Johandup

Just for a laugh
After I installed my borehole and before I had my water tested I did not know what to do to clear the water.
The iron in the water had stained my window stills, walls and burglar bars.
I thought I was very clever and thought I had a quick, cheap solution. I was in a hurry to use the system.
I bought a 3 bag swimming pool filter and 3 bags of clinobrite and proceeded to fit it inliline with my borehole pump.
 
This was the result. 
I had left the system overnight for the glue to dry on the pvc pipes.
I tested the system before I went to work at 6am. I had only 1 tap open to test the water quality.
I switched the borehole pump on and after about 10seconds I heard a hissing sound and my swimming pool filter's lid blew off with a almighty huge bang as loud as large caliber gunshot.
My wife and neighbours came running out to find out what was happening and asked if someone was shot.
It was a lesson I will not forget as I could have injured myself or others and I found some pieces of the lid 20m from the filter in my neighbours garden.
I still chuckle at myself how foolish I was.
After that I bought a new lid and fitted a pressure gauge and left enough spinklers open to maintain a pressure of  < 2.5 bar. 
This did not solve my iron problem but the water was clearer.
After the results of the water test I did some research and fitted high pressure filters with the correct media.
 
I had waisted about R3000.00 on a hasty, dangerous solution that did not work.
Swimming pool filters make use of a high flow rate with less pressure hence the large pipes 50mm.
High pressure filters use high pressure, less flow hence the smaller pipes 1".
 
I hope this discourages anyone  who thinks a swimming pool filter is a good idea. (high pressure filters are only marginally more expensive).
 
Btw my grandson is not "Rocket Boy".
 

Hi John,
BIRM can be obtained and delivered from Aquamat at a cost of about R1015 .00 per bag + delivery. I did find other suppliers but they were more expensive.
I use 2 bags in my high pressure filter.
BIRM does work well for me  to remove the iron and manganese.
I  use "CLINOBRITE"  media as a pre-filter which helps to remove mud and other deposits. After these two filters the water is fit to drink. The mesh and plate filter is only for solids not to block my irrigation system.
I will add a photo's of water before and after just those two filters.
Birm has to be backwashed regularly to maintain lifetime of about 5yrs.
It also helps if there is air in water to oxidise the iron.
You can look up other methods of iron removal on the web but for me " BIRM" was my best option.
I originaly used "MADDOX" (green sand) however due to my lack of research I found out it has to be regenerated with potassium permanganate which would be a pain. I waisted about R2000.00. 
There is a beter filter media on the market "FILOX" however I cannot find a South African supplier.
It is too expensive to import because of its weight.
I would be grateful if someone knows a SA supplier and posts it.
Regards,
Peter.

Thanks for the reply. 
This is the only way (for now) to manage loads vs input automatically and to prevent overloading of systems  
I am amazed that nothing is written about these usefull devices  .
 

Where a lot of batteries are undergoing testing.
http://batterytestcentre.com.au/

Hi GVC,
I'll appreciate his details.
Currently waiting for quotes.
I am anxious to get up and running.
I'm on whatsapp no 0829458760.
Regards

Problem ????  Fre batteries but Z-Duties added and the netto price in SA will still be sky high!! Remember building costs in Russia is very high !!

Does it have a BMS? If not, it would cost a bit extra. 
The blue nova batteries can drain to 0% without any damage at all. In fact, that guarantee it for 10 years, even at 100% DOD every day. So you could get away with a 180Ah lithium bank VS the 360 lead acid. And it works with most inverters, unlike some of the other brands which only work with 2 or 3 inverters. 

My neighbour wanted to install a Powerwall and was stumped by a requirement that the Powerwall had to be in a situation where it could be powered by the grid if needed (his explanation)  He ended up with a LG set. Can anyone confirm it true that the Powerwall cannot be used in a off-grid system? When Powerwall was first announced to much fanfare I did a quick calculation and it looked promising. Once I started to see prices quoted in Rands it quickly lost its lustre.

Welcome, Nice clean install. Like it a lot.

When I looked at my 40A unit, there does seem to be some kind of protection built in. There is an extra MOSFET in the positive line that appears to be wired as some kind of protective device that can cut off the  PV side, but I suspect its job is to ensure that no back-feeding happens at night. Still not quite sure... it wasn't completely clear, and I for what I was doing at the time I didn't have to know what that bit does... :-)

Off topic, but TTT, how do you do this? Do you have a description of your setup somewhere?:  Mecer Xpress Executive A890A-WIFI 8.9″ Windows 10 Tablet with 7 port USB HUB reading ALL my devices

Dankie Triplett...well during the time the genie is not running , I need to charge the batt,use the freezer (24h)the washing machine and at night after the genie is off uses lights untill bedtime.During the day the freezer and washing machine( 800 w) should run off the panels and then switch to the genie and then to the batteries.The 5000 is the total watt hours per day and the 1500 the peak.

I am a new member and enjoy the forum a lot.While seeking for the right advice I came across this forum and trust that I shall find it.I am off grid and use a 14 kw generator to supply power for my and workers houses and pump water for 2.5 hours every night.at approx 3 lit of  diesel/hour. In time I will drop,the genie but meanwhile I am in need of a system that can supply me with 5000 w per day and peak of 1500 w.which can double later.At the moment I am looking at a Sunniva 3.2 kw  48V hybrid inverter.Keep in mind that the genie runs for 2.5 h every day and can help with the charging.How many batt and panels should I use? Verskoon maar die engels ek is regtig n boer!

Chris we need hints for investment purposes please.


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Do you intend to use the borehole pump for irrigation?
You need to check the pressures required for the sprays. That will dictate the size of your pump.
I use a separate pump from the jojo tank to irrigate. Am not happy with the setup as it is. Not efficient.
Use easily 15kl per day for watering a big garden.
Got a very strong borehole. Had the water analyzed and am using it for household consumption as well. Much better quality than the municipal water.
No more water supply problems :-)
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One thing I also considered, is if you have the means or can find people to help you, is to aim FAR North, places like Uganda. Why? Those people know what Civil war looks like, they lived through it and they are more mature for it. And they have fertile land.