Fishing Cabin Solar Install 1.0, Titan Solar Generator

[wjmcfarl]

So finally have most everything up and running on our Fishing/Floater cabin solar install. It has been a huge project for me and one that has had a few iterations prior to this final setup. Initially, we were concerned about the long lead times on the Titan generator and went with the Ecoflow Delta 1300. The Ecoflow was just not robust enough for our needs and we bit the bullet on the Titan with a 2 battery setup ordered in April and received in August 31st.




The plan was to have to have 1000w of solar panels so I ordered 10x 100w Renogy solar panels. Shipping was delayed because of Covid and one panel was busted in shipping and it took about 3 months to get a replacement panel but eventually all was right with the world. Then, as I was getting all the supplies together to install the system we got 5x 100w Rich solar panels to add to the system for a total of 1500w. Picture below is with just the 10x Renogy panels installed.




I also set up an automatic transfer switch that would have primary power coming from our 3500w Predator generator. I also wanted the 500w Titan AC charger to only power off the generator power and not try to charge itself.




Other complicated aspect was that the solar array was going to be mounted to a stationary boat house while the electrical is inside a floating but relatively station 500 sq/ft cabin. Overhead wiring had to be arranged and I my have to redo this in the future.




Completed interior install except for solar connections but everything works flawlessly. We also installed a mini-split 12k BTU Mr. Cool unit and have 3x 5000 BTU window units. The Titan handles the mini-split without a hiccup. Everything is run off WiFi so I can start the 12k Mr. Cool unit from the house and have everything nice a comfortable by the time we get out there.

 

[NCblueridge]

I like that floating cabin, walk out the door and cast a line.

 

[Deleted member 1888]

Nice but I could not live there I would end up sleep walking and then drowning lol.

 

[wjmcfarl]

I like that floating cabin, walk out the door and cast a line.

Many a many a Redfish and Trout have been caught right off this dock!

Nice but I could not live there I would end up sleep walking and then drowning lol.

My father-in-law holds the record for the most accidental saltwater baths at about 5. He passed away last year but many fond memories of him with us out there hamming it up. Thank God no one sleep walks yet but we always lock the door with the deadbolt at night.

 

[NCblueridge]

Many a many a Redfish and Trout have been caught right off this dock!

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My father-in-law holds the record for the most accidental saltwater baths at about 5. He passed away last year but many fond memories of him with us out there hamming it up. Thank God no one sleep walks yet but we always lock the door with the deadbolt at night.

That's an awesome setup - one of these days when I get a little closer to retirement, I hope to do something similar. I also really like the look of your Center Console boat. I used to have a Scout CC many years ago.

 

[wjmcfarl]

Well, we survived our first tropical storm with all the solar intact. The floater cabin has been through 2 hurricanes now with only minimal damage with one of the previous hurricanes. I was worried about this one though since I wasn't sure how the panels were going to hold up but everything weathered the storm flawlessly!

 

[wjmcfarl]

Wanted to give a 1.5 year update on the remote fishing cabin as well as the Titan Solar Generator. The cabin remains an absolutely amazing family retreat. The automatic transfer box I designed has worked perfectly. It allows for a completely seamless transition from gas generator power to Titan battery power. We have multiple wifi security cameras installed and 24/7 4G LTE internet which allows me to monitor everything from home as well as start up the air conditioners using wifi outlet switches prior to our trips out there so everything is nice and cool once we arrive.

During duck hunting season we did not even have to use the gas generator since temps were comfortable and loads remained pretty light. That was awesome to not have to worry about the gas generator other than starting it to top off the batteries prior to leaving.

Titan Pros:
1. This thing is a beast! With our current two battery setup it has almost the exact same output capacity as our 3500w Predator gas generator so there really isn't anything we cannot run since everything in the cabin is 120v. This makes it supper easy for visitors to the cabin since there isn't anything we need to limit with regards to output.
2. Other than an initial AC inverter output issue we have had nothing but steady performance from the Titan. It runs 24/7/365. Warranty service was quick and easy for us!
3. Super rugged construction. We leave it in a semi-permanent install and only take it back home if there is a large tropical storm. It has survived a few trips back and forth with no issues. Even though it is located inside the cabin this is a high salt environment and no issues from that at all.
4. Capacity is good with 2 batteries. We have only had them fully discharge a few times during winter when we had 3-4 days in a row of cloud cover or if someone forgets and leaves a high energy utility on like the 12kw mini-split air conditioner or water heater.
5. With the 1500w of solar input we are completely charged back to 100% by 2-3pm on a cloudy day and usually by noon or earlier on a sunny. I may work to optimize solar panel angles but we haven't really had any issues and they are mostly flat maybe at a 5 degree tilt.
6. Capacity is excellent with two of the 24V 74ah expansion batteries. Looking to minimize our gas generator usage and will be adding 2 more expansion batteries soon.
7. Very low standby energy consumption. With no load the AC inverter uses about 12-15w. Since the unit is on 24/7/365 this is important for us.
8. Customer service and warranty work has been phenomenal from Point Zero. I just sent an email out Saturday about our wall charger regularly blowing the fuse and a replacement charger was sent out Monday!

Titan Cons:
1. This is obviously not a very portable setup but the ability to separate the components does help with occasional transfer that takes place
2. The cooling fans do get loud during heavy loads. They also cycles on and off so I don't think it is something that would be very easy to place in a bedroom unless utilization was light.
3. We did initially have a weird low load power fluctuation issue with the AC inverter output and finally the AC inverter went out entirely. This was repaired under warranty without any issues from Point Zero energy and at no cost to us at all. Since the repair it has been rock steady and there is no more fluctuations in the AC output at lower loads. Also the LED light flicker has resolved since the AC inverter repair.
4. The original wall charger has had an issue with blowing fuses regularly. This is being replaced under warranty at this time.
5. There are no smart features for remote monitoring or limiting battery discharge. The Titan 2.0 seems to solve a lot of the "smart" feature wants for my use case scenario but the extremely slow rollout of the Titan 2.0 has kept us from pulling the trigger on a new unit. We have just decided to expand our current battery capacity to 4x of the 2000w batteries which should give us more than adequate battery capacity to not have to worry about setting discharge limits.
6. If the batteries do discharge to 0% and the inverter shuts off the system has to be manually reset and the batteries must be recharged either with the wall charger or 12V solar panels which is very hard for me to explain the process to guests of the cabin.
7. Obviously this is a relatively expensive solution but it's so robust and effective the value for us is in the support and out of the box functionality!
8. Lead times from purchase to delivery were very long partially because of COVID and also they are a smaller company but for us the wait was worth it.

Future plans:
1. We are going to add 2 more of the Titan expansion batteries so our total capacity will be 8000Wh which should get us a little over 4 days worth of standy with absolutely no solar input.
2. May add 500 watts of additional solar power to maximize our charging capacity and minimize our gas generator requirements
3. Will work on optimizing solar panel angles to around 15-20 degrees
4. Fish and hunt a lot!!! ??

 

[wjmcfarl]

A Lot More Fishing!!!