Cheapest power trollies and portable batteries for stage 6 load-shedding

[grok]

The best place by far is to keep an eye out for listings on BidOrBuy
I'm also using 8th Gen. Perfect price vs performance tier... older is a bit too old for certain fancy features and newer is still too expensive.

Thx.

The thing with the Gen8 is the hard drive slots, just keeps everything together neatly, but I've got 2 external drives connected via USB so not really that much of an advantage anymore lol.

 

[lexor]

That thing looks cool.
I see it says:

View attachment 1438261

Do you know what the solar input specs are voltage wise?
I can't seem to find the info on the site.

I bought the SPS1000 from Takealot exactly 3 years ago for R7450 .

Been working great the last 3 years.
The Deep Cycle batteries still working ok - but might go downhill fast with Stage 6 !

Will definitely replace the Deep Cycle with Lithium's !

The SPS 1000 Solar input is : 24V

The SPS 600 solar input is : 12 V

Specs here :

http://www.smartpowersystems.co.za/files/SPEC-600.pdf

http://www.smartpowersystems.co.za/files/SPEC-1000.pdf

 

[BeerIsNotGood...]

Playing a bit fast and loose with the words "affordable"/"Cheapest".

Git Gud

 

[Hunted]

They're simply too expensive for me to justify, but I won't lie, I have been tempted to get an Ecoflow as a worst-case backup to my backup or as something I can drop in the back of a bakkie with a solar panel or two and use it as a mobile power station for my electric dirtbike... that would be such an epic setup.

Which size one do you have?

Will I be correct to say that they don't work as a UPS tho?

 

[STORMERSFAN]

A laptop gets a bit small if you have a family of four.

Each one has their own tablet with a 5000mah.. Lasts 5 hours and the ups lasts 4.5

 

[Hunted]

Anyone have some experience with this brand?

Mobi-Volt Micro UPS - Black (1000W)

Buy Mobi-Volt Micro UPS - Black (1000W) Online or Locate Your Nearest Builders Warehouse Store. ✓ Secure shopping ✓ 100% Contactless ✓ Reliable Delivery ✓ Many ways to pay!

www.builders.co.za

They sell a 1000w and 2000w version at Builders, but I can't find much with regards to specifications and so forth on it.

**EDIT**

I managed to get hold of Power 4 Less and this unit does not function as an UPS. So their advertising is misleading.

 

[zolly]

Anyone have some experience with this brand?

Mobi-Volt Micro UPS - Black (1000W)

Buy Mobi-Volt Micro UPS - Black (1000W) Online or Locate Your Nearest Builders Warehouse Store. ✓ Secure shopping ✓ 100% Contactless ✓ Reliable Delivery ✓ Many ways to pay!

www.builders.co.za

They sell a 1000w and 2000w version at Builders, but I can't find much with regards to specifications and so forth on it.

**EDIT**

I managed to get hold of Power 4 Less and this unit does not function as an UPS. So their advertising is misleading.

I've messaged Power 4 Less about their larger inverter units on FB since their website is down.

Mobi-volt Pure Sine Wave Hybrid Trolley Inverter - Black/Blue (3000W)

Buy Mobi-volt Pure Sine Wave Hybrid Trolley Inverter - Black/Blue (3000W) Online or Locate Your Nearest Builders Warehouse Store. ✓ Secure shopping ✓ 100% Contactless ✓ Reliable Delivery ✓ Many ways to pay!

www.builders.co.za

3KW for 36k is pretty good in terms of pre-built units. Two issues I see on paper is:

1. they don't charge quickly, but if you have enough buffer capacity this is a non-issue,
2. and they don't list the unit's life cycles so there's no point in getting these if you're going to burn through their batteries with stage 4+ load shedding

 

[Geoff.D]

For those that spend more than R 15 000 on a smart TV, or R 20 000 plus on a smartphone, these numbers are peanuts.
But for the rest of us --- they are way beyond crazy

 

[PsyWulf]

Most affordable backup power systems for surviving Stage 6 load-shedding

Under stage 6 load-shedding, Eskom cuts power for up to four-and-a-half hours at a time, meaning the backup power systems used for lower stages will no longer cut it.

While many South African households are leaning towards fully-fledged renewable power solutions with large batteries and solar arrays, these can be very expensive and unaffordable for most.

Kool Energy is Ex Vat price

 

[Synonym]

A laptop gets a bit small if you have a family of four.

 

[bwana]

Even though we never exceed 3 x 2.5hr (though it is always closer to 2hr) through stage 8, I'm still glad we went the generator route. As long as I keep putting petrol in, it keeps doing its job.

 

[Lupus]

Even though we never exceed 3 x 2.5hr (though it is always closer to 2hr) through stage 8, I'm still glad we went the generator route. As long as I keep putting petrol in, it keeps doing its job.

Work out your fuel costs per hour

 

[bwana]

Work out your fuel costs per hour

Why?

I'm sure it's astronomical, or maybe it isn't, but I have power when I need it. I'm also covered when something breaks and takes a day, or more, to repair.

 

[Lupus]

Why?

I'm sure it's astronomical, or maybe it isn't, but I have power when I need it. I'm also covered when something breaks and takes a day, or more, to repair.

Cause you might've been able to replace it with solar and batteries

 

[bwana]

Cause you might've been able to replace it with solar and batteries

Realistically we only usually run the generator at night during load shedding so call that a couple of litres a day three times a week. Can I get solar and batteries for the R8000 a year I might spend on running the generator?

 

[Lupus]

Realistically we only usually run the generator at night during load shedding so call that a couple of litres a day three times a week. Can I get solar and batteries for the R8000 a year I might spend on running the generator?

Well considering the solar+batteries could also knock your electrical bill by 60% but I guess it's up to you

 

[bwana]

Well considering the solar+batteries could also knock your electrical bill by 60% but I guess it's up to you

60%? Ok - so that's another R900 per month I could save. Add that to the generator costs and call it R20k per year. What does a solar installation run these days?

Sure, solar is on the cards but not today.

 

[Lupus]

60%? Ok - so that's another R900 per month I could save. Add that to the generator costs and call it R20k per year. What does a solar installation run these days?

Sure, solar is on the cards but not today.

so good you had to say it twice . Well yeah that 900 a month becomes 8000 a year , next year it's R1100 a month, the next year it's R1500 a month saving.
Also you would run the generator less once the solar is installed and it can run R89k to the length of a piece of string, but it all depends on your usage.

 

[bwana]

so good you had to say it twice . Well yeah that 900 a month becomes 8000 a year , next year it's R1100 a month, the next year it's R1500 a month saving.
Also you would run the generator less once the solar is installed and it can run R89k to the length of a piece of string, but it all depends on your usage.

So at R89k at R1500 a month is about 5 years. I'm going to defer that for a while. ATM we don't get load shedding because of the drought so the generator costs are minimal. I'm pretty happy with the status quo.

 

[Lupus]

So at R89k at R1500 a month is about 5 years. I'm going to defer that for a while. ATM we don't get load shedding because of the drought so the generator costs are minimal. I'm pretty happy with the status quo.

Yeah in away you're lucky, we're hit where the generator cost could be about 1000 bucks a day.