I am a 50-odd year old woman moving off-grid to enjoy a simpler, intentional life off-the-hamster-wheel. I have read Will’s book. Watched many many videos. I’m learning about electricity and motors and gantry’s and pulleys and gears and wood-stoves and cements and chemistries and physics and material science and tools-and building and almost everything is new to me. I have no background in “man-stuff” and constantly deal with instructions for tools/hardware/materials that say ONLY: “assemble” as though HOW to “assemble” is obvious.It seems to me that the first 3 chapters of every area of “man-knowledge” come encoded on the Y-chromosome, so it is assumed I know vast amounts of background knowledge when in actual fact I do not. Often even understanding what the instructions refer to is an occult mystery and I am the ever-uninitiated, somewhat irritated by the kind of explaining so common on youtube videos involving pointing at items by waving an arm in a general direction where lie 15 possible referents such that one must already know what the item looks like in order to distinguish it from its 14 cousins.
Despite my almost complete ignorance I have finally managed to get a solar system up and sort of running, as of today, in an off-grid cabin where I live without refrigeration. I am hoping to change this now that my electricity is 'working'.
I have two big problems:
One: the PowMr inverter does not seem to recognize my solar panels, so I am now running down my batteries which are not charging in the bright sun. There should be 120voc with 9 panels x 230 watts, n'est pas? Is there anything that could be the problem? Some known issue?
Two: my refrigerator is not working. I finally got a couple of 20lb tanks and hooked one up, but the damn thing won't light up. Other people seem to run their fridges with 20 lb tanks. Is it possible that mine won't work because the propane line to the fridge also goes to a furnace and a stove even though both gas lines are closed off at the appliance (the only place to close off the gas feed)? There used to be 120 lb tanks attached to this gas line feeding the three appliances. The refrigerator brand is "unique" with an electric cord and a propane line (their smallest fridge that is 'full size'). The information I can find says there must be 14 somethings pressure? Does a 20 lb tank have 14 somethings of pressure? Is there some way to make 14 somethings out of a 20 lb tank?
Current or Future Solar Power System
Panels: 230W x 9 @ 48 volts - all in series
Inverter/Charger: POWMr LVM 5kw @48 volts
Batteries: DIY Thundersky LYP 260 ah @ 48 volts (16S))
No BMS - currently monitoring each cell using Cell Monitor
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