Powerwall 2 dead! [After lightning event]

[Tomase13]

Please help! My powerwall to is dead and flashing green. I’ve done all the resetting and shutting off stuff already. I read somewhere I could “jump “ start the battery by applying 12V to the gateway1? Any insight or help would be great as I’ve been down for 2 weeks.

 

[jjrandorin]

Please help! My powerwall to is dead and flashing green. I’ve done all the resetting and shutting off stuff already. I read somewhere I could “jump “ start the battery by applying 12V to the gateway1? Any insight or help would be great as I’ve been down for 2 weeks.

I have no idea if jumping anything is going to help you in your circumstance, but I believe its discussed in this thread:

Restarting PW during power grid outage

While we had a power outage, I needed to stop the Powerwall for a bit. When I tried to bring it back, the Powerwalls did not start feeding the house. I wanted to find out if there is a proper way to do this. I followed the reset procedures I found online by switching the PW breakers and...

teslamotorsclub.com

Specifically:

I found this post that mentions enabling a cold start by supplying 12v to JUMP pins in this link:
PowerWall Cold Start without Grid Power

Bingo! I found the information on the JUMP pins in Tesla Powerwall installation manual, page 36.
https://www.tesla.com/sites/default...erwall_2_AC_GW2_NA_EN_Installation_Manual.pdf

Resume Powerwall Operation
AC grid not present (Off-grid or AC grid is down): Powerwall operation will only resume when the grid is back or a 12V jump start is provided to the Gateway

I think, but dont know for a fact, that green flashing (not pulsing) means lack of communication to the gateway.

 

[Tomase13]

Okay Tesla hasn’t been much help so instead of waiting for them to call me in 20-25 days I wanted to see if I could self diagnose. Again it’s flashing green all the time even if switch is off.

 

[SMAlset]

Okay Tesla hasn’t been much help so instead of waiting for them to call me in 20-25 days I wanted to see if I could self diagnose. Again it’s flashing green all the time even if switch is off.

Have you tried reaching Tesla Energy by phone to have them at least tell you what the lights indicate?

Wonder if @Vines has any advice for him.

 

[Vines]

Have you tried reaching Tesla Energy by phone to have them at least tell you what the lights indicate?

Wonder if @Vines has any advice for him.

Likely a communications issue as pointed out above, though without the electrician skills it's not a place an untrained homeowner should be poking around inside the PW unit.

If an experienced repair person were going to look in there, they might check to see that the 4 comm wires landed to the green plugs on both Powerwalls look good and if any wires are broken or sticking out of the plugs they probably need to be trimmed back and landed in the plug properly.

It's also totally possible that one of the PW units has an internal issue preventing communication and that only Tesla can diagnose this through their remote diagnostics. I would wait for Tesla if I was an untrained homeowner.

 

[Tomase13]

Have you tried reaching Tesla Energy by phone to have them at least tell you what the lights indicate?

Wonder if @Vines has any advice for him.

Likely a communications issue as pointed out above, though without the electrician skills it's not a place an untrained homeowner should be poking around inside the PW unit.

If an experienced repair person were going to look in there, they might check to see that the 4 comm wires landed to the green plugs on both Powerwalls look good and if any wires are broken or sticking out of the plugs they probably need to be trimmed back and landed in the plug properly.

It's also totally possible that one of the PW units has an internal issue preventing communication and that only Tesla can diagnose this through their remote diagnostics. I would wait for Tesla if I was an untrained homeowner.

I’m fully capable as I helped install it. I was on support calls

Likely a communications issue as pointed out above, though without the electrician skills it's not a place an untrained homeowner should be poking around inside the PW unit.

If an experienced repair person were going to look in there, they might check to see that the 4 comm wires landed to the green plugs on both Powerwalls look good and if any wires are broken or sticking out of the plugs they probably need to be trimmed back and landed in the plug properly.

It's also totally possible that one of the PW units has an internal issue preventing communication and that only Tesla can diagnose this through their remote diagnostics. I would wait for Tesla if I was an untrained homeowner.

I’m fully capable of troubleshooting it as I helped install it. They said it was a comms issue until I ran though everything with them then they said it would probably needs a “jump” start and support (level 1) couldn’t instruct me through that part. I did want to add this was after a close shot of lightning. I’ve verified all the comms are good all wires securely landed. To me it seems the battery is at 0 percent and won’t take a charge..

 

[Vines]

I’m fully capable as I helped install it. I was on support calls

I’m fully capable of troubleshooting it as I helped install it. They said it was a comms issue until I ran though everything with them then they said it would probably needs a “jump” start and support (level 1) couldn’t instruct me through that part. I did want to add this was after a close shot of lightning. I’ve verified all the comms are good all wires securely landed. To me it seems the battery is at 0 percent and won’t take a charge..

Do you have a Surge Protection Device on your main service panel? Sounds like you took a surge and I hope nothing was damaged.

Sounds like Tesla needs to elevate and work on this in their queue.

 

[BGbreeder]

@Tomase13 Sorry to hear that your system is down. Did you get a chopstick and do a reset on the Gateway? (Dumb question, but I thought that I would ask.) If you have already powered cycled everything and left the switches / breakers off for ten minutes, then it looks from here like something failed.

I have to say that if this happened after a lightning event, my money would be on a surge frying something, likely the Gateway, to at least some portion thereof. If you don't already have a whole house surge protector installed, I would install one, preferably a large, given your location.

@Vines is my memory correct that the "12V Jump" for the system is only in the case that there is a) no grid, and b) solar?

All the best,

BG

 

[jjrandorin]

I did want to add this was after a close shot of lightning

Maybe its just me, because I troubleshoot stuff for a living in my day job, but I really dislike it when important details are left out. For me, there is a pretty large difference between "My system doesnt work and tesla wont help me!" and "I had a lightning event, now my system doesnt work and its taking tesla a long time to figure out what is going on".

Anyway, wishing you the best on getting it sorted out.

 

[Vines]

@Tomase13 Sorry to hear that your system is down. Did you get a chopstick and do a reset on the Gateway? (Dumb question, but I thought that I would ask.) If you have already powered cycled everything and left the switches / breakers off for ten minutes, then it looks from here like something failed.

I have to say that if this happened after a lightning event, my money would be on a surge frying something, likely the Gateway, to at least some portion thereof. If you don't already have a whole house surge protector installed, I would install one, preferably a large, given your location.

@Vines is my memory correct that the "12V Jump" for the system is only in the case that there is a) no grid, and b) solar?

All the best,

BG

Correct, this can bring the system back after a prolonged outage where the PW completely discharged. If the grid is providing power to the home and GW2 I do not think it is appropriate.

If a lightning event happened to start this failure, then this needs more professional troubleshooting than I can provide.

 

[Vines]

Maybe its just me, because I troubleshoot stuff for a living in my day job, but I really dislike it when important details are left out. For me, there is a pretty large difference between "My system doesnt work and tesla wont help me!" and "I had a lightning event, now my system doesnt work and its taking tesla a long time to figure out what is going on".

Anyway, wishing you the best on getting it sorted out.

Agreed, and here is the SPD I put in my Siemens 400A panel. Protection is worth is weight in gold with such expensive equipment installed. Cheaper ones and more expensive ones are available, but as not much lightning strikes here, I went with the 100k amp version.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013WINLIO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 or the larger version which is actually cheaper from this seller for whatever reason:
https://www.amazon.com/Siemens-FS14...26304&s=hi&sprefix=fs140+spd,tools,207&sr=1-5

 

[BGbreeder]

I went with the bigger (FS140)Siemens, as I found it to be less expensive, and had much more capacity than most of the other home models on the market. Keep an eye on the stated rise time, as that also translates to distance, as I have mentioned elsewhere. Faster means that the voltage spike goes a shorter distance. It also means that you want these surge protectors installed in the main service panel as close to the main breaker as possible.

To me the price is very small compared to what it is protecting, and to the hassle factor of dealing with any surge related issues, as @Tomase13 is experiencing.

All the best,

BG

 

[zƬesla]

It also means that you want these surge protectors installed in the main service panel as close to the main breaker as possible.

I thought these were get installed right on the main breaker?

For people installing them, are you you also getting a surge protector for cable?

 

[Vines]

I thought these were get installed right on the main breaker?

For people installing them, are you you also getting a surge protector for cable?

I am not sure what you are asking here.

The directions say to connect it as close as possible to the main breaker, so I close the topmost slot in my service panel distribution bus.

This device will sponge up voltage spikes, but to do its job it needs to be closest to the surge source than any other device.

 

[BGbreeder]

I thought these were get installed right on the main breaker?

For people installing them, are you you also getting a surge protector for cable?

As @Vines wrote, these are generally installed adjacent to the main breaker. They are not installed "on" the main breaker. Some versions are built into a breaker, which then is installed adjacent to the main breaker, but most use a 240V volt breaker that gets located adjacent to the main breaker.

FWIW: For some units, the warranty is only valid if installed by a licensed electrician. My two cents is to know your own abilities and to read the fine print if you are considering a self installation.

@zƬesla Yes, I have additional surge protection devices elsewhere around the house. A nearby lightning strike has the ability to generate induced voltages that are damaging to electronics through the air, so almost everything with a semiconductor in it has had surge protector between the device and the outlet. The solar, powerwalls, electric dryer and furnace leap to mind as exceptions in this house, and hence the whole house version.

All the best,

BG

 

[zƬesla]

Thanks @Vines and @BGbreeder! When I first looked at the posting, I read it as breaker panel install (vs main breaker install); thus the confusion.

I'd have an electrician do it. I'm fine with low voltage, but anything beyond it I'm not entirely comfortable.

Guess I'd need 2 - one for the main grid breaker and the other for the main solar breaker as I have pole-mounted panels. Plus cable and phone line ones too. Sheesh, this adds up fast.