WANF Kill-a-Watt power meter and Grid Tie Inverter with Solar

[Pbeas52]

Great video & very well explained. This convinced me to buy the WANF device over the Kill-a-watt device. I like the back lite display on the WANF device.

[faithalcyon]

This was really helpful, thanks. The WANF meter has some bad reviews on amazon for being "confusing," but it seems very straightforward in your video (so I'll just chalk those reviews up to user error)

[Fearlessthinker]

@faithalcyon Thanks. They are $10 on ebay currently - search WANF. I have 6 of these now and no problems.

[latinonyc7]

great job !!!

[sparktastic1]

For those that are wondering, I have the 220-240v version of the WANF and it works great on 240v too. They actually seem to be a pretty accurate power meter unlike many that I have tried. They also measure low power (<10w) really well too.

Overall, great value for the $'s.

[jmotazedi]

@fearlessthinker. can I add a group of batteries that are 100 ah and a group of batteries that are 50 in the same chain. will that cause issues with them discharging or charging disproportionatly. What is the best way to connect batteries of different capacities to a group of solar panels?

[Fearlessthinker]

@jmotazedi You already figured it out ... don't do it. They need to be not only be identical AH but they should be the same battery (like a Trojan 105 or L16), and ideally bought at the same time. Any mismatch will cause the weakest ones to die much faster.

[Fearlessthinker]

Type in WANF on ebay ... I see new ones for just $9.99 currently. A bargain.

[wtam69]

Can you tell me why the solar grid ties generally do not have a dump load whereas the windmill grid ties require a a dump load ? Your 3 panels combined produce a great deal of power, I was just wondering what would happen when the grid is disconnected while your panels are still producing power.

[Fearlessthinker]

@wtam69 Good question. Wind turbines need a load at all times or else they can spin wildly and rip themselves apart in high winds. The grid tie with a dump load port allows resistors to be attached to the dump load port to act as a load if if the grid goes down - a safety thing. Solar does not need a dump load - the grid tie inverter simply disconnects the PV panels and lets them sit idle (no current flow) if the grid goes down.

[cggage]

Interesting! Thanks for showing the details of these. Do you know if it can be set to auto-scroll? That would be handy. I really am looking for an inexpensive way to monitor the power issues remotely via the web. I could do with with a web cam and just watch the meter, but it would be nice if it could scroll, though.

[Fearlessthinker]

@cggage You kinda want a lot for $17! ha! ... nope, no scrolling. The TED-5000 has internet connectivity, so check into that. My plan is to use these to see how each panel does relatively to each other over a longer period of time.

[cggage]

@Fearlessthinker Thanks for the tip. I checked the TED systems. Nice stuff but pricey. I am curious if one could take 2 of these units and plug one into the other (by using a short cord) and have two different displays - such as cumulative kWh's and instant Wattage? If that worked, one could park the two side-by-side for a hands-off reading of the system status.

[Fearlessthinker]

@cggage Yes, that would work just fine. Brilliant DIY idea. Send me a link when you get it working.