dax021

Thanks for the mention @Yellow Measure. I did go about going off-grid on a budget and DIY installed my whole system. You are definitely right that it was not a one shot thing that I decided to do and it was a gradual progression that kept changing over months to get to where my system is now.
I started off in 2024 December with a 24V 2kW inverter and bought myself 4 GEL batteries and 2 650W panels. The goal was basic load shedding protection. This was the cheapest route I could go without breaking the bank. In 2 months, my goals changed pretty quickly to wanting to cut my bills. I sold the 2kW to a family member at half the price and got myself a MUST 3.6kW 24V inverter which costed R3300. So very cheap. I then expanded my battery bank to 10 GEL batteries (I didnt have the money to outright spend 12k or so at the time for a LFP 5kWh battery). Each battery was 1100 rand so I spent 11k over 4 months on the battery bank. It took me 3 months to get the GEL batteries. I was also buying 1 extra panel at a time of the 650W panels until I got to 7 Panels. With this my GEL batteries were being drained on average only about 30% a day and have protection on them to ensure you cant pull more than 3kW from the bank. GEL batteries are a bit sensitive in that regard.
By then almost the whole house except the Oven, Kitchen and Geyser was on Solar. I then took a leap of faith (after getting a bill of 16k from City Power) to put the whole house on my 3.6kW and GEL battery bank. I made sure to tell none of my colleagues at work as that would have brought me quite a bit of scorn for having all these big loads on a small inverter. I made it work though running one kitchen load at a time but the geyser was a big problem. Even with load scheduling etc the geyser had to run for about 4 hours a day which with a bit of clouds would start draining the GEL batteries. My kitchen has a dishwasher, washing machine, 2 Ovens, microwave, etc. And all that was on a 3.6kW and GEL batteries lol. I also have a pool and 2 fish pond pumps that run during the day.

I investigated how to deal with the Geyser and settled on the Geysertech PI2R controller. This was around August last year. I got it for 3100 rand. Requires no batteries and works off panels. Because my goals had changed to not using any power from City power I bought 4 340W panels. I added so many to ensure the water would be heated to temp 99% of the days which it does get to. Geyser is set to 70 degrees and it was enough for myself and my wife pretty much every day. She would bath in the tub at night and we had enough hot water still for morning showers. It has the advantage that it accepts AC also so my inverter was wired to it but I never used that functionality as the geyser is always hot. In winter the thermostat opens around 3pm. In summer around 1pm. Cloudy days it still has very good performance.

I then decided to get a Victron MPPT as I could not add another panel to the 3.6kW so In total I wound up with 8x650W panels to charge the GEL batteries and supply the house loads. I tested my system since August last year till around January and I never needed the grid. The only issue I had was overloading of the inverter in December last year as my wife and I where used to only running one high draw appliance in the kitchen but we had about 6 people in the house and they were not too familiar with house the inverter worked etc but after a week or so they adjusted. The hot water was fine during that period and we had no issues with batteries being overly drained or anything.
In February this year I got disconnected by City power after I applied to go off-grid. Around March I got a recommendation from the guys over at MBB that builders was selling all in one inverter and battery systems so I managed to scoop up a brand new 5kW Omnivolt inverter with a 5kWh battery for 9500 rand. I since reconfigured the house now to make the 5kW the main inverter and it has solar. My 3.6kW still has its GEL batteries and gets charged from the 5kW inverter between 9am and 3pm. My DB is split so the 5kW supplies the kitchen and lounge. The 3.6kW supplies all the 3 bedroom plugs (3 bed house) and lights.
I do not have a generator installed as the house is very efficient (lots of work to replace lights etc). My consumption is about 450kWh a month with a system that can supply double that so that is the main reason. So yes, with patience, and a budget you can reduce your bill. I averaged by the way about 750kWh to 1000kWh a month before I did all of this. We changed a lot of our habits to get the house to be what it is now. The cheapest installation is the one that supplies the least load. If you continue to use a lot of power then you cant do this for cheap.
My solar panels were from a chinese shop called SunMagic. Fivestar panels. They are built very well so no issues there. My batteries are Navasolar. Got them from Takealot for cheap. They are almost 2 years old but have their original capacity so far as I looked after them and have balancers etc. Now with the 5kW and 5kWh battery they are barely working and only being drained about 10% a day. I foresee them lasting about 6 years easily. So @Yellow Measure is right, Get your objectives clear from the start and be prepared to do what you need to do to get your targets met.

One last thing, solar had caused a lot of arguments in my marriage. My wife was quite resistant to a lot of what I was doing. She eventually so the light when I showed her that I dont have to pay the 1500 a month in fixed charges anymore (COJ Postpaid). And we have power 24/7. My system is going to be fully paid off next year in June. Average saving of 35000 rand a year. I went off grid with a 3.6kW inverter and GEL batteries. Where there is a will there is a way.

Ja, more than just good luck needed with this method. While a great idea and the correct approach, unfortunately this is SA and the majority of ward councilors are just the economy class section of the gravy train (business and 1st class reserved for ministers and deputies). I guess this also depends on where you live and the individual councilor, but in my case I found my councilor to be very attentive and full of promises when I presented my issues, and that was the last I've seen of him. I've had no action or feedback and since then he reads my WhatsApps but does not reply, does also not answer his phone. Useless piece of excrement, and he is DA. Made me reflect on who I will be voting for come November.

AFAIK he is well and still recovering.

To be technically correct, a number BETWEEN 0 and 100 includes 1 to 99. A number FROM 0 to 100 includes the 0 and 100.

a rocket mass heater has a exhaust/chimney out of the house, normally, so that takes care of the exhaust gases, since most local houses are not built to prevent air exchange from the outside and burning the wood, would consume oxygen which get expelled via the exhaust, fresh air from outside would be drawn in via the various holes and possible vents... the amount of wood that these consume vs the heat produced is unbeatable...

He good news is @TaliaB has been discharge and he is busy recharging hopefully to 100% SOC on a family farm.
His oxygen levels still need to recover and could take a while.
Thanks for the support on behalf of our friend.

@TaliaB is still in high care and sedated while getting some rest. He breathes normally and DR would like his oxygen level to pick up to over 94%.

Just an update just received. He has recovered in such a way that he is out of ICU and in the high care ward. He looks better and can eat without help. Still awaiting results of the latest blood tests. Great to see he is on the recovery path. 🙏

The latest is they intent fitting a filter in the largest vein in the body to catch the blood clots before they get to the lungs. This should happen tonight. This is after consulting a specialist in PTA.
Will keep you guys informed. 🙏🙏

Just make sure about the domain name, cause these scammers sometimes use a name that sounds very similar or looks similar.

A new website to add to the list: https://inspiregreen.co.za/product/gentech-6kva-digital-inverter-generator/
Inspire Green is a scam please do not purchase from them.

All the info I have regarding Bradley at the moment is that he is a Zambian staying in South Africa and running all these. We provided SAPS with 7 numbers he has or had but they can't seem to do anything with it.

Glad to hear you're on the mend. Here's hoping for many more trouble free years

Yup have tried the wood burning hot tubs and as romantic as it appears and sounds I found (having recently rented one for a while) unstable as regards temperature control, not suitable for suburbia as it looked like the next pope was being elected with the amount of smoke...... or I had set up a crematorium in my backyard,,,,,,,

Get solar blankets cut for the tubs. In the summer that may be all you need. It will cut down evaporation as well.

Thank you for the feedback. Now to see if they will become available for smaller scale purchasing.

Thank you, just what I wanted to hear. So basically I can put a combined 6.5kW E and W strings on the two Sunsynk MPPT's and another 3kW N string on the MicroCare feeding the same battery. Is that what you're saying?

I think @Steve87 is, at least in part, defending the smaller companies. I have seen a few articles in local papers that seem to be saying "deal with the big companies. They have the expertise." I don't think it is beyond the realms of possibility that there may be collusion to plant such stories, or that the journalist writing the report has phoned some big company - they're easier to find - and asked one of their managers for some input. And so that manager is quick to point out that you shouldn't deal with those small businesses because you don't know what they don't know. And since the name of his company has already been mentioned ("We asked the chief technical officer of SuperSolarBob...") this helps his business in particular and big companies in general. 

But it is not the case that a smaller company doesn't have standards and expertise. Anybody who has dealt with Steve will know that he has both, that's why he's one of the highest ranked and most appreciated contributors to this forum.

As someone once explained to me  You have a 40A mains CB.  Does your 8A Air Fryer blow when you switch it on?

I'm taking a bit of a flyer, buy maybe it's a bit of electrolysis.  Try grounding the pump and all metal pipes
 

I'm taking a bit of a flyer, buy maybe it's a bit of electrolysis.  Try grounding the pump and all metal pipes
 

If you have gas stove, the gas toasters work really well.  Unfortunately, I am between houses, so mine is in storage and I can't take a photo.

@zsde, thanks, that's what I wanted to hear.  I will look up PBMS Tools.  The battery came with a cable marked Inverter on one side and battery on the other.  I think they are RJ45 plugs.  I'm assuming (maybe incorrectly) that I can get an adapter from RJ45 to USB for my laptop.  My inverter only has one port, which looks like a printer socket, I believe it is USB, but I have never managed to communicate with it.
@Scorp and @TaliaB, you are correct, I could have explained better, just didn't think it was necessary, apologies.

Go to your local golf club and ask the workshop manager.  They usually have loads of poked Trojans waiting for recycling

Go to your local golf club and ask the workshop manager.  They usually have loads of poked Trojans waiting for recycling