OffGridForGood
Catch, make or grow everything you can.
Hope it all works okay for you.
Power out here again from Storm.
- Thread starter Nobodybusiness
- Start date
Spoke with my dad and many in his town are without power. Due to high winds over 15mph the power company is unable to even start working.
I had to take part of the house off of batteries last night. With the temps under 20f we only have 2-3 days at most of battery reserve with the very dense clouds. We have sunlight today so it's getting charged backup.
I had to take part of the house off of batteries last night. With the temps under 20f we only have 2-3 days at most of battery reserve with the very dense clouds. We have sunlight today so it's getting charged backup.
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MurphyGuy
It just needs a bigger hammer
- Joined
- May 20, 2020
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- 4,129
It is currently 6 degreesF here with a -18 degree wind chill and winds blowing steady at 25 to 30 mph with 50 to 60 mph gusts.
We still have power but I went down stairs and moved my cells from storage voltage up to 3.9v anyhow.
I'm kind of surprised we still have grid juice as the poco map is showing areas around us going down here and there. Very little snow, we only got about an inch and most of that has blown away due to the ridiculous howling winds.
We still have power but I went down stairs and moved my cells from storage voltage up to 3.9v anyhow.
I'm kind of surprised we still have grid juice as the poco map is showing areas around us going down here and there. Very little snow, we only got about an inch and most of that has blown away due to the ridiculous howling winds.
Steve_S
Offgrid Cabineer, N.E. Ontario, Canada
Apparently according to the news, 300,000 are without power at this time. 15cm+ of snow hit, topped with rain (which instantly froze) and another 30cm+ (1 foot) to come within the next 24 hours with more rain on top of that. Snow + Rains in the forecast for the next 3 days - how much we will get in the end is up for debate but it will be significant. I'm nice & toasty sitting at 26C/78F in the house with all the power I need for at least 5 more days without charging... and "technically" am now snowed in until I clear the driveway (snow blowing) which won't be till this crap stops falling.
Nobodybusiness
Solar Sponge.
You got a big array also.
You must really go through some power..
168,000 in NC alone..
With the temps 10f or lower temps its an easy 30+ or more of kwh usage each night. You can see yesterday were I took half the hose to grid due to clouds.
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Thanks.
I just ran the test and it is a huge success. The oil furnace with 3 zones operating maxes out at 290W. No problem for my 1000W Inverter. One 12V 100Ah battery would last approx 4 hours if continuous duty but we know they run in cycles so it should be a lot longer.
I see by the morning news that rolling Blackouts of up to 8hrs and also possible NG interuptions for my area of the US today. I do not have NG but I would hate to lose electricity until the outside temperature moderates a bit. Still cold with 5F readings right now. Funny enough in a couple of days it is supposed to be back up into the 60's F here. Quite the rollercoaster ride.
SenileOldGit
Solar Enthusiast
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2022
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- 324
Weather like the U.S.A. is experiencing today is the reason why I would never buy a house without a wood burning stove (mine can burn wood and smokeless coal). No matter what, you can keep yourself warm with a wood burning stove.
Indeed - I couldn't agree more, especially since my furnace went out yesterday (27 yr old system so it was anticipated... just didn't think it'd happen at literally the worst possible time so far this winter). Space heaters keeping me going for now.
An experience like this really cements my plan to replace my existing fireplace with a decent wood-burning stove. The existing fireplace might work in an emergency, but it's old and should probably be replaced anyway.
PunchySunshine
Solar Enthusiast
We were ready for a power outage! Got a couple of flickers but nothing. I went back on grid the night before also to save battery JIC SHTF. My system is in my attached garage and the temps in there were down to about 34-35 degrees. I was fighting it with a propane heater and boiling a stock pot of water with my turkey fryer. It was -10 outside.
I'm looking at putting some oil pan heater silicone mats mounted into the battery rack on a temp relay just so I don't have to worry about the garage like that. Precious batteries!!
I'm looking at putting some oil pan heater silicone mats mounted into the battery rack on a temp relay just so I don't have to worry about the garage like that. Precious batteries!!
I have both a wood burning stove and a pellet stove. As I get older I tend to use the pellet stove more since felling trees, cutting rounds, splitting rounds, stacking firewood and all the issues of moving lumber in to the stove gets to be a bit much. The pellet stove does need electricity to operate but very little that can be provided by a battery/inverter setup.
I will say when the wind is gusting over 30mph, and the temperature goes sub zero, it is hard to keep the edges of the home all that warm even with a roaring fire in the stove. Especially since the body's internal fires do not burn so hot as the years have gone by.
I will say when the wind is gusting over 30mph, and the temperature goes sub zero, it is hard to keep the edges of the home all that warm even with a roaring fire in the stove. Especially since the body's internal fires do not burn so hot as the years have gone by.
OffGridForGood
Catch, make or grow everything you can.
Since high winds usually lead to power outages in my area, I switched the inverters over to Utility-First priority last night, after the TOU rates dropped to minimum. This ran my loads and recharged the 760Ah 48v battery pack up to full overnight. I fully expected to see the utility drop out sometime but here we are this morning, Utility is still on. You just never know really. With my pack fully charged, and a genset and gas in the shop ready if needed, I am secure. BTW we use wood pellet furnace and wood stove for heat, but have a propane tank and separate propane furnace as our back up. Kinda backwards maybe to what most people do, but to me the wood and wood pellets are the primary system, and the (expensive) propane or electric heat are the back up systems, in the workshop I have as a back up to the back up, a cheap Chinese oil heater that is connected to 12v LA battery on a trickle charger. So this means we have five heating systems available, ranging from zero electrical to 12v to furnace fan requirements, = lots of options.
Stay safe people, hopefully this is over soon.
Stay safe people, hopefully this is over soon.
OffGridForGood
Catch, make or grow everything you can.
Me Too!
BTW the trick I use for firewood is: don't pick up each piece more than a couple times, ie, make a processor and a system of modular firewood crates so you only pick up each piece once to split/stack, and then use equipment to move the crates/modules. Store the wood under a roof, with no walls or at least plenty of air circulation for drying. Move the modules with equipment adjacent to your wood buring area in Oct/Nov. The next time I pick up each piece by hand it is going into the fire. Compare this to picking up every piece 5-7 times during cutting loading splitting, stacking, moving to the house, restacking, putting in the fire. Yeah can be a lot of work. - I am heating my home for 21 years now with wood as primary heating, cut from our own property, I've learned a bit about processing and handling firewood, and like you, am not getting any younger.
OzSolar
Whatever you did, that's what you planned.
"He who heats with wood is twice warmed"
Yeah I'm getting pretty tired of dealing with firewood and the irony is that a buddy gives more than I can ever burn for free from his tree farm already split. All I have to do is load the boiler and clean out the ashes.
Confession time: I often find myself in the dark late at night when no one is around to judge spending hours on the internet looking lustfully at .... the detailed specs of water to water heat pumps for my radiant in floor heating system so I can heat floors with something beside the wood fired boiler.
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OffGridForGood
Catch, make or grow everything you can.
True!
Although typically during two different years!
Generally I cut "next years' wood" during Oct-Jan and store it in a firewood processing shed that is mostly a big roof, not a lot of walls, for drying. I find it gives me a reason to get out and do some activity rather than sitting and staring at a computer screen ...reading forum postings...while it is cold outside...wait I think I just caught myself sitting at a computer instead of cutting next year's firewood. Too windy out today, and tomorrow is christmas, so: putting another log on the fire, pouring another cup of fresh coffee, and reading what all the other memebers are up to this stormy morning. Next years' fire wood can wait a few days.
OffGridForGood
Catch, make or grow everything you can.
Hey Steve, you may be hunkering down for yet another day, if the weather we got in the NW is moving your way, I can tell you it was 60K winds all day yesterday, and still is. Satallite weather images look like this will be moving SE over Algonquin Park area by now...Steve,.. you there, ...internet out? Stay safe, stay warm!
Hogheavenfarm
Regulation Stifles Innovation
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2022
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- 440
I am about to do this as well, only with a hot air oil burner. Only real issue I see will be the surge from the blower fan kicking in.
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