Timbo_vb

Agree with Timbo, Enlite rebranded as Aurora a while back. The Enlite lamps were superb, I installed 160 in one retail outlet about 5 years ago and there wasn't a single failure to date. The power factor was superb, the dimming curve is silky smooth and very stable at all levels and the colour rendering is very good. They weren't cheap but overall good value and I'd highly recommend them as a brand.

Item: Kodak inverter OG 5.48
Age: ~2 years 
Price: R5k
Payment Method Accepted: instant EFT
Warranty: no
Packaging: no
Condition: Good - used for 6 months then in storage
Location: Sandton
Reason: moved to office with backup power
Shipping: Yes on your account
Collection: Yes
Link:

Kodak-OG-3.24-5.48-Off-Grid-Inverter-DS.pdf

I have 3 US3000C batteries. All bought at different times.
Cycle count on them from oldest to newest.
738, 696, 469. No issues between them,
Like JKKM said. Newest battery always the master.
 

I'm considering purchasing a similar model for my own backup needs (Specifically the PV18-3024VPM). I've been studying the user manual as part of my research.
I interpret the "output source priority" options as follows:
SUB = solar - utility - battery SBU = solar - battery - utility SOL = solar only UTI = utility only Based on this, I reckon you actually want SUB - since you don't want to use battery if the grid is available? SUB should use solar first, if that's not available, go to utility, and if that's not available then battery. My interpretation of the SUB setting description is that it'll draw as much solar as it can, if the loads is more than what solar can give, it'll draw from the grid, and if the grid is not available then it'll draw from the battery. This way you will always use your panels to provide power to the home when the sun's out.
In addition to the above, you have two other important settings:
"Solar Supply Priority" (05)
I reckon for this one, you need to set it to LBU (load-battery-utility). If the battery level is lower than the setpoint in setting 20, then use solar to charge the battery. I interpret "If the battery voltage is higher than the setting point in program 20, the solar energy will supply to the load or recharge the battery." to mean that it'll charge the battery at whatever amperage it needs, and the rest will go to the load.
In addition to this, I think you can change setting 20 to something higher than default. Set it to maybe 70% of your battery SOC voltage? That way, you will never drain the battery below 70% IFF the grid is available and you have no sun. You'll only dip into your reserves if the grid is not available during loadshedding.
"Charger Source Priority" (10)
Here I think SNU (solar-and-utility). You will charge the battery using both solar and grid (same as setting 05). 
 
I think bottom line is the battery is there for a backup. Not to be used as part of your regular daily usage. Our grid is unpredictable, and you want to make sure you have battery available when you need it, and not draw from the batteries when you can avoid it (when the grid is available).

One part of this art is to always lead both wires of a circuit trough the same ferrite. Otherwise high current might magnetically saturate the ferrite that would nullify its effect. Such ferrites should be applied to all incoming and outgoing lines. Spark suppression capacitors on the terminals might also help.

I've had little success with them. But it's certainly worth a try.
Suppressing RFI successfully is like a dark art.

With sensible settings, it should not be switching from utility to battery power every 30 minutes.
This is not one of the models (with output source priority SUB) that can blend PV and utility power. PV power can only be blended with battery power.

Eew. A bit slim for a 5 kW inverter.
I'm aiming for maximum battery runtime while load shedding then using offset some utility consumption when the panels get sun. I'm thinking of using the following settings to try force the batteries to stay as full as possible and use solar as much as possible when available.
Yes. That will switch to utility powering loads at sundown. Can't avoid those two switches, sorry. Using setting 03 (AC input voltage range) will speed the switch-over. It will also reject mains when it's below 170 VAC, but that's a good thing. 
Putting this setting as high as possible will switch to utility as soon as possible when the battery voltage drops. That will keep the battery as full as possible, but may start switching more often than strictly necessary.
That's probably a reasonable compromise, keeping the battery fairly full, but making maximum use of solar.
Again, a good compromise for your goals. It will use solar power exclusively through the day, unless the battery drops below the voltage in setting 12, and will start utility charging at night to keep the battery full, but only if it wasn't fully charged during the day from solar.
If there is load shedding scheduled on a cloudy day, it might be necessary to temporarily change settings, e.g. to UTI output source priority, to get the battery charged from utility when you know that the sun can't do it.

Thanks for accepting me in this invaluable forum!
Came accross these :ARTsolar – 305 Watt Solar Panel – Mono
Anyone out there had dealings with them and feedback on this panel?

I like the fact that its a locally made product and their pricing seems good too!
 

A solar tube geyser retrofit is the way to go if you have a north facing roof. My geyser has run on electricity for about 8 hours a month since my install in Johannesburg in March

I have found the curve of the tubes makes them very forgiving in terms of direction.

Is it not more economical to add a solar heater tube retrofit for your main geyser? I did retrofitted my 200L geyser for around 15K and the element has only run for 7 hours in that last two months.
The physics of the conversion from light directly to heat is far more efficient than going via PV and batteries.

Is it not more economical to add a solar heater tube retrofit for your main geyser? I did retrofitted my 200L geyser for around 15K and the element has only run for 7 hours in that last two months.
The physics of the conversion from light directly to heat is far more efficient than going via PV and batteries.

Hi all
I’m looking at buying a pylontech 3000B 3.5kwh battery  I’m a bit weary as there numerous online merchants but they only take EFT and seem to function only as order takers for the distributor.
Does anyone have a recommended retailer who can be trusted with a 30k EFT?