GVC

I agree with this sentiment 100%. The fact is that the council owes Eskom R1.3 billion, that apparently equates to R4 million per day in interest alone. The electrical and water infrastructure has decayed to a point that it will cost another couple of billion to repair. We have electrical cables, transformers and water pipes popping all over town on a daily basis. Not a day goes by that one area or more is standing without electricity or water. I have never defaulted on my monthly payments and i am being penalized as well. No Sir, I will gladly pay what it takes to maintain my independence... Why don't I just sell-up and move somewhere else?....This is not that easy as property prices in this town have already fallen by 30%.

Hi Johan, I am in the same town as you and for me the convenience of having a solar system far outweighs the cost factor..... As you are aware we have power interruptions up to 2 times a week due to the imbeciles running the council... My Alternative energy thinking started when i realized that i was spending upwards of R1000 a month for fuel for my generator. I then purchased 2 x 2Kva Ellies portable inverters to run the essentials, this cut fuel for my generator by 80%. I only used the generator when both my Ellies battery packs ran flat....like when the tsotsies kept on stealing the sub-stations transformer drain valves causing 2 day power outages..... My system has only been running for a few weeks and I don't even know when the grid power is off anymore.... Not even to mention the possible Eskom municipal daily shut that is due to commence in November... It was a no-brainer for me to upgrade to a small full solar system...

Bowsie, I have one question. Your modular changeover switch output is connected to the Inverter output circuit breaker for AC bypass mode? Do you have to switch off the inverter output breaker when you run bypass mode? and can it cause damage to the inverter if you leave the output breaker on?

Thanks for bringing up this topic Johan. I was contemplating the same thing after hearing the inverter beeping while drawing too much current from the grid / inverter. Though i must say this has made the missus and myself more wary before running the oven, dishwasher and kettle at the same time....lol I am going to split my db as suggested by the guys and have also ordered a modular change over switch from acdc express.

So the technician came and found that he had cracked some pipe when he crimped it 3 weeks ago and only the gas escaped...pheeew false alarm Thank you for the suggestions which i will be implementing on my solar system asap. PS. Is there any way i can log my pv output wattage as i see WatchPower only logs the voltage?

Thanks guys, It could of course be a defective compressor that was installed, it does come with a 18 month warranty. SilverNodashi, thanks for the tip. I will definitely be installing AC surge arrestors on the AC side and will check the plug point as well.

Thank you Plonkster. It is specifically one of my fridges that i am referring to. I had the compressor replaced 3 weeks ago (2 weeks before solar installed) and now it seems to have gone again... There are plenty of people complaining about losing their appliances in this ineptly run town i am staying in.... At least 3 power failures a month....And Eskom interruptions set to commence on 20 November due to non payment. Thanks for the tip on increasing my inverter output.

Hi All I have recently installed a 5kva Mecer inverter, 6 x 300W solar panels and 4 x 110AH Monbat batteries. I have diverted the grid input into the inverter and from there it goes into my original DB. The problem is that the municipal power comes in at 254V and the inverter output is 230V. Can this have a detrimental affect on my appliances if i run my inverter on SBU and it switches from grid to solar / batteries? Regards George

Hi Anarchy05, I have just found this useful forum and am not surprised to find quite a few Witbankers here... I installed my system last weekend 15/10/17 and it consists of 6 x 300W panels, 4 x 110AH batteries and a 5Kva Mecer inverter. You are welcome to come have a look although I must point out that i am a total novice and am still learning as I go along.