Powerwall 2 + UPS Connundrum - and solution

[wbhokie]

I guess I got lucky since I did not have to provide any devices to prove I needed the change.

Depends on the person you get. Some people go "by the book" and others just work their tickets if they know how.

 

[GaitherBill]

The guy I spoke to just said "yeah, it would suck to have to buy a new UPS, I'll forward the change order".

 

[dc81]

I submitted through the app and they came back asking for model numbers. However, the next day they said the change was made. They didn't tell me the freq and I never sent in my the models numbers. However, I was able to confirm they changed it to 62.5 Hz when testing it.

 

[thegdgteer]

I submitted through the app and they came back asking for model numbers. However, the next day they said the change was made. They didn't tell me the freq and I never sent in my the models numbers. However, I was able to confirm they changed it to 62.5 Hz when testing it.

I'm still waiting for confirmation from my request last week. How did you go about confirming the new setting?

 

[wjgjr]

I'm still waiting for confirmation from my request last week. How did you go about confirming the new setting?

I don't believe there is any customer-viewable setting to see what the frequency is set to, so the only way to confirm is to take yourself off the grid when the battery is full. A few ways exist to test:

1. If you just want to confirm the frequency is below the UPS limit, disconnect from the grid and check its behavior. If it is not engaged when off grid, that likely indicates the frequency is now within the tolerances for the UPS.
2. You can check the actual frequency as reported by Tesla by logging into your gateway's local interface (an https://192.168.x.y address for most home networks) and then opening /api/meters/aggregates. It will show the frequency, which should normally be 60 Hz, rise during an outage. You can confirm that the rise is now to 62 or 62.5 Hz instead of 65 Hz.
3. To independently check frequency, others have posted options for items to purchase which can measure the frequency if you do not have something available to do so.

 

[h2ofun]

I'm still waiting for confirmation from my request last week. How did you go about confirming the new setting?

I just put a kill a watt meter in the outlet, and turned off the breaker, and watched things work. Nice and easy

 

[gpez]

I'm still waiting for confirmation from my request last week. How did you go about confirming the new setting?

I have the CyberPower equivalent of the 5S700LCD which shows the input power frequency on the LCD, perhaps your Eaton does as well? It's coarse, only to the 0.1hz, but works.

 

[dc81]

I confirmed by API, but you will also know when you don't hear all the UPS beeping. The only way to test is by having a full PW and killing the grid.

 

[dc81]

Didn't notice this before, but you may be able to verify the override in the api.

https://teg/api/site_info now has this

    "grid_code_overrides": [
      {
        "name": "soc_freq_droop_config_df_max",
        "value": 2.5
      }
    ]

 

[gpez]

Didn't notice this before, but you may be able to verify the override in the api.

https://teg/api/site_info now has this

    "grid_code_overrides": [
      {
        "name": "soc_freq_droop_config_df_max",
        "value": 2.5
      }
    ]

Cool, nice find! Looks like the value is base frequency + soc_freq_droop_config_df_max? So for me in the US it would be 60hz + 2hz = 62hz which is what I experience during outages.

"grid_code_overrides":[
{
   "name":"soc_freq_droop_config_df_max",
   "value":2
}

 

[thegdgteer]

I confirmed by API, but you will also know when you don't hear all the UPS beeping. The only way to test is by having a full PW and killing the grid.

Nice info! I just checked mine since I haven't heard back from Tesla and low and behold:

"grid_code_overrides": [
    {
        "name": "soc_freq_droop_config_df_max",
        "value": 2.2
    }
]

I'll do a full test killing the grid this weekend but looks good.

 

[aesculus]

Mine is set for 62 Hz too which is a bit better than the 62.5 Hz I thought it was set at. I was pushing for 61 Hz.

grid_code_overrides: [
{
name: "soc_freq_droop_config_df_max",
value: 2,
}
],

 

[thegdgteer]

I'll do a full test killing the grid this weekend but looks good.

Test successful, although I did measure some variation above the expected 62.2 up to 62.4HZ

 

[Zoglog]

Thanks for this. I was wondering why my aps ES500 was beeping when it went on battery backup. only has a +/- 3

 

[Vanderpoel]

UPDATE on the frequency rise to 65 Hertz: After the September 23rd grid power outage event when Tesla confirmed my PW2 raised the frequency to 65.4 Hertz, I simulated the exact same event again last Sunday, October 14th with a pull to the Service Disconnect on the Main Breaker Unit.

All parameters were the same: PW2 100% charged, sun shining and solar input at 3.5-4 kW and my house was using about 1.5-2 kW at the time. All appliances remained the same. I had both the new Eaton UPS (that can pass-thru up to 70 Hertz power) and the Minuteman UPS (that can pass-thru up to 66 Hertz power) at two of my locations where critical CPU based hardware was running while the rest continued to use the previous APC and Trip-Lite UPSs.

When the Service Disconnect was pulled, all the UPSs briefly came to life and went to their internal batteries to facilitate the very short loss of 120 volt power when the Gateway relay snaps shut. But within a second or so, they all went back to using the house supplied current (now PW2 based). I was able to document via video in real-time the rise of the Hertz level from 60.0 to the maximum employed.

But THIS time, the frequency only rose to 63 Hertz. The rise took about 2-3 seconds but held steady at 63 Hertz. Thus ALL of my UPSs work with this new Hertz limit as the APC and Trip-Lites function at 63 Hertz (actually, Tesla confirmed 62.9 Hertz).

The ONLY difference between the September event and the October event was the firmware release. At the initial event I had 1.22.3 and I currently have 1.25.0. After speaking with Tesla customer tech support yesterday about this test, it was confirmed that the frequency rise is not some built-in hardware circuit on the PW2 but is actually software controlled. Version 1.25.0 differs from 1.22.3 in many more ways than the support page states - the limit on the frequency rise is one of the updates - at least against my Enphase M215 inverters as I have been able to test.

How do I check and update the firmware?

 

[jjrandorin]

How do I check and update the firmware?

You cant update the powerwall firmware (and thats not what controls the frequency shift). Tesla must set this for you.

 

[Eveque Fou]

If my Powerwall was installed by a third-party installer, does the request need to go to them or to Tesla?

 

[zƬesla]

If my Powerwall was installed by a third-party installer, does the request need to go to them or to Tesla?

Mine was 3rd-party install and I went through Tesla directly.

 

[gpez]

Mine was 3rd-party install and I went through Tesla directly.

Same - 3rd party installer, had to call Tesla support.

 

[jrweiss98020]

Ditto. Working on it now. Put in initial trouble call 11/1, and twice since then they've told me they had reduced the frequency shift to 62.5. It's still at 65, with yet another re-activation of the ticket...