Extra panels or Solar Geyser?

Speedster said:
But why not specify the kWh rating, then there is no need for assumptions
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that you need to ask a manufacturer .kwh is the normal but lots dont use it .if i need to quote on a battery i need to know the load if 3kw and the device needs to run for 4 hours then i need a 12 kw battery minimum ,then i recommend at least 20kw .i suppose kwh makes it easier for the retail market to fight about .
 
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soulie said:
yip ,heating a big container of water is a waste of power unless your system is sized to do that .face it if the basics is gas ,you can probably run happily on a 3kw solar system .
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And constantly replacing gas tanks, no thanks. What an uncivilised solution compared to just running your house as is. May as well plug a laptop into the TV to watch movies, it's the same sort of cringe...
 
The issue that I have with gas is that this introduces other potential sources of pain. Burning gas in your home can be an air-quality issue and there are safety concerns as well, particularly if you have small children or elderly at home. And storing gas is a pain because it needs to be in a cage outside the house etc etc.
 
Putting yourself in someone elses shoes it seems is the hardest task in the world

few seem to be able to master

There is many ways to skin a cat

And each has their cost implications

Each can make the tradeoff he likes or has to
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
And constantly replacing gas tanks, no thanks. What an uncivilised solution compared to just running your house as is. May as well plug a laptop into the TV to watch movies, it's the same sort of cringe...
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mmmmm lets see ,Totai replaces my gas cylinder once a year at R1300 .my gas geyser cost R5k i get hot water 356 days a year in my kitchen and all basins without any intervention from eskom .it can rain and be sullen for weeks at a time i still dont use any eskom for hot water .i have solar geysers for bath and shower ,if its sullen i switch to gas for hot water still no eskom .show me how you do that at R6 k initial investment plus R1300 per year running costs .and i dont even get loadshedding .edit .oops i forgot 2 D size Duracell batteries every 2 years for the ignition system over 17 years so far .
 
soulie said:
mmmmm lets see ,Totai replaces my gas cylinder once a year at R1300 .my gas geyser cost R5k i get hot water 356 days a year in my kitchen and all basins without any intervention from eskom .it can rain and be sullen for weeks at a time i still dont use any eskom for hot water .i have solar geysers for bath and shower ,if its sullen i switch to gas for hot water still no eskom .show me how you do that at R6 k initial investment plus R1300 per year running costs .and i dont even get loadshedding .edit .oops i forgot 2 D size Duracell batteries every 2 years for the ignition system over 17 years so far .
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That's nice, enjoy...
 
soulie said:
that you need to ask a manufacturer .kwh is the normal but lots dont use it .if i need to quote on a battery i need to know the load if 3kw and the device needs to run for 4 hours then i need a 12 kw battery minimum ,then i recommend at least 20kw .i suppose kwh makes it easier for the retail market to fight about .
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You see, that's the point. A 3kW load for 4 hours is 12kWh. A 12kw battery is something completely different.

For example a 0.5C battery (such as Pylontech) would need 24kWh to be able to supply 12kW.
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
And constantly replacing gas tanks, no thanks. What an uncivilised solution compared to just running your house as is. May as well plug a laptop into the TV to watch movies, it's the same sort of cringe...
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Producing heat via resistance
Is a primitive notion

We do it cause it is cheap
Easy

Whe draw our line on primitive
Arbitrarily
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
And constantly replacing gas tanks, no thanks. What an uncivilised solution compared to just running your house as is. May as well plug a laptop into the TV to watch movies, it's the same sort of cringe...
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My uncle has 13KW of panels, 2x 5KW inverters, and 7x 5KWh batteries... and he has the geyser, the stove and the oven all on gas. For a household of 5 people he needs to get his gas tanks replaced once every 4 months, and it works out to be about R400pm for the gas.
There is no constantly replacing tanks. You carry the kitchen one out, you carry the new one in - once every few months. And the geyser one is outside, and has a spare sitting next to it. You run low, you switch over and then call the gas guys to come bring a new one.
But I guess spending thousands more on more panels, more batteries and larger inverters is a better idea. Then you have a faulty thermostat which runs all night long and drains your batteries while you sleep only for you to wake up on a cloudy day and have no power.
 
Speedster said:
You see, that's the point. A 3kW load for 4 hours is 12kWh. A 12kw battery is something completely different.

For example a 0.5C battery (such as Pylontech) would need 24kWh to be able to supply 12kW.
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for solar its probably easier to work in kwh .watts versus kw .so for mechanics you need to work out your kwh needed for home use .probably easier.
 
newby_investor said:
The issue that I have with gas is that this introduces other potential sources of pain. Burning gas in your home can be an air-quality issue and there are safety concerns as well, particularly if you have small children or elderly at home. And storing gas is a pain because it needs to be in a cage outside the house etc etc.
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No it doesn't. Who told you that.
Households do not have the same requirements as businesses. My uncle's geyser tanks stand outside, no cage. Just a sign above them with the standard safety warnings. The tanks for his stove/oven sit in the garage.
 
killerbyte said:
My uncle has 13KW of panels, 2x 5KW inverters, and 7x 5KWh batteries... and he has the geyser, the stove and the oven all on gas. For a household of 5 people he needs to get his gas tanks replaced once every 4 months, and it works out to be about R400pm for the gas.
There is no constantly replacing tanks. You carry the kitchen one out, you carry the new one in - once every few months. And the geyser one is outside, and has a spare sitting next to it. You run low, you switch over and then call the gas guys to come bring a new one.
But I guess spending thousands more on more panels, more batteries and larger inverters is a better idea. Then you have a faulty thermostat which runs all night long and drains your batteries while you sleep only for you to wake up on a cloudy day and have no power.
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Or you could not wake up because you had a gas leak and your house blew up.
 
soulie said:
for solar its probably easier to work in kwh .watts versus kw .so for mechanics you need to work out your kwh needed for home use .probably easier.
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hahaha its like fighting over a 320 d and a ford .
 
soulie said:
for solar its probably easier to work in kwh .watts versus kw .so for mechanics you need to work out your kwh needed for home use .probably easier.
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You need both, a situation easily solved by a combination of kWh and C rating.
 
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