Electricity

Yes there is a site but it may or may not be accurate. If it is a planned maintenance outage then it should be listed....

http://www.circuitos.gob.do/Default.aspx

You will need to know your circuit - its on your bill.

And in Dominican Today they are reporting a major electricity production plant will be offline for 26 days of maintenance. Does not matter that it is in  Santo Domingo it will effect us all.

>Planner
>You will need to know your circuit - its on your bill.

Ahh ok thanks for info   but sadly dont have bill electric bill, is included in the apartment block where I live and doubt the porter has the info.

>And in Dominican Today they are reporting a major electricity production plant will >be offline for 26 days of maintenance. Does not matter that it is in  Santo Domingo it >will effect us all.

Oh dear that is not good news :-(
I still recall that nightmare a couple of weeks ago, when it was off for longer than usual, the whole day and most of the night too.
It was stinking hot, so no fan, no water so not able to shower, no toilet flush so was stinking out the apartment after the emergency water container I keep handy also  ran out.
It was a bloody nightmare and not everybody here, like the block where I live, has backup systems and dont think even back up systems can cope with such long cuts.

Well, I actually thought the situation was getting better as we had a relatively long period without any electric problems, but I should have known better!
I doubt if this bunch will ever get their act together.

Other day I thought to myself -Christ this is the 21st century.... I don't have to live like this!
There are other places in the world with sunshine and beaches where they can manage the basics of life!
Plus the other hassles like the rising crime rate (we had yet another tourist, a Canadian murdered in Sosua a week or so ago) And Dominicans suffer from this too, probably even more than Gringos. Its only when you talk with locals you see how bad its getting. Out if 9 Dominican friends I have, 7 been robbed at knife/gunpoint the last 10 months (one poor guy on two occasions)
Reckon perhaps it's time to hit the Internet and search for an alternative spot in the sun!

If you are on the north coast  you can look at the web site for ede Norte
http://www.edenorte.com.do/cliente.htm  However not always accurate but they usually have the days correct for scheduled blackouts but like most Dominicans have the same lack of time awareness

BObK

ok thanks Bob will look at that, might help to plans these things a bit   but wont hold my breath :-)

and those unplanned short cuts several times day are damn nuisance too,  plays havoc with ones electronics...

You can look up your circuit by the street and area as well, its just a bit of a pain in the you know what.

Electricity now is much better then it was  10 years ago. And you can solve this problem tp -  move to a place with  backup OR buy an inverter and batteries.  2 batteries will keep you in  a fan and tv for  6 to 8  hours.  Or just a fan for a good long time! 

Money solves almost everything here.....   

Which inverter and batteries do you recommend? Will it keep a wi-fi  router, laptop, voip phone and fan operational for 6-8 hours?

Inverter -  make sure it is not MADE here.   Batteries  Red Trojan.  I would buy  an inverter big enough for  4 batteries.  That will keep  what you listed 8 hours or more.  Make sure you  take care of your batteries!

24v inverter is great for household use.
As far as wattage, that will depend on what you need to power
Battery bank size will depend on how much running time you need. Do you generally have public power or hardly at all.
I, like Planner, like the red Trojan 6v golf cart battery.
I could help you more if you give that info but with inverters, unlike generators, should be twice the wattage you plan to use regularly. The manufacturer will tell you can you 75% of the inverters potential. But they just want you to keep buying inverters every couple of years.
Good luck!

Hello DR Yami and Planner thank you for your responses. I work from the internet and  will be needing my VOIP phone, Router, laptop a fan, light and possibly TV to be backed up. How much should I pay for a good one and what particular brands do you like? I can not miss any work due to blackouts. I hear most last 8-10 hours of backup time. Does that sound accuarate?

Thank you planner. 8 hours is all I need hopefully. How much should one pay for a complete system (inverter and batteries plus installation ? You use 4 red trojan Batteries? Any brand inverter you like? There is someone that says they make them for a living but I'm a little skeptical on that too

A girl that lives there told me that Red Trojan batteries cost around 6,500 pesos, or $144.44 for one battery . What does your entire system, inverter with batteries costs? You have 4 Red Trojan Batteries?

For my condo in town, which now has power 24/7 with some long blackouts, I keep my lights, 2 box fans, computer and modem running with a 12v 1500watt inverter powered by 4 6v Trojan T-105 batteries (the red ones)
On my farm, which is off grid, I use 24v 5000w inverter with 12 batteries which supplies me with all my power needs except I use propane refrigeration. Refrigeration being the highest power demand I find it cheaper to use the propane system.
Hope this helps

Thank you DRyami this definitely does help. A girl there told me one red trojan battery costs 6,500 pesos or $144.44 for just one battery. Do you have any suggestions on where I can buy lower priced red trojans? I will be in Santo Domingo. Any brand of inverter you prefer?

Pay the extra money to get  trojan batteries. You will be glad you did. Thry will be less expensive in SD.  Inverter brand Trace is good.

Generally speaking, when I buy big ticket items I check at least 3 places to find the best price. I haven't been down to the capital for a few years so I can't tell you what price to expect but yes Trojan T-105's are more expensive but will last at least 5 years if you maintain them. Which brings us to inverters. I use inverters that allow you to adjust the charging voltage so you can "equalize" your batteries when you top off the water. The most user friendly brand is Trace but too expensive for me. I've had great luck with Inesf brand inverters. But the main thing you'll want is to buy one from somewhere that will honor a warranty in case you get a lemon and need to replace it or service it.

Thank you very much planner. I'm very excited I now may have a solution to stay out there longer this time. I've been thinking about it awhile but always ran into electricity/wi fi issues but hopefully this takes care of half the problem. Thanks again.

Thank you DrYami  this was extremely helpful. I really appreciate it.

Really good points made - savings doesn't mean much if there is no guarantee!!! Get guarantees in writing - verbal guarantees are worthless!!!

Hey Planner, How much is the Red Trojan 6v batteries and how much is the Trace Inverter and how much is the cables and finally how much is the installation? Someone is quoting me 21,000 pesos for everything. Does that seem high? One website I read said 17,000 pesos for trojan batteries with a 3.0 watt inverter. How many watts do I need for the inverter to last 10 hours?

Actually a family friend of the girl I am seeing is installing it for free so that seems high to me for free installation but what are your thoughts?

Trojan batteries are about 5,800 rd.each.  no idea on current pricing on the inverter. Short cables are 249 rd each. Longer are uo to 800 rd each.

Installation alwats depends on your actual situation.

Your inverter lasting 10 hours will depend what yiu are trying to run!

And rememver sometimes a "free" i stallation can be expensive in the long run. Make sure they actually know what they are doing!

What know what they are doing.  A Dominican worker will ALWAYS tell you he know what he is doing, especially when he actually had NO idea at all

Bob K

Thank you for your reply. You must have a good inverter since you have not replaced it in awhile.
Trace correct ? I will definetly be getting that brand.

Thanks Bob oh yes I know all too well about them saying they how what they're doing and having a hazard on my hands later

There is a very simple reason that they always say they know what they are doing. They equate ignorance with stupidity! They were ever taught the difference between the two.  There is no shame in ignorance, it just means you don't know something, not that you can't learn it.

Sorry I disagree.  Most times they actually believe they know what they are doing!  For them good enough is good enough!

Yep good enough is the motto many times and that is why there are a white and a green wire at the light switch and a blue and red one at the light.

Bob K

Good Evening Everyone I don't know if any of you were having trouble locating Trojan batteries but just in case: You may want to call ahead to check prices, etc. Hope this helps:
Compañía Internacional de Negocios, GM, SRL.
C/Francisco Pratz Ramirez No12
Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic
Telephone: 809-541-7026
Fax: 809-563-4795
Email: [email protected]    Grupo Cometa, SAS
Av. Isabel Aguiar #164, Herrera
Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic
Telephone: 809-530-1014
Email: [email protected]
Web Site: www.grupocometa.do

LH Internacional
Av. Los Próceres No.12, Los Jardines del Norte
Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic
Telephone: 809-542-4105
Fax: 809-563-3118
Email: [email protected]
Web Site: www.lhinternacional.com

Thanks for the info. In the capital there are dozens of places selling them.

Two considerations

1. Price
2. Guarantee

Be careful of both!

I was wondering if anyone thought of getting solar panels or wind turbines?

Solar is readily available but still very pricey here.

There has been major advances in wind turbine design, smaller, cheaper, need less height, greater efficiency.Search on you tube. Some are amazing.  Here solar & wind are the way to go. A longer payback time, but independent from the grid. And they are bird safe!

Wind equipment are not allowed in a lot of areas. Be aware.

I mean build your own portable power plant with Solar panels, small wind turbines, and batteries.

My balcony gets sun most of the the day, and I always get a nice breeze coming thru the house. I'm returning to the states in late April. I will bring my small setup back that I built while living and working in the rural North Dakota oilfield. I will post a photo to show its simplicity.  It was the only electricity that I lived on for nearly 8 years. 500 watts of solar panels and small wind turbines made from recycled cordless drill motors. My 20 battery packs were built from the lithium batteries taken from discarded laptop batteries, given to me by battery disposal companies. I have 240 volts of battery power, a 10,000 watt inverter for household appliances, and a 1500 watt pure  sine wave inverter for my laptop and tv. I also plan on bringing back a few instant on hot water heaters, that run on natural gas or propane. I always forget to turn on or off the hot water switch.
Living here allows me to dust off my engineering and agricultural skills. I was a Mechanical engineering major and Agricultural minor, but being tall, slim, Dominican, left handed with a mid 90s fastball on a baseball scholarship. My coaches emphasized they didn't bring me to Auburn University to be a scientist. I was there to throw a baseball. Find an easier major where I won't miss baseball practice. Thus I became an accountant.
All that being said. On some of my trips back to the states, I have no problem bringing a few necessities back for people. My energy efficient window air conditioners came from Walmart. 88 dollars a piece since it's wintertime. I'm a little crazy. I hopped on a plane just because I really wanted Ben &Jerry Pistachio Pistachio ice cream. I haven't figured out how to make it myself, and my stash had run out.

You've got my attention.  No fear with the lithium batteries?  You could make a business producing & marketing your system. PM me, possible contacts for you if interested.   I like people who think & live outside the box.

Fascinating post Julian.

Careful on those lithium batteries now. Aren't their issues with them for shipping?

I am neither an engineer not an accountant but this is all interesting. I don't understand how it all works.