Tsuccesssquare:


Many thanks for your input, appreciated.

Truth is I don't know exact brand that would be used for the set-up. Below is snapshot of info on two variants. Should I want to go the route of DIY, what are the good components/brands I need to look out for?

On the question of what to look out for, everything !

But if you're working on a budget, you could deliberately tone down some parts of your setup, for example. You could go for midrange batteries (and drastically reduce your night loads) while hoping to replace them in about two years or so but go for top class panels because those are what would be the major source of power, or you could buy top class panes but reduce their number your if you family is the type that leaves home by 7am and returns by 6pm and you don't have daytime loads etc etc. But while doing these, you're also keeping in mind to upgrade to the standard setup.
I hope you understand me a bit?

Tsuccesssquare:


Many thanks for your input, appreciated.

Truth is I don't know exact brand that would be used for the set-up. Below is snapshot of info on two variants. Should I want to go the route of DIY, what are the good components/brands I need to look out for?

The flyer is beautiful but the only thing that looks reassuring there is the quanta batteries mentioned in the list, we don't know what other brands would be used and I am scared about how much would remain from the 900k quoted after the cost of two quanta batteries (about 400k) are deducted. That's around 500k left, you'll spend around 100k or slightly higher for 300+Watts panels (the ones that can get you moderate harvest) that's about 400k gone or slightly lower if you go for some fair brands. Wires should cost from 25k and above depending on panel to setup distance. How about accessories and other appendages, then how about their profit or is it for charity?

The Quanta batteries specifically mentioned in the flier even makes it tough to accept the quote. Like I said they could get it done with cheaper materials but even with that there'll still be some heavy compromise hidden somewhere.

NB: there's nothing wrong with cheap setups if they're not fatal and are done based on budget while still maintaining some level of standard and are used within their true capacity.

Namzy:


Incase you want to edit the float voltage for lithium batteries (people usually set bulk and float at same voltage for lithium)

Oh.. that's true

Valto:
lolz, the prices of things now eeh .. btw i have a 24v 230ah 5888kwh lifepo4 lithium battery ( real capacity and made with brand new grade A EVE cells ) in a sleek metal box with 120A bms going for 780k.

Yea, prices are really high, even the cheaper options are expensive.

Jefferyzz:
If he's willing to go with 120/130a 3.2v(8pieces) lifepo4 cells, he's total cost is below 900k. But if nah those 200/230a e won buy.. e go need around 1.1m..

Boss the price he quoted was for all materials o, not just battery, except I misquoted him.

Namzy:


Yea most likely toroidal with 18w idle consumption for 3.5kva. I can't take the case of without voiding the warranty because of the sticker. The float and bulk voltage are editable unfortunately the range of float is between 13-14v (depend on system voltage)

The float range is still fair, or why is it unfortunate ?

[quote author=Namzy post=118016672][/quote]
Thanks.

is the battery charging voltage editable or just battery type selectable?

Something tells me the transformer in it is toroidal.
Would you be able to take off the case to check?

So, I eventually was able to have an experience with the felicity IVPS 3.5kVA transformer inverter.
no load consumption was +50Watts, no dry contacts. I'm not sure I'll easily recommend it again for those two reasons.

Tsuccesssquare:
Greetings to all Gurus in the house.

I need solar inverter setup for my three bedroom, 2.5KVA should be fine for the things I wish to power.

Average cost of 2.5kva from all the online vendors have checked seems to be around 900k to 1m. Crux is am not sure of the quality of what I would get hence I might have to go through the DIY option. Get all the materials needed and pay an installer to fix all.

Gurus in the house, kindly help with items I would need for this setup and likely amount for installation.

Thank you.

900k to 1m looks insufficient except some of the components are the mid range brands (this isn't condemning them though), going DIY doesn't exactly guarantee that it'll be cheaper too.
You can DIY step by step here and I'm certain you'll most likely be guided by the capable hands here.


NB: lithium apostles should take it easy...lol

Namzy:


The inverter was not used to measure the load, rather a fangpusun bmv 700. The 92% indicator was on the inverter display. Before said inveter{famucare 3.5kva} was bought I thought it would do max 2800w but for it to exceed 3000 watts without overload error is a win for me

Can I see a picture of the inverter?

ojeysky:


It's brand new not yet used so there is a very high chance it works when you add PV to it (which is how you know it's good)

Sapiosexuality, I'm not sure if you know this but probably ojeysky assumes you do.
connect battery first before PV,
connect battery first before PV,
connect battery first before PV.
Have a nice day.

odimbannamdi:
.

I don't have access to the email

Moneyboyz:


You should get a spot welder, you will find one for 25usd below on AliExpress, I bet it's so stressful doing it this way!

Which spotwelder did you get from there? Can you share a link or image?

Penuelseun:
You are very correct, this is the inside of my old inverter, the tbb 24v 0.8kva

Yes

herrlekan:


I don't know the model number but I believe if they have more than one inverter of the same specifications, I would have been give at least two prices.

You can call Michael, his number is in the screenshot.

Alright thanks a lot

NiyiOmoIyunade:
There is a difference between idle/no load consumption and the inverter self consumption (energy lost or used by internal components when inverting DC to AC).

Most people obsess over the idle consumption whereas they should be more interested in the self consumption when the inverter is actually doing work - this is not linear and varies based on loads.

The problem is not helped when most users heavily oversize their inverters e.g use a 5kva inverter when loads are within 1kw on average.

The toroidal transformers are said to also have lower conversion losses, hence more efficient too.
Because the standard transformer inverter is already consuming about 50W just to stay on, then goes ahead to add more overhead via loses during conversion.

herrlekan:


It is 123k confirmed.

That's odd, I got the 132k quote this morning also from them or isn't it the FL-IVPS1512 , 12V 1.5kVA?

TechGeek777:


Boss you are very correct, I contacted them yesterday and was told it sells for 123k and warranty is 1 year. Do you have idea if credible sources price are lesser?

Why is Jumia seller placing 170k on something of 123k. Naija which way!

Are you sure it's 123k or rather 132k ?
Please confirm.

NiyiOmoIyunade:


Measuring idle/no load draw is a bit of a misnomer since no one just keeps the inverter on with zero loads -

The point being made about idle consumption isn't due to what you described above, it's due to the additional burden of self consumption by the inverter.
I believe that's one of the reasons some people here complained about MUST inverters. We're trying to be energy efficient as much as possible so is it really a misnomer to seek inverters with better efficiency?

NiyiOmoIyunade:
The answer to this seemingly simple question is 'it depends'

A lot depends on the particular mix of equipment you have.

Yes you can connect individual 12v chargers to each 12v battery (or parallel 12v batteries) in a larger 48v bank for example.

The specific algorithm depends on many factors but your goal should be that the inverter and solar chargers are charging at a lower voltage than the individual 12v chargers - you basically want the standalone chargers to complete the charge.

Now where are you powering the chargers from? Mains or Gen no trouble, from thesame inverter AC out as the batteries, then you need a mechanism to cutoff the standalone chargers in case Mains and/or solar becomes insufficient - basically you cannot use the batteries to charge themselves!

If your inverter is pure sine wave you can generally power the chargers off the inverter AC out, modified sine wave inverters may not have the AC and DC sides isolated and may short out.

So in most cases you can add on standalone chargers without trouble but you need to be sure your equipment supports it.

A good quality adjustable voltage smart charger is not cheap so your battery pack should be large enough to merit such effort and expenditure

All clear, thanks !

NiyiOmoIyunade:
I have been following this TBB matter with some interest.

I do not know what special benefits the TBB has but Felicity sell fully user programmable units all the way from 1.5Kva to 10kva. Below 5kva there are 12v and 24v models. The ability to program your inverter to your taste comes fully available out of the box.

Apart from very good after sales service, you can set flexible charge voltages (absorb and float) and even flexible LVD on these Felicity units making them suitable for lead acid and Lithium.

The above should satisfy entry level needs robustly - I do not know if there is any extra advantage to these dumber seeming TBBs? Could it be price perhaps?

Oga Niyi that has refused to answer my queries even after multiple quotes or tags.

The major advantage of the tbb is it's low self consumption, the transformer inside it is toroidal unlike the felicity that has the iron core type which obviously would have a higher idle consumption except proven otherwise (I have asked for this countless time here but nobody has shared their experience with the felicity)
Though I would recommend the felicity due to it's editable settings, and that's the only edge I'll give it over the tbb.

TechGeek777:


Thanks, but you can actually specify the battery type

Voltage compensated charging (VCC):

This should take care of the bolded right?

Yes you can specify battery type and some other parameters directly on the inverter using the dip switch combinations but this doesn't still give you the flexibility of setting the voltages.

No VCC doesn't take care of that. Temperature affects the battery charging process, the TBB inverter comes with a temperature sensor which would be attached to the battery and enables the inverter to adjust the charging voltage based on the battery temperature.
That's what that part you share is referring to.

TechGeek777:


Okay thanks. But how were you able to perform equalization and specify the battery type (e.g. flooded or SMF) to be used with this inverter?

Equalization isn't for all batteries, just for flooded batteries and the batteries used in that installation wasn't flooded.
Specifying the battery type and setting the required voltages had to be done at the point of purchase and that's the major disadvantage of the tbb inverter, except you decide to buy the display.

TechGeek777:


After they programed it, how do you manage to know (how long the battery will last you, how long it will take to charge full and the percentage of load the inverter has carried)?

Sorry for these questions oh, but I just need clarity based on the fact that you have first hand experience on the tbb.

For the load on inverter,
You may need external peripherals for that. For example, add a wattmeter or limiter that gives details of output voltage and current. That's what I did for an installation with TBB inverter.

And you may be asking for too much when asking for how long the battery would take to charge full or how long it'll last. Most inverters don't provide this information too, you may be able to estimate it based on other devices & plugins (Charge controller that logs, BMS that communicates, in-line amp meters etc etc )or history.


Possibly your next question would be to ask for Charge controllers that logs etc? lol

While not intending to ruin your parade, I hope you don't end up in a questioning loop/abyss. You need to take a decision based on the myriads of information provided to you(for some weeks now) while taking into consideration your constraints (budget, load, environment).

ceaser:


Hehehe. I guess we'll need first hand user experience to confirm if their claim is true.

We will have to wait for someone here to procure it.

I've actually deployed like three units in service but for LA.

Juror:

Thanks for your contribution as always. I need some clarification.
I believe generally, charging each battery in it's isolated state with a 12V charger is normal but based on your experience and what you've practically done, do you attach the 12V charger to each battery's terminal without disconnecting them from the string?

Also, do you switch off solar charging for them while doing so or the solar charging continues while the individual chargers also charge the batteries while being powered from the grid or Gen?

CC: NiyiOmoIyunade

Moneyboyz:


Are you saying that all these used panels sold in alaba and oshodi are not okay?
I just bought 6 200w penels today, I hope I won't regret this.

I didn't mention Alaba or Oshodi.
If you know your way around Alaba, you'll get decent and even top grade products. A couple of the good brands have offices around there too.

durodee:
A short review: A low budget value for money. Need an MPPT CC with the most basic Interface but keeps working? Then get this!! PowMrI have 3 of them in use. Works well , relatively cheap and can work for 12,24,36 or 48v systems. Works with Lithium batteries and
lead acids variants. Excellent as a back up CC too in case you need one to fall back on. Planning on getting another one soon.
Cons? Plenty !
1) No log Interface to record daily harvests , so difficult to know exactly how much you are harvesting daily. I have to rely on other ways to get this.
2) Connect points are a bit small and take max of 6mm cables
3) the supplied screws to attach the CC to the wall sometimes are too small
4) Price is getting high nowadays

Powmr is quite dependable but always try to confirm that the display voltage matches the output, sometimes they're usually off by few units.

For the old powmr, you can use 10mm, split it and connect to each of the dual terminals.

The new model's terminal should take 10mm with ease.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Felicity have a decent 1.5Kva 12v and 2.5Kva 12v inverter.

Do you have any personal experience with these new felicity inverters especially the non hybrid types?
I've been longing to know their idle draw because I'm not sure if the transformer is iron core or toroidal (I saw a picture of it but wasn't sufficient to know).

Anyone has a personal experience should also share, thanks.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
so the only way to achieve good results is dedicate a 12v charger to each 12v battery string and let them do a thorough battery charge - whether you are equalizing flooded battery or 'controlled overcharging' GEL or AGM, this is the way to go - battery maintenance is best done at the single battery level and not in series.

The question then comes what to do with 2v and 6v standalone batteries. I have left that to the more vibrant new generation of enthusiasts to figure out

Thanks for your contribution as always. I need some clarification.
I believe generally, charging each battery in it's isolated state with a 12V charger is normal but based on your experience and what you've practically done, do you attach the 12V charger to each battery's terminal without disconnecting them from the string?

Also, do you switch off solar charging for them while doing so or the solar charging continues while the individual chargers also charge the batteries while being powered from the grid or Gen?

earthrealm:


10kva inverter is a no no for just 4 pieces of 12volts x 200ah batteries.
Any installer who gave you that option needs to be shot @ sunset...and shot again @ sunrise if still found moving...

Its your proposed load that will determine the size of inverter you buy.
Those inverter you posted, hope you know they usually have a high idle consumption.the bigger the inverter kva, the bigger the idle consumption.
Most.hybrids hv lower idle consumption

Are really you sure those icellpower inverters have high idle consumption?

TechGeek777:
Please guys which among the below 300W Solar Panel can Max out close to it Wattage and that can also perform well even in this endless raining season?

Auxano
Felicity
Flame
SunPower
Rubitech

Kindly help arrange the above panels base on the one that performs optimally on a scale of 1 - 5

Don't touch Rubitec panels. DON'T