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diy solar

diy solar

What lessons have you learned working with solar?

OffGridForGood said:
Looking at a new Truck ... "Hunny do you think it's time to get youself a new SUV, something with more features"...LOL ;)
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for a $105,000 right?

and my brother (retired GM corporate guy) says: you spent $27,000 in parts on your DIY solar toy? over 25 years?

well bro, my 2003 Deville is paid for, my 2004 Cavalier is paid for and my precious 1984 GMC Square Body with the 5.3L LS (my sleeper - 450hp - see avatar) is paid for!
 
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455dan said:
Ooops, So is it worse if you don't tell the wife?
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Tell the wife?????? Never!!!

I just need to sew the wallet closed for a while... AND delete all the saved credit cards to keep from hitting the easy checkout button


I think I have bought my last new vehicle -- when they cost what a house does in some places I dunno how they expect the average person to buy one
 
robbob2112 said:
Tell the wife?????? Never!!!

I just need to sew the wallet closed for a while... AND delete all the saved credit cards to keep from hitting the easy checkout button


I think I have bought my last new vehicle -- when they cost what a house does in some places I dunno how they expect the average person to buy one
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Same but it was the Model Y- only new vehicle "ever." I Like my 20 year old Cummins powered 3500 too much to ever sell it -will just do a fix up as it ages.

I Am going to have to pay for a patio with cover this spring and that is for her, but as soon as she sees the extra boxes of inverters the patio build will be getting fancier and more $$ no doubt. It's all Good. :)

.
 
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I really, really don't want to add up what I've spent in solar the last 2 years. OTOH wife has seen it as I give her a folder of receipts with totals every year for taxes. At that point she's happy for the deductions. It makes up for that it doesn't pay for itself in December and January.

It made 28 kWh today. 8 kWh from the 2 kW array and 20 kWh from the 20 kW array.
 
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robbob2112 said:
😭 I was not patient and I have spent $3k on impulse in the last week --- a 6-in-1 plasma cutter/tig welder that will do aluminum - it says laser as well, but only in the title - guess we will see when I unpack it.

6 of the dumfume 300ah batteries - 2 for $244ea and 4 for $282ea - this after a teardown show they have 314ah batteries inside
3 x 4s BMS, 2 x 7-20s BMS - and many other little things that all add up...

I am out of control and need to stop yesterday
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8 of the dumfume batteries... the last 2 for $229 ea

I am gonna have to sell a lot of pencils on the street corner
 
Starfish Prime said:
I've lived off grid with solar for 3 yrs now. Biggest lesson?
Increase any estimate for load, battery capacity, inverter capacity, etc. by 20%
Then increase that number by 20%
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and if the daughter and hubby are going to come visit for a week, with the new baby Double the total you got from above...Just Saying !
New rule - no one is allowed to visit during Nov-Jan...LOL.
 
Some people tell you to plan out everything in this big final system prior to starting anything., I disagree, I believe that when you are new to solar, you know less now then anytime in the future. So this is the worst time to plan. You need to decide to make a plan when you know how to make a plan. One of the best things I did was building a small second system that was cheep and easy to “screwup” without it effecting my main system and allowed me to avoid expensive mess ups.

so if you are going to build a whole house system in your final .. then I suggest that you build a small little system to run a tv or entertainment system .. understand all the method to calculate size, cables, batteries, inverters, lugs, tools .. and so on and so on..

THEN you can replan your final system and correct $1000s of mistakes from things you could not plan for cause you had no idea..

Things I learned:
1) don’t trust anything on Amazon as the truth. wire and lugs this counts twice. (Or three times for me)
2) some tools are really expensive, you may need to borrow them for a few hours and same $100’s (others are worth just buying the first time)
3) Understand that electrical has a lot of margins and you should know the real usage of devices and real ability of equipment prior to purchase. This holds really true for inverters, a 1000w inverter can surprise you want it can’t or can run as some small fridge of 120w can take 1500w to start.
4) there are 10 types of fuses, know what they are for and why they exist or why they are so cheep.
5) FIRE is a real risk and electricity can KILL.. remember this easy screwup can cost you big time.. (save the magic smoke for genie’s)
6) be ready to adapt, cause no plan will survive implementation..
 
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MattMan119 said:
I suggest that you build a small little system
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Will did a number of videos on milk crate power systems. They were fun to watch and very informative. These were small systems but did a nice job of introducing the topic and allowed one to get on board and were fairly inexpensive.

I had the experience of releasing the magic smoke on a BMS. Rookie mistake, fortunately not too expensive in my case. A good reason to check twice or three times before connecting components after I have had my coffee.

There are some VERY impressive systems shown on this forum. It is very easy to want one right away. Keep in mind that many of those showing their systems didn't just pull it out of a box and put it together. DIY requires TONS of study and research. Yes, videos can be instructive. However the pages of the forum are filled with volumes and volumes of invaluable information along with a smattering of horror stories. TAKE YOUR TIME and read. When you think you understand it take some more time for research.

Some of the most respected minds I know will quickly say that the more they learn, the more they realize how little they know. True knowledge is in my opinion, a little like golf. You never totally master it. There will always be another tidbit of information that will help you along.

Now I understand that vendors will sell "kits" that you can strap together. And with perhaps an electricians help they can be assembled and they do work. Personally I found much greater satisfaction learning and assembling my system myself with a little help from a friend which can be invaluable from a safety stand point. Once I learned from their teaching I was able to take the next step. It NEVER hurts to have someone critique your system design and then your system. Countless mistakes can be avoided by doing so. Someone might look at your components, design, component assembly and or build and suggest weaknesses or problems. These suggestions from an experienced member are invaluable and I value what I have learned.

I would like to add that once you design a system, consider the option for expansion. Also, budget the phases of the build. A base system might power your freezer or refrigerator. As you expand its capabilities so do your options. Take the time to read threads of existing builds. Some have done an amazing job of putting their systems together and some are considering ways of making them even better.

As you put things together, be willing to take your time, step back and study it from time to time. Sometimes, once something is in place, the light bulb will go off and you might think of a better way of putting it together.

Also, if not sure, we have plenty of helpful members here who can help.

It is a journey.
 
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MattMan119 said:
Some people tell you to plan out everything in this big final system prior to starting anything., I disagree, I believe that when you are new to solar, you know less now then anytime in the future. So this is the worst time to plan. You need to decide to make a plan when you know how to make a plan. One of the best things I did was building a small second system that was cheep and easy to “screwup” without it effecting my main system and allowed me to avoid expensive mess ups.

so if you are going to build a whole house system in your final .. then I suggest that you build a small little system to run a tv or entertainment system .. understand all the method to calculate size, cables, batteries, inverters, lugs, tools .. and so on and so on..

THEN you can replan your final system and correct $1000 of mistakes from things you could not plan for cause you had no idea..
Click to expand...

This is some of the best advice here. 100% you will never be able to "plan" out an entire system as a newbie. But with a help, you can reduce your mistakes.

Here are the lessons I learned over the last few years of things:
  1. If your end goal is to have a whole house system, buy an energy monitor like the Emporia Vue first to track your usage and calculate your current needs.
    • Don't tell anyone in your house to change habits and don't change your own energy habits for the first year, or you will skew your findings. It is easy to try and save/conserve to play the numbers
  2. Start small to avoid money waste, It will get the creative juices flowing and build an understanding
  3. Never discount, be afraid of asking for, or trust any advice given. Yes, all those almost contradict each other. I found even the wrong advice on a forum can lead me to a better, more correct answer. Just be sure to research afterwords. Many times advice lead in the right direction to actually find the answer.
  4. No question is stupid, except the unasked one
  5. When you decide to pull the trigger, your usage calculations for power must include a 1.5-2x multiplier. Because you will want to increase usage. Think mini-split, Geo thermal, a bigger TV, electric car, etc......
Always remember, even the pros don't always get it right. I have spoken to many friends who had systems installed and they are not happy overall. I on the other hand, even with wasted money and extra parts, love my system and continuing to dream of the next purchase.
 
Enjoying the discussion. A lot of good ideas here.

One benefit of DIY is it allows one to "think outside the box". It encourages creative thought which why I love it so much. AS long as I remember that there are certain rules with electricity that are FIXED and unforgiving if not followed exactly.
 
JJJJ said:
As you put things together, be willing to take your time, step back and study it from time to time. Sometimes, once something is in place, the light bulb will go off and you might think of a better way of putting it together.
Click to expand...
This is key, when you do build a system. This will cause changes to more items, more then anything or all the planning in the world... I bet we could start an entire thread on "What changed cause life happened to your solar system" and get 1,000 replies.. This is the best part of it, cause these changes are born of real needs and reality ..
 
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fatjay said:
$47 for 314ah cells seems very suspicous. Good if true, but the video didn't even show the qr code, it was blank.
Click to expand...
I had purchased 16 cells from Gobel back when they had the DIY Forum special at $71 per cell shipped. I just checked and the cells are $54 each. With shipping, those are $79 each. I have found all sellers have been jacking up shipping price. Some of it may be due to increasing tariffs.

Those 16 cells have been great, very impressed as I usually buy from Luyuan.
 
JJJJ said:
Will did a number of videos on milk crate power systems. They were fun to watch and very informative. These were small systems but did a nice job of introducing the topic and allowed one to get on board and were fairly inexpensive.

I had the experience of releasing the magic smoke on a BMS. Rookie mistake, fortunately not too expensive in my case. A good reason to check twice or three times before connecting components after I have had my coffee.

There are some VERY impressive systems shown on this forum. It is very easy to want one right away. Keep in mind that many of those showing their systems didn't just pull it out of a box and put it together. DIY requires TONS of study and research. Yes, videos can be instructive. However the pages of the forum are filled with volumes and volumes of invaluable information along with a smattering of horror stories. TAKE YOUR TIME and read. When you think you understand it take some more time for research.

Some of the most respected minds I know will quickly say that the more they learn, the more they realize how little they know. True knowledge is in my opinion, a little like golf. You never totally master it. There will always be another tidbit of information that will help you along.

Now I understand that vendors will sell "kits" that you can strap together. And with perhaps an electricians help they can be assembled and they do work. Personally I found much greater satisfaction learning and assembling my system myself with a little help from a friend which can be invaluable from a safety stand point. Once I learned from their teaching I was able to take the next step. It NEVER hurts to have someone critique your system design and then your system. Countless mistakes can be avoided by doing so. Someone might look at your components, design, component assembly and or build and suggest weaknesses or problems. These suggestions from an experienced member are invaluable and I value what I have learned.

I would like to add that once you design a system, consider the option for expansion. Also, budget the phases of the build. A base system might power your freezer or refrigerator. As you expand its capabilities so do your options. Take the time to read threads of existing builds. Some have done an amazing job of putting their systems together and some are considering ways of making them even better.

As you put things together, be willing to take your time, step back and study it from time to time. Sometimes, once something is in place, the light bulb will go off and you might think of a better way of putting it together.

Also, if not sure, we have plenty of helpful members here who can help.

It is a journey.
Click to expand...
well said and mirrors my experience, I did my best to plan and implement that plan. I found that hitting 80% of that plan without refactoring the plan or R&R stuff installed, was a great achievement. I don't think I will ever hit 100% because I am human
 
I am envious of the well thought out planning @timselectric has done, and follow along with his build thread.
He clearly has the experience and the planning skills for this.
My own bumbling along from some lights and small hand tools up to running the full shop and house combined, then a small EV, and then plans for an automated greenhouse, and now considering a second EV - I have been doing the "guess-and-fix-up approach" for a few years now. LOL.

So tried to do 'a Tim' and plan out a bigger system that could run everything I ever want, and then built a new solar electrical room to house it, with two inverters for now, but space and wiring and everything set up for a max of 4 x 50-amp inverters. At least now I can just add in another inverter and all the connections and layout are set up ready for this, with appropriate wire ga already in place for the eventual 48kW output. I think it is just a matter of time and it will grow to the full capacity as I think of more things to add in.
It is a great feeling to be able to plan new things around the homestead to run on 'free' electricity...maybe the bandsaw-mill will be up next, since I only use it during summer months - perfectly aligned with sunny solar days...ah freedom.
 
OffGridForGood said:
I am envious of the well thought out planning @timselectric has done, and follow along with his build thread.
He clearly has the experience and the planning skills for this.
My own bumbling along from some lights and small hand tools up to running the full shop and house combined, then a small EV, and then plans for an automated greenhouse, and now considering a second EV - I have been doing the "guess-and-fix-up approach" for a few years now. LOL.

So tried to do 'a Tim' and plan out a bigger system that could run everything I ever want, and then built a new solar electrical room to house it, with two inverters for now, but space and wiring and everything set up for a max of 4 x 50-amp inverters. At least now I can just add in another inverter and all the connections and layout are set up ready for this, with appropriate wire ga already in place for the eventual 48kW output. I think it is just a matter of time and it will grow to the full capacity as I think of more things to add in.
It is a great feeling to be able to plan new things around the homestead to run on 'free' electricity...maybe the bandsaw-mill will be up next, since I only use it during summer months - perfectly aligned with sunny solar days...ah freedom.
Click to expand...

I recently updated to 2 XW Pro inverters and began experimenting the load draw those inverters would do on my batteries and DC wiring and was surprised at the 300 amps DC being drawn on my DC side of things

I then proceeded to do the math for my system if I went to 3 inverters and then 4 inverters. 4 inverters could draw 27200 watts continuously. Using 50 volts on my battery that calcs out to 544 AMPs

My inverters can also surge to 48,000 watts or, wait for it.......960 AMPs

I bring this up, as many of us might fail to beef up our DC wiring, fuses, batteries, etc to handle a 1000 amps of current as we build bigger sized inverters.

With @timselectric 's plan I believe he has been planning for large currents at his house. It is important to do big currents correctly or your magic smoke will fly
 
Brucey said:
Lynx distributors and power ins are good for a 1000A.
Click to expand...

yes, I am looking exactly at those, and am putting together a plan to use such and post on my thread for review and advice from others
I have several questions as to how configure them with shunts, wire, etcs for the XW Pros

thanks
 
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