I was over charged ,I found this out only recently.
So my question is since the warranty does not stipulate the course of action to be taken can I as a consumer choose ?

Thank you in advance !!

[GCE]

You could have a problem with warranty - most manufactures insist that they are stored at a certain percentage - that when they are connect that the BMS and inverter communicate , that you do not discharge more then twice below the threshold and that there are no short circuits or not more than 3 overloads

It would appear that you have transgressed a couple of the warranty conditions and with the time period that has gone past you may not be successful

What make of battery do you have ? that will determine the warranty conditions

[Justloadit]

Have you set up the charger from Gel Lead Acid to Lithium?
The charging specifications are not the same in both cases.

[RSA77]

Should have mentioned that these batteries were sold to me by a solar installer that I have been using for the last 18months with no problems except this .They installed them and they stipulated the warranty in the initial quote .All work done on the inverter and batteries etc is only done by them .

[GCE]

Without knowing the make , you need t o check warranty document - The majority, the warranty falls away if there is no communication between battery BMS and inverter

[Dave A]

Should have mentioned that these batteries were sold to me by a solar installer that I have been using for the last 18months with no problems except this .They installed them and they stipulated the warranty in the initial quote .All work done on the inverter and batteries etc is only done by them .

Did they connect the batteries and change the settings on the inverter to suit the new lithium batteries?

[Isetech]

Brand and model of inverter and batteries?


If the battery is a sunsynk 5.3 kwh, a Revov or Volta, they all have their issues, which can be resolved updating firmware, some worse than others.

IF it is a Hubble battery, they still haven't replied to my email to purchase batteries from them, so a warranty claim, I wish you best of luck dealing with them.

It seems there are batches of batteries which arrive and have the kind of issue you have mentioned. Maybe someone decided to unload them rather go through the process of discharging, recharging and firmware updates.

This by the way is why it is so important to deal with a reputable company, who have the support of their supplier. Buying form a middle man like the wholesalers for example it creates a few challenges, when it comes to warranties.

We have the equipment to do firmware updates on the batteries and other equipment we supply and install. We also belong to groups which are linked to the manufacturers, so that we can arrange for firmware updates and get technical support for the inverters.

[Isetech]

By the way, if someone tells you to use the voltage to control a lithium battery because they cant get the BMS to work using the comms cable, RUN. Chances are you going to be experiences issues like pointed out in this thread.

The reason we use the battery we use, because you can view all the battery data on the inverter screen, without, plugging in a laptop, no dip switches for for connecting in parallel, IP 65 rated, so no bug destroying PC boards (very common fault in all industries), or corrosion on the PCB's. No need to update firmware everytime you install or add a battery (some batteries are already 8 firmware up in a year) and still experiences issues.

Beware of listening to the sales people, they are NOT technicians, they have product to move, they dont always have your best interest at heart. Like life insurance brokers, commission pays the rent. The warehouses are full of stock and some products more slower than others.

[RSA77]

Did they connect the batteries and change the settings on the inverter to suit the new lithium batteries?

They did everything . I have put all my trust in them to supply and install a system to suite my needs . The fact that there is no communication is in my opinion the installers fault ,they are the experts .I have only found out that there is no communication between the batteries and invertor through the installer .

The batteries are CFE and 5 star invertor . The installer has up to now been excellent with regards to back up service etc .This battery problem however is ruining a otherwise good experience .

[RSA77]

Spoke to the installer this morning,it does does seem that they are trying there best to solve this . Hoping all this gets sorted out

[ACElectric]

ha haha i had to laugh sorry........the inverters + their grade 3 canbus and comms and badly written software and different comms cables with " swap a wire here and there" is a joke.....i would rather set the voltages according to the battery MUCH MUCH more simple and foolproof.