Planning to reduce electric bill by solar push, no feed back to grid. Daylight hours only.

[fafrd]

the only thing right now on craigslist is 315 watt panel, brand new, REC is brand, have to check on that. for $175, .55 cents a watt

I don’t know where you are based in Arizona, but if it’s anywhere near Santan Solar, they often have good deals.

Currently they’ve got lightly-used-but-tested-at-rated-power 60-cell 285W panels for $80 each: https://store.santansolar.com/product/suntech-285w/

That’s only $0.28/W and 2 of those would be enough to get you started(but I’d pick up 3 if you’ve got the funds).

 

[roadrunner]

i only live maybe 20 minutes from them, 20 miles top. those are used panels, poly, no manufacturers warranty but they will give a 1 year warranty.thanks for the link,

 

[fafrd]

i only live maybe 20 minutes from them, 20 miles top. those are used panels, poly, no manufacturers warranty but they will give a 1 year warranty.thanks for the link,

Yes, they are used but they claim that they have been tested to meet specifications.

If I was buying those panels I would want to understand what power degradation over the first year qualifies for a warranty claim (new panels generally warrant no more than 3% degradation over the first year, some now 2%).

 

[Forbisher]

thats what Will is doing in his video i posted running a heat gun at 650 watts of of a battle born 100ah 12 volt battery, and it doesnt back feed, of course the battery may not last long being just 1 at 12 volt. thats where i got the idea, has anyone watched his vid i posted. thats the whole reason i came to his forum because he wont answweer comments from or on his videos, even though hes making money off of youtube because we watch his videos.

How could Will or anyone answer your question comment on Youtube when it has taken 143 posts here to get through your "lack of understanding" of basic electrical, solar stuff, how to read your electric bill, etc, etc! ???

Oh yeah, your Youtube view made Will 0.0000001 cents! Hahaha

I have answered Youtube comments to get the response that I don't know what I am talking about from some know nothing know it all.

How flat is your shed roof?
71° is the ideal summer angle
Does it face south and no shade?

Enter your State and city to see how many hours of insolation you get per day.
You get about 7 hours during the 6 hot months in Phoenix.

Solar Irradiance Calculator

www.solarelectricityhandbook.com

 

[roadrunner]

How could Will or anyone answer your question comment on Youtube when it has taken 143 posts here to get through your "lack of understanding" of basic electrical, solar stuff, how to read your electric bill, etc, etc! ???

Oh yeah, your Youtube view made Will 0.0000001 cents! Hahaha

I have answered Youtube comments to get the response that I don't know what I am talking about from some know nothing know it all.

How flat is your shed roof?
71° is the ideal summer angle
Does it face south and no shade?

Enter your State and city to see how many hours of insolation you get per day.
You get about 7 hours during the 6 hot months in Phoenix.

Solar Irradiance Calculator

www.solarelectricityhandbook.com

my lack of understanding is because of youtube posts by people that say things can get done and work but they dont.
people make thousands off of youtube when you get 1000 views a day and have 100 videos on youtube, will even buys brand new batterys and stuff with his own money and destroys them, do you have money to throw around like that, he does, because he might get a lot of freebies and money from youtube.
it wouldnt have taken 143 posts it would have taken only 3 and just say it wont work, end of discussion, solar panels dont work very good unless you have a crap load, thats why i have had to put 30 to 60 panels on a persons roof to be of any benefit, and thats in here in phoenix like you said, 7 hours sun a day for 6 mos.
i appreciate all the posts, but everyone could have made it pimplier by saying panels dont work good.

 

[Forbisher]

What im thinking is if i can run my swamp cooler off of just 2 solar panels, for 4 hours a day, and save 25 dollars a month it would worth it, since my swamp cooler would only be using 40 watts an hour maybe, or am i figuring this out wrong

Let's say you can install 3 250w panels on your shed roof.

750watts for about 7 sun hours is 5250 watt hours so 5Kwh per day at 13c Kwh so saving 65 cents a day.
Saving $19.50 a month for 6 months is $117 for the year.
The other 6 months you could run an electric heater and or fridge but you said your winter bill was about $40 a month.

3 250w Santan at $50 each is $150
$85 for the inverter so $235 if you have everything else.

$117 savings for 2 years is $234
2 year pay off is great.

You were going to spend $150 on 200 watts of panels vs 750 watts for the same money.

Did i miss anything?

 

[Bud Martin]

my lack of understanding is because of youtube posts by people that say things can get done and work but they dont.
people make thousands off of youtube when you get 1000 views a day and have 100 videos on youtube, will even buys brand new batterys and stuff with his own money and destroys them, do you have money to throw around like that, he does, because he might get a lot of freebies and money from youtube.
it wouldnt have taken 143 posts it would have taken only 3 and just say it wont work, end of discussion, solar panels dont work very good unless you have a crap load, thats why i have had to put 30 to 60 panels on a persons roof to be of any benefit, and thats in here in phoenix like you said, 7 hours sun a day for 6 mos.
i appreciate all the posts, but everyone could have made it pimplier by saying panels dont work good.

Man, do you know the histor of Will? He was HOMELESS for a long time, he gets to be where he is today because of his hard work and it now paid off and allow him to do what he does today. You think becasue Will has the money to do all of those thing today by sitting on his ass and complain?
How many years that yiu work for elextrician and how much time did you spend on learning to understand why certain thing is done certain way? It may take years to understand something and it may also take lots of research and studying, so do not expect to watch YouTube understand why it is being done without spendin time learning the basic first. Your lack of understanding is due to your lack of willling to study, read, and study, raad..... I bulit my first solar ssystem after watching countless hours of Will's video and lot of research on details. I am 67 years old and I never STOP LEARNING I do not sit on my ass and complain, I study, I research, etc.
Yeah, blame it on YouTube.

 

[Bud Martin]

How could Will or anyone answer your question comment on Youtube when it has taken 143 posts here to get through your "lack of understanding" of basic electrical, solar stuff, how to read your electric bill, etc, etc! ???

Oh yeah, your Youtube view made Will 0.0000001 cents! Hahaha

I have answered Youtube comments to get the response that I don't know what I am talking about from some know nothing know it all.

How flat is your shed roof?
71° is the ideal summer angle
Does it face south and no shade?

Enter your State and city to see how many hours of insolation you get per day.
You get about 7 hours during the 6 hot months in Phoenix.

Solar Irradiance Calculator

www.solarelectricityhandbook.com

+1000000000

 

[roadrunner]

Let's say you can install 3 250w panels on your shed roof.

750watts for about 7 sun hours is 5250 watt hours so 5Kwh per day at 13c Kwh so saving 65 cents a day.
Saving $19.50 a month for 6 months is $117 for the year.
The other 6 months you could run an electric heater and or fridge but you said your winter bill was about $40 a month.

3 250w Santan at $50 each is $150
$85 for the inverter so $235 if you have everything else.

$117 savings for 2 years is $234
2 year pay off is great.

You were going to spend $150 on 200 watts of panels vs 750 watts for the same money.

Did i miss anything?

no you didnt.
I dont care about a payoff because im using free money, (stimulus)
All i wanted was a cheap way to lower my bill monthly,
my winter bill which i posted is $31 right now,per month
i didnt check on panel comparison yet, was just going with a smaller size to hide on my shed roof as a place to start. i have never checked on what would be cost effective, or anything, just saw a couple name brand on ebay with free shipping from the solar company, so iwas testing the waters so to speak, and 2 x100 watt panels could be made into a solar briefcase to use off grid for emergency and camping, light weight and foldable

 

[roadrunner]

Man, do you know the histor of Will? He was HOMELESS for a long time, he gets to be where he is today because of his hard work and it now paid off and allow him to do what he does today. You think becasue Will has the money to do all of those thing today by sitting on his ass and complain?
How many years that yiu work for elextrician and how much time did you spend on learning to understand why certain thing is done certain way? It may take years to understand something and it may also take lots of research and studying, so do not expect to watch YouTube understand why it is being done without spendin time learning the basic first. Your lack of understanding is due to your lack of willling to study, read, and study, raad..... I bulit my first solar ssystem after watching countless hours of Will's video and lot of research on details. I am 67 years old and I never STOP LEARNING I do not sit on my ass and complain, I study, I research, etc.
Yeah, blame it on YouTube.

i was replying to bud martins posts or but i think i blocked him

doesnt matter about Wills past, my family, wife and 2 boys, now 34 and 32 have been homeless twice because of the construction industey, and moving, got us into a house with a new job in less than 60 days, with kids, good for Will, should be proud of himself and he must have been smart and done a good job.

all i know is i watched his video where he shows how to hook up 2x 100 watt panels, to a single 12 volt battery, and run this to get 120 volts that doesnt back feed the grid, all i know is he posted it, and wont anwser questions on his videos, he wants a consultation fee when he works with people, which is fine with me.
My lack of knowledge is because i only had to connect wire A to part B with a color code or a certain way, i didnt have to learn about electrical theory and ohms law,ive only used that triangle thing a couple times, and i know nothing about theory ect,

when i hooked up solar sytems, i had a blueprint and electrical line drawings to follow, i did none of the desighning, just did what the papers said when my boss handed them to me and told me to go to the adress and install everything, he was the EE.

I have never had to read my electric bill or figure out what they where charging me, and all that other crap because i worked hard and just paid it, what could i do a bout it nothing, i have no control over my bill.
I am trying to reasearch, learn, and study,if you dont like what im saying or asking just leave and quit clogging up the thread

 

[Bud Martin]

doesnt matter about Wills past, all i know is i watched his video where he shows how to hook up 2x 100 watt panels, to a single 12 volt battery, and run this to get 120 volts that doesnt back feed the grid, all i know is he posted it, and wont anwser questions on his videos, he wants a consultation fee when he works with people, which is fine with me.
My lack of knowledge is because i only had to connect wire A to part B with a color code or a certain way, i didnt have to learn about electrical theory and ohms law,ive only used that triangle thing a couple times, and i know nothing about theory ect,

when i hooked up solar sytems, i had a blueprint and electrical line drawings to follow, i did none of the desighning, just did what the papers said when my boss handed them to me and told me to go to the adress and install everything, he was the EE.

I have never had to read my electric bill or figure out what they where charging me, and all that other crap because i worked hard and just paid it, what could i do a bout it nothing, i have no control over my bill.
I am trying to reasearch, learn, and study,if you dont like what im saying or asking just leave and quit clogging up the thread

LOL! clogging up the thread, we are over 140 posts so far, LOL and you still do not get it . you should read your own threads, you are so special that Will will answer your question when he has thousand of people asking so many questions. Like I said, keep on blaming someone else.

 

[roadrunner]

How could Will or anyone answer your question comment on Youtube when it has taken 143 posts here to get through your "lack of understanding" of basic electrical, solar stuff, how to read your electric bill, etc, etc! ???

Oh yeah, your Youtube view made Will 0.0000001 cents! Hahaha

I have answered Youtube comments to get the response that I don't know what I am talking about from some know nothing know it all.

How flat is your shed roof?
71° is the ideal summer angle
Does it face south and no shade?

Enter your State and city to see how many hours of insolation you get per day.
You get about 7 hours during the 6 hot months in Phoenix.

Solar Irradiance Calculator

www.solarelectricityhandbook.com

72 posts where just saying either im stupid, dont know anything about electricity, or solar, and need to go learn or something similar, total waste of time and pages of a thread, but thanks
bought that book a few years ago.thanks
flat roof, faces due south, absolutely no shading at all all day long.

 

[richard cabesa]

cant do it, i live in a trailer park and by their rules cant have anything out side on trailer, or anything on roof but a swamp cooler or air con. my swamp cooler is on side of house in middle of trailer in kitchen and living room window, i can hide 2 small panels on my shed roof which is behind my trailer, and is flat, so hard to tell anything is up there especially a flat panel thats only a 1.5 inch thick. and 38 inch x 29 inch.

Look into this more at a level above the trailer parks head.

I live in Santa Barbara, the land of red tile roof's, gated communities, and architectual review boards.

They CANNOT deny you solar panels on your roof.

 

[Forbisher]

Look into this more at a level above the trailer parks head.

I live in Santa Barbara, the land of red tile roof's, gated communities, and architectual review boards.

They CANNOT deny you solar panels on your roof.

When you are renting the trailer.they CAN deny you solar panels on their roof.

 

[richard cabesa]

When you are renting the trailer.they CAN deny you solar panels on their roof.

Yes, that would be a different story

 

[Forbisher]

Yes, that would be a different story

That is this long story that you did not read.

 

[road glide]

I've read the entire thread....Would it be possible to go "upstream" and deal with this issue...

Upstream meaning is there any way to change over the swamp cooler off of AC to DC....If the blower motor was 12vdc and the water pump 12vdc could not Road Runner circumvent even using the grid?
Couple of panels, 12 volt dc with a charger-inverter and a deep cycle marine style battery?

I am older than Bud M. and ALWAYS still learning....Having a brother and sister-in-law at 2 different solar companies didn't help. They did not do the installs but got me panels and inverter for less money...Everything else I had to learn, read, educate, form opinions, lots of time spent

 

[roadrunner]

Hers a might be problem, my landlord that owns the trailer is 1 landlord, then his trailer, mine is in this park ,landlord #2.
Also, this is an older trailer curved roof, metal, not very strong rafters.
Now, i did look into DC system, 2 people on youtube have 12 volt dc system, loud, but do work, how good, i still have to ask but tubers dont respond to a lot of questions.
Basic design, 12v dc bilge pump, 500gph, maybe 2 amps draw, 12v car electric fan.
2 guys are running this right now
guy #1==2x135watt panels,12 volt batt, runs fine no problem, single 20 inch fan,charges batt at same time runs cooler. around 120-130 watts to run
guy#2====4x100 watt panels, can tilt,large 4 batteries, 6volt,golf cart,panels run swamp cooler without batts, and charges for use at night. using 135 watts to run, 2x10 inch fans, loud
I need to ask how good they cool,im only looking at basiclly our kitchen and living room. 14x20 or 14x30 at most.
Now im looking at batteries to see how big or howny AH or KWH batts i need to size them.
And style, i was thinking about lifepo4, i can get
4 BRAND NEW GT'S LiFePo4 batteries 3.2v 50ah (per cell)
but thats not a lot of battery, or get 4x6volt golf cart, but what ive read are the lifepo4 are better in the long run,
and i will have the batteries inside, so i dont want fumes in my house,
unless i put outside, but batteries out side in 120 degree heat arnt good for any battery.

​

 

[road glide]

If you are trying to do this on a budget..I would look hard at AGM (absorbent glass mat) deep cycle...Didn't
you say it was a swamp cooler you have?

Hers a might be problem, my landlord that owns the trailer is 1 landlord, then his trailer, mine is in this park ,landlord #2.
Also, this is an older trailer curved roof, metal, not very strong rafters.
Now, i did look into DC system, 2 people on youtube have 12 volt dc system, loud, but do work, how good, i still have to ask but tubers dont respond to a lot of questions.
Basic design, 12v dc bilge pump, 500gph, maybe 2 amps draw, 12v car electric fan.
2 guys are running this right now
guy #1==2x135watt panels,12 volt batt, runs fine no problem, single 20 inch fan,charges batt at same time runs cooler. around 120-130 watts to run
guy#2====4x100 watt panels, can tilt,large 4 batteries, 6volt,golf cart,panels run swamp cooler without batts, and charges for use at night. using 135 watts to run, 2x10 inch fans, loud
I need to ask how good they cool,im only looking at basiclly our kitchen and living room. 14x20 or 14x30 at most.
Now im looking at batteries to see how big or howny AH or KWH batts i need to size them.
And style, i was thinking about lifepo4, i can get
4 BRAND NEW GT'S LiFePo4 batteries 3.2v 50ah (per cell)
but thats not a lot of battery, or get 4x6volt golf cart, but what ive read are the lifepo4 are better in the long run,
and i will have the batteries inside, so i dont want fumes in my house,
unless i put outside, but batteries out side in 120 degree heat arnt good for any battery.

​

 

[roadrunner]

yes, swamp cooler, doesnt agm not last as long though