Off Grid Solar and Wind Installation Part Four

[Volcano2014]

Thank you! You took the mystery out of hooking up solar panels.

[solarcabin]

Hey folks if you like these videos please subscribe to my channel and post a link to your facebook, groups and forums!

Thanks- LaMar

[crank454]

you are the man!!! awesome.

[gio70v]

Hi Lamar. You're a talented DIY man. I have 3 questions.

1) Since you're really DIY skilled why dont u build a tracking system (vert + horiz axis)? The panels performance would increase & allow u not to buy any further panel

2) the cables u use are small in section. R u sure they dont have big losses & dont burn?

3) U built the shad very close to your house. If you want fire safety u should have build the shad far from the house. Since it's close, why dont u make it an extension?

regards

[UsedMissiles]

Maybe you could build an HHO system and get rid of your propane.

[secularheathen]

More importantly than "corosive gasses", lead acid batteries put off hydrogen and oxygen. That is a very explosive combination.

[solarcabin]

@AussieHomestead

Either 12 or 24 volt will work. I would go with 24 volt for a big system or grid tied.

[poorsurvialest]

thats what im doin is solar and wind cause truth is im not goin green i just dont think i whould have to pay out the butt for power any suggwtions

[BullittMcQueen1]

Is that orange cord running to your shed just an extension cord? If so, did you just cut off the ends and splice the wires to the other wires?

[solarcabin]

@BullittMcQueen1

yes it is a Heavy Duty outdoor extension cord. That will work for small systems and is cheaper.

[BullittMcQueen1]

@solarcabin -- I am sorry to ask so many questions. How big of a system could a cord like that handle? I think you have around 400 watts or so on the solar panels. I am guessing that cord could handle at least twice that.

[solarcabin]

@BullittMcQueen1

It depends on the gauge of the wire. I would go with an 8 gauge wire from panels.

[OzarksHillHoney]

Awesome presentation thx! :)

[sok8888]

Where is your permit? What is that permit? Some people just hate it when you live free and without permit......LOL.

[solarcabin]

@corsomail1

There is a fuse on the DC line to the house and a fuse in the Inverter and a breaker in the house. For a small system that is all that is required and more fuses means more resistance and problems.

[paulrschleicher]

Hi.

great vids.

I have a short question...

you mentioned connecting the inverter in the battery bank for equal ballast on all batteries. the dc connection you use for your pump and light are hooked up to a single battery...any reason specific for this.

Greetings from overseas...

[lpdavisakgto]

So ur hooking them in parallel to keep voltage the same and want to increase your amperage

[photolodge]

10.6 amps for a laptop....... something wrong

[sok8888]

@photolodge Don't forget it is the charger talking and the charger is throwing out 14V. So the power pump is 14V x 10.6A = 148W. Which is about right to power a laptop.

[Justmyside]

There's a reason for getting permits:

1st one if installing on the roof is a building permit

This will tell you if ur roof is structurally sound & best way to instal a full off-grid system for ur roof

2nd Is an electrical permit - this will make sure u install the system properly

Not just for safety, but for performance

I'm sorry but your way of installation would fail both.

In which u would kiss any insurance claims caused by your physical or electrical installation good by

& maybe a life

[solarcabin]

@Justmyside

If you want permits and don't trust your own building and electrical skills then get someone to do it for you. I have installed many systems and trust my abilities.

[wrathmaster]

@solarcabin Justmyside person just wants to get on his or her knees and ask permission to wipe.

[pleasanthacking]

awesome vid. i'd put that instruction manual tho in some sort of plastic wrapping. after all you have a shed that is well ventilated, i guess it can get humid inside on colder days. having soggy manual/book is not fun ( ive tried it with putting tea over mine one day :P )

[TROYENGEL]

you the man!!!

[jimmyfingers95]

Can you do a video on your well system? How do you power your well?

[solarcabin]

@jimmyfingers95

My well is free flowing Artesian and does not require a pump.

[iMacPhil]

If these batteries are all connected in parallel why does it matter if I connect the +/- to the first and last battery? They all share the same common wires?

[solarcabin]

@iMacPhil

Because batteries do not drain at the same rate of speed and the battery you connect to would be drained more often than the other batts.

[henryzimmer]

Reaaalllyy niiice

[shootermacgavin1]

I live in an area where it gets quite cold during the winter -22F or so for a couple of months during the winter, how effective will the system (batteries) be during that period?

Thanks Lamar!

[solarcabin]

@shootermacgavin1

If you insulate the batteries in winter it helps butt but there will be some power loss in cold weather.

[shootermacgavin1]

@solarcabin If you were to speculate do you think the power loss would be such that it would render a system such as this impractible in this climate?

Thanks again

[solarcabin]

@shootermacgavin1

There are many solar powered cabins in Alaska and Canada and as long as you take steps to insulate the batts it would work fine.

[mdaddley]

Lamar, all I want to say is you must have been a very good Teacher when you were teaching. Their loss is our win. Very good vids.

[WORRO01]

Thumbs UP~John

[joanofnoahsark]

I am a fan!!!! I just ordered your e-book and I was not disappointed...excellent....yo­u are thorough and concise...great combo..Thanks!!

[BexarPrepper]

Getting ready to do a windmill can't wait for that video to come. Great series solar after windmill. Are they offering your subs a discount? Just a thought :)

[jmmurdy]

Nice video series everything is looking good.

[epicuniversal]

whoops I meant 120/210.

[epicuniversal]

Just to see if I'm understanding correctly, when you were talking about how you are using power strips instead of outlets in your cabin and how you had trouble with the power company with 110/220, you were meaning if your house was also tied to the grid right? Would I still have to get a permit if I was not hooked to the grid, but wired the solar system into a breaker box with normal wiring for outlets without being on the grid?

[solarcabin]

@epicuniversal

It would depend on your county building codes and whether or not you have home owner insurance restrictions.

[FreedomForYouAndMe]

@epicuniversal

My county told me that I would not need a permit if the panels were installed directly to the house/garage. If I were to build a structure for the panels then I would need a permit. Just call your zoning dept and they will tell you where to find all the info you need. Hope that helps

[backwoods223]

Thank you once again for this series, LaMar. I cant tell you how much it helps to see the system and have it explained rather than just reading it out of a book. Although your offgrid solar power book helped to get a basic understanding, these videos are the icing on the cake. Thanks again.

[pgm98387]

Interesting, I really like the MMPT controller, it looks like you have to wire that to the inverter as well as the batteries & panels. I'm curious about the PVC pipe on the roof as a panel mount. Also combining those panels in parallel, what gage wires your using (it looks like quite a distance from the shed to the roof) I'm in a similar situation. As usual you explain the set up very clearly. Thanks for sharing.

[RollinTidez]

@pgm98387 Yeah, I often wonder if some of the solar guys on the tube are overkilling using 4 gauges wire...the wire coming out of the panels is not that big so I don't see the point in using such heavy gauge wire from the panels to the controller. I can understand using a heavy gauge on the batts though. Great job Lamar!

[thegbpackers284]

Great series Lamar! When you do your final battery hook ups put a little bear/white grease on the connectors. This will help keep them clean. Just like in the truck or car. Man you will have more juice than you need.

[GreenEggsAndHamster]

Thank you so much for this series, LaMar! I now feel a lot more confident about installing my own solar system. Great job!

[Forsakenminion]

Very Good

[krisdunn]

Excellent series LaMar, I enjoyed learning about solar power! I noticed the DC power hook-ups were both made to a middle battery in the bank instead of being spread across the entire bank first to last like the connections to the inverter. Does the same not apply to DC?

[solarcabin]

@krisdunn

It does and when I add the two new batteries I will hook the dc wires to the first and last batteries like I did the inverter.

[joanofnoahsark]

I have been watching your videos and find them very informative. I hope to start a solar panel system soon. You are a very good teacher and leave no stone unturned. That's good for me because before I started watching your videos I was a little confused over the whole process. Now I feel like I have a good base of knowledge to get me started.... Thanks again for the great videos...

[Nomels]

Very good