Damage to PW When Fully Drained?

[dandrewk]

I have an ongoing issue with my gateway (described in another thread here), result being I have no data logging or control via the app or the gateway's WiFi interface. The issue surfaced over three weeks ago, and the batteries are now off (no LED lights). I assume they are drained, and have been that way for nearly two weeks.

I don't know how long this will take to be fixed, I am in "waiting of tier 2" hell. I do know that batteries do not like being in a fully drained state. Will this cause long term damage affecting battery longevity?

 

[BGbreeder]

When the Powerwalls get to a low charge state (5%-ish?), they will turn off. In the off state, the self discharge is extremely low. Another member here had his off for several months, and when turned on, had the same percentage charge level. I wouldn't sweat this dimension of your problems.

Sorry to hear that you are in Tier 2 hell. Whenever I have actually spoken with Tier 2 staff, they have been great. However, getting a problem to their attention is not pleasant, and the endless waiting for a response is painful. Doubly so, when the canned response comes back as "we don't see an issue." and you have to start the clock all over again.

All the best,

BG

 

[gpez]

When the Powerwalls get to a low charge state (5%-ish?), they will turn off. In the off state, the self discharge is extremely low. Another member here had his off for several months, and when turned on, had the same percentage charge level. I wouldn't sweat this dimension of your problems.

Sorry to hear that you are in Tier 2 hell. Whenever I have actually spoken with Tier 2 staff, they have been great. However, getting a problem to their attention is not pleasant, and the endless waiting for a response is painful. Doubly so, when the canned response comes back as "we don't see an issue." and you have to start the clock all over again.

All the best,

BG

My understanding its 10%, which is "reserved" even from the app. This isn't official but is what I read: Top 17 Tesla Powerwall Questions Answered

Also my understanding that NMCs don't like being fully discharged and deeper depth of discharge cycles are correlated with lowered capacity. Going all the way down to 0 isn't specifically uniquely damaging but doing so multiple times will wear out the battery faster. BU-808: How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries has some interesting data from experiments.

 

[dandrewk]

When the Powerwalls get to a low charge state (5%-ish?), they will turn off. In the off state, the self discharge is extremely low. Another member here had his off for several months, and when turned on, had the same percentage charge level. I wouldn't sweat this dimension of your problems.

Sorry to hear that you are in Tier 2 hell. Whenever I have actually spoken with Tier 2 staff, they have been great. However, getting a problem to their attention is not pleasant, and the endless waiting for a response is painful. Doubly so, when the canned response comes back as "we don't see an issue." and you have to start the clock all over again.

All the best,

BG

Thanks much for the info, as it was a source of concern. I had my minimum SOC set to 80% when the issue started. Coincidentally, soon after I got messages about a planned Virtual Power Plant sessions for several days. I suspect that drained the batteries down to the minimum. If I had known, I would have turned off that feature.

The Tier 1 staff has been great, and happily it only takes about 5-10 minutes to get them on the line. Besides talking through several normal steps and then upgrading to Tier 2, they have very little knowledge about timing. They will "reach out" to Tier 2, but that's as far as it goes.

 

[BGbreeder]

I would suggest politely Tier 1 calling back until you get a person who wants to dig in and help.

 

[sk00]

My understanding its 10%, which is "reserved" even from the app. This isn't official but is what I read: Top 17 Tesla Powerwall Questions Answered

Also my understanding that NMCs don't like being fully discharged and deeper depth of discharge cycles are correlated with lowered capacity. Going all the way down to 0 isn't specifically uniquely damaging but doing so multiple times will wear out the battery faster. BU-808: How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries has some interesting data from experiments.

Customer service told me that if Powerwalls fully drain, it would require a technician to visit to jump-start the batteries, similar to how you would with car batteries. They said this isn't ideal for the longevity of the Powerwalls.