Hi All,

I have my installation starting on Wednesday and I simply cannot wait. 
System I went with 

1x OCI 7.2 Inverter

2x Shoto 7.12kwh batteries

16x URECO 550w Solar panels

and all other bits and bobs my installer has a very good reputation and he says the job will be done in 3 days, I will keep the forum posted on progress with Pics etc.

Excited 😊 

My plan is to add another inverter and 2 more batteries later this year. Apologies for not adding More details so I need to generate around 35-45kwh per day and my main aim is to reduce my bill and reliance on eishkom. I also want to be able to run off my panels during the day and batteries at night, my geyser and pool pump already run off a timer. Thoughts welcome please?

Edited February 17, 20233 yr by Raiden2912

I know the feeling, I never slept for a week before my install. 😁

Congrats. 

Out of interested - what did you pay for the bits and bobs?

Its a very exciting time just before the install... With that kit would definitely should be able to cover your needs during the day from panels AND cover loadshedding. Welcome (soon) to the PV club

Bits and Bobs

Roof structure 10k

String box and Surge protection 5k

Solar cable 3k

Bypass switch 900

Labour 15k

I’m also wanting to carry my load in the evenings with the batteries so I’m guessing I will have to increase my batteries 

With 14Kwh batteries you should last the whole night if your loads aren't to high.. 

6 minutes ago, Raiden2912 said:

I’m also wanting to carry my load in the evenings with the batteries so I’m guessing I will have to increase my batteries 

14kwh of batteries is a lot - if you load-manage you should be able to get through with some buffer (for those unexpected 6am power cuts). It will take about a week to fully tune and understand not only the system but also your usage habits 

11 minutes ago, Raiden2912 said:

I’m also wanting to carry my load in the evenings with the batteries so I’m guessing I will have to increase my batteries 

Not necessarily. If you can move loads from the evening to the sunlit hours, you could get through the night on your batteries. It depends on the changes you can make to your useage patterns.

I have less battery than you. My expectation (based on experience) is that if my battery is fully charged come 4pm, I am good until 8am the next morning, even if there is no grid. I seldom hit 50% discharge during that period. 

OK... there are just two of us. We have a heat pump for water heating and that runs twice a day (6am and midday). We have a lot of insulation on the geyser and try to be economical with showers to reduce the amount of water heating that is required. We try to do as much "heavy lifting" during the day as possible and so at night all we are running is lights, fridges, TV, wifi, security and kettle.

Your circumstances are likely not identical to ours, but with 40% more battery than I have, your chances of getting through the night may be better than you think right now.

Watch your consumption during the day once your system is up and running. You will soon start figuring out what runs when how much each item consumes. Then you can start seeing what you can move to the daylight hours.

Probably the installer is not going to back up the entire house. Generally the geysers, pool and stove will be left not backed up. We get away with it because of the aforementioned heat pump, and because we have full gas cooking.

So there may be a period of learning and adjustment, but it will be worth while when you see your bill dropping AND the lights (and TV, and wifi, and fridges) always on.

Edited February 17, 20233 yr by Bobster.
sppeling

Your batteries might take you further than you expect. Thats 14 units of eskom in there. Cut the high loads during the night and you'll pretty much be set. After a few week you'll know where you're short and can invest accordingly.

Edited February 17, 20233 yr by mbzn

Thank you Bobster. 

So yes we have had to become a very power conscious household over the last few years so my lights are all LED, Gas Stove and our Geyser on a timer. So my thinking is run the Geyser as normal from 9am- 3pm and my pool pump can kick in at 10am for around 3-4 hours using PV. 
 

im excited 

Thanks Mzezman

So I’m going to upload pics as a play by play for progress and then stats once the system is up and running. Will keep the guys posted. Thank you !!!

Hi all, i have an installation pending as well. Very excited and nervous too of course. Question please, Freedom Won batteries. Anyone here with experience on using these?  And the has anyone made use of Cudub Solar for their installation?

 

thx!

 

 

I’ve only heard positive about the FreedomOne batteries. The only thing was it’s pricey operations wise no issues that I have heard of.

Also if made in SA support should be good, that’s the real upside 

1 hour ago, Jacks said:

Hi all, i have an installation pending as well. Very excited and nervous too of course. Question please, Freedom Won batteries. Anyone here with experience on using these?  And the has anyone made use of Cudub Solar for their installation?

 

thx!

 

 

I have a Freedom Won 10/8. This was a replacement for another brand which was misbehaving.

At first the other brand batteries were run without comms since they did not support my inverter. They used to turn off for no apparent reason. 

Then comms were added (this required extra equipment). Stability improved but now there was a mismatch in that inverter and BMS saw different battery states. This discrepancy grew with time and the batteries at least seemed to lose capacity. The manufacturer blamed this on the BMS and insisted that the battery be run without comms to the BMS. At which point the intermittent shut downs returned. 

Long story short: a Freedom Won was installed. This took up less space, was an easier install, had much better comms, including recognising what inverter it was talking to and setting all system parameters accordingly. And all the old instabilities were gone. The system has been flawlessly reliable ever since. 

This may all have happened with other brands. I suggested a 3rd brand but the installer (to his credit, providing support over 3 years after the install) was adamant. He has restricted himself to two brands based on experience, support, safety, and inverter compatibility. 

So I can't tell you what life would be like like with (for EG) Shoto or BSL, but the Freedom Won has performed flawlessly. 

So I have a concern my garage where the kit is going to be installed gets pretty hot I haven’t been able to measure the temperature. I have 2 fridges in the garage.

any ideas? Must I install a separate fan? just to keep the system cool?

I’m sorry as you guys can see lots of questions and excitement 😂

12 hours ago, Raiden2912 said:

I’m sorry as you guys can see lots of questions and excitement 😂

No need to be sorry at all - that's how we all learn. If you are concerned about heat then look at getting fans that a temp controlled

17 hours ago, Raiden2912 said:

So I have a concern my garage where the kit is going to be installed gets pretty hot I haven’t been able to measure the temperature. I have 2 fridges in the garage.

any ideas? Must I install a separate fan? just to keep the system cool?

If your garage is hot I would guess your fridges have to work harder than normal so cooling the environment would be advisable to reduce Kwh use by them.

Had a bit of a hiccup over the last week however

Inverter installed and cables run to main DB

Solar Panels installed and cables done

Should be up by Tuesday just waiting on batteries 

will upload more pics soon

 

33 minutes ago, Raiden2912 said:

Had a bit of a hiccup over the last week however

Inverter installed and cables run to main DB

Solar Panels installed and cables done

Should be up by Tuesday just waiting on batteries 

will upload more pics soon

 

Congratulations, good choice, the MAX 7.2 is probably the best offgrid inverter in terms of value for money. The 7.2 was the shoe-in for the 8kw and the 10kw, they all have exactly the same mainboard, only with some uprated components in the drive train.  So the 7.2 is a bit  overkill for its 7.2 limit, but that makes it very robust.  

For me its the Land Rover Defender of the Voltronic range of inverters.  And as a bonus it doesnt leak oil. !!! 

May you have joy, and enjoy it, and know that there are plenty of support for this machine on our forum. 👍

Edited February 25, 20233 yr by BritishRacingGreen

Batteries and connections being done today yaaaay

Edited March 4, 20233 yr by Raiden2912