Tropman

A friend has a new set up 5.2 Kw panels, 3 x Pylontech 3.5's and the Synapse in verter. Setting 5 has been selected as Pyl, but it is proving difficult to get the system to charge the batteries. Should he select 'Use' instead for setting 5? If so what other settings are suggested to go with it. Thank you for any help that you can offer.

Our municipality will have the power off for 8 hours today. My lithium batteries (Pylontechs) are half full and the day is cloudy. I have set program 13 on my Axpert 5KVA inverter to 51V and program 16 (Mains+solar charge) to snu: but the mains charge has not kicked in. Any suggestions please?

I have a relatively small system limited to plug an lighting circuits. It comprises of 6 x 327 watt monocrystalline panels an Axpert 5 KVA inverter and 3 x Pylontech 3.5 KWh batteries. A local electrician built me an automatic change over switch, which operates seamlessly when Eskom fails. Sometimes when an electric kettle or a microwave oven is switched on power stops temporarily for a second or two, then returns. Can anyone let me know if this is likely to be caused by the automatic switch, or if it is something to do with the inverter, or most importantly, is anything being damaged? Thank you for any assistance that you can offer.

I have been asked by a non technical, non practical person to suggest a unit that would enable use of an LED TV + decoder, together with a couple of lights, that could be used during nighttime load shedding. Does anyone have experience with a UPS that they recommend, or can suggest an alternative? Thank you.

I had a box made for the (Infini) inverter, planning to enclose the inverter and put a container of silica gel in the box to extract any moisture. However the inverter overheated when the door was closed, so we have had to take off the door. Then there is the problem of the lithium batteries, which also have sensitive electronic parts in them. Latest thinking is to use a small extractor fan intermittently. Other suggestion welcome. Important news is that the Infini handles my single grouphead coffee machine, without complaint!!

Thank you everybody for your suggestions; it has been most helpful.

I live in the E. Cape about 1Km from the sea. My solar set-up is in a small purpose built building remote from the house. The solar panels are on a frame above the roof; the batteries and inverter are housed in the building. After about 4 years my Axpert (Mecer) 5 KVA inverter has failed, due to moisture inside it. The room does not leak, so the problem is presumably condensation. To protect my lead acid batteries I switched to mains power each evening. One of the batteries failed anyway, in spite of this careful nursing: so I have now bought lithiums, which I hope will do better. To protect the batteries and a new inverter it has been suggested that a de-humidifier will be the answer. I would welcome any advice as to which de-humidifier to buy, together with suggestions as to how to operate it. Will it be sufficient to run it on solar power for (say) four hours a day?

These are words used by Dr Steven Gundry in his excellent book on nutrition entitled Plant Paradox. Dr Gundry uses them to destroy ‘lectins’ in beans, but modern pressure cookers are a far cry from the hissing machines of 50 years ago. For a start they are (astonishingly) silent in operation and have proper safety features in place. The one that I use has 6l capacity and draws 1000 watts. It can sauté the food prior to cooking and keep it warm after the pressure cycle has been completed. It cooks a chicken in 22 minutes of steam pressure and makes it tender and succulent. It cooks a 3.5Kg turkey in 30minutes such that my partner, who always ate my ‘UK cooked’ turkeys with long teeth, actually confessed to liking them, and even encouraged me to buy more!! For anyone who has boiled beetroots on a hot plate for hours to be able to skin them, you will be surprised at how quickly a pressure cooker deals with them. We are all interested in saving electricity and I unreservedly recommend them to fellow ‘Forumers’. Apart from the electrical saving they are very easy to clean because of the lightweight inner lining, which is removed for washing. They also have a slow cooker function. Savings in electricity are probably more than 50%, but the improvement in food's tenderness and taste are real pluses.

My numbers are:046 624 2665 and 082 647 0293.

Sorry for the late reply; yes it is still available.

Brand new, still in the box. I changed my mind and bought a 5KW inverter instead. Location E Cape selling at R12,500.00

You are obviously much more knowledgeable than me on these matters, but for what its worth I set up the cooker with a watt meter and found that for readings on the cooker of 800 watts and above the meter agreed approximately with the settings. For settings of 500, 300 and 100 watts the readings did not agree at all. No doubt you are correct in your description of how the induction cooker works. Does the fluctuating power draw have any adverse effect on the inverter and/or batteries? I have a 5KVA Axpert (Mecer) set up to operate on lights and household plug circuits only. I control my use of appliances so that I almost never exceed the four kilowatts that the inverter is designed to manage.

I have reported the display readings, which react in a quantitative way in that the response from the cooking pot or pan goes from vigorous action to 'off the boil' as you decrease the settings. However I will put a wattmeter on them tomorrow if I get time and post the results

It' a Russell Hobbs RHIC202. I bought mine from Takealot, but Loot have them R50 cheaper. They respond much quicker than a glass top stove and seem to cook with less burn on the base of the pan. In the attached picture of the old cast iron pot we cooked kudu mince today. The pot was pre heated at 1000 watts for a few minutues, while the meat was browned: then it was turned down to 800 watts, then 500 watts and ultimately left to simmer quietly at 300 watts. There was 1Kg of meat together with onions, leeks, celery, carrots and peppers, so the pot was about one third full. To the tight of the pot is a visual display of the power usage.

After careful scientific evaluation I bought an Induction cooker. It happened like this. Being a sucker for a bargain I opened the bidding for a griddle pan on Bid or Buy, and duly won the auction. When the pan arrived I was surprised to see that it had a shiny round metallic insert on the bottom of the pan. "What's that for I said to my partner"? Being knowledgeable from a minor addiction to 'new home TV programmes' she said "it's for an induction cooker" To rectify my ignorance of these culinary matters I Googled and U tubed them; then, being a sucker for a bargain I found one with almost R500 off the list price, so I bought it. It is a Russell Hobbs single plate cooker drawing a maximum of 2100 watts, however it is adjustable down to 100 watts and usually operates at about 500 watts, after I have used an initial setting of 800 watts to heat the pan. It is clean and efficient and has enabled us to bring out of disused storage an old fashion cast iron frying pan and a cast iron cooking pot, both of which function perfectly as long as you can lift them! It is a useful adjunct to my solar set up as I have left out the oven and hot plates from my system. I would recommend an induction cooker to fellow 'power forumers, perhaps you can benefit from my careful scientific evaluation!!