That time has come where this load shedding has been a problem long enough that equipment is starting to fail (5 years...with no end in sight)

What i am finding is that people install this equipment and forget about it...suddenly one day there is a burning or rotten egg smell... no maintenance jut run to fail.

Generally what happens... load shedding starts ...everyone rushes out to buy a generator... inverter ...UPS ...you name it.

load shedding stops and the units are just get left... 1 year later it starts again and backup equipment is reconnected ... people try start the generator ...but they didnt drain the fuel or didnt charge and disconnect the batteries and do followup charges etc.

Now 5 years later ...we are finding systems failing due to lack of maintenance...

Maintenance free lead acid batteries are venting inside the boxes due to sulphate build up on the plates.

Over charging due to low water/acid levels. ..causing excessive heating...and dangerous flammable fumes.

Blocked air vents... causing excessive heating.

Fans which have got so clogged with junk ...they have burnt out... causing excessive heating.

Burnt wiring and terminal blocks due loose connection and under size wring.

replacement fuses which are not correctly rated for the unit.

The list just goes on an on.

The up side to this ...it is creating a lot of work for contractors... just be careful if you are being called out to customers who have either installed or got an unskilled person to make a plan.

A 100-105 amp/hr battery is going to cost around R2500 inc vat (take note ...most supplier are giving prices of R2000 - R2300 excluding vat directly to the public) ...2 months ago i could get batteries for R1850.00 ...now getting them for R1600.00 if i shop around... i am gona be selling batteries soon ...at around R900 profit per battery ...its a no brainer.

Yes it is advisable to replace all the batteries even if only 1 or 2 are damaged... lead acid batteries a 3-5 year life span...there is a date on the battery.

Unfortunately the price has dropped for selling old batteries to the scrap yard... between R8 -R16 depending on the scrap yard... battery centres are offered R250 for old batteries... they will insist you have to bring in the old battery to get the discounted price they offer... it is a sneaky money making racket... some battery supplier will drop the price if a battery is replaced.