Extra panels or Solar Geyser?

[Pegging]

Unrelated question, what made you choose the Daikin over other brands, Samsung or LG?

It the Rolls Royce of aircons.

With other brands you’ll need to look at pros and cons and read up on reviews.

The only con with Daikin is the price, it may be a few R1000 pricier than the equivalent in some cases, but You make up for that with the quality and efficiency. So over time it’ll likely work out cheaper.

 

[SauRoNZA]

So bizarre and factually concerning how this solar thing just runs the house and doesn’t need to use the batteries while the geyser is on.

Dark magic I tell you. Inexplicable.

 

[PsyWulf]

ah ok now i can see its not the ptfe tape youre talking about .its standard practice to put tape over a dropped cb ,to stop somebody from turning it on .you cant put an isolate tag on a home cb .whether you drop the isolator or the cb allways tape it and mark it as isolated lots of geyser isolators sit in the db next to the geyser cb and not in the roof .ie you may have to leave the premise and anybody can resett it .we also photograph it so if its turned on and the element gets heat soak its not our responsibility.not all old installs have an isolator in the roof actually maybe 1 in 10 has one . .ps ,in fact very few geyser installs are compliant .most are a mess with exposed wiring and because its in a roof space plumbers get away with it ,especially connections and coverplates .View attachment 1498627

My house has 2x Geysers,2 Breakers + 2 Isolators in the DB + 2 Isolators in the ceiling

 

[soulie]

My house has 2x Geysers,2 Breakers + 2 Isolators in the DB + 2 Isolators in the ceiling

nothing better than tearing the insulation off the wires with your teeth for that new element and the garden engineer turns the power on downstairs .

 

[Speedster]

nothing better than tearing the insulation off the wires with your teeth for that new element and the garden engineer turns the power on downstairs .

But I though you turned the isolator off?

 

[wingnut771]

nothing better than tearing the insulation off the wires with your teeth for that new element and the garden engineer turns the power on downstairs .

Why would you need a breaker and an isolator in the DB?

 

[PsyWulf]

nothing better than tearing the insulation off the wires with your teeth for that new element and the garden engineer turns the power on downstairs .

This is why we isolate your isolator with another isolator in case your breaker breaks

 

[soulie]

But I though you turned the isolator off?

as i said not all installs have isolators at the geyser .thats why you tape them up .you dont work with the public do you .

 

[SauRoNZA]

ah ok now i can see its not the ptfe tape youre talking about .its standard practice to put tape over a dropped cb ,to stop somebody from turning it on .you cant put an isolate tag on a home cb .whether you drop the isolator or the cb allways tape it and mark it as isolated lots of geyser isolators sit in the db next to the geyser cb and not in the roof .ie you may have to leave the premise and anybody can resett it .we also photograph it so if its turned on and the element gets heat soak its not our responsibility.not all old installs have an isolator in the roof actually maybe 1 in 10 has one . .ps ,in fact very few geyser installs are compliant .most are a mess with exposed wiring and because its in a roof space plumbers get away with it ,especially connections and coverplates .View attachment 1498627

Isn’t it a legal requirement to have the isolator within one metre (or something like that) of the geyser for this very reason?

But I guess that only comes into play when someone wants to sell the house and it needs a modern day certificate, so makes sense that older places wouldn’t be compliant but I would then expect any time a geyser burst for it to be mandatory upon replacement to install one otherwise the job is illegal?

 

[wingnut771]

CoC requires isolator 1.5 from Geyser and Stove last time I checked.

Aircons too afaik.

 

[soulie]

Isn’t it a legal requirement to have the isolator within one metre (or something like that) of the geyser for this very reason?

But I guess that only comes into play when someone wants to sell the house and it needs a modern day certificate, so makes sense that older places wouldn’t be compliant but I would then expect any time a geyser burst for it to be mandatory upon replacement to install one otherwise the job is illegal?

for a legal coc yes ,a huge percentage of houses in sa dont have coc .most geysers are done by plumbers ,they dont care .a lot of hot water heaters arent even geysers ,seen plenty on the plots that are made from old gas cylinders .

 

[SauRoNZA]

Or an insurance claim. Saying the place is old is not an excuse for not being up to code, especially, as you say, with a geyser that's replaced every 5-10 years.

Yeah that’s what I meant surely there have been geyser replacement whether insurance or otherwise and upon finding no isolator there’s an onus on someone to make it happen?

 

[SauRoNZA]

for a legal coc yes ,a huge percentage of houses in sa dont have coc .most geysers are done by plumbers ,they dont care .a lot of hot water heaters arent even geysers ,seen plenty on the plots that are made from old gas cylinders .

But then surely as an electrician yourself when you find this situation you are legally obliged to rectify it and not simply ignore it and soldier on with some masking tape.

For your own safety if nothing else.

 

[acidrain]

Aircons too afaik.

Electric gates as well it seems.

 

[soulie]

But then surely as an electrician yourself when you find this situation you are legally obliged to rectify it and not simply ignore it and soldier on with some masking tape.

For your own safety if nothing else.

yip we usually just fit one .not expensive .mostly they get fitted when you install a geyserwise ,then its a quick painless install .never had anyone complain about the added cost R200 plus 2 compression glands or flex conduit .same as vacuum breaks ,you should have 2 for piece of mind ,most only have one .

 

[soulie]

Or an insurance claim. Saying the place is old is not an excuse for not being up to code, especially, as you say, with a geyser that's replaced every 5-10 years.

To answer your question about old buildings ,this has to be taken into account :
This is important when considering the statement on page 3 of SANS 10142-1 Edition 2: “The edition of the standard that was applicable at the date of erection of an electrical installation is to be considered the edition defining the requirements applicable to that particular installation.”

Knowing the history of the wiring codes helps electrical contractors make informed decisions when it comes to old installations and understanding what is compliant, what is not, and what is reasonably safe.
or
Era

Due to the requirements having changed over the years, it is important to establish the era under which an installation was done. One this has been established, a decision can then be made whether or not an existing installation complies with the general safety principals of the wiring code and can be considered reasonably safe according to the Fundamental Safety Precautions in SANS 10142-1 Ed 2.
This is up to the electrician to decide .many ways to read the code and interpret it ,sometimes its just better to add the extra layer of safety .The code also states that as long as the db isolator cannot be locked in the on position its also up to interpretation .

 

[soulie]

Aircons too afaik.

Nope , depends on install . if a fixed cable supply ,yes if plugged in to a socket outlet ,no not needed .amperage dependant as well as basic common sense .

 

[wingnut771]

Nope , depends on install . if a fixed cable supply ,yes if plugged in to a socket outlet ,no not needed .amperage dependant as well as basic common sense .

Doesn’t the socket have to be less than 1.5m distance?

 

[soulie]

Doesn’t the socket have to be less than 1.5m distance?

socket outlet yes ,if not on an isolator .isolator switch not allways needed ,only if the aircon pulls more amps than the socket outlets rating .a fixed appliance can still be plugged in .

 

[soulie]

CoC requires isolator 1.5 from Geyser and Stove last time I checked.

Depends on the installation.
IE: 6.16.1.4 The disconnecting device shall be positioned a) within 1,5 m from the appliance, or b) in a distribution board (if the switch-disconnector is capable of being locked in the open position). Even where a disconnecting device is on the appliance, a separate disconnecting device shall be provided in the fixed installation to allow for the total removal of the appliance. NOTE A standard switch is not a switch-disconnector.
.16.3.1.2 A switch-disconnector for a cooking appliance(s) shall a) be in the same room as the appliance(s), b) be at a height above floor level of not less than 0,5 m and not more than 2,2 m, c) preferably not be above the cooking appliance(s), d) be within 3 m of the appliance(s), but within 0,5 m of the appliance(s) if the switch-disconnector's purpose is not clearly indicated, and e) not be fixed to the appliance.
Many ways to screw the system ,bend a bracket to cover your isolator so it can lock and voila ,isolator problem solved .
I can CoC virtually any install just by using the correct tools and understanding the regulations its the younguns that dont know the old regs ,going back to the factory act .