sol-ark 8K Install Manual & Owner’s Manual
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sol-ark 8K Install Manual & Owner’s Manual

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Sol-Ark 8K Install Guide & Owner's Manual
S
P
YSTEM
LACEMENT
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G
T
& G
FF
RID
IPS
RID
S
P
M
ELECTING
OWER
ODES
B
S
& L
ATTERY
ETTING
IMITER
P
HONE
E
MAIL
W
EBSITE
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/ N
B
T
IE
O
ATT
IPS
/
/
SENSORS
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A
-S
ENSOR
UTO
ETUP
CONTACT US
August 3, 2019
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1-972-575-8875
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SOL
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WWW
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  • Page 1: Table Of Contents

    Sol-Ark 8K Install Guide & Owner’s Manual INSTALL GUIDE 1-24 ABLE OF ONTENTS ISCLAIMER OMPONENT UIDE YSTEM LACEMENT RANSFER WITCH OUNTING ATTERY IRING 9-10 OLAR ANEL IRING YSTEM IAGRAM ARGE ENERATOR XAMPLE IAGRAM ACKUP ENERATOR ETUP & T ENSOR LACEMENT...

  • Page 2: Disclaimer

    CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL, WHICH MIGHT ARISE OUT OF THE USE OF SUCH INFORMATION. THE USE OF ANY SUCH INFORMATION WILL BE ENTIRELY AT THE USER’S RISK. Sol-Ark cannot be responsible for system failure, damages, or injury resulting from improper installation of their products.

  • Page 3: Component Guide

    WIFI plug, not both, picture indicates what the plugs look like) d. Limiter Sensors: for “Limited-to-Home Mode” e. French Cleat: For wall mounting the Sol-Ark 8K f. Battery Temperature Sensor: For voltage adjustment g. Battery Cables (If purchased) h.
  • Page 4 Component Distance Guide WIRE RUN LENGTH: SEE DIAGRAM FOR WIRE GAUGE (AWG) RECOMMENDATIONS, PAGE 11 FOR COMPLETE DETAIL IF PROGRAMMED TO SMART LOAD DO NOT CONNECT GENERATOR TO GEN PORT 4. Decide Critical Backup Circuits a. Decide which 10 circuits will be on backup power continuously. These circuits must use non- GFI breakers to work with the transfer switch.

  • Page 5: Transfer Switch

    Note: All AC wires should be 6 AWG (4 AWG OK) Important notes: When the transfer switch is in the “Gen” position, this means the circuit is being powered by the Sol-Ark (which can use Grid/Solar/Battery/Generator automatically). When in the “Line” position, the transfer switch is being powered by the grid (Sol-Ark can be removed).

  • Page 6: Mounting

    Then use 2-3 screws (appropriate in length and type for your mounting surface) to mount the French Cleat to the board/wall (washers recommended). e. Mount the Sol-Ark on the installed cleat making sure that it sits properly and is level. f. Add 2 screws in bottom mounts.

  • Page 7: Battery Wiring

    8. Connect Batteries (Sol-Ark should be POWERED “OFF”) a. Connect the batteries to the Sol-Ark 8K as shown in the diagrams Fig. B below: b. Fig. A: Install included ferrites (part k. on pg. 3) on the battery input cables.
  • Page 8 August 3, 2019...

  • Page 9: Solar Panel Wiring

    9. Solar Panel Install Fig. E: Suggested Solar Panel String Guide 1. Sol-Ark 8K has 2 separate pairs of solar panel inputs. (60 or 72 cell Panels, 305W/Panel or less) (Dual MPPT) 2. Use the chart to the right to determine how many strings of panels and how many panels per string can be installed.
  • Page 10 If using Y-Connectors: (Running two strings in parallel, totaling 18A (self-limiting) Note: separate wires can be used per string, and string minimum is 5 panels or 175V) (If using Panel Stands) August 3, 2019...

  • Page 11: System Wire Diagram

    August 3, 2019...

  • Page 12: Large Generator Example Diagram

    August 3, 2019...

  • Page 13: Backup Gas Generator Setup

    CanBus & RS485 i. In order to connect batteries to the Sol-Ark 8K via RJ45, you will need to splice the end that connects to the Sol-Ark 8K. Use the middle two conductors.

  • Page 14: Battery Settings And Wifi Setup

    14. Programming Battery Settings a. Battery Size i. This allows Sol-Ark to know the size of the battery bank. The system is also self-learning as batteries age. ii. Main Menu → System Settings → Battery Setup → Batt → Batt Capacity b.
  • Page 15 WIFI (Via Cell Phone or computer) i. Plug WIFI dongle into Sol-Ark ii. If using a cell phone, turn off cellular iii. Using your device look for WIFI networks and select the one that matches the PN number on your dongle ▪...
  • Page 16 August 3, 2019...
  • Page 17 August 3, 2019...
  • Page 18 Manual Wi-Fi Setup without phone app (Skip if you used the phone app setup) Username: admin Password: admin Select “English” Select: “STA Interface Setting” Select: “Search” If Network Password: Enter it here and Apply Select: “Device Management” Then Restart Dongle Select Your Network Then Apply Note: If you setup a new password for your WIFI, the first character of the password must be either 0-9 or A-Z and “=”...
  • Page 19 ▪ Fill in the credentials and make sure to remember or write down your login credentials Note 1: The PN number is the number on the WIFI dongle that is connected to the Sol-Ark Note 2: Registration of your system can also be done via the Smart ESS App...

  • Page 20: Emp Suppressor Installation

    Uninstall phone app and reinstall. • How to Reset the WIFI Dongle o While the dongle is plugged into the Sol-Ark and has power, press and hold the reset button for 10 seconds. The LED should turn red. o If Your dongle does not have a reset button, log into it and click “reset” under the device management tab.

  • Page 21: Rapid Shutdown Diagrams

    Rapid Shutdown Hardware Diagram (Midnight RSD per PV string) Note: Transmitter fits inside the user area of the Sol-Ark 8K If String Level rapid shutdown is required for your install, each string of panels must have its own receiver module.

  • Page 22: Specifications

    August 3, 2019...
  • Page 23 • If you would like to use a wind turbine in conjunction with Sol-Ark 8K, the turbine must have a 48V charge controller with a dump load as to prevent overcharging of the batteries. Simply connect the charge controller on the turbine to the battery bank the Sol-Ark is using and the turbine will help charge your batteries.

  • Page 24: Powering On The System / Indicator Led S

    • Grid Sell Back o This Mode allows Sol-Ark 8K to sell back any excess power produced by the solar panels to the grid. o If home has a backup generator, this mode requires Limiter Sensors. See “Backup Generator Setup”...
  • Page 25 Sol-Ark but your normal home wiring to distribute the Generator’s power (through your existing Gen transfer switch). o If off grid, connect the output of the Generator directly to the Grid input on the Sol-Ark 8K. It can then treat the generator as if it were the grid.
  • Page 26 Touch the gear icon → Touch the Basic Setup button → Select the Advanced tab (see Fig. G). 3) Select “Auto detect Home Limit Sensors” and press ok. 4) Wait for the Sol-Ark to finish its learning process (Sol-Ark will alternate sell back between legs and magnitude automatically determining the correct settings for the sensors).

  • Page 27: Screens

    Screens • Home Screen (Touchscreen) Hold 3s to Force Smart Load Settings Grid Graphical View Detailed Volts PV Graphical View View Solar Power Production Battery Power Grid Power Load Power Charge(negative)/Discharge(positive) Sell(negative)/Buy(positive) Consumption • Detailed Volts View o Top row = Total power for column o Middle Row = Line 1/PV1 voltage, Amps, and Watts (note: PV Voltage not to exceed 500) o Bottom Row = Line 2/PV2 voltage, Amps, and Watts (note: PV Voltage not to exceed 500) o Batt Temperature will show -20°C if temperature sensor is not connected.
  • Page 28 • PV Graphical View o Displays power production over time for the PV array o Use up/down buttons to navigate between days o Month view, Year view, and Total view • Grid Graphical View o Displays power drawn from and sold to the grid over time o Bars above the line indicate power bought from the grid o Bars below the line indicate power sold back to the grid o This view can be helpful in determining when the most power is...
  • Page 29 ▪ Absorption: Set value appropriate for the batteries connected to the system using chart (Page • Absorption will stop at 1% of the capacity of the battery bank and drop to float • Ex: 400Ah battery would be 4A ▪ Equalization: Set value appropriate for the batteries connected to the system using chart (Page 15) ▪...
  • Page 30 To use the Grid input breaker as a micro inverter AC coupled input, check the “For Micro inverter Input” box (this feature will also work with “Grid-Tied” Inverters) ▪ 13kW = Maximum combined input to Sol-Ark (AC+DC) • Best: 3kWAC + 10kWDC •...
  • Page 31 • 120/240 Split Phase (North America) • 120/208V 3 Phase • Note: If 120/208V, the L1 and L2 are phase specific. So, you may have to swap Grid L1 L2 for 208V applications. • Note: Inverter power cycle is required each time the input/output voltage is changed ▪...

  • Page 32: Battery Charge /Discharge Reference

    Battery Charging Information 4-Stage Charging The MPPT has a 4-stage battery charging algorithm for rapid, efficient, and safe battery charging. The figure below shows the stage sequence. MPPT Charging Algorithm Bulk Charge Stage In Bulk Charge stage, the battery is not at 100% state of charge and battery voltage has not yet charged to the Absorption voltage setpoint.

  • Page 33: Warranty

    This Warranty applies to the original Sol-Ark Product purchaser and is transferable only if the Product remains installed in the original use location. Please call Sol-Ark to let us know if you are selling your home and give us name and contact of the new owner.

  • Page 34: Troubleshooting Guide / Error Codes

    Auto Gen-Start not working o Check to make sure your generator is compatible with Auto Start o Make sure that the Auto Gen Start wire is connected properly to the Sol-Ark 8K and the generator • Normal LED isn’t on o Sol-Ark 8K is not working properly (Call us) •...
  • Page 35 Select “General Standard” instead of UL1741. Then widen the voltage range to 53Hz-65Hz. • Color Touchscreen is Frozen o Press and hold the escape button [] for 7-10 seconds Sol-Ark 8K Error Codes Fault information Instruction Common Cause/Remedy DC_Inversed_Failure Battery Input Polarity is reversed, Turn off system &...
  • Page 36 DC_Feedback_Fault Contact Sol-Ark.com BusUnbalance_Fault Too much load one leg (L1 or L2) Vs the other leg DC_Insulation_ISO_Fault Contact Sol-Ark.com DCIOver_M1_Fault Contact Sol-Ark.com AC_AirSwitch_Fault Contact Sol-Ark.com AC_MainContactor_Fault Contact Sol-Ark.com AC_SlaveContactor_Fault Contact Sol-Ark.com DCIOver_M2_Fault Contact Sol-Ark.com AC_OverCurr_Fault Usually caused by Loads that are too large...

  • Page 37: Common Battery Application Note

    Common Battery Application Notes Sol-Ark PCC-230 Battery Batt Capacity: 230Ah x #Parallel_Batteries Time Watts GridCharge (1 parallel = 4 Batt in series, 2 = 8 Batt, 3 = 12 Batt, 4 =16 Batt) 1:00AM 1500*Par_Batts 50% Max A Charge: 100A x #Parallel_Batteries...

  • Page 38: Wire Gauge Guide

    Wire Gauge Guide 15.875mm (5/8in) 23.813mm (15/16in) PV input: 10AWG 4/0 AWG Max 2/0 AWG Max Grid input: 6-4AWG Limiter Limiter Sensor Gen input: 6-4AWG Sensor Large Small Load output: 6-4AWG Inputs Inputs All Sensors: 20-24AWG 100A: 50mA Battery input: 2/0-4/0AWG (3/8 Lugs) 200A: 0.1A 15.875mm (5/8in)

  • Page 39: Install Testing Checklist

    7. Did you program the correct battery charge voltages for your battery type? Y/N 8. Turn off the AC breaker so 8K is operating in off grid mode for several minutes. Are appliances still powered? Y/N 9. Turn off PV input, running only on batteries for several minutes. Are appliances still powered? Y/N...
  • Page 40 In Limited To Home Mode HM values will be close to zero. HM values should never be negative. If negative, the Limiter Sensors are not installed properly. 10. Turn on PV input and AC Grid inputs. 11. Did you setup Wi-Fi plug to the customer’s internet? Y/N 12.

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