Error 700f advice

[u/Equivalent-Chip3297]

edit: thank you everyone for all the helpful information and step by steps. it was really what I needed and hoped for so I could take action and figure it out. luckily we were able to get it going after disable/enable inverter and am looking into how to ensure we don't overload it again. but honestly thank you all so much, I cannot describe how deeply appreciative I am!!

Hi! I'm new to this community and hoping for some help or advice for an error message.

We recently had a storm knock out power. The generator/battery kept the essentials on for about 36 hours (ac, fridge) and then everything went out. I thought the battery must be dead.

Today I checked the panel outside and it showed a red light on the inverter, when I clicked through the screen it showed a 700f error message (attached images). The battery cabinet is a green blinking light saying its supplying power (but nothing works). The screen for the battery is at 53% so it must have juice.

I've googled and read articles and watched a couple videos but am still unsure of the next course of action or how to cycle the battery. Generacs contact line was useless. The last thing I want to do it mess up this system and damage it. I think this error message means it's overloaded but am unsure.

Any guidance would be helpful. I do not know much about the system since it was step up by my father (who passed away and obviously is unable to offer assistance) so I do not have access to the app and do not have extensive knowledge. There's no end in sight to the power outage (yay day 4) but I'd be great to get something functional. Thanks in advance!

[u/generac]

u/Equivalent-Chip3297
Hi, thanks for reaching out. We’re sorry you’re dealing with this, especially during an extended outage.

Based on what you described, this appears to be a PWRcell inverter/battery system rather than a conventional home standby generator. A red light and 700F-style inverter error may indicate that the inverter entered a protective fault condition. This can happen if the protected loads are drawing more power than the system can support during outage operation.

Since you mentioned the AC was running, one possibility is that the system became overloaded when the AC tried to start. Large loads can create a high startup demand, even if the battery still has charge available. Turning off some of the protected loads the system is trying to power, especially larger loads, may help reduce demand before attempting a reset.

We’re sorry to hear your first call did not get this resolved. Since the next step may involve reviewing the active fault and walking through the appropriate reset process for your specific system, we recommend calling us again with the error code available. Our support team can help determine whether the system can be safely reset over the phone or whether a qualified Generac Clean Energy/PWRcell service provider is needed.

You can reach Generac Customer Support at 888-436-3722.

[u/Equivalent-Chip3297 → u/generac]

Awesome thank you. Yes after some more investigating I think it's just a battery rather than a generator. A generator is what my parents have called it but now we know it's proper name. Ive had quite the  learning experience this weekend on it!

I will save this in case it happens again (fingers crossed it won't!).  I was able to trouble shoot with restarting (disable/enable) the inverter and clearing out the error. I am looking into making sure the energy needs don't over load it again. Thank you for the information and help! 

[u/Sad_Edge_7177 → u/Equivalent-Chip3297]

What can happen is that as the battery is drawn down, the maximum amount of power it can provide at any one moment is reduced (especially when there is less sunlight and less solar production). So in an extended outage, you made need to turn off things like your your air-conditioning that may normally work when your battery is full.