FAQ

If you need help, we have a list of frequently asked questions and answers. Click a question below to view the answer.

Have your products been tested and approved by a nationally recognized laboratory and are they listed?

Our batteries have been certified by TUV SUD / SGS to IEC62619, CE, UL9540, UL9540A and UL 1973.

Can Pytes work without internet?

All Pytes products will work perfectly without the use of internet. Most inverters on the market will have user interfaces that are improved with an internet connection, but this is not typically needed.

Who is Pytes For?

There are two primary ways that customers of any size can benefit from owning a battery:

1) You can use the battery for backup power. If the grid goes down, you’re still covered. If disaster strikes, having a battery will allow you to continue to have electricity in your home or business, even if your utility company can’t provide it. You can choose to back up vital circuits (lights, wifi, etc), or back up your entire home. Several entirely off-grid projects are already supported by Pytes systems.

2) The second reason is that you can actually save money by getting a battery. Even though solar can produce a lot of net power, it stops when the sun goes down. A battery allows you to store the excess power from solar during the day and use it to power your home or business at night.

Pytes is perfect for customers who:

Are grid-connected but experience power outages or need to maintain power for vital circuits. Many customers have systems in place that they need to keep online. Pytes is a primary power supply that completely insulates the home from any utility outages. We can support all loads in a home or business, regardless of whether the grid is up or not. Our battery storage system meets the needs of most residential and small industrial and commercial use.


What is Pytes?

Pytes is a battery manufacturer for home energy storage system based out of Shanghai. We provide safe, well-designed and high-performance standard LFP battery packs for you based on over 20 years of manufacturing experience. A PYTES setup can use and store energy from solar, wind, the grid, a generator, or any other power source.

Do I need to have a rapid shutdown of the solar array for firefighter safety?

This varies greatly on region and the location of solar on your property. We recommend consulting with a local solar installer. If you contact us, we would be happy to put you in contact with an installer in your area.

Are Pytes Lithium batteries widely compatible?

Yes, our batteries are designed to work with most of hybrid inverters. Our batteries work well and officially listed with Sol-Ark, Victron Energy, SolisLuxpower DeyeAforeHoymilesMegarevo, Sinexcel, APSystem and so on. 

Inverter Compatibility List V240125.pdf

How long can Pytes batteries sit without charging or discharging?

Keep the battery SOC to 40%-60% during storage. The Self-discharge of the LFP battery pack is 1-2% per month.The battery needs to be recharged every 6 months to more than 80% of the rated capacity. More details of storage are in our User Manual.

Can I string Pytes batteries together in series to have them operate in higher voltages?

No. Low voltage batteries, i.e. V5°/ V5°α, Pi LV1, E-BOX 48100R, E-BOX 4850 etc are prohibited to connect in series and will result in voiding the warranty. Please follow instructions on specific manuals for details.

How do I integrate Pytes batteries with my preferred equipment?

We maintain a portfolio of integration guides for most major brands of equipment. Further information and brand-specific integration guides are available on our Download Center page.

Can I mix different versions of E-BOX 48100R in a system?

Of course, but if you want to communicate with the inverter, you need to use the latest version as the master battery.

What are the different components that make up a home battery system?

Typically an entire home battery system is comprised of a battery, solar, and inverter system.

What exactly entails a full cycle? What about partial cycles?

A full cycle is defined as: Discharge to programmed DOD, and charge back to 100%. Partial cycles occur when the battery is not discharged completely to it’s programmed DOD setting before it’s fully recharged. With respect to the warranty, this means cumulative cycles totaling the rated DoD settings (per the warranty) are the equivalent of a cycle.

What is Pytes' Warranty?

Pytes offers some of the best warranties in the industry. Click below to view the Terms of Warranty for products:

V5° & V5°α Terms of Warranty (Shanghai).docx

E-Box Terms of Warranty (Shanghai).docx

Pi LV1 Terms of Warranty (Shanghai).docx

HV48100 Terms of Warranty (Shanghai).docx

Do I receive incentives on my energy storage system?

If your energy storage is powered by solar panels, you are eligible for federal tax credit. Many countries/states and utilities provide rebates for homes and businesses with energy storage systems, aiming for grid resilience.

What is Peak Shaving?

Peak shaving also employs stored energy to reduce or eliminate additional fees associated with peak power demand, which can be quite substantial based on the utility rate structure. By deploying stored energy to supplement grid power, with or without PV, PHI batteries can provide substantial energy cost savings by "shaving-off" your peak usage.

What is energy arbitrage?

Energy arbitrage means storing excess energy produced by your PV system during the day in batteries so it can be deployed later in the evening and night time when your electrical loads can be higher, solar production has waned or ceased and utility rates for electricity increase in cost. This can be especially valuable for customers who are subject to time of use rates (TOU).

What can I do with energy storage?

There are many different applications and use cases for energy storage. Batteries have traditionally been used in off-grid scenarios to store and provide power from solar, wind or diesel generators in remote locations 24/7 long after the sun goes down or the wind stops blowing or your diesel runs out. However, there are a number of advantages to including energy storage in grid connected systems: energy arbitrage, peak shaving, and back-up power in the case of grid failure.

How can I monitor my system?

The inverter of choice will  have a user interface that allows you to view the statistics and functionality of your battery, home, and solar. You can also get battery parameter information through PC.

Can Pytes battery charge from the grid?

If you are on a time-of-use plan, then you pay more for electricity at certain times of the day. This is typically in the evenings, right when electricity usage can be at its highest. Even if you do not have solar, a battery can save you money by charging at night when electricity is the cheapest, and discharging that power for your use when electricity is the most expensive. If paired with solar/wind, this benefit is even more apparent.

Can Pytes products start without any external power?

Yes. Pytes products hold their charge for a very long time. We ship the battery with an existing state of charge. The moment a battery is connected to your system and turned on, the system begins to operate.

Can I use Pytes products off the grid?

Yes. Our batteries are perfect for off-grid use. Our LFP (lithium iron phosphate) formula means that our lifespan is much longer compared to other battery types. 

It also means that we are safer! Other formulas can explode or leak acid if they are damaged or punctured, but LFP won’t. You wouldn’t want the device that powers your home to burn it down!


Can I add Pytes batteries to an existing battery bank of non-Pytes batteries?

No. Mixing PYTES batteries with other battery chemistries or types in a single system is not recommended and will void the warranty.

Can I increase the size of an existing Pytes battery bank by adding more batteries?

Yes. Adding new batteries to an old system is perfectly okay. Because PYTES batteries require parallel configuration, old batteries will not hamper the performance of new ones that are added to increase the total battery bank capacity. However, you must remember to reconfigure the inverter and charge controller settings to reflect the new total system size whenever batteries are added. More detailed information on the process can be found in our User Manuals.

How big of a battery bank can I make with Pytes batteries?

Pytes batteries can meet all residential need. The only practical limitation is the configuration of the inverters. Depending on the manufacturer and model, there are different limits on how many inverters can be stacked together to function with a single battery bank. To date, there are successful installations of up to 56 PYTES batteries paralleled together with Hub.

How many batteries do I need for my project?

The number of Pytes batteries you will need depends on a number of factors, including but not limited to:

what the end-user’s energy needs are

what types of loads they want to support

what energy sources they have (solar, wind, diesel, etc.)

what their goals are (back- power for critical loads only, net-zero, demand charge management, peak shaving, TOU, etc)

what project constraints exist

Pytes product Engineers can work with you to assist with technical support to design your project.


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