The inverter in the house has been charging the solar batteries, and all of a sudden, it starts malfunctioning in charging. This might have kept you thinking about the problem and what could be the possible cause while the inverter not charging the battery. Worry no more, this post will give you the possible reasons why your inverter is not charging battery and suggest a way to fix it and make it charge.
The main reasons why the inverter stops charging the battery are a dead battery or a very low battery. Replacing the dead batteries or charging the low battery with an external battery system can revive it back again. If the problem isn’t solved, the internal circuit of the inverter may be faulty.
Causes of inverter not charging batteries and how to fix them.
There are several more reasons why the inverter not charging solar batteries. This typee of inverter fault is caused by the following.
No AC input supply to the inverter.
The modern inverter that charges the battery system always has an AC input port where AC supply is feed to the inverter from the gride-tied system. For the inverter to charge its batteries, these connections must be made especially when the system is not off-gride.
This AC input supply in the inverter is where the inverter got the voltage source that its uses in charging its battery. So inspect the inverter and know if the installer wires the supply part and test to know if the supply is in the line. Check the circuit breaker and make it supply voltage, if is not replace the circuit breaker. If this connection where not made, this is how you can do the connections.
From the AC distribution board draw a line voltage with neutral and connects them to the inverter AC input voltage. Study the inverter manual wiring diagram and how the input voltage can be supplied to the inverter. Check the input voltage and make sure not to supply more than the required voltage.
A dead or faulty battery.
A dead battery can cause the inverter charging led blinking red, indicating a faulty battery or under voltage. Some dead batteries can’t charge or retain charge no matter how long you leave them in charge. Some discharge within a few minutes of charging even when no loads are on them. A dead battery can only be replaced with a new one for the system to work again.
Test the battery to know its working conditions, and whether it is still good. Depending on the type of battery you making use of, add some water and dilute acids for deep cycle battery and know if it can be revived back. If it still doesn’t work out then is time to change the battery with a new one.
low battery voltage.
For the inverter charger to charge a battery, the battery must meet up with some amount of voltage. When the battery is over-drained below its rating, some inverter chargers might not be able to charge them. In this case, the battery needs to charge with an AC and reconnect back to the inverter. Or still charge them, with solar panels.
An Ultrapower Battery load tester can be used to check the status of the battery and know if it is still ok or need to change.
12 V battery is not good to allow to discharge below 11.5V without recharging back. Monitor the battery voltage level and make sure they are all in good working condition.
A way to get rid of low battery voltage is to charge your batteries with solar panels. This is because it will charge your battery every day by day provided there is sunlight. So I advise you to consider buying panels to charge your system battery to avoid the issue of low battery voltage.
loose inverter – battery connection.
A loose connection of the inverter to the battery can still contribute to or be the reason the inverter is not charging your solar battery. Make sure the battery and inverter cables are terminated well using a cable lug and connected tightly to the battery heads.
Not using the right cable size for your connections, can still affect the battery charging. So choose the right cable size and place the inverter and the battery at close range. This is because the more they are separated apart, the loss in electrical power from the inverter to the battery. So to save energy loss on the cable make the inverter to battery connections to be short as possible.
If you find out the connecting is loose or not firm, tighten them and check if it will start to charge. If it works fine, but if it doesn’t, then is time to check out the fuse.
blown out fuse.
A melt fuse can still be the reason the system is not charging the batteries. The system fuse can cut or melt because of so many reasons like overloading, short circuit, or even voltage surge.
There are ways in which we can avoid inverter loading to keep our system safe.
Monitor the reasons while the fuse is cut and fix them before replacing them with a new fuse. Check the connections correctly, it might be the wires that short circuit.
Again when replacing the fuse, make sure to replace it with the rating of the blown one. There are different types of inverter fuse depending on the inverter ratings, Check the blown fuse label for its ratings are always written on their body.
Faulty inverter charging circuitry.
This too can develop faults and cause the inverter to stop charging the batteries. After checking for the above mention fault and they are all good. But if the inverter still doesn’t charge batteries, then know it that is from the inverter circuitry.
Is always advisable to consult a skilled inverter repairer to work on the inverter. Or check out your warranty and know if the inverter can be changed, that is if the warranty condition is still valid.
Working on an inverter circuitry can only be done by skilled personnel. Don’t open your inverter for repair if you are not advanced in inverter circuitry repair to avoid causing more damage or risking being shocked by electricity.
