Then the changeover switch got “stuck” … new Hager 2 pole is installed now.
Then 2 x UPS’es started with intermittent errors, both are now recycled.
Then my parents washing machine’s wire harness melted … no, I never touched it.
Then I discovered Suzy never had any antifreeze in after 4 major services … … massive flushing and all new pipes, the internal heater to be bypassed, 8 hours of labor to fix that one.
The day before yesterday the 150l Kwikot geyser burst. It is outside, replaced by Kwikot under warranty within 18 hours. Respect.
Yesterday our son’s car got an engine problem with the lifters - he is not technically minded, that is all I could get from him.
Bugger.
O, lest I forget … started having frequent network router feezes. UTP cables right next to AC wires through a hole in the wall. Been like that for years and NOW suddenly I’m having issues. WTF!
Where both have to go through a hole in the wall … there, I fixed it.
Grabbed one of the wife’s new tinfoil rolls and stuck it in the hole in the wall with the UTP cables inside. Also made sure no UTP cables are anywhere near AC wires. Will see if the problem is now solved.
And still no 8am LS bar one.
The checked-out inverter still gave the error, sadly the loan unit was already sent back before that one opportunity.
Discovered by accident during that one 8am LS slot, that switching off either of the arrays, solves the error. Together I get the error, running just the 150/35 or the 25/85, no problem.
Now have a brand new replacement unit in hand, waiting for an 8am LS slot.
The plan is simple, first confirm the error is still there, then swap inverters and see if the error persists on the new unit.
It has become my mission to find out WHY this is happening … just don’t need all the rest to go wrong too!
I assume they sound a little clicky? If you ever owned a MK-II VW Jetta, you ignore it. Once they stop clicking, then you have to worry. Also, thankfully a top-end rebuild is significantly cheaper than a complete overhaul. Sommer do the valve stem seals at the same time.
One of those engine noises you just know in your gut … HKGK. From nary a “sound” to a very noisy engine starting, sommer out of the blue, that goes quiet when the oil heats up.
I know this is OT… but a noisy lifter on startup isn’t necessarily a reason to panic immediately.
The tech is actually somewhat ingenious. Instead of having to do valve adjustments, like in the old days with a feeler gauge, or these days where you replace shims (on many Toyota engines, you put in a thicker shim if it gets noisy), they have a little plunger-like device sitting between the rocker and the valve to take up the slack, and this device, known as a “lifter”, pumps up with oil pressure. That means your valve clearance auto-adjusts every time you start the engine, but it also means it is normal if it clatters a little at startup (until the oil pressure rises).
If it clatters for more than a few seconds, you may have a clogged lifter (basically the oil does not freely flow into the lifter to pump it up), and sometimes you can solve it very easily with a one-time oil additive. Not a fan of additives on most days, but a one-time treatment that avoids tearing into the engine is definitely worth it.
Another thing, I am somewhat of a stickler for the manufacturer’s instructions. If they say “change the oil every 15 000km” that is what I do. I also use good quality oil, not the cheapest I can find. BUT… there are some engines for which 15k intervals really is pushing it a bit. For example the 2AZ-FE engine. Good engine, but some of them have piston ring issues if you use cheaper oil on the recommended intervals. Simply shortening the oil change interval to 10 000km does wonders… or so this guy says.
Also, use thinner oil. In South Africa we’re so fond of using 20W50 (which really nobody should use anymore) or even 15W40. Try a 5W30 oil (but look in the manual that this is allowed). There is a very good reason for that. Modern oils don’t thin out as much as the older ones did with heat, and the lower “5” rating really means a lot for an engine at startup.
It’s not the smallest job in the world. Sure, also not the biggest, but because they sit under the camshaft lobes on an overhead cam engine, you usually have to lift the camshafts, which means removing the timing belt, so while you are in there you might as well do your cam seals and the belt. But at least it’s not a whole overhaul! Glad to hear it was found and repaired.
A few months back I had to really get “loud” and haul out my Masters Dictatorial in “WTF not to do” when I learned the cam belt was never replaced at 120k.
Vloermoer of note I tell you.
But I don’t have money … cars cost money … all I thought of was that when that car breaks it is going to become my problem, and that was SO not happening.
Back to this thread … No 8am LS. scheduled. Ai.
Respect for Cpt to make it so though.
But, it feels like the “calm before the storm” … have a queasy gutfeel. Really hope it is just gas.
At least I have the new unit onsite … so there is that little bit of good news.
It happened to a friend of mine too. Due to a combination of circumstances, the car going out of service plan right around the same time, thinking the belt change was done during that last service, but it wasn’t.
Anyway, so the car starts throwing cam/crank correlation codes (which basically means the sensors say the timing is out), but it is intermittent, and you know how sensors go bad all the time, so nobody thinks anything (including dealers who looked it over!). The only other symptom is it will sometimes fail to start when the engine is warm, but again, that is consistent with a failing cam sensor.
Turns out the belt had skipped a tooth, because of how worn it is, and the engine was literally slightly out of timing. Thankfully not so much that a valve smacked into a piston.
Now to keep this even slightly on topic, let’s think about the intermittent nature of that fault. I still think you’re going to find a dry joint somewhere… but it has to be really looked for!
That was a major “change” I did to fix the intermittent router freezes, to keep the AC away from the UTP cables through a wall, that was never a problem for 10 years.
Only became aware of 8am LS at 9:10am … because the inverter is working.
Nothing else changed. I cannot fathom how a tinfoil roll can make a difference.
A few weeks back, also an 8am LS week, I had the Monday one chance, then the schedule changed early the Tuesday morning for the rest of the week, like Stage 1 is 8am.
No 8am LS this morning.
How the dinges they can keep track of all of this … like they want to keep us guessing.
During the time of the first LS being planned, I was involved in rolling out of extra highly available infrastructure to run the then new LS application. Planning, Engineering and Demand management teams were involved in the planning of what the slots for LS should be and how this should be implemented.
So they have a system to do the planning with. If this is still operational or used
I think it is quite simple really. If you have the power, you need to put it somewhere, both for stability reasons, but also for sales. So if, at the last moment, it turns out you don’t have to load-shed, then at short (or no) notice they will under-promise and over-deliver. It happens…
Jip, I am so going to buy more tinfoil rolls. Another LS event and no errors at all on the original inverter.
Someone asked me, do you have vibrations in the house?
Nope, I said, why?
Ghosts … he said.
One tinfoil roll to insolate UTP cables next to AC wires, nee man, dit maak mos nou wragtag nie sin nie.
Changes that took place:
New Hager changeover switch was installed.
Replaced extension leads … was supposed to be a temp quick fix ok (!)… temporarily pulled through over the ceiling with 2.5mm Surfix, as one of the steps I thought I try.
But still had one 8am LS event with the error still around, switching off one of the MPPTs, cleared the errors.
The tinfoil rol, was the last move. Routers are more stable but not perfect yet. Process of elimination left.
But I do want to get an idea to consider what the chances are that AC is close to the VE.Direct cables, or maybe the UTP cable to the Cerbo, could have been a contributing factor, the MPPT/s switched off eliminating the error … grabbing at straws here, I know.
When I speak of router errors … I mean a LOT of them, the 2 recently, the part I still need to find where.
One thing that hit me between the eyes, then kicked me in the nethers too, was when the shiite hits the fan - it always does because Murphy has a brother called Uncle Bob as in Bob’s you’re Uncle - coupled with timing always at it’s worst with me involved, not forgetting my damn bad luck, that it is better if one has a 2nd 5kva lying around.
Not connected to Eskom, just lying around/dedicated to other off-grid functions … did I mention not connected to Eskom?
Not only because when having to send a unit in, but also because the replacement (if required) can take days, even weeks due to supply chain disruptions, stock shorages due to the war in Ukraine, Europe’s drive to solar, combined with more units being damaged/replaced due to Eskom LS woes getting worse.
How to justify the expense of two units, when one is more than enough, the challenge.
Amen.
Especially if you off grid hence why I would rather have 2 or 3 5kVA units paralleled instead of one big unit. But it does come with its installation challenges then and you need to know what to do if you have to change settings if one is removed.
My cousin had 3 units in parallel, then one broke (replaced), the 2nd one had a firmware issue. He ran on the 3rd one for a week or more.
But that is not all … there is more!
A shiite storm ensued.
When the replaced unit was received it could not work with the 2 other units in parallel anymore due to later firmware version, and upgrades to the unit.
A teeny little thing that no one thinks of when paralleling units.
Hence me mentioning in passing, don’t connect the “spare” unit/s to Eskom.
I’m toying with an idea:
3kva (2.4kw max if kept cool) to run the house Critical of Critical loads like PCs, TV’s light, and alarm etc.
5kva (4kw max) to run the non-Critical loads of the house, being grid-tied.
One battery bank and one array.
The 3kva is connected to AC_Out2 of the 5kva, so it can still use Eskom.
5kva connected to DB with Tripconnect in the main DB as additional protection.
The 5kva is also the sacrificial “anode” if shiite still gets past the Tripconnect.
… massive flushing and all new pipes, the internal heater to be bypassed, 8 hours of labor to fix that one.
