Moose

Can anyone make a suggestion for a 3Kw or a 5Kw inverter with a 5Kwh battery that would be suitable to install in a small kitchen? My mum lives in a small flat in a retirement village and does not have a garage etc. so needs tp be indoor. I love my Sunsynk but it is very noisy when the fans start, and while the Livoltek at the office is very quiet, it’s pretty expensive. Any other ideas or suggestions?

I installed Turner Morris 13kVa (0.8 power factor) run-silent petrol generator 18 months ago and finally made the "upgrade" to a SunSynk 8kVa inverter with a Freedom Won 10 battery and 12 x 450w panels to find out the generator will not work. The issue came in when I tried to plug the generator into the inverter which kept on tripping. The installer showed me that the generator was not pushing out 50Hz but seemed to be between 46Hz and 52Hz which was out of spec from what the inverter could accept. Long story short, my generator will NOT work and will need to be replaced. Now the big question - what to replace it with? My requirements are summarised below: Actual output needed is a minimum of 8.8Kva but could be a bit bigger Petrol or Diesel but must be a "run quiet" version with a maximum of 80db as I live in a complex Auto start not a requirement Single Phase It MUST push out a “clean” 50Hz so as I understand it, it needs to be an "inverter-generator" which is why my existing generator is not working. Can anyone recommend a good product with decent parts / backup / warranty etc. in Johannesburg?

I assume that Solar Assistant are not based in South Africa? I tried to look on their site but they don't say (I have dropped them an email). An integration with HA would be a very good solution for those of us who are less technical, let's hope. I'll hopefully hear back from them shortly and then I'll make a call on buying one for the dashboards.

Thank you JuanH, this looks like it will give me a much better idea of what is actually going on. Do you know if there are any plans to build in more intelligence like being able to control pool motors, geysers, etc. when there is excess PV? Ultimately that's where I'd like to get to but this is a good start.

I am a solar noob and only had my SunSynk with battery and PV array installed last week with the SolarMan app for me to monitor but the app really is VERY basic and pretty disappointing. Although I'm very IT literate I am no programmer so the flows on the Pi would be a real challenge for me - not to mention I don't have the kind of time needed to dedicate to this. Is there anyone who has considered selling a package including the Pi, setup, visual dashboard, WhatsApp notifications etc. I'd be happy to pay someone else for their time and expertise if it gives me the kind of info (and control) that seems to be available.

I have recently seen a product called NuPower (the SR868C8Q CONTROLLER) which was suggested as the controller for an EV retrofit for a 200l existing geyser which I am looking to install. I have not heard of these before and wondered if anyone had used them and how they stacked up against Geyserwise which seems to be the more used product? The display seems to be pretty good as I am not a fan of the extremely bright and Geyserwise panel especially as you can't dim it - my last unit which was in my old house and bought about 5 or 6 years back eventually had a cardboard flap over it to dim it down. I have attached the Manual here for anyone wanting more technical info. Controller Manual Quick Guide indd.pdf

Thanks for the clarification.

What should this sort of install cost? I have been quoted about R17k just for the retrofit and i think you can get a gas geyser for around R2,800 but then need the cylinders, certificate etc.

Chris as someone about to install a system prob in the R180-250k mark, what SHOULD I be looking for? Very difficult to know what should be there and what is not necessary.

So doing a bit more research I am now down to two options: Gas geyser for both main house and domestic quarters. Pro's is that it is not TOO expensive and is not reliant on Eskom at all and we will have instant hot water which does not run out. Con's is we don't know what the price of gas will do down the line (oh and I have to have gas to run it so may be an issue depending) Solar retrofit for main house and time for domestic quarters. Pro's is that it uses solar. Con's is that it is expensive (I've been quoted R17k to retrofit incl pump and timer), and ROI will likely be 3-5 years and it is STILL reliant on Eskom some of the time. Anyone want to weigh in on the above? Can anyone suggest an installer who can supply and install (I need to get a quote 1st) in Johannesburg North?

From what everyone is saying it sounds like it may be a case of "goedkoop is duurkoop" and let the buyer beware.

Apologies - I have been studying the actual CSV the guy who did the clamping supplied and as he included totals (not marked as such) my total daily and monthly totals were totally incorrect. Total average usage per day is actually 65kWh with both geysers using 17kWh and critical loads totaling 40kWh (16 during the day and 25 at night). On the night time usage it is 25kWh but this includes 3 x A/C's which seem to account for about 7kWh in total from 18:00 - 6:00 so more like 18kWh critical loads 24/7

Thank you R - I was a bit unclear as I spoke about an average of 17kWh for both geysers per day (so 17x30 days = 510kWh p/m) and I then spoke about total usage of 156kWh per day which is 12% 🙂

My current geysers don't have any sort of timer on them and the water is HOT. Are you suggesting my data is incorrect or that I should have much better control to reduce consumption?

Thanks for the reply. The geyser is in fact about 10 years old and in my complex we are not allowed external geysers (estate rules) so not sure how this affects the info above?

Thank you for your input SilverNodashi

I am a newbie and have started down the path of trying to alleviate my 100% reliance on Eskom. One of the key components that almost everyone I have spoken to is to change the geyser from a standard electrical to one of the following: Retrofit solar Heat pump Gas I did an electrical audit and my main house geyser (4 people plus kitchen) uses about 12kWh per day and my domestics geyser uses 5kWh. This is off a total usage for my house of 159kWh (so about 11% of my entire consumption). With this in mind I had the idea of fitting a solar collector with Geyserwise controller and Geyserwise circulation pump for the main house and then just a Geyserwise timer for the domestic quarters. Quote for main house retrofit comes in at over R17k from two supplier but I have no idea how realistic this is. I also don't know if a heat pump or a gas geyser would actually be better options than R17k on solar. Not strictly related but I am using an average of 16kWh during the day and 18kWh at night. As I am investigating a solar array with batteries can anyone confirm my actual requirements? Some installers have suggested 8kVA Inverter with 7,92kW PV Panels + 20kWh Battery where others have said 4.6kVA Inverter with 4.69kW PV Panels + 10.5kWh Battery will do the job. Any comments / suggestions here would be very much appreciated.