PCFormat Forum Archive

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 14:35**

Nah, 'tis in the ceiling. Freaking RDP housing.

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 14:39**

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 14:39**

I think that you have to have a switch for your geyser on your board, I'm sure it's a requirement. Maybe your board has been incorrectly labelled, check it out.

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 14:39**

MIA wrote:lol Hman... Next to your house's main switch, there is a switch for the geyser too, so why would you want to get in the roof? (well, at least that is how it is in my house)

That must be at your switchboard. It is in any case a legal requirement for all houses... Thus, what they are installing is more units for the Ripple System.

Ripple Systems has been in use for looong times, thus this is nothing new...

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 14:45**

Yea, what i meant was the swithboard.

Hman, i dont know about the rest of you, but on my switchboard the main switch and geyser switch looks like 2 switches that has been combined into 1 (respectively). On my board you get the normal switches (white) and then the mains/geyser (green and white, not respectively)

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 14:49**

No, no. It sounded like a device that lets Eskom switch your geyser off independently of the rest of your home. Freaky I know.

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 14:53**

SBSP wrote:
Acidkidsa wrote:I will find out from my friend what the correct name is called.
What he explained to me it does sound like a big UPS.

Yeah its an invertors....Pricey.....And power drains to quick.

I live in a complex and generators are not aloud...
What to do ??

http://www.inverter.co.za/house-backup-inverter.htm
If you buy one of those cheap upses from rectron i think they go for +- R500 and you add Car batteries to it in parallel or a couple of bike batteries you will get more time from it.

A UPS is an inverter with a Built in battery BTW.

all the inverter does is it steps the voltage up from 12DC to 220V AC by using an ocilirater (Spelling) on a Transformer, Basically switching + - poles at a 50 to 60HZ.

If you take a normal transformer and you put a normal 1.5v penlite on the end where there is supposed to putting out lower volts and you scratch the poles whilts touching the ends where the 220 volts is supposed to go in you will feel a slight shock.

Im sure if you use google you will find how to build your own inverter.

But remember if you add more batteries to a ready made UPS you need to upgrade some wires as well, Cus if i'm not mistaken a car battery can deliver up to 15 amps and will melt wires if there is too much load.

The shocks you feel playing with a 1.5v battery and a transformer is accually from the Back-EMF, not the 1.5v

No need to put in thicker wires, you can't pull more amps than what the ups can handle. at 400W it will be 33A. I'm running 2x 170Ah batteries on a 2KW UPS, its running my whole room. No probs whatsoever. You will need to add a rapid charger with regulater to your batteries though, a normal UPS charge at 0.8A, thus it will take 100hours to fill a 80Ah battery. Btw a car battery can give far more than 15A, closer to 100+A

A car battery will work, but not as well as a backup battery. they can give insane peak Amps, but are low Ah(think most are 60Ah or something)

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:02**

D3PART3D wrote:No, no. It sounded like a device that lets Eskom switch your geyser off independently of the rest of your home. Freaky I know.

On second thoughts, perhaps because I assumed EVERYBODY has a switch on their mainboard, thats how I interpreted what they were saying.

if so then ROFL @ me.
*were you ever so embarassed you hoped there'd be an Eishkom blackout so the darkness would swallow you?

*

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:02**

Kwl cus i'm thinking of building a UPS.

I have this small Broken UPS laying around and wanted to do this.
I suppose the whole circuit board is designed to only handle whats its designed to handle

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:06**

D3PART3D wrote:No, no. It sounded like a device that lets Eskom switch your geyser off independently of the rest of your home. Freaky I know.

That sounds like a similar device they used to check whether people had payed their tv licenses. It looked like some antenna which they stick out of their car window while driving around in the neighborhood. Funniest thing ever! I still cant believe they actually showed it on tv and thought people would believe that.

Its just a scare tactic me thinks...

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:08**

Yup its pretty easy to do, I had a 400VA UPS on a 105Ah battery before, it runs my PC and 19' screen. Once had a power outage for 3h and it took my pc though that 3h. Atm I don't use an external charger, we don't have alot of power probs atm. But if you have load shedding, you will need one. A cheap 10A charger with a solar regulator will do the trick.

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:12**

D3PART3D wrote:they are installing devices that will allow them to shut down your geyser remotely...

has to be in the running for "Most retarded energy saving idea - 2008".

can you imagine the hiccup in supply when they turn them one again?..

turning the thermostat down would make sense. simply turning them all off and then on again creates the sort of draw which blows up transformers... something else which has been happening of late.

only a knee-jerk committee decision could achieve this level of stupidity...

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:17**

Hey ive got an idea.

Cant you connect an inverter to your car then get power from it while its idling ?
Cars these days a quiet and wont make a noise.

All you do is leave it in the garage, Near Plug.

You then trip the mains and all trip switches, connect an inverter to your car, start the car and plug the inverter into the wall.
Then only switch on the lights (Osram lights) ???

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:20**

Lol a 7k generator cannot power your home.

If that was the case then no homeowner would be complaining.

An industrial generator can set you back upwards of 300k and the chances of getting it approved to setup in a residential suburb, probably nil.

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:21**

Yup it will work. Just watch out for your car. Sometimes hours of idle isn't good for them.(eg. TDi engens) also keep an eye on the oil presure.

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:23**

I got a quote for a 80Kw Gennie for +- R250 000 the other day.

The cable alone from the Gen to the building is 80K

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:24**

You guys know that the "real" name for eskom is actually "Eksdom"

No really, its a fact

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:24**

You could, but I guess you'd use more petrol than a generator would, because at idle a car's alternator produces barely enough power to keep the battery charged.

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:24**

Yep, been looking too. Cannot afford it.

Back to the dark-ages I go.

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 15:33**

We need hamsters running on wheels connected to small generators!

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 16:25**

Hman wrote:We need hamsters running on wheels connected to small generators!

far too technically advanced.. remember, part of the 'cost savings' was laying off all those expensive engineers who were snapped up by countries who value expertise......

as koeberg has shown us, we cannot rely on the janitorial staff to manage this sort of project...

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 16:40**

I have a better cost saving idea for them.

Cut the CEO's salary and pay the people that actually work.

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 16:49**

Well Rayne, thats what the shop owner told me. Just goes to show you what he knows... Thought it was too good to be true.

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 16:59**

Load Shedding... one more reason to pick up and leave

Posted: **21 Jan 2008, 22:22**

the schedule is worthless because they hardly ever stick to it.

PCFormat Forum Archive

Load Shedding Schedules - Find out when yours will be off