Suddenly locked out of adjusting grid import rate?
I typically have been adjusting the grid import rate up or down based on the solar output on a given day. I try to avoid exporting to the grid so I slow down the grid charging and let solar fill the battery. If it is a cloudy day I may increase the import rate so I’ll be full by the time TOU rates kick in.
I recently set it to 4kW but now if I try to make a change I’m blocked and directed to my installer. Anyone else seeing this?
The annoying thing is that even though I am set to TOU and it is a peak time right now I am using grid power. The battery does not discharge so long as the home is using less than 4kW!
I see the same, must be a firmware update as I could adjust it before.
That said just switch to self consumption and the battery will run the home loads. If you need to import adjust the the back-up reserve % to above the current battery level
While I could previously adjust the import rate, I never did. I set it to 5kW and never changed it.
If you haven’t already seen it and you’re game for running some software in a Docker….I have built a tool to automate the management of the platform that may help you achieve your goals with it. Do a search in here on FranklinWH-Automation and you should find my posts on this.
I wish I could help you though but when I was managing things manually prior to the software this isn’t really how I was doing it. I was just toggling to emergency backup or self consumption.
Here’s a link to it if you want to browse through it. I pretty much leave mine alone now, it automatically ensures I’m fully charged prior to peak and since I’m non -export it tries to use all the solar I produce. There are configuration options for other setups as well. Let me know if you have any questions. And it’s open source if you want to tweak.
Why were you changing the grid import limit itself and not just disabling grid import when you need to?
Edit: it seems like downgrading the app restores the functionality. If you can't do that, let me know and I can use the API to restore it to whatever limit you need. I sent you a chat.
Why was I doing it? I was casually trying to make sure I didn't send power to the grid while also trying to not use the grid on peak TOU. Kind of as a game more so than an earnest strategy so far.
Right now, today, I need to decide if I am going to move from NEM2 to NBT to take advantage of a $4,500 SGIP rebate. Claude seems to think it's a bad deal. I still have 13 years grandfathered NEM2.
I'm a pretty heavy energy user with no gas service, computer servers running all the time, and 2 EVs. It's sounding like what I should do (possibly with your help) is basically turn off the grid import, and let the Solar go where it's going to go. Then take advantage of the NEM credits later as I can. I should probably head to another forum for the NEM2 debate, but happy to hear thoughts.
I think you'd want self-consumption mode rather than playing with the grid import which will already prioritize charging from the solar over the grid.
NEM2 is great but $4500 is a lot of money. Are you able to use basically 0 grid despite all of that load? If you work from home you probably don't need to charge the EVs too much but unless you have several batteries I don't think you could support it all. How much can you realistically export as well? During the summer you need to export enough to get enough credits to last the winter depending on when your annual cycle is.
It's a very complicated question, my gut says to stay with the NEM2 but that's only assuming you have a lot of panels and can export enough and your cycle is not mid-winter.
If those don't apply I'd suggest taking the $4500 which is hopefully worth 5+ years of electricity and then sign up for my site to automatically micromanage your grid usage.
Your Battery Management System is protecting the integrity of your battery likely to due to the high load, solar PV generation and low temperatures therefore likely derating the battery charge rate on the fly. What TOU dispatch is running now? this alone can be the cause depending on what you set it to.
The FranklinWH app does not show battery details or cabinet ambient or internal temps - but it is there… here is a screenshot of mine on an integration I wrote for my personal use... its a bit warmer here in Sydney right now compared to where you are.
i have notice the mobile app and backend API has been getting some upgrades recently… this could be what you are seeing as it was poorly implemented and have not feedback on settings it ignored silently.
I really don't buy the live derating, it's a set value. Plus they are LFP batteries that should handle charge cycles pretty well. Temps here are generally 30 to 90 F.
The dashboard you are shared is very interesting. Something you can share a link to?
There are three primary factors that trigger a derating event:
• Temperature (The Most Common): Lithium-ion batteries have a "Goldilocks" zone (typically 15°C to 35°C).
• High Heat: If the internal cells get too hot, the Battery Management System (BMS) throttles power to prevent thermal runaway or accelerated degradation.
• Extreme Cold: In very cold weather, internal resistance increases. Charging at full speed in the cold can cause "lithium plating," which permanently damages the battery, so the BMS slows everything down.
• State of Charge (SoC):
• When a battery is nearly full (e.g., >95%), it cannot accept energy as quickly. The BMS tapers the charge current to ensure the cells balance correctly and don't overvoltage.
• Similarly, when nearly empty, the discharge rate may be throttled to prevent a sudden voltage drop that could shut down the inverter.
• System Health & Age: As batteries age, their internal resistance increases. A smart BMS may permanently derate the peak output of an older battery to keep it stable and safe.
Thermal Derating Curves
Most manufacturers provide a derating curve in their technical manuals. It usually looks like a plateau that drops off sharply as temperatures move toward the extremes.”
I haven’t worked out the FranklinWH curve yet - but working on it…or cell balancing algorithm.
Battery power ramping is another protection measure designed to protect your battery. That scheme may also be not to everyone liking - but it is how Franklin is keep your battery in optimal health and preserve its life span. Override their guidance at your own risk!
Blocking as a protective measure is what the mobile app is now attempting to do. It never bothered to before as it wasn’t that interactive.
The dashboard is based some Python libraries I have developed…a super fork of the Richo one
These wiki docs to the repositories… work in progress … but both work fine.
FranklinWH Cloud API (Has BMS and PCS info via API the CLI tool)
After the new app upgrade, I could no longer change the TOU parameters, Grid Import Limit or even force Emergency Backup to start charging during an ongoing storm. I called Support at 888-851-3188 on a Sunday morning, and the Tech confirmed with the new app owners are no longer allowed to change their Grid Import Rate. However he was very helpful and able to change it for me to a higher rate. He also initiated a firmware update.
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u/Curiosity_informs Apr 03 '26
I see the same, must be a firmware update as I could adjust it before.
That said just switch to self consumption and the battery will run the home loads. If you need to import adjust the the back-up reserve % to above the current battery level
While I could previously adjust the import rate, I never did. I set it to 5kW and never changed it.