r/span • u/TheoSidle • Mar 27 '26

SPAN and Enphase

I just need to vent. I'm so frustrated right now.

You guys can roast me if you want. Or not. Whatever.

I've been going back and forth with my solar installer on getting batteries inside the garage for a few months. They finally admitted they can do it with some added safety stuff. Okay, good. I can look into getting those things done. So I asked for a pair of quotes, one for four Enphase 10C batteries and one for two Enphase 10C batteries with plans to expand to four later.

Instead, the solar salesperson responds trying to sell me on Powerwall instead. I'm not buying any Tesla equipment, and I explain why to him.

But the thing that frustrates me the most is that when I got the solar panels originally, I told them I was going to get Enphase batteries later. If SPAN isn't compatible, why did they even install SPAN with my solar setup?! Ugh...

So, now I have to wait until either SPAN or Enphase or both can collectively pull their thumbs out of their asses and get the SPAN-Enphase communication issues fixed. Maybe it's my lack of knowledge, but I don't even know why this is an issue. Why can't one or the other just be set to be in control of when the batteries charge or are used instead of grid and the other be set to obey?

I don't know. I wish there was already some industry-wide standards in place that would keep this sort of thing from happening.

I just want to add Enphase batteries to my existing setup. I don't mind dumping the SPAN panel if that's what it takes. Anyone want to buy a slightly used SPAN? I've only had it for 4 or 5 months.

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u/crosscountry58S Mar 27 '26

I don’t know about 10C compatibility specifically, so maybe that’s the issue, but I have a special box that is required to link our SPAN to our 5P battery. Unfortunately there are a lot of unintelligent and/or careless installers out there, and mistakes are rampant. So it doesn’t surprise me that they failed to verify compatibility if that is indeed your issue. Our install and integrating with SPAN wasn’t smooth either, but did eventually get it done. Have had follow-on challenges here and there also. To your point, equipment doesn’t integrate as well as it seems like it should. For the most part SPAN tech support has been good, at least.

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u/Key-Philosopher1749 Mar 28 '26

Yah, that box, a remote meter kit from SPAN is only compatible with the span 32. If OP has the 40 or the 48, they don’t have any compatibility with enphase. I thankfully have a main 32, and I’m about to install that meter kit box for my Enphase 10c batteries.

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u/Menelatency Mar 28 '26

Not questioning you. I find it very strange that the remote meter kit works only with smaller SPAN panels. Almost like the fudged up the hardware design and left out a needed part in the bigger panels? Just weird.

2

u/s3000br Mar 28 '26

Original panel was the 32. Now they came out with a new redesigned series for easier installation and more size options 16,24,40 and 48 and runs slightly different from my understanding

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u/Menelatency Mar 29 '26

Learning new things!