How to get my DC generator to stop turning on automatically?

So I have poured through my manuals, and poked around the internet and I just can't figure out why my DC generator keeps turning on, even though it's set not to. I have trace/xantrex inverters, SW series. When we first moved here, the DC generator was set on "auto", but it was coming on unnecessarily, so we, the solar guy and I, switched it to "off". That seemed to work for a while, but now it back to turning on randomly when it shouldn't be necessary. On days that we reach float, and we have no extra company or loads, the generator should not be coming on in the middle of the night. The storage capacity of our battery bank is 56kWh. There are just three of us on the property with no exceptional power needs, just for context.

Is it coming on at a specific time of day ? (aka SLT mode) or does it happen every X number of days?

Can you confirm the generator mode (press green gen menu button) has an underline under OFF and not AUTO / EQ / ON?

No, it isn't coming on a specific time of day or with any regular schedule. It won't come on for weeks, and then every day for a couple days, all over the place.

I just double checked today that the underline is under the OFF, and yet it came on last night and again this morning, at the sun was up.

I saw something in the manual about another generator mode, but that seems to refer to the AC generator, if the entire system is offline. The DC generator charges the battery pack.

Does your system have any sort of logging functionality?

You're right that if all is well, you shouldn't need the generator to kick in.

To me step one is confirming that battery voltage is way above the threshold that should start the battery charging generator, at the times the generator kicking in.

After that.. well, if you really want it totally off, there is certainly a connector or cable that can be disconnected to accomplish this.. even if it as basic as disconnecting the starter battery.. but, this doesn't explain the source of the issue at all.

I will look to see if we have any logging functionality.

I would like it to function as it's supposed to, but it looks like that's not going to happen. We had turned the AUTO function off, to see if the system would work without the generator coming on. And it did, as in no loss of power, but after a month or so the generator started coming back on.  I would rather not detach the generator from the inverter, because then we would have to go to the solar building to turn the generator on.

Hi Stacy,
Any progress solving the mystery? Do you have a update?  Did you find any logged data that might give a clue why the DC genset comes on. My friend is good at studying the data and just fixed one that was not coming on. I will ask him. What meter do you use?  Do you have a Trace Meter, TM500, or a Trimetric, or ?  
Jeremy

Jeremy - I haven't looked into anything yet. My grandson died so we've been dealing with that, but I will post when I'm able to get back to it.

Stacy,

I know that what I am about to say is not what you want to hear, but I look at Xantec battery generators and they did not have very good reviews.

An option that might work better for you would be to build your own battery generator.  I have seen a few builds that provide considerable electrical storage, power output and are half the cost of other inferior commercial products.

There is one build on a YouTube site called practical preppers that details a step by step build and even has an accompanying web page that has a clickable parts list offered through Amazon.

I am considering building one myself.

Just my thoughts,

Eric