Hey Guys

 

Want to know whats the best way to bring down energy consumption on my geyser ?

 

Should I convert it to solar ?

Should I put a timer on it ? in the form of geyser wise or even a controlled contactor ?

Should I throw it out and just get a full on solar geyser system 

 

Its a 250lt Kwikot geyser

 

Edited April 20, 20197 yr by Treschen

Convert it to solar.

Putting a timer on your geyser might save you a bit on the standing heat losses on the geyser, if you dropped the temperature on the thermostat added some extra insulation lagged the hot water pipe where you can that would save some power too. Either of those will not have a huge effect on your geysers electricity bill. Solar conversions work well and their payback time is not bad,  a conversion is what I would do.

16 hours ago, Treschen said:

Hey Guys

 

Want to know whats the best way to bring down energy consumption on my geyser ?

 

Should I convert it to solar ?

Should I put a timer on it ? in the form of geyser wise or even a controlled contactor ?

Should I throw it out and just get a full on solar geyser system 

 

Its a 250lt Kwikot geyser

 

Going solar will definitely save money in the long run.  Whether you convert it to a solar geyser, or retrofit it would depend on your budget, roof structure and area. Evacuated tubes work very well, but you run the risk that it might be too hot in summer and your geyser could waste a lot of steam during the day. But many people claim they still work well in winter and cloudy days. a PV retrofit has the advantage that you don't need to worry about plumbing and you can control the heat.

What do you guys think of this device for a geyser...for all the excess power.

https://re-volt.co.za/Store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=636

https://www.earthwiseproducts.co.uk/solic-200/

http://solic200.com.au/#

19 hours ago, Roarty said:

What do you guys think of this device for a geyser...for all the excess power

as I mentioned in another post they unfortunately do not work if you are not feeding into the grid. This is why most of us in SA can not use them.

@Fuenkli is there no other way that I ...

Don't wanna use Eskom and don't wanna waste the excess power...

1 hour ago, Roarty said:

 is there no other way

did not find anything yet to automatically divert the surplus power. The next best thing is to put a timer on the geyser and hope that there will be enough solar to power it. If you do this it is recommended to reduce the power consumption of the geyser by replacing the element with a 1kW type. Another option is to control the geyser with a relay from the Victron bmv based on SOC.

1 minute ago, Fuenkli said:

put a timer on the geyser

Currently got a timer on from 12:30 to 15:30...reducing it now to 14:00 to 15:30. Too much heating up again with geyser blanket and insulation on the pipes.  My geyser takes 40 min to heat up to full and a further 20 min to get up to 100%  after the kids has showered. The wife takes a bath at night and then again a shower in the morning, still with water hot enough. All that in max 90 minutes.

1 minute ago, Fuenkli said:

replacing the element with a 1kW type

That I can do as well. My usage spike at max 4.8kW when geyser is running and when ironing is been done. I have ordered another string set of 10 x 330W panels which will make it total 6600W witch will produce 4976W at hot temp in perfect conditions.

2 minutes ago, Fuenkli said:

control the geyser with a relay from the Victron bmv based on SOC

Here I am in the dark. I looked at contractors and their interlocks with auxiliary contacts for indication of power as well as a controller to manage it. I would prefer something like that to control the demand. It is mainly for creating an ATS but I will use it as well for load demand. It is difficult to find proper info on how to create and wire such a device. The less I use Eskom, the better. I like the contactor and controller idea see that I am away from home most off the time. My wife is not up-to-date enough to handle the system and the 3 boys of 7 & 9.

On 2019/04/20 at 7:03 PM, Treschen said:

Should I convert it to solar ?

but as mentioned earlier on in the thread I would convert the geyser to solar. The ROI is so short it is a no brainer. 

A solar tube geyser retrofit is the way to go if you have a north facing roof. My geyser has run on electricity for about 8 hours a month since my install in Johannesburg in March

14 minutes ago, Timbo_vb said:

if you have a north facing roof

I have found the curve of the tubes makes them very forgiving in terms of direction.

7 hours ago, Fuenkli said:

did not find anything yet to automatically divert the surplus power. The next best thing is to put a timer on the geyser and hope that there will be enough solar to power it. If you do this it is recommended to reduce the power consumption of the geyser by replacing the element with a 1kW type. Another option is to control the geyser with a relay from the Victron bmv based on SOC.

This is, almost, exactly what I did. I used a 2Kw element though. And it works great

Maybe you don't know about these?

http://www.gpslightlock.com/Store.htm

You can get them set up individually exactly how you want, but when I approached this guy with a requirement for -2hrs to +2hrs  either side of solar noon, he seems to have made it an off-the shelf item now. ( & about 20$ more expensive, than I paid).

Never need to reset the timer after a power cut.

 

So I got a quote for my 150l geyser, its to convert it to the geyserwise system with a mppt/small inverter new element, and 4 x solar panels 300watt. All for the outstanding Price of R20 000 on the dot. That is quite a bit for just for the geyserwise kit

Seems a bit light on the solar panels as well. 1200W of panels gives you about 5-6kWh per day, less in winter when you need it. You will generate enough energy to raise the 150l by 25-30 degrees. Rather get a solar geyser, they are way more efficient, and much cheaper.

32 minutes ago, DeepBass9 said:

Seems a bit light on the solar panels as well. 1200W of panels gives you about 5-6kWh per day, less in winter when you need it. You will generate enough energy to raise the 150l by 25-30 degrees. Rather get a solar geyser, they are way more efficient, and much cheaper.

Thanks I will look into the pricing of installing solar geysers.