Typical questions we have been getting
Can Batsand use the surplus of my solar panel?
Yes. Batsand provides sensors that connect to your home power supply. When those detect electricity being diverted to the public grid it will trigger the heating equipment to start working and use the surplus to heat the battery.
Do I need an internet connection?
No. You will need a router, but all sensors and triggers can work without an internet connection.
Can I use Batsand without a neutral supply?
No. Some of the sensors and the heating components will require a neutral power supply.
Can I use black sand in the sand tank?
No. Batsand can effectively be used with a variety of grain sizes but it requires it to be inorganic sand.
What insulation should I use for the sand pool?
All types of insulation needed can be bought in any DIY shop. You can use stone wool, mineral wool, polystyrene or polyurethane insulation.
Can I use Batsand without solar panels?
Yes. If your region has variable electricity pricing and the price is low in the summer, you can program Batsand to automatically turn on when the price reaches the desired price. Without variable electricity pricing, your only solution is to pair Batsand with solar panels.
How many kW of solar panels do I need?
You can see the recommendation table by batsand here. But as an alternative, you can ask any neighbor with solar panels how much kW they use from their panels and how much is diverted to the grid (a house usually only uses 50% of the available power). As a rule of thumb, you should consider 6kW for home use and 14kW to supply batsand. Having a total of 20kw system.
Is it possible to use your system in conjunction with a water based thermal store, so topping up the heat in the ‘water battery’ as that is depleted?
We get a lot of winter sun in Johannesburg, but don’t have a Feed In Tariff so can’t sell excess power to the grid.
A sand battery could capture all the excess power during summer, whilst the water battery would be a more efficient method (thus fewer panels required) to capture the energy for use that same day, during winter.
Would this be viable?
I am having a NIBE1255, ground/rock heating. How can that be connected to your sustem?
How much energy – how many kW are need to heat up a sand tank of 50 cubic meters, from say 20 up to 500°C?
I assume system cannot heat up the sand, during winter daylight, using electricity, while simultaneously use the heat exchanger for house heating, right? That means it could only use the energy stored during summer, and once the house heating will be started in winter, there will be no more sand battery charging, right? Or my assumption is wrong, and system can simultaneously pump heat into sand from say solar panels or grid, AND simultaneously use the sand pit heat for house heating?? If my assumption is right and heat cannot be added to sand pit during winter house heating, time, then how long the energy in the sand will last? As per your table, a sand tank of 50m3 size (8900KWH), it is estimated for heating up the 250 – 300 m2 house for how long??
Can sandbat unit be kept outdoor?
Could this be used in conjunction with another machine to power wall outlets and lights in my home?
Does the 14kW heating system operate only at 14kW or can it operate at a lower power when solar generation is not optimal? Is it 3 phase or 1 phase?
Any more details available on construction of the sand tank? You mention blueprints?
Can I use a DC powered heating device, thereby avoiding the need to oversize the inverter on my solar system?