Home & Garden Solar components

Good morning...I'm looking to install a small solar system for the caretaker house on our farmland and would like to know the best place to source everything. Small system but want to install everything myself before I head out.

Looked at Lazada but their website search engine sucks big time.

Hoping to have all materials in a week so I can install plus the interior electric needed.

Thanks in advance!

Shawn

 

I would imagine you would be looking at a small system that is quite self sufficient with batt back up that could run 24hrs a day.

Sorry I cannot give you any help with this, but if/when you manage to get this set up this will have a lot of interest to so many members here on DI, I would imagine a small system with the ability to run a Fridge a couple of lights, fans and the Wifi system could eventually pay for itself if put to use every day.

Here in UK I have a 4kw solar system without Batt back up and in the peak summer months I am likely to export to the national grid around 85% of what it produces I do get reimbursed for around 50% of the production but at only around half the normal rate price as charged to me, it has been around 8yrs for me to get back my original investment.

Anyone here in UK getting a grid tied system today would be closer to 16yrs to get payback as the rate is so low now.

 

No personal experience here with what you're trying to do Shawn, but if you're looking for a local one-stop-shop for the whole shebang you'll probably end up at Polaris

 

While I agree that Polaris has just about everything you need in both Plumbing and Electrical supplies, they do seem to charge more than the other hardware stores? this I experienced when buying PPR pipe fitting they were double the cost there compared with other local stores and around 400% more than on line.

It is well known they are about the best for both equipment and advice after all they are used exclusively by Noreco, so they have got to be good?

I had both a holding Tank and pressure Tank fitted by them, I think it was around an extra P12K to have them fit it as against doing it myself, total cost 40K, I could live with this.

On a Monday they sent up two Technicians this is the term used there for a Tradesman, by 2pm the system was fitted and they were running away, it was not tested and did not work, next day back again now there was 3 techies, a complete overhaul was done and late afternoon the system was all up and running but still it did not work, all the Techs could do was shrug their shoulders to me, next day I was down at the shop and there I was to meet the owner/manager who was of Chinese origins, he was then to tell me I have chosen the wrong system, OH! that's odd I say the sales assistant recommended this to me and Btw I did find the fitting instruction dumped in the rubbish pile with the cartons and there it expressly says the Pressure Tank but be fitted above the holding Tank and on no account have this at ground level which is what they had done. The following day 5 Technicians arrived where the system was raised to an elevated position, I should mention they installed the two in line filters after the system and not before and this all had to be changed, Phew! 65 man hours later and some guidance from myself I had a working system. I'm sure most of these guys had been working in the rice fields the week before? not one of the 5 really knew his job they were all Cupid Stunts.

 

Had similar experiences with "technicians" of Polaris.

They were not knowledgeable at all and did basically everything wrong they could. Maybe more.

I guess that are no technicians at all. Just salesmen that try to earn some extra bucks after working hours or their day off.

Finally the system for both holding and pressure tank was set up by a German friend who is pretty capable and experienced with all kind of work that might occur around a house. Plumbing, electrical or steel construction, welding and so on. He helped me a lot in the past few years.

Despite all the sad and annoying stories about technicians from hardware stores I am absolutely convinced that there are a lot of capable Pinoy workers and technicians around. But they know their value and are not willing to work for 450 Peso a day.

It is not easy to find good workers or technicians. At the end of the day you get rt what you paid for.

 

Try, Noel at City hardware he is highly recommended technician in plumbing. I don't have his number so better call in and ask for him. Usually he's busy but peso talks.
Back to solar, I don't think there is any shops that sell solar stuff here, if there is I'm interested in a 2kw panel system, 3 kw 24v hybrid all in one inverter and some Lifepo4 batteries.
Plenty of solar installers but costly plus are they any good?

 

Hoots Mon! Its good to have one of these Odd German friends around, my Friend Peter is like that and has experience in most things regarding building, I just buy him a Beer now and again and he is happy?

I'm not so sure that there is all that many experienced Tradespeople there in PH, I've yet to meet one that really knew his job well, this could be a subject matter for a TV nature programme; Rare and endangered species?

 

A couple of years ago there was a shop in Valencia, coming from DGTE it was on this main road on the left hand side perhaps above Gas and Go?

 

Unfortunately Polaris does not carry more than solar lighting, was there yesterday. I have found locations for a few items, but much larger capacity than what I am looking for. One more place to check today that wasn't answering their phone yesterday.

I was only planning to install a 250 watt system with 100 AH battery. I hate to have to oversize the system as it seems like a waste of time and $$. We'll see what I can figure out in the next few days.

Shawn

 

I do wonder if you are perhaps going overboard with you idea of providing an electric power source for a typical Filipino dwelling? likely you would find a small portable unit to serve something like a Caravan or Boat would be adequate?

I'm saying this as I lived next door to a family community, there was 21 in this group at the time, in the two years I lived beside them that increased to 25 and only last week I heard there is two more in the oven, they only had 3 breeding females in the herd, I had 3 of the young males working for me to build the house.

They had no electric when I first moved there and I allowed them to to have an cable extension from our house, all they required was one LED light for the 4 houses and a couple of charging points for phones, this made no difference to our electric bill, their houses were little more than shelters from the rain with large gaps in the walls no windows and earth floors with plenty of top ventilation.

Of course I'm sure you want to provide a caretaker and perhaps his family with something better than this, however if you were to install a fridge for example this would not get used for their daily requirements, but they would make ice in the ice box to sell on not realising it would cost as much in electric to make this as they were selling it for as the rest of the fridge would be running empty and not being used to its full potential.

One time while I was living there I asked my partner what food was in our fridge that was to be eaten with her and our two boys, she had nothing, 100% of what was there was all for me.

A well ventilated house, Lights and a phone charging point is all that is required for a typical working class family there, as long as they have their Rice 3 times a day that is all that is important to them.