AlexanderR

Hi It seems that this isn't as simple as it seems! There are such price differences between the various suppliers and products as well as their warranties. Does anyone have any experience that they can share? What's a good brand of solar geyser at a good price point? I need 3x 200L ones. Thanks

Thanks! These look good. If you've got space and a bit more budget, I have one of these and love the size, volume and efficiency https://www.incredible.co.za/bosch-619l-fridge-freezer-stainless-steel-kgn86ci30z

Hi I can't seem to find a fridge freezer combo that's affordable an energy efficient! I normally go with Bosch, but their A++ ones are all R18K+. Does anyone know any standard fridge/freezer combos with an A+, or A++ that are under R10k? It's for 2 cottages that have guests.

Hi @TaliaB - thanks for the detailed explanation! I really appreciate your effort, time and insight. water quality and pressure is fine. good point about unoccupied issue! I've moved the solar geyser to the side where a couple will always be living. It also faces the sun and has a roof it can easily be installed on. RECENT UPDATES: We want to try totally go off the grid. The cost of the 3 phase mains cable is R75 000 to connect to grid (due to distance), so we can rather put this towards a full off-grid system. Here are some suggestion and locations... Option 1: Heat Pump & Geyser + Solar Geyser What about this setup? Option 2: Solar Geyser + Gas What about this? Questions: 1 - what size gas geyser is best? 2 - which off the above is better for the off-grid? 3 - can we put in a gas backup if the solar geyser isn't working well enough in winter? (I'd rather do this later after testing) 4 - would the gas geyser next to the dishwashers, help with reducing the energy use on the dishwashers (main kitchen each cottage) by heating the input water to 70 deg? (Thus, if the main house and 2 cottages all used their dishwasher at the same time, it would drop the wattage by quite a bit as the gas would do the major heating?)

Hi. This sounds like a great plan! It's in a hot area near Kruger in a nature reserve. Tons of sun! Are these the geysers you're meaning... https://www.builders.co.za/Plumbing-Bathroom-and-Kitchen/Geysers-and-Water-Heaters/Solar-Geysers/Apollo-Solar-Technology-AS-LP-12-Integrated-Low-Pressure-Solar-Geyser-100-L/p/000000000000744582?region_id=ZANP00&gad_source=4&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_Yq-BhC9ARIsAA6fbAiejpfDOj_jKl0t0ex8qNzWKUJfIz9BUQ8cOb3fbZRTFxs0wxBoFJ0aAm1EEALw_wcB

Thanks. It's in a nature reserve. Think like a Kruger (near Orpen). No generators l, no wind. Lots and lots of sun!

Thanks. I like the idea of option 2. I wasn't sure 1 heatpump could do 3 geysers, especially if on a different side of the house. I thought there was a distance to geyser limit. Why not 3 of these...Solar geysers https://www.builders.co.za/Plumbing-Bathroom-and-Kitchen/Geysers-and-Water-Heaters/Solar-Geysers/Apollo-Solar-Technology-AS-LP-12-Integrated-Low-Pressure-Solar-Geyser-100-L/p/000000000000744582?region_id=ZANP00&gad_source=4&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_Yq-BhC9ARIsAA6fbAiejpfDOj_jKl0t0ex8qNzWKUJfIz9BUQ8cOb3fbZRTFxs0wxBoFJ0aAm1EEALw_wcB R10K/each, with 1 gas geyser as backup for the bnb?

Hi I'm looking for any help on how to structure the water heating for a client who wants to go off the grid. (I'll get installers to do the work, but need to check the structure/system is correct first!) House Requirements: Couple Aged 60 Living There - shower 95% of the time! 2 BNBS with a King Bed Each in peak season maybe 4 extra people. However, only for the major hot season tourist months (Sep to Jan) Min rental will be 1 month so can enable/disable geysers etc. Probably have gas in the kitchen. TAKE NOTE: We want to get the house off-grid as well! NOTE: You can't tell BNB guests they can only get hot water at certain times, and they only might be there for 3 to 4 months of the year in peak season! This is where it's complicated. What I'm trying to work out is...what's the best way to structure the water heating requirements for the house going off-grid as there are such different load requirements! I've read this great article (from ITS Solar), but it's assuming 1 geyser (As a case study, let’s assume a three-bedroom house with a family of four that uses 28kWh (Eskom units) on average per day. The PV system is a typical 5kW inverter with 4kW of PV panels and 10kWh of battery storage. The house has a standard 200L geyser with a 4kW element in). What would you recommend for the water heating side of things? Could we have 3 geysers (150L) and 1 large heat pump that does them all? or do we require 3 geysers and 3 smaller heat pumps? or 3 geysers and 2 heat pumps (one for each side of the house) or do we use a heat pump on the one side and then on the other use a flat plate connected to the geyser? (there's lots of roof space) or do we use a heat pump & geyser on the one side, and then gas for the AirBNB (as they're only occupied 3 to 4 months) - we'd only rent for a month at a time, so we could turn geysers on/off if not in use. The house hasn't been built yet, so we're deciding on everything for the client for now. Here is a layout of the rooms, roof space and sun direction in case it's needed! Any help and guidance is appreciated!

Are there any ways to get all the hot air out from in the roof? (while not sucking all the cooled aircon air!)

Hi Thank you for taking time to read this! What are the most efficient aircons on the market? I see LG & Samsung both have some new ones with big promises. Samsung https://samsungair.co.za/product/new-samsung-ar9500-2-0-windfree-inverter-midwall-split-aircon/ https://samsungair.co.za/product/new-samsung-ar6500-windfree-inverter-midwall-split-aircon/ https://samsungair.co.za/product/new-samsung-ar8500-windfree-inverter-midwall-split-aircon/ L&G https://www.lg.com/za/residential-air-conditioners/m246kh/ I want to get the following: 12 000 BTU Units x 3 24 000 BTU Units x 1 38 000 BTU x 1 We run the aircons a lot as it's a very hot climate. We run them on the dehumidify setting mainly as it uses less electricity. We also want to do a solar install so it makes sense to get something efficient! What aircons would you recommend?

Firstly, thanks for the detailed reply. I really appreciate it! 1. Can you explain this a bit more? 2. Do you have much experience in cooling hot houses? (If so, I'd love to send a PM) as I've got some other things I'd like to ask. 3. We have lots of roof overhangs for this reason, as well as special heat retardant plaster.

Hi I'm trying to work out the aircon requirements for a very large room with high thatch ceilings in a hot climate. As you can see it's around 85m2. How would you recommend cooling this with an aircon? I was thinking of installing a 30 BTU on the one side and a 24 BTU on the other. I'd like to hook it up to a solar install but this is a big draw on the system to have these 2!

Hi Are there any experts here who can help assist with how to keep a house cool in a hot area? I'm looking at aircons, whirly birds, louvres, and special plaster, but would love to get some expert opinions. For example, if you insert a whirly bird as well as louvres, will that mitigate the effects of an aircon? Any help is appreciated.

Hi Thank you for taking the time to read this and help! I need some help for the aircon placement for a house as well as recommendations! 1. Condensers are on concrete roofs will be about 1m higher than the indoor units. 2. It's a thatch house in a hot area (Kruger) What are some of the most important things, you've learned about aircons and cooling a house in a hot area?

Thanks! I will definitely check it out. I appreciate the insights!

We'll definitely use a pool blanket. The pool will also be hotter than the outside soil! I was thinking of placing it in the pool wall that supports the sides/fibreglass!

Hi I've been reading that in cold climates, people recommend using Isoboard in the concrete flooring to keep the heat IN the house. I've also read that for cold rooms, people recommend using it to keep the cold in. We're building a thatch house and we live in a hot area (near Kruger, where it's often 35 to 42 deg C). I want to know if putting isoboard in the floor concrete a good idea? https://isoboard.com/insulation/cavity-wall/ Will it keep the heat out? OR....will it trap the heat in the house!!! Does anyone have any experience with heat transfer in the flooring to keep the outside heat out and the inside cool?

HI We're going to be building a pool and I was wondering if it doesn't make sense to use isoboard/foam on the floor and walls to help insulate it and keep it warmer for longer. See here https://isoboard.com/insulation/cavity-wall/ Surely this will help keep the heat in the pool? Does anyone have any experience on this?

Hi I live in a very hot area (near Kruger, think most days 35 to 40 deg C) and we're building a house with a thatch roof. The issue we find in the current house we're in, is that the hot air really gets trapped in the roof and house and it swelters. I've been reading about roof ventilation and would love some opinions from those in the know. 1) What are the options? 2) Should we be using louvres at the top of the wall, below the thatch line to help the air circulate? 3) Are there any other great ideas to keep a thatch house cool in a hot area? (e.g. insulating walls facing the sun to keep the heat out) Does anyone have experience with heating and cooling who can offer their thoughts? I'm thinking of 1 whirly bird per room area, and then vents as per the image (in blue)

Thanks for the detailed response! 1) For smaller rooms, do you think it's enough? https://www.curries.co.za/aircon-size.html While the room is 16m2 surely the high thatch ceiling and glass sliding door mean we need a larger model? 2) Where in the lounge would you place it then?

Thanks! I'm already chatting with them. It's always good to get second opinions on design though! Like in my last thread, someone suggested a solar geyser and a gas geyser as a backup for the cold which seemed like an excellent idea as we have gas for a hob anyway! Or we could do gas geysers first, and then later upgrade to solar, but have the gas done upfront.

NOTE: Condensers on concrete roofs will be about 1m higher than the indoor units.

Hi It's me again! Sorry for all the posts, just handling different sections and would love some expert opinions, to check installers ideas against! A Few Notes Bed 1 is 6m x 6m Lounge is 12m x 6m Bed 3,4,5 are 4x4m Blue = internal units Yellow = Condenser and suggested piping route We've placed the condensers on concrete roofs, the rest of the roofing is thatch. North is towards the bottom right. House is thatch with a higher internal height. There are lots of windows and glass sliding doors. A Few Quick Questions Where would you place aircons? What sizing would you go for in each room? Any particular brands you'd recommend? I really appreciate any insights and help!

Here is a layout of the proposed plans! 1. Bathrooms are denoted with blue numbers. 2. Red blocks are concrete roof areas (rest is thatch) 3. Yellow arrow denoted North (for sun direction)

Hi It's a permanent home! It's a fixed 5 person house. I do like your idea about solar thermal and gas! There is already gas for the hob so it shouldn't be hard to add some extra piping to a gas geyser. A Few Quick Questions If the solar geyser is on the roof, where is the gas geyser? Does it impact the pressure? Or where would the gas geyser go to keep the pressure? Any recommendations for a solar thermal geyser? We could also only do the gas system for the 1 side where there are 2 bathrooms nearby.