DanMc77
New Member
Hello! This is my first post here. I promise not to just post one time and then disappear. That happens too much on forums.
Here's my story (if you don't care about all the chatter, just skip to the bottom):
About 8 years ago, we bought a 600 sq ft seasonal home on a hillside in Conway, NH. The nearest grid power is 1/2 mile away, so that won't be happening. The prior owner built the place with a generator-powered system with 4 Trojian T105 batteries. He would run a small generator for a good portion of every day to get enough charge in the batteries to make it through the night. He needed night time power because he used a CPAP machine. I operated this way for a couple months, then figured out how to run a power cable from the small 12 v battery in my Prius, directly to the 12 volt battery bank in the house (with a breaker in there in case something stupid happened). That was a huge improvement since the Prius would keep the batteries charged, and it would only consume about a gallon of fuel each day. It was like being on grid power. With all the electrical loads in the Prius turned off, but the car turned on, it would run the engine for 40 seconds per hour. It was trouble free and offered peace of mind and NO noisy generator. But...... I often needed to bring my Jeep up to haul in equipment and supplies, and then I was back to the noisy generator for that visit.
The next year, I picked up a solar system designed by a guy in Western MA. 500 PV watts, a Midnight classic 150, and a Kisae 2000 watt pure sine inverter and keeping the same charger that connects to the generator. This was my introduction to solar power. This system was a wonder to live with, but in Dec and Jan, it was not able to keep the batteries up to charge. So I added another 500 watts of PV. That helped a great deal in the winter and on cloudy days in the summer. This system has met our needs very nicely, with a passive wood stove providing heat when it's cold. For air conditioning, I've had to run a a generator. I don't have much hope of being able to power a real furnace with a small system like this. We are in a heavily wooded area with a small clearing around the house. Ground mounted solar panels is not an option.
As time past, the little one-bedroom 600 sq ft house gets really cramped when we have visitors stay for a night or two. So now we are adding another 900 sq ft with two additional bedrooms and space to spread out. And, while I'm at it, why not make a major upgrade to the power system.
The existing system is pretty much max'ed out, and maybe a bit antiquated. So I have spent some time looking at a larger power system that is expandable and in this first iteration has a good chance of not needing to be upgraded. The existing solar system will remain in place until the new system is up and running on the new roofline. Unfortunately, the roofline faces southwest, or rather mostly west. In the depth of winter sunlight, the sun sets directly in front of the panels, so winter power is severely compromised. So the west-facing system is kind of super-sized to make up for the crummy orientation. I have one small roofline that can fit two panels, so I'm putting two on there so I have at least some PV that will generate good power in the winter.
I am working with an online supplier of DIY kits, and now I think I have a final quote. If you experts here don't mind reviewing the materials list it would be much appreciated. I'd rather fix a deficiency now rather than after it's all installed. Again, this is a system that far exceeds what we need for power now, so we will grow into it over time. The two inverters gives us the ability to run split phase and get 220 volt power if needed.
Qty 2: EG4 3kW off-grid inverter, 3000EHV-48.
Qty 2: EG4-LL Lithium battery, 48 V, 100 AH.
Qty 1: EG4 3 position battery rack
Qty 14: Canadian Solar 400w Mono Panels CS6R-400MS-HL (two of these face south, the rest face west).
Qty 1: IMO DC roof disconnect switch
Qty 50: PV 2 Wire clips.
Qty 1: Tigo Cloud Connect, Tigo TAP
Qty 14: Tigo TS4-A-O Optimizers
QTY 500: Feet of Black/Red 10 AWG copper solar wire (This is a lot more than I'll need)
That's a lot for a first post. I hope somebody takes the time to read it. LOL.
Blessings to you all,
Dan
Here's my story (if you don't care about all the chatter, just skip to the bottom):
About 8 years ago, we bought a 600 sq ft seasonal home on a hillside in Conway, NH. The nearest grid power is 1/2 mile away, so that won't be happening. The prior owner built the place with a generator-powered system with 4 Trojian T105 batteries. He would run a small generator for a good portion of every day to get enough charge in the batteries to make it through the night. He needed night time power because he used a CPAP machine. I operated this way for a couple months, then figured out how to run a power cable from the small 12 v battery in my Prius, directly to the 12 volt battery bank in the house (with a breaker in there in case something stupid happened). That was a huge improvement since the Prius would keep the batteries charged, and it would only consume about a gallon of fuel each day. It was like being on grid power. With all the electrical loads in the Prius turned off, but the car turned on, it would run the engine for 40 seconds per hour. It was trouble free and offered peace of mind and NO noisy generator. But...... I often needed to bring my Jeep up to haul in equipment and supplies, and then I was back to the noisy generator for that visit.
The next year, I picked up a solar system designed by a guy in Western MA. 500 PV watts, a Midnight classic 150, and a Kisae 2000 watt pure sine inverter and keeping the same charger that connects to the generator. This was my introduction to solar power. This system was a wonder to live with, but in Dec and Jan, it was not able to keep the batteries up to charge. So I added another 500 watts of PV. That helped a great deal in the winter and on cloudy days in the summer. This system has met our needs very nicely, with a passive wood stove providing heat when it's cold. For air conditioning, I've had to run a a generator. I don't have much hope of being able to power a real furnace with a small system like this. We are in a heavily wooded area with a small clearing around the house. Ground mounted solar panels is not an option.
As time past, the little one-bedroom 600 sq ft house gets really cramped when we have visitors stay for a night or two. So now we are adding another 900 sq ft with two additional bedrooms and space to spread out. And, while I'm at it, why not make a major upgrade to the power system.
The existing system is pretty much max'ed out, and maybe a bit antiquated. So I have spent some time looking at a larger power system that is expandable and in this first iteration has a good chance of not needing to be upgraded. The existing solar system will remain in place until the new system is up and running on the new roofline. Unfortunately, the roofline faces southwest, or rather mostly west. In the depth of winter sunlight, the sun sets directly in front of the panels, so winter power is severely compromised. So the west-facing system is kind of super-sized to make up for the crummy orientation. I have one small roofline that can fit two panels, so I'm putting two on there so I have at least some PV that will generate good power in the winter.
I am working with an online supplier of DIY kits, and now I think I have a final quote. If you experts here don't mind reviewing the materials list it would be much appreciated. I'd rather fix a deficiency now rather than after it's all installed. Again, this is a system that far exceeds what we need for power now, so we will grow into it over time. The two inverters gives us the ability to run split phase and get 220 volt power if needed.
Qty 2: EG4 3kW off-grid inverter, 3000EHV-48.
Qty 2: EG4-LL Lithium battery, 48 V, 100 AH.
Qty 1: EG4 3 position battery rack
Qty 14: Canadian Solar 400w Mono Panels CS6R-400MS-HL (two of these face south, the rest face west).
Qty 1: IMO DC roof disconnect switch
Qty 50: PV 2 Wire clips.
Qty 1: Tigo Cloud Connect, Tigo TAP
Qty 14: Tigo TS4-A-O Optimizers
QTY 500: Feet of Black/Red 10 AWG copper solar wire (This is a lot more than I'll need)
That's a lot for a first post. I hope somebody takes the time to read it. LOL.
Blessings to you all,
Dan
