YouTube, A Blessing Or A Curse

[DonnyO]

Over the past few months, knowing nothing, and in my quest for knowledge the obvious go to for the average Joe is YouTube and forums. How far I have come!

Initially the shinny object of name brands, all-in-one solutions, and the seemingly complexity of DIY had my head spinning. I will be moving off grid to Arizona and budget is my main concern. But also the capability of being completely off grid, which for me means more than enough capacity and absolute reliability.

All that being said I am not the average Joe and I do have a lot of experience with DC electronics, hands on building, fabricating with metal and wood. The proverbial Jack of all trades, master of none. Doing the math tells me that batteries are expensive, I'm planning on 45k of storage and adding more if needed. Considering I will be living alone on a minimal lifestyle and estimating 6-8k daily I think that's a good target. When considering budget and looking at the retail cost of three, 15k 280ah batteries, holly cow! I immediately started looking at DIY battery boxes. But what are you getting for $400-600 plus shipping. A metal box, BMS, cables and some other bits and pieces?

At first even a DIY box looked intimidating. But after looking a many build videos and breaking down what is actually need to get functionality I've decided to go completely DIY. The cost savings is in the thousands, even with buying the proper tools. I think my actual point here is what the internet feeds you is not only daunting, but biased toward professional grade, retail products and finding the meat and potatoes takes some time and effort. What I thought was the impossible now seems within most DIYers abilities. Full DIY builds where the information is not clear or incomplete are the norm and seem to leave a lot out.

I'm still breaking down the rest and an all-in-one inverter seems to be the way things are going, with back up solutions on hand of course. But again, I'm finding so many other brands with great functionality at far lest cost than what is spoon fed to the masses. But you can't do much with out batterie(s), so I'm starting there.

Keep learning, digging out the potatoes and the meat will come with it!

 

[TechRider]

For DIY batteries, as long as you're electrically/mechanically inclined, they aren't an issue. Using the box DIY kits makes it extremely easy. I had my last 2 built in under 2 hours and I was just messing around. You have to be very particular on all your connections, double check your voltages, make sure everything is torqued properly, etc.

 

[timselectric]

Diy saves a lot of money.
I saved about $3k, on my small bank. And will save over $10k, by the time I'm done.

 

[TechRider]

Agreed, plus you get more storage for the same or less physical space. I'm up almost 90kW.

 

[Vens34]

Over the past few months, knowing nothing, and in my quest for knowledge the obvious go to for the average Joe is YouTube and forums. How far I have come!

Initially the shinny object of name brands, all-in-one solutions, and the seemingly complexity of DIY had my head spinning. I will be moving off grid to Arizona and budget is my main concern. But also the capability of being completely off grid, which for me means more than enough capacity and absolute reliability.

All that being said I am not the average Joe and I do have a lot of experience with DC electronics, hands on building, fabricating with metal and wood. The proverbial Jack of all trades, master of none. Doing the math tells me that batteries are expensive, I'm planning on 45k of storage and adding more if needed. Considering I will be living alone on a minimal lifestyle and estimating 6-8k daily I think that's a good target. When considering budget and looking at the retail cost of three, 15k 280ah batteries, holly cow! I immediately started looking at DIY battery boxes. But what are you getting for $400-600 plus shipping. A metal box, BMS, cables and some other bits and pieces?

At first even a DIY box looked intimidating. But after looking a many build videos and breaking down what is actually need to get functionality I've decided to go completely DIY. The cost savings is in the thousands, even with buying the proper tools. I think my actual point here is what the internet feeds you is not only daunting, but biased toward professional grade, retail products and finding the meat and potatoes takes some time and effort. What I thought was the impossible now seems within most DIYers abilities. Full DIY builds where the information is not clear or incomplete are the norm and seem to leave a lot out.

I'm still breaking down the rest and an all-in-one inverter seems to be the way things are going, with back up solutions on hand of course. But again, I'm finding so many other brands with great functionality at far lest cost than what is spoon fed to the masses. But you can't do much with out batterie(s), so I'm starting there.
YouTube can be both a blessing and a curse, depending on how you use it. It's an incredible resource for learning and DIY projects, but it’s easy to fall into the rabbit hole of endless content. One issue is when videos are taken down, and valuable tutorials are lost. That's why I recommend downloading important videos for offline access. Here's a guide on how to do it: https://setapp.com/how-to/download-youtube-videos This way, you can always have crucial information on hand without worrying about availability. While YouTube offers convenience, moderation and smart usage are key to keeping it a blessing rather than a distraction.
Keep learning, digging out the potatoes and the meat will come with it!

I completely agree that a lot of the information online leans toward expensive, polished solutions rather than practical DIY options. Breaking things down step by step, as you’re doing, makes the whole process much less overwhelming.
Your plan for 45kWh of storage seems solid, especially with your minimal lifestyle and estimated daily usage of 6-8kWh. Going DIY with battery boxes is a smart move, considering the markup on pre-built systems. Plus, with your background in DC electronics and fabrication, you’re well-equipped to handle the technical challenges.
For inverters, it’s true that all-in-one systems are gaining traction, but exploring lesser-known brands with strong reviews can unlock serious savings without sacrificing reliability. I’d love to hear more as you finalize your setup—especially about which BMS and inverter you end up choosing! Keep digging; you’re clearly uncovering the gold beneath the fluff.

 

[DonnyO]

I was considering just making my own boxes but I just came across one on Alibaba for around $300 shipped. Much more reasonable, has all the bits and pieces and has mounting for the JK BMS and large screen which I'm leaning towards. Seems they are coming down in price.

$300 shipped saves me a lot of hassle vs $500+ shipping. Also it has double terminals and a circuit breaker on the front.

 

[darkmode]

I was considering just making my own boxes but I just came across one on Alibaba for around $300 shipped. Much more reasonable, has all the bits and pieces and has mounting for the JK BMS and large screen which I'm leaning towards. Seems they are coming down in price.

$300 shipped saves me a lot of hassle vs $500+ shipping. Also it has double terminals and a circuit breaker on the front.

Share links to stuff you buy as you learn. There are lots of lurkers here.

 

[Danke]

How much you figure you can build your 280Ah battery for?

 

[DonnyO]

How much you figure you can build your 280Ah battery for?

If I can get the box for $300 and BMS $150 with large display only the cells will be unknown factor.

It is overwhelming choosing where to buy cells right now. Prices seem low, lots of competition. I won't be jumping in for another six months so who knows what the market will be then. Things change quickly but easily under $2k which is more than $1k less than a quality built battery.

 

[Suijkerbuijk]

Always funny.
Some place the cells are easy to have .
Well in my country its the other way around.
Its cheap not to diy .
The import of the cells are so expensive.
Thats its cheaper to go for cheap compleet set .
Thake them appart and set the volts you need.
Go for a other bms .
And sell the rest again on the use market .

 

[HarryN]

There is a hobby side to DIY batteries as well as the economic related aspects.

When it comes to selling a DIY battery pack, that is located in your home or in a van, I can see that becoming "complicated" in the future.

I am pretty picky, so for me, if I were buying a van or trailer that had someone else's DIY battery pack in it, I would plan to rip it out and replace it, just because I don't trust other people building stuff from random places.

If you are going to put together a battery pack for home use, I would put it some distance from the house in case it starts on fire.