Recent content by TC McClure

Thanks for the notes. Sunshine_Eggo nailed it! I had neglected to properly service the batteries and clean the connections. I cleaned and polished the connections. I replaced a couple of connection leads, replaced two batteries (one actually had a DEAD cell), filled all cells and equalized...

Thanks. Both the original and the replacement are mid-nineties TRACE. I will clean and polish the connections on the FLAs but it's hard to imagine that connections would cause 28V from 23V in 30 seconds. While I waited for the replacement to arrive, I purchased a 25Amp, 24 Volt battery charger...

One would think that after 40 years off grid, I would have seen everything. But.......I have inverted for 28 years with a Trace SW 4024 inverter. Recently, a lightning strike near my PV system rendered my old trusty Trace unable to charge. (Inverter to 120 V was OK) I decided to purchase...

I bought a Solar Chill 24 volt stainless steel swamp cooler manufactured in Tucson. I run it independently with two of my old Arco M55 panels and 4-6 volt golf cart batteries. I can run it all day and into the evening without tapping into my off grid system. Love it!

I'm not but just purchased one for $2500.

Thanks Oz. I looked at their website and they provide the service I need. But, since I am off-grid, I cannot be without the inverter for any time. Plus, just shipping the unit to Tennessee would probably be impractical. But I appreciate the feedback.

Thanks Rhino. I've haven't used Ebay often. Would you be comfortable buying a used inverter for $1000 plus on the site? "No returns" would seem to mean that if it doesn't work, I'm out the grand.

I am interested if the Trace SW4024 is still available. Mine was hit by lightening two days ago.

Hi J. I know your post is 3 years old but was wondering if you ever sold the Trace SW4024. Mine was hit by lightening the other day and it will no longer charge the batteries.

Great picture Crowz. My original panels are still good. I use them for stand alone DC projects like pumping water, 24V swamp cooler, 12V fan to keep my Outback 80 cool, and remote battery charging when the tractor won't start. I might see if my original Heart inverter would still work and...

I was reminiscing about my solar journey that started when we built an off-grid house in 1985. We purchased 12 Arco M55 panels for around $400 each. I received an email yesterday offering remanufactured 410 watt panels for $185. It's amazing how much power you can produce for 46cents per...

I reread your original post. Why do you lose water when the power goes out? I am assuming that your water is piped to your property by a water district. I've never heard of a water loss when the power is out. Just curious.

I agree with V_green 57 that pumping to a storage tank is the way to go. Having a full storage tank takes away the worry that the pump will not keep up with the demand. I'm not an engineer but have used 3SQF2 pumps for the past 15 years and it is my understanding that your lift is determined...

The battery producers probably agree with you. At the beginning of my off grid journey I would replace the entire bank (24 at that time). As I got older, the task of replacing the batteries was too much work so I experimented with just replacing those batteries that were diminishing. I have...

Thanks for the advice. Due to the concerns you raised about heat, I will stay "old school" and keep my lead acid batteries.