WannabeSolarSparky

I would recommend deye inverter with deye batteries. You'll get a 10 year warranty with the combo, so no stress.
As mentioned above it's the same thing as Sunsynk, but the oem with an arguably better service centre.
Failure rate is low. But with the high percentage of installs using them, there will obviously be a lot mentioned on forums etc.

Deye which is identical to Sunsynk and out of the same factory with far better support.
Solis 6kw for the best support as they provide a replacement unit and ship your inverter back to China for repairs.
Just look at what sellers that have been in the Solar sector for say 5yrs selling.
Then there are the rebranded Deye/Sunsynk under many names.

Failure rate could also include all those that have problems due to wrong settings. We just have to see how many questions are asked where CT that is well spelled out is connected the wrong way round. Documentation is sometimes to be blamed.

I had an induction cooker for about 4 years until SWAMBO dropped a cast iron pot on the top, cracking the glass.
I haven’t yet replaced it because of lack of funds. It was the best cooker I ever used because it heated the pot or pan VERY quickly. I intend replacing it soon because my solid plate (built in) stove it very slow to heat up.
My induction cooker topped out at 2000W, but used less power overall because it heated up so fast
One annoying thing I found is that my inverter fan would go on, off, on, off, on, off… when the cooker was set to setting number 1. This was because my inverter would automatically turn the fan on at 40% load. As mentioned in previous posts these cookers would shorten or lengthen the switching time according to power settings. What I did to avoid the irritating on/off of the fan, is turn on another load like the toaster to keep the fan on. Rather wasteful, but less annoying. 😂
I would definitely buy another one.

Indeed. And the way you use it conforms nicely to my earlier point.... You already know what to look for and you are able to pick up on any errors or false statements of the AI. You use it to save you some time but not to solve your issues or ignorance for you. I bet you always go over what the AI gave you just to make sure its correct.

I use Ai extensively (mostly Grok as it's great with coding) to speed up mobile app development, massive time-saver.
There are good and bad use cases for Ai, you see all the dodgy folk (Politicians included) that think Ai will make them "clever" they are sooooo wrong 🤣 coz they don't realise you need at least a few decent braincells to use Ai correctly and effectively.

😁

A disclaimer is not necessary if you don't use AI to answer questions 😉
Anyways.... AI generated content seems obviously to be out-of-place amongst normal conversation so I think everyone will already know you used it. As long as you add a little genuine Welkom charm in there as well. 😄

Its seems the honourable @haudevbe has been kicked. Good job.

If you're planning to take the 6kW Deye, then I'd ask to be re-quoted on a different set of panels that takes into account the higher MPPT input capacity of 18A+18A.
The 4.4kW should be okay most of the time, but if you want more capacity for darker days, Winter, etc., then you should think of going higher. Except with this particular type of 550W panel (probably approx 49Voc, 13.5A Imp), you can't increase the length of the series string any further to increase the output, and you'd have to go to MPPT input no 2, and with that comes more cost for protection, junction box, etc.
The 550W panel might be well-matched to the 13A current input of the 5kW inverter, but with the 6kW I'd be on the lookout rather for a 16-17A panel, maybe a 600W or a bi-facial panel. Don't have a specific panel in mind right now, don't know what's currently available, just suggesting you look around a bit more.
Edit: To which I would add, a recent forum post was about which is the best panel for 2025. That begs the question, what will be the latest and greatest inverter folks will be buying this year.

In testing demo mode, working perfectly

I spend good money buying products. Once bought it is mine and exclusively mine out of warranty.
I should have the right of choice for maintenance and repairs out of warranty.
In the US the right to repair has come a long way with many lawsuites helping that right along.
Still an uphill battle though in SA, car maintenance has been through a similar court action which actually found in favour of the consumer over the manufacturers.
No a perfect result but definitely a move in the right direction.
As for phones locked for repairs, many countries have started banning devices that consumers cannot maintain themselves.
Not happened in SA yet but then again we usually behind he curve with these sorts of issues.
 

Agreed, I have one on my main DB and it works a charm

Sonoff Home Automation Starter Kit
 

SONOFF POW CT Ring Smart Power Meter
Track Energy Usage Easily: Sonoff POW CT Ring to your home’s power system to monitor how much energy your appliances or rooms are using. It gives you clear insights into where your energy is going, helping you save money and use less power.
 

Sonoff TX Ultimate T5-120-1C
Smart Light switch: Featuring a circle of RGB colour edge lights, the TX Ultimate serves not only as a switch status indicator but also as a versatile night light or ambient light, adding a touch of illumination to your surroundings.
 

 
Sonoff ZigBee Bridge Ultra
Seamless Smart Home Integration: Connects Zigbee devices to Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, and SmartThings for a smoother, more connected home experience.  
 

 Sonoff Door/Window Sensor (Zigbee)
Real-Time Alerts: Receive instant notifications on your phone whenever a door or window is opened or closed, whether you're home or away.
 

Sonoff Presence Sensor (ZigBee) with PSU
Presence Detection: The presences Sensor is powered by 5.8GHz microwave radar, the SNZB-06P can detect movement or stationary individuals. Lights automatically turn on as you approach and stay illuminated until you depart.

 
 Sonoff Smart Water Valve (ZigBee)
Seamless Smart Home Integration: Connects Zigbee devices to Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, and SmartThings for a smoother, more connected home experience
 
https://sonoffafrica.co.za/
 

Giveaway Link will be posted soon. Thank you
Sonoff Africa Home Automation Starter Kit .docx

Hi All!
I have decided to select active forum members into an excel sheet. Google Random number selector will select the winner.
I feel it is much better to reward active members than some one that has not logged in since 2013.
Lets see tomorrow who the random number gen selects tomorrow! Damn that water valve goodie is really cool! 😆
Awesome.
Jason

@Energy-Jason Can I assist you with the needed formulae.?😝

It depends
Solar panels (and assuming a battery pack as well) can definitely reduce your reliance on municipal power but as a household there would need to be some changes in how you go about your days and nights. 
Generation assumptions
Lets assume your system is an 8kw inverter, 12x600w panels and 15kWh battery pack - this will go for about 170k at today's prices. On a normal sunny day those panels will generate between 35 and 45 KWh (units) of power when its not so cloudy. When cloudy that amount goes down so we will get between 17.5 and 22.5KWh. So monthly you generate between 510 and 1350 units of electricity
Battery assumptions
Lets also assume that you set your battery to discharge to 50% so approx 7.5kwh of that daily generation will go to recharge the batteries. This leaves you with between 28 and 38 units on a perfect day to use for the house and between 10 and 15 units on a cloudy day
Consumption assumptions
A standard home uses between 15 and 30 units per day. YMMV. Things of course that influence this include heating and cooling, older appliances and lights etc. So per month you are using between 450 and 900 units of electricity. A portion of this usage will be covered by the panels during the day and batteries at night but on cloudy days you may have to draw from the grid.

Absolutely will save you money, especially if correctly installed and appropriately spec'd for your requirements.
@Tariq mentions his power purchases, I have about the same result my side summer about 1Unit per day(feedback prevention) and winter about 3Units per day(battery top-up).
Also as @Jacques Ester mentions as the price of power goes up your payback time decreases 🤩

This will depend in the type of install you want to do.
If your loads are high in the day you can opt for a on grid system without batteries. The upfront is lower.
If your loads are high at night you will nee a lot off batteries making the upfront cost higher.
With both type of installs you will save money in the long run.
With the increase in the electricity price the payback will also increase year by year.
 

My monthly consumption is approximately 500 kWh's, in summer I buy about 25-30 KWh's per month and winter about 100 kWh's 

So this is evolving quite quickly into my new favorite tool for managing everything
Remember to like and subscribe on the video if you want to see all the weird gadgety/coding things I get up to when I am bored.

Shout out to @kellerza @Sc00bs @slipx and everyone else contributing to make all these things work nicely with my gadgets and solar stuff.
 
 

Usually pointing to the grid(That's how mine is connected), and definitely placed before the incoming main breaker on the LIVE(Brown or red usually) line.
If after installing the ct your readings look wrong then swap the ct coil wires at the inverter or check and make sure your settings are correct.

in your inverter box should be the manual, the diagrams are in there.
Or go here:
Image Search
I do not think those diagrams are suitable for SSEG applications. I may be wrong, I am sure some of the installers here on the forum could guide you on that.

in your inverter box should be the manual, the diagrams are in there.
Or go here:
Image Search
I do not think those diagrams are suitable for SSEG applications. I may be wrong, I am sure some of the installers here on the forum could guide you on that.

in your inverter box should be the manual, the diagrams are in there.
Or go here:
Image Search
I do not think those diagrams are suitable for SSEG applications. I may be wrong, I am sure some of the installers here on the forum could guide you on that.

Usually pointing to the grid(That's how mine is connected), and definitely placed before the incoming main breaker on the LIVE(Brown or red usually) line.
If after installing the ct your readings look wrong then swap the ct coil wires at the inverter or check and make sure your settings are correct.