Zappi charge points

gomamochi1

championc wrote: »

The Zappi v3.00 beta should be ready for deployment any day now, so there may well have been server work going on in the background

Was on to them today about a glitch in the matrix and they mentioned that the upgrade will allow 3 ct clamps to be fitted to newer zappi2

championc

gomamochi1 wrote: »

Was on to them today about a glitch in the matrix and they mentioned that the upgrade will allow 3 ct clamps to be fitted to newer zappi2

I'm sure my Zappi2 running 2.176 will take 3 CT's, but maybe not. There more appears to be issues around 3 phase units which of course will require 3 CT's, but again, these always had the 3 connectors.

I do wish they'd have 2 decimal places on the app and hopefully, one day, prioritize the car over battery charging

KCross

championc wrote: »

I do wish they'd have 2 decimal places on the app

That would be nice but I'd say they have to leave it at one decimal place because thats the level of accuracy that a CT clamp can accurately provide... thats my guess.

It might also be a bit annoying to see it constantly flick on the app from 0.11 to 0.12 and back to 0.11 etc... It already flicks from 0.1 to 0.2 etc and thats enough for me.

I think the one decimal place, while not ideal, is probably the right thing to do.
I suppose an option to set it yourself would be another idea and decide for yourself then.

championc wrote: »

and hopefully, one day, prioritize the car over battery charging

I dont have a battery but I thought I saw some options in the menu around how it deals with batteries and priority and it gave you choices/flexibility. I didnt delve into it as Im never going to use it but have you read up on those options?

championc

KCross wrote: »

I dont have a battery but I thought I saw some options in the menu around how it deals with batteries and priority and it gave you choices/flexibility. I didnt delve into it as Im never going to use it but have you read up on those options?

I have Solar PV, an AC Battery, a Zappi and an Eddi. The same question / request has been posed by many Tesla Powerwall owners on the MyEnergi Forum, who are looking to do the same thing. If I turned off the Eddi, I'd be fine. It more a case that if you prioritize the Zappi over the AC Battery, you also prioritize the Eddi too.

unkel

Eddi is a very last resort. The savings are tiny. If you really can't use the electricity or store it anywhere else, then into heating water. Personally I'd prefer a feed in tariff of similar value (5c / kWh)

gomamochi1

unkel wrote: »

Eddi is a very last resort. The savings are tiny. If you really can't use the electricity or store it anywhere else, then into heating water. Personally I'd prefer a feed in tariff of similar value (5c / kWh)

Can I clarify how to use the Zappi/ House batteries correctly from other forums- Newbie to EV driving and Solar PV- Currently charging the house batteries 4.8k on night rate, solar pv charged the house batteries during day and charges car if needed on Eco Plus mode during day, try and run most appliances ie washing machine, dishwasher etc during daylight hours though getting up to about 75% usage rates less yesterday as it was stinking hot!
Any advice welcome?Thanks

championc

gomamochi1 wrote: »

Can I clarify how to use the Zappi/ House batteries correctly from other forums- Newbie to EV driving and Solar PV- Currently charging the house batteries 4.8k on night rate, solar pv charged the house batteries during day and charges car if needed on Eco Plus mode during day, try and run most appliances ie washing machine, dishwasher etc during daylight hours though getting up to about 75% usage rates less yesterday as it was stinking hot!
Any advice welcome?Thanks

The recommendation at this time of year would be to NOT recharge the batteries with night rate, since you are maybe buying 5kw when you would get this power free a few hours later.

Yes, some days will be crap, and you'll buy full cost units but this will be the exception rather than the rule.

Personally, I just hope my batteries get me to midnight, night rate then kicks in until possibly 08:00 when solar takes over again the following day

KCross

How are the weekly and monthly reports on the hub for people over the last few days?

Always timing out on me. The daily reports are fine.

What are others experiences over the last few days?

Nedved85

KCross wrote: »

How are the weekly and monthly reports on the hub for people over the last few days?

Always timing out on me. The daily reports are fine.

What are others experiences over the last few days?

Poor enough to be honest, seeing today, yesterday, this week and last week. Last month fails to report. I have not updated the firmware though.

unkel

KCross wrote: »

How are the weekly and monthly reports on the hub for people over the last few days?

Always timing out on me. The daily reports are fine.

What are others experiences over the last few days?

You upgraded to a Zappi charge point? I know you've had an interest in them for a long time, but would you mind sharing why you upgraded? I believe you don't yet have solar PV? And even if you did, it wouldn't make financial sense to do the upgrade as it would never pay for itself even if your car is at home during the day every day and you religiously plug it in

I did the sums on this myself

jimmyging

It could be a firmware issue as you said , I’ve had this issue for the last few days also but up to then I was delighted with the info I was getting from the hub

championc

jimmyging wrote: »

It could be a firmware issue as you said , I’ve had this issue for the last few days also but up to then I was delighted with the info I was getting from the hub

Impossible

The stats come from the MyEnergi servers. Ok, so your Zappi uploads the data but after that, it's all server based work. It's a pity that they don't pull the incremental data down to your phone or tablet, and then generate the graph locally. I'd say there server side is severely under-spec'd. Let's face it, you don't pay anything to get the data once you buy the products

JBinWaterford

championc wrote: »

Wireless might be interpreted by many as Wifi wireless - it's not this type.

MyEnergi use 868mhz wireless, which is a very low power required protocol. It's far more reliable than wifi and has far better range too.

All of my solar kit is in my shed at the end of the back garden. So my CT clamps for both the Solar Inverter and the Storage Inverter are both connected to a Harvi, which talks wirelessly to the Zappi which is on the front corner of the house.

A word of warning though - my CT's in the shed were dropping in and out. It appears that it didn't like the long tail cables on the clamps. Once I trimmed off the slack, they have been fine.



I wouldn't depend on MyEnergi app for my data. The app is good for a quick view of Live data, but it's not accurate. I wish their figures would go to 2 decimal places.

I'm still waiting for the day when EV charging can be prioritized over my Battery Storage. People with Powerwalls will have the same problem.

Spent practically the whole evening reading this thread to understand more about a pending Zappi install (self-install, via own sparks), and how to configure CT clamp/s etc, and was staring to think the hub was the way to go (We have PV/battery/Eddi).....Until I find out our home alarm works off exactly the same frequency that the hub does :rolleyes:
Also seems I'll have to get to grips with the Eddi / Zappi priority settings to direct PV KWs to house/battery/immersion/EV.

championc

JBinWaterford wrote: »

Spent practically the whole evening reading this thread to understand more about a pending Zappi install (self-install, via own sparks), and how to configure CT clamp/s etc, and was staring to think the hub was the way to go (We have PV/battery/Eddi).....Until I find out our home alarm works off exactly the same frequency that the hub does :rolleyes:
Also seems I'll have to get to grips with the Eddi / Zappi priority settings to direct PV KWs to house/battery/immersion/EV.

There are 8 different channels within the 868mhz band that can be selected, so that should solve any potential clashes

KCross

Reposting here...

championc wrote: »

For anyone who may be caught by the Zappi2 MyEnergi issue, MyEnergi have rolled out the long awaited v3 firmware (3.033) and they've also upgraded the hub (3.021) firmware too.

https://myenergi.info/zappi-2-firmware-release-v3-033-t2118.html

https://myenergi.info/hub-firmware-release-v3-021-t2142.html

For those with Solar PV and batteries there appear to be some updates in that area. Not sure if it resolves the issues that people have been reporting but worth a look anyway.
- "Improvement to way power allocation to batteries / power diverters is handled"
- Improved functionality with 3rd party diverters
- Zappi will now stop taking priority over 3rd party diverter if there is import for too long, e.g. when the diverter is boosting. Valid for CTs set to “Storage Only”.

Some other highlights....
- it will now support "Demand side response". I dont believe we have any electricity providers active in this area yet but its good to see it being added. Hopefully some electricity provider will provide that product here in the future.
- lock/unlock the Zappi from the app. Some people had fears of people stealing their electicity while they were out/holiday. New app coming on the 8 Aug to support it.

Nedved85

I must get ime to update my Zappi V1 sometime - I think it's still on the original firmware!

KCross

Nedved85 wrote: »

I must get ime to update my Zappi V1 sometime - I think it's still on the original firmware!

You might as well wait another few weeks.... this update only supports Zappi v2 right now.... Zappi v1 will get it "in the coming weeks".

st332

I see you can extend the Zappi CT cables using Cat5.
Can you also shorten cables? I'm assuming this is possible, but want to check in case it's some sort of resistance wire where length is important.

I'm considering an installation where I would probably put a harvi in the box on the outside wall containing the electricity meter.
I don't need 5m of cable x 3 phases cluttering up the box.

championc

st332 wrote: »

I see you can extend the Zappi CT cables using Cat5.
Can you also shorten cables? I'm assuming this is possible, but want to check in case it's some sort of resistance wire where length is important.

I'm considering an installation where I would probably put a harvi in the box on the outside wall containing the electricity meter.
I don't need 5m of cable x 3 phases cluttering up the box.

Perfectly ok to chop them. This would be the way with most Harvi installs.

In fact, I had issues when I left the cables bundled up, so I absolutely needed to chop away about 4.7m

JBinWaterford

championc wrote: »

There are 8 different channels within the 868mhz band that can be selected, so that should solve any potential clashes

Has anyone had an issue whereby their Zappi still pulls charge from the grid, even though set to Eco+ (despite changing Eco+ setting to 100% green) ?


Since quoted post, I've had Zappi installed and for a while Eco+ worked fine.


We then got an issue where the Eddi was heating the immersion with the battery (not previous an issue before Zappi installed).


Before installing the Zappi MyEnergi initially said Eddi and Zappi would communicate 'wirelessly' and an additional CT clamp wouldn't be required. However I calling again to explain Eddi was now taking battery current for immersion, I was told (by another lad) that an additional CT clamp was necessary


So, paid the piper, and installed it (onto live cable between battery and inverter, and into 2nd CT port in Eddi).


I think this is when the Zappi Eco+ mode started taking charge from the grid. (The smart boost/boost is inactive at this time).


I'd also set the Eddi CT to "AC battery" and Grid Supply setting to "Avoid drain"

championc

JBinWaterford wrote: »

Has anyone had an issue whereby their Zappi still pulls charge from the grid, even though set to Eco+ (despite changing Eco+ setting to 100% green) ?


Since quoted post, I've had Zappi installed and for a while Eco+ worked fine.


We then got an issue where the Eddi was heating the immersion with the battery (not previous an issue before Zappi installed).


Before installing the Zappi MyEnergi initially said Eddi and Zappi would communicate 'wirelessly' and an additional CT clamp wouldn't be required. However I calling again to explain Eddi was now taking battery current for immersion, I was told (by another lad) that an additional CT clamp was necessary


So, paid the piper, and installed it (onto live cable between battery and inverter, and into 2nd CT port in Eddi).


I think this is when the Zappi Eco+ mode started taking charge from the grid. (The smart boost/boost is inactive at this time).


I'd also set the Eddi CT to "AC battery" and Grid Supply setting to "Avoid drain"

So how many CT's do you have ? You should have one on the Grid (configured as Grid), one on the AC side of your inverter (configured as Generation) and, if you have a SEPARATE battery / storage inverter (like a Powerwall), one on the AC side of this (configured as AC Battery). The Zappi and Eddi measure their own usage

Those CT's can be directly connected to either devices, and they will share this information between them, back to the Hub

JBinWaterford

championc wrote: »

So how many CT's do you have ? You should have one on the Grid (configured as Grid), one on the AC side of your inverter (configured as Generation) and, if you have a SEPARATE battery / storage inverter (like a Powerwall), one on the AC side of this (configured as AC Battery). The Zappi and Eddi measure their own usage

Those CT's can be directly connected to either devices, and they will share this information between them, back to the Hub

CTs (set in Eddi);
1-Internal Load
2-Grid
3-AC battery


The Zappi also has a CT which the sparks installed but assuming the Eddi reads this one 'wirelessly' as not hardwired to the Eddi


The battery (Givenergy LiFePO4), is connected to the inverter and so believe it's an AC coupled battery. The added (3) CT clamp is around the live between battery and inverter.



When I'd only 1 & 2 (above) set in this configuration (and before Zappi installation), the Eddi behaved fine, and no battery drain for the immersion.


But now, with the immersion using battery current and Zappi using grid whilst in Eco+, I'm scratching the head a fair bit.

(Oh, and I've no hub / Harvi, if this is relevant)

championc

If the battery is connected directly to the inverter, then it sounds like you have a Hybrid Inverter and that you are also trying to measure DC current going from a battery module back to the hybrid inverter. You cannot read DC current. You can only read AC.

Therefore, you can only have two external CT's - one for Grid and one for the output of the Hybrid inverter. Obviously, the Inverter output will continue after sunset since it will be discharging DC power which has been converted to AC.

So your CT on the DC cable between the battery bank and the inverter is likely screwing things up.

Mickeroo

You should be able to set an export margin in the zappi (and presumably in the Eddi too) under advanced settings, set it to like 50 or 100w. This should stop it pulling from the battery as it will keep a small bit of excess going to the grid when it diverts.

JBinWaterford

ChampionC - Yes, it's a hybrid inverter alright. Funny that now you've said that, it makes perfect sense that it's DC to/from the battery, tho I wasn't aware CT's can't "read" DC...every day a school day.

When you say:

"Therefore, you can only have two external CT's - one for Grid and one for the output of the Hybrid inverter. Obviously, the Inverter output will continue after sunset since it will be discharging DC power which has been converted to AC"

Again, makes sense, at least in so far as the Eddi has two external CT inputs (the first CT is "internal" to the Eddi I believe).
Myenergi were sure that another CT input was needed into the Eddi to "show" the battery charge/discharge, and hence apply the Supply Grid "Avoid Drain" setting on the Eddi...But may have to get guidance from them as to which cable this needs to be on.

In the meantime, I've "erased' the AC Battery CT Clamp setting as well as changed Eddi/Zappi comms channel (I have a home alarm on a possibly conflicting frequency), and lo and behold, the Zappi works okay again, and doesn't pull from either grid or battery whilst in Eco+ mode.

Feeling I've won a battle, tho not the war (yet !). Cheers :-)

JBinWaterford

Mickeroo wrote: »

You should be able to set an export margin in the zappi (and presumably in the Eddi too) under advanced settings, set it to like 50 or 100w. This should stop it pulling from the battery as it will keep a small bit of excess going to the grid when it diverts.

Thanks Mickeroo - Yep - I get the logic there. Have done just that, this evening

JBinWaterford

Jeditraining1 wrote: »

Anyone know who is the wholesaler for Zappi chargers in the Republic of Ireland? I'm more so looking for information than to buy one.

I got mine from Midsummer Renwables. Tho I believe others stock them too, and possibly at least as competitively (Tho these guys were very helpful and prompt delivering)



Address: 410N Grants Park, Greenoge, Greenogue Business Park, Co. Dublin,

Phone: (01) 969 7687



Note to mods: Humble apologies if adding company names against site rules - I'll know if post taken down.

championc

JBinWaterford wrote: »

Myenergi were sure that another CT input was needed into the Eddi to "show" the battery charge/discharge, and hence apply the Supply Grid "Avoid Drain" setting on the Eddi...But may have to get guidance from them as to which cable this needs to be on.

Somehow they obviously thought that your battery was it's own totally separate unit, with it's own separate inverter unit. Whereas your Givenergy "box" of batteries is just that - connected to the Hybrid inveryer

So MyEnergi CT's would only be connected the the AC lead coming in or out of any unit to be measured.

Gumbo

Guys,

Considering a zappi now to take account of excess solar PV generation.

I currently have my charger installed so all the wiring etc is fine and I can add or remove chargers as I wish and have done over the rears.

I have a 3kw array with a MyEnergi Eddi hot water divertor.
If I install the zappi, what do I need in order for eco+ mode to work?
Will it take priority over the hot water divertor or how does that set up
Work?

Thanks.

championc

Since you will already have the CT Clamps in place, once you install the Zappi, it will appear on the MyEnergi app. You can then drag the Zappi icon to 10 o'clock position, with the Eddi below it. The Zappi will then receive charge once excess exceeds 1.4kw