Search results

The wiring is easy, just run from your bus block on the battefies to a fuse to the fridge. As for power consumption, anything that runs on propane + anything is an absorbtion fridge and horrible. No compressor means it has to run a resistive heating element all the time and the slow pull down...

Only the blue ones, which is one of the reasons I won't buy them. There are many brands out there that work just fine and don't cost the GDP of a small country.

Just remember to hit the switch in the app to turn OFF the "balance while charging" so it will continue to balance all night when there's no sun out. That'll speed things along.

The unit can only use 17a of current per MPPT and since you're going to have 2 arrays, you'll probably want to keep them in series.

It's not so much the "cheapest possible" as much as "best value" where all the parts required (conduit, concrete, epoxy, et al) is added in is more important. That racking is nice, and the way the notches and clamps work is a great idea, but considering it's adding $100+ to the cost of each...

I'm weird I guess. Living in the Seattle area it's more "Never pay for itself", "Never gonna break even" and "Wow, that was a waste!" My dad's 4kw GT system will have its warranty expire about 8-12 years before it breaks even on what he paid for it at the perfect time.

The EG4 will likely be quiter than the generator, especially at night when there's no PV or real heavy loads. They also use a standard size fan and could likely be swapped out with a better/quiter Noctua in a few minutes.

Oh, they exist, they're just really REALLY pricy! Fortunately, as I understand it, the first born child it costs doesn't have to be YOUR first born... 😁

Short answer? No. Long answer? Nnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooo 12v has its uses and places, but limitations kick in quick once you're out of the van/camper/shed world. Putting batteries in series to get to 48v can save money on the front end, and adding in a balancer to reduce drift can just barely...

Power bill should show total Kwh used in the month. Divide by 30 and that'll get you on paper for daily battery capacity. At even $0.50 per Kwh that's 250Kwh of battery roughly, at $1200/5kwh battery that'll be roughly $60,000 in batteries per 14hr period, or $120,000 per day of batteries...

Al was common in the late 70's and 80's but was pulled because of fires from lighting and outlet circuits. Any house built before about 1992 is likely to have Al wire in the walls. Even then, higher amp loads like stoves and dryers tended not to get the bump up in wire size from copper and...

A 50a charger will be a .25c which is pretty healthy, but if a 100a beast existed AND you had a child you weren't particularly fond of that would be perfect. On a budget though, any 12v auto charger with an AGM setting does the job nicely too.

Go straight to 48v. Even 24v limits you to about 3kw reasonably and half that alone is your Aircon so you're going to hit your power limits real quick if you're running it and fire up a saw. A 48v 6kw unit that ISN'T split phase might be the way to go for a shop that only needs 120v everywhere.

Easier to install than Brightmount, but way expensive compared to PT lumber or the pipe clamp system (Ironridge?) kits.

The other issue with Al wiring, and one of the big reasons it was pulled from the NEC for indoor circuits, is the oxide that forms on the wire acts as an insulator at the terminal screws and next thing you know the outlets catch fire. I've had it happen a couple times.

FTFY! 😁

Cargo trailer as in not living inside? Get the cold protection, it'll be worth it on that crisp sunny winter morning.

A hot plate is going to want a 2kw inverter to be happy, a full electric stove is 12kw 240v split phase. The BMS in that battery is good for a hot plate but just.

A good rule of thumb for 12v systems is 10a of SCC per 100w of panel. With 660w of power you'll want at least a 60a SCC to utilize it all.

Under load test mine were luke warm, just a little over ambient.

So since we've got a general questions thread going, I'll ask in here rather than opening yet another 6000xp thread. 1: Just how off-grid friendly is it? Do I need to set up an app and get it online to make everything work or can I just bolt it to the pump house wall and send it? 2: Does it do...

I'd love to get a couple of them! My nephew replaced his alternator a couple weeks ago but destroyed it trying to get it out with a crowbar so my DC generator project got halted again.

So I got the new fan motor in, got the heater back in the trailer, connected everything back up, and it just refused to light off. It wood Woof occasionally, and the fan was blowing nice and quiet, but it just would NOT light off... So I walked away to take a few and looked at the work...

I'm notorious for spinning in circles trying to find my pen... Taking the pen from behind my ear and scratching my head... Putting the pen back behind my ear... Where the HELL did I put that pen??!! :fp2

That rules out Victron but might be do-able. Used solar panels, a 40a MPPT, just enough overhead on the inverter to round up, and DIY battery you might swing it. The battery is going to be the most expemsive part and you'll need to figure out how much you can get away with first. Pro tip: If...

Yup. Midnight was outside my price range and "coming soon" and the Growatt has another 600w of overhead to work with. It also has a lower starting voltage on its MPPT than most other AIOs which helps with the constant overcast I have to deal with in the PNW. The Growatt also supports more...

I've got a pair of 35gal pressure tanks already and running out of space in the pump house. I've got the cells to make a 280ah 48v battery to feed the 6000xp or 6048 and enough wall space to mount it near where the current generator lives if I build it as an upright unit. Bummer. 🥺 I was...

But you gotta be willing to fork out $$RealMoney$$ for those.

There are pro's and cons both ways... Pre-Built - Pro's: smallest form factor, warranty, fast, easy Con's: no mods really possible, solar and charging options can be limited, expensive per watt-hour DIY - Pro's: customizable, modular for changes later, better value, lots more fun, educational...

Either way will require futzing with the cells, and an active balancer will work along side the BMS and be cheaper and easier to set up.

Been there, done that. You can do more than you think with the right tools and prep. I got 800w of panels on the roof with space for my combiner box with no issues. I threw a 2kw LF AIO under the bench, replaced the converter with a DIN rail box and breakers, built a pair of 280ah batteries...

I looked at that for my cabin years ago and opted to go with the Growatt 3kw 24v instead. I didn't need tge outlets and at the time the Growatt was about $100 cheaper, let me put in 2kw+ of panels, and had that extra few hundred watts of overhead. No regrets so far.

I built mine with a small project box, a momentary contact button, a LED, and a resistor to go around the main breaker. Since my systems are only used occasionally I tend to shut everything down so the pre charge resistor is Step 1 in my startup instructions. I have a small wire connected to...

Never had an issue, just used a precharge resistor before I turned back on.

So one of @Will Prowse 's older videos, the one on the MPP 5048 and BigBattery, he finds that it will not charge from a 120v source, then figures out about 7 min in that a jumper between the hot legs solved that problem. Here's my quandry: My camp currently has an open frame 6500w generator...