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@@shellykreiman9249 You're welcome! We are both very impressed with that coop and it still looks like new.

@@hmanone1063 Thank you for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it. If you have any questions just ask and I'll do my best to help.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve Cool. I'm working on this weekend. I'll send you a DM if I have any questions.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve In video 4 when you connected the white LED lights, I know the positive goes to whatever switch you want for that light. But what about the negative wire? Does it go to all the negatives for the nav/stern lights?

@hmanone1063 I'm out with relatives but let me say as I remember. The negatives all connect to the same wire which runs directly to the batteries negative terminal.

@@simon359 The only propane we use is in the BBQ grill. Originally we were going to have a gas cooktop and tankless water heater but then we would be dependant on propane and "the man." Therefore we just upped the solar array to compensate.

@@fathergratwick What you're saying is the best way to rate batteries, the useable wattage. My specific batteries however are labeled at the entire capacity. Says 7.5k watts (or 7.2k I forget which) on each battery and the SolArk confirms this in the display. Recently, I was looking into the SolArk settings (touch sceen display on the front panel) and discovered it can be set to a percentage until the batteries are shut down. You can also change the re-boot percentage, telling the inverter (the SolArk) when to re-boot the system after draining all the batteries. The technician that did the install had the battery cut off set at 20% and re-boot at 35%. All my research shows 20% is suggested for the longest life of lithium iron phosphate batteries. Nothing wrong with labeling batteries at total wattage, you just have to understand not to drain them all the way down. They should have a label letting the customer know this.

@@marcusl594 We don't have an auto door. We started by closing the door at night and opening every morning. I attached a couple "eye hooks" and paracord to each side of the door running outside. Just pull the cord to quickly open or close the door, works perfect. Eventually we just left it open all the time. With the tall Premier One e-fence nothing ever got in. I'm really surprised with all the bear, coyote and bobcat we have on the property. We almost bought a solor powered sliding auto door. If I remember, ChickCozy and Omlet were pretty highly rated, I just never researched further. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

@@lawdymama8478 Spray adhesive would be suggested if the grip is loose for you. I decided to work it on without using anything. Was harder to install but it never moved and eventually the suns heat fused the grip to bar.

@@kevinscamera5574 I had big plans for the channel and upgrading my content. Unfortunately, creating videos became more work than fun so I stopped. My wife has been talking about taking over. Her content will be mostly gardening so I would be reduced to cameo appearances. Stay cool my friend!

@@belbella7554 We lived in that cabin for 2 years and the batteries usually are fully charged between 10:30-11 am on a sunny day or 1-2 pm on a cloudy day. Why would the panels not charge the batteries? Please elaborate.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve because the amount of your panel are not enough to charge the batteries when they are flat

@@belbella7554 PV total wattage is 6.2K. The panels are quality and not overrated as most cheaper ones are. I've seen them on many occasions bringing in over the rated 6.2k watts. I even have a photograph of the Sol-Ark showing the panels bringing in 7.1k. On the typical cloudless, sunny morning my PVs bring in 2k and as the sun intensifies the watt draw increases. Let's say the average draw is 4k. That means in one hour the PVs will bring in 4k watts. So in 4 hours the average incoming is 16k. Keep in mind, even if running the AC all night, the batteries are still around 40% full in the morning. That means I only need around 12k to fill them up.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve so you are saying that if you run them flat 0% overnight the next day you can fully charge 21.6kw batteries? Hmm

@@belbella7554 Yes, on a full sun day the batteries can easily fully charge by 2 or 3 pm even with the constant draw from use. If the batteries are low in the morning and it's extra cloudy, I just wait to do laundry another day or dry them on the clothes line. Drying clothes is a huge draw! I left room to stack a 4th battery or add more PVs but it's totally unnecessary.

Sorry for the big delay, just saw this question.....All I did was attach a screw to the upper top left / right of the door. Then put an "eye hook" (screw with a loop) to the left / right side of the door (screwed into the coop wall) Then ran paracord through the eyelett and tied to the door screw. The cord runs to outside of the coop. Pull one side to open, one side to close. If you watch the video again you can pause and see what I did. We actually stopped opening and closing the coop every morning and evening. It's not the smartest but we never had a problem. The chickens can now come and go at their leisure.

Thank you so much!

@IsraaAlabdali No problem and again, sorry I didn't respond sooner.

@@sharonkenney5608 Thank you kindly Sharon! I quit making videos when it started becoming more work than fun.

@@michaelsmith3282 Thank you Mr. Smith and I like your Jeep. Just got new Michelins on the wifes 2005 Unlimited yesterday.

@HomesteadOnThePreserve thank u n enjoy the jeep I've got my built but gotta trailer it up north lol but worth it

@@thomaswhite5871 I stopped making videos because it became more work than fun but you're right, I should add links.

@@Captgreatvalue Very cool and enjoy!

@@Captgreatvalue I love it but my brother hates it, to each their own. Glad you enjoyed the video and I hope you like the throttle as well.

@@andrejolin8967 Good tips, especially the compressor if handy.

@@victoriakennedy4811 Surprising it's been over a year and it still looks brand new. Originally I was going to build a roof but so far so good. Same with predators, no issues yet. I think our 110 lb pup keeps them away. When I build the "meat bird" coop it will have ground reinforcements for digging critters.

@@tonyinfinity She's the best dog I ever had or known, I dread the day. Prayers to your sweet boy.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve Amen

@@samphillips8322 Hello Sam, what a great story! I love hearing about the ole days and yes, they certainly were "good." I could share similar stories, fishing with my dad in the Florida Everglades in the late 1970's. I don't know about the camp or property but if you read just a couple comments down, someone posted that his grandfather owned that land and "Midway Fish Camp." Just super cool stuff that made me stop and imagine how awesome to fish back then. Before all the pollution, overfishing and environmental destruction. Ask "user" and I'll bet his grandfather was Mr. Kelly. Again, great story and thank you for taking the time to post.

I'm really happy with the durability of the fiberglass. It's just as tough as it is ugly. Scratched and gouged but holding up and protecting the hull.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve awesome I got one given to me that needs a hole patch if I wanted to fix it after me n a group of friends went on a nice float so I went down the big rabbit hole on all of it still not sure witch I'm gonna try might even just get the gator guard stuff since the kayak was give to me but all the patches are cheap n awesome I know I'm gonna plastic weld the hole but seeing how I'm heavy built I thought maybe JB weld but molding some heavy duty thick PVC be better for a nice keel guard for myself

@@coherenttruth4713 Yeah, these days there's so many good products thanks to chemistry. Modern automobiles are held together almost exclusively with glue and pressure snaps. Whatever you use or combo of each you'll be fine.

@@CRAZYBUILD349 Thank you C.B. very appreciated. Very cool you're into R.C. I've been fascinated with remote control since I was a youngster and have been flying 250 & 450 size helicopters for the last 15+ years. I think I'm going to get into boats next since I have a 1/4 acre pond on my property.

@@garywhitaker9854 We had the coop for 15 months so far. It's holding up excellent and surprisingly it even looks like new! Sorry it's not available in Canada, it's worth the money.

@@PaulaWalnuts Hey Mr. Walnuts (great name) We had the coop for over a year now and it's been wonderful! Surprisingly it even still looks like new. We use a Premier One 4" fence. Every 6 months we trim their flight feathers for good measure. The first couple months we would close the coop door every night and open every morning. We got tired doing that so for the last year we just keep the sliding door open but I removed the ramp. I figure that makes it a bit harder for snakes and stuff to find and access the only opening. Chickens come & go as they please without worry about a broken "automatic door." So far zero critter problems. I have cameras all around the coop to see if anything is stalking them but the only things I've ever seen that close are rabbits. We have tons of wildlife including bobcat, coyote, black bear, raccoons, opossum and armadillos everywhere. We never had a problem, maybe we have just been lucky. Maybe Brindy's scent keeps them at bay? I was most worried about hawks and eagles but if you have a couple trees around the fencing / coop, air predators won't fly in, they want a clear and open flight path. All the best if you get the coop. If you don't want to build your own, it's great for the money.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve thank you very much for the information! Always appreciate when folks are willing to spread their knowledge!

@@PaulaWalnuts I just wrote a lot but really didn't answer your core question. The coop itself is VERY strong and solid and it's much heavier then it appears. Critters digging under the frame to enter would be the weak spot but that's not the coops fault. We bank on the E-fence to keep em out completely.

@@PaulaWalnuts You're very welcome, that's why we are all here, to learn from each other.

@@allkindsofoutdooractivities Thank you fellow outdoors friend.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve you are most welcome!!

@@cristiancucu4100 Hey Christian, I really appreciate your input and taking the time to post. You're correct and many months ago I had the lead solar technician come out. He fixed the battery imbalance issue and update the Sol-Ark so everything is great now. You run your LiFePo4's down to 5% wow. Factory settings on mine are to shut down at 20% and kick back on at 32%. I know this by opening the Sol Arks program settings. I would lower the values to say 15% / 27% or even 10% / 22% if I needed to squeeze out more juice but living here for almost two years it's not necessary as we never killed the batteries. Many times we didn't see the sun for several days but we just save laundry washing & drying for a sunny day. As you know clothes drying is a massive draw.

Also..Cut dryer usage by CLOTHES LINE HANG'N..when not freezing weather..& then u COULD hang dry in large enough greenhouse & the veggie plants handle the moisture! VOILA!

@@stephenbaker3680 We do on occasion use a clothes line. It's retractable, on an oak tree in the back yard. We use it for large, bulky items like blankets/comforters.

@@lbroome Why hello there! Our main house will be finished next week, they are knocking out the punch list items now. The solar was installed and inspected a few months ago and it's amazing. We have 22 Canadian Solar "all black" 400 watt panels, 4 Life Power 7.5k batteries (same as the cabin but 4 of them instead of 3) and a Sol-Ark 15k. No tankless water heater because it would require a second inverter. A Rheem 60 gal tank is in the corner of the 3 car garage. The house is 2,000 sq ft under central air with soft start motor. We are very excited to move in soon. Thank you for checking in with me and the suggestion.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve Wow, that's good to hear. That 60 gallon tank is a good idea with all those panels, free hot water! Sounds like you are all set!

And THEN..U can install maybe 400ft long 8ft deep 4"diameter Sched.20 pvc pipe loop grid circulating antifreeze through a CAR radiator & fan setup..two radiators better..for the 50 to 60-ish°F ground temps. Then whatever else u now have is only for supplement Just needs modest circulating pump..no power-gobbling compressor!

The small vent on each side and the front door remain open during the hot months. The chickens can enter and leave the coop at will. This provides lots of air flow keeping them happy and healthy.

It's definitely work getting chips out of it. In it's defence, it works much better after I sharpened the blades.

It passed inspections but yeah, I totally understand.

I solved the tankless water heater with an $8 adjustable flow valve. (I made a video on it) Everything works perfect now. Thanks for your suggestion which otherwise would be a great solution.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve I will check that out. I really like your setup plus what an amazing price. I recently installed my own off grid system (3300W solar with 14.4kW battery bank) and am now focusing on water. Here in rural spain many people have solar thermal panels with tanks on their roofs. Thanks for the detailed tour. All the best!

@@tjwoodsman1782 Thank you T.J. I really appreciate your kind words and feedback. All the best to you and your solar!

The actuator has held up perfectly. About 4 months ago my brother came to visit and preferred the thumb throttle so I swapped it for him. I never put the twist throttle back on because he's coming to visit again. I much prefer the twist with one exception. Going off road when it gets real bumpy it's difficult to maintain throttle control and can actually be dangerous. My final verdict, if you're riding on smoother surfaces the twist rocks, otherwise the thumb throttle wins.

I worked hard my entire life. Save alot, spend a little and Invest wisely. You don't want to see our main house which just finished being built and also 100% off grid. I'm afraid you'll have jealousy overload.

GE model GUD24ESSM1WW We like it allot, very efficient and simple with no digital panel.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve Thank you thats my thoughts also no digital, seems I read alot of ppl complain on the digital. I seen yours and had to ask. Thank you.

@@krisneville7701 You're welcome and you're correct, digital panels are always first to break!

No, I lived in South Florida until moving to the NW Panhandle in 2022.

Our SolArk inverter is an "all in one" and always stays on. It has an idle draw around 60 watts.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve I have to switch off my inverter (which is my load) in the house in order to make the battery charge faster. Any idea why? Thx in advance

@@zbnxnndnxbcbb9990 Sorry, wish I could help.

So far the three batteries have been sufficient and it's been a year and a half living here. Our main house is almost finished so having guests stay in the cabin for a few day or a week we definitely have enough storage. I installed an $8 flow valve on the shower head which solved the tankless heater problem. I simply dialed down the flow to around 1 GPM and it's working great. Draws around 3k and the temp is slightly over 100 degrees. I did a video on that if you're interested. What you suggested with the heat pump is great but luckily unnecessary for us.

Hey that's super cool! Owning that property, especially back then (less people) must have been amazing! Thanks for sharing.

Afternoon Halil. To make sure I don't give you wrong dimensions, just Google "Tractor Supply Sentinel Coup." It's holding up really great and actually still looks new. We are both very impressed with it and I hope you will be too.

Forgot.. The electric fence is 4 foot tall and made by Premier One.

Thank you David, I really appreciate that.

1kw/hr baseload roughly you got running your settup....you really could use 30kwh of batteries if you have no grid backup. That might buy you enough to get past most cloudy days if you dial back the consumption.

We've gone multiple times, 4 days without a hint of sun and never ran out. It's been a year and a half so far and it's been great! The only issue we had I fixed. The tankless water heater I talked about, solved it with an $8 flow control valve.

@@HomesteadOnThePreserve Surviving on 5kw a day sounds pretty rough to me, just hope you have a generator for a backup if it gets hot.

@@SarahStuff-p5u No, luckily we don't need one.

Hey glad you enjoyed it!

I solved the tankless hot water problem with an $8 flow control valve. The system has been amazing ever since.

Yes sir, I had the lead tech. out months ago. He updated the software / fixed the imbalance issue. System works amazing now!