Solar, inverter, battery thread

[biometrics]

So I believe they install a second DB?

 

[Tinuva]

So I believe they install a second DB?

Irs one way of doing it. The other is splitting essentials and non-essentials in the same dB if enough space. In mine top row is essentials and bottom row is non -essentials.

Sent from my Mi 9T using Tapatalk

 

[Spizz]

The PV makes your battery last longer. But I'll skip it for now.

Revisiting this, I'm seeing now how useful the PV part can be if we go to 4 or more slots a day in recharging and even cutting costs big time.

I was watching my battery during the approx 2 hours 10 minutes of loadshedding that has just finished and it was at 94.58% at the end of it. It's a nice sunny day and the percentage was counting back up at about 0.01% every second or quicker and both this recharge and the house was still running from the PV.

Earlier I had had a look after about an hour and a half and it was steady at 94.78% and didn't go up or down for the minute of so I was looking at the screen. Earlier the load in the house had included the washing machine running for 30 minutes at the start of the loadshedding and my domestic helper ironing for an hour. Both decent sized draws.

Point is, if we are without the PV, the drawing will be a lot quicker and the recharging from Eskom power might not be enough time between loadshedding slots to get back to 100%.

Of course we can easily manage this by regulating the loads and not doing things like ironing and washing during loadshedding, but I thought I'd share anyway for interests sake.

 

[Spizz]

So I believe they install a second DB?

They did with me, yep.

 

[Tinuva]

Revisiting this, I'm seeing now how useful the PV part can be if we go to 4 or more slots a day in recharging and even cutting costs big time.

I was watching my battery during the approx 2 hours 10 minutes of loadshedding that has just finished and it was at 94.58% at the end of it. It's a nice sunny day and the percentage was counting back up at about 0.01% every second or quicker and both this recharge and the house was still running from the PV.

Earlier I had had a look after about an hour and a half and it was steady at 94.78% and didn't go up or down for the minute of so I was looking at the screen. Earlier the load in the house had included the washing machine running for 30 minutes at the start of the loadshedding and my domestic helper ironing for an hour. Both decent sized draws.

Point is, if we are without the PV, the drawing will be a lot quicker and the recharging from Eskom power might not be enough time between loadshedding slots to get back to 100%.

Of course we can easily manage this by regulating the loads and not doing things like ironing and washing during loadshedding, but I thought I'd share anyway for interests sake.

Yeah I worked it out. In Cape Town (and most of SA now) if you have 2 hours loadshedding and then 6 hours charging time and then 2 hours loadshedding, then your batteries can recharge what you use and go on. This is true for stage4. Once you got stage5 and up, there is not enough time to recharge the batteries anymore and thats where non-PV systems will not make it.

Anyways, we had loadshedding from 2-4pm. During that time, my batteries were recharging whilst suppling load to the house. By the time the slot ended, we on 100% batteries as I have the DoD (depth of discharge) set to 0% for now. Tonight at 8pm the system will switch from Eskom to batteries and then 10pm we have another loadshedding slot that doesn't matter, we would be on battery load for the night anyway.

 

[biometrics]

Revisiting this, I'm seeing now how useful the PV part can be if we go to 4 or more slots a day in recharging and even cutting costs big time.

I was watching my battery during the approx 2 hours 10 minutes of loadshedding that has just finished and it was at 94.58% at the end of it. It's a nice sunny day and the percentage was counting back up at about 0.01% every second or quicker and both this recharge and the house was still running from the PV.

Earlier I had had a look after about an hour and a half and it was steady at 94.78% and didn't go up or down for the minute of so I was looking at the screen. Earlier the load in the house had included the washing machine running for 30 minutes at the start of the loadshedding and my domestic helper ironing for an hour. Both decent sized draws.

Point is, if we are without the PV, the drawing will be a lot quicker and the recharging from Eskom power might not be enough time between loadshedding slots to get back to 100%.

Of course we can easily manage this by regulating the loads and not doing things like ironing and washing during loadshedding, but I thought I'd share anyway for interests sake.

Can you check what the numbers are at night please.

The system I want to get is ready to add solar so doesn't matter if I do it in two parts. In any case when going to solar and wanting to save money you need to replace your geyser with a solar geyser. I'm not quite ready for the extra expense and installation drama. So will just do the inverter and battery for phase 1. We're not heavy users so even a stage 4 should be fine with recharging. Also remember Lithium's DoD is much more.

 

[Spizz]

Can you check what the numbers are at night please.

The system I want to get is ready to add solar so doesn't matter if I do it in two parts. In any case when going to solar and wanting to save money you need to replace your geyser with a solar geyser. I'm not quite ready for the extra expense and installation drama. So will just do the inverter and battery for phase 1. We're not heavy users so even a stage 4 should be fine with recharging. Also remember Lithium's DoD is much more.

I’d also be interested in the night time figures but I have to go to the actual battery in the garage and press the buttons on the screen. I don’t have an app or way to monitor it on the PC for example.

I also removed the geyser from our setup so it only works with Eskom supply. Same as the oven. I can live with that setup quite easily so am good there for now.

 

[Düber]

Just for interest, I have an ammeter on my generator.
There are two houses connected, the old boys house is a bit bigger, geysers and stoves are not on it but everything else is.

Daytime with only my house at idle uses between less than 1 and 2 Amps depending on the fridge, both houses together with some PC's and TV's on (again depending on the fridges) hovers between 1.5 and 3.8 Amps.

At night with the outside lights on( and I have quite a few) at idle its about 3.5 Amps with most things turned off at the old man and the normal things on at mine. With his TV etc. on it is around 5 Amps.
Obviously a heater or kettle bounces it right up to 8 or 10 Amps and higher. Using a small microwave takes it to about 7 or 8.5 Amps.

Real usage is substantially less than taking the wattage figures on things and adding them up, the only accurate way is to measure what you are actually using.

Edit- Just counted, about 33 outside lights most of them 10w LED's.

 

[Rudolph Hart]

Just for interest, I have an ammeter on my generator.
There are two houses connected, the old boys house is a bit bigger, geysers and stoves are not on it but everything else is.

Daytime with only my house at idle uses between less than 1 and 2 Amps depending on the fridge, both houses together with some PC's and TV's on (again depending on the fridges) hovers between 1.5 and 3.8 Amps.

At night with the outside lights on( and I have quite a few) at idle its about 3.5 Amps with most things turned off at the old man and the normal things on at mine. With his TV etc. on it is around 5 Amps.
Obviously a heater or kettle bounces it right up to 8 or 10 Amps and higher. Using a small microwave takes it to about 7 or 8.5 Amps.

Real usage is substantially less than taking the wattage figures on things and adding them up, the only accurate way is to measure what you are actually using.

Edit- Just counted, about 33 outside lights most of them 10w LED's.

I read articles on how to beat load shedding and crap myself at the consumption of the “average” household. It’s been nearly ten years since I last had an electricity account and I don’t have a clue what my consumption was, but if people are seriously using 15kWh a day (I think that’s one of the figures I saw), I’m either an oddball or I’m going to have to spend a lot more on an off grid solution one day.

 

[Düber]

I read articles on how to beat load shedding and crap myself at the consumption of the “average” household. It’s been nearly ten years since I last had an electricity account and I don’t have a clue what my consumption was, but if people are seriously using 15kWh a day (I think that’s one of the figures I saw), I’m either an oddball or I’m going to have to spend a lot more on an off grid solution one day.

It is only when you start measuring that you get a clear idea.

I read the posts of some other peoples consumption and don't think we are doing too badly, all things considered. My biggest cost would be the batteries to see us through long winter nights.

On a side note, I shudder to think what the consumption was when we were still using 100w incandescents and 500w halogen floodlights.

 

[biometrics]

Ok, fuck this shit. I’m getting this. About R40k excluding installation (5.5 kwh battery and 5kw inverter). Just need to find an installer in Her*anus. Asked for updated pricing.

Not doing solar but can add it later.

 

[Tribs]

I’m glad I replaced the battery in my inverter. We bought a small pure wine wave inverter to keep the computers, internet and TV going without needing to fire up the generator, and we made do with using my existing deep cycle battery but it’s well over ten years old and wasn’t giving more than twenty minutes before dying. We’re now heading for two hours and the new battery is still indicating full - it should be able to power that load for a day or two.

Of course, I bought the new battery a couple of weeks ago and only installed it when I got the first sms warning of imminent load shedding, but at least it’s in and working now. I could probably hook the fridge up to this too if needed.

Can you give me more details? How many computers? Running screens too? And what does your setup consist of?
I will keep reading this thread so if you have posted it - I will find it and you don't need to answer.

 

[Rudolph Hart]

Can you give me more details? How many computers? Running screens too? And what does your setup consist of?
I will keep reading this thread so if you have posted it - I will find it and you don't need to answer.

I’ve got one of these:- https://www.takealot.com/smart-powe...re-sine-inverter-ups-charger-sol/PLID41356449

It doesn’t come with a battery - I had one and thought it was OK, but ended up replacing it. The new one has been in for a while now with no issues. It’s a 105 Ah deep cycle battery, the ones on takealot looked too expensive or no-name brand so I bought it from a car battery place.

It runs two laptops and external screens, the internet router, the Wi-Fi connection and a bedside lamp with ease. If we’re getting a lot of load shedding, I shut down the laptops when I’m watching TV. If it’s just a single outage I don’t bother. I’ve had the fridge on it too, with the TV, Chromecast, Internet and sound bar. It’s an inverter fridge and uses low power.

It also powers my CPAP machine through the night if needed.

If the power is out for more than a few hours I’ll run my generator to charge the battery and run more lights and appliances.

They sell a bigger one for a bit more, and it needs two batteries. https://www.takealot.com/smart-powe...-pure-sine-inverter-ups-charger-/PLID41356450

I went for the smaller one because I didn’t need much power and because I already had a battery. It’s not a good idea to mix a new battery and an old one so I’d would have had to buy two new ones.

There may be cheaper solutions, but this works for me, it’s an all in one unit, one cable going in and one going out, and can take solar if I want to add that one day.

 

[Tribs]

I’ve got one of these:- https://www.takealot.com/smart-powe...re-sine-inverter-ups-charger-sol/PLID41356449

It doesn’t come with a battery - I had one and thought it was OK, but ended up replacing it. The new one has been in for a while now with no issues. It’s a 105 Ah deep cycle battery, the ones on takealot looked too expensive or no-name brand so I bought it from a car battery place.

It runs two laptops and external screens, the internet router, the Wi-Fi connection and a bedside lamp with ease. If we’re getting a lot of load shedding, I shut down the laptops when I’m watching TV. If it’s just a single outage I don’t bother. I’ve had the fridge on it too, with the TV, Chromecast, Internet and sound bar. It’s an inverter fridge and uses low power.

It also powers my CPAP machine through the night if needed.

If the power is out for more than a few hours I’ll run my generator to charge the battery and run more lights and appliances.

They sell a bigger one for a bit more, and it needs two batteries. https://www.takealot.com/smart-powe...-pure-sine-inverter-ups-charger-/PLID41356450

I went for the smaller one because I didn’t need much power and because I already had a battery. It’s not a good idea to mix a new battery and an old one so I’d would have had to buy two new ones.

There may be cheaper solutions, but this works for me, it’s an all in one unit, one cable going in and one going out, and can take solar if I want to add that one day.

Thank you so much. This is a great place to start

 

[biometrics]

Latest quote update. Guess you need to add another R10k for the installer. So R60k to make load shedding go away. Everything is online except the geyser.

 

[Düber]

You seem to have all the preferred goodies there, looks good.
Will one battery be enough?

 

[biometrics]

You seem to have all the preferred goodies there, looks good.
Will one battery be enough?

Two people, think so.

 

[Düber]

Two people, think so.

It should be good then.
I suppose if you find that it is not enough you could always add one later .

 

[biometrics]

It should be good then.
I suppose if you find that it is not enough you could always add one later .

With this type of gear you can chain.

 

[Düber]

With this type of gear you can chain.

Yes, that is a good future proofing setup they have quoted on, get some solar in the future, a couple more batteries...
/Enters rabbit hole.

I am going to be watching closely, hopefully you will post, how it performs, this is more or less what I could afford so I am very interested.