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Looking for input on tiny home system

Musing Lew

Musing Lew

New Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2024
Messages
10
Location
Mississippi
Ok, new to this but have done hours of research. I am planning out a system for our tiny house we put on unrestricted 13 acres we've bought. The draw on system would be small fridge, a freezer, a mini split ac that is rated at 1200 watts but from research seems to routinely draw 800, couple of smart energy tvs, a desktop pc, few led lights rated at 23 watts, normal small appliances, occasionally a dryer (once per week during winter). Here are links to all components in planned system:

www.ebay.com

2PACK 24V 100Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Battery 100A BMS 10000+Deep Cycles for Home RV | eBay

The inrush current is 400A within 3-5 seconds. Built-in high-temp/ low-tem cut off prevents charging/ discharging When the temperature reaches a certain threshold value. 24V 100Ah Lithium Battery Deep Cycle LiFePO4 for Solar RV Off-grid Trolling Motor.
www.ebay.com
www.ebay.com

Apollo 650 W Watt 24 V DC (6Blades) Wind Turbine Generator Land/Marine Use | eBay

Over the last few decades renewable energy has started to gain its ground. Of all the different kinds of alternative energy sources available, the use of wind power has been growing steadily. With that in mind, we have redesigned a new wind turbine - the Apollo.
www.ebay.com
www.ebay.com

ECO-WORTHY 1200W Watt Bifacial Solar Panel Kit &Tracking Bracket for Farm Yard | eBay

【Bifacial solar panels】. As a professional solar system manufacturer, whenever you encounter any problems, ECO-WORTHY Solar Panels Service will actively provide you with professional off grid system solutions within 24hrs.
www.ebay.com

Looking to get input from those more experienced if this will be sufficient or needs improvement? I don't want the generator running all night. It autostarts off the inverter. Will be set at on at 40% and off at 80%. Will be 4 24v 100ah batteries wired parallel to give 400 ah to system. Can I start with this and expand with more panels/bats as needed?

Thanks in advance,
Lew
 
Musing Lew said:
Ok, new to this but have done hours of research. planning out a system for our tiny house we put on unrestricted 13 acres we've bought. The draw on system would be small fridge, a freezer, a mini split ac that is rated at 1200 watts but from research seems to routinely draw 800, couple of smart energy tvs, a desktop pc, few led lights rated at 23 watts, normal small appliances, occasionally a dryer (once per week during winter). Here are links to all components in planned system:

www.ebay.com

2PACK 24V 100Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Battery 100A BMS 10000+Deep Cycles for Home RV | eBay

The inrush current is 400A within 3-5 seconds. Built-in high-temp/ low-tem cut off prevents charging/ discharging When the temperature reaches a certain threshold value. 24V 100Ah Lithium Battery Deep Cycle LiFePO4 for Solar RV Off-grid Trolling Motor.
www.ebay.com
www.ebay.com

Apollo 650 W Watt 24 V DC (6Blades) Wind Turbine Generator Land/Marine Use | eBay

Over the last few decades renewable energy has started to gain its ground. Of all the different kinds of alternative energy sources available, the use of wind power has been growing steadily. With that in mind, we have redesigned a new wind turbine - the Apollo.
www.ebay.com
www.ebay.com

ECO-WORTHY 1200W Watt Bifacial Solar Panel Kit &Tracking Bracket for Farm Yard | eBay

【Bifacial solar panels】. As a professional solar system manufacturer, whenever you encounter any problems, ECO-WORTHY Solar Panels Service will actively provide you with professional off grid system solutions within 24hrs.
www.ebay.com

Looking to get input from those more experienced if this will be sufficient or needs improvement? I don't want the generator running all night. It autostarts off the inverter. Will be set at on at 40% and off at 80%. Will be 4 24v 100ah batteries wired parallel to give 400 ah to system. Can I start with this and expand with more panels/bats as needed?

Thanks in advance,
Lew
Click to expand...


If you have nothing.
I go for a 48volts setup base on lifepo4.
You can charge more kwh with a mppt than on 12 or 24 volts systeem.
 
6kw on a 24v system?!?! Go to 48v if you want an inverter that big. You'll be able to support more solar at 48v than 24v which is a plus.

Skip the wind stuff for now and eead through our Wind sub-forum. You'll find that most expereince shows that outside very specific conditions, it's not worth it. More panels or higher wattage panels are WWAAYY more cost effective.

Those panels are a rip off. 6x 200w panels can usually be found for less than $100ea on your local craigslist or marketplace. Even new from Amazon with free shipping you can get those panels for 20% cheaper on any given day. With a tiny home you're best off getting the highest density 60cell panels you can find to maximize your wattage per square foot.

Is there any reason NOT to go the AIO route with a 6000xp? That'll get you the same wattage, split phase 240 for larger appliances, built in transfer switch, MPPT, and generator input, is about the same price as just that inverter and only needs half the fuse and wire size.


With 4x 24v batteries in 2s2p that gives you 200ah of 48v which is about 10kwh or 2 bog standard rackmount batteries.
 
I post this link quite often, it is very informative concerning small wind output from people that used to sell windpower.

Please do yourself a favor, and not use a "never get a return on investment" wind turbine. I have installed the electrical on many wind turbines and in general they are a losing proposition.

www.solacity.com

The Truth About Small Wind Turbines – Solacity

Installing a small wind turbine? Get the information you need for an informed decision: The good and the bad, just the literal truth to help you choose.
www.solacity.com www.solacity.com
 
The things I've learned about wind turbines since I joined this forum:

Turbines are rated for theoretical output in 150mph winds, but the blades explodecat about 125mph.

Everyone thinks they are the exception.

It's at least $1000, 2000 hours of fiddling with it and 3000 cuss words to get a turbine to start being effective.

Auto braking systems should be spelled "breaking".

😜
 
1} Don't think of wind as anything more than a hobby, AFTER you have a PV system that reliably meets your needs. Orders of magnitude more trouble and time.

2) I've had 24v systems and they're fine for a small shed but not what you describe. Go with 48V.

3) I would also move away from the Amazon route (which I used for my first system, as well) and get a relationship with a reliable solar supplier such as Current Connected.

4) The moment you use the word "dryer" (if it's electric and not gas) in the same sentence as a solar system, you need to be thinking of a heat pump dryer or have a very beefy system. Even with a heat pump dryer, it's a big drain.
 
Madcodger said:
1} Don't think of wind as anything more than a hobby, AFTER you have a PV system that reliably meets your needs. Orders of magnitude more trouble and time.

2) I've had 24v systems and they're fine for a small shed but not what you describe. Go with 48V.

3) I would also move away from the Amazon route (which I used for my first system, as well) and get a relationship with a reliable solar supplier such as Current Connected.

4) The moment you use the word "dryer" (if it's electric and not gas) in the same sentence as a solar system, you need to be thinking of a heat pump dryer or have a very beefy system. Even with a heat pump dryer, it's a big drain.
Click to expand...
I agree.

A lot of people forget how a wash machine and a dry cost on power just to run for 1 hour.

If you go off grid you have to adjust your self .
Reason i use a cold wasmachine for a Rv unit .
And camping dryer.
If you have lot of solarpanels that you can place
And you can make a lot of power .
Oke than you can go for normal house stuf .

www.nieuwsbank.nl

Beste mini droger 2025 - Nieuwsbank.nl

Woon je alleen dan kun je kiezen voor een mini droger. Een mini droger wordt vaak gebruikt op een camping zodat je de was droog krijgt. Een mini droger is
www.nieuwsbank.nl www.nieuwsbank.nl
A list of small mini dryer we have in my country.
Just use about 1000 watts and just for your daily use .

And a wash machine like this see link (250 watts)
I use that model for about 4 jaars
For hot water you can use bucket and set hot water in the wash machine.
Think watercooker or just from a boiler.
Drop it and done


For big wash i use the port (boat) or gas station wasmachine.
Think about washing Curtain.
 
Musing Lew said:
Will be 4 24v 100ah batteries wired parallel to give 400 ah to system. Can I start with this and expand with more panels/bats as needed?
Click to expand...
I don’t know if 10 kWh of battery would be enough to make it through a night; you’d need a power audit. Especially with a rainy day.

I would not want to do that in Arizona during the summer with the AC running non stop.

You could certainly expand the battery. Just need to plan where the additional batteries will go and make sure the cabling is just as long.
 
Being the everpresent contrarian for whom wind is a nice, cost-effective, supplement, I notice no one has inquired as to the location.
Generally, wind is a loser. Except when it isn't.
A $400 turbine on a 20' piece of used galvanized sch 40 might be just right for the off-gridder with the experience to know that ROI is a silly phrase for city folks and solar salesmen. 😉
 
Is this a Tiny Home on Wheels, or a small footprint "tiny home" on foundation of some kind?

Regardless of which, I'd build a small "solar shed" to hold all the equipment, and connect from the shed to the tiny home load center. Solar panels ground-mounted as close to power shed as solar siting allows. You'll have power shed, battery-bank & inverter, nearby solar panels, and nearby fuel generator (hopefully propane, and it's site supply tank), all within easy cabling distance between components.

If battery-bank sized right, gen wouldn't run all night. Perhaps 4 hours or so, out of 24, depending on solar in your area. build a noise-proof gen shed, and you wouldn't hear it (youtube vids). It's a key component of backup power anyway, so when it's running, use it for other things (like big loads). Otherwise, try to get other stuff onto propane, or off of the electric power audit (reduce before sizing).

Without the power audit, it's a guess if battery-bank is sized right. 2nd issue is battery-bank components. At 24v, 4 individual batteries in parallel is workable (and somewhat expandable). At 48v, you reach a point where it's hard(er) to expand the battery-bank at need. Plan on busbars once final design is mapped out, and try to parallel all batteries, vs series-parallel'ing them.

My Magnum 4024 (LF, 4000w model) inverter would probably handle any load you've got (it drives our entire homestead), and would last forever (ours is past it's 5-year warranty, and still going strong), but if you go the AIO route, 48v is a good answer. If you've already bought the batteries, then investigate a magnum 4024 ... if you haven't bought them, investigate the AIO's. Depending on how far out in the middle of nowhere, you are ... try to plan on a pair of AIO inverters, so the loss of one doesn't shut you down. Or, the magnum in a pre-wired solution (like an AIO, but LF, in 24v and 48v models).

I'd agree with the "get solar done first" crowd, and only then investigate wind ... starting with a weather system to map wind for a year or so at your site, and figure out if there is something there worth harvesting. Then you can sort out a great wind turbine supplier, amongst all the snake oil models.

Wind is a great hobby for the (very?) technical diy'er, interested in harvesting a good wind source that is present on their site (like harvesting water power, if a water source on the site). Perhaps even building everything themselves.

Hope this helps ...
 
Rednecktek said:
6kw on a 24v system?!?! Go to 48v if you want an inverter that big. You'll be able to support more solar at 48v than 24v which is a plus.

Skip the wind stuff for now and eead through our Wind sub-forum. You'll find that most expereince shows that outside very specific conditions, it's not worth it. More panels or higher wattage panels are WWAAYY more cost effective.

Those panels are a rip off. 6x 200w panels can usually be found for less than $100ea on your local craigslist or marketplace. Even new from Amazon with free shipping you can get those panels for 20% cheaper on any given day. With a tiny home you're best off getting the highest density 60cell panels you can find to maximize your wattage per square foot.

Is there any reason NOT to go the AIO route with a 6000xp? That'll get you the same wattage, split phase 240 for larger appliances, built in transfer switch, MPPT, and generator input, is about the same price as just that inverter and only needs half the fuse and wire size.


With 4x 24v batteries in 2s2p that gives you 200ah of 48v which is about 10kwh or 2 bog standard rackmount batteries.
Click to expand...
RNT,
Thanks for your input. Caused a lot more reading for me, but that's good, I think. Scrapping the turbine idea completely. Was my original thought to have charging at night. Seems that was a bad idea. I had originally thought of a 3k AIO but changed to the hybrid controller and separate inverter to accommodate a turbine. Eliminating it simplifies things greatly. Also keeps me from having to build a break down pole for the turbine. So, no wind...
I have to say, in my own defense, that those panels were less than $400 for all six. The sun tracking rack from eco runs $600 by itself. That's why I thought it a fair deal. That being said, I'm scrapping that idea as well. Partly because of cost, (I can use that $600 for more, and better panels). Your input made me think about reliability. Seems to me that the tracking thing is one more complication, will have to be maintained, and were it to go out it could leave my panels in a low production orientation. So, roof mounted rack system as I have 40 foot of south facing roof I can utilize. So, no eco sun tracker...
Your input about the batteries is well taken. I have changed my mind and will buy two 48v 100ah batteries (probably rack bats) for now. With plans to buy 2 more in the coming months in order to get 400ah in my system. Will ask questions about adding in new batteries to say 6 month old ones in the system when I get to that point.
Thinking of these:


Found an AIO that seems suitable:

shopsolarkits.com

EG4 6000XP Inverter - ShopSolar.com

EG4 6000XP Inverter | Warranty Included | Lifetime Customer Support (Email, Live Chat, Phone) | Shop Now
shopsolarkits.com shopsolarkits.com

This is the one you were speaking of huh? Do you know anywhere that may have it any cheaper?
Now off to craigslist and FB to see if I can find 8 used 400 watt panels. That should give me a 3.2kw system with 200ah storage to start with. Is my math correct here?
Again, thanks for your suggestions. I've always been one that appreciates sincere constructive criticism. Any thoughts on the new plan?

Lew
 
sumpower said:
I post this link quite often, it is very informative concerning small wind output from people that used to sell windpower.

Please do yourself a favor, and not use a "never get a return on investment" wind turbine. I have installed the electrical on many wind turbines and in general they are a losing proposition.

www.solacity.com

The Truth About Small Wind Turbines – Solacity

Installing a small wind turbine? Get the information you need for an informed decision: The good and the bad, just the literal truth to help you choose.
www.solacity.com www.solacity.com
Click to expand...
That article was mostly about grid tied systems but had great off grid points as well. This along with several other articles I read have 86'd the wind turbine for me. Not that I think I couldn't make it work. But, because, when I look at the time involved getting it to work and then maintaining it, it just seems not worth the effort. Thanks for the great link and taking the time to help educate me a bit more.
Lew
 
Suijkerbuijk said:
If you have nothing.
I go for a 48volts setup base on lifepo4.
You can charge more kwh with a mppt than on 12 or 24 volts systeem.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply,
I've decided to go with a 48v system with AIO as suggested by Rednecktek. Seems the most solid proposal.
Lew
 
Madcodger said:
1} Don't think of wind as anything more than a hobby, AFTER you have a PV system that reliably meets your needs. Orders of magnitude more trouble and time.

2) I've had 24v systems and they're fine for a small shed but not what you describe. Go with 48V.

3) I would also move away from the Amazon route (which I used for my first system, as well) and get a relationship with a reliable solar supplier such as Current Connected.

4) The moment you use the word "dryer" (if it's electric and not gas) in the same sentence as a solar system, you need to be thinking of a heat pump dryer or have a very beefy system. Even with a heat pump dryer, it's a big drain.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply,
Gave up on the turbine idea. Too high labor versus reward ratio. Looked at Current Connected and they seemed a bit pricey to me. I'm trying to go quality as cheap as possible as this homesite has directly installed a drain into our family's bank account. The dryer we have is half of a rv stackable. It is 1500 watts and easily usable considering we have the generac 7250 watt back up generator.
Can't tell you guys how much I appreciate all the great info freely passed. Awesome folks in this community.
Thanx,
Lew
 
Suijkerbuijk said:
I agree.

A lot of people forget how a wash machine and a dry cost on power just to run for 1 hour.

If you go off grid you have to adjust your self .
Reason i use a cold wasmachine for a Rv unit .
And camping dryer.
If you have lot of solarpanels that you can place
And you can make a lot of power .
Oke than you can go for normal house stuf .

www.nieuwsbank.nl

Beste mini droger 2025 - Nieuwsbank.nl

Woon je alleen dan kun je kiezen voor een mini droger. Een mini droger wordt vaak gebruikt op een camping zodat je de was droog krijgt. Een mini droger is
www.nieuwsbank.nl www.nieuwsbank.nl
A list of small mini dryer we have in my country.
Just use about 1000 watts and just for your daily use .

And a wash machine like this see link (250 watts)
I use that model for about 4 jaars
For hot water you can use bucket and set hot water in the wash machine.
Think watercooker or just from a boiler.
Drop it and done


For big wash i use the port (boat) or gas station wasmachine.
Think about washing Curtain.
Click to expand...
We're taking the rv stackable out for the house. (Never much used it on camping anyways) The dryer is 1500 watts and worked flawlessly in the camper. And we do have the genny backup.

Thanx so much for your response!
Lew
 
Last edited:
chrisski said:
I don’t know if 10 kWh of battery would be enough to make it through a night; you’d need a power audit. Especially with a rainy day.

I would not want to do that in Arizona during the summer with the AC running non stop.

You could certainly expand the battery. Just need to plan where the additional batteries will go and make sure the cabling is just as long.
Click to expand...
We.re building in Tennessee. Expanding to buy 3.2kw panels with 48v 200ah worth of batteries (to start). The new mini splits are actually quite energy efficient (so I've read in specs). The one we ordered is supposed to run between 800-1200 watts.
Thanks so much for info,
Lew
 
Musing Lew said:
That article was mostly about grid tied systems but had great off grid points as well. This along with several other articles I read have 86'd the wind turbine for me. Not that I think I couldn't make it work. But, because, when I look at the time involved getting it to work and then maintaining it, it just seems not worth the effort. Thanks for the great link and taking the time to help educate me a bit more.
Lew
Click to expand...
The battery you are looking at is a 4.8 khw not a 5.12 khw some companies will make these with only 15 cell vrs 16 so you would have different charge specs and less khw I personally would find a 16 cell battery
 
rodrick said:
The battery you are looking at is a 4.8 khw not a 5.12 khw some companies will make these with only 15 cell vrs 16 so you would have different charge specs and less khw I personally would find a 16 cell battery
Click to expand...
Thanks for the great advice. I was completely unaware of the kwh/number of cells issue. I'll hunt some more!
Lew
 
50ShadesOfDirt said:
Is this a Tiny Home on Wheels, or a small footprint "tiny home" on foundation of some kind?

Regardless of which, I'd build a small "solar shed" to hold all the equipment, and connect from the shed to the tiny home load center. Solar panels ground-mounted as close to power shed as solar siting allows. You'll have power shed, battery-bank & inverter, nearby solar panels, and nearby fuel generator (hopefully propane, and it's site supply tank), all within easy cabling distance between components.

If battery-bank sized right, gen wouldn't run all night. Perhaps 4 hours or so, out of 24, depending on solar in your area. build a noise-proof gen shed, and you wouldn't hear it (youtube vids). It's a key component of backup power anyway, so when it's running, use it for other things (like big loads). Otherwise, try to get other stuff onto propane, or off of the electric power audit (reduce before sizing).

Without the power audit, it's a guess if battery-bank is sized right. 2nd issue is battery-bank components. At 24v, 4 individual batteries in parallel is workable (and somewhat expandable). At 48v, you reach a point where it's hard(er) to expand the battery-bank at need. Plan on busbars once final design is mapped out, and try to parallel all batteries, vs series-parallel'ing them.

My Magnum 4024 (LF, 4000w model) inverter would probably handle any load you've got (it drives our entire homestead), and would last forever (ours is past it's 5-year warranty, and still going strong), but if you go the AIO route, 48v is a good answer. If you've already bought the batteries, then investigate a magnum 4024 ... if you haven't bought them, investigate the AIO's. Depending on how far out in the middle of nowhere, you are ... try to plan on a pair of AIO inverters, so the loss of one doesn't shut you down. Or, the magnum in a pre-wired solution (like an AIO, but LF, in 24v and 48v models).

I'd agree with the "get solar done first" crowd, and only then investigate wind ... starting with a weather system to map wind for a year or so at your site, and figure out if there is something there worth harvesting. Then you can sort out a great wind turbine supplier, amongst all the snake oil models.

Wind is a great hobby for the (very?) technical diy'er, interested in harvesting a good wind source that is present on their site (like harvesting water power, if a water source on the site). Perhaps even building everything themselves.

Hope this helps ...
Click to expand...
Already bought a shed for "powerhouse". Looking up soundproofing vids now, thanks! House is a 14ft by 40 ft shed conversion on a foundation. Gave up on the turbine idea. Too much added work and expense. Thanks for taking the time to respond!
Lew
 
HighDesertOffgrid said:
Being the everpresent contrarian for whom wind is a nice, cost-effective, supplement, I notice no one has inquired as to the location.
Generally, wind is a loser. Except when it isn't.
A $400 turbine on a 20' piece of used galvanized sch 40 might be just right for the off-gridder with the experience to know that ROI is a silly phrase for city folks and solar salesmen. 😉
Click to expand...
I'll look for you here if I ever decide to try and add a turbine into the system. Thanks for input!
Lew
 
Don't try to plan too far ahead. In two years we will have 48, 96, 300 and 600 volt DC batteries and inverters. I got my system two years ago this month and 48 volt was fairly new then.
 
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