this new nl sucks...cant see the tab to click to see replies to my old/follwed posts!..
has anyone bought the 2v 500ah batts?...whats their performance like?

earthrealm,
last time i called, the 2v 500ah was out of stock.


boljamogun,
that offer seems too good to be true. although everything is possible with solar power, still we have to take some claims with a pinch of salt. let me take the highest configuration of 5kva, 4 (200ah) batteries; four solar panels of even 350 watts (1400w) will struggle to recharge such a set up except if aided constantly by public power.
however, i'll wait and see responses from people who have actually used this system. maybe they may prove my skepticism right or wrong. waiting!

@ George
are you saying with 1400w (4pc of 350w solar panel)it is impossible to charge the battery bank of 4 (200ah) to optimum usage capacity base on 6hours of sunlight?

@ George. Pls can you help with address of the zenith battery guy his number is not available. 200w solar panel cost 80k while sukam inverter is 85k for 2.5kva...if you have idea of the battery price pls let me know. I intend to buy by next week reason for my inquisition. Thanks

deeplo,
i suggest you keep trying. it may be a network problem or he's out of coverage area.

normally, his line is always available.

@ George have been tryn his line since Tuesday number is switched off if you can tell me the shop address i will appreciate cos am planning to go alaba by Tuesday for the inverter guy (Vitus)

At George D, like you said earlier, ℓ̊ want to start small, real small. ℓ̊ want to convert my ups to Inverter by adding bigger battery like the 15k battery you spoke off but I'm confused. If ℓ̊ plug my ups to public power, won't it charge the battery? ℓ̊ have a 2.5kva that ℓ̊ intend to run normally. the Inverter will be to power just 1 ceiling fan for 8hrs. How possible, if not can you give me the minimum system ℓ̊ could get.

hello deeplo,
it must be a network issue cause i just called vitus now and his line went through. however if you still want to go see him in person, his shop address is:

shop f-10, alaba international market.

his shop is directly opposite alaba junction. when you get to the junction, just ask anybody to direct you to f - line. his shop is number 10 on that line.

hello blink,
you can connect your ups directly to a bigger external battery as you plan but the ups internal charger will be severely undersized for charging your battery. in the long run you may end up killing your battery prematurely. for best results, use the 2.5kva with your larger size battery. most modern inverters have built in features for charging your battery to optimum levels so you won't need an external charger for normal use.

@ George
Thanks for your response. I did speak with Vitus and will see him tomorrow by God grace. However, am talking about Henry the Zenith battery guy, his number has not been available for once and i wish to conclude all transaction by tomorrow.
I awaiting your response before tomorrow (Wednesday)if you are not too busy . Thanks in many ways

@ George I have bought 3.5kva inverter from vitus its remains the battery and still cant reach the battery man cos his number is switched off since last week. If you can tell me his shop location i will be grateful. Thanks

George_D: hello blink,
you can connect your ups directly to a bigger external battery as you plan but the ups internal charger will be severely undersized for charging your battery. in the long run you may end up killing your battery prematurely. for best results, use the 2.5kva with your larger size battery. most modern inverters have built in features for charging your battery to optimum levels so you won't need an external charger for normal use.

do you mean 2.5kva ups or 2.5kva battery charger ? If its ups, what's the price and is it cheaper than getting a separate charger because my thought was to carry my battery with charger to my office to charge. Thanks

hello blink,
i was talking about a 2.5kva inverter and not ups. better to get an inverter and buy an external battery than a ups. the ups is designed to sustain your primary loads and enable you shut down safely in case of power outage. an inverter on the other hand is designed to give you continuous power over a longer period of time. and, you don't need a separate charger when using an inverter.

deeplo: @ George I have bought 3.5kva inverter from vitus its remains the battery and still cant reach the battery man cos his number is switched off since last week. If you can tell me his shop location i will be grateful. Thanks

hello deeplo,
sorry, my bad. i thought it was vitus you were referring to.
i also tried mr henry's airtel line but unfortunately it was switched off. it could be a network issue or maybe he's out of the country. however, try his mtn: 08033289101 or his landline (weekdays only): 018933436.
on the alternative, since you're in lagos, go directly to his shop at 21, simbiat abiola way, ikeja.
hope this helps?

George_D: hello blink,
i was talking about a 2.5kva inverter and not ups. better to get an inverter and buy an external battery than a ups. the ups is designed to sustain your primary loads and enable you shut down safely in case of power outage. an inverter on the other hand is designed to give you continuous power over a longer period of time. and, you don't need a separate charger when using an inverter.

OK, thanks

George_D:

hello deeplo,
sorry, my bad. i thought it was vitus you were referring to.
i also tried mr henry's airtel line but unfortunately it was switched off. it could be a network issue or maybe he's out of the country. however, try his mtn: 08033289101 or his landline (weekdays only): 018933436.
on the alternative, since you're in lagos, go directly to his shop at 21, simbiat abiola way, ikeja.
hope this helps?

Thanks so much this will definitely do more than help. I will update u before the week run out. Thanks in a million

deeplo,
just an update to this: mr henry called me later on saturday afternoon, a few hours after i sent that post. indeed he confirmed that he has out of the country (using a foreign number) for some time now and he gave additional lines to call for all those trying to reach his sales people. the lines are:

08061259694
08191473697

including the ikeja landline i earlier gave: 018933436

so much talk about using external battery chargers for a big battery bank...but how do you control the issue of over charging.my ext charger has an amp meter that shows the amp needed by the battery..when it drops to near zero..then i know the battery is fully charged...is this practise good?..house pls confirm.

earthrealm,
if you've been following some of my posts then you will know its not a good practice using external chargers to charge large battery banks. those chargers are designed mainly for car batteries which are mostly not deep cycle types. continous use of such chargers may shorten your battery life span.

the best bet is to get a good quality inverter which is designed to handle your size of battery bank. for those with 48v battery bank, get an inverter that is built for that. for those with 96v battery bank, get an inverter designed for such and vice versa.

yeah, i hv been following your post...the problem is this issue about the minimum charge delivered by an inverter to the battery bank being a minimum of 10% of the amperage rating of the the battery/battery bank.....so my question is...how do you know the max amperage delivered by any inverter...since most inverters dont hv such info/documentation.........eg my 1kva goaxinq inverter...some1 on this forum says it only delivers 8amps....i dont know how he came about such conclusion, some1 also said 3amps!....but i feel that it isnt suitable to charge my 200amp battery .......even switching to say a 2.5kva inverter of another make...how would one be sure that it is delivering the correct/sufficient amps to charge the battery bank?.........

also the goaxing 3kva inverter is sold together with a goaxing battery charger as the goaxing peeps say the inverter isnt designed to charge the batteries that the 3kva inverter is designed for.the battery charger that came with the goaxing 3ka is a 40amp charger with various amp setting and an analogue amp meter, thus you can adjust the amperage you want and also see from the amp meter when the battery is fully charged and thus switch off the charger.......could you confirm if this system is ok...as i am in a dilenma now..i have increased my battery bank to about 500amp/hr, and i have the above listed goaxing inverter/charger systems...........

or could you recommend a good inverter that you are sure [hv manufacturer data] that shows that it can charge a 500amp battery bank.
thanks

also..the foreign battery chargers that i saw designed for inverter batteries are complex trickle charger systems giving out a miserable 3 to 6amps...which going by my earlier analysis is not good for the overall health of a large battery bank....

the inbuilt charging system of inverters have an inbuilt auto cut off........this to me is the only diff btw them n most stand alone battery chargers in the market

hello earthrealm,
your backup system is only as good as the type of inverter you are using. unfortunately most inverters available in the market today end up killing batteries so fast that the unlearned owners innocently blame every other equipment but the inverter itself.
the gaoxing inverter you refer to sadly falls into that class. and, contrary to your assertion that most oem inverters don't specify charging current, the reverse is actually true. for any good quality inverter in the market, max charging current is always specified. some even give you the option to adjust such current to your preference (if you know what you're doing). again, most inverter manufacturers will state clearly the battery sizing for which the inverter was designed (e.g my sukam 3.5kva specifically states to use for 200ah 48v battery system. if you however want to use a larger size battery, say 500ah you then have to factor in charging time. let's say it takes my sukam about 6hrs to charge my 200ah 48v battery bank from 80% dod, then if i change to a 500ah 48v system, that means charging time should be something like two and half time the normal charging time for a 200ah system.
to go around this, peeps may choose to build a hybrid system such that your solar array always takes up the slack and you never notice this unduely long charging times playing out. however, for those who insist on going totally with inverter charging (without solar panels) the trick is to get a higher voltage system. remember your basic physics? if p=iv, then lets say i have a 9600wh power consumption for my household which needs a battery bank size of 48v, 200ah (48*12). if i want to double my battery bank, rather than going for a 400ah 12v system, i will simply get a 96v inverter that will take 8pcs 200ah batteries. this gives me double my capacity and i get the same charging time. it goes on: if i want to triple my battery bank, i will get a 144v system with 12pcs 200ah batteries and so on. the point is you don't have to have a single large size battery to achieve your aim. and yes, there are inverters designed for the higher charging voltages - only that they're not common.
back to the gaoxing inverter, you have to understand that there are different types of chargers. the cheapest inverters (like the gaoxing) incorporate the most basic on and off types which end up killing your batteries in no time. most reliable brand inverters have smart 3-way chargers that ensure your batteries last as many years as possible. please go for brands like cyberpower, sukam, luminous, genus, nexus, etc. that way you can be sure you don't end up having to change out dead batteries every now and then.

for more info look up these links:

http://www.bdbatteries.com/mcharging_procedures.php

http://www.mkbattery.com/images/AGMBatteryCharging.pdf

http://www.qsl.net/wb3gck/gel-cell.htm

http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm

http://www.mpoweruk.com/chargers.htm

http://www.operatingtech.com/lib/pdf/A%20Guide%20to%20battery%20Charging.pdf

as for the issue of charging current, this is is a rather controversial subject with every so-called expert having a divergent opinion. however, it is agreed that amount/duration of charging largely depends on battery type-whether flooded lead acid, sealed lead acid. for sealed lead acid this also depends on whether they are gell cells or agms. then you have nickel cadmium, nickel iron, etc. limiting ourselves to the more familiar lead acid type batteries, traditionally charging current is ideal for not more than 12 to 13 percent of overall ampere-hour of battery with flooded lead acid being allowed a little more tolerance compared to gell cells. modern technology however has pushed these limitations beyond what traditionally was impossible a few years back. for example, there are brands of agm batteries known to take over 50% of their rated amperage!

http://www.firststartbatteries.com.au/faq.html

that said, using a lower charging current can be useful sometimes especially for battery banks that are hardly discharged up to 20% dod. and its also good for rejuvenating sulphated (or almost dead) batteries. if you constantly dip your bank to 80% dod daily however, such trickle charge currents may not be sufficient for you as your battery bank will constantly be in the red due to undercharging which in turn will translate to completely dead batteries in no time.

and there is more to smart chargers which are incorporated into most high quality inverters than merely having an auto cut off contrary to what you think. never compare them to ordinary automotive chargers which are mostly on and off types.


UPDATED

@ George
I have finally installed the system, but i need a little explanation.
1. what is the function of the switch at the back of the system.... it has off..1..2..bypass
like i want to make use of the gen and phcn to charge the battery simultaneously, which of the switch at the back is applicable.
Thanks

hello deeplo,
try and read the manual that came with your inverter. i'm sure everything is explained there. personally i always make it a point to read every manual that comes with every equipment i purchase so that i can know to operate it better.

@ George
Ofcourse i read the manual very well and also visit their website www.su-kam.com but what am asking is on user's interaction with equipment. My question is based on your experience and work-ability vis-a-vis your connectivity with your generator and nepa with the ROTARY SWITCH at the back.
For instance... if i put it on 1, the inverter will supply but it will not be charging from generator
if its on 2... inverter will not supply load, generator will be charging the battery, but Nepa (Main) will be able to charge the battery. and if i put the switch on BYPASS, it will only be charging but it will not supply any load.

I like to know what number is applicable that will charge the battery using both NEPA and GEN without interruption of power supply. Thanks you

@ George, i have learnt so much from the discussion between you and earthrealm, its very educative and helpful. My question is, with my sukam 3.5kva could there be any chance that it will over charge the battery? Am sighting this since i use it in the office and could leave it over night when Phcn is available. Thank you. NOTE, have found my way around the rotatory switch, it works good with 1

@all

I have seen a Tripplite Power Inverter dealer in Lagos who has agreed to sell one brand new inverter Model APS 6048 VR (6000watts Inverter) for me at N335,000 (last price). Is it a good inverter suitable for Nigerian environment and Is it a good bargain compared with 7.5kva Cyberpower Inverter @ N350,000 (firm price)?

Please your comment is needed urgently before i made initial project investment mistake.

I attach the profile directory urls for the two inverters as follows to facilitate your advice:

http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/model.cfm?txtModelID=5067 for Tripplite 6000watts Power Inverter

http://www.buyright.biz/index.php?module=product&event=viewdetail&pid=95&cid=6 for 7.5KVA Cyberpower Inverter.

Your contribution (preferred choice - with reason(s) - between the two named inverters) will be highly appreciated.

hello deeplo,
apologies for the late reply. the normal operational position for the sukam 3.5kva rotary switch is to put it on 1 where power is being supplied to the house and your inverter is charging your batteries at the same time. if you put it on 2 the inverter will not supply power to the house but it will charge your battery by either phcn or generator. if you put it on 3 (bypass), the inverter transfers public power directly to the house and does not charge your battery bank. i have a challenge with my own generator too as i noticed that it cannot comfortably charge the inverter and supply power to the house at the same time-even though it is supposed to be a 5kva gen, so to go around this i always put the inverter on bypass on the few occasions when i want to use it to bulk water to the tank.


to your question of whether your inverter will overcharge your batteries if left overnight, the answer is no. the reason being that the smart inverter charging system is designed in such a way as to maintain a constant float charge on the batteries when full so they can be left unattended for weeks or even months without fear of overcharge.

@ George,
Thank so much for this exclusive information, i so much appreciate. Thank you in million times.

Currently, the switch is on 1 which allow the inverter to supply the office and also charging. For the gen to be able to charge it i increase the voltage coming from the gen after calculating my amp usage. Now everything is working as expected. i will update some pictures soon


here are the pics

hello deeplo,
i'm glad you found the information useful. do remember to upload the pictures as soon as you can.

p.s: this is the link to an electronic copy of sukam 2.5kva/3.5kva inverter user manual. you can download and keep a copy handy for those times you need to cross-check something in a jiffy:


http://www.nice-power.com/images/2.5KVA%20&%203.5KVA/FUSION%20SERIES2.5kva-3.5kva.pdf

I have upload the pictures George. Thanks for all the support and tolerance

hello deeplo,
your set up looks very much like mine! wao! now we can relate better!

congrats and happy enjoyment!