Off Grid System in VA Mountains with Cameras

[ezwryder]

I’ve learned a lot from this forum and Will’s videos and wanted to share what I built for our off grid cabin. It is extremely modest compared to many others here but the important thing is that it is working very well for its intended purpose. It has been running in the field for six months and has been rock solid.



I had two primary use cases. First I wanted to get power and Internet to the cabin so I could install cameras to keep an eye on the place and to enjoy the view. My second requirement was for the system to have enough power for a few conveniences when we are there. I wanted the system to have enough capacity to run for a few days w/o recharge in case there was a period of cloudy days and/or snow. Remote management was important as the cabin is, literally, 1,000 miles from the house.



Most components are Victron: 100/30 charge controller, shunt and Cerbo GX. I started with a GoWise inverter and I still use that for large loads when we are at the cabin, but for running the router, antenna and cameras, I added a Victron Phoenix so I could remotely monitor and control the inverter. I also felt more confident in the Victron’s ability to auto-restart in the event of a low battery condition.

Power is supplied by six 100 watt panels from HQST. I used a combiner box from Watts247 to tie them together in three two-panel circuits. The two batteries wired in parallel are SOK 206AH with heaters. I chose this option because winter temps at the cabin can fall below freezing for extended periods of time in January and February.

The final thing I added to the setup was a Kasa smart power strip. I use this to conserve some power by using the schedule feature of the strip to cycle the cameras off at 10 p.m. and on at 7 a.m. I also have a radio and lamp in the cabin scheduled to turn on/off at selected times. Finally, I have series of repeating “ON” events scheduled for the router and antenna just to insure if I open the Kasa app and accidentally turn off the wrong device, I won’t be totally screwed.



A bonus feature is the ability to monitor the power that each device is consuming. I was very surprised and pleased to learn that the router and antenna are only using a total of 12 watts. Cameras consume about 25 watts and system overhead is about 10 watts.

Getting the Internet set up was pretty easy. As it turned out the cabin was within line of sight of the local telephone coop equipment room in the valley below. That made it possible to do wireless broadband. It’s not gig speed fast (although it could be in the future), but it is plenty fast to do everything we need. When at the cabin, we can use Voice over WiFi for reliable phone service. (The red arrow is the location of the antenna at the phone co equipment room. How lucky is that?)



Getting the IP cams set up for remote access took more work. My main cameras are from Lorex. One is a fixed 110 degree eyeball cam and the other is a 360 cam. I had some initial trouble getting these configured and as backup I added two Eufy cameras, one exterior solar wireless and one interior 360 wireless. In the end I got all of them to work, so I have eyes all over the place.




What I really like about the setup is that all the components work flawlessly together and I really haven’t had any concern about performance or reliability. The Victron components and software were easy to set up and control. I really like the ability to see what’s happening with the system in real time and the ability to make tweaks and changes to the components.

Disappointments? Nothing critical. The only thing that seems a little flaky are the Bluetooth BMS modules on the SOK batteries. Issues with these have been widely reported. They seem to perform well enough. For now I feel okay about the battery choice but if I had to do it again I would probably take a longer look at the Battleborn heated batteries.

I also had some funky issues with the Kasa three-outlet power strips. The five-outlet strip is solid, but the three outlet strips would randomly turn circuits on and off when connected to either of the inverters. On grid power, they work fine. Luckily I needed exactly five outlets so the larger strip was all I needed. It has performed well.

Future enhancements—I don’t have immediate plans to make changes to the system. It is working well for its intended purpose. If I were to build it again I would add bus bars to better manage the connections between components. I do have plans to move the solar panels off the cabin deck to a less conspicuous location.

Solar Component List

HQST 100 Watt Solar Panels (6)
Watts247 4 to 1 Solar Panel Combiner Box
Victron Cerbo GX
Victron SmartSolar 100/30
Victron Shunt 500A
Victron Phoenix Inverter 12/500
GoWise 12/3000 Inverter
SOK 206AH Heated Batteries (2)
Kasa Smart Plug Power Strip H5300

Internet

Calix 844E router
Ubiquiti LiteBeam AirMAX LBE-5AC-GEN2-US

Cameras

Lorex 2K 4MP Outdoor PTZ Network Dome Camera LNZ44P12B
Lorex 4K 8MP Audio Dome Camera LNE9242B
TP-Link POE Switch (provides power/connectivity to the Lorex cams)
Eufy Security Solo IndoorCam P24 2K Pan & Tilt
Eufy Security SoloCam S40 Solar, Wireless Outdoor Camera

Miscellaneous

WindyNation 2/0 Copper Welding Wire (Battery to inverter)
Blue Sea Systems 285 Series 40A Circuit Breakers (2)
Blue Sea Systems 9003e Single Circuit Battery Disconnect 48V/350A
WindyNation ANL 300 Amp fuse
iGreely Solar Panel Wire 10 gauge
Ferrule crimp connections for screw-down terminals
2/0 solid copper lugs for battery/inverter connections

 

[skillet]

Nice system, especially the warning decal

 

[ezwryder]

Nice system, especially the warning decal

Thanks! Not that I expect anyone to really see it, but if they do AND they can read, I wanted to make it as plain as possible.

 

[Altitudinous]

Nice setup. Another vote for the safety label. Also, I was wondering what was next to your router.
I first thought wow, that is a heckuvan interesting wifi antenna or a "mesh" router or a Faraday cage to impress your friends. But it's just a cool lamp?

I also use Kasa smart plugs, bulbs, strips and a camera. Until your post, I was not aware of that KS300 HS300 power strip having the energy monitoring function. Useful feature. I see now that they also make the KP115, a single smart plug that has the energy monitor as well.

 

[ezwryder]

Until your post, I was not aware of that KS300 power strip having the energy monitoring function.

You are still correct about this. I found that the KS300 did not. I had only been looking at power used on the 5 outlet strip. I found later the 3 outlet doesn't have that feature.

 

[Altitudinous]

Whoops, I meant HS300, not KS300.
The KS300 is a camera. Right, the 3-outlet KP303 does not have energy monitoring.
Looks like the EP25, KP125, KP115, and HS300 are the ones with that feature.

 

[ADDvanced]

but for running the router, antenna and cameras,

So wait..... you're running the phoenix to convert DC to AC back to DC? Why not just hook up the router/antenna/cameras directly to the batteries? I am building a similar system, it's actually already built, but I used renogy products and it just is not working. About to pull the trigger on all Victron stuff, Renogy is garbage.

Currently I have the wireless router, security system, and cameras all wired directly into the battery bank since they all take 12v.

 

[ezwryder]

So wait..... you're running the phoenix to convert DC to AC back to DC? Why not just hook up the router/antenna/cameras directly to the batteries? I am building a similar system, it's actually already built, but I used renogy products and it just is not working. About to pull the trigger on all Victron stuff, Renogy is garbage.

Currently I have the wireless router, security system, and cameras all wired directly into the battery bank since they all take 12v.

Two reasons, I suppose. It's easy and it works. Also because I control them remotely with the Kasa power strip. They all use so little power, there's little waste in the conversion.

 

[ezwryder]

One year later I laugh now when I reread "I don’t have immediate plans to make changes to the system." Ha! So after a year, I decided there *were* some changes I wanted to make. The refit was a lot of work, but having lights that operate with flick of a switch, outlets where they're needed and the ability to cook without an open flame is awfully nice.

To improve the aesthetics, I relocated all the solar panels to the roof of a shed near the cabin. (This is the one thing I did forsee.) When I ran conduit between the shed and the cabin for the solar power cables, I also installed a second conduit with 6 AWG building wire and an Ethernet cable. This will allow me to bring power to the shed in the future.

I added capacity to give me enough power to run convenience items like a microwave, small fridge, etc. The system now has twelve 100 watt panels driving two SCCs. A third 206AH battery was added. I replaced the Chinese inverter with a Victron Multiplus 3KVA.

For safety and convenience, I wired the cabin with 12/2 and 14/2 armored cable. The circuits take power from a proper, grounded distribution box with AFCI/GFCI breakers. All circuits, excepting the 20A appliance circuit, are controlled with smart switches and outlets at various points to remotely manage devices and loads.

One maintenance issue was performed. The original SOK BMS (v6) in the first two batteries would not properly drive the heaters. SOK supplied two new v8 BMS modules and I did this swap.

Oh, and, I moved the solar cabinet out of the main room into a back area, freeing up space in the cabin.

Knowing what I know now, the main thing I'd change is that I would have looked harder at building a higher volt system. However, I am still very happy with how everything performs and high draw loads from the induction cooktop, microwave and coffee pot are infrequent and transient. As we look to build a proper house elsewhere on the property in a few years, I consider this my learning lab.

The pics below show

The new system layout in the back room with the batteries in their own sealable compartment and the breaker box to the left.
The front of the cabin now, with no panels. This spring, the right half will finally be painted (a project the original owner wasn't able to complete)
Panels now mounted on the shed roof. The panel angles look different but they're all the same.
The "Summer Room" with dimmable lights and ceiling fan.
"Winter Room" with wall sconces and an overhead fan/light.

 

[ezwryder]

Last week I installed a Pioneer 9,000 BTU Diamante mini split. I am going to write up a separate post on the installation experience and lessons learned, but in short, it works well and I am really happy with how it turned out. I am especially impressed with its low power consumption. It can maintain a temp difference of 40 degrees (25 F outside, 65 F inside) for about 350 wh overnight once it gets past the initial ramp-up phase.

Not solar related, but I was also excited to get the kitchen sink, cabinets and countertops installed. A few more projects and the cabin will be pretty much done. (haha, right)

 

[Andrewr05]

Fantastic setup.

 

[ezwryder]

Fantastic setup.

Thank you, I am really enjoying it. So far the hardest project has been the drain/vent side of the plumbing.