Generator or Inverter for residential use?

[AchmatK]

Going to be selling my efergy E2 energy monitor soon. Been serving me well for the past 3 years prior to me getting ready for my solar setup.

Sensor is attached to the supply at the meter and monitors the whole house. You could attach to a single device to monitor individual items.

It's not the online one. You have to download their software and connect it to a computer to download the usage.

Same as this one.

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[Steamy Tom]

Cost? I need to buy 2 batteries and a pylontech 3.5kWh 48V was R23 000.

you can get those for R20999 currently...

 

[Steamy Tom]

Thanks chaps. So I guess once you start with a brand stick with it. Feels like a Nikon vs Canon thing brewing up only for Sony to come and make you regret your investment in the other

diff batteries are for example in different cell configuations, so their charge and discharge rates will be different. also can the bms of the one talk to the other etc

 

[Lupus]

So if the first battery is 5Kw and second one is 3Kw then essentially, I only then get 6Kw of usable battery. I lose the 2Kw on the first one. Good to know.

Leads to another question then. Is it better to buy big batts .e.g 5Kw, or stick to smaller ones (which end up costing more e.g. 5 x 2.4Kw as opposed to 2 x 5KwH) I guess having multiple batteries leads to more complexity in wiring, etc but at the benefit of being more easy to replace dud batteries if that happens.



Good to know . Thanks never even knew that.


Thanks chaps. So I guess once you start with a brand stick with it. Feels like a Nikon vs Canon thing brewing up only for Sony to come and make you regret your investment in the other

No as in you'll only get 3kw

 

[Steamy Tom]

So if the first battery is 5Kw and second one is 3Kw then essentially, I only then get 6Kw of usable battery. I lose the 2Kw on the first one. Good to know.

say what now?

 

[TedLasso]

No as in you'll only get 3kw

Wait, but surely if I start with 5 kWh battery and then add 3 kWh battery, I had initially thought I would have had 8 kWh of usable capacity but then I understood you to mean the sum total would be capacity of smallest battery added to system so total would be 6 kWh (3 kWh (of 5 kWh battery)+ 3 kWh) . Am I still getting it wrong? And sorry in advance for me being a dufus

 

[Steamy Tom]

No as in you'll only get 3kw

 

[thehuman]

Going to be selling my efergy E2 energy monitor soon. Been serving me well for the past 3 years prior to me getting ready for my solar setup.

Sensor is attached to the supply at the meter and monitors the whole house. You could attach to a single device to monitor individual items.

It's not the online one. You have to download their software and connect it to a computer to download the usage.

Same as this one.

Builders South Africa | Shop DIY, Paint and Building Materials Online

For all your DIY, paint and building materials needs, trust Builders to help you get it done. Buy online, collect in-store, we deliver.

www.builders.co.za

Hacked mine with an esp to send data to mqtt

 

[TheChamp]

Wait, but surely if I start with 5 kWh battery and then add 3 kWh battery, I had initially thought I would have had 8 kWh of usable capacity but then I understood you to mean the sum total would be capacity of smallest battery added to system so total would be 6 kWh (3 kWh (of 5 kWh battery)+ 3 kWh) . Am I still getting it wrong? And sorry in advance for me being a dufus

Isn't that how voltage works? Looks like you are confusing things and Yes you are getting it wrong, it just becomes the sum of all kWhs that are connected together.

 

[Lupus]

I mean yes it'll become 8kwh in parallel, but it's a bad idea. Different internal resistance, different draw can also lead to the 3kwh getting really hot.
Rather keep capacity the same, so in reality you'd rather only draw 3kwh so there's no stress on the bank. Though maybe non lead acid batteries won't have issues.
In series it should go to 3kwh, and is even more is a bad idea, as if you're monitoring the wrong battery load you could try overload the 3kwh

 

[Steamy Tom]

I mean yes it'll become 8kwh in parallel, but it's a bad idea. Different internal resistance, different draw can also lead to the 3kwh getting really hot.
Rather keep capacity the same, so in reality you'd rather only draw 3kwh so there's no stress on the bank. Though maybe non lead acid batteries won't have issues.
In series it should go to 3kwh, and is even more is a bad idea, as if you're monitoring the wrong battery load you could try overload the 3kwh

 

[TheChamp]

I mean yes it'll become 8kwh in parallel, but it's a bad idea. Different internal resistance, different draw can also lead to the 3kwh getting really hot.
Rather keep capacity the same, so in reality you'd rather only draw 3kwh so there's no stress on the bank. Though maybe non lead acid batteries won't have issues.
In series it should go to 3kwh, and is even more is a bad idea, as if you're monitoring the wrong battery load you could try overload the 3kwh

I think it is possible to do it with lithiums and their intelligent battery management systems, I think I read something about that somewhere.

 

[Steamy Tom]

guys it is a 48V system he is referring to here, no matter how he stacks it it will be 48 in parallel with 48 with 48 with 48 etc. and yes you can't just mix and match, the pylontechs can pair the 2.4 with the 3.5, but i am not aware if you can do it with the rest.

but say you buy for example 1 x 3.5kW pylontech now, you can add another 2 later to make it 10.5 total, it will be 3 batteries in paralel.

you cant just mix and match anyway so you would not be putting a 8kW battery with a 3kW battery, even if you did though you would be pulling over the total bank.

we aren't talking about 12/24V LA/GEL/AGM batteries here where you mismatch strings for example.

 

[Saba'a]

What is a conbini box that has a hangover switch and a 120A battery fuse holder and 2 Main circuit and the battery?

 

[TheChamp]

What is a conbini box that has a hangover switch and a 120A battery fuse holder and 2 Main circuit and the battery?

What?

 

[Steamy Tom]

What is a conbini box that has a hangover switch and a 120A battery fuse holder and 2 Main circuit and the battery?

A combiner box is where all your pv strings are fused and join up to go to the charge controller

A hanger switch with fuses is your battery fusing

The 2 main circuit must be the in and out breakers for the inverter

A battery is a battery

These things are all separate things

 

[Lupus]

guys it is a 48V system he is referring to here, no matter how he stacks it it will be 48 in parallel with 48 with 48 with 48 etc. and yes you can't just mix and match, the pylontechs can pair the 2.4 with the 3.5, but i am not aware if you can do it with the rest.

but say you buy for example 1 x 3.5kW pylontech now, you can add another 2 later to make it 10.5 total, it will be 3 batteries in paralel.

you cant just mix and match anyway so you would not be putting a 8kW battery with a 3kW battery, even if you did though you would be pulling over the total bank.

we aren't talking about 12/24V LA/GEL/AGM batteries here where you mismatch strings for example.

Okay that makes a bit more sense, 48v system with lithium's would work I guess

 

[wingnut771]

guys it is a 48V system he is referring to here, no matter how he stacks it it will be 48 in parallel with 48 with 48 with 48 etc. and yes you can't just mix and match, the pylontechs can pair the 2.4 with the 3.5, but i am not aware if you can do it with the rest.

but say you buy for example 1 x 3.5kW pylontech now, you can add another 2 later to make it 10.5 total, it will be 3 batteries in paralel.

you cant just mix and match anyway so you would not be putting a 8kW battery with a 3kW battery, even if you did though you would be pulling over the total bank.

we aren't talking about 12/24V LA/GEL/AGM batteries here where you mismatch strings for example.

what happens when the 2.4 gets empty before the 3.5?

 

[Saba'a]

A combiner box is where all your pv strings are fused and join up to go to the charge controller

A hanger switch with fuses is your battery fusing

The 2 main circuit must be the in and out breakers for the inverter

A battery is a battery

These things are all separate things

Thanks combiner box Was wondering what the hell it is

 

[Saba'a]

What?

how it was spelt in message to me.

But didnt notice hangover switch. Was too puzzled by conbini