Iboost

NoobSolar

I would recommend getting more panels. The east west angle is not ideal. Regarding the iboost, if it operates at all it will benefit you some. 20kwh on a good day is normal for your size of system - if you had another 2 or 3  kW you would notice the extra 10kwh per day cooking your hot water handsomely.

Just in case there is an issue we are all overlooking though, check the cut in levels for the battery and the iboost. If you had a situation where the iboost could never cut in and the power went then to the grid, obviously
that would need looking at.

shibli

NoobSolar said:

I would recommend getting more panels. The east west angle is not ideal. Regarding the iboost, if it operates at all it will benefit you some. 20kwh on a good day is normal for your size of system - if you had another 2 or 3  kW you would notice the extra 10kwh per day cooking your hot water handsomely.

Just in case there is an issue we are all overlooking though, check the cut in levels for the battery and the iboost. If you had a situation where the iboost could never cut in and the power went then to the grid, obviously
that would need looking at.

Interesting debate around the iboost, I can see it's a topical subject with pros and cons, I can understand why others have gone for DIY solutions. You right I am getting about 20kwh per day over the east and west roofs in London. I did think if I should add further panels from 4kwh to 4.5kwh at the time but was advised to see how it performs first. That extra panels would definitely be utilised.

shibli

JKenH said:

shibli said:

Hexane said:

shibli said:

Reed_Richards said:

Your iboost will send power to the hot water cylinder immersion heater until its thermostat reaches its set temperature. What temperature is the immersion heater thermostat set to?  Your boiler will operate on a different unrelated thermostat.   

It was set at 65c, the max, I have turned it down to 60c

That sounds like the thermostat controlling your boiler. The immersion heater thermostat is a different and separate thing, as Reed_Richards mentioned.

Will adjust the temp in the boiler to 60c.

I have a large tree in my garden and have had a tree surgeon to cut back and remove alot of the leaves and some branches on the weekend so hoping to see an improvement in the generation.

If the tree was affecting your generation at this time of year then unless you have reduced its height substantially (to near level with the bottom of your panels) in winter the impact on generation will likely still be significant. Trees soon grow back and the lower the sun is in the sky the greater the impact of shading. 

Issue is I can't reduce the tree significantly due to water ground swell issues, have to manage it over a number of years but it was about 16 meters in height and immediately did notice a difference when it was cut back.

shibli

NoobSolar said:

I don't agree it was a mistake to install the iboost. If the battery is satisfied it will take the edge off your water heating bills. Nothing wrong with that. Also - the best can be made out of how you use your power. Delay washes and dishwasher to be in the middle of the day but not overlapping each other. The iboost can divert any amount of spare energy to heat the water as long as the thermostat allows it. My 240litre tank needs about 9.6 kwh to heat from cold.

Lastly if you have two immersions, on one tank, the iboost should do the top one first. That should be designated htr1.

This is a kick in level issue. The iboost will wait for 100kw of generation but you battery will come in first. You can change the level the iboost cuts in at in the settings.

Yes I am now delaying washing machine etc to later in the day, however the battery kicks in first and takes a few hours to fill. My immersion only has the one to heat internally from what I can see.  

shibli

Hexane said:

shibli said:

EcoScruples said:

I used the guidance I have to follow at work on my procedures, 60 degrees makes sure the job is done much more quickly as people have varying ways of heating water, I only heat my water for 30 mins twice a day so need the extra temp to be sure.

As stated there though if you're continually heating your tank then a slightly lower temp will suffice.

How does the iboost compare to the Myenergi Eddi? I woukd assume they are both virtually the same?

Thanks, I have reduced the cyclinder themstat down to 60c, 

That's the cylinder thermostat. What's the immersion thermostat set to?

They are two different things. For the iboost to be effective, the immersion thermostat needs to be set significantly higher than the cylinder thermostat. (Unless you have your gas-fired water heating powered off all the time.)

I can see the one temperature dial and is obvious on the cyclinder, if it helps it's a unvented cyclinder and powered by my gas boiler, I am not sure what/where the immersion dial is located.

QrizB

shibli said:

I can see the one temperature dial and is obvious on the cyclinder, if it helps it's a unvented cyclinder and powered by my gas boiler, I am not sure what/where the immersion dial is located.

It should be internal to the immersion heater. Paul991 gave brief instructions back on the first page of this thread. You need to isolate the electrical supply since you'll be working next to exposed live wires.

Here's a short video of someone resetting the over-temperature trip on an immersion heater. You'll see the temperature dial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCD-0yo80lk

shibli

QrizB said:

shibli said:

I can see the one temperature dial and is obvious on the cyclinder, if it helps it's a unvented cyclinder and powered by my gas boiler, I am not sure what/where the immersion dial is located.

It should be internal to the immersion heater. Paul991 gave brief instructions back on the first page of this thread. You need to isolate the electrical supply since you'll be working next to exposed live wires.

Here's a short video of someone resetting the over-temperature trip on an immersion heater. You'll see the temperature dial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCD-0yo80lk

That's helpful to know, will have a go later today to increase the temperature 

shibli

Needle was near the max

Meatballs

shibli said:

NoobSolar said:

I don't agree it was a mistake to install the iboost. If the battery is satisfied it will take the edge off your water heating bills. Nothing wrong with that. Also - the best can be made out of how you use your power. Delay washes and dishwasher to be in the middle of the day but not overlapping each other. The iboost can divert any amount of spare energy to heat the water as long as the thermostat allows it. My 240litre tank needs about 9.6 kwh to heat from cold.

Lastly if you have two immersions, on one tank, the iboost should do the top one first. That should be designated htr1.

This is a kick in level issue. The iboost will wait for 100kw of generation but you battery will come in first. You can change the level the iboost cuts in at in the settings.

Yes I am now delaying washing machine etc to later in the day, however the battery kicks in first and takes a few hours to fill. My immersion only has the one to heat internally from what I can see.  

Correct my if I'm wrong as a solar only user but if you have a battery, and it's DC coupled/hybrid and not empty, apart from reducing cycles on the battery, you could just put the washing on as needed/convenient etc as the energy would just equal out over the day?

Plus then you can get the clothes out quicker to use the legacy wind and solar renewables device.

Merlin139

We have had an I-Boost for just over 8 years and its diverted 10.07 MWh in that time. Since the last week of Feb this year I think we have had to use the Gas boiler around 10 times to heat our 170 ltr tank because the Sun has not produced enough hot water by diverting. If we have had no sun then its an hour or we might top it up anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes. The 3 of us have become quite proficient in figuring out what we need. 

For us it was probably the best £150 added to our installation cost. 

We also rota when the washing machine and dishwasher goes on. Even look for Sunny days to do the ironing, which sometimes during the leaner months can be a 2 week wait! :