Search results

Is this still directed at me? I never hit high or low voltage disconnect, all cells are within 0.01v at the top and bottom SOC, and pull full capacity. Regardless, I reset absorption to 27.6. Didn't make any difference to actual system voltage, which again, I've never seen go over 27.299 ish...

You mean 0.125v over? I'm fine trying 27.6 absorption and seeing what happens. Despite the 28.2 setting, I've never seen 28.2 at the shunt, which means the batteries aren't either. Highest I see is ~27.29 ish. I don't think it's a big deal, I'm quite comfy running what Victron and Will...

I run the recommended voltages for 5000+ cycles in the DIY battery sticky. https://diysolarforum.com/threads/recommended-charge-profile-for-diy-lifepo4-batteries-sticky-post.5101/ 28.2 absorption, 27.2 float, and pull full capacity. It does take a bit to get the last few watts in at the top...

Wish I'd planned on active cooling from the beginning. Thought vents and fans would be enough, and most of the year they are, but there's a couple weeks during the hottest part of summer where they aren't. Now I'm trying to implement active cooling in an uninsulated trailer, by hacking a hole in...

I like the idea of steel, pop in a nutsert where ever I want to mount something. I'd probably do cement board backed with plywood again, though. Rather have the mounting surface be non conductive.

Dealing with this too. Maybe our pine pollen is less sticky, but I've been having good luck with just dusting it off, and haven't needed sop and water yet - that'll come later. I use a ceiling fan duster brush...

You'll probably have better luck asking this in the battery section of the forum.

Quite aware that small scale wind is very far from ideal. There's just so much time here where there simply isn't sun. As I said before, this past winter 1.6kw of panels took three WEEKS to harvest 4kwh of power. A wind turbine harvesting an average of 10w 24/7 would have done 5kwh in that same...

I've been looking into small scale wind power too; when I don't have sun, I usually have wind. Wind is a lot less ROI than solar panels, but sometimes there's just no sun.

I'm a bit south of Seattle, and last year there was a period where my 1.6kw of panels took three weeks to harvest 4kwh. There's a reason nearly everyone around here takes vitamin D supplements all winter, and some of us all year. Exciting times. Serious power storage is becoming available for a...

Biggest regret from building my own system was going 24v instead of 48v. Wouldn't even consider anything but 48v for any system over few hundred watts.

Not sure if we're there yet, but my MIL absolutely loves that I built backup power to take care of her baby. She loved me to pieces already, but this definitely helps.

For a pro landscaping company with a severe time limit, I can see it being impractical. I've heard of folks using steam wands and mops the same way, "torch" the weeds with steam.

There are companies working on circulating electrolyte batteries. Maybe some day gas pumps will become electrolyte pumps. Drain off your depleted electrolyte and refill with charged electrolyte, and be able to carry electricity in a can. More humble(and immediately effective), I boil water with...

Definitely put the hardi backer over plywood, the hardi backer itself has no holding power on it's own.

I've not personally drilled into hardi backer, just use construction screws that poke through it and screw into the plywood behind it. Tiny bit of powder falls to the floor beneath the hole, more like sand, and easily wiped up with a wet cloth in 3 seconds. You're not filling the entire room...

Just use concrete hardi backer, with plywood behind it. You'll spend 10x more time looking for another product that costs more and doesn't work as well, than you would just buckling down and using that stuff, and cleaning up the mess afterwards. Someone posted this flame retardant spray in...

I'd top balance. Most capacity issues here on the forum, assuming someone ordered decent quality cells, get traced to a lack of top balancing, or incorrect top balancing. A couple cells from both of my packs I built absorbed a lot more amperage than the others did, checked with a clamp-on meter...

If this was available here, I wouldn't even be considering it. I'm seeking panels to add a "winter" array. We're just heading into summer now, so no rush to acquire panels. I'll keep my eyes open and see what pops up in my area.

I flip generators frequently. The people who show up are usually decent, and I've had less than my fair share of flakes. A couple have made me wonder how they function in the world though, and one made me thankful for the precautions I take with this stuff.

Is there a reason to not run everything to bus bars? Both motors, both batteries, and the SCC.

Looking at two more ~400w bifacial panels for my system. I can get them for $225/ea local-ish, or around half that price if I want to buy 10+ and pay pallet shipping - have a truck and access to a forklift at work. Has it been profitable for anyone to buy extra panels and resell locally?

Yes that's a different situation. Especially if someone has four teenage daughters and a wife who all want to run hair dryers and take showers at the same time. Some adjustments would definitely have to be made, but I'd still try and arrange it so that most everything can be run at the same...

I think most of that could be done with just settings and an appropriately sized and spec'd system. Once the batteries are full, dump load kicks on, etc. Rather than implementing a complicated monitoring and control system, would it be easier, and probably cost less, to double the size of the...

I talked to Solar City when I bought my house. The numbers didn't work out, but even if they had, I wouldn't have gone with Solar City due to their greasy used car salesman vibe and communication style.

System has been in continuous use for over a year, harvested over 500kwh. Built for backup power, but harvesting all the time, so I'm using it. You can see the panels up top in the snow pic. Thank you, side mounted panels definitely in the works. Too much stuff making shadow to extend the...

Thank you. Inspiration was brush pass-through wall plates. https://www.lowes.com/pd/TOPGREENER-Brush-Pass-Through-Plate-1-Gang-Cable-Access-Brush-Midsize-Decorator-Wall-Plate-White-3-Pack/5014298143

My house was built in '55. There have been four distinct levels of work done to it. 1. Original construction. Not bad, perfectly acceptable in it's day, most still very solid. 2. The Vietnam vet who owned it before me. Obviously not a pro, but did his best and most of his work I leave alone. 3...

That's basically my path as well. Mower, string trimmer, chainsaw, blower. Four batteries, three chargers, can easily run as long as I want, even mowing grass taller than the mower. The string trimmer takes all the usual attachments, I run a cultivator and hedge trimmer with it. No issues, no...

Horses for courses my man. Entirely different usage case.

Milwaukee is where I landed for power tools also. Had Ryobi(great for making birdhouses out of old pallets, completely unsuitable for serious work), Rigid(lasted longer but poor QC and underpowered, warranty is USELESS), and finally landed at Milwaukee(awesome so far). I have 80v Kobalt outdoor...

48" bar would take a 660/395 minimum, and would still be underpowered milling, although probably fine with that much of a skip chain. The 60" makes me think it was an 880 or 3120. I run a 500i, ridiculous overkill for what I do, but so much fun.

Have you checked voltage while the heater was trying to turn on? The extra draw from the glow plug could cause voltage drop in marginal wiring or a loose connection, even if it looks fine when just sitting there with minimal load.

I have class T fuses between my batteries and bus bars, and added breakers between the inverters and bus bars for use as switches. When I designed and built the system I was thinking I'd be disconnecting the inverters occasionally. In practice, the breakers haven't been needed at all.

I wouldn't call that damage, if I'm understanding you right. 100w panels putting out 85w in the real world is perfectly reasonable. Edit: Woops, brain farted that you're getting 85w out of 200w panels, not 100w panels. Still completely reasonable, my 1640w array maxes out around 850w right now.