Gerald_db Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 As a kzn resident any suggestions of installers for this area who are up to speed with the Infinisolar hybrid? They need to know what I am talking about and know more than me! Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Hobson Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 On 10/06/2016 at 10:52 AM, GdeBeer said: They need to know what I am talking about and know more than me! That is a real problem in my mind. There are lots of installers who do know what they are doing but from various discussions it seems that there are nearly as many installers who do not have a clue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 What gets me a wee bit ... most installers / sales people do not have solar systems themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 Lat year there was a massive influx of "professional Installers" that came out of nowhere with all this experience. In S.A. solar has been going small scale for years, i started playing with it over 10 years back, all my mates said i was mad and a waste of money.......I am smiling today. Nobody trained these so called installers last year, you must see how many problem installs are out there...its scary. Had a scenario in my neck of the woods a week back, they did not use the local okie ( me) and had an installer put in a SMA /Victron system....the pv panels are at zero degree and on the s.s.w. roof with a parapet that would cover half the pv withing a hour sun up.... I actually wonder how many Installers do have there own systems at home or even bother testing all the new product that comes out? or do they just go to the one day product launch and then are certified "professionals"? superdiy and Mark 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 I think, like with solar geysers, this industry is going to sort out the fly by nights quite quickly - until each and every electrician out there is as comfortable with solar power as they are with Eskom, but that is going to take a while. Have been dabbling with solar system for years now and what I have learned is that it is not as easy as it sounds. Not by a long shot, even after years I still am but a novice at best. I learned that you need to understand, at the very least: ACDC - not the company, nor the band. Batteries - what types is best for you, how they work and what you need to know to make them last. Know all about what type of wires, lengths, indoor / outdoor you need between panels, batts and inverter. Fuses and earthing of it all. You need to understand irradiation, shade and heats' effects on the system and all that. Understand the maths behind solar systems. And the regulations and all that stuff. And you need to know what your power needs are, after you have reduced it to acceptable levels - or be prepared to pay a LOT! And then last but not even closely the least: You need to understand the limitations of solar systems. You better understand your customers needs, your own needs, for it is not run of the mill, do what you want Eskom power we are dealing with here. If you or your customer misses the plot, solar will bite him / or you, very hard in someones pocket. Here we are all solar pioneers ... we are. The force is with us. In my case, the force is very strong - on what not do to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
___ Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 12 hours ago, Mike said: the pv panels are at zero degree and on the s.s.w. roof with a parapet that would cover half the pv withing a hour sun up.... Facebook buddy of mine posted images of something like that too. I believe that's up in the Eastern Cape though. Two guys called Riaan and Dietrich, they install mostly ABB systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 you joking? i know them.... Riaan Gerber runs All Electric in P.E and Dietrich owns a spar inland in that area and butchery up there, we were on course together about 2 years back..Dietrich imports and sells pv panels oops...hehe, still cannot believe it ___ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
___ Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 21 minutes ago, Mike said: All Electric in P.E Never met them in person, but replied to a post on Facebook once and things went from there. He posts some awesome photos of installs every now and then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wunluv Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 Sounds like you've already done some research and have the components so that saves you the hassle of getting quoted on a new system. Getting quotes is what gets me "a wee bit...." A case in point - I recently purchased 2 axpert inverters at a very good price, but it turned out the buddy who sold them to me didn't realize they were the 600watt MPPT version, so I put them up on gumtree, as I wanted the 1600watt version. Dude calls me to buy one after being quoted 62K to set up an off grid system in a .... caravan! I went through the same bloody nightmare when I moved to the bundus with my partner last year, none of the folk I contacted for prices actually depended on the products they were selling to power their homes. Not one single one. And the prices quotes were off the charts. It felt like they nobody wanted to sell me components. They wanted to sell me components and installation. Eventually I ended up hacking together the system after doing the necessary research and self-education. But back to the OP, if you find an electrician + and figure out your battery bank/panel requirements, those voltronic hybrid devices are not that difficulty to set up. They're definitely good value for money. I use the Axpert 3kva model that they build and I'm very happy with the quality of the device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverNodashi Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 On 6/10/2016 at 10:52 AM, Gerald_db said: As a kzn resident any suggestions of installers for this area who are up to speed with the Infinisolar hybrid? They need to know what I am talking about and know more than me! Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk Damn, you're 6 hours from me. I know the Infinisolar quite well. What exactly do you need done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverNodashi Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 On 6/12/2016 at 6:45 AM, Mike said: Lat year there was a massive influx of "professional Installers" that came out of nowhere with all this experience. In S.A. solar has been going small scale for years, i started playing with it over 10 years back, all my mates said i was mad and a waste of money.......I am smiling today. Nobody trained these so called installers last year, you must see how many problem installs are out there...its scary. Had a scenario in my neck of the woods a week back, they did not use the local okie ( me) and had an installer put in a SMA /Victron system....the pv panels are at zero degree and on the s.s.w. roof with a parapet that would cover half the pv withing a hour sun up.... I actually wonder how many Installers do have there own systems at home or even bother testing all the new product that comes out? or do they just go to the one day product launch and then are certified "professionals"? What's wrong with selling Beemers, and then driving a Mazda yourself? I've been "playing" with this "stuff" for many many years already. Talk about DC busses and people seem to do dumb instantly. Yes, I fully support the systems I tell other people to use. I know to to setup an inverter, connect batteries, setup proper protection. And I'v also seen too many installations with incorrect cables, no fuses, incorrect panel size for said load / battery bank. Too many people jumped the band wagon trying to make a quick buck last year (and 2008). Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerald_db Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 All under control. Going with the Powerstar and a experienced MLT installer. Did a great job at my business and happy to go with MLT. A rugged transformer based unit that is full hybrid capable. Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.