Munzee

I'll just look on with stars in my eyes.. it's pretty cool. I don't have RPi device and not willing to take that plunge. Sonoff can check if the power is out and then switch on and off devices. And possibly CBi astute with Tuya switch can do the same. The only issue with CBi and sonoff is that when the sun is shining and there is load shedding, my geyser will still switch off. And I will have to remember to turn it on to use the PV. But still much better then having it completely manual. I'm leaning towards the CBi, just scared of Sonoffs melting. I see some users advise using a contactor but that won't add any value for power monitoring

That's a nice setup. What hardware do you use to achieve this? I'm a real novice when it comes to automation

I've come across the Sonoff load shedding detector. I'm wondering is this is better for me if it is more of a plug and play solution without requiring a lot of programming. I may only need one of these detectors and one smart switch or relay to control the geyser. Is anyone using this, or can advise?

Thanks @JustinSchoeman

Battery is just beneath the inverter and wall mounted. Not planning on having the battery cables in trunking because it's a short distance. Not sure if this changes anything?

According to the attached image, what is QF? They have QF3 In>140A Max: 140A from the battery And then recommended DC breaker 150A. Not sure what breaker is this refering to?

I already have the battery disconnect fuse holder. Just trying to decide on which fuse to get. Interesting information there @JustinSchoeman. I'm not able to find the actual manufacturer datasheet. What is printed on the side of the cable reads: Yulan car cable 1x35 300/500V The supplier I bought the battery disconnect from mentioned that most people just buy the 160Amp fuse. But it doesn't make sense to me.

Is my understanding correct that the inverter will disconnect itself if the voltage is out of range, therefore this device is not required for the inverter? However, can be useful for appliances though I'm not sure where exactly you would connect it... Perhaps on the Eskom DB board supplying the plugs?

Hi, how do you go about selecting the correct battery fuse size? 1 X Inverter: Luxpower SNA5000 1 X Battery: Greenrich 1,5C rated Battery cable: 35mm2 Battery fuse standard sizes: 125A, 160A I'm not sure how much current the inverter is capable of drawing. The battery can easily deliver 150A based on the 1,5C rating. I've tried looking up the cable size current carrying capacity but there is too much variability in the info I'm finding so I'm not sure what to make of it.

Hi, is anyone familiar with these voltage and current protection devices? https://www.takealot.com/voltage-and-amp-protector/PLID93127538?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw756lBhDMARIsAEI0AgmNmN5THO4peKiLRz56aM1zL6zOJrdeh2t_ICQnE1BkYj6-TKPN6hUaAt2WEALw_wcB Basically it cuts power when the current or voltage is out of the set range. I've seen some inverter installations that have this in the AC box. I'm just wondering if it is required or good thing to have? Will it protect the inverter? Inverter I'm looking at is the Luxpower SNA5000

Thanks guys, I never know these items existed before. It's quite nifty to get an adaptor between Din and Samite mountings. I've been googling the above switches. Seems like the CBI astute is Din rail mounted. Basically has the features I'm looking for - power meter and scheduling with manual button. Sonoff seem to make quite a variety, there is the TH elite which works on sensing temperature I gather. Then they make POWR3 which is a smart relay and POWR320 which is similar to the POWR3 but has a display. The latter two I don't think are made for the DB board. @Warlok where do you have yours mounted? And can you program a on/ off schedule not related to temperature? It would be nice if it could sense automatically when the inverter is running from battery power and then automatically switch the geyser off. Wondering if anyone tried programming the like? This is probably out of my scope.

Hi everyone, I've been looking for a geyser controller where one can program a on/off schedule but also be able to remotely switch the geyser on and off over mobile. I'm changing the geyser element to a 1,5kw element and will have it connected to the essential loads. I just don't want the geyser to be running off battery during load shedding and power outages. I don't have any home automation. What I'm looking for should be easy to use and have a manual override to switch on and off as well. I've seen some no-name WiFi breakers, but concerned about reliability and lifespan. Also to note that my DB board is a Samite mounting and not Din rail. What options are available? Thanks in advance

Is my understanding here correct, based on the following assumptions: An ECCO 3,2kW inverter 1 x 100Ah 24v battery with C1 rating With one 24v battery, the maximum continuous power the inverter can get is 2400W from DC side. The continuous current draw will be 100Amps. And maximum current draw will depend on the inverter (148Amps for the ECCO 3,2kW) and battery's maximum current. On the AC side, the maximum continuous output power will be 2400W when running on battery only (ignoring inefficiencies). This equates to 10,4Amps (at 230v). With PV or grid power available, the maximum output power is 3200W. This equates to 13,9Amps (at 230v). So when deciding how to split the loads, the essentials on the backed up circuit should not exceed 10,4Amps or 2400W when on battery. And when grid power is available, a few extra items can be added, but in total should not exceed 13,9 Amps or 3200W.

Well... I guess I was hoping that it is managed differently. For example, Hifi Corp and Incredible connection are both part of the JD group but they're managed differently.

Has anyone ordered from LifeTide? They do have a physical location, and are part of the Genking group. I could not find any reviews on LifeTide or their Lithium batteries, and was wondering what their service and after sales support is like. According to Genking reviews (where they sell generators), they don't honour warranties and a lot of complaints regarding their after sales service on the genies.

Question: will this still happen even if the priorities is to use grid power before batteries when not loadshedding? And the current draw is based on the battery voltage and not the AC 230v even when using grid power? This means it will be necessary to rewire plug points and have a dedicated inverter circuit. We have the toaster, microwave, kettle, bed room plugs (hairdryer), though most of these won't be used during load shedding, will cause the inverter to trip when there is grid power because it will be on the same line. Perhaps it will be worth considering going for a bigger inverter. The price of two 24v batteries is about the same as one 48v. Yeah, both inverters are made by the same brand ECCO, and I'll expect the specs to be very much the same. They don't have a website unfortunately but this brand has been around in SA for sometime making dvd players, kettles, irons etc. AC DC have a very neat looking 5kw Luxpower inverter on the what they call an easy install kit. It comes prewired with AC and DC boards for R21300. The inverter alone is around R11500 elsewhere. I'm not sure if it's good value. And I seriously need to rethink the system I would want have installed. I wasn't wanting to spend too much and early estimates is around 20k difference between 3 - 3,5 KW system and a 5kW system.

How do I check what the peak current the inverter can sustain? I've attached a photo of a 3,2kw inverter specification, is this value shown here? I don't know what to look for

Hi, I'm considering a 3,5kw inverter with 24v 100ah battery. Basically I just want to be able to run the lights and the microwave. A few extra appliances (electric blanket and a fridge or two) would be nice. Considering adding solar to offset the eskom bill slightly. The two fridges use around 500W. I'll be downscaling on a microwave that will either use 1450W or 1250W (depending on which size I go with). When running on battery power (with 80% DoD, gives 80AH of useable capacity): 1) If for example, the constant current draw is 30AH, and then I switch on the microwave which draws 70Amps for 10mins. The microwave draw is less than 70AH but while the microwave is running, I'm not sure if this will exceed the battery's capacity and will this damage the battery? 2) Can someone please explain the C rating of a battery and how to select a battery accordingly. An example here will help. Regarding solar panels, our roof faces East and West. Was thinking of getting 4 x 550W solar panels. And maybe placing all East facing or two East and two West. 3) What should I know regarding shading? It's likely that some of the panels will be in the shade at certain times of the day. And which method parallel or series connection will be better suited in this situation? 4) What happens to excess solar power generated once the batteries are fully charged, and supply exceeds usage? With a hybrid installation, I'm thinking that preference would be set to use solar first, and then grid and during load shedding, battery. 5) So is a changeover switch required? When does one typically use a changeover switch or what purpose does it serve? Any other advice is always welcome.

So basically, the max PV power input is how much the inverter is able to utilise. If the panels exceed it, the inverter will still only use that amount solar power. Thanks for the recommendations. Kodak is out of budget. Dont know much about SRNE, will look into it.

Hi, I am looking into getting a 3kW inverter + solar panels installed. I noticed most 3kW inverters specify max PV input = 1500W. I can't seem to understand why the PV input is so low as compared to the actual Inverter rating. I would have expected the PV input to be more or less equal to the inverter rating. Is it necessary not to exceed the specified PV input? I'm considering perhaps 4 x 400W panels because of this. This gives max of 1600W. I would have liked to have added more panels if it is allowed. Any advice? I came across a 3.2kW ECCO inverter which has a max PV input = 4000W. Can this be? Very different from all the others I've come across.