PV inverters disappear from VRM device list after changing phase (L1 → L3, SMA SunSpec)

DIY
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Title: PV inverters disappear from VRM device list after changing phase (L1 → L3, SMA SunSpec)

Hi all,

I’m seeing a consistent and reproducible issue where some PV inverters disappear from the VRM device list after changing their phase.

Setup:

  • Cerbo GX (latest Venus OS)
  • 5x SMA inverters via SunSpec (manual IP config, different VLAN)

All inverters:

  • are visible in GX console
  • are visible in VRM → Advanced
  • provide correct live data
  • are included in total PV power/energy

Background:

Originally, the affected inverters were physically connected to L1 and configured as such in both the SMA inverter and VenusOS.
In that situation, they were visible in the VRM device list.

Later, I corrected the installation:

  • These inverters were physically moved to L3
  • Their phase configuration was updated accordingly in both the SMA inverter and VenusOS

Other inverters were not changed.

Problem:

After moving these inverters from L1 to L3:

  • 2 inverters (now on L3) disappeared from the VRM device list
  • They have not returned since

At the same time:

  • Inverters that were not changed remain visible

Current behavior:

The missing inverters:

  • are visible in VRM → Advanced
  • provide correct live data
  • are included in totals
  • exist as normal dbus services on GX

But:

  • they do not appear in the VRM device list

Key observation (reproducible):

For a missing inverter:

  1. Change phase back to L1 (VenusOS only, no physical change)
    → it immediately appears in the VRM device list

  2. Change it back to L3 (VenusOS only)
    → it disappears again from the device list

  • Data remains correct at all times
  • The inverter remains visible in Advanced
  • Only the device list visibility changes

What I already checked:

  • Unique serial numbers
  • Same firmware versions
  • Same ProductId
  • Identical dbus structure
  • Removed and re-added all inverters
  • Rebooted GX multiple times

Conclusion / suspicion:

This looks like a state/caching/classification issue where:

  • inverters that were previously on L1
  • and later moved to L3

are no longer correctly shown in the VRM device list.

Expected behavior:

Changing the phase (L1 ↔ L3) should not affect whether a valid PV inverter appears in the VRM device list.

Actual behavior:

After moving from L1 to L3, some inverters are no longer shown in the device list, while still functioning normally.

Has anyone seen this before, or is this a known issue?

Happy to provide logs or additional data if needed.

2

I have raised this with the team responsible.

3

Hi Nick!

Thanks. It is a bit cosmetic, since everything works fine. The dashboard is showing all the right values, I can make widgets with the missing inverters on the advanced tab. Everything is fine in nodered and GX.

They are just missing from the VRM device list.

I know more people have noticed this before. E.g. SMA Inverters Missing In Device List - VictronEnergy and PV Inverter not seen on VRM - VictronEnergy