Is it advisable to buy tokunbo inverter?

Hello everyone, I want to move and I need to put together an affordable source of power. Been trying to read but I'm honestly lost. I have been seeing posts about LifePo, can I get that type of setup too?

It's a 2 bedroom apartment and I'm powering
* A 50 inch smart tV
* A decoder
* A router
* 3 fans
* About 5 or 6 energy saving bulbs


What do I need, how much am I looking at and can anyone help set it up in Lagos (Ajah). Thanks

limsycutey:
Is it advisable to buy tokunbo inverter?

why not. if it is working perfectly.

limsycutey:
Hello everyone, I want to move and I need to put together an affordable source of power. Been trying to read but I'm honestly lost. I have been seeing posts about LifePo, can I get that type of setup too?

It's a 2 bedroom apartment and I'm powering
* A 50 inch smart tV
* A decoder
* A router
* 3 fans
* About 5 or 6 energy saving bulbs


What do I need, how much am I looking at and can anyone help set it up in Lagos (Ajah). Thanks

u have moderate load. u need a
24v 3kva hybrid inverter
24v 280ah Lifepo4 Lithium batteries.
about 3000w of solar panels
budget atleast 1.5m

Who has used this inverter?

Luminous ion 1.5kv.

What is the idle consumption like? Cannot find anything online

Ah!

Valto:
u have moderate load. u need a
24v 3kva hybrid inverter
24v 280ah Lifepo4 Lithium batteries.
about 3000w of solar panels
budget atleast 1.5m

limsycutey:
Hello everyone, I want to move and I need to put together an affordable source of power. Been trying to read but I'm honestly lost. I have been seeing posts about LifePo, can I get that type of setup too?

It's a 2 bedroom apartment and I'm powering
* A 50 inch smart tV
* A decoder
* A router
* 3 fans
* About 5 or 6 energy saving bulbs


What do I need, how much am I looking at and can anyone help set it up in Lagos (Ajah). Thanks

Daboomb:


It is either you did not tell your Installer about all these Appliances you intend to use or he does not know what he is doing.
Just be careful, before you are led into expenses you did not plan for or a situation where you dont get Value for the money spent.

Approximate values:
table top refrigerator = 150W
15 bulbs, (assume energy saving of 10W each) = 150W
2 fans = (2 x 55) = 110W
1.5hp inverter AC = 800W (not sure about this)
50 inches smart tv = 100W
dstv decoder = 25W
iron = 2300W
blending machine = 1800W
toaster = 2000W
Sound System = 75W

Approx Total = 7,510W!
Even a 5KVA Inverter will not allow you to switch on all these Appliances at once

Thanks so much for taking out time to reply.
Actually, here is a breakdown for my appliances

Table top refrigerator = 150w
15 bulbs = 150w
2 fans = 110w
50 inches smart tv = 110w
Dstv decoder = 25w
Sound system = 75w
1.5hp inverter ac = 1200w

Totalling = 1820w

This will be my daily usage whenever there is no electricity (there is constant power supply at night where I stay and sometimes during the day). Do you think this is achievable with a 3.5kva inverter system. (I'm powering a 1 bedroom apartment)

As per batteries, over night usage is mainly;

Table top refrigerator = 150w
15 bulbs = 150w
2 fans = 110w

Total = 410w
Is it possible to get decent hours just on reserved energy on 2 12v 200ah batteries?

Occasionally used Appliances

Iron = 1200w
Toaster = 1400w
Blending machine = 1500w
(I could run these on Nepa just like you suggested)

Thanks.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Ah!

lolz, his load is up to 400 to 500w. however i am a fan of starting your solar journey in a standard and a little bit higher way, to accommodate other hidden loads that will surely come to play. i.e someone in a 2 bedroom will have microwave,he might have to use attimes.

limsycutey:
Hello everyone, I want to move and I need to put together an affordable source of power. Been trying to read but I'm honestly lost. I have been seeing posts about LifePo, can I get that type of setup too?

It's a 2 bedroom apartment and I'm powering
* A 50 inch smart tV
* A decoder
* A router
* 3 fans
* About 5 or 6 energy saving bulbs


What do I need, how much am I looking at and can anyone help set it up in Lagos (Ajah). Thanks

Ordinary 1kva12v inverter go shock u with nice performance with 12v 100amp battery sef worst scenario

Assuming:
6 bulbs x 10w is 60w
Fans say 150w for d 3 ( only at max speed)
Tv say 60w
Decoder 12w
Router less dan 10w i guess

Total : roughly 400w
N.B: Energy meter willl even give less true values of appliances.

60A Powmr MPPT Solar Charge Controller available
Price: 52,000 firm

60A PWM Solar Charge Controller (1 unit)
Price: 10,000 firm

Whatsapp: 09...08....3...74.86..35

Paulfroshman:


Thanks so much for taking out time to reply.
Actually, here is a breakdown for my appliances

Table top refrigerator = 150w
15 bulbs = 150w
2 fans = 110w
50 inches smart tv = 110w
Dstv decoder = 25w
Sound system = 75w
1.5hp inverter ac = 1200w

Totalling = 1820w

This will be my daily usage whenever there is no electricity (there is constant power supply at night where I stay and sometimes during the day). Do you think this is achievable with a 3.5kva inverter system. (I'm powering a 1 bedroom apartment)

As per batteries, over night usage is mainly;

Table top refrigerator = 150w
15 bulbs = 150w
2 fans = 110w

Total = 410w
Is it possible to get decent hours just on reserved energy on 2 12v 200ah batteries?

Occasionally used Appliances

Iron = 1200w
Toaster = 1400w
Blending machine = 1500w
(I could run these on Nepa just like you suggested)

Thanks.

With your current budget, you have to forget the AC, get more energy efficient fans (there are 18W fans, maybe lesser) and power the refrigerator only when your battery is fully charged

Hero2t:


With your current budget, you have to forget the AC, get more energy efficient fans (there are 18W fans, maybe lesser) and power the refrigerator only when your battery is fully charged

Thanks for your input

OkoroPeugeot:
Who has used this inverter?

Luminous ion 1.5kv.

What is the idle consumption like? Cannot find anything online

Yet to check the idle consumption.

I've used one for 7 years running 24/7 and powering two fridges during the hours of 10AM to 3PM

Inverter is just so super rugged, but its charging current is pretty low (around 13A).

That's usually the case of most Indian inverter of this capacity.

mctfopt:


Yet to check the idle consumption.

I've used one for 7 years running 24/7 and powering two fridges during the hours of 10AM to 3PM

Inverter is just so super rugged, but its charging current is pretty low (around 13A).

Idle consumption is usually on the low side. My Sukam 1.6kw was at 28w idle.

That's usually the case of most Indian inverter of this capacity.

Although in my own case it was Sukam (a defunct Indian brand and competitor to luminous) I can attest to the rugged nature or Indian inverters. The pretty much use the same components. If there is one thing negative to be said about them it's they are extremely boring and just get the job done. That and the charge current which is usually low (so year 2 things)

The reason for this is most Indian inverters are designed primarily for the Indian market and thus are calibrated for the Minimum battery setup needed.

They try to ensure they stay within the 10% recommended charge rate of FLA which is the common battery type in India.

House gurus good to see the flag is still firing. It has been a minute since I last posted here but I do check from time to time.

I do have a question. So moving to a new place in Abuja and the choice where to install panels on the roof poses a dilemma for me.

The house roof is at about 17 degrees inclination on both side.

The problem is one side aligns south east while the other aligns north West. The little I know about solar panel direction is. As much as possible align to the South. If not then south west or west. I always feel directly facing east or north should be avoided. (Unless your panel is flat in which case it don't matter )

In my case the west which would have been ideal faces north and the eastern side of the roof faces south.

What do gurus in the house advise.

issy1500:


I have a similar set-up (1.6KVA - 24V) and I added 2 more batteries and it all cool.In my case my inverter has fast charging and power is relatively stable too at least 8-10hrs a day.

I was scared that the Inverter might not be able to fully charge the 4 batteries optimally, so I bought a 50Amp smart charger to support the charging excercise. The 50Amp charger is just there without being put to use because the inverter does the charging perfectly for now.

In my opinion, your inverter should charge the batteries if equiped with fast charging and you do have light for not less than 8-10 hours a day. Though the charging time required for the batteries to get fully charged will be a bit extended.

Please can you recommend a good inverter battery. My ZEDIX battery barely lasted for a year.

bigrovar:
Hi guys I made the transition from my base in abuja to lagos, as such I had to decommission for solar installation over there and sold it (for scraps) to neighbours. I intend to start from stretch a new installation. I have already gotten 9 x 355w Yingli Solar Panels and A Victron Smart MPPT 150/100 Charge controller, I would be reusing my Axpert 3KVA 24v Inverter from the previous project. My problem now is batteries. I am at a loss which battery to go for..

My traditional choice are Tubular Batteries (Flooded) but they can only take limited number of currents.. and with a setup able to output over 100A my fear is even with opportunity loads, I would still be over charging those batteries almost on a daily.

AGM seems to be the way to go and Yes everyone says Quanta truth is Quanta's own datasheet https://www.quanta.in/images/pdf/Quanta-SF-Brochure.pdf does not cover itself in glory It states a between a 500 - 700 cycles at 50% depth of discharge this is about 2 years max of useful battery life.. economically I don't find it viable. I know people who have been using their battery for more than 2 years and still rave about it. But when a manufacturer says their product will last 2 years if used ideally.. I pay attention.

I am also considering ThunderVolts 6v 400AH from solar deport, unfortunately there is hardly any official spec sheet on the battery, no manufacturer's details, no recommended charge voltage no nothing. Some asked about the spec sheet and got no reply. If anyone has used it before place share your experience

Fullriver is within my purview but most of the fullriver sold in Nigeria within the 200AH range are the HGL Model which are not designed for deep cycle application the DC model designed for deep cycle (hence the name) is only available in 260AH at a price point above my budget.

Monbat too has same issue, the model sold in Nigeria are not designed for deep cycle application (I can be wrong)

If anyone has suggestions on good AGM batteries please share.

Which battery did you go for. How long did it last. I need recommendation for a battery that will last for up to 3 years.

simydan:



From all you've said I got about 3 points
1. You want a battery with high charging current.
2. A battery that is durable with longer cycle life
3. Cost effective

I'm certain that lithium ion phosphate (lifepo4) will work very well for you, except for the price aspect.
It comes with a very high cost but if you get a good one, it will pay off in the long run. If built to you spec, they can be charged and discharged at their rated current and can go 2000 cycles at 100% depth of discharge and still retain 80% of their initial capacity. Up to 5000 cycles at 80% DOD.

Not to say that, there are no other batteries within the agm, gel, flooded etc that are good. Actually there is but most of my research and test centered on lifepo4 so I can't give you device on the others but, if you chose to go for lifepo4 then, I can help out.

How much will it cost to buy 100ah lifepo4 battery.

bigrovar:
House gurus good to see the flag is still firing. It has been a minute since I last posted here but I do check from time to time.

I do have a question. So moving to a new place in Abuja and the choice where to install panels on the roof poses a dilemma for me.

The house roof is at about 17 degrees inclination on both side.

The problem is one side aligns south east while the other aligns north West. The little I know about solar panel direction is. As much as possible align to the South. If not then south west or west. I always feel directly facing east or north should be avoided. (Unless your panel is flat in which case it don't matter )

In my case the west which would have been ideal faces north and the eastern side of the roof faces south.

What do gurus in the house advise.

Good morning Bigrovar,

I want to assume that you don't have much space in your compound to execute a ground mount, hence this dilemma; otherwise you could do a ground mount and orient/incline your array properly

However, if you're looking at roof mount, I don't actually know the size of your array. If you have 12 or more PV modules, I'll recommend you simply split them into two streams of Array... One stream on South-East and second stream on North-West. And then incline them approximately.
This, in my PERSONAL opinion, should be a good option.

NB: kindly note that two streams of PV Array on two different orientations would require each stream to have its independent CC (whether standalone or incorporated into a hybrid inverter)

Cheers

Is there in house support for people without tech skills/ time for self assembly to help couple their batteries? This will assist some decision making.
Thanks.

earthrealm:



So the last group buy before the year ends.
Similar terms as the last groupbuy of february.
Send mail to indicate interest and be added to the telegram group buy channel. Prices are a bit higher now..85 to 92usd per cell. Eves/Rept.
Seafreight 3 to 5months---- naija ports are congested, we waited 1 extra months cos of this the last groupbuy

Skyhigh0455 at yahoo dot com . send your request

Keemie:


Which battery did you go for. How long did it last. I need recommendation for a battery that will last for up to 3 years.

The battery I used back then is no longer in the market (Mercury Tubular Battery)

I currently use a battery with the same chemistry which I got from Lagos the name is Exide TI 750. It is also a tubular battery. I am already making plans to move to LifeP04.

My current battery is already doing 3 years easy and that is because the whole system is designed around a daily battery depth of discharge at 15-25% so the battery is almost always at between 80-100% full. This is whole the setup was designed (I basically run on solar during the day and rely on NEPA at night - leveraging on 20 hours premium power guarantee available in my area)

mcTrinity:


Good morning Bigrovar,

I want to assume that you don't have much space in your compound to execute a ground mount, hence this dilemma; otherwise you could do a ground mount and orient/incline your array properly

However, if you're looking at roof mount, I don't actually know the size of your array. If you have 12 or more PV modules, I'll recommend you simply split them into two streams of Array... One stream on South-East and second stream on North-West. And then incline them approximately.
This, in my PERSONAL opinion, should be a good option.

NB: kindly note that two streams of PV Array on two different orientations would require each stream to have its independent CC (whether standalone or incorporated into a hybrid inverter)

Cheers

I considered this option too but like your rightly noted it would require separate CC which would rack up my cost considerably.

I would have preferred a ground mount system but the total land area is 440sqm with only 121sqm land area available once you take out the house. This means that to prevent shading or partial shading, I would need a ground mount system that would be as high as the house. That is a lot of money (judging by the cost of building materials) might just be better to spend that money on extra panels.

My first choice remain to find the optimal part of the roof to throw all the panels (15 planned) and terminate to a single charge controller. I might adjust the orientation to make the panels as flat as can be without affecting the integrity of the roof.

Am hearing saying flat orientation! just note that every panel perform optimal when the sun ray strike the panels at 90degree, so from our latitude only on equinox’s season that you will have more generation but less during winter and summer due to sun position

You're a techie / automation somebody yourself if i remember correctly. Would it be possible to have the strings still separate and combined at the CC or inverter but switch either at the time of the day when the sun is crossing over or if the voltage level per string drops to a certain value in comparison to the other?
That way you save the cost on the extra CC....hmm, but overall harvest per day would probably be reduced. Hmmm.

bigrovar:


I considered this option too but like your rightly noted it would require separate CC which would rack up my cost considerably.

I would have preferred a ground mount system but the total land area is 440sqm with only 121sqm land area available once you take out the house. This means that to prevent shading or partial shading, I would need a ground mount system that would be as high as the house. That is a lot of money (judging by the cost of building materials) might just be better to spend that money on extra panels.

My first choice remain to find the optimal part of the roof to throw all the panels (15 planned) and terminate to a single charge controller. I might adjust the orientation to make the panels as flat as can be without affecting the integrity of the roof.

Dishtech:
Am hearing saying flat orientation! just note that every panel perform optimal when the sun ray strike the panels at 90degree, so from our latitude only on equinox’s season that you will have more generation but less during winter and summer due to sun position

True but flat or about 10 degree inclination towards true south will give you the best all year round solar yield in Nigeria. Hard to achieve this given hour our roofing in Nigeria so as much as possible try to get the best outcome from your situation.

litaninja:
You're a techie / automation somebody yourself if i remember correctly. Would it be possible to have the strings still separate and combined at the CC or inverter but switch either at the time of the day when the sun is crossing over or if the voltage level per string drops to a certain value in comparison to the other?
That way you save the cost on the extra CC....hmm, but overall harvest per day would probably be reduced. Hmmm.

That would be unnecessarily complicating things. Better to have an array not optimally aligned than to have 1 off. If am going to put them on either side of the roof. Best to use different CC.

durodee:
Is there in house support for people without tech skills/ time for self assembly to help couple their batteries? This will assist some decision making.
Thanks.

That would be possible, on a personal arrangment.best with whoever is in your city.
Shouldnt be a big deal.
However it may be for another groupbuy, as this present one is almost concluded...almost 200cells ordered ......omo men dey here wey believe lithium dieeeeeeeeee

earthrealm:


That would be possible, on a personal arrangment.best with whoever is in your city.
Shouldnt be a big deal.
However it may be for another groupbuy, as this present one is almost concluded...almost 200cells ordered ......omo men dey here wey believe lithium dieeeeeeeeee

There was never a doubt that lithium is now and the future(for a limited time though). I have 18650s that has done close to 10years and counting.

Oshomo12:


There was never a doubt that lithium is now and the future(for a limited time though). I have 18650s that has done close to 10years and counting.

LiFePO4 is the way going forward. Mine is over a year now and still waxing stronger. I no longer bother about daily floating just like when I was on SMF LA Ba3.It hardly discharges even with heavy usage,how I wish I knew earlier...........

This is one serious and game changing release from the Chinese automaker GAC, yes the same GAC that sells their ICE vehicles in Nigeria. A thousand kilometers range electric SUV (the Eion) to be announced as the Chinese autoshow November 19.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t97RYSIcx2o

Oshomo12:


There was never a doubt that lithium is now and the future(for a limited time though). I have 18650s that has done close to 10years and counting.

Una dey try for those 18650s, too many parts = too many failure points, what if a bunch of cells fail?. How would you know the exact ones that failed?.

Do u use bms with them?

bigrovar:


Although in my own case it was Sukam (a defunct Indian brand and competitor to luminous) I can attest to the rugged nature or Indian inverters. The pretty much use the same components. If there is one thing negative to be said about them it's they are extremely boring and just get the job done. That and the charge current which is usually low (so year 2 things)

The reason for this is most Indian inverters are designed primarily for the Indian market and thus are calibrated for the Minimum battery setup needed.

They try to ensure they stay within the 10% recommended charge rate of FLA which is the common battery type in India.

100% correct!

The inverter is a workhorse, super boring, but gets the job done. The boring display is taken care off by addition of an energy meter.

You just can't play with any settings, but this inverter is kept at a place most non premium inverter will fail- no external cooling, dust prone area. But the lil donkey kept trudging on. Lol