Olorin

I'm just trying to help out my folks. If there is a firmware that can help with this constant super high noise then that would be great. I understand the fans should be active under load but.... the fans are going full tilt, all the time. It's been going for about an hour now and we are not being load shedded. Still Eskom power. The only appliances we using are fridge, freezer, and two LED TVs. Fans are blowing like crazy, that can't be right. Unfortunately folks could only install in their kitchen which is about 5 meters away from the lounge but my word is it noisy.

Can someone help me out? My folks just had their system installed, same inverter and I'm at their house now and the fans are running full blast for the past 30 minutes now - this is on Eskom power as well. The fans kick in a LOT, for very long durations. The installer says the inverter is working properly but I don't know it just seems excessive to me. How do I check the firmware version? I'm not an installer so if someone can explain what I need to do to try and reduce the fan noise it would be most appreciated

I went to the thread but I don't see anyone commenting on lower noise levels after the firmware update.

Are there any inverters under R20K that are fanless?

What fanless inverter do you have?

What are the least expensive fanless 3-5KVA inverters? If anyone knows.

As a matter of interest which inverter do you have?

Many thanks for the replies. I mistakenly assumed the inverter would only be used ONCE Eskom power was turned off and the battery kicks in, but the reality is that it's working in-line ALL the time now. I guess I thought that during NON-Load shedding the fans shouldn't be kicking in so frequently but it's happening a lot. The fans are currently going max out. Even when we aren't using the microwave or the toaster or the oven, the fans kick in - earlier today they were at moderately loud but not terribly intrusive, but my lord, they are currently at maximum and it's flipping loud. The installer said that the only inverters he supplies that does not have noise are the Sunsynk inverters, but that was like R18000 more than the Growatt my dad bought. Oh well, I guess they will just have to accept the noise and live with it. Still, the frequency at which the fans are active is A LOT during non-load shedding - just having 2 TV's active, a fridge and a freezer is causing the fans to go bezerk and this is with a 5KVA inverter. I wouldn't have thought the inverter would be working so hard with that equipment.

My folks recently had a system installed in their home - a Growatt 5KVA inverter with a 5KW battery (forgot the name). The inverter is wired into the kitchen - basically the whole home. The inverter fan is loud and just continues even when we aren't using heavy appliances. For example, the fan turned off and there was silence until we used the toaster then the inverter fan turned on. Eventually it turns off, but it turns off for a few minutes and then the fans turn on and continue for like 15-20 minutes. However right now the only appliances in use are a fridge and a freezer and 2 TV's and the inverter fans have kicked in again for who knows how long. Is this normal behaviour? The installer we used came highly recommended in the southern suburbs and he tells me the system is operating normally - that all inverters operate this way. But I just find it strange that the fans are kicking in so frequently even when load shedding is not happening - right now as I'm typing this we have Eskom power but the fans are kicking in. This would annoy the living crap out of me.

So at this point I just have a few final potentially stupid questions to ask - can the battery (batteries) lie on the floor? I have tile floors. Second question - my folks are contemplating a system - it would be awfully convenient if the batteries could lie on the top of the fridge as the DB board is right above the fridge which is where they want the inverter to be installed. Admittedly don't know if that is okay to do or potentially hazardous to the longevity of the system if batteries were to be placed on top of the fridge so please advise if this is stupid.

I keep coming back to the Hubbles then. I can get the S-120 which is slightly bigger for a few hundred more. https://powerprovider.co.za/product/hubble-s-120b-1-5kwh-12v-120ah-lifepo4-first-life-cells/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAw8OeBhCeARIsAGxWtUwXCVaSCmjvqrkvAJH3SoNOCNKIUOIPLQsqInNT1qbYC4i5YQHosBYaAgE5EALw_wcB And they have stock. So if I get two of these, that will work with the 24v Axpert inverter correct? I just need a battery balancer. If I decide I want to add another two of these batteries, can I do that with the 24v inverter (ie 4 in total)? Just want to make sure if I buy these that I could upgrade in terms of the battery capacity for future.

What is making my decision difficult is the capacity vs the cycles vs warranty. Then there is the 1st life vs 2nd life cells which makes the decision more difficult because I don't know what I'm getting extra if I get 1st life cells even if the total cycles are less than another battery that is 2nd life.

Thanks for the comments. I'm still undecided on the system I want - really the battery (or batteries i want). I looked at Hubble because I guess they're good? Then I thought, what about something more robust like a pylontech up2500 or hubble AM4 and really all I'm buying is warranty and higher charge/discharge cycle. I can get these batteries: https://www.cga-sa.co.za/product/mecer-200a-12v-lithium-ion-battery-lifepo4/ For a really good price as I'm a dealer for Mustek, so I score there. What do you guys think spec wise if I were to go for one of these batteries together with a 3kva xpert inverter 24v? I could always add another battery down the road as funds increase right? The only downside is the warranty on these batteries are only 1 year I think. Or do I stick with the Hubble S120 AH100 batteries which according to Geewiz are 1st life and carry a better warranty but will be a bit more expensive if I buy 2 of them. Not sure which direction to take.

To those way more knowledgeable, if I wanted to check my consumption over 4 hours lets say, would a killawatt meter be sufficient to give me reliable readings? Geewiz has a kill a watt meter that seems pretty affordable but I dont want to get it if the readings aren't going to tell me what I need it too.

The scary thing is that if what you say is true then how can they be expected to set up the inverter/battery settings correctly? If they don't know how then I'm screwed.

Thanks for the reply! Appreciate it. Your comments make complete sense. I forgot that these inverters can handle much higher peak loads. My folks need a system similar to what I need, except they aren't connecting up a surround sound amp and sub so even less consumption than me and they were thrilled when one of their close friends recommended we reach out to a company called Greensun who recently completed an install for them. No solar panels. They are nearby - so I gave them a call, explained to them my folks needs and best guess consumption and... their solution is R80k! But they tell me they only use the very best of the best Victon inverters etc etc. I mean R80k! For 2 TVs, one fridge, one freezer, router. Maybe a fan? My dad almost had a heart attack when I told him the price and he's 74.

So the red spikes are like maximum 230-240 watts? Thats not much at all. I just don't understand why so-called electricians would claim that the initial start up consumes SO much power - i swear I spoke with 3 separate guys all repeated the same crap. I'm sure there are plenty of folks who don't know better (like me) who will then proceed to buy wayyyy more than I need based on some bogus claims. I'm just happy I found this forum.

The question really is... what makes more sense 2 x 12v ah100 or 1 x 24v ah100? I'm still undecided on that - I might save R1000 if I go for one bigger battery.

I'm so sick of people trying to scare me into buying crap I don't actually need. Thank you for confirming this. I think my plan for a 3kva inverter with 1 x 24v ah100 or 2 x 12v is looking more and more attractive. I can always expand on the battery and I don't need solar.

And regarding his fridge consumption comments?

Thank you for the clarification! It seems there is so much BS and misinformation out there.

And this installer said if I were to connect the fridge to the inverter the power could spike 10 times the average consumption in a very short duration so he recommended i go with a 5kva. And this is a guy I was told could be trusted from one of my clients. So I dont know if this guy is talking BS or not.

So I discussed the matter with another installer and he said .... I must get a battery with BMS and the Hubble S-100/120 do not have that. He said it's crucial the inverter and battery have solid communication. 2nd he told me that the Axpert inverters are NOT compliant inverters for solar use (you can use them for solar, BUT....) and said that should anyone install them you could be fined by the City of Cape Town or some such? He said there are list of compliant solar inverters and I need to stick to them. Do you guys know anything about this???

I got a response back from Geewiz regarding the S-100 2nd life cell issue :

The thing is, I indicated 2000 watts max but that figure is useless because I'll never ever use 2000 watts. Probably not even half that in a real world scenario. So I don't know what I actually *need* - I'm assuming I need a 3KVA based on everyone telling me I need one, and I'm assuming the 2 x S-120 batteries will give me enough overhead to cover Stage 6 and then some based on my consumption habits but like I said, I don't know what the actual consumption is in my home. This is all kind of a thumb suck. I put my Geyser on for when I want to shower with hot water, keep it on for a hour and a bit and then turn it off. All I have to go on is my daily unit spent on my prepaid meter which is usually under 8 units a day.