Help with all the kit I need for connecting Batteries to home

TroubledTarts

Please could you help me with the list of materials I need to connect the following batteries to my home to use 

The batteries I am looking at are the Fogstar 16kwh 

https://www.fogstar.co.uk/collections/solar-battery-storage/products/fogstar-energy-16kwh-48v-solar-battery

I have a small consumer unit in the garage with a free slot and this is where the batteries will sit.

What kit do I need to connect these to the garage consumer unit please to use the power in the house during peak periods and charge during cheap periods.

I am not interested in exporting to the grid at this point and would use an electrician once I have assembled all the parts.

Thankyou for the help 

EricMears

You'll have to have an electrician at some point (nanny state added part P to building regs !)  so why not book one now and ask them what you can do to lower their bill ?

QrizB

Is your garage CU the main one serving the property, or is it a sub-circuit from a CU in the house?

I only ask because you're likely to need a current clamp on the main incomer, immediately after your meter, so the battery inverter can sense your household energy use and then try to balance it at zero. And most of those current clamps are wired, so you'll need to get a run of twin low-voltage cable (bell wire, most likely) from your meter to the inverter.

Qyburn

TroubledTarts said:

The batteries I am looking at are the Fogstar 16kwh 

I have a small consumer unit in the garage with a free slot and this is where the batteries will sit.

You'll also need a compatible inverter, unless your solar inverter is suitable.

QrizB

Qyburn said:

TroubledTarts said:

The batteries I am looking at are the Fogstar 16kwh 

I have a small consumer unit in the garage with a free slot and this is where the batteries will sit.

You'll also need a compatible inverter, unless your solar inverter is suitable.

I don't think the OP has solar?

TroubledTarts said:

Please could you help me with the list of materials I need to connect the following batteries to my home to use 

The very basics, based on how my ME3000SP AC-coupled inverter is set up:

• Suitable MCB/RCBO in the CU.
• T&E to the inverter.
• Inverter hanging on the wall
• Short DC cable to DC breaker.
• Longer DC cable from breaker to Fogstar battery. (The Fogstar includes its own fuse & breaker.)

Plus signal cables:

• Current clamp at electricity meter, connected back to inverter.
• Data cable linking inverter to battery (optional, I don't have one at the moment, so I'm treating my Fogstar as though it was a dumb lead-acid bank).

As I've got solar, there's a second curent clamp there so the inverter knows what's being generated.

TroubledTarts

EricMears said:

You'll have to have an electrician at some point (nanny state added part P to building regs !)  so why not book one now and ask them what you can do to lower their bill ?

Just tapping into the knowledge around first as I like to look at things and learn.

Already now looking to put my own battery together following a reply from @qrizb in another thread so now looking at this 

https://www.fogstar.co.uk/collections/seplos-mason-kits/products/seplos-v4-kit-and-x16-envision-315ah-grade-b-bundle

Or the grade A option depends what the difference is in reality.

TroubledTarts

QrizB said:

Is your garage CU the main one serving the property, or is it a sub-circuit from a CU in the house?

I only ask because you're likely to need a current clamp on the main incomer, immediately after your meter, so the battery inverter can sense your household energy use and then try to balance it at zero. And most of those current clamps are wired, so you'll need to get a run of twin low-voltage cable (bell wire, most likely) from your meter to the inverter.

Sub circuit from the main CU in the house.

Interesting as the garage is not attached to the house so that could be a stumbling block.

QrizB

TroubledTarts said:

QrizB said:

Is your garage CU the main one serving the property, or is it a sub-circuit from a CU in the house?

I only ask because you're likely to need a current clamp on the main incomer, immediately after your meter, so the battery inverter can sense your household energy use and then try to balance it at zero. And most of those current clamps are wired, so you'll need to get a run of twin low-voltage cable (bell wire, most likely) from your meter to the inverter.

Sub circuit from the main CU in the house.
Interesting as the garage is not attached to the house so that could be a stumbling block.

The next question, if you're dead set on putting the battery in your garage, is can the cable from the house to the garage support whatever loads the storage inverter is going to impose?

You mentioned in a previous post that you were thinking of an 8kW inverter. That's 35 amps at 230v. What's the rating on the MCB/RCBO serving your garage?

If eg. the connection's only good for 16A, you'll be limited to a 3.6kW inverter and might want to restrict it further.

Grandad2b

QrizB said:

Qyburn said:

TroubledTarts said:

The batteries I am looking at are the Fogstar 16kwh 

I have a small consumer unit in the garage with a free slot and this is where the batteries will sit.

You'll also need a compatible inverter, unless your solar inverter is suitable.

I don't think the OP has solar?

TroubledTarts said:

Please could you help me with the list of materials I need to connect the following batteries to my home to use 

The very basics, based on how my ME3000SP AC-coupled inverter is set up:

• Suitable MCB/RCBO in the CU.
• T&E to the inverter.
• Inverter hanging on the wall
• Short DC cable to DC breaker.
• Longer DC cable from breaker to Fogstar battery. (The Fogstar includes its own fuse & breaker.)

Plus signal cables:

• Current clamp at electricity meter, connected back to inverter.
• Data cable linking inverter to battery (optional, I don't have one at the moment, so I'm treating my Fogstar as though it was a dumb lead-acid bank).

As I've got solar, there's a second curent clamp there so the inverter knows what's being generated.

What effect does treating the battery as lead-acid have? I would assume limiting depth of discharge to 50% but are there others?

QrizB

Grandad2b said:

What effect does treating the battery as lead-acid have? I would assume limiting depth of discharge to 50% but are there others?

With my inverter (& others might be different), if you've got a smart battery the batt will tell the inverter all the necessary chaging & discharging parameters.

With a dumb battery, you have to go through yourself and tell it what the capacity is, what DoD to allow, and what voltage & current limits to apply under various conditions. There's about a dozen different parameters. Page 22 of the manual lists them.

Heedtheadvice

I would add to the list.

AC breaker between the CU and inverter to isolate it. ( usually a high breaking capacity)

For the above listed DC breaker - again it needs to be high current breaker much higher than one might expects as any DC fault could have a DC current several times higher than normal discharge current

Earthing cable ( and terminations) for the battery physical structure.( not only is this as  safety earth for exposed metalwork - equipotential linking technically) but also usually required for the data link grounding)

Appropriate labelling of items, feeds and breakers...

Building of cells etc into batteries that have high level of energy storage are not for the faint hearted and requires a level of competence and awareness of the risks.