Help in figuring out invertor needs

mountainannie

Platinum
Dec 11, 2003
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Hi,, I am trying to help a friend who lives out in the outskirts of La Romana.. where they get electricity 3 hours in the morning and 8 hours at night.

They have 6 light bulbs, one fridge with a freezer inside, one TV, one DVD player, one fan... and.. in the future, they hope,, a computer..


They are trying to figure out how much of an invertor they are going to need... and how much it should cost them... It is a concrete building with a zinc roof and evidently hotter than hades...

I have been going through the forums but this size is so wildly different than the needs of most of us expats that I could not extrapolate.

Thanks for any help..

Also.. What is the expected life of a battery? I am assuming that it is better to buy the inverter new with the guarantee and have the guy install it.. also buy the batteries from the same place? Does the brand of invertor and battery make a huge difference? Are there tricks to keeping consumption low.. such as.. can you unplug the fridge and plug in the fan? *where is yanandu when you need him?

Also... a bit unrelated... what is the best cheapest way to prevent a burn out on the fridge when the power surges?
 

Olly

Bronze
Mar 12, 2007
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The sizing really depends on the fridge. A 2.5Kw 24 volt invertor will run a fridge. It is the start up current of the compressor that it has to be capable of meeting.
Are there any girls in the house? Hair dryers also take a heavy load - usually about 1.5Kw.

Battery wise your using about 0.5 kwH and 24volt 225 amp hour batteries (4X 6 Volt Batteries) have about 4.5KwH available. (80% efficiency) This would last about 8 to 9 hours. If the power outage is longer than that then you need to consider 8 Batteries.
The Fridge and TV are the significant users of power.

Hope that helps

Olly
 

mountainannie

Platinum
Dec 11, 2003
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The sizing really depends on the fridge. A 2.5Kw 24 volt invertor will run a fridge. It is the start up current of the compressor that it has to be capable of meeting.
Are there any girls in the house? Hair dryers also take a heavy load - usually about 1.5Kw.

Battery wise your using about 0.5 kwH and 24volt 225 amp hour batteries (4X 6 Volt Batteries) have about 4.5KwH available. (80% efficiency) This would last about 8 to 9 hours. If the power outage is longer than that then you need to consider 8 Batteries.
The Fridge and TV are the significant users of power.

Hope that helps

Olly

it is a small fridge... with an inside freezer no self defrost

I think that he is going to have to scour his hood and sit down with the papacitos and get edumacated on this one....
 

donP

Newbie
Dec 14, 2008
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Safe Side

I'd use
1 inverter Trace DR3624
8 batteries Trojan T-105
(bought from a store where stock moves fast and come in one batch; e.g. La Sirena)

With that you'd be on the safe side and this is what you want here.

Battery life can be up to 4 years, if treated well...
Fridges should not be unplugged for saving energy as it would shorten its life considerably.

donP
 

donP

Newbie
Dec 14, 2008
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Always worth checking out the compraventas for used inverters.
It takes an expert to check it out though.
Corrosion, exchanged low quality parts (tarjetas, Mosfets) pose a risk.
A load test is compulsary.
And: good inverters treat your batteries nicely (see charging diagram), others ruin them.
donP
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
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Good advice so far in this thread. With only 11 hours of power each day, unless they are very frugal with electricity, they will be constantly bringing the batteries below 50% of their charge which will dramatically shorten their lives. For that reason it is better to go with 8 batteries instead of 4. I recommend Luis Hernandez and Associates as a place to purchase batteries since they are a major battery importer to the DR.
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
3,479
731
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I second the Trace suggestion. If cost isn't an option, go for a sine wave inverter. They are less harmful on electronics and slightly more efficient.

Another benefit of sine wave inverters is that your fans don't grumble and keep you awake if you're trying to sleep. Trace inverters also protect from surges and brown-outs so that covers the fridge protection question.

A 2.5KW should be more than sufficient. 3KW is ample to run your Fridge, TV, computer, the lights and a few fans. The most power consuming component of the computer is the monitor. Newer LCD screens are much more efficient, or even get a laptop, they consume very little in comparison.

Considering the hours of your electricity supply, I would go for 8 batteries. Trojan with the red wine coloured top seem to have the best reputation, but beware of fakes. Buy from Pricesmart or La Sirena.

I'm actually running Interstate batteries with the green top myself. They are nearly three years old now and still going strong.
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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I Think "OLLY" Has It Right!

2.5 should be more than enough. I also think that 24 volts,4X 6volts,or,2X24 volts will give at least 8 hours,or more.You can start with 24 volts,if that is not enough,you can go to 8 later.
I have a 3.6 Trace invertor,and 12 Ford Motorcraft deep cycle batteries,6 volts each.I have had them over 5 years.They have all pretty much
"DIED"!
I live in Arroyo Hondo on a "24/7" power grid.It does go off from time to time,but not for more than a few minutes to a few hours.I have a generator of 20 kilos if I need power,huracanes,civil wars,etc. I am going to go with only 4 new 6volt batteries.
I take it that this is a Dominican family? Who probably are not "POWER PIGS" like we Americans are! I would not use a microwave,a "blower",a Toaster,or an "iron" when on the invertor.Things that "Heat Up", or "Cool Down" use a lot of power fast.You can "trip" the invertor's fuse if you have to much "draw".I did it a few days ago when I turned on a bread toaster.
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mountainannie

Platinum
Dec 11, 2003
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yes, this is a Dominican family... a real bare bulb life style. he is from NYC and is trying to figure out life here... which is not so easy to do..

Price IS an issue.. but you are right that the power does not come on for many hours .. And I do not even thing that they have a microwave, toaster or a hairdryer!!

Any idea on the prices for a 2.5 inverter and cost of the batteries and will two be enough to keep them from draining down every day?

And how do you know if you get an "expert" to get one from a compravente? I mean, this place is full of experts!! Is it not better in this case to get one with a guarantee?

Does $17000 to 20k pesos sound right? Way more than he can afford, but ballpark?

Any other ideas on how the hell to keep a fridge going with that sort of electrical service???????

(they do not even have meters there.. just all pay a flat fee of 200 pesos a month.. I can see why they have no meters., I mean there isn't even anyone that they can steal from...)

One idea that he has had.. because he is a NYer,. and does have family who will perhaps help him.. is to get a couple of lap tops and set up an internet cafe with wifi but I cannot imagine how you could run internet without solid electricity????

HOW DO THE PEOPLE HERE MANAGE?

It must be something in the Mangu!!

Thanks.. you guys are terrific!!
 

Criss Colon

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
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"To Unplug,Or To Plug,THAT Is The ????"

I say,"Unplug"!
I have a 22 ft. "fridge" have had it for 12 years.It is NOT connected to my invertor.It must have been,"On & Off" thousands of times,from minutes,to hours."No Problemos!"

4 new 6 volts will cost about 12,to 14 thousand pesos! A 2.5 "Trace" MUST be more than 20,000.by now!
I had an "Eddie Nunez" dominican built 2.5 that was very good,not all the features of a "Trace",but it worked fine.There are a lot of "Criollo" inverters out there.Some good,some bad.Eddie's are good! About half the cost of a TRACE.The "Compra/Venta" is another choice. You just need a great electrician to check it out before you exchange ANY MONEY!

"AZB" has Eddies tel.#
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RV429

Bronze
Apr 3, 2011
1,574
1
36
Hi,, I am trying to help a friend who lives out in the outskirts of La Romana.. where they get electricity 3 hours in the morning and 8 hours at night.

They have 6 light bulbs, one fridge with a freezer inside, one TV, one DVD player, one fan... and.. in the future, they hope,, a computer..


They are trying to figure out how much of an invertor they are going to need... and how much it should cost them... It is a concrete building with a zinc roof and evidently hotter than hades...

I have been going through the forums but this size is so wildly different than the needs of most of us expats that I could not extrapolate.

Thanks for any help..

Also.. What is the expected life of a battery? I am assuming that it is better to buy the inverter new with the guarantee and have the guy install it.. also buy the batteries from the same place? Does the brand of invertor and battery make a huge difference? Are there tricks to keeping consumption low.. such as.. can you unplug the fridge and plug in the fan? *where is yanandu when you need him?

Also... a bit unrelated... what is the best cheapest way to prevent a burn out on the fridge when the power surges?

How much more juice does the washing machine use twice a week or so?
 

RV429

Bronze
Apr 3, 2011
1,574
1
36
They may have or rent or use a neighbors' washing machine as is common practice for laundering clothes. If not and they are washing everything by hand then they are way poor. If they are washing in the river then .......
 

avi8or57

New member
Nov 25, 2010
298
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0
I strongly suggest that your friend find a reputable electrician in his neighborhood, or find one for him that has a battery load tester, then take this individual with you when you purchase the batteries and check each battery they try to sell you! You'll be surprised at what you find! Alot of those batteries they sell are BAD!

As for the inverter, not every one could afford a TRACER UNIT, so if this individual is on a tight budget, then why recommend it!! There are numerous "Criollo inverters" out there that perform well and get the job done for about 15K to 17k pesos new with guarantees. Ask the same electrician, if they get one, "Hey, if you needed a good inverter, where would you go for one?"
 

avi8or57

New member
Nov 25, 2010
298
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Have your friend also look into getting a voltage regulator installed which should protect their goods from power surges.
 

avi8or57

New member
Nov 25, 2010
298
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Example: I have a 3.6kw "Criollo" inverter, 8 batteries (Energy Brand) purchased in Imbert (Inversiones Yolanda) back in 2005 and still going strong. So far, I only had to replace one of the burned out LED indicators on the front panel of the inverter and I recently replaced the batteries due to the years of wear and tear. I had the batteries maintained every month.

18 energy saver bulbs - 6 out of the 18 on all night, every night for perimeter lighting
Large Kenmore split fridge/w frostless freezer left on all the time (read note below)
22" TV, digital cable box, laptop, 3 stand type fans that run constantly

Note: Recently had 13 continuous hours of power outage due to repairs in another area and it was still going, but I had disconnected the fridge. Normally, we lose power for 5 hours in the morning and 5 hours in the evening each day here, beyond that, I immediately disconnect the fridge to save on power consumption.
 

mountainannie

Platinum
Dec 11, 2003
16,350
1,358
113
elizabetheames.blogspot.com
ok,..let me see if I can summarize the wisdom of the Board here

he is going to need a 2,5 inverter with either 4 6 volt or 2 12 volt batteries...

He can probably find a good crillo made inverter

He may even be able to find good batteries at the compra vente

BUT the best thing that he can do is find a good electrician who can help him shop for the invertors and the batteries and help with the installations

Good so far?

He may be looking at as much as $17000 for the inverter? even used? even crillo?

and US $100 each for the batteries ?

as in US $1075__???????????

geez .. pretty expensive to be poor here, eh?