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Thanks Sean, with so many variables to contend with & the most likely culprit being the "cascading" of the inverters. It is, as you suggest prudent to get a distributor in first to check. Now to find one that will. If I can't, my installer is accredited with -MCS - ELECSA - REEC & TSI. Should I contact one of those, which one is best suited to resolve the issue.
 
I have a Solis distributor calling in today. His diagnosis from my description is that one inverter could become a master controlled from a ct clamp. The other two will become slaves controlled from the master. This seems logical and prevents them all working independently. I hope it is possible & I haven't shortened the life of the inverters running them as installed since September.

I would assume that the remedy & subsequent work will be quoted for by the Solis distributor. What is the correct protocol for getting this settled by my initial installer, should I just get them to sort it out between themselves?
 
Please let us know how it goes and if the proposed invertor control change affects the tripping behaviour of that separate RCD :) .
 
The solar representative came yesterday & checked the system over. A really nice & knowledgeable chap. He pointed out a few odd jobs but the inverters not being linked was an issue. The latest Solis 4g inverters can't be linked intellegently to perform as one. He will get full details from a direct contact at Solis & a possible remedy. It was also noted that the position in the loft area was close to 36 degrees and has been hotter. They perhaps should have been mounted in the cooler garage area below. I will get a full report in a week or so & let you know.

Can I mention another point that could be affecting my system. Before the installation the earth was not too clever. As I mentioned before I am at the end of a line. When the solar was first installed they added an earth rod to see if it helped ( clutching at straws a bit ). Nothing changed and we had a new feed from the grid - 2 bigger wires. This must have helped the earth and I know that the neutral and earth wires are connected. So, if I have a small earth leakage & part of the path to earth goes via an earth rod. Would this present an imbalance and contribute to the rcd tripping. Should I disconnect the earth rods and just use the tested earth supplied by the dno?
 
The line and neutral will be connected together by the DNO in their cutout. It will not effect your RCD as it is before it in the installation.

Leave the rod alone.
 
Still tripping out at random, I noticed this morning that it had tripped out overnight sometime as it did yesterday night. After a few tries it eventually turned on and stayed on. Both meter red lights are on solid and we are generating around 1.5 kW with just a few fridges and lights on. Is this ok?
 
Still tripping out at random, I noticed this morning that it had tripped out overnight sometime as it did yesterday night. After a few tries it eventually turned on and stayed on. Both meter red lights are on solid and we are generating around 1.5 kW with just a few fridges and lights on. Is this ok?
If it trips out overnight the local supply voltage may be too high, get the information from the logs or ask the DNO to do a 7 day trace.
 
The line and neutral will be connected together by the DNO in their cutout. It will not effect your RCD as it is before it in the installation.

Leave the rod alone.

Thanks Rod

could I in theory install loads of new earth rods without affecting anything? I don't propose to do so, but I am curious as I am told that rds's monitor the balance between neutral & earth. Could providing extra routes to earth disrupt this balance and cause the first incoming rcd to trip? This was the reason I questioned if I should only rely on the dno earth for stability.
 
Hi - I'm guessing you mean RCD? They monitor the difference between the circuit current passing through them, typically the L and N. A difference current of 30mA (say) will cause the RCD to trip off line. That difference current is likely to be returning via E through a fault which may include us ...
That story you've been told sounds like a story to me :) .
 
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Today we hope to get some info from the dno. Following their 7 day trace on our home they have completed another 7 day test on the nearest transformer. The information should be with us later, I hope it will be a fault with the supply as there is no pattern to the tripping. I also have an Electrician checking all our system to find earth leaks just in case.

Regarding the original post concerning the 3 ct setup on my Solis inverters. The only news I have is that they have rigged up the same setup at HQ in China & found their system became "unstable". I think they have a solution & eagerly await their conclusions.

Will keep you posted.
 
Dno have confirmed the transformer has seen better days and is due for replacement. They suggest that our phase should be changed in the meantime.
I have always wanted a 3 phase supply but at £23k it was too expensive, the price did include a new transformer though. Perhaps when they are renewing the transformer we can strike a better deal. I'm going to check if my 3 inverters will work on 3 phases.

The local Electrician removed our outbuilding supply from the main rcd and now goes through an mcb to the outbuilding cu. The outbuildings are now protected through their own rcd. This has virtually eliminated the trips, so perhaps too many circuits were through the main incoming rcd,

I haven't a definitive answer yet from Solis perhaps it is a bit more complicated that it seems.
 

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