Following on from what @Avatar mentioned in DAMT thread, could inverters and or solar setups suffer damage when power gets restored, like any electronic equipment?
I know there is a possibility of appliances and electronics being damaged when power gets restored after an outage, especially if there is a surge, and I naturally disconnect electronics in an attempt to avoid this.
I’m much more mechanically inclined that electrically, but I did pass all my electrical modules at varsity, so I’ll give it a shot. Happy to be corrected by @SIGSTART or someone with more experience and knowledge in the area.
Inverters are incredibly simple machines, electrically speaking, especially where the utility power goes in. It’s a couple of capacitors to smooth out power, diodes to rectify, and a couple of other smaller discrete components like resistors and transistors. These smaller components are typically packaged into a chip, or Integrated Circuit (IC) these days, where it does what IC’s do best - magic. But also the actual transforming from one voltage to another. Using magic.
Aaaaallll the way on the left of the picture is where your utility power comes into the system. You’ll see the first step is a Noise Filter - that cleans up any dirty power (like we have in SA), making sure the frequency and voltage is correct and stable. If it isn’t it’ll either fix it, or just cut out, depending on the design. This means that any under- or overvoltage, under- or overcurrent, or any supply issues in general (including sudden disconnect or reconnect) gets sorted out right at the start, leaving your inverter safe to do the inverting.
EDIT: It’s actually one of the supporting reasons I want to get an inverter - poor power supply kills my gate motor PCB about twice a year. An inverter should protect it from any power supply issues.
Since we are on this topic, I am investigating alleviating the gaming issues I have with loadshedding (and ostensibly work). How does something like this shape up to run PC/router/fridge/2 laptops?
https://www.takealot.com/ryobi-inverter-generator-max-2500w-open-frame/PLID72168297
Will this do the job? Is it safe for the PC? It says it is a generator-inverter which I assume means it sends its power from the inverter which is charged by the generator.
The inverter type gennie is safe for your electronics. Takelot, though, I’m not so sure…
If I were you, I’d make the time to pop down to Adendorf’s in PMB and get one of these:
I’ll have a bit more headroom, and you’ll be able to run a heater or something stronger if you’re in a real pinch.
If you can stretch the budget a little, look at one of these: MAC AFRIC 5.6 kVA (4 KW) Standby Petrol Generator - Adendorff Machinery Mart
I’ve been using the 5.5 kW older brother for 6 years now. We were forced to get it when we had a power problem for ~5 days. Luckily, before I went out and bought one like you’re eyeing, we were expertly advised by the electrician that the geyser is 3 kW. If we want to run a couple of lights, tv’s, pc’s, and the geyser, 4kW+ is essential.
Nothing wrong with the smaller one, but I’d spring for the 4kW if I were in your shoes and had the budget headroom. “Just in case” has paid off dividends this side.
EDIT: For the bigger gennie they don’t use an inverter, but rather AVR - Automatic Voltage Regulation. Same effect for what you’re concerned about, good, stable energy for your electronics. I trust my gennie’s power more than Eskom’s.
Very interesting and very informative @Avatar A question: how the heck do you connect your gen to a geyser???
Also that 4Kw gen uses 2.2l per hour of fuel, isn’t that rather high? Or is that only at max pull?
On the subject of connecting a generator, how does everyone connect theirs?
Apparently “some people” use a backfeed “suicide lead” to connect directly to a plug with the DB main switch and other non-essential breakers switched off, but this is illegal because it’s potentially unsafe.
I heard the right way is through a changeover switch on your DB. Anyone have this and how much is/was it to install?
That’ll be at 80% of full power, but it obviously all depends on how high a load you hook up.
Disclaimer:
To connect up the gennie to a geyser in this way is very, very dangerous and illegal. It is most definitely not what I did nor what I recommend.
I’ve read that some people build what is called a suicide lead. https://masterelectricians.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Suicide-Leads-Fact-Sheet-SL-FS-1909.pdf This is essentially a male-to-male power lead that allows you to feed power into your house AFTER you turned off the main breaker, preventing power from feeding upstream into the system. They are illegal because if you forget to turn off the main breaker, you could kill someone that is working on the power thinking that they had made it safe to work on. Do not do this. The desperate and foolish do this.
The correct way is to get an electrician to hook up a gennie switch over, and then you kill the power to the devices on your DB that you don’t want to feed. While he’s busy with the switch over switch, the electrician can help you get all of the plugs you need on the right circuit breakers.
Im one of those “people”. We plug the genny into a wall plug, turn of the main switch, geysers, fridge and freezer. We only leave wall plugs and lights on to run the tv, internet and lights.
We don’t trust our big genny since it seems to struggle with the few items, whereas the smaller one handles the load better. I just don’t trust either to run my pc as well.
The way I was planning to use it was just a lead with multiplug, plug in fridge and leads to the rooms. 1 PC/router/2 laptops and some lamps.
Can you do it that way? Seems cheaper and safer?
We don’t need to power the geyser since it is a solar heated geyser, if there was sunshine in the day it works for all of us. We usually keep the geyser off for most of the time anyway.
Could anyone perhaps provide some insight here into why my phone keeps doing this with the WiFi?
Occasionally I will unlock my phone and it’s like that, showing limited or no connectivity. A few seconds later the exclamation mark goes away and continues like normal, or I disable and enable the WiFi on my phone and it’s right as rain again.
You’ll have no issue doing it this way, except for a slight increase in tripping hazard 
I wish I could help. I have that same issue
Power tripping or physical trip over the cables tripping?
Yes, had enough. We going to buy this thing Saturday in PMB. Most people around here plug it into the wall with the mains off. Might go that way, once I can figure out which switch is the mains. I got 2x submain and 1x local main.
Ok, had some soul searching and chatting to my family, we going the safer route. Got a local electrician to come in and give us a quote on a change over switch for the generator, it turns out it is cheaper than buying all the leads/plugs etc 
Now just have to wait for him to install it then we buy the generator. Next week.
If you don’t mind me asking, how much did they quote you for the installation.
Thinking of also getting it done at some point.
He is charging me R1500. Pretty good price.
I forgot to ask during the day. If the light on the motherboard is not on and everything is plugged in I’m guessing the PSU is truly dead? This relates to my hearing cracking/sparking when I plugged in this morning which then tripped the circuit breaker.
usually yes, in the very worst case scenario your motherboard could be fried too, but most of the time your PSU would have taken the hit instead.
