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Sorry to report: if you "just tinker" and it burns the house down, you might have difficulty filing a claim with the insurance company. For a small solar power setup that is only running a refrigerator and a few lights, and is totally "off grid", there is not likely to be much of a danger from...

if this helps at all, I ran an experiment recently (late May), after learning that it was possible to purchase 12v, 24v and 48v standard heating elements for water heaters. Bought this 20-gallon water heater, which I judged to be large enough for our use. Took out the 120v element and installed...

I've got a 4000w AIMS and a 6000W Sigineer. Except for the cabinet and an LCD status display on the Sigineer, they are almost identical inside. The AIMS unit died after running for about 4 months, it was sent back and repaired under warranty. I'm keeping it as a backup. The Sigineer has been...

We've been running a 48v solar system for about 18 months. I used the cheap Harbor Freight battery disconnect switches on the solar input and the battery, and they work fine. Fusing the battery was not difficult as I used a giant ANL type 100A fuse. The odd problem was in fusing or protecting...

My experiences have been similar. Very few "professionals" are really all that knowledgable, and none of them wants to anger the electric utility companies. So they feed people who want off-grid capability all kinds of crap "advice" and outright misinformation. Not one of the licensed...

we might never know for certain, until someone who speaks passable Mandarin physically goes to Shenzhen and asks around. All I can add is: these inverters work very well, IF you keep them cool. Our AIMS inverter died after overheating (the internal fans are useless) so I bought the next size...

Have to agree with the others, if you can possibly afford lithium, then do it. I've tried a variety of "deep cycle" flooded and AGM batteries, and none of them delivered even the 50% capacity for lead. More like 35-40% is typical. And they really do not like to be deeply discharged, frozen...

crossposting AGAIN..... Warning: I've tested a few flexible panels. The odd-branded ones sold on Amazon and eBay never, EVER come even close to the power outputs they like to claim. Some of them make outrageous claims. A common example are the Yishengyuan panels of about 41x10 inches that many...

This is because elderly people usually have poor blood circulation to the extremities. They suffer greatly in cold winters and that is why so many of them retire to Florida, southern Texas, southern Arizona or southern California. Long ago in Riverside I saw numerous old folks who would sit...

Oops I detect a throwdown.....

Good chance you were the only one on the street who had lights. And very few of your neighbors had anything, not even a generator. My attempts to talk neighbors and friends into buying at least a SMALL solar/battery power box, like a Jackery or Bluetti, or even a cheap generator, have been...

Anyplace you can push a LOT of air past it, and it also won't be a fire hazard if it overloads or dies. RV inverters are usually installed in the cargo compartment underneath, or in an enclosed closet for electrical systems with ventilation. If your RV is THAT small I'd seriously suggest...

https://honestenergy.substack.com/p/the-little-ion-that-could Worth the time--I've yet to see a textbook explain it so clearly.

PS, I asked a local plumber about running a water heater element on DC. He said it is okay since most tank heating elements are only rated to last 5-10 years anyway. So keep a spare element. Also asked a couple of local electricians. They both said running tank elements on DC should not be a...

Wait a minute---you installed this inverter under your bed? Why? Inverters need cooling airflow--as much as possible. Under a bed is not a good place for "cooling airflow".

I can beat that easily. He posts horror stories about China routinely--now that he's out of China. https://www.youtube.com/@serpentza Don't ask him about BYD electric cars, AT LEAST IT'S FUNNY

Bullshit. Who told you this? Some solar contractors are absolutely NOT to be trusted and will say anything to extract tens of thousands of dollars from you. DO NOT throw the old panels away. As long as they are delivering useful power and are solidly mounted, use them. 76 volts open-circuit...

Saw that and it's impressive---but gross overkill for what I'm doing. Plus the output isn't adjustable, only for a 300v battery.

If the roof isn't strong enough for panels (which is easy to believe) it might be best to build a frame that attaches to the walls only and put the panels on it. Try to keep any possible load off the roof. Cables should go thru the walls also. Leaks on the usual fiberglass RV roofs are powerful...

There are water heater thermostats for DC operation. My experiment was running less than the rated voltage and current anyway so is not an optimal scheme. It merely shows that electronic controls might not be necessary for every situation. The 20-gal heater was installed in my house and wired...

Just an FYI, the project was completed, using an A123 battery pack with internal BMS, and everything posted here: https://www.diyelectriccar.com/threads/the-joys-of-repairing-and-upgrading-an-abandoned-corbin-sparrow.209551/ The A123 pack, MCU and charger ended up being far cheaper than buying...

HAH This thread reminds me of the time the "Goonzsquad" on YT decided to turn an old military truck into an RV. They mounted eight Renogy panels on the roof, wired them all IN SERIES (not knowing any better and evidently not being able to sit still long enough to RTFM), and ran it directly into...

Threads on this forum (some of them very long and ranty) have beaten on that very subject. Apparently "you shouldn't do that" because if one BMS shuts down, it will have the full 96v of both packs across its internal MOSFET switch. If cheap BMSes had facilities to shut each other off in series...

This Register article summarizes the situation better than anything I've seen yet. Goes over all the major alternatives to lithium ion: magnesium, lithium-sulphur, sodium ion, solid state, etc. etc. We got lithium-ion thru a confluence of economics (Sony's idle thin-film factories converted to...

I've read that the Taycan modules are electrically similar enough to the older Tesla Model S modules that they can use the same BMS. EV battery modules mostly come in odd voltage combinations that aren't usually supported by home power equipment. Unfortunately you will also need an inverter...

There will NOT be a BMS in these packs. The 500E is like most other EVs, one BMS for the whole assembly. Nothing can be used separately--you have to get a proper aftermarket BMS to use the cells. But the price is good--might be worth a try. Usually they sell for more like $350 used and "alleged...

That will never happen. At least not in the current regulatory climate. A true industry standard for fast DC charging MIGHT end up being level 3 CCS with the standard connector, but Tesla won't go along, and there will always be other automakers who want to force a proprietary design on its...

Referring to this? https://ogm-energy.com/products/rec-master-slave-parallel-pack-kit-builder I went thru the process, and it ended up costing more than $2000 with two slave units and cables. That's more than the equivalent Orion. Let's keep that as a backup possibility.

While you folks are talking about unrelated things and posting jokes, this story is spreading online.....it's all garbage coverage, but still, you just know someone will start waving this around as "PROOF" that LiFePO4 batteries are "deadly". Different incident...

You have to call them and arrange it. The guy in Petaluma does pickups out of his house, unless you want to buy a LOT of panels. Then he drags you to the warehouse outside of town. They are not really "open to the public" like a retailer.