Solar iboost not working

[Mary 12345]

We have a solar iboost which was working fine then suddenly stopped. If you turn it off at the mains and then on again, it says low voltage and heats via solar initially with a high reading then this drops until zero and it states heating off. Amy ideas on what the problem could be? Thanks

 

[marconi]

Dear Mary12345: I cannot find a message which says 'low voltage' but I did find one 'Sender battery low'; perhaps this is what you meant. If it was 'Sender battery low' then you need to replace the two AA batteries in the sender; do not use rechargeable batteries - only use normal alkaline as you buy in the shops.

The sender is this device which connects via a lead to the clamp around a cable near the meter:

Solar iBoost+ Sender - Marlec - https://www.marlec.co.uk/product/solar-iboost-sender/

 

[Mary 12345]

Dear Mary12345: I cannot find a message which says 'low voltage' but I did find one 'Sender battery low'; perhaps this is what you meant. If it was 'Sender battery low' then you need to replace the two AA batteries in the sender; do not use rechargeable batteries - only use normal alkaline as you buy in the shops.

The sender is this device which connects via a lead to the clamp around a cable near the meter:

Solar iBoost+ Sender - Marlec - https://www.marlec.co.uk/product/solar-iboost-sender/

We have changed the batteries in the sender and no difference. The light on the sender is flashing intermittently and the little Wi-fi signal is also flashing on the iboost itself. The low voltage message appears briefly as you switch the mains switch back on on the iboost, the. It is replaced with the version/model details briefly then goes to normal display and the blue light comes on and heats via solar initially at a level expected for the weather but this then slowly drops/decreases until the display reads heating off. You can then turn the iboost off again via the mains and on again and the whole process is repeated but obviously can’t do this all the time.....

 

[marconi]

Thank you. I will look into it tomorrow and if needs be contact the manufacturer.

 

[marconi]

Mary12345: Good morning Madam. To submit a query I need to know the following information:

1. Press display and please tell me the savings made today, yesterday, last seven days, last 28 days etc.

2. Is it the Iboost or Iboost plus?

3. Do you know when it was installed and by whom?

4. Do you have battery storage for your PV system?

5. Does the green light on the sender flash?

6. Does the radio symbol (top right) on the iBoost display flash? It looks like a Christmas tree with waves.

7. Are you still able to heat the water using the electric immersion element?

Thank you.

 

[Mary 12345]

Mary12345: Good morning Madam. To submit a query I need to know the following information:

1. Press display and please tell me the savings made today, yesterday, last seven days, last 28 days etc.

2. Is it the Iboost or Iboost plus?

3. Do you know when it was installed and by whom?

4. Do you have battery storage for your PV system?

5. Does the green light on the sender flash?

6. Does the radio symbol (top right) on the iBoost display flash? It looks like a Christmas tree with waves.

7. Are you still able to heat the water using the electric immersion element?

Thank you.

1 - today 0; yesterday 0; last 7 0.36 (me turning it on and off otherwise would be 0); last 28 days 95.99; total 5198.00

2- iboost

3- can’t find any paperwork apart from the manual - think we had it installed just after the solar panels in 2016 ish

4- no

5- yes

6- yes

7- yes; kicks in when press boost, haven’t left on to see if heats water to full temperature over time as is expensive and we have an oil boiler to heat water

Thank you

 

[marconi]

I have submitted a query into Marlec the manufacturer. If I were to hazard a guess on what is wrong I think the iBoost's internal 'keep alive' battery is flat.

 

[Mary 12345]

I have submitted a query into Marlec the manufacturer. If I were to hazard a guess on what is wrong I think the iBoost's internal 'keep alive' battery is flat.

Thank you so much, that makes sense, does that mean we need a complete new iboost or can just the battery be replaced?

 

[marconi]

I will attempt to call MARLEC today - I received an 'all to busy because of C19' in response to my on-line query. You must be very disappointed not to be harvesting the sunshine.

 

[marconi]

Mary12345: Eventually my telephone call to MARLEC went through to a recorded message: 'blah, blah, blah, covid, difficult time, blah, etcetera'. The advice in it is to do what I have done for you already - complete an on-line query and wait for a response. We will have to be patient.

 

[marconi]

Mary12345: I received this email from MARLEC which you can read below. The first step is to arrange for an electrician to check the mains electricity supply to the IBoost. A 30 minute visit by an electrician will soon confirm if power is or is not available and that the element and thermostat are satisfactory. Armed with this information you can then contact Angela Lovell, tell them what the electrician found and then arrange for MARLEC to take a look at the unit noting though that at the moment their service to customer has changed temporarily.


Marconi

Angela Lovell <[email protected]>
23/04/2020 14:37
1
Good Afternoon

This will be a problem perhaps with the voltage into the property or at least what is reaching the Solar iBoost please check the unit has been installed correctly, details on the Marlec website.
If possible have an electrician check this for you. If he checks this na (not applicable) and if continues we will have to take a look at your unit however at the minute the office is closed and we are not accepting returns and cannot test equipment.

kind regards

Angela Lovell - Sales Co-ordinator

Tel: +44(0)1536 201588 [email protected] www.marlec.co.uk www.solariboost.co.uk

 

[Mary 12345]

Mary12345: I received this email from MARLEC which you can read below. The first step is to arrange for an electrician to check the mains electricity supply to the IBoost. A 30 minute visit by an electrician will soon confirm if power is or is not available and that the element and thermostat are satisfactory. Armed with this information you can then contact Angela Lovell, tell them what the electrician found and then arrange for MARLEC to take a look at the unit noting though that at the moment their service to customer has changed temporarily.


Marconi

Angela Lovell <[email protected]>
23/04/2020 14:37
1
Good Afternoon

This will be a problem perhaps with the voltage into the property or at least what is reaching the Solar iBoost please check the unit has been installed correctly, details on the Marlec website.
If possible have an electrician check this for you. If he checks this na (not applicable) and if continues we will have to take a look at your unit however at the minute the office is closed and we are not accepting returns and cannot test equipment.

kind regards

Angela Lovell - Sales Co-ordinator

Tel: +44(0)1536 201588 [email protected] www.marlec.co.uk www.solariboost.co.uk

Thanks you; yes frustrating not to be able to use the sun to its full potential. From this and all your advise I think it is something to do with the unit or it’s electrical supply but appreciate not much can be done until covid19 is over. Stay safe

 

[marconi]

If you don't have a regular electrician then you might look at the 'Local Electricians' tab at the very top of the page to search for one who might be prepared to visit and observe the social distancing rules. You could fumigate him/her before they entered your home if you were worried.

 

[Grumpy_Wombat]

Hi, just seen this thread and my be able to offer some help, shame on the information you have received so far though.

Firstly, what you describe is normal start-up behaviour for an iBoost. When it is first switched on it displays "Low Voltage" (reasonable, there was no voltage) then the software version and then it briefly provides power to the tank to check that that works. Indeed, if you switch an iboost on at night, that is exactly what it does, so it seems unlikely that you have anything wrong with the main iBoost unit.

The symptoms you describe are, however, consistent with the iBoost sender believing that there is no spare power to divert to the immersion heater and this points to the sender unit (or worse). The sender measures the current (power) being fed back into the power grid (exported) and gives that information to the main iBoost controller so that it can adjust the amount of power it sends to the tank, aiming to always export a little.

We know your sender unit is talking to the main iBoost controller so communications are not the problem. So immediate thoughts are:

a) hate to say it, but is your solar system generating as it should be and generating the expected amount (don't know your details so can't be more exact)
b) now check that the thin cable from the send to the current clamp (the square block that clips to your live power feed) is undamaged
c) check that the current clamp is firmly clipped on the right mains input cable. This must be the live feed from either the utility company fuse or isolator switch. The current clamp has a latch on it to be able to fit or remove it and this latch must be firmly closed so the clamp tight right round the relevant cable
d) if the current clamp has been removed for any reason do check that it has been put back on the right way round (yes, it needs to "face" the right way!). If you want a picture of a clamp in position just ask.
d) And if none of these things apply then suspect that the sender has died - but that seems unlikely.
Hope that helps before you run up too many bills.

 

[Grumpy_Wombat]

Hi, just seen this thread and my be able to offer some help, shame on the information you have received so far though.

Firstly, what you describe is normal start-up behaviour for an iBoost. When it is first switched on it displays "Low Voltage" (reasonable, there was no voltage) then the software version and then it briefly provides power to the tank to check that that works. Indeed, if you switch an iboost on at night, that is exactly what it does, so it seems unlikely that you have anything wrong with the main iBoost unit.

The symptoms you describe are, however, consistent with the iBoost sender believing that there is no spare power to divert to the immersion heater and this points to the sender unit (or worse). The sender measures the current (power) being fed back into the power grid (exported) and gives that information to the main iBoost controller so that it can adjust the amount of power it sends to the tank, aiming to always export a little.

We know your sender unit is talking to the main iBoost controller so communications are not the problem. So immediate thoughts are:

a) hate to say it, but is your solar system generating as it should be and generating the expected amount (don't know your details so can't be more exact)
b) now check that the thin cable from the send to the current clamp (the square block that clips to your live power feed) is undamaged
c) check that the current clamp is firmly clipped on the right mains input cable. This must be the live feed from either the utility company fuse or isolator switch. The current clamp has a latch on it to be able to fit or remove it and this latch must be firmly closed so the clamp tight right round the relevant cable
d) if the current clamp has been removed for any reason do check that it has been put back on the right way round (yes, it needs to "face" the right way!). If you want a picture of a clamp in position just ask.
d) And if none of these things apply then suspect that the sender has died - but that seems unlikely.
Hope that helps before you run up too many bills.

e) The PS. If you have an Iboost+ then do check that the clamp is firmly plugged into the sender unit (it's captive on iBoost units).

 

[Mary 12345]

Hi, just seen this thread and my be able to offer some help, shame on the information you have received so far though.

Firstly, what you describe is normal start-up behaviour for an iBoost. When it is first switched on it displays "Low Voltage" (reasonable, there was no voltage) then the software version and then it briefly provides power to the tank to check that that works. Indeed, if you switch an iboost on at night, that is exactly what it does, so it seems unlikely that you have anything wrong with the main iBoost unit.

The symptoms you describe are, however, consistent with the iBoost sender believing that there is no spare power to divert to the immersion heater and this points to the sender unit (or worse). The sender measures the current (power) being fed back into the power grid (exported) and gives that information to the main iBoost controller so that it can adjust the amount of power it sends to the tank, aiming to always export a little.

We know your sender unit is talking to the main iBoost controller so communications are not the problem. So immediate thoughts are:

a) hate to say it, but is your solar system generating as it should be and generating the expected amount (don't know your details so can't be more exact)
b) now check that the thin cable from the send to the current clamp (the square block that clips to your live power feed) is undamaged
c) check that the current clamp is firmly clipped on the right mains input cable. This must be the live feed from either the utility company fuse or isolator switch. The current clamp has a latch on it to be able to fit or remove it and this latch must be firmly closed so the clamp tight right round the relevant cable
d) if the current clamp has been removed for any reason do check that it has been put back on the right way round (yes, it needs to "face" the right way!). If you want a picture of a clamp in position just ask.
d) And if none of these things apply then suspect that the sender has died - but that seems unlikely.
Hope that helps before you run up too many bills.

Thank you for your help. Our solar system is functioning as expected (our electric meter and solar meter are both in the living room, we have created 701kwh since our last feed in statement; one due now and this is In line with what we have made at this time of year in previous years. The electric meter shows red (no power being used from the grid) for most of the day apart from the obvious when kettle or electric oven is on - we have never used huge amounts of electricity as a family so the iboost has always worked well for us until now.... The sender is flashing a green light to indicate working and the clamp is on the right way (had that issue a few years ago when an electrician came to replace our old meter and attached the clamp upside down). The wire from the sender to the clamp seem ok. Could the clamp itself be faulty? With the main iboost unit, we normally leave this switched on permanently via the mains switch, even when we go on holiday as the unit heats the hot water and switches off when hot. When we first noticed a few weeks ago that the water was not very hot despite a sunny day, we did the typical cure used on electronics and turned the iboost off at the power supply, counted to 10 and turned it back on. The iboost then started heating the hot water with the excess power being generated but this then slowly decreased until 0. When the previous replies we were thinking that maybe the power supply from the mains socket to the iboost is faulty / not supplying enough power but have no tools to check this. Do the iboosts have a life expectancy? Ours was installed a few years ago around 2016/2017; I can’t find any paperwork to confirm but I know it was a little while after the solar panels which were put in 2015

 

[Grumpy_Wombat]

OK, well that deals with a lot of the queries. There, is, of course, one other possibility and that is that your tank thermostat (the one in the immersion heater) has become dodgy and the problem is nothing to do with the iBoost at all.. It's easy enough to test this and the wiring to the unit (although I think the wiring is unlikely) at the same time and that is to wait for a reasonably sunny period and put the iBoost into boost mode and leave it for a few hours. Now, that might cost a small amount of electricity if the sun isn't strong enough, but if the tank heats up properly you will have tested both the thermostat and the wiring. And that would leave the unlikely faulty sender or clamp.
In answer to your question about how long should an iboost last. My answer would be more than 5 years and if it failed it would most likely be completely dead. It would, frankly, be that last thing I thought about changing. But then, I've learnt to be surprised. By just about everything.
But just two other questions … how many solar panels do you have and did you say that the iBoost/immersion heater is plugged in using a normal 13A mains socket/plug and not a fixed cable?

 

[Mary 12345]

OK, well that deals with a lot of the queries. There, is, of course, one other possibility and that is that your tank thermostat (the one in the immersion heater) has become dodgy and the problem is nothing to do with the iBoost at all.. It's easy enough to test this and the wiring to the unit (although I think the wiring is unlikely) at the same time and that is to wait for a reasonably sunny period and put the iBoost into boost mode and leave it for a few hours. Now, that might cost a small amount of electricity if the sun isn't strong enough, but if the tank heats up properly you will have tested both the thermostat and the wiring. And that would leave the unlikely faulty sender or clamp.
In answer to your question about how long should an iboost last. My answer would be more than 5 years and if it failed it would most likely be completely dead. It would, frankly, be that last thing I thought about changing. But then, I've learnt to be surprised. By just about everything.
But just two other questions … how many solar panels do you have and did you say that the iBoost/immersion heater is plugged in using a normal 13A mains socket/plug and not a fixed cable?

Yes to 13 amp mains socket and 16 panels

 

[Grumpy_Wombat]

Hmm, I'm surprised at the 13Amp socket, because that is not normal for an immersion heater. Indeed, an immersion heater is close to the maximum a 13A socket can handle and in practice some of the lesser quality plugs and sockets tend to overheat. The immersion heater should be on a separate cable back to your consumer unit (fuse box) and connected by fixed wiring to the iBoost/immersion heater. (For example using a Screwfix 58085). In my opinion this should be looked at by a qualified electrician because there are potential safety issues there.
That said, yes, with 16 panels on a sunny day you will be fine to test the "boost" function to check the tank becomes fully hot without it costing you anything much. And so I would encourage you to do that boost test and see if the tank heats up properly.

 

[marconi]

Dear Mary 12345 with a nod to Grumpy_Wombat :

Lord Finchley tried to mend the Electric Light
Himself. It struck him dead: And serve him right!
It is the business of the wealthy man
To give employment to the artisan.

Hilaire Belloc

My professional advice remains as earlier (public in #11 and private). Stay safe etcetera......