₦airaland Forum

Yea the snails are mostly AF. I caught a glimpse of one AM.
Once they (AF) start laying eggs and hatch that cage won't contain. You need be planning for extra pen for the baby snails.

Make sure the pen isn't in flooded area too.

I am also rearing some snails I picked from my garden. AM and AF.
Already laid some eggs

oyetpel:
I later devised a plan to keep the goats out.

Check the picture below

LOL - to keep goats away, all u need to do is get goat faeces (shit), mix it with water, sieve it and spray on the plants.
Anything that goat faeces or urine touches, they will never taste it. they usually smell before eating so once they perceive the smell the look away. You can spray it weekly or 2 weeks.

it worked for me

About how many plants of beans will give you a full bag after harvest (or how many acres)?

Good day to you all. It was great stumbling on this thread over a month back. I am a christian (Catholic). I've been reading from page one and now at 137th page.
I just want to acknowledge the usefulness of this thread in creating in-depth knowledge of God and the way things play out in the spiritual realm.

Through this thread I got to know about many other preachers and articles. I've now read and listened to preachings of people like Kenneth Haggin, Pastor Bankie and others.

Faith indeed comes by hearing/reading the Word of God. That's exactly what this thread has done for me. Not that I didn't use to read the bible before but sometimes you read but u don't understand or digest.

I don't dream much though. Sometimes when I dream these days and its not a good omen, I wake up and pray to cancel the dream. (As taught by CharlyG).

Let me go back to page 137 to continue. But not before sharing my testimony (Not about demons or spirits though).

I've been working as a contract staff for 4 years now after the company where i was a permanent staff went down. In the new company, they started me with one year contract renewable afterwards. it got renewed after the year for another year. After the second year, things began to shake. Some contracts were not renewed. Some of us that got renewal got 3 months. It continued and worsened to a time they had to give us one month!!!!! At this stage it was so worrisome as rumors had it that the new CIO (there was a change of leadership) will not be keen on retaining the contracts.

I kept on praying asking God to either renew contracts or let the spirit lead me to a new place or direct me to be self employed. As God will have it, the new CIO came and he is someone I had worked with years back. He approved our renewals and kept it running every 3 months.
Now, the contract is ending this 30th june 2017. Many permanent staff are being outsourced already. Some were forcefully resigned. Again we the contractors weren't sure of our fate. I had listened to one of pastor Bankie preaching where he dice-ted use of psalm 23 as prayer point. I applied it, also applied kenneth Haggin preaching on praying in agreement, "If two or three agree on anything on my name....". I called my wife we prayed in agreement over the job. Just last week I was informed my contract is approved for 6 months!!! Isn't that awesome?

There were other testimonies. I learnt not to pray for money. Just pray for help on what you intended to do. You may not get the money to solve the problem, u may just get someone that will solve it without u getting the money. So it was last 2 months when my wife's Dad died. She is the first daughter and expectations on me were high towards the burial. I prayed to God for successful burial (Not for money to do burial) and everything was just perfect to my liking. Even the money came through friends. Among other things we prayed for journey mercies. One amazing thing - after burial we drove back from East to Lagos with our car. 7 hours on the road and our car developed problem but it was few miles from our home (in Lagos). With that fault, the car still took us home even though we were almost crawling. Imagine if it was at Ore or somewhere far!!! I praised God because He answered all our prayers.

On the spirits and demons I haven't really had much to share. There is no night now I don't pray and command any demons to flee as taught here.

I have also been sharing the link to this thread on my facebook and whatsapp groups. I recall CharlyG mentioned attacks do come if one promotes the Word of God. I don't know if this is why I have suddenly started having chest pain (Just a week now). ECG confirmed some abnormalities. May go for more tests but I don't want to hear any thing worse.
I've been praying asking God to use the prescribed drugs to perform His healing and miracle because, "...by His stripes I have been healed". Intercede for me too please.

That book Howard Pittman on demons was a great insight ( Can't remember who shared it). It collaborates what CharlG had been revealing to us.

I thanks all the contributors from Charles, Oyeduf, Alice (Ana02?), not sure if Voos is still here, Temi, Nnamdi etc.

Running back to page 137.......

I agree with Seen on use of inorganic pesticides if it persists.
Take a beetle u picked, spray the neem solution on it as you would if spraying the plants. See if it kills it.

If it dies then ensure you target the plants well while spraying. If not, straight to inorganic pesticides. (Or manual picking)

jidestroud:
It's the in-road from LASU to igando. When you get to iyanaba, take a walk down as if you are going to igando. When you get to where the buses make a U-turn back to igando road, ask anybody where they sell agricultural seeds and products there, you would be directed to the very spot. You can't miss it.

You could try Alaba too, it's a more bigger market there

Oh thanks. I appreciate bro

jidestroud:
Okay, the places I visited were;
1. Agric (along badagry expr road), just after barracks
2. Along LASU road (where most farmer's around there get their products from.
3. Was directed to Alaba Rago
4. From there, I was asked to go to Apapa, Dizengoff to be precised, along Creek road.
5. Later on checked the Agricultural institute in Badagry, Ikoga (Pota, hope I got that right)
6. Then came back to some agro-allied stores at Agbara bus-stop.

Goodnews though, I was able to place an order for the product online (alibaba) through the help of a friend. Will be updating with pictures when it arrives, can't wait.
Also, placed an order for strawberry seeds, (I just hope I ain't over exploiting my garden dreams)

Please the LASU road u referred to, is it still along the badagry Express or the in-road from LASU to Igando?
Just want to know how to locate the place because I want to also buy so stuffs like NPKin paint buckets plus other farm materials.

If I stop at Iyana Oba, how do I get to the place and how do I get to Alaba Rago too from there

Well-done bro

Trippledots:
Pls where did u get d watt meter and how much?

Sorry I was off the thread for a while. You can either get from the guys selling it here or get from AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/me027-EU-Plug-energy-power-meter-230V-16A-AC-KWH-Consumption-Monitor-Analyzer-watt-meters-FREE/32716424186.html?

Cheers

BoluwGoldenFarm:
We have kids of goats that start with 3 kids at first birth for sale

Call 08120528950 Limited numbers available

U do not reply ure messages boss (SMS & whatsapp)
Can I get 2 of the kid goats in Lagos? How much?

08054179764

TellBlazer:
Is not a joke oo boss,Am vary serious.

Am interested in the goat . If u are selling, buzz me
0805 417 9764.
I need male though

efuro:
Solar is addictive. We always need to improve/upgrade our set up to improve its efficiency. Do all you can my brother, the sun is waiting & wasting !

I think u can use watt meter to estimate ur usage over nite & shut down or trim off loads. I use 24v microtex just like ur sukam with 7200wh battery bank but I keep my loads as low as 150w- 170w over nite & battery still read around 24.9v-25.2 daily which I pump to 28.8v absorbing for 2hrs and floating @ 28v by 11am-1pm ( from my 1050w PV I.e 7 150w panels)

Pls work on ur load @ nite if you don't have immediate plans to upgrade.

Thanks Bro

bigrovar:
before upgrading. why not spend some time to optimize your system better from generation to load side. From what you have posted so far your current system is not well optimised, your panels are generating well below their rated capacity, and your battery is being drained too close to the grave meaning your load could also use some optimization. Take some time to check your connection, panel orientation and such. Also take a look at your load.. might even be cheaper to sell of some energy inefficient appliance and get something newer and more efficient.. might even give u better result than buying a new panel.. give it a thought

Thanks Bigrovar.
I've started with Load Optimization. Got Watt meter last week. It has really been insightful seeing somethings consuming load than I would have otherwise thought.

dapsyra:
Allowing your 48V battery bank deplete to 41V which represent 100% DOD before cutoff will send your batteries to an early grave.

I quite agree. Actually concern is how to set the cutoff..the Sukam inverter I use has no such setting.
If there is a way of setting the cutoff on the inverter please do share.

I plan to upgrade the panel size first , then the battery bank. It was during the panel upgrade that the issue CC smoking came up . And I quite agree with your analysis suggesting that the CC is maxed out.

I definitely have to upgrade the CC because 3 new panels are lying on d roof wasting. More so over time, I will still add few more panels

Saipro:
I strongly suspect the panel position/angles are not optimal. Seemingly common. Cable size and length are just as culpable.

All cables from panels to cc is 10mm
Length from panels to CC not more than 15yards

It could really be the panel positioning.....the first ones are not facing south...

chris81964:
First number is immediate production from your panels
Second number is total production from when the controller woke up that day
Third is your battery voltage
Fourth is the current being pumped into your batteries
When you provided the data was your battery bank in bulk absorb or float? In bulk it is putting maximum current, in absorb it is maintaining voltage so current could be lower depending on what else is going on. In float just enough current to keep that batteries topped up.
Watts = volts X amps. Amps is also current

Hi Chris,
I didn't take not of the state. I will check the readings again at various times today and note the states as well - whether bulk or absorb or float

Kind regards

DUNKA:
What is your low battery cut off voltage set as?

I don't have any settings for it. The inverter beeps once the voltage drops to 41v and below

dapsyra:
So, the figures are for the output of the CC.

If you have never seen above 25A output from the CC going into your 48V battery from 2,340W (9*260w) array, then something is not optimal.

Either there is an issue with the panel installation/cabling or your overnight usage is so small that your CC is throttling down in order not to overcharge the batteries.

I do know that Current (A) is an instantaneous figure. That means I must be glued to the CC to get the exact reading. Its possible it has exceeded the 25A while I wasn't watching or maybe not. Below though are other readings from logged data in the CC. Would it help to determine if the system is optimal or not?

Am not sure if Morningstar displays incoming and outgoing values.
The figures I quoted are what is displayed, it doesn't indicate if it's IN or OUT.
Presently this is what the CC reads

1134W
3760WH
52V
21.2A

kiekie1:
40a mppt 12/24/48v @ 80k

Thanks Boss. Will revert

Meanwhile, I have 9 * 260W panels connected to my 45A Morningstar CC. I never saw current of over 25A on the CC. The panels are rated 8.1A.
Connection is 3 in series then 3 strings paralleled. My thoughts were that with the 3 strings in parallel, the max current would be 24A (8.1*3).
Which means i can still comfortably add additional string of 3 panels to make it 4 strings in parallel (12 panels in all. which is 32A).

I made the connection, but the moment i plugged in the fuses, the CC sparked and smoked!!! I had unplug the fuse with speed of light. I cross checked the connections, measured the voltage from the new stings and polarities and it looked all OK.
I then went to the CC manual then noticed the max power for 45A is 2500W. Hmmm....
With my 9 panels I obviously had 9 * 260W = 2340W. But with the 12 panels, its 3120W. I was convinced the CC is maxed out.
Luckily the CC operated fine after the smoking (that's after I disconnect the new panels)

But I was sharing this with someone and he thought the CC can accommodate my additional 3 panels as they all combined has not reached the 45A Maximum rating. He thought I may have had a wrong connection (I doubt though).

Can the profs in the house help me analyze please. All panels are poly

bigrovar:
management of nairaland is a joke.. I was once banned here twice for a post that was purely educational and inline with the discussion here.. yet something like this was allowed to be posted.

what is the size of that freezer?

Hi,
its Haier Thermocool Chest Freezers (HTF 379)
Dimension (W*D*H)mm 1055*745*855

Got the watt meter yesterday. Very interesting recording my readings. One 'small' TV the kids use often read 137W while the big one I usually chase them away from read 78W !!

The freezer starts with 326W but goes down to 240W in less than 10 seconds.
The sowing machines my wife run starts with 576W and goes down to 132W steadily.

For the devices that start high and then normalizes at Low watts, what is the advised time to operate them. Because of the high power the draw at startup, will be advised to still put them on inverter when sun is getting down - say 4 to 5pm? (Even though they operate at much lower Watt after start up)

Meanwhile, if anyone has a spare 40 to 45A MPPT controller 48v, kindly buzz me. Got new panels to add but my controller has maxed out

Cheers

dapsyra:
Before replacing the batteries, experiment with a good battery balancer first. If the batteries does not improve, the balancer will still be useful on your new battery bank.

You need a balancer that is active during both charging and discharging cycles.

Here is the one I use:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/battery-equalizer-battery-balancer-for-4pcs-12V-battery-connected-in-series-for-48V-battery-system-solar/32643622608.html

As at now (Today) this particular equalizer in the url is finished (Out of stock). You may try this one:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Battery-equalizer-HA02-4-X-12V-used-for-lead-acid-batteris-Balancer-charger-for-48V-Gel/32530155274.html?

EnigmaticEnigma:
How much is a cheap solar installer?

Just have two small panels I wanna get on a roof, nothing major.

Nothing major? LOL. Really u can do it yourself. This is DIY forum. If you follow all the posts in here, you can pull it. But before you start, you need to size the system well, if not, you will never enjoy the solar and you will continue to spend more especially in changing batteries.

So first, calculate all the load u want to run on inverter and how many hours each will run in a day. The loads will be in Watts
. E.g Fan 50W x 7 hrs; TV 80W x 6hrs; bulbs 8 x 15W x 8 (8 bulbs of 15W each to run 8 hrs) etc. Do this for all the devices.
Then we get the total WH
From there we calculate and determine the size of the battery that will carry the load adding efficiency factor and DOD.
Then we calculate the amount of solar charges (panels) that is adequate for charge the battery bank.

If you get the figures right, then you can start mounting the panels and you will enjoy your setup.

bigrovar:
I do not disagree with anything you have said. Only thing I added was for him to look at the economics of solar to consider if it is worth it. This was in response to the brother that gave a ball park figure of what it could cost to implement solar based on the energy figure he gave.

Go on Nigerian Twitter I am one of the biggest promoter of RE and solar energy. However RE should not just be about power generation it is about economy and conservation of energy. All three most go together to be viable. No point going solar if in your case the economics and opportunity cost won't favour your business. Especially if your business is AC and heavy machine intensive.. the start up cost might be such that it would be difficult to recoup back before your first financial maintenance usually the battery. Even if you could. That up front might just be too much to release one time.

For me I planned my system over a 12 months period.. making adjustments and creating efficiencies in areas like ensuring my house had natural cooling even during hot season.. this involved choosing what part of the city I site my house, type of window, where my window is facing etc. I took 600w off my power needs by outsourcing security and external lighting to external solar security motion sensor lights that cost less than $60. Invested in energy saving bulbs from Philips highest of which is 11w but most are 8 and 5w. Got an LED 43 TV that uses 35w. A freezer that can run even with 800w inverter (startup surge and all) all this I got 12 months before buying my first solar equipment.

And when I started buying, it was in piecemeal over a period of 10 months. 2 240w panel, charge controller, inverter, breakers, mc4 connectors, crimpers , wire lugs etc.. last thing I got was the battery which I got in may this year. System has since been live. My earlier activity at conserving energy has been a success.. my room is always chilled never used the AC there once and it has no fan. Just added a 3rd panel 220w panel to put my string at 660w. The result is here http://twitter.com/bigbrovar/status/757182083127185409?s=09

Still approach to solar should be from an economic point of view in my opinion. My investment made sense because I was spending close to 480k yearly on generator hence investing 450k on a solar setup with a battery rated at 1200 cycles at 80% dod (which is cycled daily at 35% dod) is a no brainier for me. Everytime I think of the money spent.. I remember the cost of generator and I have no regrets.

Still I will always recommend that people do their maths to see if the economics favours going solar. As much progress has been made. Solar is still not affordable. Battery tech is still background. Over 90% of off grid solar rely on Lead acid batteries which are highly inefficient when it comes to charging and discharging. New technologies in batteries are not mainstream yet and are very very expensive. When I can purchase a power wall battery for 150k that can will store at least 5200wh of energy and I can totally discharge it and replenish without worrying about dod. Then we would no that we have arrived. For now. Alternative energy is still alternative. It requires separate set of thinking outside how you approach grid power.

Hi Bigrovar,
I took interest in the Bolded.
You mean you purchased a security system that is solar powered and run it separately off you inverter? Can you share details of the external solar security motion sensor lights please?

Barezzi:
Neat install bro...
I don't get what you mean in the quote above. Do you have 2 sets of light points?
If yes, you might consider placing them in a separate db powered only by PHCN.
That way your kids wont have to scramble for the LED bulbs whenever you experience load shedding.

See a rough sketch of my setup below. I have 3 DBs...
1. Main db: PHCN only loads.
2. Secondary db: Powered by PHCN or PV/Inverter depending on time of day.
3. Critical db: PV/Inverter only loads.

My secondary db is powered by Inverter/Solar from 9am to 5pm daily. It then switches automatically to PHCN if available from 5pm to 9am the following morning.

Hello Barezzi,
nice setup you have there. Well done. Few clarifications:
1. What is the capacity of the Timer Switch deployed? because I noticed you have heavy appliances running on the DB controlled by the Timer Switch

2. The Automatic Transfer switch ... Does it auto switch to NEPA after 3pm? OR you have no change over? (Like knife switch)

Cheers

dapsyra:
Hello Pdozie,

It all depend on your battery configuration. Either one or two equalizers can work.

If you have eight 12v batteries in a "2 strings of 4 " arrangement, then your require 2 equalizers.

But you can make do with only 1 equalizer if you arrange the batteries in a "1 string of 2 batteries" formation. This arrangement require you to parallel two 12v batteries and then four in series. See attached image,

Thanks Dapsyra,
I will rather source for 2. Anything that can make my battery last longer now is worth doing. Changing batteries almost every 1.5yrs isn't moi moi. Though in my case new loads were introduced that exceeded initial calculation.

It is well

dapsyra:
Thank you for the nice words.

The battery equalizer ensures that the batteries are within 0.2v of one another. It is the only battery equalizer that I have installed that really works. Before I installed it, the differences between my battery voltages is as much as 2.5v at times. During the absorb charging stage, the weakest battery will quickly rise to 15.6v while the strongest is still at 13.1v. All the other batteries will have various values in between the two extremes. This rapid increase in voltage of the weakest battery raise the array average disproportionally and prevent the other batteries from charging properly. This issue was effectively resolved by the battery equalizer and my batteries are now always within 0.2v of one another.

The desulphator is used to desulphate my SMF AGM batteries. The AGM batteries are 4years old and are beginning to to show signs of old age.

For the Mercury 220AH batteries, I set absorb=57.8V, float=54.4V and equalize=62V. The Mercury MC5048E Inverter cannot handle battery voltages above 58V, so I was forced to set the absorb voltage slightly below that limit.

I always disconnect the Mercury batteries from the Inverter before triggering equalization from the Charge Controller.

Hello dapsyra,
If you have 8 batteries in 48v setup whereby 2 strings of 4 batteries in series are paralleled, how would you connect the battery equalizer? Would you buy two of the equalizer or can you use one to connect all?

mank1234:
Does anyone has link for a cheaper DC surge arrester 120V, 125V or 150V? The midnite series is damn too costly.

Any cheaper and efficient alternatives?? Greetings to everyone