Tesla Powerwall › Problems
Powerwall won't charge, or charges at the wrong times
The Powerwall won't charge, charges far too slowly, or charges from the grid when you turned that off. This page covers what the lights and app messages mean, what to check first, and the causes behind it.
What the lights mean
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Powerwall 2 light pulsing | The Powerwall is on and charging or discharging. |
| Powerwall 2 light solid | The Powerwall is on and talking to the gateway. |
| Powerwall 2 light flashing | The Powerwall is on but has no communication with the gateway. |
| Powerwall 2 light off | The Powerwall is not enabled or is switched off. |
| Powerwall 3 light solid white | Normal operation. |
| Powerwall 3 light flashing white | The Powerwall is idle and will go to sleep if nothing is in progress. |
| Powerwall 3 light flashing red | Inverter fault. |
Error codes that go with this problem
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| Meter Offline | Part of the power flow is missing from the app, and the battery can sit at 0% for days, or under 10%, without charging. |
| Unable to start system: sitemaster needs a default real mode | Shown when pressing Start System. The system cannot start because the inverters, gateway and Powerwalls were not commissioned together. |
What to check first
- Compare the charge level with the backup reserve in the app. A mode or reserve change takes effect at the top of the next hour. To stop grid charging you don't want, keep the reserve at or below the current charge level.
- Check the rate plan and the buy and sell prices in the app. Make the sell price lower than the buy price (setting it to zero also worked), and set the Price Schedule back to Balanced if it was changed to Cost Saving.
- Check that every Powerwall's breaker is on. With one left off, charging stopped partway with no error shown.
- If the app shows Meter Offline or solar is missing, check whether the panels are actually producing, for example on a separate production meter. If they are, only the monitoring is missing, not the power.
- Reset the gateway and restart the whole system. This brought back normal charging and discharging, though sometimes only until the trouble returned.
- If it still won't charge, take screenshots of the app showing the problem and call Tesla support or your installer. Calling back and escalating helped get it fixed.
The causes and the fixes
Partners see the causes behind this problem, most common first, the checks that tell them apart, and the fix for each, with part numbers and recent prices when a part is involved.