Load shedding solution assistance

HunterNW said:
Email send. And what i've asked....


I was looking on your site at the Mecer 2400VA Inverter + 2x 105Ah battery system.
Can you please advise / quote on:

One stand alone UPS to power a laptop, monitor and wifi router. (3 Hours)

One system like the above Mecer Inverter that can be charged via solar power as well as AC power.
Click to expand...

Also remember to tick the Deep Cycle Battery option if you want to and can afford the bit extra.

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Also you can add a Solar Charger to the Mecer INverter, just ask Geewiz if this is the correct one:
https://www.geewiz.co.za/chargers/2...ks.html?search_query=solar+charger&results=28
 
HunterNW said:
One system like the above Mecer Inverter that can be charged via solar power as well as AC power.
Click to expand...

With a solar charge controller and some panels - possible to charge the batteries even if the inverter doesn't have solar panel input (I think - I've yet to try this)
 
RedViking said:
That sounds about right. I keep mine on 10A for now as it is apparently better to charge it slower. IF I get more batteries I'll put it to 20A.

Will it be bad if I only add more batteries a year later?
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I've been told that it's better to keep batteries ages within 6 months, as the older batteries will degrade the life of the new batteries.

Quoted from another site:
Ultimately the bank will last as long as your older batteries will last... that means if, for example, your old batteries are 1.5 years into an expected life of 8 years, they would now have an expected life of 6.5 years. The new batteries will also have an expected life of 6.5 years.
Click to expand...
 
RedViking said:
That sounds about right. I keep mine on 10A for now as it is apparently better to charge it slower. IF I get more batteries I'll put it to 20A.

Will it be bad if I only add more batteries a year later?
Click to expand...
Not ideal but it can work as long as you do not punish your batteries until then.
I have done this before where i added more batteries a year later and had no such problems, hence me been a bitch about not allowing my array to dip under 12.2V :):ROFL:
 
SAguy said:
I've been told that it's better to keep batteries ages within 6 months, as the older batteries will degrade the life of the new batteries.

Quoted from another site:
Click to expand...

Mmmm.... This is not what I want to hear as I only planned to add new batteries on a yearly basis. They not cheap. So I might have to do it soon then. So people with a bigger setup, do they swap batteries completely then after a couple of years?
 
Are there reconditioning/Refurbishing/Renewing options for deep cycle/solar batteries?
 
RedViking said:
Mmmm.... This is not what I want to hear as I only planned to add new batteries on a yearly basis. They not cheap. So I might have to do it soon then. So people with a bigger setup, do they swap batteries completely then after a couple of years?
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Yes everyone with bigger setups swaps out entire array.
Well everyone i know and have spoken to.
Would be interesting to hear here if someone has done otherwise
 
Guys quick question here, and I have tried to find the answer but to no avail, what size UPS do I need in order to run my fibre router and that other box that requires power( forget the name) for say 3 hours. In CT the loadshedding lasts for 2,5 hours per slot, so 3 hours is fine for me.
 
RedViking said:
It is really nice to know I can continue work without interruption, even if it just for all the power outs we get. Hopefully loadshedding doesn't get worse, as it is already pretty bad.
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For me this is for entertainment...... Home alone without electricity is pretty boring. Even bought three books to read over the weekend. Question, that power trolley thing.... will it power a drill, sander etc ?
 
groen_mamba said:
Guys quick question here, and I have tried to find the answer but to no avail, what size UPS do I need in order to run my fibre router and that other box that requires power( forget the name) for say 3 hours. In CT the loadshedding lasts for 2,5 hours per slot, so 3 hours is fine for me.
Click to expand...
I am looking for exactly the same solution. Only want to power my CPE and the router. The CPE has got a 12V, 1A output and the router a 9V, 600mA output.
Will I be able to just get one of these 12V batteries for this purpose?
I also probably need a voltage regulator for the 9V router?
What else would I need if I want to DIY? A charger to charge the battery and the wires and the crocodile clips, and the little round connections that plugs into the CPE/router?
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DarkDenim said:
I'm looking for an 'affordable' LS solution and need to run my VDSL router (exchange has had no load shedding so far), 55-inch LED TV and a Xiaomi Mi Box for 4.5 hours. I can only afford to spend R5k at the moment. Will the following setup work for my needs?

Mecer 1440W Inverter
Vision 100Ah Deep Cycle Battery

I will add another 100Ah battery in the next month or 2.
Click to expand...

Cheapest though probably not the quietest, 2.5KVA Generator. They go for about R 4.5k.

The issue I have with these deep cycle solutions is that it's charged again by Eskom once the power is on, so you don't really "save" on consumption. That being said, Petrol is becoming expensive and I'm thinking of getting a diesel solution as a generator. I have replaced by 2.5 with a 7.5 and it runs the whole house, Geyser, stove and kettle flawlessly.

2.5 was ample for just the lights, TVs, decoders and PC/Router.
 
HunterNW said:
For me this is for entertainment...... Home alone without electricity is pretty boring. Even bought three books to read over the weekend. Question, that power trolley thing.... will it power a drill, sander etc ?
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As I understand it things with motors (also fish pumps, fridges, washing machine etc.) are not good with Modified Sine. You then need to look at Pure Sine, but it can get costly. Inverter 3000VA+2 Deep Cycle Batteries+Delivery = R12400. You might also need to get the cables and if you want to a trolley for the batteries (although trolley/enclosure won't be necessary as it will probably be in the garage.)


Check also the categories here and compare prices: https://www.geewiz.co.za/1177-inverters

@Dairyfarmer fancy setup is here or skip to here for photo.


Edit: Or you can find something like this Energy Spark Cabinet 1KVA. Don't know the company so maybe ask on the Power Forum.
 
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going to need to service that generator. that sorts out the entertainment mostly. but i need to go get gas as well for the food.

so far it hasn't disrupted to much recently. we just hotspot the kid for cartoons. we watch that or just chat or sleep. big power bank just in case we close to empty. but then i only let them charge to 50% to conserve the power bank. 3 sessions a day places strain on the emergency stuff. LTE covers the internet access.

hopefully it gets better after this week. no kids at the moment since school holidays so no pressure from that front. so ill go get oil and another spark plug and check the manual on how to service. then get some fresh fuel.

everything the same as from the last time we got ****ed by eskom for increases.
 
akescpt said:
going to need to service that generator. that sorts out the entertainment mostly. but i need to go get gas as well for the food.

so far it hasn't disrupted to much recently. we just hotspot the kid for cartoons. we watch that or just chat or sleep. big power bank just in case we close to empty. but then i only let them charge to 50% to conserve the power bank. 3 sessions a day places strain on the emergency stuff. LTE covers the internet access.

hopefully it gets better after this week. no kids at the moment since school holidays so no pressure from that front. so ill go get oil and another spark plug and check the manual on how to service. then get some fresh fuel.

everything the same as from the last time we got ****ed by eskom for increases.
Click to expand...

Gas is the next thing I wish I had. Didn't think of it when owner replaced the oven & stove (stupid me).
 
Also - something to note with a modified sine inverter - Home Automation products like Sonoffs don't behave well on modified Sine. One of the reasons I replaced my Mecer modified sine inverter from Geewiz with a pure Sine inverter
 
would be interesting to know whether the city of cape town wankers had a heads up for the next round of loadshedding. their panel tax timing is nice and convenient. there will now be some nice additional revenue coming in and people rush to get off this grid that appears to be teetering so near the edge of the cliff.
 
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