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zathras

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Everything posted by zathras

  1. A cautionary for coj residents- TLDR: don't save extra units in your prepaid meter. Citypower in Joburg recently changed my Landis gyr prepaid meter, 6 months after I added solar. I have limit to load and zero export set on my inverter. The Citypower subcontractor arrived without notice stating they had to change to a more sensitive itron meter which detects tampering. I had built up over 1000kwh over many months in anticipation of higher winter demand even though we only use a trickle feed on sunny days. Despite the subcontractor promising a next day refund voucher, and being sent picture evidence of solar backup and meter LCD display showing 1000kwh, all I have received is a WhatsApp message from Citypower stating my requested refund doesn't match my recent buying pattern. No amount of fault logging or mailing regional revenue department has helped.
  2. Congratulations on your installation sir! You may want to confirm with your installer if 10 panels on one mppt could exceed the max voltage on a cold sunny day.
  3. Hope this helps:From your phone log into the wifi network created by your data logger. Then go to the following address from your phone browser and setup the logger to login to your home WiFi from there: 10.10.10.1
  4. zathras

    SUNSYNK-8K

    Withdrawn returned to retailer
  5. I bought a Mecer 200Ah 12V LiFePO4 Battery from them 2years ago. All was in order back then. The person that helped me was Philip Hampton.
  6. Hi @Reapr, I've been running a drop in replacement as a load shedding backup for over a year now with no hassles. Mecer 200ah 2nd life lithium. Cheapie ceil inverter sees it as a lead acid battery. Since July, the battery has been connected to an epever mppt solar charge controller, on AGM setting {was close to the upper and lower voltage cutoffs I wanted to use}, so it also sees it as a lead acid battery. Think the BMS in the battery should handle everything for you. In my setup, I've never let the voltage go below 13.1v, so I can't speak to longevity with deep discharge.
  7. @Calvin very curious as to the impact of tilt on the north facing configuration? Say 0 or 2 degrees tilt. I have a single panel installed on an almost flat kliplok roof facing north in Johannesburg. But happy to use cpt for ballpark impact
  8. Thanks all. Paid the local solar shop a small fee and they crimped the connectors on for me.
  9. Goodday, I am doing a DIY solar install with 1 panel. Is anyone able to do 6 crimps with an mc4 crimping tool for me? Johannesburg area (near Norwood). The store I bought the PV cable from did not have the crimping tool. Thanks
  10. The design the installer showed me had 14 panels. Should have rather said hybrid above as system would have a battery and there isn't net metering in Joburg I believe. Installer has gone quiet after I showed him comparative prices for the sunsynk and asked him to quote on pylontech batteries instead of Revov 2nd life. In the meantime I've decided to continue my solar learning journey. Bought a small mppt from a forum member 2nd hand. Also have a single panel on order and some rail less clamps. Will try a DIY install to my existing inverter and battery if I can figure out the earthing. Hopefully have my work laptop running off-grid soon
  11. Thanks Johan. Interested. No worries, I think the gel setting will work with the mecer. The tracer is rated to 780w at 24v. Just confirming that the panels you had connected to it was under this?
  12. Hi Johan. Interested in trying out an off grid setup with this. Still available? Anywhere near jhb? What configuration of panels was it previously connected to? Would you be able to program user settings for mecer 200ah drop in lead acid replacement lithium battery? as i heard it's difficult without the mt50 screen
  13. Good question, hadn't thought that much about all the implications of cycling. I would probably set it to a more conservative depth of discharge, e.g 30%, even if it meant switching back to grid at some point in the night. We'll see when the city of Joburg solar tariffs kick in. Installer should be coming out soon for site visit then will discussed installation locations with him. For now, the rooms I've earmarked as possibilities don't have extreme temperatures where the battery would be charging or discharging below zero or greater than 25 to 30 degree Celsius. But they aren't temperature controlled. The house is north facing with pink aerolite, so temperature doesn't get too extreme. No aircons needed in summer.
  14. Thank you kindly for all the responses and advice everyone. My main concern was that if my battery failed prematurely, my warranty would still be valid, based on the inverter-battery combination, so that I'm not drawing more than the C rating of the battery. Having read some the Canberra battery test centre results, based on their torture testing, and with batteries being such a significant outlay, it's probably the part of my intended solar system I'm still pretty undecided on. https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/battery-test-centre-reports/ Regarding the pylontech batteries, @Vassenand other members, what are the advantages and disadvantages of 2 UP5000 Vs 3 US3000C? Do you get cabinets for the UP5000? Those are an additional cost to factor in.
  15. Been following this thread with some interest and admittedly trepidation going into my own solar installation. Just confirming, would a sunsynk 5kw paired with either 2 of Pylon UP5000 4.8kWh Li-Ion Solar Battery 48V or a single BSLB 10.2 KWH 51v Power Wall Lithium Battery be a safe combination warranty wise?
  16. Goodday all. I have been lurking in the forum for a while and am considering a grid tied installation. I would like some advice for or against if anyone has an opinion or experience with these panels above. I had never heard of them until 2 days ago, but they do seem promising based on what I was able to find from web research, YouTube, etc. They were suggested by the installer. See attached link, http://www.znshinesolar.com/product/zxm6-nh144/ The installer I may go with has done some big commercial installations, formed his own company and has done an installation at a family member's house and at his colleagues houses. So comes with a good reputation. He suggested the Deye 5kw inverter, but I am leaning towards the sunsynk based on everything I have read here. Other informative details: single phase, prepaid meter, 500kwh monthly usage, johanesburg location, solar geyser, gas stove. Have a separate Ellies powercube ups for router and fibre. Also have the mecer 200ah llifepo4 second Life battery and small 600w inverter to charge laptops for working from home (this was my first trip down the power backup rabbit hole :-). Would like to keep the essentials going during loadshedding and subsequent outages.
  17. Hi all, need some advice on a solar installation I am considering. Chime up if you think this is a really bad idea. I have an existing North facing pergola that i have repaired and extended. I realise that the low angle would not be ideal, but I am considering covering the structure with solar panels as per the first picture. My reasoning is that i would save some of the costs of a Klip-lok roof on this 27m2 structure and use it to cross-subsidise the panels and associated costs. A few questions: Do only bi-facial panels look like the first picture when seen from underneath? I have found this link online and wonder if anyone has experience with these panels (Canadian Solar 300W Poly Bi-facial BiKu Frameless) or the seller: (1) (japsolar.com) Hopefully pair with 8KW Sunsynk and Hubble or BSL battery, so can expand over time. Ideally would like to support the Powerforum store (if it makes financial sense) and the reputable installers on this forum. Few more details/ideas: Located in JHB area. I have a Prepaid meter (Landis+Gyr Model CIU PLC Mk3), current usage <500kwh per month, single phase. Foresee I will be working from home at least 3 days per week even after Covid19 is over. Existing energy saving from Led downlights throughout, 200l Solar Geyser and Gas stove. Do not want to export power. Perhaps I may start with a Grid tied solution (panels and inverter) and add the battery/ies later and move to Hybrid as budget allows.
  18. Hi all. Need some advice on a battery fuse disconnect. Resurrecting an old thread. I have a small backup system: 200ah LiFePo4 battery, 850VA inverter/charger, charges at max 13A. A Victron mega-fuse holder on the positive wire, with 100A fuse. Even with the inverter switched off, and bypass switch off, its still drawing down the battery. Been looking at a few different options as a disconnect on the negative wire and would like your suggestions: https://4x4direct.co.za/battery-accessories/6802-isolator-switch-heavy-duty-marine.html https://4x4direct.co.za/circuit-breakers/5891-circuit-breaker-60a.html https://www.sonopsolar.co.za/product/battery-fuse-disconnect-1-pole-160a/ Is the last one complete overkill? Very costly once you add the 100A fuse and shipping.
  19. Hi all. Been getting a lacklustre response from enquiries to online stores. Johannesburg area, willing to pickup if delivery charge is too expensive. Can anyone supply 12 Volt 22 AH Deep Cycle AGM Sealed Victron battery. Going to use it in 17ah power supply in my garage.
  20. Thanks for the reply and advice introverter. I realise I have taken a risk by not getting a better inverter\charger like Axpert or Victron where you can set the charging and cutoff voltage. In hindsight, the 1kva 12v Axpert mightCeil inverter manual.pdf have been a smarter option. Given the low self discharge rate, I'd rather sacrifice some backup capacity and not keep it on float charge to prolong the lifespan of the battery. I also plan to disconnect the load when voltage gets below 11v.
  21. Hi all. First post. I purchased one of these batteries to use with a new Ceil pure sine wave inverter. Let's just say there were reservations from some of the suppliers on using these 2 together. https://thepowerstore.co.za/collections/storage-systems/products/mecer-200a-12v-lithium http://onlineshop.gcsolar.co.za/product/840v-600-w-ceil-pure-sine-wave-inverter/ https://www.createenergy.co.za/ used to have deep cycle lead acid battery kits with this inverter. Added a 100amp mega fuse and Victron fuse holder on the positive wire. We have frequent long power outages in our area due to overloaded infrastructure that hasn't been upgraded to cope with the new housing. Hence the need for a ups to work from home. At a minimum I need to power a fibre box and router and 2 laptops. I don't have experience with using a lead acid battery with an inverter so this is all new, and it's hard to tell what's out of the ordinary. It's unclear whether the inverter display is showing me the charging voltage or the voltage on the battery. I'm guessing the former. Voltage across the battery terminals was 13.19v on delivery. I connected everything up. With my trusty multimeter, i noticed the inverter gradually increased charge voltage to 14.2v over a few hours and eventually showed the battery as fully charged. At that point, I disconnected the inverter from mains. There is no load on the inverter except it's self powering requirements. Even when the inverter switch is set to off, the LCD display and led light stays on drawing 0.7 micro-amps from the battery. The voltage across the battery terminals has slowly dropped to below 13.4v over the past day. I asked the supplier what voltage the battery should be charged to. The reply was "Lithium Ion battery is not like lead acid, it is a constant voltage through its life. Should be 13.1V-13.4 and will be steady there until a drop off in voltage to battery low." Still not sure if these systems are compatible, and it's hard to know the state of charge of the battery from the voltage reading.
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