PicHopper

Hi there, I have the exact Elon 100 system. It works very well in summer. however I find in winter we need to run the geyser slightly longer / change the setting so that it draws more power from eskom. 
 
currently I'm using the Elon 100 with a smart switch so that I can heat the water when I would like to. The timer settings on the current unit I have is not as up to date as I would like, therefore I opted for a smart switch. 
 
however there is a new product/ upgraded product coming out called, Elon smart water. This new product wil allow you to control the system via an app. Choose times on / off etc etc 
 
you can inbox me for additional details or explanation.
 
regards  

This makes sense. Thanks. My heatpump has a defrost setting, but it can't be anything to do with the pipes because how can it "know" what's happening in the pipes, and what can it do about that? What it can know and then do something about is it's own radiator. 

There is a hot cycle and a cold cycle, the cold cycle goes through a heat exchanger/radiator to collect the energy/heat in the ambient air. The temperature on the cold cycle is generally below freezing point, so if there is enough moisture in the air it will freeze on the radiator causing a clump of ice and preventing the air to pass through. Most heatpumps detect this and go into a defrost cycle by running an electric element or reverse cycle for a couple of minutes till the ice melted. You will see water dripping from the heatpump radiator.

Those of us who have invested in solar plant installations at home feel that we've got it sorted if there is a total grid failure - at least to some extent! WE are happy that we will have power during a sunny day at the very least. 
I have a question for everyone who has a solar installation at home: 
What will you do with your installation if SA suffers a total grid failure, and the power is off for say 2-3 weeks?
For my own purposes, I will be doing the following:
Turn off the mains breaker to avoid power surges or low voltages or low frequency power affecting my home when power is eventually restored Carefully manage my electricity consumption to keep a minimum power available in batteries overnight, and cater for cloudy days. I would probably keep on that regime until the main grid has been completely restored nationwide for at least a few days before turning on my mains switch again.  Anyone else have some suggestions on how they plan to manage if there is a complete grid failure? 
as Baden Powell said " Be Prepared!"
 
 

Those of us who have invested in solar plant installations at home feel that we've got it sorted if there is a total grid failure - at least to some extent! WE are happy that we will have power during a sunny day at the very least. 
I have a question for everyone who has a solar installation at home: 
What will you do with your installation if SA suffers a total grid failure, and the power is off for say 2-3 weeks?
For my own purposes, I will be doing the following:
Turn off the mains breaker to avoid power surges or low voltages or low frequency power affecting my home when power is eventually restored Carefully manage my electricity consumption to keep a minimum power available in batteries overnight, and cater for cloudy days. I would probably keep on that regime until the main grid has been completely restored nationwide for at least a few days before turning on my mains switch again.  Anyone else have some suggestions on how they plan to manage if there is a complete grid failure? 
as Baden Powell said " Be Prepared!"
 
 

The systems ARE very solid - I didn't have any issues in the 12months I ran the single 5kw. Will post some pics but its the exact same screens whether its single of parallel operation - the system then just applies he settings to the other machine. For now here are the Solar Assistant screens:

 

I moved from a single 5kw inverter to a parallel setup. You only need to manage the primary and the settings are replicated to the secondary inverter. In terms of batteries as long as you have the right comms between them and they are cabled correctly they will be in synch. The parallel setup also gives you another set of MPPTs giving you more flexibility (as long as you have the panels and roof space)

Hi @PicHopper,
The 8kW Inverter + 10kW battery is slightly easier to install, with regard to cabling.
In general, these (most) inverters and batteries are solid, but failures do happen. It's the exception, rather than the rule.
If space is a problem, then single larger inverter and battery is preferred.
I would only install parallel if the new house does not have enough roofspace in at least 2 direction. With 2 5kW inverters, you have at least 4 MPPt's to cater for (smaller) roofs in at least 3 directions (East, North, West).
Also, if you are running parallel like @mzezman and have Solar Assistant, you will need a extra SA cable to 2nd inverter.
SA clearly can show the detail parameters of each inverter seperately, as it does for batteries in parallel.
Hope this helps.

I honestly dont know enough to comment on that!
In addition to the normal UV light and 3 big blue filters (5micron, charcoal and 0.5micron) we also have a ph canister and a calcite canister. Seems to do the trick.
Officially all we would need is the UV light based on the water testing results to make it potable, but the wife was not keen on that so here we are.

OK -so excellent news! 
Our electrician came through and collected the Hubble battery for us on Tuesday and took it away to the Hubble warranty returns. 
We were expecting 2 weeks without a battery - BUT: 
There was a call the very next day to ask when would be convenient to return the battery! It was re-installed on Wednesday and appears to be working the way it is supposed to! 
There is no way of knowing what was done, but perhaps all it needed was a firmware update........... 
Phew!  Very impressed with the Hubble turnaround!

OK -so excellent news! 
Our electrician came through and collected the Hubble battery for us on Tuesday and took it away to the Hubble warranty returns. 
We were expecting 2 weeks without a battery - BUT: 
There was a call the very next day to ask when would be convenient to return the battery! It was re-installed on Wednesday and appears to be working the way it is supposed to! 
There is no way of knowing what was done, but perhaps all it needed was a firmware update........... 
Phew!  Very impressed with the Hubble turnaround!

OK - so I met with the Salesman yesterday regarding the FoxESS All in One.
The technology appears to be sound - but I have a question or two:
1. The inverter is fanless...... they use a very large heatsink at the back of the unit to dissipate heat. I guess this is a way of reducing moving parts. What other inverters have a fanless system?
2. The system is proprietary - that means that you can't use a different type of battery or inverter in combination. This is a good and a bad thing! It means that the system will work together properly, as they are designed to do so. It also means that if for some reason, you are not able to import the parts, you have a very expensive cupboard! Can anyone tell me what the protocols are between inverter and battery?(I am still new to this so very much on a steep learning curve!)
3. They claim that the system contains a split between essentials (which are powered by the battery) and non-essentials that are split within the box. I assume that this means that if the mains is on, the non-essential load is still fed through the inverter as this is essentially the brains of the system. This means that if you want to have the lawnmower on a separate Mains-only system, it would also run through the inverter, adding to the load that it can take, possibly tripping due to a combined load with the washing machine, iron and,... The largest is a 6kW system with a max rating of 7800W (short time) - which might be limiting.
4. It is rated at IP65, so apparently it can live outside. I would much rather have it located inside for safety, and so that no tampering can take place. Pro's and Con's
The salesman said that they had only installed 12 units in Gauteng to date, during the past 12 months or so. There are more installations in the Western Cape, so I am hoping that some people who have this might be able to reflect their experiences.
Have a great day!
 
 

Hi there
I've had a Sunsynk 8.8kW inverter + Freedomwon 10/8 battery installed with 8x 540W panels.
I have a low power demand because I have piped gas to my property but I am really close to being off-grid. I use around 1kWh per day down from around 20kWh/day.
Either you buy into the concept of an all-in-one solution or you decide to mix/match and get the best out of the system. If you're looking at all-in-one, then my research showed that FoxESS was the better option out there.
Good luck with your installation - enjoy the freedom it brings!
 

Thank you for the very clear response...
It certainly provides me with some good info to research more on the topic!
Product websites always oversell the practical capabilities of their items. Its a problem that can only be addressed through existing users giving advice such as yours - many thanks!
I am still waiting on quotes to hopefully get my own installation in place.... tricky times with Stage 4 Loadshedding.

Thank you for your clear and logical reply!
Much to my surprise, you echoed almost every argument I had for the salesman!
The issue with proprietary protocols means that it is "guaranteed" to work with their infrastructure (EG: Apple). The difficulty however is that since this is a new market, their support is probably not going to be great, and will deteriorate as they install more and need to support more.
I am leaning towards going with a "common" inverter and battery combination that many people know how to install, commission and maintain, rather than needing one particular manufacturer's techies in China to support.
Thanks for your help and guidance!

Thank you for the recommendations........ It sounds like the right mix would be Sunsynk + Hubble + any decent Solar Panels + Decent installer! 😀