Inverter (Inverter, AC charger, MPPT solar charger): R13000
Batteries (4x100Ah): R6000
Battery cabinet: R1000
- http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/178019194/battery_cabinet_105ahx4.html
Battery cabling and lugs: R500
Make sure to get the lugs crimped properly. Don't forget you'll need cables between each battery. Make sure you get the right type of lug for your battery, I'm using 6mm ring lugs, but some batteries use post terminals (eg a car battery)
DB Board, MCBs, Changeover switches, wiring: R3000
I'll try write another blog post about the DB board, but if in doubt get an electrician to do this.
Electrician to wire in DB: R2500
I got wildly varying quotes. This is the cheapest for installation and certificate of compliance.
Total R26K
I bought the stuff and wired up the DB board myself to save a few bucks. It's quite a tedious job.
I just got an electrician in to pull out the old DB and wire in the new one.
*This is an old photo, the breakers on the bottom left are place-holders for a changeover switch
Hi Scott, Thanks for your informative blog and video series. I'm from Pretoria and I seriously consider a backup system like yours. Where did you buy the hardware? Wouldn't it be cheaper to bet a 4KVA generator with a transfer switch to your DB Board instead?
ReplyDeleteHi Stephan,
ReplyDeleteThe South African supplier is called Electrilabs, but they don't sell to the public. They'll put you onto a supplier though. But I've seen the inverters cheaper on Gumtree recently if you're willing to risk it.
A generator would definitely be much cheaper but I live in a complex where the noise would be an issue. As for the ATS, I wanted to be able to switch individual circuits out of the inverter supply. I'll write another blog post about my db board layout when I'm feeling less lazy...
Cheers,
Scott
Hello, How is the inverter doing? is it still working? I am looking to get this but a bit concern as to the durability
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