Victron system with property purchased - need advice and insight

[Wimmas]

We bought a property with a solar system already installed. Still waiting for the property to register so do not have much detail, but the two times we viewed the property I saw there was a Victron solar system installed. On the second viewing I had a better look at the system and took some pictures. In general I have a fairly decent comprehension on solar equipment, but Victron has always been confusing to me due to the inverter system not being AIO and needing separate charge controllers and monitoring hardware etc., and a brand I have not paid much attention to as a result. I have read and heard good things about Victron.

I will attach the pictures that I took on this thread. The agent said that the previous owners used very little electricity (Around R400 per month - prepaid). There is a solar geyser installed and the pool is solar heated. From the research I have done, the system seems quite small and I question the low electricity consumption claimed by the agent, and I would like to know what my upgrade options are, and how good the currently installed system is. I think this is a grid tied system, and not true hybrid.

From what I have gathered, below the equipment:

• Victron Multiplus-II | 48 | 3000VA | 35
• Batteries: 2x Pylontech US 2000 48v 2.4kw
• 8x solar panels (Unsure about the brand and wattage)
• MPPT 250/60 charge controller
• Venus GX

I did not see an AC protection box, nor do I know what is wired as "essential" and "non-essential" on the DB.

For starters, I will download the monitoring apps, see how the system performs and monitor our electricity consumption. If it comes to a point where I feel we need to upgrade the system, I would like to understand what my options are. Do I upgrade the current system, or do I replace it with a Deye/Sunsynk 5kw/8kw inverter and 1x or 2x5kw batteries + 8x better panels?

Hopefully someone can provide some insight here, would really appreciate it!

 

[GreenFields]

Personal 2c' worth.

You are right, a 3kVA system is fairly small. I'm estimating if it's a 8x300w panels or thereabouts, you could expect approx 12kWh per day coming from the panels, with a further 4 or 5 kWh coming  from purchases. For a small household, with solar geyser and maybe cooking from gas, that could be approaching plausibility, although the pool pump is making it a bit of a stretch. It's good for bare essentials during loadshedding, maybe one major appliance running at a time.Anyway, you've got as you say, quite reputable brand-name equipment there, and it would almost be a shame to get rid of it. It's scalable, possible to add a second of the same inverter in parallel, and additional 2.4kWh or 5kWh Pylontech batteries in parallel. I'd start there, with quotes to double up on your existing kit, to benchmark against a 5kW Deye. All depending on your actual power needs.

 

[HendrikBigChief]

The system should be very upgradeable, you could add another 3kva multiplus to double your inverter capacity to 6 and if you add more panels, just add another mppt charge controller. Upgrading the batteries might be an issue depending on how old they are. If more than two years I would look to replace them completely with larger batteries if needed. The secondhand market for Victron equipment should also be strong.

[Bobster.]

Most houses with PV still use some electricity. But figures vary. My nephew, for example, has a system with a bigger inverter and more panels than me (we tie on battery capacity), yet he still has quite a high electricity bill. 

So take that figure you were given, not with a pinch of salt (I'm sure it's what the previous occupants were using) but just as a point of interest. The number of people in your family, your habits and priorities, your own discipline will affect what you get out of your system and how much supplementary power you will get from the grid.

So run all your appliances whilst the sun is up (free electricity), control your water heating, try to get everybody on side when it comes to keeping the bill down (include your staff in this). Consider things like not running the dishwasher at the same time as the geyser. And remember that there is no one correct answer. We all have different routines, different priorities.

My nephew's bill is so high because their routine means using what I think is a lot of power at night (including keeping their kids bedrooms warm), so he has his system configured to not let the batteries drop below 80% so that he always has enough to get through the night without having to change their routines.

For my wife and I it is just the two of us, and it's much easier to have a routine that maximises use of our system and saves us at the meter. At night the geyser doesn't run, the appliances might get loaded but not run etc. We don't have hair dryers (at my age I am so past that).

You don't say where you are, and you don't say if the system is registered with Eskom or the municipality (with whoever supplies your power). If it is, then if you increase it's capacity and you want to play by the rules then you should re-register (or apply beforehand depending on what regulations apply and how strictly they are enforced).

[Wimmas]

Thanks for the responses, appreciate it! Gives me a bit more clarity.

The property is in Roodepoort, Johannesburg. Electricity is provided by City Power.

Only my partner and I will be living there. The previous family consisted of two adults and two small children. Forgot to mention there is also a gas hob, so cooking will mostly be via gas. I think we will need to adjust certain habits which will help, like starting the dishwasher in the morning as opposed to the evening.

Luckily solar equipment has become significantly more affordable. We are moving in on 28 September, whereafter I will try and figure out the system for a while and determine if we need to upgrade or if we can live with the system as is.

Edited September 3 by Wimmas

[GordonH]

Does the agent have the login details of the VRM portal?  Or have you already transferred to your name?

[Bobster.]

On 2024/09/03 at 4:58 PM, Wimmas said:

The property is in Roodepoort, Johannesburg. Electricity is provided by City Power.

Then, since 1st July this year, R400 is the minimum amount you need to pay in a month if you're on prepaid.

Edited September 5 by Bobster.
clarity