Leonard

Hi All, 2xPylontech US3000 I have a ton of battery questions that I first need to research, but right now the biggest panic is heat. ICC says that my batteries are running around 37deg at the moment, with a big AF fan on the side, surely this is not great. Usually its ambient +3.. but ambient today is hotter then mamma in the 3rd grade... How bad is it, when do I turn the batteries off.. 40?

Stop screwing around with solar bits and go fix some DME's... As always, absolute epic work there Mr Byleveldt.. I must make a turn at some point

Its alive..... and I managed to keep all of the smoke inside... Its good if the smoke does not come out right ? So... Thanks to the advice received early on, my 3 DB boards. This is what my final inverter panel board turned out like DC Distribution box Final Install before I start closing up and labeling Some prelim stats, note that the Pylontech cable I am using is being a bitch, but Riaan is assisting here, most likely on monday. Thanks for the read guys, and thank you plonkster, krokedil and everyone that assisted in advice, you folks rock... To do. Covers, labels, close all Balance/distribute load a bit better between solar and non solar upgrade wiring feeding cottage solar (we dont talk about this) And then - "luxury load dropout" using APN and sonof's... But right now, I am so poor that when I go walking near the lake, the ducks throw bread at me.... So more has to wait... Thanks for the read

More on the top DB to follow, thanks for the input, and I will action recommendations. Now based on the earlier advice, note the additional DB board top right for the DC bits.. I was not planning on doing that, so thanks muchly, would have been pissed if I had to do that after the fact. Question though regarding the conduit/single db CoC rule.. My trunking, which is split in the middle is fine right, I wont pick up crap from that. ? I did plan to split AC and DC within the channels, hence the reason for buying the double trunking, but did not know about the DB distribution. Also, the box I have between the two inverters, will be my DC cable joining box, essentially utilizing studs to terminate cable points. In my view far better then trying to double crimp 35mm wire. Will of course have a cover over it, with some Volt meters for the sake of nerdiness... So route is to go from the keto disconnect to the junction box, and then out to each inverter. Also circuit 1 of the Keto, will have a 40A for panels, and 2x120A from batteries.. all squishy.. ? Forgive the gazillion questions, but that's what happens when you let the IT nerds loose with this sort of thing

Thanks guys. I honestly appreciate the feedback and will act. I will update the outgoing feed to 10mm2, there is a 16mm2 earth coming in. just not visible. the unused 60a isolator was the income for the solar. and then the left group of breakers is non critical and right group is critical/solar it just looks like crap at the moment die to the very temporary disconnect. but you are correct..I at least need the 10mm to the high currents. geysers and ovens. I will fix that. One point you raised that I would have gotten wrong. is the ac/dc thing. I specifically designed that 36 way for the dc isolation to be in there. guess you saved me from a potential oops. and I read on the forum it is a pita to change. so thank you muchly. I will act on the advice. However. the ac/dc inside the same conduit thing. if I have proper double channel power skirting. can I use the one channel for DC and other for ac and some data.. I was planning on doing that anyway but from a neatness perspective. not compliance. But if they can't be in the same.dounle skirting.. then this becomes messy..

So a tiny bit of an update, removed existing solar setup from all 3 DB's, Clean wall So Step 1 in fixing solar... rebuild laundry.. Then design the shelf. bit of detail here for anyone looking to do the same. My ultimate battery config would be say 10 pylon's.. thats 300kg, plus another 50kg in dead weight, which I wanted to do wall mount, not your average shelf... Therefore, i used kitchen board from BoardMasters, Most guys use aircon brackets should they do this sort of thing, but I ordered mine specifically from CabStrut. Each bracket is rated for 270kg and it was dirt cheap. So essentially, I designed for 2 cabinets of 600 each + wiggle room so board size of 1300. Mounted on 3xCabstrut FPA350 http://www.cabstrut.co.za/cab-strut-cantilever-arms.html 2x pieces of 10mm threaded rod, for front mounting bits. which turned into something like this. 6 M12 rollbolts So thats is where we are today, and we shall see how far we get over the next week or so... However, please can I get an opinion of my DB board. Top row is for Panels, with a DC based surge arrestor Second row is output, again AC Surge arrestors, 63A Isolator (out) and 2 earth leakages, split between 2 houses, I would have gone 3, but the guys that did my install lied to me, it is supposed to be individual feed to both houses, but alas, it is joined.. No matter though, so 2 external loads, EL for each, 63A And bottom row of course is the AC Input, 63A isolator, 63A breaker for change over switch, and 2x32A for each inverter, 10mm wire for everything, which is overkill. Whats the verdict, will this pass muster ?

Thanks Guys, Just nabbed this one on takealot, had a couple of rand in credit, so it wasnt that much. https://www.takealot.com/major-tech-mtd75t-ac-dc-trms-clamp-meter-600a/PLID66380543?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwabGvp2s6wIVy-vtCh2BdQQBEAQYCSABEgISpfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Additional Information: DC Voltage: 600mV uF 6V uF 60V uF 600V DC Voltage accuracy: ±(0.5% + 5d) AC Voltage: 600mV uF 6V uF 60V uF 600V AC voltage accuracy: ±(1.0% +5) DC Current: 600A DC Current accuracy: ±(2.0% + 30d) AC Current: 600A AC Current accuracy: ±(2.0% + 30d) Resistance: 600OHMS uF 6kOHMS uF 60kOHMS uF 600kOHMS uF 6MOHMS uF 60MOHMS Resistance accuracy: ±(0.8% + 3d) Capacitance: 60nF uF 6uF uF 60uF uF 600uF uF 6mF Capacitance accuracy: ±(3.5% + 20d) Frequency: 10Hz uF 100Hz uF 1kHz uF 10kHz uF 100kHz uF 1MHz uF 20MHz Frequency accuracy: ±(0.1% + 3d) Temperature: -40 to 1000°C Temperature accuracy: ±(1.0% + 5°C) Continuity: Buzzer sounds at approx. 50OHMS Diode Test: Test current 1mA, open circuit voltage 3V Power source: 2 x 1.5V AAA batteries Dimensions: 185 x 65 x 37mm Weight: 280g

Will explore this later, something is not right here you are correct, but I don't understand any of this yet... yet... Thanks for all the responses guys,

I have emailed Manie regarding ICC As for the rest of the responses, I could not have asked for better responses, thank you plonkster, As for the current clamp, excellent explanation, i am willing to spend R1,500 on a meter, but not 4k... so I will let you. will let you know what I find. Will keep you folks updated, Thank you so much !!!

Sorry forgot to add my costing so far. I did this on 1 battery, but decided to stretch budget for 2 Also the Jean Muller switch, for some reason I really like these. couple of errors on this, don't look at it too closely, its just rough work

Hi All, First post and I need some serious advice. We run a business from home and we rent printing equipment, 2 years ago our sales rep went, hey loadshedding, why don't you rent to own a system over 3 years, after 3 years it becomes yours, and we double it up, keep it under maintenance, fully serviced, the whole bang shoot... Sounded great on paper, until it wasn't.... We also run two houses on the property, each house having its own everything, separate stove/geyser bla bla. Each house has its own DB, and we have a DB in the garage, so 3 DB's in total before they added in their crap. They supplied : 8x105ah Energizer EC37 batteries, 4 per bank, with 2 banks, banks in parallel = 48VDC 2x5KVA Axperts (one mercer, one RCT) 8x270w Canadian solar panels, 138v as per Separate DB with a double Pole Isolator (63A) + 2x32A breaker, assuming AC in per Inverter, 2x change over switches, a 40A EL, and a 63A breaker covering the entire solar load. In theory, this is OK, except for Not a single fuse or DC isolator anywhere, not for the panels, nor the batteries, direct out from the batteries into the inverter, and double crimped to the second inverter Battery wiring, I am guessing is about a 10AWG, and same wiring size as the PV voltage, what could POSSIBLY go wrong. Oh and 2 of my garage plugs, that are not on solar, that has NO earth leakage, because they stole my earth leakage in the board for solar output... Its not like we connect welders and dodgy stuff in the garage at all, so we really don't need EL's.. right.... *vloer moer* This was all fine, and never looked at it in detail, because it was 'professionally done' right... wrong. 2 years, all 8 batteries are swelled to epic proportions, do not hold an ounce of charge, and system is useless. No problem, its under maintenance right, wrong, no no, we do not cover equipment... what a croc of shit.. I am not going to get into that conversation, but I am seeing the guy tomorrow morning.. Their answer, no lead acids only have a useful life of 2 years, and we should have gone Li, but they can sell me 2x pylontech US2000 for 60k.. and that will sort it out... So we wont even get into why that's a bad idea, suffice to say... its not going to happen. I am redoing the system, myself, so that I know its done using quality equipment, and I can expand in the future, I wont be lied to again. I am planning on purchasing the following immediately 1x 9u floor standing cabinet 2xUS3000 pylontechs Pylontech bracketsx2 1xPylontech battery cable 1xICC from centurion solar, with Pylontech comms cable Jean Muller 3 blade DC Isolator KETO (2x160A fuses, and 1x40A for solar) 35mm battery cable in less then 5m. Trunking and bits not specific here. Current clamp, because I have no conceivable idea of load, other then adding max potential of all the breakers per DB, Plan is not to touch the PV system other than running positive via the blade isolator. I know I need to do much better then this, but that will be for phase 2 Further I plan to install the JM/Keto switch into the middle, from the battery to the bottom, and double terminal that out to each inverter, therefore inverters stay in parallel. I plan on installing a third US3000 in the immediate future, and will then replicate the cabinet (3xUS3000) two or thee times over the next few years, but we will then put in DC joiner boxes ect.. So for now, the following questions 1. My battery wiring size of 35mm for 3xUS3000, is that sufficient, or should I go 50mm which becomes a PITA, 2. I assume that every setting on my inverter is incorrect, where do I even start. 3. I have surge arrestors in each of my DB boards which I put in, but nothing on the solar distribution board, and no space, is this an issue 4. my 160A fuses... too much, should I do the 120A.. ? Inverter manual says 120A use 38mm cable /2AWG 5. These R1,200 current clamps on Takealot, are they any good for sporadic use, and can they all measure DC as well as AC, or do the DC ones cost more.. 6. Many more to follow