Inverter for load shedding

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gary176

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Hi everyone,

I am new to this country (6 months in) and never faced a problem of buying an inverter or generator to keep lights on in my past life...lol...

I am renting a house and will move out of this country between 12-18 months...

Given the time left in SA, I don't want to spend too much money of finding long term expensive solution for load shedding....but a simple invertor that keeps the below running:

Wifi, some lights, couple of fans, and may be couple of sockets to charge laptop and stuff...

Fridge would be an added advantage but not a necessity...

I have seen some options but I am confused...some say solar (does it mean I need solar panels in the house?).....

I am happy to pay someone to come in and do the installation but I don't want to spend much money on the product itself given time left in SA and my requirements during the load shedding season...

Can anyone recommend a product (including cost and installation charges) that I should look at...many thanks in advance for your views...

Thanks
 
The cheapest solution is wifi on ratel power banks which is around 700, buy loadshedding bulbs for around r80 each and forget about the fans.
U can get a UPS to charge the laptops, or a laptop power bank is also useful in this case.

To get an inverter, decent battery, NO solar panels and change the wiring will cost u 20000 and up.
 
Thanks a lot for your respond…

I will looking at something like this.

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
www.takealot.com www.takealot.com

looks like a decent options based on reviews…. What’s your thoughts on this type of solution… thanks
 
gary176 said:
Thanks a lot for your respond…

I will looking at something like this.

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
www.takealot.com www.takealot.com

looks like a decent options based on reviews…. What’s your thoughts on this type of solution… thanks
Click to expand...
Go with jokers idea. This plan will cost a fortune with no resale value when you leave.
Still need batteries, solar panels, controller, cabling etc etc .....crap idea.
 
Thank you, will get the power bank….

lights might be an issue coz ideally we want to change all lights and not one light to keep consistency in room our lounge area…. And replacing all bulbs might be expensive..

May look for a solar rechargeable big light as a solution…
 
The power banks are great, but only for small devices.

If you need longer running times or bigger devices, and have a higher budget, you can get something pre-built like this:

www.geewiz.co.za

3000VA Mecer Axpert Pure Sine Inverter + 2x 100Ah Battery Trolley (8 HOUR BATTERY LIFE) KIT - 3000W (150-200 cycles)

Inverter: Mecer Axpert Type 3000VA (3000W) PURE Sine Wave Inverter (1200W PWM Solar Controller) Batteries: 2x 100Ah Lead Acid Batteries (Royal/Delkor/Enertec/Energizer) Cabinet: Geewiz Black Powder Coated Steel Cabinet + Wheels All cabling and connectors included Unit Dimensions(l,w,h): 39.5 x...
www.geewiz.co.za www.geewiz.co.za

No wiring or anything needed, basically works like a huge UPS.
 
gary176 said:
Hi everyone,

I am new to this country (6 months in) and never faced a problem of buying an inverter or generator to keep lights on in my past life...lol...

I am renting a house and will move out of this country between 12-18 months...

Given the time left in SA, I don't want to spend too much money of finding long term expensive solution for load shedding....but a simple invertor that keeps the below running:

Wifi, some lights, couple of fans, and may be couple of sockets to charge laptop and stuff...

Fridge would be an added advantage but not a necessity...

I have seen some options but I am confused...some say solar (does it mean I need solar panels in the house?).....

I am happy to pay someone to come in and do the installation but I don't want to spend much money on the product itself given time left in SA and my requirements during the load shedding season...

Can anyone recommend a product (including cost and installation charges) that I should look at...many thanks in advance for your views...

Thanks
Click to expand...
Load shedding season? I mean 14 years is seasonal? Also you'd need to workout the load first before you can look for a requirement.
Do you really need to keep lights going? Perhaps a lamp or something? Fridges can last up to 48 hours without electricity, but honestly if you want all of that for cheap and nasty a 3KW generator would do.
 
gary176 said:
Hi everyone,

I am new to this country (6 months in) and never faced a problem of buying an inverter or generator to keep lights on in my past life...lol...

I am renting a house and will move out of this country between 12-18 months...

Given the time left in SA, I don't want to spend too much money of finding long term expensive solution for load shedding....but a simple invertor that keeps the below running:

Wifi, some lights, couple of fans, and may be couple of sockets to charge laptop and stuff...

Fridge would be an added advantage but not a necessity...

I have seen some options but I am confused...some say solar (does it mean I need solar panels in the house?).....

I am happy to pay someone to come in and do the installation but I don't want to spend much money on the product itself given time left in SA and my requirements during the load shedding season...

Can anyone recommend a product (including cost and installation charges) that I should look at...many thanks in advance for your views...

Thanks
Click to expand...
So it all budget depending.

Although I would love to be completely off grid, unfortunately, budget does not allow it.

Very similar topic: https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/thr...keep-you-online-during-load-shedding.1159736/

We have taken the following approach:
Lights: Magneto: Rule of thumb two per person in household. Allows for redundancies, (we went 1 big Magneto and 1 small) and allows you to place the big one in stationary position whilst using the small one to move around.

Google indicates (Small Lights is R119 and bigger is R249)

1635229007532.png

Fridge/Freezer: Keeping the door close during loadshedding makes a big difference:

As stated in the thread I linked, I went for a cheap approach, I have two powerbanks which acts as an UPS for my Fibre ONT and Wifi Router. As I work from home, I will in future in invest in another bigger powerbank to power my monitor during the loadshedding.

Other than that, we have a two plate gas stove (about R400) connected to a 9kg gas tank, should we need to cook.
 
Thanks, my requirements are essentially having Wifi on….lights I am fine to either use load shedding bulbs or a big lamp…

if load shedding is only couple of hours a day (even daily) … we can do without fan or aircon…obviously this willl change if we start getting 4 hours cut every day (hopefully not)…

so I like the idea of power bank for router and load shedding bulbs….

but if there are better options around 5-6k, I am happy to explore those as well….I just want them to be easy to install options… nothing else..
 
Do give you an idea:
20211026_075041.jpg
This is for my ONT, power supply goes to power bank, and it supplies the ONT. It has succesfully survive 4 hours load shedding when it used to power my Huawei Mobile Router.
 
gary176 said:
Thanks, my requirements are essentially having Wifi on….lights I am fine to either use load shedding bulbs or a big lamp…

if load shedding is only couple of hours a day (even daily) … we can do without fan or aircon…obviously this willl change if we start getting 4 hours cut every day (hopefully not)…

so I like the idea of power bank for router and load shedding bulbs….

but if there are better options around 5-6k, I am happy to explore those as well….I just want them to be easy to install options… nothing else..
Click to expand...
That would only be from stage 5 onwards, also we used to have 4 hour sessions in Johannesburg, it was horrible. The only advantage is that on stage 4 we had a 12 hour break between sheds. Now even on stage 2 we have a 6 hour break with 2 hours out so we still get nailed for 4 hours.
If you need just that going, then you can get away with a mini ups for the router, but if you want a TV and something look at the Mecer 2400 thread under Eskom, it's been a big player for at least the last 6 years.
 

Mecer 2400VA Inverter (Community Support)

This Thread is for the Mecer Inverter only. My personal opinion on the unit: Seeing that there are lots of question and in lots if threads, here is my review/input on the Mecer Inverter. Instead of reposting I'll just reference here. I'll add more info soon. This should give you an idea what...
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
This one, I've had mine since 2015 and only had 2 sets of batteries in that time period.
 
Some portable options:

Fans: https://www.takealot.com/mijia-solove-portable-usb-desktop-fan-with-battery/PLID56060212 it's a small fan but these work better than the cheap usb ones. I have 2.

Lights:
https://www.takealot.com/zebbies-lighting-globe-7w-led-rechargeable-emergency-globe/PLID72157102
Others are also available.

Router ups to keep wifi up:

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
www.takealot.com www.takealot.com
Similar devices are available.

If you need to power larger fans/laptops/other appliances:
300W

600w
There are a lot of these "solar generator" / "power stations" on the market nowadays.
A cheaper option may be to build your own.
 
Last edited:
Also consider having 2 systems.
1x for internet and another for whatever you want to power.

Example :

For Internet/router/fibre :

arionpower.co.za

WiBox | Wifi UPS | Keep Your Wifi On During Loadshedding | Arion Power

The WiBox is a mini UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply), by Arion Power, to power your router and fibre box during power outages.
arionpower.co.za arionpower.co.za

1635680293837.png

For lights / charging :

Load Shedding Solutions

Buy Load Shedding Solutions online at the Best Prices! Door to Door and Overnight Delivery. Voted the best online store in SA. View Here
www.geewiz.co.za www.geewiz.co.za

1635680393405.png
 
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