isetech

Its like buying fluke and major tech, major tech can do pretty much the same thing as Fluke, but I can tell you from experience, I dont have one Major tech tester, they have all literally fallen apart. All my fluke equipment is still operating and still used on site. I understand what you are saying, because I sit with a situation at the moment, I bought Hilti machines from the day I started my business (more than 30 years ago) the problem I sit with now, not one of the machines are supported by Hilti anymore, even though they have a 20 year machine warranty, they dont support the machines for 20 years, in fact some of my machines are not longer supported after 5 years. For this reason I no longer support Hilti, even though I believe it is the best quality product at the most expensive price, it makes no sense to outlaying large sums of money, if the company doesn't support the product. The worse part is they cant even service a machine which is supported, it has been returned numerous times, there have been promises of replacement and a whole lot of jiba jaba, but a machine that was sent to them in working order now just an ornament in my storeroom. The oil pissing out apparently due to a seal which was not replaced correctly they tried a second time failed again and the hammer action no longer functions correctly You have to ask yourself, do you pay premium price and hope to get the best support and know the product has a good reputation of outlasting its warranty , or do you extend your bond and buy an all in one solutions which hasnt been around long enough to prove its worth, and from my experience trying to get support which can result in a lot of frustration. The choice is yours to make, will it last and be supported, only time will tell. Victron is repaired within 48 hours, an example see if you can even get in contact with Hubble within 48 hours. I cant even get a response from them in 48 to buy a battery, imagine trying to get one repaired.

In simple terms - IF you looking for a simple, robust, economical standby inverter, then an axpert would be my first choice due to the price and reliability. If you want to do a lot more with your inverter, then a hybrid inverter would be my choice. I have installed many axpert units designed for the application, they do what is required. I have decided to start venturing down the hybrind road because we have a few special applications and from what I have read and researched, it sounds like the hybrid is going to do what is required. Before you choose an inverter, first decide what it is you are trying to achieve, once you have information, select the appropriate inverter. You could install an average system that is offered to most customers. You will only know if your system has been selected correctly after you have monitored it for a couple of months. There are so many factors to take into consideration, choose the wrong one and boy are you gonna wish you never wasted all that money. I see it happening too often. Replacing an incorrectly designed system will cost more than double to replace. Step 1) Understand what you are trying to achieve and all the options available. Step 2) Select your inverter once you understand the options, a simple thing like zero transfer time might be the application you require, maybe 180 mS would be ok, there is a lot to consider. You might not need a aux port or feed back into the grid. You might just be looking for a simple load shedding solution for the 2 hours the power is off. Do you really need to run your fridge for 2 hours during load shedding ? We had no power for 14 days, would a R250K system been any good, no because it was pissing with rain and cloudy most of the days. What was the right choice the very thing everyone tells you not to install a generator. Big deal it cost R300 per day to run the generator, which operating during the day then switched over to the little 600 watt inverter in the evenings which kept the lights on and power to the security system, router and TV, I had hot shower every night and my alarm and security system was operational the entire duration. Big deal it cost me R300 per day to run a 5 KVA generator. Step 3) Select your battery and type, a gel battery might be all you can afford, is it the right battery, maybe not but could be within your budget, can you afford a lithium battery, maybe is a 0.5C all you need or do you need a 1C, what type of load will be connected, maybe as in my case I am going to be using it for my workshop with lots of machines, so quick current spike would be taken into consideration. Step 4) Now that you know what you will be installing, select your panels, making sure they produce enough power to charge the batteries and keep the lights on during the day, not really but by now you understand what I am trying to get at. Think a little before you go taking second bonds on your house or investing your life saving in a system. In 5 years there will be better cheaper faster and longer lasting solutions, so installing a system and paying it off over 25 years with talk of it lasting 20 years, just sound like sales talk. If have money to piss against the wall then why even bother will all this cheap stuff, rather just buy the real thing and fit Victron, then at least you know you have a good quality long lasting product.

I have found that people get lost in the figures, KVA, kwh ratings, electricity account figures, etc and loose focus on the important stuff. The important stuff being the part that you understand your load requirements and time of use. If your electricity account is R10k and you install your whole roof full of panels and a small inverter with a battery suitable for the inverter, you going to be pretty screwed if you entertain in the evening and run heaters, a sauna/ jacuzzi or aircons etc, or have tons of security lights around the property, etc. Like the C rating and cycles of your battery, if you only use a small percentage of the total power of the inverter, because you want a long backup for your security system, then a 0.5C battery could be ideal which will also reduce the DOD adding years to your batteries, if you understand what it is you looking for, choosing the right equipment is simple. My point - focus more on the important stuff, then design a system around it. It's trying to find a person or company to take the time to understand your specific requirements and create long term solution becomes the biggest challenge. This industry has become a means to a quick buck for many due to the lack of understanding, I find it rather amusing when customers request I sit in on meeting with installers. "baffling people with bullshyte" comes to mind

1C ... in simple terms : IF your inverter can pull 100 amps make sure your battery is also capable of being able to discharged at 100 amps. An example a Sunsynk inverter can pull 100 amps, so using a 0.5C battery which can only produce 50 amp will require you to reduce the inverter capacity to only 50 amps. Like buying a big water pump and installing a 12 mm pipe and not a 22 mm pipe, you still going to get water, but at half the capacity. I am busy putting a system together and I was going to buy a 5.5KWH 0.5C battery (50 amp discharge rate) at the same price of a 5.5KWH 1C battery (100 amp discharge), while reading the inverter manual I found that the inverter can pull 100 amps, then I started asking the question why would I install a battery only capable of supplying 50 amp (0.5C) when I can get get one capable of 100 amps, then the word cycles were mentioned. Make sure the C rate and cycles match

Sunsynk battery, one because it will be linked to a Sunsynk inverter, 2 because I hear a rumble in the jungle about a 1 C Sunsynk and a warranty upgrade to the inverter battery combo, a rumble in the jungle or fact, not sure, will soon find out. Hubble was going to be my choice, in fact I ordered but due to no stock available, and lack of support (still havent been able to get through ), I had time to shop around and do more research. It sounds like there is a whole lot of new stuff being launched soon, which could result in better prices and maybe better option for 1C batteries.

You can use an energy control unit to assist. https://cbi-lowvoltage.co.za/sites/default/files/downloads/CBI_ECU_SERIES_DAT_3PAGES_854KB.pdf

They should update their website data sheets https://www.sunsynk.org/manuals

I found this rather interesting. https://www.power-sonic.com/blog/what-is-a-battery-c-rating/#:~:text=The battery C Rating is,10 Amps for one hour.

Reading through some battery data for a SLA battery compared to a lithium. If I understand this correct, some lithium batteries can operate at 0.5C and some at 1C. A flooded lead acid battery only has a 0.05C rating, so you would need a lot of lead acid batteries to get the full value of a Sunsynk inverter.

I could understand if the 0.5 C was half the price, why would you buy a 5KWH 0.5C for almost the same price as a 5 KWH 1 C battery?

The Sunsynk inverter PV input current is 11A+ 11A PV voltage (100V-500V) VOC to be considered when selecting panels. MPPT range V - 125-425V

Battery isolation and overload protection, do you really need a fuse on the + and - and do you need to isolate both +and -. It seems everyone has just jumped on the double fuse and isolation method, but do you really need 2 fuses and a double pole switch disconnect. Is it a good idea to ground the neg - ? Looking at Victron manuals, there is only single pos. + switching a overload protection. Anyone know the reason people are wasting money on double and triple fuse isolators? Do lithium batteries not have some form of overload protection and and isolator built in ?

So as I expected, selecting a battery is not as simple as it seems. What do we look for in a lithium battery, taking a few things into consideration, lithium technology is here today, but who knows what will be the next best thing in 2-5 years time, do you need a 10 - 20 year warranty or 6000 cycles, do you plan to live on the property for more than 5 years, will there not be better technology this year or next year Will the huge outlay for lithium batterie increase your property value, considering that in some case the outlay is R100K+, most people expect some sort of ROI. What must a person look out for when deciding on the battery type and capacity? 1/ Wall or cabinet mounted, do you want a ugly looking battery hanging on the wall. 2/ The inverter capacity, charge and discharge rate compared to the battery. 3/ Compatibility, will the battery communicate with the type of inverter you install? 4/ Backup, how long will the battery last. 5/ Type of cells used in the battery. 6/ Type of BMS and thermal protection used in the battery. 7/ Switch isolator and overload protection. 8/ Very, very important, battery operating temperature and cooling.

From my little knowledge gained since I started doing research into solar. It is more about your requirements, there is no one solution that will suit everyone, even though most installer will tell customer that it is the case. They are learning the hard way. I have seen it on a few cases where a customer had a "standard" system fitted and now sit with a R100 k system which is pretty useless. Make sure you understand exactly what you want from the system, spending R100K on a rough idea of what you want is going burn you in the long run. You need to understand the capabilities of the inverter, you need to understand what the difference between a backup system and a true hybrid system. If you are just looking for a simple backup system with now feedback into the non essential part of the elctrical installation and there are no "special" requirements, then maybe a R11 k inverter is all you need, make sure the battery capacity is suitable for your application, this is another issue I see on a regular basis. Fortunately most customers just suck it and live with what is given to them because they dont know any better. Trying to find a person who knows better is a far bigger challenge than trying find the right inverter. The bottom line, make sure you fully understand what it is you are trying to achive.

What I have heard through the grape vine, there is rumour that if a Sunsynk inverter and a battery are used together they would hold a 10 year warranty compared to a 5 year warranty currently offered ( just a rumour). The question would then be, would you prepared to pay almost twice the price to get 10 KWH of battery for double the warranty ? It doesnt make sense I would rather buy an additional battery 5 years later.