introverter

looking at the various threads compaitibility with Dyness is not a gaurantee of compatibility with the various different models of Dyness. BMS's (bmses? bmss?) will likely differ and I would think the power box will differ from the B4874 in this regard. Maybe is just cosmetic?

I was going to ask whether this now means that axpert et al will play the role of wicked witch of the east... i was going to add winkey smileys and all but seeing how this thread is teetering on the brink of a riot i though it better not to... Then there's that of course ... facepalm Typical of the victron crowd... probably want to run CAT6... 😉

Depending how your backup system is installed (e.g. a separate DB with the essential loads) you could probably just have the control unit and pump moved to the essential load side so no switch in needed. Alternatively a transfer switch of some kind should be an option. Most likely in both cases you will need to get an electrician to run some wire if the pump and controller is wired up as explained by @Louisvdw

I actually read that as MP-II -GX without thinking it could be a separate CCGX, Cerbo, etc. (not known for my reading concentration..🙄) @Ajdebeer132 the GX part is what controls how the entire system operates and makes it possible to see info on a screen (physical display like the CCGX or "remote" like on a phone connected via wifi, computer on network, etc.) Look here to see the available options - one option that is not listed there is that you can load the Venus OS on a Pi so it is a bit cheaper than the CCGX for instance. Some of the muliplus II's now come with GX functionality built-in (this is what I thought you had on your list). So you can have a standard MP-II with an external GX device, or a MP-II with built-in GX device. Functionality between all the different ways of having GX should roughly be the same between all the different options but price and number of different "loose" components will differ

No such thing as stupid questions... stupid answers is another matter because I do that alot 😳 the GX should handle monitoring the MPPT so bluetooth is not needed for that. The bluetooth MPPT is probably more appealing for people that do not have any venus/GX devices or use the MPPT on a stand-alone basis because it allows you to make some settings changes and see what the MPPT is doing from your phone (victron connect app) with a graphical interface and without needing a VE.Direct cable.

something I definitely dislike about victron 😬 but to me price..worth..value is a long complex fight I do not know whether it will make any real practical difference for what you will do but from the 150/45 up I think the units are a bit beefier (not victron approved term) and add a relay and remote on/off option that could be handy depending where your system ends up going. Also check there are bluesolar and smartsolar MPPT's (smart solar has built-in bluetooth, bluesolar will obviously be less money) If really pushed on budget I might consider going for the non-GX MP ii and stick venus on a Raspberry Pi. Other than the potential risk of SD card failures I do not know if the Pi based version has any risk compared to having the GX screen or if the GX adds something that the Pi version does not have (I will mar click my heels twice and hope @plonkster appears as if by magic)..

I do have a sneaking suspicion that it is not exactly news for you 🤔 ...looking at your profile and posts I doubt you came rushing up to a builder yelling "wait before pouring that slab!...I just remembered I have some left over pipe that is taking up too much space in the shed..." But hey, if I don't single-handedly try to keep google afloat who else will?... 🙂

Obviously if you have a system that allows you to know what your PV production is like and what your loads are then switching on the oven when a toaster will do is outrageous! 😉 toaster even has a built-in timer function....

can you explain that part please?

No recommendations but although HDMI based have a look at this (video should make it clearer). Looks like it should support the laptops and the Pi. ... but not exactly tiny

From what I gather some municipalities might disable the feedback trip assuming the meter can have it disabled. But I will not pin much hope on this option. The other option is usually to have the pre-paid meter replaced with a four-quadrant electricity meter. Seems like municipalities at one stage footed the bill for this but mostly the user need to cough up R6000-R8000+ for this. If in any way connected to the grid (for the geyser, cloudy weather etc.) I will however NEVER return to a non pre-paid meter (meter reading issues, billing chaos etc). Switch on a heavy power appliance like the oven for a minute if needing to do this during the day? Reading/loading when PV production is low (i.e. night)? If possible having loads spread out on timers might be worth a try (washing machine 09:00-10:00, Pool pump run 10:00-14:00, Geyser 14:00-15:00) but it will be a fine ballancing act.

With the thread title being ALL about heat pumps, thought I will add the following Heat pumps apparently do generate sound so depending what you use and how easily bothered you are with sounds you need to look at the best install location. Also, while heat pumps are way more efficient than standard electric geysers the heat pump does also consume some electricity while "idle". (this consumption is usually not included in the COP based savings calculations). A nice comparison here (https://powersaving.co.za/appliance-tests/powerprophet/heat-pump-simulation/) between a heat pump and standard geyser for a 4 person family.

Now I see what you did there...

one option can be to manage the peak loads better (don't boil the kettle while the washing machine is heating water while someone is using the vacuum cleaner).. as already indicated by coulomb

@Ajdebeer132 I understand the urgency to get this sorted but you already bought solar panels that may or may not help you (adding more panels later can be a little bit like having to match memory DIMMS 8 years later). Looking at the amount of money you consider dropping and at the risk of overstepping (apologies in advance to all concerned) I suggest trying to contact @Jaco de Jongh (maybe PM him or check here) en gesels met hom , if he can't assist you maybe he knows someone closer to your side of the woods that can. My concern is that you either end up with a pentium I 90mHz PC to do 4K video rendering or a R50 000 gaming rig to play solitaire. If definitely going with the growatt and powerbox there is some useful info in this thread (seems like dyness and growatt can work but not sure about the powerbox)

Based on the diagram supplied by the municipality the inverter AC output (going to the essential loads/sub-DB) must be separated by a change over switch. The inverter AC input remains connected to the main feed. In general I suspect you do not need to prove the inverter is "not-bidirectional", you fill in the inverter details, and they will inspect in any case. However, this seems to a problem around the meaning of the terms used (which no-one can agree on) You refer to an "off-grid" inverter which the inverter might well be if it cannot feedback to the grid. The municipality is referring to whether the installation is connected to the grid or not. According to the municipality if the inverter is in any way connected to the grid/mains it cannot be considered an off-grid installation (no matter what change over switches/relays the inverter might have). As soon as any part of the inverter installation connects to the mains feed the rules change and become more complex and demanding. The municipality provided you with a diagram for a back-up power supply connected to the mains (i.e. it is only is used when the mains/eskom feed is not available). The municipality may actually also be using the term "off grid inverter" meaning any inverter that is not NRS approved. This leads to your question about what will be allowed as "bi-directional"? Most likely Robertson will follow Cape Town's list Look through this thread for more info. I do not know if any Cape based people have had axpert based systems connected to the mains officially approved. If so, I suspect it might involve adding at least one of these to the install.

In the link I posted about heat pumps and floor heating a MD involved in the heat pump sector at least implies that it should be possible: "As we have a high demand for cooling in summer, the heat pump should also be able to cool, so that the client can use one device for his domestic hot water heating, space cooling and pool heating" but so far could not track down info on one of these all-in-one options... I suspect it probably is on a somewhat grander scale than the average domestic system and probably involves a complex HVAC system Domestic application may be limited but commercial application may be an option.. ... cool room/refrigeration on one side + warm water on the other side = food production?... large hotel kitchens?

Do not have experience with it and do not want to derail the thread but have a look here (especially from the section "choosing your heat source").

I do not have any experience but based on what is available in our market, other than plonkster and coulomb's s responses have a look through here and the various links from that thread. My very subjective response to the marketing info about these particular super capacitor (?) batteries are similar to financial advisors that guarantee to double/tripple my money in a very short time with with no risk... but then again I doubt I will ever own a yacht

to my mind having the battery capacity warranty stipulated in terms of total throughput is actually the more sensible (realistic?) approach... but a 10 year warranty is easier to digest for the average consumer.

Apparently these are especially efficient...😉 With that out of the way, the efficiency of heat pumps are very appealing from an energy cost perspective. I do think the upfront cost can scare people away a bit. I am only now starting to realise that "saving money" is not the same as making an investment. BUT with the electricity supply issue in South Africa the decision becomes a bit more complex. For the average 4..6 person family. If you have say R20 000 - R40 000 to use and so far have nothing (no PV, no solar heating etc.) where do you put your money and what do you focus on? Saving on energy/electricity costs or making provision for grid failures? Is there an option that will allow for both? My gut still leans towards the PV based (solar panel/inverter) route.

I posted something in the dyness vs pylon thread about the warranties. The manufacturer is one side to it. I do wonder whether distributors/retailers do not perhaps have a role to play to make the warranty terms a bit more clear as opposed to just "Warranty: 10 Years".... the pylontech warranty exclusions for instance list as an exclusion: "5. storage, installation, commissioning, modification or repair of the Product that has been performed by a person other than Pylontech or a Pylontech’s certified installer". This would suggest anyone who bought a pylontech through their friendly online retailer and hooked up their batteries one afternoon after work could have a voided warranty...

I have no horse in the dyness vs pylontech race but I often channel my inner Isabel Jones and although I have not found the South African dyness warranty doc something in the Aussie version caught my eye.... this may or may not apply in other countries.. No comms cable = 5 year warranty not 10 Self discharge rate as defect is only covered for 180 days from install (?) If you charged and discharged to the tune of 6.7MWh the warranty ends no matter how many years of the 10 are left. Pylontech seems to go purely on percentage of nominal capacity being stored by year 7 or 10 The list of warranty exclusions for both pylontech and dyness in any case appear to have the odds stacked somewhat in favour of the house. Do not know if they will use it but they have plenty "get out of jail" cards to play.

Thank you, I missed that part and in my head still had the inverter running (directly) off the generator as opposed to the inverter running off the batteries, running off the charger, running off the generator (if that makes sense....) Probably known to the people running generators and may not make a difference when switching source as opposed to load variation but I did come across this: "Some generators will alter their voltage or frequency when loads change. This can be significant if the generator goes from no-load to full-load quickly. It can help to have a small 'stabilising' resistive load such as a 75W light globe smooth out this start up voltage/frequency variation."

There is so much fine print in the warranty that I would not be swayed solely by the warranty period. I would however still opt for the hopefully newer/better matching cells.