goat ya have nice setup maybe one u can tell me what i need and were i can get it cheep since ya know what my setup is like here in the boonies lol with the price of elictric i would love to be off grid completely look forward to seeing more of your videos
I have a question regarding your setup, I was pondering of putting my future solar system in the attic as far as the charge controller, inverter and battery bank. Is your attic insulated or non insulated?
Great video! I bought the same system, but have not yet installed it......so your video gives me some excellent pointers. Also, the price of this solar kit is only around $250, so maybe a good idea to buy an extra as back-up in case the panels go bad (or get bombed by a meterior shower).
Like your system and video / i need post mine // I have 2,980 amps battery store age I built a battery room off side of the house 12' x 12' and like you i ran circuits throw the house TV in living room // and PC / And few other as well throw out the house i have 12,500 generator but takes 3/4 gal hr operate/ I find i was running generator for convince when powers off That's y what started me on my project Now hope to be off grid next 4 yrs when completed 9000 amps storage
you did alot of nice neat work im doing a off grid cabin and getting ready to wire it your system is what i have in mind to do once again really nice work start to finish
I am working on setting my system up. I wanted to make it portable, but it is not too moveable. I like the way you've set up solar lighting throughout your house. How did you run wiring throughout your house? Right now I have a 90 watt panel, a 90 amp battery, a 10 amp sunsaver solar charger and a 1500 watt inverter.
Have you considered using a 12 volt system as well? In case of a power outage a 12 volt lighting system would be much more efficent than changing to 120vac (you can get 12 LED and CFL and incadescent bulbs)
@TomZentra The fan is outside of the enclosure, and protected by the plastic flap. Batteries primarily only produce gas when charging, so the fan is on and forcing "clean air" into the battery box (away from the fan) before gases are produced. It's also not a brush type fan, and normally does not produce any sparks.
@TomZentra sealed batteries do not produce hydrogen gas in any amount that will cause a explosion. if they emmited gas all the time then they would surely run out of electrolyte very fast.
when you do upgrade your charge controller dont get rid of the one you have there. you can use it tied into the batteries only, for charging of all kinds of devices. anything that plugs into a cigarette lighter will work, many new gadgets charge from USB, you also have the 3, 6, and 9 volt plugs and it has the 2 lights and when powered on tells you how much charge you have left on the batteries. have a nice day and thanks for all the great vids
I like the Video,you did a great job on this system.I am planning on building one myself and you gave me plenty of good ideas for my system.Good message at the end too.
the grid is prone to emp's but if one goeas off and reaches your house your solar system is screwed. but still its a good idea to put one in your house.
Nice set-up. I started with the Harbor Freight kit and upgraded the charge controller, well worth it, as the H.F. controller would cut off at 14.1 volts and never fully charge the batteries. I went with the Xantrex C40, it will handle panel upgrades and with the Temp. sensor, it is very kind and generous to my pair of Trojan T105's. It has no MPPT, but is fully adjustable and built like a tank for not too much cash. You can harvest more sun and the batteries will be happier with a better charger
Thank you, again..... Thanks! Question.... The harbor freight kit.... Can accept add on panels. So, how many can I add to the charge controller? With the max panels to the charge controler, how many 12 volt batteries can I make as a bank? I know I ask a lot of questions, but this is how I learn! And I am learning too!!!! THANKS!!!
Just curious...... How come ya rewired your home?! Why dontcha just find the (plug) outlet circuit at the breaker box, then wire nut an extention romex it to your inverter? Please let me know if that can be done. I would love to sit down with ya have a beer or two, shoot the shit, and ask more questions. Thanks!
@Jthetinman Illegal to do direct to inverter (Unless grid tie inverter). Potential is for current to leak back into electric company lines. In a power outage, the Lineman working on the problem, might not appreciate electrocution. Wasn't hard for me to wire anyway, and gives me better control over how much solar power we are using.
You sound like a good ol boy that's for sure! Your video was the easiest to understand yet! So many goofs here on YouTube complicate it too much. You did a great job! Thanx!
@Jthetinman Can't post a link here, but you might be interested in a video I posted, titled "How a Solar system works". Gives some really basic info on electrical theories.
@cambigfoot88 Not much. Just a few "cfl's", and a radio. That's a great improvement in a long term power outage though. Better to have a little light... than sit there in the dark for weeks.
@GoatHollow Strap and go over old roof dont have to pay to get rid of stuff,my neighbor just did his 4 buy15 foot sheet easy to do for a diyser,he spent under four grand after getting est of 17000.once you go metal youll never have to metal with it again, arg arg
hey bud, i love your small system, i live your presentation.. just wonderfull.. i have one question for you.. how did you rire up the 12v fan to the battery box so it only comes on when the batteries are being charged? i hope to hear from you.. and again what a great video!!!!
@ditmar11, There are blocking diodes in this particular charge controller, so I wired the fan between the panels, and the charge controller. If you look reeeeely close you can se a toggle switch in the side of the disconnect switch that the fan is wired through. The fan takes power off of the load side of the disconnect switch.
Doug, your middle name must be ingenuity. I am so impressed by how you are able to put things together with found objects. I wish I had more of that talent and/or my husband would use his more!
a cheap tracking mech. would be to find an old satelite dish...the bigones...and take the dish off..set it on an east west then use very low curent on the actuator to move it across the arch.
nah..you can move the dish actuator with 2 wires and a car battery...all you need is a resistor to slow the thing down ...i believe it should be fairly easy
Needs to be controlled to follow the sun precisely. sun's arch changes over the course of year also. shorter days in winter etc. All this has to be taken into account, or panels won't stay at 90 degrees to sun
One of my favorite video of yours so far. I really liked the idea of using a cooler sealed and venting outside the house. I saw some 834 AH bateries at Wal Mart today. They were not too expensive either. I'm thinking i'll be building my system in the summer at some point. Good video, thanks for the ideas. Mike.
great work, I never really gave it alot of thought about a small solar emegency syste...but you know.. you sure sold me now!!! thankyou and my family thanks you... please keep making such videos they are a great help... stay safe
I like your system. The coal oil lamp conversion is awesome. How about installing a windshield wiper to keep the snow off that panel. Just turn it on for a few wipes when you want to knock the snow off.
WOW! You are very resourceful. I am like that as well. I worked construction and did several demolition jobs. I took home a lot of scrap off those jobs. I hate seeing good stuff go in the trash heap!
This is great! You've very wise and practical and that's a good thing. I like the idea of being self reliant, living off the grid and resorting back to living off the land as much as possible. Would it be possible to build a system where you're completely off the grid entirely? I'm sure it would take alot of solar panels & some wind turbines & lots of batteries. Any idea?
for a replacement charge controller, check out PPT or MPPT controllers, you can build one or buy one, you may find that using one will eliminate the need for a "tracker" mechanism on a pole... google 'timnolan - Arduino PPT Solar Charger'
WOW! What a fantastic job! I'm very impressed! Since you utilize that power, the system will pay for itself even if nothing ever goes wrong. That's the best kind of prep there is. It's the kind that helps you in your every day life as well as increasing your preparedness for a grid failure.
Five stars my freind. I think you did a better job than most of the setups on ytube. I have always pushed for safety on my videos and your system looks great.
Thanks for the detailed look in how to actually put a solar system together! I'm building a shed that I want off the grid. I live in the south so a/c is a must. My solar system will have to be able to run a small window a/c. I'm assuming I'll need more panels and batteries for the increased power needs. My shed roof will be angled facing south. Thanks for the website for finding the optimum angle for my lat & long. Your videos are a major help in my drive to stay alive! Hope your feeling better!
Looks like one heck of a great set up Doug, but frankly, it also convinces me that it may not be something I should dabble with. I don't know nor do I understand electrical stuff, never have been able too. I'm pretty good with tools and the like, but something like this is very likely beyond my reach.
@AgrippasNotebook3336, Looking for galvanized steel window screen, aluminum won't work (I'll scronge some somewhere), Then I'll build a wooden frame with a door on it, cover it with screen and ground the screen.
@MrHubot, All it takes is a little preparing EVERY day... now matter how big or small. Just commit to doing something anything every day. You'll start getting there, before you know it!
This was wonderful! Thank you for documenting your project so well and sharing it here. My main desire is to have a solar and battery system that runs a HAM radio and a few lights. The main question I always have with these systems is: How long will they last? If you were running a HAM radio and three 60 watt light blubs, how long would your system last roughly? Thanks!
@PatriotEke, Not positive but I think if you calculate your available storage watts (for example, my batteries are 250 amp hours) 250x12 volts=3000 watt hours... then divide by total watts you are using, should give you how many hours. Probably way off in the real world. Maybe somebody else can help figure it out.
Your right a single 12 volt battery that has a storage capacity of 250 amp hours has a possible power output of 1 amp an hour for 250 hours or another way would be to say you could use 250 amps in 1 hour . if you added another 12 volt in parallel you would have 500 amp hours at 12 volts. But if it were in series you would have 24 volts and only 250 amps
yes your right.. nice set up I wouldn't worry too much about the gas from the batteries. Its the deep cycle batteries you have to worry about. I think your using regular lead acid batts. I have a small system too I run my refridgerator off of it mostly everday. I only have two 6 volts tied in series at 250amps at 12 volts but I have alot of panels so the daytime I get alot of power thats I usually can't store.
goat ya have nice setup maybe one u can tell me what i need and were i can get it cheep since ya know what my setup is like here in the boonies lol with the price of elictric i would love to be off grid completely look forward to seeing more of your videos
bobinmissouri 1 week ago
I have a question regarding your setup, I was pondering of putting my future solar system in the attic as far as the charge controller, inverter and battery bank. Is your attic insulated or non insulated?
cgillyard 1 week ago
@cgillyard We have a finished room up there
GoatHollow 1 week ago
@GoatHollow Oh I see, thanks. My attic isn't finished nor insulated, I was just curious to see if it will work or not.
cgillyard 1 week ago
nice goat enjoyed the video did you wire yourself how do you stop the power going bacjk to the panels
pof1991 2 weeks ago
@pof1991 The Harbor Freight charge controller has blocking diodes in it, but I've changed controllers now, so I had to wire some in
GoatHollow 1 week ago
thanks you have really inspired me
greenDIYscience 1 month ago
Really nice work !
Mcintyre5000 2 months ago
Is that a HAM radio tower?
therandomdot 2 months ago
@therandomdot TV
GoatHollow 1 week ago
We have great modules in stock for this kind of applications and with great yield results. hit me up!
Innotechsolarusa 3 months ago
I got several of these systems on my camping trailer, very cheap price and quality, very poor output
torkjoy1 4 months ago
I wouldnt have portrayed the Hindenburg about Hydrogen gas myself, very unusual example I felt. Research Thermight.
You have a cool way of showing your system though. I have one aswell. Nice Job
lumberdoktor 4 months ago
solar comand central :-)
bananajoe4u 4 months ago
lots of good little tips here that I plan to use when I do mine soon, THANKS!
Question, will there be any loss or gain from the inverter output (120) because of longer or shorter wiring outlet runs?
photolodge 5 months ago in playlist More videos from GoatHollow
@photolodge Yes there will be "Line loss", so use the largest diameter wiring you can,.
GoatHollow 5 months ago
lots of good little tips here that I plan to use when I do mine soon, THANKS!
photolodge 5 months ago in playlist More videos from GoatHollow
GREAT VID, thanks for posting, I've been looking for something for beginners on a budget, you nailed it !!!
moviking 5 months ago
Great video! I bought the same system, but have not yet installed it......so your video gives me some excellent pointers. Also, the price of this solar kit is only around $250, so maybe a good idea to buy an extra as back-up in case the panels go bad (or get bombed by a meterior shower).
crazeyspivey 5 months ago
very clever! Love it!
itsjojo4 5 months ago
Like your system and video / i need post mine // I have 2,980 amps battery store age I built a battery room off side of the house 12' x 12' and like you i ran circuits throw the house TV in living room // and PC / And few other as well throw out the house i have 12,500 generator but takes 3/4 gal hr operate/ I find i was running generator for convince when powers off That's y what started me on my project Now hope to be off grid next 4 yrs when completed 9000 amps storage
TIGHTWADHERMAN 6 months ago
you did alot of nice neat work im doing a off grid cabin and getting ready to wire it your system is what i have in mind to do once again really nice work start to finish
chalkhill714 7 months ago
Very nicely done, Alot of work recognized.....
vengence1979 8 months ago
I am working on setting my system up. I wanted to make it portable, but it is not too moveable. I like the way you've set up solar lighting throughout your house. How did you run wiring throughout your house? Right now I have a 90 watt panel, a 90 amp battery, a 10 amp sunsaver solar charger and a 1500 watt inverter.
phermansr 9 months ago
very nice system, you did a great job
phermansr 9 months ago
@phermansr I'm getting 2 more sets of panels on Thursday
GoatHollow 9 months ago
It's a rOOf not a ruf
jfats100 10 months ago
Have you considered using a 12 volt system as well? In case of a power outage a 12 volt lighting system would be much more efficent than changing to 120vac (you can get 12 LED and CFL and incadescent bulbs)
bbsux4evr12345 10 months ago
What is a ruff ? is it the same as a roof ?
JohnLMcCoy 10 months ago
An electric motor fan to remove hydrogen gas? KABOOM!
TomZentra 11 months ago
@TomZentra The fan is outside of the enclosure, and protected by the plastic flap. Batteries primarily only produce gas when charging, so the fan is on and forcing "clean air" into the battery box (away from the fan) before gases are produced. It's also not a brush type fan, and normally does not produce any sparks.
GoatHollow 11 months ago
@TomZentra sealed batteries do not produce hydrogen gas in any amount that will cause a explosion. if they emmited gas all the time then they would surely run out of electrolyte very fast.
metzindustries 4 months ago
enjoyable to watch and listen too. Good luck on your up coming paint job (LOL)
aucps 11 months ago
when you do upgrade your charge controller dont get rid of the one you have there. you can use it tied into the batteries only, for charging of all kinds of devices. anything that plugs into a cigarette lighter will work, many new gadgets charge from USB, you also have the 3, 6, and 9 volt plugs and it has the 2 lights and when powered on tells you how much charge you have left on the batteries. have a nice day and thanks for all the great vids
MrLandphill 1 year ago
that bird was one heck of a bomber
pete5668 1 year ago
Awesome. Solar is the way to go. Thanks for sharing!
RedneckHillbillies 1 year ago
I like the Video,you did a great job on this system.I am planning on building one myself and you gave me plenty of good ideas for my system.Good message at the end too.
badlegend1 1 year ago
the grid is prone to emp's but if one goeas off and reaches your house your solar system is screwed. but still its a good idea to put one in your house.
policedylan 1 year ago
@policedylan Keep watching my channel, for a video that I will sometime soon be posting on my Faraday cage. :)
GoatHollow 1 year ago
Nice set-up. I started with the Harbor Freight kit and upgraded the charge controller, well worth it, as the H.F. controller would cut off at 14.1 volts and never fully charge the batteries. I went with the Xantrex C40, it will handle panel upgrades and with the Temp. sensor, it is very kind and generous to my pair of Trojan T105's. It has no MPPT, but is fully adjustable and built like a tank for not too much cash. You can harvest more sun and the batteries will be happier with a better charger
toddsgarage 1 year ago
A pretty good idea on the vent fan,dude.great video.
RayBthesecond 1 year ago
I am just revisiting. I still think this is a great video. I hope all is well with you and yours.
OBXSOLWIND 1 year ago
Thank you, again..... Thanks! Question.... The harbor freight kit.... Can accept add on panels. So, how many can I add to the charge controller? With the max panels to the charge controler, how many 12 volt batteries can I make as a bank? I know I ask a lot of questions, but this is how I learn! And I am learning too!!!! THANKS!!!
Jthetinman 1 year ago
Just curious...... How come ya rewired your home?! Why dontcha just find the (plug) outlet circuit at the breaker box, then wire nut an extention romex it to your inverter? Please let me know if that can be done. I would love to sit down with ya have a beer or two, shoot the shit, and ask more questions. Thanks!
Jthetinman 1 year ago
@Jthetinman Illegal to do direct to inverter (Unless grid tie inverter). Potential is for current to leak back into electric company lines. In a power outage, the Lineman working on the problem, might not appreciate electrocution. Wasn't hard for me to wire anyway, and gives me better control over how much solar power we are using.
GoatHollow 1 year ago
You sound like a good ol boy that's for sure! Your video was the easiest to understand yet! So many goofs here on YouTube complicate it too much. You did a great job! Thanx!
Jthetinman 1 year ago
@Jthetinman Can't post a link here, but you might be interested in a video I posted, titled "How a Solar system works". Gives some really basic info on electrical theories.
GoatHollow 1 year ago
Wow Dude.I'm quite impressed.Yours is the closest video of what I'm gonna do soon when I get the cabin done.Lights and water pumps for starters.
RayBthesecond 1 year ago
How did you wire the plug from the inverter?
searp2 1 year ago
neat
gilyardk 1 year ago
what can you all power with that inverter
cambigfoot88 1 year ago
@cambigfoot88 Not much. Just a few "cfl's", and a radio. That's a great improvement in a long term power outage though. Better to have a little light... than sit there in the dark for weeks.
GoatHollow 1 year ago
i am working on a small solar generator, i am almost finished with building it
brandon14872 1 year ago
I love it good setup
laidofftomass 1 year ago
go metal roofing
STOPPUCKNOW 1 year ago
@STOPPUCKNOW Wish I could afford it
GoatHollow 1 year ago
@GoatHollow Strap and go over old roof dont have to pay to get rid of stuff,my neighbor just did his 4 buy15 foot sheet easy to do for a diyser,he spent under four grand after getting est of 17000.once you go metal youll never have to metal with it again, arg arg
STOPPUCKNOW 1 year ago
I am a solar power fan, and I built my own tracker at low cost. Please take a look at my solar power videos.
eltunene 1 year ago
o.k I'm a handy guy , but that just looks complicated I know nothing about solar panels .... guess I'll have to learn. good job.
polarbeach 1 year ago
You have a nice set up thanks for sharing ....
bowtau9 1 year ago
Very Interesting! This is on our to do list. I like the setup. Very resourceful. Look forward to seeing the "wind setup" in the future.
austinsimpleliving 1 year ago
hey bud, i love your small system, i live your presentation.. just wonderfull.. i have one question for you.. how did you rire up the 12v fan to the battery box so it only comes on when the batteries are being charged? i hope to hear from you.. and again what a great video!!!!
ditmar11 1 year ago
@ditmar11, There are blocking diodes in this particular charge controller, so I wired the fan between the panels, and the charge controller. If you look reeeeely close you can se a toggle switch in the side of the disconnect switch that the fan is wired through. The fan takes power off of the load side of the disconnect switch.
GoatHollow 1 year ago
Excellent!! got a fue Ideas from this.. Thanks!
TheTempestSpark 1 year ago
Very good video. Appreciate your time and effort to post.
jimbogu3 1 year ago
Nice Job as usual GH ;-)
NewAmericaNow 1 year ago
Doug, your middle name must be ingenuity. I am so impressed by how you are able to put things together with found objects. I wish I had more of that talent and/or my husband would use his more!
Michigansnowpony 1 year ago
a cheap tracking mech. would be to find an old satelite dish...the bigones...and take the dish off..set it on an east west then use very low curent on the actuator to move it across the arch.
centervilletn 2 years ago
That's the easy part. control circuit is hard part for me
GoatHollow 2 years ago
nah..you can move the dish actuator with 2 wires and a car battery...all you need is a resistor to slow the thing down ...i believe it should be fairly easy
centervilletn 2 years ago
Needs to be controlled to follow the sun precisely. sun's arch changes over the course of year also. shorter days in winter etc. All this has to be taken into account, or panels won't stay at 90 degrees to sun
GoatHollow 2 years ago
try looking for a telescope motor...they arent so expensive...and will track exactly
centervilletn 2 years ago
will look into it
GoatHollow 2 years ago
thanks!
GoatHollow 2 years ago
my telescope has a tracking motor...i think i gave 300 for the whole thing telescope and motor...
centervilletn 2 years ago
Great video, I have not done this yet . So MANY things to get done I hope we just have more time
1scubaman 2 years ago
awesome! well, I guess it's not that big but for how small it is, awesome;) inspires some awe in me at least
Beardedyoungman 2 years ago
One of my favorite video of yours so far. I really liked the idea of using a cooler sealed and venting outside the house. I saw some 834 AH bateries at Wal Mart today. They were not too expensive either. I'm thinking i'll be building my system in the summer at some point. Good video, thanks for the ideas. Mike.
msamour 2 years ago
great work, I never really gave it alot of thought about a small solar emegency syste...but you know.. you sure sold me now!!! thankyou and my family thanks you... please keep making such videos they are a great help... stay safe
kwvrad2 2 years ago
great job once again
jayarab 2 years ago
Your a electrician right
sljs1010 2 years ago
You never know
GoatHollow 2 years ago
Very helpful. We already have 2 sets of solar panels from Harbor Freight. Need to put them on the roof.
Cneumann22 2 years ago
I like your system. The coal oil lamp conversion is awesome. How about installing a windshield wiper to keep the snow off that panel. Just turn it on for a few wipes when you want to knock the snow off.
mx444bee 2 years ago
WOW! You are very resourceful. I am like that as well. I worked construction and did several demolition jobs. I took home a lot of scrap off those jobs. I hate seeing good stuff go in the trash heap!
jknacasual 2 years ago
This is great! You've very wise and practical and that's a good thing. I like the idea of being self reliant, living off the grid and resorting back to living off the land as much as possible. Would it be possible to build a system where you're completely off the grid entirely? I'm sure it would take alot of solar panels & some wind turbines & lots of batteries. Any idea?
"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst"
D33Lux 2 years ago
Nice build keep up the good work. $1 a watt is not too far away.
catskillwoodgas 2 years ago
Thats a impressive system and a great approach in implementing it. Thank you for the vid.
nkey01 2 years ago
Great vid Great price Great work on the system all around Great
Gunnslinger50 2 years ago
5*****
fuckyouobama1 2 years ago
for a replacement charge controller, check out PPT or MPPT controllers, you can build one or buy one, you may find that using one will eliminate the need for a "tracker" mechanism on a pole... google 'timnolan - Arduino PPT Solar Charger'
nextdimensions 2 years ago
WOW! What a fantastic job! I'm very impressed! Since you utilize that power, the system will pay for itself even if nothing ever goes wrong. That's the best kind of prep there is. It's the kind that helps you in your every day life as well as increasing your preparedness for a grid failure.
vention4wh 2 years ago
Five stars my freind. I think you did a better job than most of the setups on ytube. I have always pushed for safety on my videos and your system looks great.
CHEERS
OBXSOLWIND 2 years ago
5 stars and fav b well :)
tinsnanna 2 years ago
actually the hindenberg had a bigger problem, it had thermite paint, but it's good you vented your box cause the hydrogen is flammable.
glad to see you're making good progress, well done sir !!!
evcrawfish 2 years ago
Good stuff GoatHollow.
I wanted to do the same thing but the house we are in is not the house we are going to prep up. The temporary outside setup will have to do for now.
TheGrayman1234 2 years ago
solar envy indeed!
fatpius 2 years ago
Thanks for the detailed look in how to actually put a solar system together! I'm building a shed that I want off the grid. I live in the south so a/c is a must. My solar system will have to be able to run a small window a/c. I'm assuming I'll need more panels and batteries for the increased power needs. My shed roof will be angled facing south. Thanks for the website for finding the optimum angle for my lat & long. Your videos are a major help in my drive to stay alive! Hope your feeling better!
johnboysrevenge 2 years ago
Looks like one heck of a great set up Doug, but frankly, it also convinces me that it may not be something I should dabble with. I don't know nor do I understand electrical stuff, never have been able too. I'm pretty good with tools and the like, but something like this is very likely beyond my reach.
Anyways, great work!
AgrippasNotebook3336 2 years ago
@AgrippasNotebook3336, Go for it anyway, I can help step by step.
GoatHollow 2 years ago
LOL
I don't know....!
Say, how are you going to go about doing a Faraday cage?
AgrippasNotebook3336 2 years ago
@AgrippasNotebook3336, Looking for galvanized steel window screen, aluminum won't work (I'll scronge some somewhere), Then I'll build a wooden frame with a door on it, cover it with screen and ground the screen.
GoatHollow 2 years ago
One of the best solar panel videos I've seen in a while. Good job. (sure beats mine)
MSGDREWRY 2 years ago
@MSGDREWRY, With your capacity, I have "Solar envy"
GoatHollow 2 years ago
Now, I can walk around with my chest poked out.
MSGDREWRY 2 years ago
Nice set up! I feel like a lazy person right now.. :o)
MrHubot 2 years ago
@MrHubot, All it takes is a little preparing EVERY day... now matter how big or small. Just commit to doing something anything every day. You'll start getting there, before you know it!
GoatHollow 2 years ago
Great work.
SirFelix377 2 years ago
This was wonderful! Thank you for documenting your project so well and sharing it here. My main desire is to have a solar and battery system that runs a HAM radio and a few lights. The main question I always have with these systems is: How long will they last? If you were running a HAM radio and three 60 watt light blubs, how long would your system last roughly? Thanks!
PatriotEke 2 years ago
@PatriotEke, Not positive but I think if you calculate your available storage watts (for example, my batteries are 250 amp hours) 250x12 volts=3000 watt hours... then divide by total watts you are using, should give you how many hours. Probably way off in the real world. Maybe somebody else can help figure it out.
GoatHollow 2 years ago
Your right a single 12 volt battery that has a storage capacity of 250 amp hours has a possible power output of 1 amp an hour for 250 hours or another way would be to say you could use 250 amps in 1 hour . if you added another 12 volt in parallel you would have 500 amp hours at 12 volts. But if it were in series you would have 24 volts and only 250 amps
NovusChaoMundi 2 years ago
@NovusChaoMundi, Yea I'm running 2 (125 amp hour) batteries in parallel, and should have 250 amp hours of reserve.
GoatHollow 2 years ago
yes your right.. nice set up I wouldn't worry too much about the gas from the batteries. Its the deep cycle batteries you have to worry about. I think your using regular lead acid batts. I have a small system too I run my refridgerator off of it mostly everday. I only have two 6 volts tied in series at 250amps at 12 volts but I have alot of panels so the daytime I get alot of power thats I usually can't store.
NovusChaoMundi 2 years ago
They're deep cycle marine batteries
GoatHollow 2 years ago
btw., consider 3 - 13 watt cfl's, or some neon bulbs instead of 60 watt incandescent bulbs. Will save lots of juice for same lighting.
GoatHollow 2 years ago
Neat-o ! ***** :0)
magnummaid 2 years ago
Good job! Great video.
badger0710 2 years ago
Nice set up! Great job!
boomd1791 2 years ago
good one my friend. THANKS
m6996j 2 years ago
I still ha ve mine in the box! You gave me some ideas. Thanks.
anyonefindAMERICA 2 years ago