@@frugalgunnie thanks for stopping by my channel even i don't have time to upload more content . i watched your other channel very interesting i am planning to upgrade lead acid to lifepo4 for more capacity thanks again.
Thanks, I keep my little lead acid battery for lighting in case temps are sub-zero when I get into the cabin in the dark. This way I can light a fire with appropriate lighting and wait for the LiFePO4 array to warm up before flipping it all on
When I first bought solar panels it was 38 years I bought two little systems which is four 15 watt solar panels and one 200 watt inverter and a 7 amp 107 watt solar charger that solar panels connect to that connects to the batteries. Also got another solar panel set which is two 80 watt solar panels and that one came with the same thing the first set of solar panels did of course I ordered them both at the same time got them both at the same time put the charger for that was a 10 amp 150 charger. That was very expensive. I used them all way up to 2012 I used to running some lights the TV VCR DVD player Playstation Xbox phone charger and computer as well as a second computer and two laptops. I lost one 15 watt solar panel and one 80 watt solar panel because of people breaking them more because of accident that they did but that was after I bought five more 15 watt solar panels and six 18 watt solar panels and I bought one more 15 watt solar panel to place replace the one they broke and I bought two 150 watt solar panels, and that all cost the same as the first two small sets of solar panels I got in the only ones that didn't come with an inverter was 150 watt solar panels one of them came with a 300 watt inverter and another one came with a 500 watt inverter and I also bought four 405 watt solar panels and those ones came a different connections 150w solar panels didn't come with any connections it was just 10 gauge wire but those new connections baffled me and for a year I was asking about those connections even Menards where I bought them from and finally another store called Lowe's gave me the answers and sold me the connections. But if Menards would have told me something that I was asking they would have sold me something invested $12,000 into that would of been inverter charger that would have actually ran my house and 8.6 kw to 9.4 kw of solar panels I think there was even a wall with it and it's one of those old inverters that you sell electricity to the electric company and isn't an old inverter I mean they still sell them today they still make them today to install them in to houses one of the first companies that did that I think even before I was born. Come to find out that the wrong person decided to talk to me who didn't know nothing about solar and I found out about a year later when I didn't have that money anymore. But now when I go and talk to somebody in Menards they ask you directly to the person that you know stuff about solar panels inverters batteries powerwalls kind of like what Lowe's did when I ask something about it yes they seem to actually know who I am even if it's the first time I walk into store because I don't just go to the same and argue all the time I go to 3 to 4 different ones that would be Menards Lowe's Walmart the other store they got the same that's within 50 miles I live and sometimes a little bit further if I want to go to the main store if they have one somewhat nearby but they did tell me about the wind and solar company between Stevens point and Waupaca on highway 10 and that was actually the first solar company I found in Wisconsin and come to find out there is actually about 5,6, or 9 solar companies in Wisconsin in different places even if their main branch is in some other state or country but that's when my phone actually started to work for me which is the same place I find TH-cam video on but I also had to fight TH-cam as well cuz at first they wouldn't give me these videos I was just by accident I found it too now TH-cam only want to give me these videos for the most part or in this case I'm still fighting TH-cam.
It's quite an adventure learning all this on your own, I hear ya! I found I had to look online a lot to get a sense of how things are done and what gear I would need to pull it all off. It sure can get expensive too. I don't have any solar places around where I live, but there are some RV places around, though gear is very expensive through them, and not much is in stock. So off to the web lol. And if you TH-cam something the algorithms will keep feeding you the same stuff ha ha ha
A great question! In theory the way I have it all set up it's a 520Ah battery array @12V made with 8x EVE 3.2V 260Ah cells wired into in a 4s2p configuration, primarily so I can run native 12V accessories in case I don't want to or can't run the inverter, or most often if I want to conserve power and just have basic lighting and small device charging, like GoPros, cell phone, flash light, head lamp, mobile power banks, or even small inverters, etc... Keep in mind that I also have the BMS set to a conservative range so that I don't overly stress the cells with very deep discharges. Which means I have the BMS alert me at 12.1V and shut down the circuit completely when it drops to 11.9V. I also of course limit the charge to the max allowed by the specifications of the battery, which is 14.6V when wired in a series of 4. So I would estimate my capacity to be a realistic 400Ah without doing a fully metered draindown. When I get the opportunity to do a proper one, I'll post my results! I ordered the cells from Docan Power, and they were very helpful in selecting the right BMS units for my setup and application. Most people using these cells would run them in 24V to be able to run less thicker wiring and also run the wiring further without incurring attenuation. In my case the cabin is tiny so I don't need to go far with my DC circuits and I happen to have a fair amount of 12V native devices accumulated from years of living off grid during the weekends and holidays, so the only thing I really use the inverter for is laptop and Starlink. Long answer, but I hope that helps!
How's the solar treating you throughout winter? last 2 winters were very dark and miserable in ontario. what do you get like 50% of your typical power from the sun?
During the shortest and darkest days of the year, yes, typically November, December, and early January, I'm on the generator every other day. But my system isn't sized for 5 days of dark either. Just running what I could afford and put into a compact space inside. So I use propane generator to keep it all charged during those times.
What a basic system like this worth ?
Nice job ! 🙏🌲❄️
Thanks, as it sits, under $4K CDN with all the components, batteries, cables, terminals, fuses, etc. A significant chunk of that is tax of course. :)
👍🏻…. Impressive setup
Thank you, it suits my needs very well and fit within my budget too. : )
Just listening to the cp podcast, so I thought I'd check out your channel, I'm west of Sudbury north of the 17
Thanks for stopping by! I'm south of Kirkland Lake, in the middle of nowhere, and loving it! :)
@@frugalgunnie thanks for stopping by my channel even i don't have time to upload more content . i watched your other channel very interesting i am planning to upgrade lead acid to lifepo4 for more capacity thanks again.
Thanks, I keep my little lead acid battery for lighting in case temps are sub-zero when I get into the cabin in the dark. This way I can light a fire with appropriate lighting and wait for the LiFePO4 array to warm up before flipping it all on
When I first bought solar panels it was 38 years I bought two little systems which is four 15 watt solar panels and one 200 watt inverter and a 7 amp 107 watt solar charger that solar panels connect to that connects to the batteries. Also got another solar panel set which is two 80 watt solar panels and that one came with the same thing the first set of solar panels did of course I ordered them both at the same time got them both at the same time put the charger for that was a 10 amp 150 charger. That was very expensive. I used them all way up to 2012 I used to running some lights the TV VCR DVD player Playstation Xbox phone charger and computer as well as a second computer and two laptops. I lost one 15 watt solar panel and one 80 watt solar panel because of people breaking them more because of accident that they did but that was after I bought five more 15 watt solar panels and six 18 watt solar panels and I bought one more 15 watt solar panel to place replace the one they broke and I bought two 150 watt solar panels, and that all cost the same as the first two small sets of solar panels I got in the only ones that didn't come with an inverter was 150 watt solar panels one of them came with a 300 watt inverter and another one came with a 500 watt inverter and I also bought four 405 watt solar panels and those ones came a different connections 150w solar panels didn't come with any connections it was just 10 gauge wire but those new connections baffled me and for a year I was asking about those connections even Menards where I bought them from and finally another store called Lowe's gave me the answers and sold me the connections. But if Menards would have told me something that I was asking they would have sold me something invested $12,000 into that would of been inverter charger that would have actually ran my house and 8.6 kw to 9.4 kw of solar panels I think there was even a wall with it and it's one of those old inverters that you sell electricity to the electric company and isn't an old inverter I mean they still sell them today they still make them today to install them in to houses one of the first companies that did that I think even before I was born. Come to find out that the wrong person decided to talk to me who didn't know nothing about solar and I found out about a year later when I didn't have that money anymore. But now when I go and talk to somebody in Menards they ask you directly to the person that you know stuff about solar panels inverters batteries powerwalls kind of like what Lowe's did when I ask something about it yes they seem to actually know who I am even if it's the first time I walk into store because I don't just go to the same and argue all the time I go to 3 to 4 different ones that would be Menards Lowe's Walmart the other store they got the same that's within 50 miles I live and sometimes a little bit further if I want to go to the main store if they have one somewhat nearby but they did tell me about the wind and solar company between Stevens point and Waupaca on highway 10 and that was actually the first solar company I found in Wisconsin and come to find out there is actually about 5,6, or 9 solar companies in Wisconsin in different places even if their main branch is in some other state or country but that's when my phone actually started to work for me which is the same place I find TH-cam video on but I also had to fight TH-cam as well cuz at first they wouldn't give me these videos I was just by accident I found it too now TH-cam only want to give me these videos for the most part or in this case I'm still fighting TH-cam.
It's quite an adventure learning all this on your own, I hear ya! I found I had to look online a lot to get a sense of how things are done and what gear I would need to pull it all off. It sure can get expensive too. I don't have any solar places around where I live, but there are some RV places around, though gear is very expensive through them, and not much is in stock. So off to the web lol. And if you TH-cam something the algorithms will keep feeding you the same stuff ha ha ha
hi frugal what battery capacity you got in your system?and where did you get them thanks
A great question! In theory the way I have it all set up it's a 520Ah battery array @12V made with 8x EVE 3.2V 260Ah cells wired into in a 4s2p configuration, primarily so I can run native 12V accessories in case I don't want to or can't run the inverter, or most often if I want to conserve power and just have basic lighting and small device charging, like GoPros, cell phone, flash light, head lamp, mobile power banks, or even small inverters, etc... Keep in mind that I also have the BMS set to a conservative range so that I don't overly stress the cells with very deep discharges. Which means I have the BMS alert me at 12.1V and shut down the circuit completely when it drops to 11.9V. I also of course limit the charge to the max allowed by the specifications of the battery, which is 14.6V when wired in a series of 4. So I would estimate my capacity to be a realistic 400Ah without doing a fully metered draindown. When I get the opportunity to do a proper one, I'll post my results!
I ordered the cells from Docan Power, and they were very helpful in selecting the right BMS units for my setup and application. Most people using these cells would run them in 24V to be able to run less thicker wiring and also run the wiring further without incurring attenuation. In my case the cabin is tiny so I don't need to go far with my DC circuits and I happen to have a fair amount of 12V native devices accumulated from years of living off grid during the weekends and holidays, so the only thing I really use the inverter for is laptop and Starlink. Long answer, but I hope that helps!
Thanks
@@frugalgunnie hi my friend is docan power can deliver or shipping to alberta i try to buy 320ah prismatic lifepo4 i can't figure it out .
How's the solar treating you throughout winter? last 2 winters were very dark and miserable in ontario. what do you get like 50% of your typical power from the sun?
During the shortest and darkest days of the year, yes, typically November, December, and early January, I'm on the generator every other day. But my system isn't sized for 5 days of dark either. Just running what I could afford and put into a compact space inside. So I use propane generator to keep it all charged during those times.
@@frugalgunnie thanks. so do you think larger battery capacity would help you through those grey days?