Solar, inverter, battery thread

[satanboy]

I requested a quote from Techno Connect and they returned a call to ask one question and then advised that their technical dept would phone me. It's been 3 days with no contact from them.

 

[Spizz]

Seems my inverter has been set to top up the battery to 100% either solar or Eskom. Where do I change it to use the battery when the sun is down?

If I understand what you mean, then that’s when you need to set the SoC to whatever % you fancy and that’s the level that Eskom will charge to if no solar.

Solar will charge to 100%, grid will charge to SoC.

Mine is set to 35%.

 

[biometrics]

Solar Advice Pty Ltd
This company wants me to choose what I need (how will I know?). So I did and it came to R100K inc installation. They want me to pay this before they come out to see the layout of my place.

Fuck that.

Just use their site as an indication. Contact my installers, dontuwire.

 

[biometrics]

I requested a quote from Techno Connect and they returned a call to ask one question and then advised that their technical dept would phone me. It's been 3 days with no contact from them.

These companies are heavily overloaded, people from Joburg are phoning Cape companies to see if they can reduce 3 month wait times! I’be been waiting a week for a quote similar to yours for my brother. The installer said his boss gets more than 100 Whatsapps a day and can’t cope.

 

[biometrics]

If I understand what you mean, then that’s when you need to set the SoC to whatever % you fancy and that’s the level that Eskom will charge to if no solar.

Solar will charge to 100%, grid will charge to SoC.

Mine is set to 35%.

The installer set it to 30%, maybe he made a mistake, guess I will need to go dig around the menus.

 

[Tinuva]

The fact that they call themselves Solar ADVICE is false advertising then. They have supplied none.

Did you order an advice package or just equipment?

 

[Rudolph Hart]

If you are not willing to figure this out yourself, you should contact an installer first before placing an order on an online shop. You had the wrong expectations and now you rate a really decent shop badly as "a joke" to use your words.

If you want someone to tell you what you need, you should reach out to an installer first. If you wanted a referral, you could just contact solaradvice and ask for a list before placing the order. Your experience would have been completely different that way.

If you are not willing to figure this out yourself, you should contact an installer first before placing an order on an online shop. You had the wrong expectations and now you rate a really decent shop badly as "a joke" to use your words.

If you want someone to tell you what you need, you should reach out to an installer first. If you wanted a referral, you could just contact solaradvice and ask for a list before placing the order. Your experience would have been completely different that way.

Bullshit. They’re offering installation, and quoting on it, which means they need to know where they’re doing the installation and at the very least need to confirm where and how the installation is going to be done.

Takealot don’t come to my house and install anything so I don’t expect them to contact me to confirm anything when I order from them.

You’re acting like a fanboi. The criticism is legit and yet for some reason that offends you. Do you work for them?

 

[Tinuva]

Bullshit. They’re offering installation, and quoting on it, which means they need to know where they’re doing the installation and at the very least need to confirm where and how the installation is going to be done.

Takealot don’t come to my house and install anything so I don’t expect them to contact me to confirm anything when I order from them.

You’re acting like a fanboi. The criticism is legit and yet for some reason that offends you. Do you work for them?

lol ok maybe I am a fan, but dont work there and I really wasnt offended. But I have to call out stupid if I see it.

That said, they outsource the installation, they not doing it themselves. You also have the wrong idea here.

 

[satanboy]

lol ok maybe I am a fan, but dont work there and I really wasnt offended. But I have to call out stupid if I see it.

That said, they outsource the installation, they not doing it themselves. You also have the wrong idea here.

So I am stupid looking for ADVICE from a company that has ADVICE in their NAME! Really?!

 

[biometrics]

Something weird going on, my SOC is at 91% in the middle of the day, doesn’t seem to be charging atm.

 

[biometrics]

Gave the installers remote access. They will monitor the system for a week to gauge our usage before setting matching parameters. The SOC will also normalise over time as it’s a dual battery system, they are going to do a deep cycle tonight to get them synced.

Or something like that.

 

[Spizz]

Gave the installers remote access. They will monitor the system for a week to gauge our usage before setting matching parameters. The SOC will also normalise over time as it’s a dual battery system, they are going to do a deep cycle tonight to get them synced.

Or something like that.

Different inverters I guess, but my 2 batteries discharge simultaneously and are always about the same level while doing so. Hopefully it stabilises and these guys know what they are doing.

So how’s life “off grid”? Weirdest thing for me was going outside at night and the whole area is pitch dark and you are like “oh yeah, forgot there was loadshedding just now”

 

[biometrics]

Different inverters I guess, but my 2 batteries discharge simultaneously and are always about the same level while doing so. Hopefully it stabilises and these guys know what they are doing.

So how’s life “off grid”? Weirdest thing for me was going outside at night and the whole area is pitch dark and you are like “oh yeah, forgot there was loadshedding just now”

Feels a bit weird after all the years.

 

[biometrics]

Different inverters I guess, but my 2 batteries discharge simultaneously and are always about the same level while doing so. Hopefully it stabilises and these guys know what they are doing.

So how’s life “off grid”? Weirdest thing for me was going outside at night and the whole area is pitch dark and you are like “oh yeah, forgot there was loadshedding just now”

I find myself starting to read Eskom etc. news articles and after a few paragraphs asking myself why am I bother to read this, lol.

 

[SauRoN]

I’m asking because when you sell the house you will need a CoC, in Cape Town anyway.

You need a CoC at any time otherwise your insurance will just say sorry, good luck to you dealing with your electrical fire.

Also required for SSEG registration and all that.

Sure you could fly under the radar if you wanted but really not worth it.


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[SauRoN]

Inverter connected to DB and Eskom, solar panel installation today and tomorrow. So grid tied.

Guess I don’t need this anymore.

View attachment 35223

Oh you’ll still very much need it to set your reserve accordingly if you want or maximise battery use.


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[SauRoN]

Gave the installers remote access. They will monitor the system for a week to gauge our usage before setting matching parameters. The SOC will also normalise over time as it’s a dual battery system, they are going to do a deep cycle tonight to get them synced.

Or something like that.

Yeah you usually do an “activation” which is extended full charge just to make sure they are all 100%.

Should even see it in your app. White Activate is ticket it basically doesn’t allow for any discharge to happen.


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[biometrics]

Yeah you usually do an “activation” which is extended full charge just to make sure they are all 100%.

Should even see it in your app. White Activate is ticket it basically doesn’t allow for any discharge to happen.


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Seems they set SOC min to 50% and it normalised the next day to 100%.

 

[SauRoN]

Seems they set SOC min to 50% and it normalised the next day to 100%.

Have a look here…

That would make it full charge once off if activated and sync the batteries up.

SOC set to 50% in your Schedule means that’s the lowest it will allow the batteries to discharge and hold a reserve and then if the grid goes away it will deplete from there (at night, obviously in daylight only if it’s more than the solar load).

Mine is set to 25% which allows a drop to 15% for 2 1/2 hours of load shedding.

When we hit the 4 hour slots I boost it to 35% which is why I say don’t be too hasty to throw ESP away.

But I only set that between 21:00 and 01:00 and the 01:00 - 9:00 slots.

Usually the first one is irrelevant and I’m fully charged anyway. But sometimes I went crazy with the oven and aircons then the 01:00 slot could be a bit dicey.

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[biometrics]

Have a look here…

That would make it full charge once off if activated and sync the batteries up.

SOC set to 50% in your Schedule means that’s the lowest it will allow the batteries to discharge and hold a reserve and then if the grid goes away it will deplete from there (at night, obviously in daylight only if it’s more than the solar load).

Mine is set to 25% which allows a drop to 15% for 2 1/2 hours of load shedding.

When we hit the 4 hour slots I boost it to 35% which is why I say don’t be too hasty to throw ESP away.

But I only set that between 21:00 and 01:00 and the 01:00 - 9:00 slots.

Usually the first one is irrelevant and I’m fully charged anyway. But sometimes I went crazy with the oven and aircons then the 01:00 slot could be a bit dicey.

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I'll probably set it to a set-and-forget setting like 40%. Will see what my usage is like at the end of the week.