₦airaland Forum

Namzy:
My biggest disadvantage with lead acid batteries(I'm using 24v 220 luminous bought 3 years ago) is with the charging current. I recently increased my panels to 340w *8 (2720w) and the charging current I see sometimes is scary sometimes getting up to 40amps. I reduced it initially to 30 amps according to battery specs and my load which is just 2 tvs a ps4, dstv and a fridge and freezer, but I seem to seem to be wasting solar power so I increased it to 65amps. Guessing with this my batteries won't last long from amps overcharging. Well time to start saving for the inevitable or is there a work around?

if you have a solid cc like the morningstar, there's no big deal with this actually.
the charge controller will dial back the amps and only allow what the battery will accept
pass through, unless your settings are terribly wrong ab initio.

funshyboi:
I think it’s better I opt for AGM batteries since they can afford dip occasionally.
I ask this question because I know of a solar installer who mainly used “MAXIMUM” batteries for his customers. I’m kind of inquisitive to why he’s doing that.
I can’t ask him because I feel he won’t be sincere with his answer. He was the one that advised I can be using car battery as substitute for my LiFePO4 but unfortunately the results from the car battery is not encouraging so I had to stop using it. Since then I don’t want to agree with his advices again.

So oga George, your sincere opinion will be appreciated

if you have the option of a good quality agm battery, i will advise you go for it instead of the gel cell batteries.
they are the better choice outside of lithium.

MontyNG:
@GeorgeD1


Ok
I kinda guessed I'll be misunderstood. I wasn't asking about smart ACs.

OK this is a small test to know if your AC has dedicated "on and off IR codes" , or just a "power toggle IR code"


So with your Genpal AC off,

- switch it on with the remote. The AC beeps and comes on (simple enough)

- then stick it in your pocket (or Walk out the room) the press the remote power button again
(This is so the AC doesn't respond)

- Now bring it out your pocket, (or go back to the room) and press the power button on the remote again (third time now)

Does:

A) your AC beeps and goes off
B) your AC beeps but stays on
C) your AC doesn't respond


If A), then the AC just has a power toggle IR code (i.e I believe most ACs are like this) e.g The LG/Hisense ACs

If B), then the AC has dedicated On and Off IR codes. e.g The Solstar branded AC is like this

If C), Bros, change the batteries of your remote and do the test again from the beginning


Let me know which it is.

So far, I know that

Option A examples:
LG, Hisense

Option B example:
Solstar, (Panasonic?)

bro, ojeysky is correct. it will do option b
the power button when pressed turns on the remote as well as sends signal to the ac to start working.
you don't even have to put it in your pocket and leave the room. all you have to do is switch off the remote
by pressing the power button while blocking the ir signal with the palm of your hands. when you remove your
palms and press it again, ac stays on.

MontyNG:
Quick one about the Genpal ACs...

Do they have dedicated On and Off power commands from the remote? Or is it simply a power toggle.

I hope you understand what I mean by this... If not, I can explain further.

I am looking for an inverter AC with dedicated On and Off commands

(I think only folks that run smarthome systems will understand the need for this small but very crucial distinction)

this is a typical genpal remote control. the red button is the power button but i think ojeysky already answered your
question in his post above.

MontyNG:
Quick one guys,

If using lithium batteries, can you retain your non-inverter AC?

Or you have to change it out to inverter ACs


I will rather retain my 1.5hp non inverter AC as the market options for inverter ACs are limited. (only LG/Hisense I think)

not only lg/hisense. you also have haier thermocool genpal acs which work on the same principle as lg inverter acs.
i presently have installed 1hp and 1.5hp genpal acs and they work beautifully on my inverter system.
where you run 1 conventional ac, you can replace with at least 2 or 3 genpal acs, so over time, the energy
savings is worth the additional cost.

Saipro:
The brutality continues ...

Those of us whom invested in rather substantially sized PV arrays yet seemed extravagant (on meager wages) seem to be grinning from ear to ear these days. However, this spells untold hardship as a lot of the cost of manufacturing hinges on power utilization. What hope is left for the average person on the streets? Yet another increment looms even as the proposed one is yet to be implemented.

a few weeks back my colleague complained that he was spending an average of 50k/month on public power
to the extent that he was forced to start putting off a lot of his household appliances all in a bid to save money.
with this new increase i wonder what he will do next.
looking back in hindsight, an investment in solar has been one of the best decision of a lifetime for me.
truely, the sun is the answer!

https://guardian.ng/news/nigerians-to-pay-more-for-electricity/

There are indications that Nigerians will pay more for electricity starting from next week.

The development, already designed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) under the Service Based Tariff (SBT) programme will take effect from September first.

The SBT came into force last year, increasing cost of electricity by over 50 per cent as government attempts to halt subsidy in the electricity sector and allow the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) generate enough fund to finance the bed-ridden market.

Although criticisms have dogged the service based tariff as improvement in electricity supply remained dismal with perpetual outages and collapse of transmission and distribution infrastructure, some distribution companies already informed consumers that a new tariff would be implemented next week.

A document from the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, dated 25 August 2021 with reference number 023/EKEDP/GMCLR/0025/2021 shows that the tariff would increase between N42.44 to 58.94 depending on their class. The tariff is implemented to remain till December before further increase in January next.

Across the band, the increase remained N2 from the tariff paid between July to August.

“This is to officially notify you that there will be an increase in electricity tariff with effect from 1st September 2021. This increase is as a result of nationwide mandate to implement the Service Based Tariff approved by our regulator NERC,” Eko DisCo wrote in the document signed by the company’s General Manager, Loss Reduction, Olumide Anthony-Jerome.

funshyboi:
Hello guys I’m thinking of of getting a gel battery. Pls do anyone have a reservations , advice or suggestions before I spend scarce money of something that won’t last

depending on the grade/quality, gel batteries are fine. however, they are not as forgiving as agm batteries when
subject to abuse. just make sure you get a reliable charger to go with it and ensure you don't routinely dip them
beyond 80% dod.

saintneo:
GeorgeD1 waleayeni1 michaelondon53 twinstaiye all FTA gurus.

Are you in Lagos? Do you have contact of any installer for FTA around Egbeda? Recently relocated from PH to Lagos, so I need to setup my FTA channels. Kindly assist.

saintneo,
Welcome to Lagos. Unfortunately I'm not residing in Lagos at the moment but I'm sure one of our able installers will contact you soon.

earthrealm:
Errrrm
You err kind sire

Was on your side of the table 2 or 3 yrs ago when this issue was discussed, i know better now

A 12v 280ah lifepo4 can easily and safely power a 1.5hp ac without issues , but to dream of powering same load safely with leadacid, you need minimum of 8 units 12v 200ah cells. ...........

Why you are enjoying your lead acids is that you are frightenly oversized, with those your 2v 2000ah. Its akin to 3.2v 280ah in terms of load you can put on it, but cheaper and lighter in weight.

A 3.2v 280ah lifepo is about 5.4kg, while a 2v 2000ah would be about 150kg......

bro, its a bit gratifying to know you were on my side 2 or 3 years ago but i really don't think its about taking sides.
and if we should really take sides i think we should always be on the winning side. and, for me the winning side will
be the side that works/performs without stress.
i don't know what formula you used to derive your calculation which makes 2v 2000ah equal to 3.2v 280ah but i can
assure you there's nothing frightening about the size of my battery bank. a lot of effort was put into arriving at a
right size bank for my household needs and when the opportunity came knocking i gave it all i could muster and like
they say, the rest is history.
not everyone has the constraints of space and not everyone bothers about weight so what might be a show stopper
for you might just be a walk in the park for another person.
like i said before, lets leave all the options open and keep a balanced thread. lead acid will be with us for a long time
to come even as lithium continues to gain acceptance.

ceaser:
I agree with you. The mainstream is now gradually and faster than ever drifting towards lithium. The affordability is easing and with many offerings and start ups in the market (save ones like felicity that lie about capacity), it can only get better.

I think to my guys that still stick with Lead acid, it is a function of what still works for them, the ability to have a hugely oversized bank (as is expected to be with lead acid) that does not impair functionality much and probably in addition, the undesire to give up on a huge investment in LA in favour of lithium without first maxing/squeezing out the last drop of the investment on it (lead acid).

I believe acceptance and transition to LFP despite being an avid fan of LA was easier for Oga Níyì because he had clients that were much more interested in the new thing, he had to get them their choice and in the process had first hand exposure to LFP. The need to properly intimate himself to that chemistry in order to serve that section of clients necessitated owning banks himself. And now he is a faithful disciple. . Now he apparently even wants to do away with just few weeks old 272ah cells in order to upgrade to maybe 1000ah cells. Ha! Baba, Tuale o.
I hope I assumed correctly sha.

In the coming months, we should see guys engaging in e-vehicle constructions or modifications, starting majorly with e-bikes. Maybe this thread will also accommodate that new entry or perhaps it will have its own thread altogether.

i couldn't have said it better. and for someone not trying to offload any solar wares to prospective clients, that
says a lot.
and like someone said in a previous message we been through all this lithium vs lead thingy a while back so i'm
not really going to do a repeat. lithium is still evolving and going mainstream by the day and for a long time to
come will be just another option besides lead acid. let us take that into account as we dissect info on this thread
so that newbies planning to take the renewables route would not necessarily get the idea that one option is evil
and to be avoided at all cost while the other option is good and to be embraced regardless of the cost.
balance of info is key here to avoid peeps being led astray.

Namzy:
And George appears only when needed lol. I use tubular batteries ans it's been serving me for 3 years now. I'll still wait for that sweet price point before switching. But I'm happy it's getting affordable

lolz brother. i do my best to keep up with happenings on the thread but most of us have day jobs quite different from solar.
apart from those here who make a living trading renewables i guess you can't avoid being absent for some time
when duty calls

Namzy:
Wow had no idea you could get 12v 100ah @₦125k. Then why are people still going for lead acid batteries. Does he have a 24v config?

bro, despite the seemingly huge benefits of lithium, lead acid still holds an attraction for a lot of folks.
provided you don't saddle yourself with flooded lead acid which needs babysitting, lead acid in the form of
gel or agm is essentially an install and forget kind of set up where you don't worry yourself with a lot of issues
lithium owners have to worry about. you don't do top balancing or bottom balancing with lead acid and you
hardly need a bms. for anyone thinking of starting his or her journey into renewable energy, lead acid is still
the preferred entry point.

LeaseManager:
I am still asking for the above .... based in Lagos.


Cc: Ojesky, Ceaser, mctfopt, NiyiOmoIyunade, GeorgeD1, solasola,Zeestones99, Penuelseun, justcallmanue

u're in good hands with zeestone bro
i had cause to invite him and his team over to warri almost 4 years ago and they did an excellent job.
i'm sure he will equally deliver for you in lagos where he's based.

Penuelseun:
my Oga @GeorgeD1, how are your batteries performing now?

my brother, the batteries are performing excellently well.
so far no issues at all. i hope it continues this way for the foreseeable future.

Dam5reey:
Going to Alaba no be easy thing.. Waste of time, when busbars could have been packed with cells

bro, making diy busbars shouldn't be such a hassle i think.
with just a tape measure and portable drilling machine you can make as
many pieces as you need using a good quality copper belt (like the type used to
install lightning arrestors)
i remember posting some pictures of the ones i made far back when i was installing
my new battery bank.

toluxa1:
Hi there. This Solar Water Heaters, how efficient/effective are they? How does it work, Is it direct sunlight that heats the water or there is some kind of electronic heating? What is the average temperature of hot water you get? Near boiling possible? Can you get hot water even at night?
Lastly what is the cost of the one you use?

solar water heaters are majorly of two types: the evacuated tube types and flat plate types.
evacuated tubes are more efficient compared to the flat plate types because they are in direct
contact with the water.
yes, direct sunlight heats the water and no form of electronic heating whatsoever is involved.
(although in a few cases like mine, there is provision for an electric heating coil which you can use
to assist in maintaining water temperature on cold days when the sun output is not that strong)
average temperature can range from anywhere around 50 degrees celcius up to 80 degrees c
depending on your setting and also the weather condition.
you can get hot water all through the day, even at night as the hot water tank serves as a reservoir,
keeping the water hot when the sun goes down.
as for cost, it varies with brand and capacity. but anything between 150k to 650k will do the trick.
it all depends on your pocket.

BIZZWEALTH:
Buying the Best Inverter
It is best that you gain some knowledge about what to look for in an inverter before buying one. Read on to know some considerations to make before buying an inverter and tips to buy UPS for home:-

#2)Understand how an inverter is different from a home UPS
A home UPS is the same as an inverter, as far as the functionality aspect is concerned—both the devices are used to convert direct current to alternating current which is in turn used as a backup option to generate power. However, the main point of differentiation between an inverter and a UPS—the acronym for Uninterrupted Power Supply—is that there is no time lag between the devices being powered off in the event of a power cut and being powered back on subsequently in case of a home UPS.

However, with devices powered by an inverter, there is a very short period of total blackout when the electricity goes out. It is only for this reason that most computers and laptops in homes and offices are connected by UPSs instead of inverters so as to allow users to save their critical data before powering their machines off.

Now that you know all that there is to buy the perfect inverter, make sure you buy only from reputed manufacturer. Mercury Inverters
Learn more visit mercurydirect.com.ng
Call 07037451701

bros,
this is no longer an issue with most modern inverters as almost every inverter brand available in the market now has zero transfer
waiting time. what this means is that should there be power failure, it takes almost zero seconds for your inverter to change over
and continue supplying power to your house loads. your computer, tv or fridge wouldn't even know there was public power outage.

Hmm, Metrobox this is not looking too good at all.
Whatever business model you're operating, it's obvious that its not working.
You may consider changing your shipping company or hands off shipping of customers goods entirely.
That will save you over 80 percent of the negative reviews here. Also, how about hiring a PA to take care
of client communication for those times when you're extra busy?
Just thinking aloud...

graphicicon:
@George D, and other sat gurus in the house,
There is serious issue here:

Am having one issue like that, there is a particular location, it is only DSTV and mbc 26e you can receive from there, that location stops receiving satelite signal from September 2018, the location is not up to 200 square meters, anything outside that location, Satellite signal will be receivable, note that all satelite signal was receivable in that location before that date, what could be the problem, and how to solve it,
I noticed that any TP that is below 12 ghz cannot be received there.

@graphicicon,
Sorry I'm just seeing your post. I think you might need to check for wifi signals or microwave around that neighborhood.
It's most likely there's a telecoms mast close by or an ISP has mounted a microwave link within the vicinity.
Whichever it is, just move your dish some distance from the original installation spot.
Also, you can consider using WIMAX friendly lnbs like single solution C band lnb. It's a little expensive but worth it.

Israelicc:
I think we should give him his due credit. The route he took is quite a thing.@totalgreen01 took the time to ensure that his project is also safe for use by introducing fuses into the setup. The bank has everything a lithium battery setup should have (BMS, fuses, indicators etc). The bros tried in my own opinion.

bro, u're very much on point. totalgreen is a veteran when it comes to renewables.
he surely knows what he's doing. it's not today he's been working on and perfecting this craft.
kudos to him.

Hello Metrobox,
Thanks for the prompt manner you handled my Ebay order. I came here and went through your thread,
saw the good things you were doing and decided to try you out. Three orders in a row and you were spot
on. I have the tracking numbers already and I'm now tracking their delivery.
Expect more orders from me, bro. Cheers!

Monlo:
Remembering the good old days..?

lolz. Yes oh my brother

happy new year to all good people in the house.
may 2021 bring us enough laughter to wipe away all the
tears 2020 brought to us through corona

dollarnaira:
As una don turn everywhere to mini Alaba market shey b una dey happy. Purpose of thread is severely injured. Title of thread is:

Inverter users, lets have your experience

serious food for thought

lolz. brother e be like say u sabi wetin dey

Anything from 4m upwards will do the job.

microgiant:
Hello WaytoGo, don't be confused.

Satellite signals behave like light rays, the dish face the satellite and the signals are reflected onto the LNB. Picture 1

Satellite signals also behave same as light by obeying the laws of reflection. (You first question)
The law of reflection states that when a ray of light reflects off a surface, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. Picture 2.

To Install multi LNB on a single satellite dish.

Now when you move a dish away from a satellite, you increase the angle of incidence of the satellite signal, the angle of reflection also increases
In a nutshell, if a satellite signal comes from left of the dish, you search for the reflected signal on the right part of the dish. the same is applicable from top, i.e. you get Belintersat 1 at 51.5°E and moves the dish to NigComSat 1R at 42.5°E you have moved the dish up, which has increased the angle of incidence in which case you need to place your LNB above NigComSat 1R at 42.5°E to search for Belintersat 1 at 51.5°E to receive the signal, not below .

Picture 3.

microgiant,
Well done bro. Nice illustrations too.

earthrealm:
With the rise of decent hybrids, i forsee a sharp decline in demand for stand alone charge controllers

bro, i wouldn't jump to such conclusions yet if i were you.

stand alone charge controllers are still way ahead of their hybrid siblings in terms of performance and features and
those that value battery longevity will choose them over hybrids any day and anytime.

personally, i don't think i would be singing such high praises of my recently sold off zenith batteries if my cc had
been a hybrid.

SIONKPO1:
okay,below is the pix

OK. I see digitman has already done justice to this.
Try re-aligning the dish with those TPs he gave you and your signals will be restored.
And by the way, the guy that installed that dish didn't do a good job securing it firmly
to the roof below.

SIONKPO1:
Okay,but the channels did use to show before(last week),but it just stopped showing and when I did blindscan none of them(MBC) came up but I got telemaroc,medi1 etc

A picture of your set up as it is presently will help in giving you solution.
Pls upload your dish pix and especially the lnb.
Although I suspect seriously that lnb has shifted from its original position.

contease:
Goodevening everyone,


Meanwhile i have something I did like to share. I think this will be for the gurus to educate us more and if it's right, newbies like me can pick something new as to improvice too...

Firstly, I would like to make it clear that my steps or methodology are not conventional and I had to try this due to, majorly, financial constraints, and in a bid to try something out of the ordinary.

We all know how the inverter systems works as a proper setup which is:

Connect the PVs to a CC, then the CC to the batteries, the inverter to the batteries then house load to the inverter.

Again, for financial constraints and in bid to try sometin new, I decided to eliminate the PV by using a small automatic battery charger that outputs 12amp charge. (see bellow image of the charger and my bts inverter)

SETUP:
With the batteries (unconventional batteries) connected to the inverter, I then connected the charger to the AC output of the inverter.

With grid, the inverter is supplying the house and charging the batteries while the charger is also getting AC from the inverter and juicing the batteries at its own automated charge. Meaning, as the battery is getting full, it's charging amp is reduced from 12amp through till 1amp then cuts off (this charge has CC, CV, FC and TL charge stages whick I don't know what they stand for as they are not writing on the manual). Sometimes the inverter Cuts off charging first and other times the charger.

Without grid, the inverter sucks from the battery to feed the house and also feeds the charger which inturn feeds the batteries like a loop.

What I have gained doing this is more online time. Eg. If I was getting xy time without the charger, now I get an additional z time meaning I now get xyz live time.

I have only used this setup for precisely 9days and am still monitoring carefully to know if there will be any consequences... DISCLAIMER: PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME IF YOU CAN NOT MANAGE IT OR YOU ARE NOT AT HOME TO EXTINGUISH INCASE OF FIRE! .

While, I would appreciate gurus to please imagine this setup and let's know ur thoughts. Though GeorgeD1 and I have been discussing offline about this and he disagrees with me on some of my planned actions but because am on ground to monitor, I decided to give it a shoot... After all, it's all about DIY... Lol

[/i]

brother, our discussions have been very engaging and robust. you always come across as someone willing to try
whatever it takes to pull ahead in the quest for energy freedom. so, i'm not surprised you eventually went ahead to
implement your idea (despite my misgivings). however, as you can see from niyi, ceaser and others here, it might not
really be the best. all the same i understand why you had to do it.
going forward though, you have to think seriously around getting a separate cc and solar panels as an external
reliable charging source. there are quite a few members here disposing old panels and fairly used cc and you
might be able to land a good deal soon if you keep your eyes open.
once again, all the best.