Dawie's Solar Setup

Thanks for all the advice guys. I have some thinking to do and will post back here.
 
I noticed on the first screen of the battery page that my "Activate" was not ticket. Am I correct in assuming that it should be ticket?
 
DawieZA said:
Install completed today. Ended up being 12 x 460 watt panels. Six facing north as in the photo and six facing east. I will add another photo of the east facing panels as soon as can get on that side of the roof.

View attachment 1467375

View attachment 1467377
Click to expand...

Congrats on the install, been following this thread and thanks for updating. Looking for a reliable installer in Cape Town as well.
The quote you received seems good, what was your experience with the installer and the install?
What is the workmanship like? The turnaround time seems very decent.
Did they register the system with CoCT on your behalf?

In seriously considering and have a few quotes.
Would you mind DMing installer details and if possible your final invoice just for comparison to what I received so far?
 
DawieZA said:
I noticed on the first screen of the battery page that my "Activate" was not ticket. Am I correct in assuming that it should be ticket?
Click to expand...
No, leave activate off (it is for restoring an overly discharged battery).

Also, it looks like no earth/neutral bond?
 
droidx said:
Congrats on the install, been following this thread and thanks for updating. Looking for a reliable installer in Cape Town as well.
The quote you received seems good, what was your experience with the installer and the install?
What is the workmanship like? The turnaround time seems very decent.
Did they register the system with CoCT on your behalf?

In seriously considering and have a few quotes.
Would you mind DMing installer details and if possible your final invoice just for comparison to what I received so far?
Click to expand...

Thanks. I sent you a DM with the installer details and invoice extract.

I am very happy with the installer. The work they did is neat and tidy. I have a little bit of damage to a section of my ceiling, but the installer is working with me to get that repaired and paid for.

I am still waiting for the COC done by their electrical engineers and then final payment is due. The installer will work with me to get the system registered with CoCT, but is mostly my responsibility to submit.
 
Speedster said:
No, leave activate off (it is for restoring an overly discharged battery).

Also, it looks like no earth/neutral bond?
Click to expand...
Thanks, I left that activate off.

I did ask the installer regarding the earth neutral bond and was told that it is in place. They do it for all installs. I performed a voltage check between neutral and ground on the essentials side while we had load-shedding, and it showed a very low reading of 0.2 volts. I believe that indicates there is an earth neutral bond.

They are coming back for a second battery, and I will then ask them to show me where it was done.
 
DawieZA said:
Thanks, I left that activate off.

I did ask the installer regarding the earth neutral bond and was told that it is in place. They do it for all installs. I performed a voltage check between neutral and ground on the essentials side while we had load-shedding, and it showed a very low reading of 0.2 volts. I believe that indicates there is an earth neutral bond.

They are coming back for a second battery, and I will then ask them to show me where it was done.
Click to expand...
How does the earth neutral bond work if the inverter doesn't have signal island mode selected?
 
Speedster said:
How does the earth neutral bond work if the inverter doesn't have signal island mode selected?
Click to expand...
To my knowledge on can use a NC vs a NO relay on the same inverter contact. The tick just reverses the output polarity on that output - e.g. it energises when the grid fails, whereas the default behaviour is to be energised while the grid is present.
 
DawieZA said:
Decided to invest in a second Sunsynk battery while I have the funds available. Now to see when that install can be done.
Click to expand...

How is your system working with the single battery?
Is it taking you through the night?
Any limitations from the 5kw inverter so far? Guess it would depend on your household.

We are two people, 5kw should be sufficient but I’m not sure whether to future proof with 8kw.
 
droidx said:
How is your system working with the single battery?
Is it taking you through the night?
Any limitations from the 5kw inverter so far? Guess it would depend on your household.

We are two people, 5kw should be sufficient but I’m not sure whether to future proof with 8kw.
Click to expand...
The system works fine with a single battery, but it requires a bit of management and time. I have a flat on my property that runs off my main DB board (it is currently connected to the non-essentials side). It is not an issue during the day as there is solar and my tenant is at work. Nighttime is the problem as I have no control over my tenant's appliances and that can cause the battery to drain quite quickly. You should not have the same issue with only two people and better control of your appliances.

I have had no issues with the 5kW inverter size. It works really well for the load we generate. Very glad I left my stove, irrigation pump, larger air-con and two geysers on the non-essential side.
 
DawieZA said:
The system works fine with a single battery, but it requires a bit of management and time. I have a flat on my property that runs off my main DB board (it is currently connected to the non-essentials side). It is not an issue during the day as there is solar and my tenant is at work. Nighttime is the problem as I have no control over my tenant's appliances and that can cause the battery to drain quite quickly. You should not have the same issue with only two people and better control of your appliances.

I have had no issues with the 5kW inverter size. It works really well for the load we generate. Very glad I left my stove, irrigation pump, larger air-con and two geysers on the non-essential side.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. That’s useful.
Might start with a 5kw battery, I like the SunSynk combo for the 10 year warranty, but it comes with a premium.

Do you have other aircons in the house?
Noting that you said the larger one is non-essential.
Do you run the smaller ones off battery at night, I tend to use my aircon at night time, but only the smaller room one.

Rough price is already R6k more than what you paid, not sure of room to negotiate with current climate.
Overall, it seems more or less in line with other quotes received on an overall basis with some shuffling between line items.
 
droidx said:
Thanks for the feedback. That’s useful.
Might start with a 5kw battery, I like the SunSynk combo for the 10 year warranty, but it comes with a premium.

Do you have other aircons in the house?
Noting that you said the larger one is non-essential.
Do you run the smaller ones off battery at night, I tend to use my aircon at night time, but only the smaller room one.

Rough price is already R6k more than what you paid, not sure of room to negotiate with current climate.
Overall, it seems more or less in line with other quotes received on an overall basis with some shuffling between line items.
Click to expand...
I also like the 10 year "combo" warranty. One of the reasons I went for that special they had at the time.

I do have a smaller split unit air-con in the bedroom. That runs off a normal plug and is on the essentials side of the inverter. I use that quite a bit during the night when it's been a hot day.
 
droidx said:
Thanks for the feedback. That’s useful.
Might start with a 5kw battery, I like the SunSynk combo for the 10 year warranty, but it comes with a premium.

Do you have other aircons in the house?
Noting that you said the larger one is non-essential.
Do you run the smaller ones off battery at night, I tend to use my aircon at night time, but only the smaller room one.

Rough price is already R6k more than what you paid, not sure of room to negotiate with current climate.
Overall, it seems more or less in line with other quotes received on an overall basis with some shuffling between line items.
Click to expand...
If you can, go with the 8kW. It really is a pleasure of having the headroom should all the power-hungry items in the house run at the same time by mistake. I have had a 12000 BTU AC, 2 geysers, and the vacuum running at the same time together with the base load. The rev counter on the Sunsynk screen is in the read but the inverter can handle it.
 
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