Going off grid garden shed

[Nholley219]

Hi there! Solar Newb here!!
I just built a 16x10 shed in my backyard. I’m looking to power it using solar because it’s kind of far from my house and a pain to try and run power to. I’m looking at powering a few outlets to run battery chargers, etc and a few lights, so not a significant draw. However, I’m also considering being able to plug my pool pump in through it, vs being plugged in to my only back patio outlet. It’s 1800 watts and runs an hour on, hour off during the spring/summer months only. Down for the winter, obviously. What would be an ideal set up if I decided to go that route?

 

[niktak11]

What's the startup power on the pool pump?

 

[Rednecktek]

Well, I'll start the default answer to these questions and we can work from there. Here's you To-Do list:

1: Power audit! This will give you some important information on how big your inverter needs to be as well as how much battery capacity you'll need. There is a link in the FAQ section (I think, or someone here will post it shortly) so fill in the blanks and see what it comes up with. You'll probably need some sort of Kill-A-Watt to get accurate measurements. Are you going to be running a 12v system? 24v system? 48v system? What are the specs on your solar panels? VoC? Vmp? Being as this is a new build, throw together a wish list of what you want and estimate on the high side.

1a: Where do you live? Speccing out a system for Scotland is a LOT different numbers than Arizona due to the amount of light you actually get. Someone here can post the link to the PVwatts.com or JCR Solar Uber-Sun-Hours calculator sites to help figure out how much you'll have to work with. That will be a box in the Power Audit form.

2: Parts list: You don't need a make & model list, just a parts list to start from for reference. You'll need an inverter, a MPPT charge controller, fuses, shunt, buck converter, batteries, wire, etc. Once you have a basic list it can be fine tuned to make & models after that. If you're looking at the All-In-Ones check for correct voltage outputs (120v or 240v Split Phase for North America, 220v Single Phase for European type areas) and make sure it has enough capacity for a little bit of growth and fudge factor.

3: Budget!: Steak is great but doesn't mean anything if your wallet says hamburger. Figure out what you're able to spend now vs what you'll have to cheap out on now and upgrade later.

4: Tape measure! Figure out where you're going to stick all the stuff you'll need. A dozen 3000AH batteries sounds great until you're sleeping on the floor because there's no room left for a bed. Is there a compartment that can house all this stuff? Will the server rack batteries fit? Are you going to have to make space? Physics can be pretty unforgiving.

5: Pencil out what you think you need and throw it at us so we can tell you what you've missed (because we ALL miss stuff the first go-round ) and help figure out which parts and pieces you're going to want to get.

 

[BigGun]

Why run your pump 1 hour on / 1 hour off ---- is that the cycle you do repeatedly --- Much better to run a longer cycle for cleaning water and easier on your pump for sure

 

[Rednecktek]

Why run your pump 1 hour on / 1 hour off ---- is that the cycle you do repeatedly --- Much better to run a longer cycle for cleaning water and easier on your pump for sure

The startup amperage is what usually kills inverters, if you only have to do that once or twice a day it'll be a lot nicer to your system than if you do it every 2 hours.

Are you running 120v power or 220v power? If you're going with 120v power that pump is 15a just to exist and probably 45+a for its startup current.

 

[Nholley219]

Good point on the pump running an hour off and hour on. We didn’t end up using the pool last summer thanks to fires (smoke) and the family getting Covid. I think I might actually be running it every 4 or 5 hours not 12 hours a day. It just depends on how clear the water is staying. Not sure on the startup usage. For reference I’m in Northern California and get tons of sunlight through most of the year. It’s a long run to my back yard to the shed and on a slab, so difficult to get power out to my shed. All the materials, batteries etc, will be in my shed, or next to it if I need more space.