After a few months I have found out all this info the hard way. But this video is great if you dont know anything about the system this video is crazy comprehensive, thanks for taking the time.
@@NicolasRaimo after the latest firmware update my WiFi module doesn’t disconnect every day anymore. It was extremely frustrating. I ordered one of these units (gen1) and received a gen2 which by that time was still brand new and as far as I am concerned running beta firmware and the app was extremely beta too. It’s still riddled with spelling mistakes and quirks.
One of your best videos and what a great product! Don't worry about being addicted to information displays as, at my previous home, I used to spend hours at a time watching the analogue meters on my Proven wind turbine controller, much to my wife's irritation.
Great review, and nice install 😜 Seriously though, nice thorough review, great points made and it’s great to see Livotek taking on board this info. Finally, great points made about battery fires! 🔥 I installed an Eddi for a customer the other day who said that when the installer was leaving after installing the battery and solar, their last words were “oh, and if you get a fire in this area of the house… RUN!”. What a stupid comment to make.
Thanks great info. In South Africa the Livotec has just become avaiable for sale. We need the batteries more for emergency backup as we have schedule "loadshedding" blackouts due to a failing national grid.
Just had a pair of them fitted with 2 x extra batteries. Some teething issues, but getting sorted. Also eagerly waiting on the new software coming out in a months time so I can parallel them.
It cost just over £14000 for the system installed. That was 18x 550w Solar panels, 2x 5kw inverters and 4x 5kw batteries. No software issues as such, just waiting for the new software as they cant be paralleled yet. The only issues were minor installation issues. Only when the two systems operate as one will I know what the system is really like.
Great vid. Good looking bit of kit, a few teething problems but sounds like they will be ironed out. For me the biggest problem is the low charge rate, wont suit many for grid charging.
That is a disappointing charge rate. Few limitations with that system. Good info. Pinning your colours to the mast of batteries in lofts is something I would encourage you to consider carefully Nick. Each to their own but imagine something does go wrong. Stored energy of any construction has always and will always be troublesome. Be that hot water, batteries or Gas/Petrol/Oil. So many other options that dont carry the risk. However small you see it. Think about it. Look forward to watching the next one.
Charge rate on battery is pretty much the industry normal however SOME are better!, the discharge rate is above most others in the industry which is lacking behind. Batteries in lofts if installed correctly as in TO THE WALL and not left just sat with no support is FAR FAR FAR less risky than having GAS inside your home which many have multi rooms with gas boilers, fires and cookers.
Hi, Nicolas. Thanks for this great video and perfect explanation. It helped me to take decision and now I am using Livoltek All-In-One system for couple weeks as backup system (separate circuit with critical loads is connected to EPS), without solar. In general it is perfect, only there are some questions I can't find answers. Livoltek support is not enough developed in Ukraine to help :(. Maybe you can give some suggestions. Beer from me, of course :) 1. What is the reason of difference between Load and Battery when discharging? In my case it is around 200-300 w regardless of power (Battery 0,229 kw => Load 0,04 kw; Battery 0,605 kw => Load 0,291 kw). When charging I see also some difference but much less in % (Grid 1,539 kw => Battery 1,359 kw). I understand about efficiency and losses, but 200-300 w (up to 60% in some cases) look too much. 2. When I use self-define mode, very often invertor doesn't charge battery during set hours for charging. But sometimes it is charing. I can't understand why ann what is happening... Appreciate if you can comment.
1). Could be to do with distance from Ct to inverter you can change it to a meter and Ct setup like mine for long distance.. 2) self define can take 24 hours to settle it self into settings
@@NicolasRaimo kindly ask you to comment. I have checked through local mode and see the same difference. My question is WHY in APP I see approximately 200 watts difference between LOAD and BATTERY? From your experience, what is the difference between LOAD and BATTERY in APP in other installations or what should be normal? I read that Livoltek itself should consume 50 watts and efficiency is pretty high.
Excellent review - very informative - maybe the conduit on the side as neat as it s presents a slight eye sore any option of bringing in those wires from behind to do away with need for conduit?
still willing to give you the rundown on the requirements for isolators , in my opinion your a mad man not keeping batteries outside the house or in a separate fire compartment like a garage that got a firewall between it , you wouldn't keep that much energy in a house in any other form , a can of petrol for example
I have an interview with a battery chemist talking about safety of batteries but based on the conversations I've had with him your worrying about something that has the same risk factor as being struck by lighting.
@@NicolasRaimo your obsessing with them catching fire due to the chemistry . i am talking avpout a electrical fire or normal fire in the installation using them as a fule , as i said you wouldn't keep a jerrycan full of petrol in your house
@@NicolasRaimo everything burns , they are less stable but it will still burn and give off smoke in the event of a fault , do not keep batteries on your house or loft , don’t worry building control will agree with one day
the battery looks like the older one, I have the soltaro branded version of this battery, supplied to solatro by livotek, they now have recessed covered push on terminals.
Great video on the back of this I've just bought one 🙂 but for the life me I cannot get the Wi-Fi to work. Done the configuration part, it says via BT it's configured and ready to use, but the device remains offline. So not the best start and Livoltek support seems a little woolly to say the least.
Your installer should of sorted this? Try the disruptor for the UK but also make sure you PUSHED the wifi via BLE and you selected the correct server for your country for example for me thats the EU on both the login page and the inverter otherwise it won't see it
One point with the lfp batteries is they dont charge when their cold to protect them. Some have heaters to walm them up before it starts the charge. How does this unit cope with the cold? Only a few weeks of the year here in the uk but something to consider if in an uninsulated garage
Its not that they don't charge its more to do with some firms poorly coded BMS, Lowest temp I got in my garage was 1c and the charge rate wouldn't go above 1kw at first then once the battery got WARM from its 1kw of charging it ramped up to about 1.7kw
Its worth remembering even fan cooled unit wouldn't behave any better at 40c as they'd only be sucking or blowing 40c air. These are sold in HIGH numbers in Australia!. The specs state -25~+60C (>45°C derating) however when it gets to summer weather my garage tends to simulate loft spaces so I will try update the written review if I notice any drops in performance I imagine most the inverters performance will be totally unaffected and even the LFP battery should be well within op specs for LFP
Nice video! I bought this system, but cannot make the "zero export" to grid working. I tried with the CT clamp that comes with the system, but also bought the CHINT smart meter from them. None of them work properly, it still export ALL the excess power to the grid. I wonder if someone have been having the same problem?
You on self define? The “discharge” setting is to dump your entire load back to grid set as disabled and it will only cover load, all systems will export a little bit every now and again
@@NicolasRaimo Hello Nicolas, I am using : "on-grid self use mode". Livoltek support told me that the power limit should be set at 100W (problem in the firmware, they will fix) but whatever value I choose, the inverter lives its own life :) I am talking about 1kW to 2 kW export to grid (on a 2.75kW Solar test system). The export values are measured with a power meter, just to make sure I am reading the true power going to the grid... (same readings I have at the street grid meter) I tried in backup mode, also in self define mode with NO discharge settings, but all this makes no difference. I tried many things, downgrade the firmware and upgrade again, but nothing helps... Maybe you (or other persons) have an idea? Thanks a lot!
Plenty of details there Nick but u never mentioned the main question everyone wants to know, how much does it cost? Especially compared to the gold standard PW2 with a 13.5kWh battery!
PW2 is NMC personally wouldn’t have that inside my home. Like my EV charger videos I’ve tried to avoid saying prices as they move so much it would rate the video if baked in but the instal video gave an estimate for install depending on if it’s with or without solar
@@NicolasRaimo PW2 is now £9k + vat installed and you get 5kw continuous power (7.5kw peak) and 13.7kwh of power and comes with a Gateway for power cuts. (It’s also heated and cooled) According to Electrek PW3 has LFP cells same size and power in a slightly smaller case.
@@NicolasRaimo come on mate there are 1000's of PW2s with that chemistry worldwide including in my house with no issues, To say u'd never have that in your house is showing a clear bias IMHO. Tesla is always in the news for the slightest problems, if their PW2 was catching fire it'd be global headline news & u know it!
@@miickyp just my personal thoughts NMC chemistry not directed at Tesla I wouldn’t have any NMC in my home, outside fine but not inside am not alone in that thinking
You can set it to dump its entire load back to the energy company yes, for some people this may be a benefit for some electric deals you can be paid a lot more to export for certain times of the day
I live in a townhouse, with a garage that is not close to my home. Is it safe to install this system inside my home? I’m in South Africa, and we’re experiencing 11,5 hours of power outages at the moment. 😢
I've had one installed indoors for about a year, It runs the entire house excluding geysers and the oven - when Grid tied and linked to solar, I am able to run the air-conditioners and still manage to feed power back to the grid (viewed on municipal meter)- hassle free
Yes and No.... If your solar was on it the zappi would try to drain the battery, if it was battery only you could get a harvi on the AC part of livoltek and tell zappi never to discharge the battery. Assuming you want it to work with SOLAR and the myenergi system you'd need something 3rd party to tell the zappi not to discharge the battery like th-cam.com/video/H-avdxW_-nw/w-d-xo.html homeassistant could see if Livoltek was discharging the battery and if so could tell zappi to pause charge.
@@NicolasRaimo thanks for the reply. I'll do some research, I like the look of that battery setup. Yes currently have solar, looking to replace in the inverter and add batteries depending on the cost.
@@Iain_C If you have a Zappi the Libbi will definitely work better with it, especially as you want to replace your inverter, the Zappi will work with other hybrid batteries but all you can do to stop battery discharge is set an export margin, the Libbi allows native "do not drain the battery" type settings.
@@NicolasRaimo depends whether you want to trip your inverter to pull from the grid every time you boil the kettle. I don't so for me it's a non-issue. However, how much is this device? Lots of similar products get advertised in the Solar Energy Network group on LinkedIn...
Its only a 5kWh battery. The max charge current of most 100AH LFP batteries is 50A (0.5C) which is reasonable. That's only a 2 hour charge time from flat. What more could you ask for. Additionally, if everyone charges their batteries at 5kWh as soon as the grid comes back on, there will be major load spikes and potentially tripping breakers in the minisubs.
After a few months I have found out all this info the hard way. But this video is great if you dont know anything about the system this video is crazy comprehensive, thanks for taking the time.
Pleasure Tim I hope to make all the reviews of battery systems in same manner
@@NicolasRaimo after the latest firmware update my WiFi module doesn’t disconnect every day anymore. It was extremely frustrating. I ordered one of these units (gen1) and received a gen2 which by that time was still brand new and as far as I am concerned running beta firmware and the app was extremely beta too. It’s still riddled with spelling mistakes and quirks.
@@timRSA currently testing another system and trust me this my favourite
One of your best videos and what a great product!
Don't worry about being addicted to information displays as, at my previous home, I used to spend hours at a time watching the analogue meters on my Proven wind turbine controller, much to my wife's irritation.
Great review, and nice install 😜
Seriously though, nice thorough review, great points made and it’s great to see Livotek taking on board this info. Finally, great points made about battery fires! 🔥
I installed an Eddi for a customer the other day who said that when the installer was leaving after installing the battery and solar, their last words were “oh, and if you get a fire in this area of the house… RUN!”. What a stupid comment to make.
Great interview with Euan on the risk of a battery fire coming up!
Thanks great info. In South Africa the Livotec has just become avaiable for sale. We need the batteries more for emergency backup as we have schedule "loadshedding" blackouts due to a failing national grid.
I assume the cold start solar would really benefit you?
@@NicolasRaimo yes definitely
Looks better than the brick work
How do you rate the looks of this unit out of 10
10 out of 10.
Just had a pair of them fitted with 2 x extra batteries. Some teething issues, but getting sorted. Also eagerly waiting on the new software coming out in a months time so I can parallel them.
What was cost with install Fraser? Do you have 15kwh of storage. What software issues you getting
It cost just over £14000 for the system installed. That was 18x 550w Solar panels, 2x 5kw inverters and 4x 5kw batteries.
No software issues as such, just waiting for the new software as they cant be paralleled yet. The only issues were minor installation issues. Only when the two systems operate as one will I know what the system is really like.
What do you think of them so far?
@@user-yp8qs1uh4p the app is impressive and functional compared to another unit am testing now.
Yes, I agree. I find myself looking at it way too often!
Great vid. Good looking bit of kit, a few teething problems but sounds like they will be ironed out. For me the biggest problem is the low charge rate, wont suit many for grid charging.
That is a disappointing charge rate. Few limitations with that system. Good info.
Pinning your colours to the mast of batteries in lofts is something I would encourage you to consider carefully Nick. Each to their own but imagine something does go wrong. Stored energy of any construction has always and will always be troublesome. Be that hot water, batteries or Gas/Petrol/Oil. So many other options that dont carry the risk. However small you see it. Think about it.
Look forward to watching the next one.
Charge rate on battery is pretty much the industry normal however SOME are better!, the discharge rate is above most others in the industry which is lacking behind.
Batteries in lofts if installed correctly as in TO THE WALL and not left just sat with no support is FAR FAR FAR less risky than having GAS inside your home which many have multi rooms with gas boilers, fires and cookers.
@Nicolas Raimo yeah it wouldn't work in my home. I can see why people would look elsewhere. Gas is another thing we need to keep outside 🤣
Hi, Nicolas. Thanks for this great video and perfect explanation. It helped me to take decision and now I am using Livoltek All-In-One system for couple weeks as backup system (separate circuit with critical loads is connected to EPS), without solar. In general it is perfect, only there are some questions I can't find answers. Livoltek support is not enough developed in Ukraine to help :(. Maybe you can give some suggestions. Beer from me, of course :)
1. What is the reason of difference between Load and Battery when discharging? In my case it is around 200-300 w regardless of power (Battery 0,229 kw => Load 0,04 kw; Battery 0,605 kw => Load 0,291 kw). When charging I see also some difference but much less in % (Grid 1,539 kw => Battery 1,359 kw). I understand about efficiency and losses, but 200-300 w (up to 60% in some cases) look too much.
2. When I use self-define mode, very often invertor doesn't charge battery during set hours for charging. But sometimes it is charing. I can't understand why ann what is happening...
Appreciate if you can comment.
1). Could be to do with distance from Ct to inverter you can change it to a meter and Ct setup like mine for long distance..
2) self define can take 24 hours to settle it self into settings
@@NicolasRaimo Can you explaine a bit 1) ? What is it Ct ?
@@oleksiyan current transformer the clamp that monitors the use of electrify
@@NicolasRaimo all this differences I take from APP of Livoltek. Should I trust them? What is the difference in APP in your case?
@@NicolasRaimo kindly ask you to comment. I have checked through local mode and see the same difference. My question is WHY in APP I see approximately 200 watts difference between LOAD and BATTERY?
From your experience, what is the difference between LOAD and BATTERY in APP in other installations or what should be normal?
I read that Livoltek itself should consume 50 watts and efficiency is pretty high.
Excellent review - very informative - maybe the conduit on the side as neat as it s presents a slight eye sore any option of bringing in those wires from behind to do away with need for conduit?
Yes that could be done however this is my test bench room so I can easily switch to other units like this
Im looking to put a deposit on a system, this video was very helpful
still willing to give you the rundown on the requirements for isolators , in my opinion your a mad man not keeping batteries outside the house or in a separate fire compartment like a garage that got a firewall between it , you wouldn't keep that much energy in a house in any other form , a can of petrol for example
I have an interview with a battery chemist talking about safety of batteries but based on the conversations I've had with him your worrying about something that has the same risk factor as being struck by lighting.
@@NicolasRaimo your obsessing with them catching fire due to the chemistry . i am talking avpout a electrical fire or normal fire in the installation using them as a fule , as i said you wouldn't keep a jerrycan full of petrol in your house
@@jamieblatantsparky LFP doesn’t ignite
@@NicolasRaimo everything burns , they are less stable but it will still burn and give off smoke in the event of a fault , do not keep batteries on your house or loft , don’t worry building control will agree with one day
the battery looks like the older one, I have the soltaro branded version of this battery, supplied to solatro by livotek, they now have recessed covered push on terminals.
They just changing to an IP rated version but I don’t think it’s officially out yet may be you have one somewhere between these
Excellent video, thank you for making it.
Glad it was helpful! check out the rest of my solar videos more battery reviews coming soon!
Nice inverter. Got it in Pakistan
Very good detail thanks
Great video on the back of this I've just bought one 🙂 but for the life me I cannot get the Wi-Fi to work. Done the configuration part, it says via BT it's configured and ready to use, but the device remains offline. So not the best start and Livoltek support seems a little woolly to say the least.
Your installer should of sorted this? Try the disruptor for the UK but also make sure you PUSHED the wifi via BLE and you selected the correct server for your country for example for me thats the EU on both the login page and the inverter otherwise it won't see it
@@NicolasRaimo Thanks Nick, changing the server did the trick and I'm now online 🙂
No worries feel free to support the channel or buy me a one off beer at evnick.com/support
One point with the lfp batteries is they dont charge when their cold to protect them. Some have heaters to walm them up before it starts the charge. How does this unit cope with the cold? Only a few weeks of the year here in the uk but something to consider if in an uninsulated garage
Its not that they don't charge its more to do with some firms poorly coded BMS, Lowest temp I got in my garage was 1c and the charge rate wouldn't go above 1kw at first then once the battery got WARM from its 1kw of charging it ramped up to about 1.7kw
Great review. What are the costs for the complete system?
I don't sell or fit so can't comment sorry if your near Lee from Morzak he could likely assist
What are the price ranges?
Hi. Do you know the dimensions of the system? thanks
17:15 how about overheating in loft during 40C summers? if it doesn't have active cooling, would it still cope?
Its worth remembering even fan cooled unit wouldn't behave any better at 40c as they'd only be sucking or blowing 40c air. These are sold in HIGH numbers in Australia!. The specs state -25~+60C (>45°C derating) however when it gets to summer weather my garage tends to simulate loft spaces so I will try update the written review if I notice any drops in performance I imagine most the inverters performance will be totally unaffected and even the LFP battery should be well within op specs for LFP
Nice video! I bought this system, but cannot make the "zero export" to grid working. I tried with the CT clamp that comes with the system, but also bought the CHINT smart meter from them. None of them work properly, it still export ALL the excess power to the grid. I wonder if someone have been having the same problem?
You on self define? The “discharge” setting is to dump your entire load back to grid set as disabled and it will only cover load, all systems will export a little bit every now and again
@@NicolasRaimo Hello Nicolas, I am using : "on-grid self use mode". Livoltek support told me that the power limit should be set at 100W (problem in the firmware, they will fix) but whatever value I choose, the inverter lives its own life :) I am talking about 1kW to 2 kW export to grid (on a 2.75kW Solar test system). The export values are measured with a power meter, just to make sure I am reading the true power going to the grid... (same readings I have at the street grid meter)
I tried in backup mode, also in self define mode with NO discharge settings, but all this makes no difference. I tried many things, downgrade the firmware and upgrade again, but nothing helps... Maybe you (or other persons) have an idea? Thanks a lot!
Plenty of details there Nick but u never mentioned the main question everyone wants to know, how much does it cost? Especially compared to the gold standard PW2 with a 13.5kWh battery!
Tesla have dropped the price of the PW2 too! I think it’s because the PW3 is imminent.
PW2 is NMC personally wouldn’t have that inside my home. Like my EV charger videos I’ve tried to avoid saying prices as they move so much it would rate the video if baked in but the instal video gave an estimate for install depending on if it’s with or without solar
@@NicolasRaimo PW2 is now £9k + vat installed and you get 5kw continuous power (7.5kw peak) and 13.7kwh of power and comes with a Gateway for power cuts. (It’s also heated and cooled) According to Electrek PW3 has LFP cells same size and power in a slightly smaller case.
@@NicolasRaimo come on mate there are 1000's of PW2s with that chemistry worldwide including in my house with no issues, To say u'd never have that in your house is showing a clear bias IMHO. Tesla is always in the news for the slightest problems, if their PW2 was catching fire it'd be global headline news & u know it!
@@miickyp just my personal thoughts NMC chemistry not directed at Tesla I wouldn’t have any NMC in my home, outside fine but not inside am not alone in that thinking
Can I put these inside a small 2 bed flat living room? Is it ok to put them inside?
It is indeed
@@NicolasRaimo Dankie broer
if power goes back to the " Grid" is it actually giving electricity back to the power company ? I hope not they are already so expensive?
You can set it to dump its entire load back to the energy company yes, for some people this may be a benefit for some electric deals you can be paid a lot more to export for certain times of the day
@@NicolasRaimo how do I stop it if I don't want to give electricity back?
@@elizevandieKaap don’t set any time at all. Times are to charge or discharge if no times sent it will just power the home
I live in a townhouse, with a garage that is not close to my home. Is it safe to install this system inside my home? I’m in South Africa, and we’re experiencing 11,5 hours of power outages at the moment. 😢
I’ve literally recorded a video with a battery chemist on that risk of these in homes it’s due out in a few weeks but basicly in short yes fine
@@NicolasRaimo thank you. I look forward to watching that video!
@@tanushiyamudely8896 it will be out early for my patrons and TH-cam members if you can’t wait
I've had one installed indoors for about a year, It runs the entire house excluding geysers and the oven - when Grid tied and linked to solar, I am able to run the air-conditioners and still manage to feed power back to the grid (viewed on municipal meter)- hassle free
I wonder if this would work with a Zappi, I guess not as well as their own EVSE.
Yes and No.... If your solar was on it the zappi would try to drain the battery, if it was battery only you could get a harvi on the AC part of livoltek and tell zappi never to discharge the battery. Assuming you want it to work with SOLAR and the myenergi system you'd need something 3rd party to tell the zappi not to discharge the battery like th-cam.com/video/H-avdxW_-nw/w-d-xo.html homeassistant could see if Livoltek was discharging the battery and if so could tell zappi to pause charge.
@@NicolasRaimo thanks for the reply. I'll do some research, I like the look of that battery setup. Yes currently have solar, looking to replace in the inverter and add batteries depending on the cost.
@@Iain_C If you have a Zappi the Libbi will definitely work better with it, especially as you want to replace your inverter, the Zappi will work with other hybrid batteries but all you can do to stop battery discharge is set an export margin, the Libbi allows native "do not drain the battery" type settings.
Great Review.
Great Review...👍💯
Thank you
Buy yourself a travel kettle...so how much is it??
I like my tea to brew for 5 minutes, with a travel kettle I'd be waiting another 10 for it to boil
@@NicolasRaimo depends whether you want to trip your inverter to pull from the grid every time you boil the kettle. I don't so for me it's a non-issue. However, how much is this device? Lots of similar products get advertised in the Solar Energy Network group on LinkedIn...
2.5kW is pretty disappointing charge rate isn't it...
Most systems are pretty much that on grid only, only some systems do more and far and few between
Its only a 5kWh battery. The max charge current of most 100AH LFP batteries is 50A (0.5C) which is reasonable. That's only a 2 hour charge time from flat. What more could you ask for. Additionally, if everyone charges their batteries at 5kWh as soon as the grid comes back on, there will be major load spikes and potentially tripping breakers in the minisubs.
@@joshballard3991 yeah fair enough didn't realise it was 5kwh. Looking at the size of it I thought it would be 8-10kWh.
Only found this channel after putting a deposit down.
What you gone for Elliot