Solar and backup power in Johannesburg — what we actually find
Adding solar to an older Johannesburg property is as much a rewiring exercise as an installation. Where three or four generations of wiring share a ceiling and pre-1975 sections have no earth leakage at all, the existing installation has to be traced, labelled and brought up to standard first. We quote that honestly upfront rather than discovering it once the panels are already on the roof.
Property stock in Johannesburg
Central Johannesburg's older housing stock still runs a great deal of lead-jointed cast-iron drainage, and the joints fail long before the pipe does. Municipal pressure across the inner suburbs swings hard overnight, which is what finally splits an already-tired connection. Electrically, these properties frequently carry three or four generations of wiring in the same ceiling, added by different hands over decades.
Access is generally direct, but on older subdivided properties we confirm which meter and which board actually serve the unit before starting.
Faults that cluster in Johannesburg
- Lead-jointed cast-iron drainage failing at the joints rather than along the pipe
- Overnight municipal pressure swings splitting tired connections
- Three or four generations of wiring sharing one ceiling with no reliable labelling
- Pre-1975 installations with no earth-leakage protection at all
How solar and backup power works
The expensive mistake in solar and backup is sizing, not equipment. Undersize it and you are disappointed every outage; oversize it and you have paid for capacity that never gets used. Essential-loads wiring is what makes the numbers work — splitting the board so the inverter carries lights, plugs, fridge, Wi-Fi and security while the geyser and stove stay on the grid side. Without that split you are effectively sizing the whole system around the geyser.
- Load surveys based on twelve months of actual consumption rather than estimates
- Hybrid inverter and LiFePO4 battery installations sized to real essential loads
- Solar PV with shading analysis and string layout matched to roof orientation
- Essential-loads board splits and correct isolation
- Electrical COC on completion, and City Power approval where the system is grid-tied
Our process on a Johannesburg call-out
- 1Survey the site — roof orientation, shading, roof space and board condition
- 2Review twelve months of bills to size against real consumption
- 3Agree the essential-loads circuit list before anything is ordered
- 4Install, commission and demonstrate the system under an actual outage
- 5Issue the Electrical COC and handle grid-tied approval where it applies
Solar and backup power in Johannesburg — frequently asked questions
Other work we do in Johannesburg
Need solar and backup power in Johannesburg?
Owner-managed by Garth Blair. We pick up the phone and book you in personally.
Speak to Garth directly.
Owner-managed means you reach the person who's accountable. Phone, email or WhatsApp — whatever's easiest for you.
- Call now082 886 9119
- WhatsApp082 886 9119
- Emailgarth@appleplumbing.co.za
- Service areaSandton, Midrand & Northern JHB
- HoursMonday to Saturday, 07:00 – 17:00