Biting the bullet. Doubling my battery capacity $$$$$$

[EPicTony]

My system is running well. I have 6 EG4-LL's for 31kwh of total storage. My daily consumption is 25-30kwh.
When there is back to back sunny days all is good. When it turns cloudy for a few days I have to run off the grid.
I can run only about 1 day without sun. I don't think my investment will ever pay for itself but I think the added security for grid down senerios is worth it.
I'm contemplating going further into the solar $$$ hole by buying another 6 EG4-LL batteries doubling my capacity to 62kwh.
I'm sure I can trim my energy usage some but I live in Ohio and feel like my system sits idle too much. Double battery capacity would give me a lot more use before I need to go to grid, not 100% but a lot more. Should I bite the bullet ? The batteries are on sale now with the 6 slot rack "free". If I'm going to do it , might as well get it on sale - vs. full price. Any thoughts on this ? Thanks

 

[fatdaddy]

If you want it and its on sale. Might as well get it for a good deal!

now you get to use the "but honey, it was on sale!" excuse to your spouse

 

[JJJJ]

now you get to use the "but honey, it was on sale!" excuse to your spouse

Think of all the money we saved!

 

[Mattb4]

Since I have not done the math all I can add is the question about do you have sufficient solar power in order to charge back the added battery capacity and maintain loads? There is a lot of folks that get caught with drawing down the battery and never being able for their PV to catch back up. Yes that can be done with grid power but if so what are you really gaining by adding more battery?

 

[EPicTony]

Since I have not done the math all I can add is the question about do you have sufficient solar power in order to charge back the added battery capacity and maintain loads? There is a lot of folks that get caught with drawing down the battery and never being able for their PV to catch back up. Yes that can be done with grid power but if so what are you really gaining by adding more battery?

Yes, lots of PV power, enough for the extra 6 batteries. On a sunny day my batteries now charge from 30% to full in a few hours. Good point however - thanks.

 

[MajicDiver]

Should I bite the bullet ? The batteries are on sale now with the 6 slot rack "free". If I'm going to do it , might as well get it on sale - vs. full price. Any thoughts on this ?

You can’t take $ with you when you go. If you have the cash and you are debit free and there isn’t something else more important , go for it

 

[Danke]

I don't think my investment will ever pay for itself but I think the added security for grid down senerios is worth it.

If it’s just for added security when the grid goes down, how about a generator? For the cost of one battery you can have a generator and that new charger from Signature Solar.

 

[MichaelK]

If you want it and its on sale. Might as well get it for a good deal!

now you get to use the "but honey, it was on sale!" excuse to your spouse

Wrong response! It should be "but honey, now you can run your hair-drier longer".

 

[EPicTony]

If it’s just for added security when the grid goes down, how about a generator? For the cost of one battery you can have a generator and that new charger from Signature Solar.

I already have a 5000 watt generator. It's a pain to drag out, hookup, needs a lot of gasoline and is noisy. I only want to use that if I don't have any solar or battery power.

 

[rodrick]

it all boils down to why you went solar to begin with if it was to save money buying batteries blew that up
if it was solving a power availability problem like a lot of grid down issues different story
or its a just in case everything goes to hell then it’s like buying insurance how much coverage do you need or want

 

[Tom Funchess]

My system is running well. I have 6 EG4-LL's for 31kwh of total storage. My daily consumption is 25-30kwh.
When there is back to back sunny days all is good. When it turns cloudy for a few days I have to run off the grid.
I can run only about 1 day without sun. I don't think my investment will ever pay for itself but I think the added security for grid down senerios is worth it.
I'm contemplating going further into the solar $$$ hole by buying another 6 EG4-LL batteries doubling my capacity to 62kwh.
I'm sure I can trim my energy usage some but I live in Ohio and feel like my system sits idle too much. Double battery capacity would give me a lot more use before I need to go to grid, not 100% but a lot more. Should I bite the bullet ? The batteries are on sale now with the 6 slot rack "free". If I'm going to do it , might as well get it on sale - vs. full price. Any thoughts on this ? Thanks

I just did that very thing - I bought a second rack of batteries after analyzing my actual usage and seeing how long the system would power those loads without PV or Utility input. I also need to add a few more panels, but the math for me pointed toward adding the batteries first.

 

[EPicTony]

it all boils down to why you went solar to begin with if it was to save money buying batteries blew that up
if it was solving a power availability problem like a lot of grid down issues different story
or its a just in case everything goes to hell then it’s like buying insurance how much coverage do you need or want

Reason 1. power availability problem like a lot of grid down issues - grid is getting more fragile with this "green" energy BS & seemingly random attacks on the grid
Reason 2. SHTF insurance, hope it never happens but if it does I won't be regretting my $$$ spent on solar
Reason 3. semi-retired nerd who likes to mess around with stuff like this

 

[time2roll]

Better get 12 while the sale is on
Too large of battery is a lead-acid thing.

 

[Tom Funchess]

Reason 1. power availability problem like a lot of grid down issues - grid is getting more fragile with this "green" energy BS & seemingly random attacks on the grid
Reason 2. SHTF insurance, hope it never happens but if it does I won't be regretting my $$$ spent on solar
Reason 3. semi-retired nerd who likes to mess around with stuff like this

I also went through these same reasons, but added a fourth:

Reason 4: Comfort and convenience. If I have extra battery capacity I can run my A/C or heaters if I want to. This one is hard to put a value on but it's nice to have the option.

 

[pollenface]

The only time off grid pays for itself is when the grid is down and your wife is happy because she can keep watching Netflix and charge her phone. Only then does she appreciate those thousands of hours and late nights you've spent in the shed perfecting your system

 

[timselectric]

That's an easy question.
Absolutely yes.

 

[JJJJ]

The only time off grid pays for itself is when the grid is down and your wife is happy

Forget about payback and return on investment. The reason just posted is priceless and worth every penny.

 

[rodrick]

Reason 1. power availability problem like a lot of grid down issues - grid is getting more fragile with this "green" energy BS & seemingly random attacks on the grid
Reason 2. SHTF insurance, hope it never happens but if it does I won't be regretting my $$$ spent on solar
Reason 3. semi-retired nerd who likes to mess around with stuff like this

Sounds like you have some new toys coming your reasons seem valid to me, you could spend money in a lot worse ways by far, having that security to me is by far the most valuable, dollar bills could end up being glorified toilet paper

 

[42OhmsPA]

Reason 3. semi-retired nerd who likes to mess around with stuff like this

Why not build your own bank? It's really not that difficult.

 

[42OhmsPA]

Why not build your own bank? It's really not that difficult.

Don't know why it's not displaying... 32 cells.