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Jaco De Jongh

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  1. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Jakac in Mini Rail (Samite) changeover switch   
    I gave up looking for those years ago, maybe some one know where to find it. 
    If i dont have space in the DB i use one of the following ways to install a changeover. 

     
    If there is space I use a Samite to Din Adapter and then fit a normal Din rail Changover into the Samite board. 

    Most electrical wholesalers do sell the Samite to din adapters. 
    Fits like this:

     
  2. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from PsyCLown in wire size for 60A single phase DB board   
    I am sorry Silver but this is just not true. 
    Firstly have a look at the following SANS table, you will see that in instalation method 1 and 2 (Home Installations)  the max rating of a 10mm in a single phase installation is 52Amps

    The common busbar available from your electrical supplier is equivalent to 16mm square and all standard breakers (2.5 and 3KA) are designed to take a minimum of 16 mm wire to accommodate the standard wire for a standard 60Amp installation. 80A installations normally call for a 5ka breaker that will allow a 25mm cable and 40Amp connections use 10mm wire.
  3. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Youda in Youda's off-grid LAB   
    They say their cable is 25mm and its 2 meter long. 
    The volt drop over 2 meter with 148 Amp is 0.552 Volt or 1.15%
    The volt drop over 2 meter with 296 Amp is 1.1 volt or 2.3%
    This effectively means that you can run this current constantly and the cable should handle it just fine. The recommended volt drop for solar systems to reduce losses is 3% and the allowed volt drop according to the SANS regulation for safety is 5%.
    Even with 8 battery's, you should still be okay.  
    EDIT: I am struggling to find a affordable cabinet for 8 pylons, so I buy 2 x 4 US3000 cabinets, and then end up using 2 cable packs, effectively dividing the current.  
  4. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from zsde in New software for Inverter/Pylontech monitoring and control   
    Looks great, but, what does the "now" mean. Will it ever be sold in the future? 
    It would be great to use free software, but what a shock if it stops working after 6 months and "now" you have to pay...
     
     
  5. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from ibiza in New software for Inverter/Pylontech monitoring and control   
    Looks great, but, what does the "now" mean. Will it ever be sold in the future? 
    It would be great to use free software, but what a shock if it stops working after 6 months and "now" you have to pay...
     
     
  6. Thanks
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Scorp007 in Everything you wanted to know about Heat Pumps   
    You might not be aware of this, but Heat pumps are widely used through out SA. With a  COP (coefficient of performance) of between 3 and 5 depending on the Brand and model they proof to be one of the most efficient methods of heating water, and with an average power demand of 1.25kwh it makes a great addition to your Solar system, ensuring that you can heat your water from your existing solar system without having to add 3kwp on the roof to try and rub your normal geyser. The price of the heat pump is cheaper than 3kwp and that is without buying an extra MPPT to allow you to add 3kwh panels. 
    The hotter the area you stay in, the better the performance of the heat-pump. Comparing the performance of a Flatplate vs Evac tubes vs Heat-pump during overcast days, the heat-pump will come out on top, with night time usage being an added benefit over the others. 
    Like with everything, there are cheaper, not so efficient units and quite a few claiming exceptional COP ratings, but only a few of them can deliver on their products. One trusted brand that I would strongly recommend is ITS solar's range especially their 5Kw Super unit that can off 10 degC higher outlet water temp than most of its competitors.  
    Note: A COP rating of 3 for example means that the unit is 300% efficient and 4 is 400% and so on, and the only way that is possible is because the heat-pump is not producing the Heat, its is merely moving it from the environment into the water. It takes less energy to move the heat compared to producing the heat. (The process is a bit more complicated, but this is the simple explanation of things.)
     
    Edit:
    I forgot to mention, the only Drawback of heat pumps is, no power = no heat. but as i mentioned , the power demand is small enough to add it to your existing solar backup system. 
    And another important point. Flat plates and Evac tubes, can normally produce between 4 and 4.7kwh of heat per sq meter per day and their size is between 1.4 and 2 sq meters. So at best you can expect in the region of 9kwh heating from them in a day. The heat pumps on the other hand can supply its kwh rating per hour. The main units i prefer to install is 3.6kwh, 4.7kwh and 5kwh. It will take the 4.7kwh unit less than 2 hours to preform the same heating a evac tube can do in a day. 
  7. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from iiznh in Everything you wanted to know about Heat Pumps   
    Not true with all brands, it needs to be serviced once a year. Only need to clean the "Evaporator" and check the Strainer for blockages. Both of these can be done by the client. 
    They require very little maintenance. Normal maintenance takes less than 30 min.  
    Not servicing them, wont break them, it will just effect the efficiency. I have personally seen some units that was installed in 2008 and never cleaned, in 2018 they were removed as the client though they were damaged. The manufacturer cleaned them and started them up and they were still working. 
     
  8. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from JpPaulKruger in Mini Rail (Samite) changeover switch   
    I gave up looking for those years ago, maybe some one know where to find it. 
    If i dont have space in the DB i use one of the following ways to install a changeover. 

     
    If there is space I use a Samite to Din Adapter and then fit a normal Din rail Changover into the Samite board. 

    Most electrical wholesalers do sell the Samite to din adapters. 
    Fits like this:

     
  9. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Basil Katakuzinos in Installing a Ziehl 101E Anti-Islanding Relay (SA Settings)   
    Just a few things to remember when installing a Ziehl 
    You will need the following:  AND One or two 63A contactors  
     
    Install using the following connection diagram.    Please remember to bridge L1 - L2 - L3 when single phase are used.  Return wires (Feedback from Contactors) are not required in SA. I have used 48VDC to power the unit, but you can can chose to use the grid voltage. I have used grid voltage to switch the contactors.  I have Chosen 63Amp Din rail mount DB contactors (Schneider)   
    Putting the unit into programming mode: Switch the supply on.  Look at the following picture.  The unit comes with the seal not in place.  If the Led between the 2 locks are Red, slightly lift the key cover and turn it 180 degree. While turning you will see a Small blue pin like switch behind the key cover.  Use the key cover and press down firmly on the blue pin for 2 seconds.  The Led should turn to Green now.   Once the LED is Green you can continue with the configuration.   
    Configuration: There are 2 Programs to chose from PRG5 is used for 230Volt Phase to Neutral, 1 or 3 Phase PRG6 is used for 400Volt phase to phase systems with no Neutral.  Press the UP arrow 1 time to display "InFo." Press the RIGHT button 5 times to display "PR 1" Press the UP button till you reach "PR 5" or "PR 6"  Press the RIGHT button 1 time to display "no" Press the DOWN button 1 time to display "YES" Press the Right button. The Device will reset and start with the new program.  Every time a new program is selected, all the settings revert to the default settings.  Changing Settings:  ONLY after you selected the relevant program for your installation, you should continue to the settings.  Press the UP button 2 times to get to the first Menu on the Settings LIst.  Use the Right Button to Scroll through the 5 settings of each Parameter. Use the UP and Down buttons to change the setting to mach the settings on the list.  Once done with all 5 settings, use the UP button to scroll to the next Parameter on the list.   The settings for South Africa are as follows.  Once you done, remove and re-apply the power, the unit will go through a 60 Second "self check" that might be followed by another count down.  Once that is complete and all conditions are within spec, the Contactors should energize.  Once you are satisfied with the settings, press the blue pin till the LED turns red.  Apply the seal, but dont crimp it till you are sure no one wants to check your settings.    
  10. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Ronnie_V in Omnipower batteries & PSS Inverters - BIG problems...   
    Welcome Goose
    I am afraid things dont look good for you. To have that volt drop (Sagging) with low loads like that and looking at the little bit more than 2 hours it takes for Example B to go from low alarm (Under Voltage) to full, your batteries might be damaged. I assume there is no battery monitors on either of these systems?
    Do you have any data for the time when the voltage really  starts to drop away, What was the real current draw at that time? Can you maybe post that as well?
    Just maybe you are lucky and its a nice big load creating the voltage to drop to the Cut off voltage. Look at example B, the moment it switches off the voltage goes straight back up to over 24.  
    EDIT: For example A, do you have current readings from 16H20 - 15H00 and for example B, current readings from 17H20 to 18H00? Please.
  11. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Riaandp in Youda's off-grid LAB   
    I am with you on that one. I am busy installing 28 panels on my roof , alone, installing the rails, pulling up the panels, align and fasten them . 
  12. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from P1000 in Pylontech vs Hubble   
    😀
    I am showing you the error in what you said about the MPPT, I am not saying anything about any Hybrids, but to be honest, I did not expect you to understand. 
  13. Like
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to FixAMess in Pylontech vs Hubble   
    So with 3*3.5kW pylontechs you should get a 4kW draw from the batteries = 83A, which is what I get occasionally. 
    Are you feeding your entire house using 8kW Sunsync with no grid input (off-grid), then yes the 1c vs 0.5C will make a difference.
    However, the entire purpose of having a hybrid grid-tied inverter is to cater for additional power when your PV+Battery is inadequate, so in reality the 1C vs 0.5C makes little difference because what your battery+PV cannot provide the grid will!
    The 1C vs 0.5C is only really an issue when you are off grid....And who in his right mind requires an off-grid setup to provide 8kW of power, you will in any case require a massive battery bank so again the 1C vs 0.5C argument is a non issue.
    "Currently they only get me to 3am" is that because you have a massive drain on them and require more capacity or because the 1C charge rate is an issue?
  14. Like
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to Bobster. in Pylontech vs Hubble   
    I get that you guys have to punt your own product, but dissing somebody else's to make yours look good doesn't make me want to go out and buy hubbles. If your product is good, word will get around, your reputation will grow and with it your market share.

    Plus it's not like you're some objective 3rd party with nothing to gain or lose from your analysis.
  15. Like
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to hoohloc in Pylontech vs Hubble   
    it is still 10yrs, I bought my batteries recently and registered them. 
  16. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Blowdart18 in Earth leakage trips intermittently - cannot find reason   
    Not always, from time to time you can get a intermittent earth fault, but in most cases it will progressively get worse over time to a stage where you can not reset it anymore. I saw that a lot with outside or garden light circuits and outside plugs. One of my worst cases at a clients house were ants walking over an exposed neutral wire in a damaged Surfix cable. The ants created a path for the current to flow between neutral and the screening of the cable. Took me weeks to find because it was intermittent. Another example was a Gecko in an outside plug and once i had a Millipede  under the PC board in the power supply of a gate motor doing the same. Its back end was fried to the PC board where the 220V came in but dried out from the current, but as it tried to move, it made contact and tripped. Found it after 2 days and the Millipede was still alive. 
    Secondly. You might have a neutral breaking through on a light circuit or plug circuit creating a very small leakage, and then when a heavy load like a geyser  or  Stove switches on the amps in the neutral wires increases and aggravates the situation, causing the leakage to increase and subsequently trip the EL. I think this might be the reason, it will also explain why the El trips as the Power is restored after an outage. Powering up everything together is quite a load and the change of a small leakage showing itself is good. 
    Thirdly , Earth leakage  units does pack up from time to time and start giving you nuisance trips. Please dont just replace it, as this might not be the case in your situation . They are pretty expensive and replacing them just to find out the problem persist, is not nice. 
  17. Thanks
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to Czauto in Victron experience....blue stuff is getting me red around the cheeks!!   
    Hi guys, 
    Everything solved. I contacted victron's sales manager (if i'm correct), Gerrit Tromp, and he sorted everything out in a matter of days. I sent the Multiplus back to my supplier and no more than a week later it was repaired (actually repaired this time), under warranty and is now working perfectly. 
    In the time i was without an inverter and had to use my generator more often i decided to automate it completely. I ordered a Linixe generator controll module from Aliexpress and less than 14 days later, at a total cost of R927, it was delivered to my door. I also acquired a proper 63A automatic transfer switch and installed everything when the Multiplus came back last week.
    Now, when grid power fails, the Multiplus takes over the loads (system is used as UPS with no solar and small 200Ah battery bank). 
    What's lekker now, without any user intervention, the Multiplus starts the generator as soon as one of the conditions are met (battery SOC, AC loads) and the transfer switch switches over to auxilary power (generator in this case)
    As soon as grid power returns, the transfer switch goes back to normal mode and the Multi stops the generator after the set delay time is met. 
    Setting are different for "silent hours" so if grid supply should fail through the night, the generator will only start if it's really needed. 
    This is a really great function and i wanted to utilize it for a long time. Glad it's done now. 
    Thanks Victron. I now realize again why i've converted to blue, even while you (or rather a supplier) made me red around the cheeks for a while. 
    And like always the forum did what it alway does with members replying almost immediately. Thanks guys. You rock! 
  18. Thanks
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Dani in IBR Roof Mounting options   
    That is for portrait. Less for landscape. 
    I agree. 
     
  19. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from tonio in Pv string lengths for positive and negative cables   
    Hi Beat these figures are not correct at all, please refer to the SANS regulation for  correct figures. 
  20. Thanks
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Deon in ZA in Victron experience....blue stuff is getting me red around the cheeks!!   
    That is not the way Victron operates. I will PM you the details of someone you can contact at Victron, He will sort you out. Victron themselves will not tolerate something like this.
  21. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Calvin in Victron experience....blue stuff is getting me red around the cheeks!!   
    That is not the way Victron operates. I will PM you the details of someone you can contact at Victron, He will sort you out. Victron themselves will not tolerate something like this.
  22. Thanks
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from fredhen in Victron experience....blue stuff is getting me red around the cheeks!!   
    That is not the way Victron operates. I will PM you the details of someone you can contact at Victron, He will sort you out. Victron themselves will not tolerate something like this.
  23. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from TJ Botten in Installing a Ziehl 101E Anti-Islanding Relay (SA Settings)   
    Just a few things to remember when installing a Ziehl 
    You will need the following:  AND One or two 63A contactors  
     
    Install using the following connection diagram.    Please remember to bridge L1 - L2 - L3 when single phase are used.  Return wires (Feedback from Contactors) are not required in SA. I have used 48VDC to power the unit, but you can can chose to use the grid voltage. I have used grid voltage to switch the contactors.  I have Chosen 63Amp Din rail mount DB contactors (Schneider)   
    Putting the unit into programming mode: Switch the supply on.  Look at the following picture.  The unit comes with the seal not in place.  If the Led between the 2 locks are Red, slightly lift the key cover and turn it 180 degree. While turning you will see a Small blue pin like switch behind the key cover.  Use the key cover and press down firmly on the blue pin for 2 seconds.  The Led should turn to Green now.   Once the LED is Green you can continue with the configuration.   
    Configuration: There are 2 Programs to chose from PRG5 is used for 230Volt Phase to Neutral, 1 or 3 Phase PRG6 is used for 400Volt phase to phase systems with no Neutral.  Press the UP arrow 1 time to display "InFo." Press the RIGHT button 5 times to display "PR 1" Press the UP button till you reach "PR 5" or "PR 6"  Press the RIGHT button 1 time to display "no" Press the DOWN button 1 time to display "YES" Press the Right button. The Device will reset and start with the new program.  Every time a new program is selected, all the settings revert to the default settings.  Changing Settings:  ONLY after you selected the relevant program for your installation, you should continue to the settings.  Press the UP button 2 times to get to the first Menu on the Settings LIst.  Use the Right Button to Scroll through the 5 settings of each Parameter. Use the UP and Down buttons to change the setting to mach the settings on the list.  Once done with all 5 settings, use the UP button to scroll to the next Parameter on the list.   The settings for South Africa are as follows.  Once you done, remove and re-apply the power, the unit will go through a 60 Second "self check" that might be followed by another count down.  Once that is complete and all conditions are within spec, the Contactors should energize.  Once you are satisfied with the settings, press the blue pin till the LED turns red.  Apply the seal, but dont crimp it till you are sure no one wants to check your settings.    
  24. Sad
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Anonymous in Series String Mystery   
    One other thing that I just thought of. The frame with the JA's had wooden legs and a steel top that was in contact with the panels. Sometimes if I touched the steel it shocked me. Went through the wiring and could not find a reason for power to be percent but did not make much of it. 
    Have anyone heard of a panels Isolation breaking down at higher voltage? 
    I am going to test that when the new panels arrive. String all of them up to the inverter before I mount them on the roof. 
    Want to see if the higher voltage could have been the cause of one panel partially failing.  
  25. Like
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to PJJ in Tesla Powerwall vs Pylontech (or similar)   
    I think so too.
    At R167K its about the price of 5 x US3000's and a 8000VA Victron Quattro.
    The Quattro obviously has a bigger inverter (6.5KW) and another big benefit I think is that second AC Input.
    And then there is just the chemistry differences, NMC cells will have a lower cycle life compared to Lifepo4.
    So with those things considered, I will still go blue  
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