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

[Capricorn]

Another reason i leave the lights off...the only problem i have at the moment is the new mutt is scared of the dark...so he sleeps inside...and he has been going to training and is there to protect the wife and daughter if someone enters the house.

 

 

"Dogs see a lot better than humans do at night. Dogs have many adaptations for low-light vision. A larger pupil lets in more light. The center of the retina has more of the light-sensitive cells (rods), which work better in dim light than the color-detecting cones."

 

my doberman used to like the front lights off: it allowed him to sneak up behind ppl that made it to the front door. Never growled till he had cut off your exit. He was sneaky like that 

[eccc whippet]

One of the reasons i dont sweep away old leaves on the side of the house and plan to lay loose stones inside my fence...they make a noise when you walk on them...you may not hear it...but trust me my little mutt (jack russel) doesnt miss a thing. 

 

i also plan to fit inline sensors higher than the dogs and connect them to a buzzer (not the alarm) ...you can get wireless units now ...making it a lot easier to fit and connect to a remote panel.

 

beware of electric fencing...its not as secure as you think...they use a plastic pipe to push the bottom wires away from the wall/gate etc ...they cut a vee into the pipe then push it onto the wire so that it doesnt slip ...then prop it against the wall or fence. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7RfMf8FLXY

Edited April 2, 2019 by eccc whippet

[Fruity]

SA law firm plans class action against Eskom over load shedding

https://www.fin24.com/Economy/Eskom/sa-law-firm-plans-class-action-against-eskom-over-load-shedding-20190402?fbclid=IwAR04hqLmht7cPEovq8qFB8v0lT7BP4zLnOVWgfLZimRbaKJxLuZvLqghTBc

[Napalm]

my doberman used to like the front lights off: it allowed him to sneak up behind ppl that made it to the front door. Never growled till he had cut off your exit. He was sneaky like that 

 

A friend left for a long weekend. His dobermans let in a burglar into the house, then promptly trapped him on top of a cupboard, where he was found 4 days later. They went as far as to sleep in shifts to make sure he didn't get away. 

[Eddy Gordo]

A friend left for a long weekend. His dobermans let in a burglar into the house, then promptly trapped him on top of a cupboard, where he was found 4 days later. They went as far as to sleep in shifts to make sure he didn't get away.

 

I remember a story like this that made the news. Was years ago.

[Fruity]

Why power shortages could get a whole lot worse

https://www.fin24.com/Economy/Eskom/why-power-shortages-could-get-a-whole-lot-worse-20190408?fbclid=IwAR2-NQsxXwJd8xoP9UIKoKDhUfp59mtL9byX_OuKjjgNYFw_X3y8yFqzgvE

[geomark]

[eccc whippet]

Now would be a good time to consider you power backup options...you not in a flat spin trying to keep your business up and running or the lights on in the house...it would also be a good time to check with your insurance company that the installations that was done recently has a certificate of compliance and is correctly installed as per all the small print in your insurance policy...quickly before all those pop up sales companies disappear ...dont say you weren't warned.

"Not always insured

"While some insurers do cover generators in their standard home insurance policies, this may not always be the case. Furthermore, there are some insurers that impose limitations and restrictions depending on whether it is a fixed generator or a portable one," she explains.

 

In addition to having comprehensive insurance in place, Colman says that policyholders who own personal generators or are thinking of getting a generator must ensure they adhere to the correct installation and usage requirements to avoid any related claims being repudiated.

Prevent rejected claims

"To prevent potential claims being rejected, it is important that homeowners receive a certificate of compliance from the electrician following the installation to prove that the generator was installed correctly," says Colman, who adds that failing to install a generator correctly could pose a major fire hazard."

 

a few points -

- Understand your essential load requirements (KW) as i have already mentioned a fridge doesnt need to be on the backup system...however you might live in a place where there are always power issues and require a backup system to keep fridges etc running after 6 hours.

- Reduce your consumption to ease the backup system...like replacing lights with energy efficient LED lights...gas stove ...etc...etc.

- Which system would suit you best...solar...inverter (on or off grid or both) ...batteries ...generator...wind...etc etc...silly things like a old damaged roof could make a solar installation less viable even if you dont have a forest or tall building etc around your house.

- Make sure you use the correct type of generator...not a small V-O-V type (very common in SA) 

- suicide cords ...some crazy sales people show customers how to make a quick fix...it is a cable with a plug top on both sides..you plug it into the wall socket and into the generator sockets...it works...but very dangerous.

[splat]

snip snip

 

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.

 

snip snip

 

Please could you expand on this?

How critical is the pure sine wave if I am running my workstation, monitor and printer off an inverter & battery pack ?

 

What sort of cost implication is there ?

I mean: how much more expensive is a pure sine wave inverter (down in 1000 VA territory) ?

[kosmonooit]

"modified" sine wave inverters are simply cheaper to make

 

Problem is really the harmonics which inductive loads wont like

 

from https://www.samlexamerica.com/support/faqs/faq02.aspx

 

Some examples of devices that may not work properly with modified sine wave and may also get damaged are given below:

• Laser printers, photocopiers, magneto-optical hard drives
• The built-in clocks in devices such as clock radios, alarm clocks, coffee makers, bread-makers, VCR, microwave ovens etc may not keep time correctly
• Output voltage control devices like dimmers, ceiling fan / motor speed control may not work properly (dimming / speed control may not function)
• Sewing machines with speed / microprocessor control
• Transformer-less capacitive input powered devices like (i) Razors, flashlights, night-lights, smoke detectors etc (ii) Re-chargers for battery packs used in hand power tools. These may get damaged. Please check with the manufacturer of these types of devices for suitability
• Devices that use radio frequency signals carried by the AC distribution wiring
• Some new furnaces with microprocessor control / Oil burner primary controls
• High intensity discharge (HID) lamps like Metal Halide lamps. These may get damaged. Please check with the manufacturer of these types of devices for suitability
• Some fluorescent lamps / light fixtures that have power factor correction capacitors. The inverter may shut down indicating overload
•  

[Rocket-Boy]

Please could you expand on this?

How critical is the pure sine wave if I am running my workstation, monitor and printer off an inverter & battery pack ?

 

What sort of cost implication is there ?

I mean: how much more expensive is a pure sine wave inverter (down in 1000 VA territory) ?

What kind of printer is it? if its laser then you might need to think twice.

For running pc's/monitors/routers etc its all fine. 

I have one running mine and I can handle around 6 hours of power outage without any worries.

[splat]

I was looking at one of these 'Long Run' UPS systems: https://www.geewiz.co.za/1179-long-run-ups-inverter-battery

 

About R6k for a 'normal' inverter with battery pack

vs

R11 800 for pure sine wave, but with supposedly double the battery life, so it's not really an 'apples for apples' comparison.

 

Printer would be an A3 inkjet desktop all-in-one printer.

Workstation PC would be decent CPU and GPU with potentially 2 monitors.

[Mojoman]

I was looking at one of these 'Long Run' UPS systems: https://www.geewiz.co.za/1179-long-run-ups-inverter-battery

 

About R6k for a 'normal' inverter with battery pack

vs

R11 800 for pure sine wave, but with supposedly double the battery life, so it's not really an 'apples for apples' comparison.

 

Printer would be an A3 inkjet desktop all-in-one printer.

Workstation PC would be decent CPU and GPU with potentially 2 monitors.

I bought the cheaper one and  got my mom got the 2 x battery unit. Be warned....that two battery unit weighs a ton...(60kg or so).! 

 

Fortunately/unfortunately I haven't had a chance to test them out really...they are quite noisy as well while charging up on the mains (loud fan noise), however once the power is at 100% they switch off and all is quiet...I will run mine from a spare room with an extension...only wanted one for a computer and keep my phone charged up...small one runs a 600w desktop machine with a graphics card and 2 x screens without any issue.

 

The cheaper unit's housing is just plastic - no wheels and the 2 x battery unit has a steel cabinet with wheels...wheels are not great but if its stationary it wont matter (and they help drag that thing about the house!). I wouldnt want to be moving it about too much though....You can upgrade the small one to have a steel housing but I wouldn't pay the extra R1k or whatever it is for this unless necessary.

 

I am adding some wiring at my moms place so she can just plug a cable into the inverter unit and have some lights and sockets through the house...they suffer with blackouts at best of times so I think moms unit will be used a lot more than mine!

 

Edited May 9, 2019 by Mojoman

[Fruity]

Zimbabwe starts load shedding as drought hits Kariba Dam power station

https://www.fin24.com/Economy/Africa/zimbabwe-starts-load-shedding-as-drought-hits-kariba-dam-power-station-20190513

[eccc whippet]

An important note ...regardless of which unit you use ...modified sine wave or pure sine wave ...make sure the battery charger is capable of charging the batteries full within the time frame required ...a good charger will set you back R2k + (10 amp charger for a 100 amp/hr battery) and make sure there is a low voltage cutt off if you are using lead acid batteries....a concern with entry level cheapie complete units...(As some else commented ...not good for printers)

 

gel batteries are better but cost a little more...

 

Lithium batteries are the way to go...but you might need to sell your bikes and a kidney to buy one... not even a pile of them.

 

I personally wouldnt use a modified sine wave unit for extended periods. 

 

The Axpert inverter 3 kva and 5 kva pure sine wave are hardy units...i have them running on various sites with network servers...cctv ...office computers ...laptops and Led lights...best part is you can link up a solar panel when you can afford to upgrade ...solar panels are getting cheaper by the day...you pick up panels for less than the price of a lead acid battery.
 

 

If you have an old meter and do as the ANC does in Africa ...you dont tell them that you have fitted a solar system with grid tied inverters...your old meter will turn backwards...if you tell them ...they will replace your meter with a smart meter and you just piss money down the drain if you dont use all the power during the day

 

if you use a grid tied inverter it will shut down if the main supply is switched off ...so you dont have to worry about killing any linesmen working on the line.

Edited May 15, 2019 by eccc whippet

[eccc whippet]

 

Zimbabwe starts load shedding as drought hits Kariba Dam power station

https://www.fin24.com/Economy/Africa/zimbabwe-starts-load-shedding-as-drought-hits-kariba-dam-power-station-20190513

 

IF you live in Africa (anywhere in africa) where the sun shines...solar power is the way to go.

 

IF you are smart you can make good use of the sun and not require huge battery banks...which are now more expensive than solar panels.

 

simple things like running your aircons during the day to cool the house ...fit a duct into the roof space so that the hottest part of the house is cooled during the peak power period...and the other way around in winter (heating cycle)...another example is is to run the pool cycle during the day...turn the temp of the fridge down during the day when the sun is at its peak...make sure the fridge is not in direct sun light...the seals are good and stop digging the fridge all the time.... leaving the door open when you take the milk out for your coffee etc...design your kitchen to fit a good quality cooler in the cupboard...you replace the milk everyday anyway ...mount the geyser on the side of the house ...paint it black and lag the pipes (more important that wasting money on a geyser blanket) set it to max during the peak period...or change to a gas geyser...replace the small batteries in gates alarms etc with bigger units which can also be charged during peak periods and run for extended periods.

 

or if you are smart you will link all those critical devices to an inverter with single 12 V ...105 amp/hr  battery (the higher the DC voltage the better)  you get 12...24 ..48 inverters you just connect the batteries in series to increase the voltage required.

 

To run a whole 3 bedroom house ...you would need at least a 48 volt system with 3 x 5 kva inverter units with a minimum of 4 batteries per unit (to make up the 48 volts)...the catch is if you dont use lithium batteries (which are going to make the system too expensive to consider) you will need to replace the lead or gel batteries in 3-5 years depending on the level of discharge and how often etc.

 

With new smart home systems...anything is possible...if you are smart you can setup the system to work for you...reduce the power required at night which would mean a smaller system with less batteries. 

 

simple things like replacing those lights which get left on...and adding an occupation sensor just help reduce the consumption that little extra....i personally dont like LED lights.

 

rather use sensors for outside security than leaving all the lights on...i believe it is better to skrik the intruder when the sensor pick them up which sets off a buzzer (which can be linked to the alarm if not reset in a set time frame)to notify you there  an intruder on the property and at the same time lighting up only the area where they are walking ...makes it easier to detect where they are and as they move ...the sensors and lights switch on....you can setup up motion detect on the cameras to alert you of an intruder ...however i would use it for that ...it is gona drive you nuts will all the trees moving or the bugs which are attracted to the IR light in the camera...in fact i am starting to wonder if the IR light are such a good idea in cameras ...better to have mother F%^& size bright LED lights to reduce the bugs in front of the lens...or external IR lights away from the lens...the light switching on will also change the picture on the cctv monitor  making it easier to identify the area...this is why it becoming very important to have cctv cameras around the house as well as beams...last week a beam set off a buzzer the person went to check...he was held up at gun point taken back into to the house where they tied up the rest of the family and robbed the house.

 

Something i noticed the the person next door said when they robbed him and his family...they take one child to a separate location and hold a gun to the childs head while they rob you...they know you will not do anything stupid while they have your child...and i say that is now the line they have crossed ...it is time to start bounty hunting and teaching these criminals that robbing an empty house is one thing...treating our families this way is going a little too far...

 

you read about this crap and believe it only happens to other people in other areas...then suddenly you wake up one day and they are shyting right on your doorstep.

 

https://www.bluesecurity.co.za/hillary-armed-robbery/

Edited May 15, 2019 by eccc whippet