Help with domestic VO

[Kamran]

Hi
I have a apex domestic vo. The light is on red. What does that mean? The switches on the product are red and grey. The red switches are up( i believe in on position) however the grey swith is down( i believe off) is that how they should be. Can someone please help

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Agree with Marconi, this looks like it is wired wrongly. The voltage optimiser is there to regulate your domestic voltage. It cannot do this in the present configuration if the solar inverter output is connected directly to the consumer unit, and the solar inverter may not be able to function correctly downstream of the optimiser. This needs a proper checkover and sort-out by a competent electrician. The VO might not technically be needed - some of these units appear to have been mis-sold as a magic energy-saver that does not deliver a useful benefit to the consumer under normal operating conditions.

 

[Kamran]

It looks to me like the VO has been wired in incorrectly. Please take another photo which shows were the cables from the meter go - do they go into the VO at the bottom?

Your PV ac arrives along the black cable into the small enclosure with the gray switch. There should be two cables from this enclosure which join with the two cables from the meter and then go into the VO input. The VO output then goes to the Consumer Unit.

In your current arrangement the solar is connected to the output of the VO when it should be connected at the input of the VO together with the mains from the meter.

The VO should be wired in as shown in Figure 2 on page 8 of 16 of:

https://www.waxmanenergy.co.uk/media/upload/eav00401_pdf02.pdf

You will need to call back an electrician who can rewire as in Figure 2. This is not job for DIY!

This is how it is wired(picture attached)
There are two wires coming from.smart meter amd two go into a black box

 

[Kamran]

Agree with Marconi, this looks like it is wired wrongly. The voltage optimiser is there to regulate your domestic voltage. It cannot do this in the present configuration if the solar inverter output is connected directly to the consumer unit, and the solar inverter may not be able to function correctly downstream of the optimiser. This needs a proper checkover and sort-out by a competent electrician. The VO might not technically be needed - some of these units appear to have been mis-sold as a magic energy-saver that does not deliver a useful benefit to the consumer under normal operating conditions.

That is right mis-sold alright

Post automatically merged: Feb 3, 2020

To the OP, solar panels themselves are always live, don't mess with them if you don't know what you are doing.

I wouldnt touch them its just that i am concerned by the grey switch on the VO box. Should it be up with red flag or down with green flag???

 

[marconi]

Until the vo is correctly wired in leave the grey switch down so the green flag shows and also move the red switch next to it down too. This does mean that any solar energy is not passed into your home or to the grid. This is a safe way to leave things until you employ an electrician. Ask the electrician to shield the exposed live screws in the small enclosure which has the grey switch.