diy solar

diy solar

Sooo... its 12F outside, my power is out until tomorrow night...

yeah… hard to prepare in a condo… the main panel is a main lug panel. No easy way to install a generator hookup, I’d pull he meter, and backfeed, but the new fence they installed is blocking it… I suppose I will replace the panel with a meter main breaker panel.

Yea sucks to when you have limited space but there's always something you can do

Here in the UK we just go in through a plug socket (outlet ?) , knock up a male to male cable , turn off the main switch and electrify the house through the plug ring .... But of course you've got to have the power in the first place!
 
Yea sucks to when you have limited space but there's always something you can do

Here in the UK we just go in through a plug socket (outlet ?) , knock up a male to male cable , turn off the main switch and electrify the house through the plug ring .... But of course you've got to have the power in the first place!
Except there is no main switch… and I want to power the heat pump… and water heater…
 
I’m worried what will happen when 600 homes all get power back on at the same time… more than half of the units here are straight electric heat, no heat pump… and the heats been off for going on 32 hours… so chilled to the bone houses…

Heck, Charlotte instituted rolling blackouts today… 30 minutes to 2 hour power shut downs across all areas to prevent extreme grid failure is their statement… I’ve been running all over town fixing customers heat because the condensate lines in crawlspaces froze…

Sure, the grid can handle electric cars… if the weather is nice that is…
 
Except there is no main switch… and I want to power the heat pump… and water heater…
I'm honestly surprised you hadn't worked out contingency plans before this.

My brother is on the coast near Wilmington. He said they never lost power out there.

Good luck. Hopefully not much longer before power gets turned back on.
 
There's always a way
Oh. Of course, I can do it… just not elegantly… and reversing the setup would involve reconnecting 1/0 lines in fridgid weather without a means of disconnect…
I will replace the entire electrical panel with a better panel that I can install an interlock on… and add a 50A generator inlet.
 
Not trying to be funny but I am very surprised you're not prepped for something like this ? Especially being the admin of a DIY solar offgrid type forum lol,


Try this? Plants pots and a candle, they make a REAL difference in a room. they've got us through some cold days

I normally do 3 plant pots stacked

View attachment 126118
View attachment 126119



Don't put too many candles under or they go up in smoke
I dont understand how this generates more heat than just burning the candle? You aren't creating more heat than what the candle is generating?

Im so ????
 
I dont understand how this generates more heat than just burning the candle? You aren't creating more heat than what the candle is generating?

Im so ????

I was thinking about that earlier , very good point and I don't understand why it works.

but it does, really well, much better than just a candle
 
The heat is still in the room though? So it is not making more heat?
Same BTU's but the infrared in the ceramic doesn't "see" the air although it will radiate to other solids like your body. Or so I've heard on the internet.
 
Oh. Of course, I can do it… just not elegantly… and reversing the setup would involve reconnecting 1/0 lines in fridgid weather without a means of disconnect…
I will replace the entire electrical panel with a better panel that I can install an interlock on… and add a 50A generator inlet.

Don't your consumer units have dual pole isolation ? We have to have it over here by law


Consumer_unit_photo.jpeg
 
Last edited:
We don't have "consumer units" , we have service panels. And they are not required to have a main breaker in certain circumstances. The only way to kill a main lug panel is to pull the meter.

...ohh that sounds safe lol . have you tried moving to a civilized country? Possibly Canada
 

diy solar

diy solar
Back
Top