Need some advice on Tiny Home off grid.

[SirFalcon]

I have 240 sqft sheet metal, insulated, hunting cabin in central Texas. I want to run the normal essentials (fridge, lights, fan, coffee etc. ) but also a 1100w A/C for the Summer. Does anyone have a similar setup? How much battery would I need to support the A/C? Math suggests over 20kwh but I see some people saying they use a lot less. I am also wondering if I should just use a generator to run the A/C. No one lives here, it is just a hunting cabin in the winter, and AirBnb otherwise.

The current plan is:

• EG4 6000
• Eco-worthy 48v 50AH x 2+?
• Solar panels as needed. Probably cover the roof with the best deal I can find.
• Generator option: Westinghouse 4000 on propane. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Westingh...-Ready-Remote-Start-with-CO-Sensor/5315492644

 

[AnarchyJet]

I'd go with 100Ah batteries to reduce how many are needed and cut down on wiring.
There are Black Friday deals right now for sub $700 each.

 

[SirFalcon]

I'd go with 100Ah batteries to reduce how many are needed and cut down on wiring.
There are Black Friday deals right now for sub $700 each.

I may do that.

 

[Rednecktek]

What's an 1100 aircon? 1100btu? 1100 watts? There's a big difference. Get an inverter mini-split and that'll cut down on the inverter size and battery capacity.

Get the largest capacity battery you can. "I have too much battery capacity!" - Nobody Ever

The EG4 6000XP is a 240v split phase inverter. Nothing on your list really calls for 240v. You can likely do everything on a 3kw unless you need to power a stove or microwave or electric heat while the aircon is running.

 

[SirFalcon]

What's an 1100 aircon? 1100btu? 1100 watts? There's a big difference. Get an inverter mini-split and that'll cut down on the inverter size and battery capacity.

Get the largest capacity battery you can. "I have too much battery capacity!" - Nobody Ever

The EG4 6000XP is a 240v split phase inverter. Nothing on your list really calls for 240v. You can likely do everything on a 3kw unless you need to power a stove or microwave or electric heat while the aircon is running.

1100w A/C.
The inverter mini split looks nicer than a window unit but they are rated the same as far as power consumption goes.
Nothing requires split phase but the 6000 has a 5yr warranty and provides enough cushion for a hair dryer or microwave, etc.

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

1100w A/C.
The inverter mini split looks nicer than a window unit but they are rated the same as far as power consumption goes.
Nothing requires split phase but the 6000 has a 5yr warranty and provides enough cushion for a hair dryer or microwave, etc.

yes but you can not get the full power on either channel and now you would need to try and balance the two phases as much as possible. either make the A/C a 240 unit or go for a large single phase.

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

so I guess i should make this a copy paste for the future as lately this has been coming up a lot. my entire cabin 800 square feet (roughly) and shop 1600 sq ft. was being run on one MS-PAE4448 inverter. thats a splitpack, a fridge, a chest freezer all lights an on demand gas hot water heater and the occasional microwave, heated table, hair dryer and of course shop use. (drill press, chop saws, circular saw, jigsaws, power planer etc, etc, etc.

Thats 4400 watts total or 2200 watts per leg 120/240 split phase. I could have went with the MS 4048 which is a 4kw single phase 120 inverter, but I knew that some of my tools work better on 240 and you can network (parallel) the PAE units for more power if needed, which you cannot for the non splitphase units. I added a more batteries and a second one for 8800 watts due to planned additions that pushed the single up to about 95% on occasion and wanted more headroom (WMO centrifuge that runs for hours on end).

the original setup with one inverter and 500 amp hours (27kWh) battery could run the split pack ac 24-7 on its own and when using wood heat in the winter months gave me about 2-3 days of autonomy year round while running the split pack to combat humidity in the house. (also important if you have fridge).

so in reality for a space as small as you are looking at a simple 3kw single phase inverter would be my go to in 48 volts. a seperate high quality solar charge controller, and one (1) DIY pack with 280ah cells would be enough for at least two probably three days while running the a/c. if you had 2kw of panels it would probably power your small house indefinitely probably sitting right around 80% most of the time and dipping occasionally down to 50% if you had a couple of bad days of solar production.

you have no need for anything bigger inverter or battery wise. insulate, get led bulbs, get a split pack and a small fridge and one last suggestion, get a small HF inverter like a samlex as your backup inverter something in the 300-600 watt range should power most fridges and you could still charge a laptop or phone at the same time. if you decide to expand int he future you are all ready at 48 volts and i have heard that the SRNE 3kw units can parallel if you needed more power.

 

[SirFalcon]

Thanks for the info