Powerwall whine noise

[MyHeadHurts]

Hi, new poster here.

We have two Powerwall 2 units recently installed. They are charged by an existing Enphase solar installation. Everything has been working fine and I am spending time learning about self-powered and Time Based Control.

One issue that has come up is that one of the Powerwalls occasionally makes a loud, high-pitched whining noise. It lasts only a few minutes and will repeat again after a few minutes of silence. I've mostly noticed it when the batteries are discharging.

I've contacted my installation company, but they have yet to resolve the issue. One tech tried to tell me it was a fan, but I highly doubt this is a fan noise. I would describe the sound as a high frequency ring or a high-pitched electronic tone.

Has anyone experienced this? The other Powerwall has not made this sound at all.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[el-guapin]

Even if it is "the fan", does the other PW make the same noise?.. it is an issue nonetheless so they should resolve it. Stay on them!

 

[MyHeadHurts]

I've uploaded the file to a Dropbox folder. If you would like to take a listen, please do and reply with any comments. I hope someone else has heard something like this and has a resolution. The installation company has been less than helpful so far.

Powerwall 2 noise

 

[BGbreeder]

I have Enphase as well. This isn't Enphase's doing. This is a Tesla issue. All that I can say is that Powerwalls don't normally make that noise.

My guess is that is a high frequency whine from something like a power MOSFET in a switching power supply; you are hearing the whine from the 12kHz(?) switching of the power control circuit.

My suspicion is that the Powerwall is going to test out ok. My second suspicion is based on experience. Usually when I hear sounds like that something isn't well fastened to its heatsink, or it is a discrete component vibrating from the load. Neither is great, but they aren't instantly an issue, either. Sometimes they last with no issues, and sometimes they rollover and die. (I know, helpful, right?) I know that when I'm engineering something, that is the sort of sound that gets addressed prontissimo. Drives me personally bananas.

If it were me, I would probably waste time trying to get Tesla to come out and do something. I would push on how annoying the whine is. With luck, they will come out. With lots of luck, they might recognize the whine as abnormal and replace it. I wouldn't count on it though.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

All the best,

BG

 

[jjrandorin]

I have Enphase as well. This isn't Enphase's doing. This is a Tesla issue. All that I can say is that Powerwalls don't normally make that noise.

My guess is that is a high frequency whine from something like a power MOSFET in a switching power supply; you are hearing the whine from the 12kHz(?) switching of the power control circuit.

My suspicion is that the Powerwall is going to test out ok. My second suspicion is based on experience. Usually when I hear sounds like that something isn't well fastened to its heatsink, or it is a discrete component vibrating from the load. Neither is great, but they aren't instantly an issue, either. Sometimes they last with no issues, and sometimes they rollover and die. (I know, helpful, right?) I know that when I'm engineering something, that is the sort of sound that gets addressed prontissimo. Drives me personally bananas.

If it were me, I would probably waste time trying to get Tesla to come out and do something. I would push on how annoying the whine is. With luck, they will come out. With lots of luck, they might recognize the whine as abnormal and replace it. I wouldn't count on it though.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

All the best,

BG

TBH I have a somewhat similar noise as this OP has, coming from my (replaced a few months ago) powerwalls. I have had tesla out a couple times to look into it as its a electric hum sound I did not have before with the ones that these replaced.

So far, "everything checks out" and "its been escalated to tier 2", "its been escalated to engineering", "they sent me back to re record the noise again" (from the field tech they sent).

Im of two minds about it, honestly, because while they make this strange noise, these two replacement powerwalls together have a pack energy of 28.5 and seem to be performing great. my old ones, while quiet, were replaced due to performance / stored energy (being vague on purpose).

Anyway, I am sort of in the "I notified everyone about this noise" phase. They are inside my garage but the other side of the wall from them is an exterior wall, so I dont really have a noise complaint into the home.

 

[Vines]

I agree, that mine do not make that noise, but I don't really understand why this noise might be occurring. It looks like @BGbreeder is trained in this sort of hardware design and speaks from experience.

I was sort of expecting to hear my 5 units more than I do, they are on the bedroom wall about 25 ft from our headboard and we sleep with the window wide open. I have yet to hear my units make any noise from inside except the fan noise and a very gentle hum when they are fully charging from grid, and standing right next to them.

We have a dedicated transformer so that perhaps isolates us from some noise that otherwise might be felt on a shared unit.

I will be interested to hear what Tesla does about this noise if anything. I imagine that unless it is failing in some measurable way, the annoying noise will be treated as no more than that.

I know that Tesla occasionally reaches out and lets us know an ESS needs an RMA even when we had no idea. They have a pretty good set of remote diagnostic tools.

 

[MyHeadHurts]

Thank you all for your comments and sage advice. The install company came out yesterday and poked around a bit. They talked with Tesla on the phone and we sent them the recording. After "escalating to tier 2", Tesla asked for an additional recording that included the sound and some other, normal background noises. I used my voice as the garage is very quiet most of the time! We've sent that recording off and I will follow up in a day or two.

I won't be going away or giving up on a resolution. Both Powerwalls and the gateway have worked extremely well. The ability to use the energy generated during the day later that evening has been seamless and flawless. If this issue were not here, this would have been a perfect installation.

 

[jjrandorin]

Thank you all for your comments and sage advice. The install company came out yesterday and poked around a bit. They talked with Tesla on the phone and we sent them the recording. After "escalating to tier 2", Tesla asked for an additional recording that included the sound and some other, normal background noises. I used my voice as the garage is very quiet most of the time! We've sent that recording off and I will follow up in a day or two.

I won't be going away or giving up on a resolution. Both Powerwalls and the gateway have worked extremely well. The ability to use the energy generated during the day later that evening has been seamless and flawless. If this issue were not here, this would have been a perfect installation.

When were yours installed?

 

[MyHeadHurts]

When were yours installed?

End of July, just a few weeks ago. PWs were added to an existing Enphase setup that has been in place for about 5 years.

 

[jjrandorin]

End of July, just a few weeks ago. PWs were added to an existing Enphase setup that has been in place for about 5 years.

Thanks. Reason I asked is, since we are in the same general area (relatively speaking, serviced by the same tesla personnel / warehouse etc), I was wondering if its possible we had a similar batch of product. Mine were installed late last year though so the time frame doesnt match up.

 

[MyHeadHurts]

I have Enphase as well. This isn't Enphase's doing. This is a Tesla issue. All that I can say is that Powerwalls don't normally make that noise.

My guess is that is a high frequency whine from something like a power MOSFET in a switching power supply; you are hearing the whine from the 12kHz(?) switching of the power control circuit.

My suspicion is that the Powerwall is going to test out ok. My second suspicion is based on experience. Usually when I hear sounds like that something isn't well fastened to its heatsink, or it is a discrete component vibrating from the load. Neither is great, but they aren't instantly an issue, either. Sometimes they last with no issues, and sometimes they rollover and die. (I know, helpful, right?) I know that when I'm engineering something, that is the sort of sound that gets addressed prontissimo. Drives me personally bananas.

If it were me, I would probably waste time trying to get Tesla to come out and do something. I would push on how annoying the whine is. With luck, they will come out. With lots of luck, they might recognize the whine as abnormal and replace it. I wouldn't count on it though.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

All the best,

BG

Thank you, BG. You have provided more information in a single post than my installer AND Tesla have provided in all my interactions with them so far. I will stay on this and keep you all posted.

 

[BGbreeder]

Late thought here. Are both of your Powerwalls making the noise? If so, is it louder on the left or right side or the same?

If both are making the same noise, two questions, one what software revision are they running? Second, it is highly unlikely that both of your Powerwalls have a loose connection (not impossible, just improbable), so I wonder if the CANBUS connections from your gateway to your Powerwalls are a) properly seated/wired, and b) that the termination resistor is installed. (Both only visible if you pop the left side covers off, and remove the black cover, which exposes the power wires.) The CANBUS runs the control from the gateway to the Powerwalls to control on/off, their behavior(?), and retrieves their status.

All the best,

BG

 

[MyHeadHurts]

Thanks, BG.

Only one makes this noise (the last in the chain) and it only happens a few times during discharge at night. Tesla had our installer check the CANBUS connections and everything was tight. I did not check on the termination resistor and I'm hesitant to check that myself. Next time the install company is out I will have them check.

I would say that 98% of the time both Powerwalls are doing their thing and humming along nicely. When we get to discharge at night, PW #2 will emit this tone a few times, lasting a few minutes at a time and then going silent for most of the night. It also doesn't happen every night, so I'm looking for a pattern that I can report such as battery percentage, load, time of night, temp, etc. It is annoying and I wish it didn't do it at all.

Telsa is 'monitoring' the battery and they will contact us if their monitoring shows anything. This is me holding my breath.

Firmware version is 22.18.5, last updated 8.11.22

 

[notsure11]

I'm having a similar problem. I've had two Powerwalls since January this year, and I just noticed the noise for the first time. The Powerwalls were discharging at the time, and our electric oven was in use. So pulling like 4kW at the time. I've never heard this noise while discharging before, so it's possible this noise comes on only when the power load is high.

Only one of the two Powerwalls makes this noise. The noise seems to last for less than a minute, but then comes back a bit later. Once we turned the electric oven off, I didn't hear the noise anymore (but I was checking only for a few min).

Does this sound normal? It's weird that only one of the two Powerwalls makes this noise..

Likk to the Audio file

 

[jjrandorin]

I'm having a similar problem. I've had two Powerwalls since January this year, and I just noticed the noise for the first time. The Powerwalls were discharging at the time, and our electric oven was in use. So pulling like 4kW at the time. I've never heard this noise while discharging before, so it's possible this noise comes on only when the power load is high.

Only one of the two Powerwalls makes this noise. The noise seems to last for less than a minute, but then comes back a bit later. Once we turned the electric oven off, I didn't hear the noise anymore (but I was checking only for a few min).

Does this sound normal? It's weird that only one of the two Powerwalls makes this noise..

Likk to the Audio file

I had to download your file to listen to it, but yes mine sound like that, only mine are louder than what you have in that clip.

 

[MyHeadHurts]

Update: This issue is now resolved. We provided Tesla with several examples of the noise (video and audio recordings) and after several examples, it was determined that the unit was operating out of spec and needed to be replaced under warranty. The new unit has operated flawlessly since installation. We are very happy with this resolution and are grateful to Tesla and to our installation company in getting this resolved. This is a great example of standing behind your product. Thank you!

 

[jjrandorin]

Update: This issue is now resolved. We provided Tesla with several examples of the noise (video and audio recordings) and after several examples, it was determined that the unit was operating out of spec and needed to be replaced under warranty. The new unit has operated flawlessly since installation. We are very happy with this resolution and are grateful to Tesla and to our installation company in getting this resolved. This is a great example of standing behind your product. Thank you!

I had a similar outcome, which was just resolved recently. Glad you got sorted out as well.