Best Posts in Forum: Off-Topic Forum

My wife, 2 kids and myself had the best time of our life.
We never felt boring, sad or depressed.
We enjoyed all the time together. We did also more together.
But we can understand that for some of them it isn't easy.
My wife still doesn't work.
Let's just hope this 'thing' will quickly be just a bad dream!
Hold on folks!
Like some one ever said...'Yes we can'!

 

Went to Robinson's this morning, long waiting lines to go in and they were asking the old folk their age, if over 60 you would be turned away but if you lied about your age and said 59 years old sir they would let you in. I got in no problem and I'm 66 years old.
There were a lot of foreigners 59 years old. Coincidence or what.

 

Our Road to Solar Power

Around 7 or 8 years ago we started to consider the alternative power sources, mainly due to the prevalence of “brown-outs” in our area. During this period we were also experiencing repeated failures of electrical goods (TV’s and computers). However, at that time, solar power was relatively expensive with solar panel efficiency less than 20%.

About 4 years ago, after the failure of yet another TV, we bought and installed servo driven AVR’s (Automatic Voltage Regulator) in an attempt to protect our electrical goods. These will maintain an output voltage of 220V as long as the input voltage remains above 150V.

As these enable monitoring of the supply voltage we were very surprised at the huge variation in the supply voltage - generally 160V-200V but sometimes as low as 90V and very rarely reaching the alleged supply voltage off 220V.

Another consideration is the reduced degradation of modern N-type panels. 8 years ago standard panels lost about 1% of their output each year but with the newer N-type panels degradation is reduced to around 0.4% providing better yields in hot climates and longer lifespan.

The Tangerine Tosspot swung the final decision for us to take the plunge and after 8 weeks of operation (>1.3MWh consumption) we are extremely happy. The system is a 12.6kWp grid tie hybrid consisting of a 12kW hybrid inverter, 20 N-type 605W bifacial panels (6E, 8S, 6W) with 3 x 314AH, 51.2V, 16kWh batteries (48kWh in total). Installed in a week with the minimum of disturbance by a local company who I would definitely recommend.

The system works exceptionally well – Remaining battery power (SOC – State of Charge) at 6 a.m. has not yet dropped below 60% and is generally around 70-75%. On a sunny morning the batteries recharge to 100% SOC by about 10 a.m. – For Info; We have 3 ref’s and 2.5 freezers running continuously 24/7 plus, in the morning running a 2HP jet pump (90 mins), 2 x 6kw water heater (20 – 30 mins each) and twin electric hob (>1 hr) plus numerous rice cookers and kettles for coffee. On very cloudy or rainy days it can take until around 1 p.m. to reach 100% SOC. After the batteries are charged then the system automatically adjusts to powering the household usage (e.g. If the boss is baking then it will adjust to the power requirements of the 3.3kW oven) without depleting the batteries.

If, at some stage, we have an extended rainy period depleting the batteries, the inverter can be programmed to recharge the batteries at a suitable time when the grid connection is turned on.

So, all in all, a robust system with fully (and remotely) programmable flexibility in operation.


Main Benefits

1. Stable voltage at 230V irrespective of the load

2. Zero brown-outs

3. Zero bills from Noreco (we have a grid tie but so far it’s not been turned on) – Noreco added P5.60 charge to a zero bill for reading the meter

4. ROI in just over 6 years - If you factor in the cost of replacement TV’s and running multiple AVR’s then the ROI is reduced to less than 5 years.

5. Peace of mind – not having to worry about low voltage damaging equipment or the power going off halfway through baking a cake. Perfect pies & pizzas every time because the oven got to the right temperature quickly and maintained it.

 

Thankfully the freezer came to life and is humming along nicely... *Touch Wood*

 

I would like to thank everyone for posting, my staff just read this all from a neighbor i guess so now the onion skinned, butt hurt, nose bleeding locals have all quit.. so now we have lots of stock but no staff. I wish everyone all the best and to the complainers please try to run your own business here and see how long it lasts..

 

Advice was given by another (more qualified on psychological aspects) member to stick to whatever routines are possible. I assume this is because change can cause anxieties and so the less changes you have, the better. Also, keeping healthy by exercise and good diet. Doing hobbies can help distract from worrying thoughts.

Also, in regards to the variant, it is probably as likely to be subject to the same personal health protocols as the lesser variant - that is, to wear a mask always when with unknowns, to wash hands before eating, touching face or eyes. I also can see a point in using a face shield over a mask as it protects against saliva hitting your own mask - that saliva may contain virus particles which could then be drawn through the mask during breathing. This is being very cautious and is worthwhile if the worry of infection is high in a person's mind. Most islands in the country are relatively safe - better than being in many other countries - and combined with good sense, it is very unlikely you would catch the virus here.

P.S. I used the word "probably" as I cannot be certain, of course, other than my knowledge of viruses and their spread. I don't know how this new variant might change again - no one does. Keep the 'castle walls' intact and we should all be okay.

Anyone with debilitating depression should always seek professional help.

Happier New Year.

 

There's a bit of a customer service mafia here. People pull up with their foreigner dollars, daring to bring the service. And they go guns blazing if the service is bad. It seems like a power play. People who have money feel entitled to good service, maybe because nobody else will treat them well.

I fall into the same trap sometimes, but I try to beat it back when I feel it creeping up. There are resto-bars which have signature dishes I love and I will go back even though the service is terrible. There is a place I went to the other day which has a sign which says "don't complain about the service because there is none". When I asked for a beer he pointed to the fridge and I helped myself. I sat and listened to his stories and he is probably the most interesting person I have met in this region. I will be back.

The Philippines is an adventure, not good service.

It's the job of the top dog (where the buck stops, probably the owner in most cases here) to set the culture and do the hiring which will execute on that vision.

That culture bit is part of the key. A superstar employee isn't going to fix a problem that management should fix. And that light will fade as the this employee grinds against the grain.

Sometimes service just isn't on priority. Imagine walking into a front for an criminal organization and complaining about bad service. You might get laughed out of the building. Many foreigners here throw something up as a hangout for friends and they're happy to break even. Many business owners here don't know what they are doing. Some are retired for ****'s sake.

Employees come and go. They have mood swings. They may be inspired at the start and then lose motivation. Everyone from the highest paid sports stars to the lowest level employees suffer from this. It's the top dog who needs to put a system in place to deal with the ups and downs of employees (fix your problem, maybe take a vacation, or just GTFO).

Yeah, maybe the employees should hustle and earn their pay. But why should they care if the boss doesn't?

 

True but you may be hanging out with the wrong people if that's what you hear. There are many very happily married and dating couples who have an age difference who have a health relationship based on love, trust and respect. It's the bar girls and free lancers at why not and similar places who talk like that because they are working girls!

Note: this is not an attack on anyone but a statement of fact from living here and understanding the language so I know what they are saying behind all our backs. There are nice girls who truly love their BF/Spouse irregardless of age and their are working girls who do it for the security and cash.

I edited my reply to use better language and attempt to NOT offend anyone or make it a personal attack.

DaveD

 

When i first came here over 10 years ago i first thought that the way people used the roads was dangerous because they were uneducated of the dangers but over the years i now think it is because most but not all of the road users are ignorant selfish c*nts.
Why do i need lights on, i can see where I'm going..
Why do i need to use direction indicators, i know where I'm going..
Why is that stupid foreigner horning me for driving at 5 klm/hr in the middle of the road, I'm not in a hurry...
The list is endless...