Loadshedding solutions

[patches]

1 hour ago, MORNE said:

Those are two completely different things though…the top one all too familiar to anyone who has had to take a sub 1-2 min shower (you never knew) at a (gl)camping site, farm or granny’s holiday home haha. I hate those things.

I know the campsite instant heaters to which you refer and you're right they are terrible.

The units they use on homes here don't seem to have the same issues.

We've stayed in a number of AirBnB's over the years that have these. Most of the time we're with 1-2 other couples and they seem to handle 6 adults using 2 bathrooms.

Perhaps they're more efficient or perhaps it's because they're only serving a single home, and not a campsite ablution block with half a dozen people or more showering at once.

[Jehosefat]

9 hours ago, patches said:

Sorry if I missed this in previous posts, but are instant hot water heaters a viable option for those on the Eskom Exodus?

Something like the Rinnai Infinity series.

Here they're the go to for many households as they have LPG or natural gas options, take up very little space, and don't have the risks and issues associaed with geysers (like bursts and water damaged ceilings etc.

 

1 hour ago, MORNE said:

Those are two completely different things though…the top one all too familiar to anyone who has had to take a sub 1-2 min shower (you never knew) at a (gl)camping site, farm or granny’s holiday home haha. I hate those things.

Yeah, I had one of those Rinnai water heaters installed in my place earlier this year. I got the 26l/min one and it happily does both showers at the same time. The gas doesn't really work out any cheaper than the electricity for the geyser it replaced though but at least you're not reliant on Eskom (although it does require a plug point with power to light the gas so you do need a backup power system of some sort to use it during loadshedding). Only down side is when the gas runs out half way through a shower and you need to run out and change over to the spare tank.

[patches]

1 minute ago, Jehosefat said:

 

Yeah, I had one of those Rinnai water heaters installed in my place earlier this year. I got the 26l/min one and it happily does both showers at the same time. The gas doesn't really work out any cheaper than the electricity for the geyser it replaced though but at least you're not reliant on Eskom (although it does require a plug point with power to light the gas so you do need a backup power system of some sort to use it during loadshedding). Only down side is when the gas runs out half way through a shower and you need to run out and change over to the spare tank.

I forget how convenient it is to have piped natural gas.

The gas geyser unit we use doesn't need any power connection. It just has a peizo and a pilot flame.

[finallygotabike]

Apologies if I have missed it in this thread, but what would be recommendations for a UPS just to run a treadmill or a WattBike/Kickr etc.?

Edited July 22, 2022 by finallygotabike

[dave303e]

19 minutes ago, finallygotabike said:

Apologies if I have missed it in this thread, but what would be recommendations for a UPS just to run a treadmill or a WattBike/Kickr etc.?

treadmill is a very big user of power compared to smart trainer. Mine has a 3hp motor which pulls big power. Smart trainers use a lot less.

2 hours ago, MORNE said:

Those are two completely different things though…the top one all too familiar to anyone who has had to take a sub 1-2 min shower (you never knew) at a (gl)camping site, farm or granny’s holiday home haha. I hate those things.

 

49 minutes ago, patches said:

I know the campsite instant heaters to which you refer and you're right they are terrible.

The units they use on homes here don't seem to have the same issues.

We've stayed in a number of AirBnB's over the years that have these. Most of the time we're with 1-2 other couples and they seem to handle 6 adults using 2 bathrooms.

Perhaps they're more efficient or perhaps it's because they're only serving a single home, and not a campsite ablution block with half a dozen people or more showering at once.

The key with a gas geyser is the fine settings, it can be a pain if set up wrong. if set up correctly they are good, gas geysers never run out of hot water, so for like 6 people to shower 1 after the other, it will handle it better than a traditional geyser.

[ChrisF]

31 minutes ago, finallygotabike said:

Apologies if I have missed it in this thread, but what would be recommendations for a UPS just to run a treadmill or a WattBike/Kickr etc.?

 

As Dave said, it relates to the power use.

 

Please check on the treadmill "data plate".  It should say how much "Watts" it uses.  Once you know the "watts", you size the UPS unit from there.  Anything over 250 W, rather go for the 24V dual battery units.  Anything over 500W .... uhm, your treadmill is going to hurt those batteries ....  (yes, I prefer to work with conservative figure to get the best life out of the batteries)

[finallygotabike]

Thanks, didn’t realise the threadmill   is so power hungry, think will ignore that then and only focus on something for the Atom.

Edited July 22, 2022 by finallygotabike

[dave303e]

23 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

As Dave said, it relates to the power use.

 

Please check on the treadmill "data plate".  It should say how much "Watts" it uses.  Once you know the "watts", you size the UPS unit from there.  Anything over 250 W, rather go for the 24V dual battery units.  Anything over 500W .... uhm, your treadmill is going to hurt those batteries ....  (yes, I prefer to work with conservative figure to get the best life out of the batteries)

my treadmill is 15A, 110V power requirements, so that is like 1650Watts?

[ChrisF]

6 minutes ago, dave303e said:

my treadmill is 15A, 110V power requirements, so that is like 1650Watts?

 

Uhm .... mathematically yes ...

 

PRACTICALLY ... In SA we use 220V, so there should be more to that data plate ....

 

 

EDIT - A quick google suggests that treadmills use from 600W up to 1 800W ....  possibly yours use 220V and 7,5A ....

 

 

Punchline - this is way beyond the scope of a small UPS unit for a long run !!!

 

You could use HALF the energy in a 5kW.h Hubble battery unit during a longer loadshed .... this a R25k battery uint working with a proper inverter .... nou praat ons groot geld ....

Edited July 22, 2022 by ChrisF

[Thug]

Anyone have an idea on what this would approximately cost to install?

 

https://www.livestainable.co.za/product/geyserwise-low-irradiation-pv-solar-geyser-conversion-kit-150l-including-panels-and-mountings/

[TheoG]

3 minutes ago, Thug said:

Anyone have an idea on what this would approximately cost to install?

 

https://www.livestainable.co.za/product/geyserwise-low-irradiation-pv-solar-geyser-conversion-kit-150l-including-panels-and-mountings/

The ~R19k mentioned there is exactly what I paid for the same system, including install.

Keith Mcintyre (Green Automation), 082854216, keith@giantenergy.co.za                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Edited July 22, 2022 by TheoG

[BMXER]

Immigrate? 

No load shedding in Australia. 

[DJuice]

Some feedback.

Day two and my system is functioning to my expectation.

The problem was a setting of AMP`s that was not correct.

Thanks to @fanievb and @Frosty  for their valuable inputs.

[fanievb]

7 minutes ago, DJuice said:

Some feedback.

Day two and my system is functioning to my expectation.

The problem was a setting of AMP`s that was not correct.

Thanks to @fanievb and @Frosty  for their valuable inputs.

glad to hear you got sorted 

[Paul Ruinaard]

So in the old house i had one side set up with a gas geyser that was used for the guest room and the kitchen. It worked really well, think the geyser was about 16 L , but if you push it as they say it will chew your gas up. The other side of the house had a heat pump and a geyser. All well and good and it worked but it was also quite costly so advice is to do it from new and at the build. A geyser stays hot for a long time if insulated in a blanket BTW so often unless you get 12 hour power cuts like the lords of darkness aka the ANC inflicted on us yesterday (and water was off as well) then the need for gas is limited. Gas went up horrendously recently and it was in short supply so you couldn't get fills, although the 42 kg bottles were easy to get delivered.

[Showtime]

1 hour ago, BMXER said:

Immigrate? 

No load shedding in Australia. 

Suddenly load shedding seems like a minor problem

Edited July 22, 2022 by Showtime