EastTexCowboy
Solar Wizard
You must be a skinny little thing, planning on fitting in between all that equipment in that space when you need to work on it!
Time to build my utility room. Looking for opinions
- Thread starter Zapper77
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Zapper77
Renaissance Man
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Life goals...go on a diet.
SignatureSolarJames
Try Solar, the Grid will always take you back
I just want pics when finished lol
Zapper77
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I may need an ultra wide angle (fish eye) lens.
Lt.Dan
Solar Wizard
Panorama shots are perfect for this kind of thing too
Hedges
I See Electromagnetic Fields!
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You should see my athleticism as I do a "parallel bars" maneuver to get over the service cart and ark welder, dance sideways between the Sunny Islands and the Ferrari, tiptoe through a field of toroid transformers (think array of old tires on an exercise field), skate over the TriPower on a flat dolly. All to reach my workspace where laptop, monitoring equipment, instruments are located.
Quattrohead
Solar Wizard
We always need more of everything, more horsepower more current more sun more space more more more ?
Zapper77
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This is the area. I may remove the 1980s gas heater. That would free up space to go wider. The wife still wants space to park a car.
I may even go longer and include the window.
The left side of the garage goes unused. The steps for the side of the house henders access. (I didn't build the house or garage)
I may even go longer and include the window.
The left side of the garage goes unused. The steps for the side of the house henders access. (I didn't build the house or garage)
EastTexCowboy
Solar Wizard
Who parks a vehicle in a garage? Garages are made for storing other stuff and installing solar equipment!
We have an oversize two car garage. Even oversized my F350 probably wouldn't fit but wife's Expedition would. Except there's too many freezers and storage and solar stuff. Fortunately the shop already had a covered concrete pad in front with concrete all the way over to the house, so that's where the vehicles live. For our climate that works out fine, plus now that the garage is climate controlled it's a nice workspace we've started using for my projects, gardening stuff, etc. But it still feels like we're part of that crazy American phenomena where you leave an expensive vehicle outside and store junk in your garage.
Lt.Dan
Solar Wizard
My parents built their garage specifically to fit my dads F350, and damn am I jealous. My F350 just sits outside and gets hammered by the weather...
We do park the Tesla in the garage though. So much easier to charge when in the garage, and it keeps the car nicer. Only downside is I have to pull it out anytime I want to do anything in the garage.
Zapper77
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I shouldn't share...but I'm currently remodeling two adjacent (distressed houses) each house has an oversized two car garage plus my 1.5 car garage. We only have room for one car, the other five spots are full of furniture, cabinets and building materials.
EastTexCowboy
Solar Wizard
Years ago I built our garage to fit my F250 short bed. Then I upgraded to an F350 dually long bed and have stayed with that size since. But I couldn't get it in the garage anymore. I have to admit it was nice when I kept the truck inside but at least I still have a roof over it and concrete under it so it's not terrible. I think all garages should have to be 30 x 30 minimum size!
We have a lake house that is fairly old but still a decent house. It has a so-called 2 car garage with 2 little tiny doors as used to be common. A Tesla might fit. Not much else. Pretty good for a golf cart though. It's going on the market next spring though. When we lived an hour and a half away we used it every other weekend. Now we're 5 minutes away and never use it. Time for it to have a new owner.
The worse thing about Teslas and Prius's etc. is when I run over one accidentally it gets stuck between the duals then I get that thump thump thump until I get a bar and pry the darned thing out. ?
Quattrohead
Solar Wizard
Yep $100,000 worth of vehicles sat outside whilst -$10,000 worth of junk sits in the garage just waiting for your kids to toss it. And yet there are still more and more self-store facilities being built, it's crazy.
My garage is 24x36 on the house I am building and I have a 10x10 utility room. Oh and another 12x10 room upstairs where the HVAC etc will live.
Rednecktek
Solar Wizard
Swap your battery racks and your inverters. Batteries aren't going to need much left-right space as much as front-back space. The inverters being in front of the door will make wiring and service easier since 98% of what you have to do will be with those. Having the aircon close to the heat generators will work much better for keeping everything cool too. Go for 5 or 6ft to give yourself elbow room.
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Lt.Dan
Solar Wizard
People tend to look at me funny, because I've had my F350 for 10 years now, and just bought my Tesla earlier this year. Two totally opposite vehicles lmaoYears ago I built our garage to fit my F250 short bed. Then I upgraded to an F350 dually long bed and have stayed with that size since. But I couldn't get it in the garage anymore. I have to admit it was nice when I kept the truck inside but at least I still have a roof over it and concrete under it so it's not terrible. I think all garages should have to be 30 x 30 minimum size!
We have a lake house that is fairly old but still a decent house. It has a so-called 2 car garage with 2 little tiny doors as used to be common. A Tesla might fit. Not much else. Pretty good for a golf cart though. It's going on the market next spring though. When we lived an hour and a half away we used it every other weekend. Now we're 5 minutes away and never use it. Time for it to have a new owner.
The worse thing about Teslas and Prius's etc. is when I run over one accidentally it gets stuck between the duals then I get that thump thump thump until I get a bar and pry the darned thing out. ?
Sorry don't mean to take over this thread lmao
EastTexCowboy
Solar Wizard
Tesla's and other EVs may be fine for a lot of folks, but when you need to haul 20k lbs of hay with a gooseneck trailer they're just not going to work. Plus we're out in the sticks so it would be home charge only. I'm not ruling one out someday but I'm good with what I've got for probably quite a few years. Now, if you come up with a good electric side by side I might get interested ...
Zapper77
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I will need to widen the room. Looks like 5'x6' will be the measurements. Wife's car won't fit if I go longer or wider...she wants to keep storage space on the opposite garage wall.
Heater removed
Hedges
I See Electromagnetic Fields!
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Three dimensions to work with, X, Y, and Z.
Can you put batteries on an elevated shelf, things like inverters you work with more underneath?
We saw pictures of a system that got incinerated, batteries caught fire and destroyed Sunny Islands above them. Sunny Boys off to one side still tried to operate, but were waiting for AC to return.
diysolarforum.com
(Although, your house is a bigger concern than some electronic boxes.)
Install a smoke detector.
Can you put batteries on an elevated shelf, things like inverters you work with more underneath?
We saw pictures of a system that got incinerated, batteries caught fire and destroyed Sunny Islands above them. Sunny Boys off to one side still tried to operate, but were waiting for AC to return.
Local Pittsburgh Solar Battery Fire
https://www.wtae.com/article/millvale-fire-sprezzatura-food-energy-hub/42708022
diysolarforum.com
(Although, your house is a bigger concern than some electronic boxes.)
Install a smoke detector.
Rednecktek
Solar Wizard
Yup, you're gonna lose at least 4" just for the thickness of the wall. Every inch will help.
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