A dark Africa lays ahead.....load shedding

[Capricorn]

This is the sad truth - the pandemic of stupidity that prevails. Policies that result in disaster and dysfunction, driven by so-called political policies but actually only foster a feeding trough for the corrupt selected "In"  few (Blacks in cohorts with skelm Indians and Whites) - no room for talent, experience, resourcefulness, massive investments in education and ... honesty.

 

The latest CEO of Eskom has zero zilch Engineering (yet alone Electrical) industry or otherwise experience, although he has proven to be a good executive elsewhere. 

 

Haven't had a look at the latest Eskom Board but eish Jhb City Power - very few there with any Elec Eng attributes, i would love to ask them individually if they know the difference between Voltage and Current, esp, Madame Comrade Chairperson,

 

This dysfunctionality is the end game of this phucked up situation. And its not like 'they' will catch a wake up and employ the right people for job, instead they give out jobs like they give out houses, but the thing is one has to be able to do the job.

 

With populist policies this is going to get worse.

 

wait till you see what's cooking around the reactors. It should not be a consolation that national and international regulations are so tough. The crap that's become the pervasive destroyer of once great public institutions, is destroying the soul of that place.

[Let's Ride]

Normal as in Lead replacement or unleaded?

 

Normal petrol. Don't hold me to this.

 

 

Seems Akira is a rebranded china made gen. so not much online

[eccc whippet]

With load shedding comes the experts in generators...solar panels...inverters and batteries...with promises that your batteries will last at least 15 years...if you can still find the company which sold you that battery 6 months after load shedding stops....it is a "BAD" time to be buying this kind of stuff...people are taking second bonds on their houses to buy the shyte. 

 

It is a good time for us electricians and installers.

 

Understanding the difference between the batteries lead acid...gel and lithium not just the price...is a good idea...

 

 

sales pitch at the moment is that a 100 amp/hr lead battery will last 3-5 years (R2000 +)...gel 5-10 years (R4000 +)and a lithium 15 years (R9000 +) 

 

Lithium batteries are sold as kw/hr ...the reason for this is the cycles.

 

The other sales pitch is money back into the grid...You have to register anything that is grid tied...as soon as you do this the council will be on site the next day to replace you r meter if you dont have a smart meter...the reason for this is the old meters turn backwards during the period the solar system is generating power and change as soon as it stops.

 

The return on your investment...money claimed from the council could also get interesting...ie the council charges you R1.70 per kw/hr (Durban council rate)...if they do give you money back ...it will only be around 70 c ...the other R1.00 are expenses the council have to pay ...my 2 c worth ...they will come up with a levy to compensate for revenue lost.

 

very interesting article ...read it before you buy a battery with a 15 year warranty...if a lithium battery has a max cycle of 4000 it would be possible to last 15 years if it cycles a certain amount of times per year.

 

https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2015/03/30/batteries-lithium-ion-vs-agm/

 

This is also an interesting video.

 

 

 

Solar panels seem to be the way forward for now (new tech everyday) the cost to buy them has dropped...a g"grid tied inverter is something worth looking into if you dont want to go off the grip (i personally wouldnt) batteries are expensive...plan this part wisely...it might not pay you to install lots of batteries (huge expense to replace)

 

If you do go the generator route...make sure you go diesel and big enough to run the house...we installed a unit yesterday...quiet...output voltage smooth ...digital display with all the info pure sine wave on the display...volts...amps...power...harmonics etc...just something to think about...especially if you install it at the office...an auto change over switch will mean the generator will start at 10 pm and run for the time period the power is off...so be aware of the diesel being wasted if nobody is at the office...why lighting and computers connected to a solar system with backups batteries is not a bad option...

 

the higher the voltage the less the current...something to consider when investing in an inverter...12-24-36 and 48 volt units...the catch for example a 48 volt system requires 4 batteries in series to replace.

 

 

I am not saying it is all bad...just do your homework before you take a second bond for R150k +++) to go off the grid.

[DJR]

...........just something to think about...especially if you install it at the office...an auto change over switch will mean the generator will start at 10 pm and run for the time period the power is off...so be aware of the diesel being wasted if nobody is at the office.................

 We must have been one of the first smaller businesses to install a big diesel generator when we had the first round of power cuts years ago. I'm so sorry we didn't have someone like yourself who knew all the little hiccups. It would have saved us many a headache like the one you mention above. We also had rats chew off the diesel pipes, start-up batteries not charging, too many little things to mention. Eventually we converted a fully auto start system to a fully manual system, just to make it more predictable and reliable and it works for us. We also started a regular monthly test run which I think is essential. 

 

Without electricity we generate zero income while the overheads keep on running. It was a massive capital outlay for the machine, but it was worth it in that it allows us to keep on providing our service no matter what. It also smoothed our cashflow if not our profit. To recover the input cost will however take much longer. We then had to do roughly the same for our water supply (Cape Town) but at least that is saving us a big chunk of punitive water bill every month and should pay for itself much sooner.

[eccc whippet]

Make sure that people understand where the main switch is to switch off the power to the building...one of the problems with having an auto switching device connected at the incoming supply...

 

This is very important...

 

Generally the electrician will remove the cable from bottom of the main switch feed it into the change over panel...back onto the bussbars...what this means is when you switch off the power ...the generator starts automatically...make sure the switch to isolate the power to the building is accessible and clearly labelled...if the grid power is on or the generator...and there is an emergency stop button which is clearly labelled to switch off the generator if something goes wrong.

[gummibear]

[mazambaan]

Mr Bean could be the most useful of all - I have a suspicion he qualified as an electrical engineer (heavy / light current?) from Newcastle Uni?

[Eddy Gordo]

Well Homer is a nuclear safety inspector. Minions can fix anything.

[kosmonooit]

Mr Bean could be the most useful of all - I have a suspicion he qualified as an electrical engineer (heavy / light current?) from Newcastle Uni?

 

I think he is Mech Eng hence his love of cars

[SwissVan]

They have caught the Venezuelan flue. There is no cure for that.

Is that terminal ????

[eccc whippet]

The big question as everyone struggles with this massive load problem...what do we do...install a generator...an inverter with a few batteries or a solar system.

 

In some cases customers have no choice but to install a generator...no power no revenue...that simple...in some cases the cost to install a generator would cripple and shut down a company due to the huge capital outlay and maintenance...i have a few customer who just dont have that kind of money to throw away...if this load shedding gets any worse it could result in a lot of people being out of work.

 

For some companies its just a few lights and computers...phone line...adsl/fibre and a network .. no big deal an inverter with a pile of batteries and if you have the cash solar panels ...would keep an office going for a day...this is why it is important to consider your office power when doing upgrades or replacing lights...computers etc (printers are always a challenge) ...consider the highest voltage inverter and if you plan to install solar ...make sure the inverter can be tied into the grid (will save money in the long run)

 

For some it is not so simple there is a heating and cooling period...these companies are the ones being affected the most...they dont just loose 2 hours of production...besides the preheat period ...the other consideration is trying to motivate staff who have just been sitting around for 2 hours. 

 

Then you have tooling companies...which if the load shedding is operating at a set time as setup...not such a big deal they can shut the machine down 5 minutes before and restart as the power is back on...however some machine run for long periods of time...24 + hours ...like now on the weekend the machines are setup to run for 2 days...now you have to make sure the program is  not lost...you need an operator at the machine (profits down the drain) you have to install a backup system...to keep the network and computers operating.

 

We think we got problem because our adsl switches off and we cant log into the hub...consider what the load shedding is doing to companies and how it is going to affect this country...add a union causing problems with strikes/rioting and you have an economy which already has a huge unemployment rate.

 

take a step back and have a good look at what is essential and you really need to work during load shedding( your pool pump doesnt have to run during the load shedding)...you might find a few small tweeks ...like replacing a few lights ...adding a few dedicated blue plug points via an inverter with only 2 batteries (24 vdc system min) .. taking expansion into consideration as funds become available to add more batteries and solar panels...you might find you could be sitting smiling instead of complaining for a small budget. 

 

some things you need to consider ...i have noticed people are phoning me asking if a cheap inverter from the auto zone or places like that will work...yes most of them will work because they have a modified sine wave and not a pure sine wave...it depends on what you want to connect...but this is what you have to consider.

 

600 watt inverter will require a "deep cycle" batteries...yes you can connect your car battery ...but it will not last long and you will damage the battery (car batteries are designed for high torque)..you need to make sure the inverter has a low battery cutoff (above 10.5 volts) if a lead acid battery discharges below 10.5 volt it will damage the battery and reduce the battery cycles considerably...it might even destroy the battery that you cant recharge it...if you purchase a 105 amphr lead acid battery...you will need a decent charger...so that is another consideration... i have found the best way to monitor a battery if you dont have all the right stuff in place like...is to use a analog meter...it has green/yellow and red below the numbers....as the battery reaches the lower end of the yellow you can remove the battery and recharge. 

Edited March 23, 2019 by eccc whippet

[Let's Ride]

Bought a Honda eu22i.

Nice and silent. Only use when needed so as to not waste petrol and irritate the neighbour's.

Runs everything we need. Have installed it into the house wiring. Just keep the geyser off and only have one big item on at a time. If you have some electrical knowledge then you can make it work with a smaller generator.

 

Edit: electrician has signed it off. 

Edited March 23, 2019 by Let's Ride

[Let's Ride]

Credit to a member on the my bb forum. I have not created this table. 

[DJR]

As I posted earlier, at work we went all the way with a large enough generator to run everything. But at home, we decided to go old school. Use candles for general lighting - it is quite nice, simple, cheap and works well. If we have to do work that requires better light (architectural drawings), we use rechargeable led camping lights or headlamps. Cooking is on gas anyway, or in the Weber, so no issue there. I don't miss the tv, and have decided to ditch that anyway. I'd like to have my internet connection going though. Having said that, the novelty of the power cuts is wearing off rapidly and the irritation factor is increasing by the day. What to do?

[DJR]

Credit to a member on the my bb forum. I have not created this table. 

Eye opener

[scotty]

Shock horror