*48V Version 3 Solar Kart Parts List (affiliate links)* 6000XP Inverter/MPPT: signaturesolar.com/eg4-6000xp-hybrid-inverter/?ref=cPwLcVc0SW-BjN Sever Rack Batteries: signaturesolar.com/shop-all/batteries/eg4-lifepower4/?ref=cPwLcVc0SW-BjN Large Tool Kart: amzn.to/41O0Oi4 Battery Cable: amzn.to/3wM2PeB Solar Disconnect: amzn.to/3VdG27j NEMA 14-50 male and female: amzn.to/3B16b2m NEMA 14-50 to 120V load adapter: amzn.to/3Znq0dE *12V Solar Kart* Small Tool Kart: amzn.to/3CGciJR 300Ah Wattcycle Battery: www.wattcycle.com/products/wattcycle-12v-300ah-mini-lifepo4-battery?ref=aaezwkkc 12V Inverter: www.mobile-solarpower.com/inverters.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Does off-grid solar confuse you?* Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system blueprints and current product recommendations, and so much more! www.mobile-solarpower.com *Join our DIY solar community* #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com *Check out my Book* Best-selling and beginner-friendly guide to 12V off-grid solar! amzn.to/2Aj4dX4 *My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar Products:* *Signature Solar* Offgrid One-Stop-Shop. Best Value 48V LiFePO4, Victron and Offgrid Specific Heat Pumps: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Current Connected* SOK, Victron, Mr.Cool Heatpumps and High Quality Components. Fantastic customer support: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp *WattCycle* My favorite 12V budget battery!: www.wattcycle.com/?ref=aaezwkkc *Epoch Batteries* My favorite high-quality 12V battery: www.epochbatteries.com/products/12v-460ah-lifepo4-battery-ip67-heated-bluetooth-victron-comms?rfsn=7352625.50494d *Watts247* Need international shipping for large batteries and big inverters? Check them out! watts247.com/?wpam_id=3 *Renogy* A classic 12V solar store that has been around for ages! DC to DC Chargers and more! renogy.sjv.io/n1VjXx *Rich Solar* Renogy's biggest competitor! Similar products, but at a better price: richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Battery Hookup* Cheap cell deals bit.ly/2mIxSqt 5% off code: diysolar *Contact Information:* I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar *FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers:* Every video includes paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :) DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
The EG4 manual for the 6000 XP recommends not to run it upside down. But that's pretty much true for all of these. I'm going to run it upside down. The fans are going from left to right. Even if they were going up to down like the 6548, still doesn't cause an issue. If I get over temperature I will make a video
@@WillProwse per Signature Solar it does matter. Manual pg6 section 5.2 You know a ton more than me regarding this but I’m just repeating what the manufacturer says.
Will, you are so close to a MILLION Subs!!! No one deserves it more than you. You have helped and educated so many and I know I speak for the many when I say, Thank You most sincerely!.
He should have been there a long time ago. Excellent work, just a small market I guess. Or... some algorhythem hocus pocus. But agreed, he has helped so, so, many folks.
When you did the total price of the diy kit, did you include the outlandish price of the cables for both the DC and AC? There's almost a $1K in copper there. The price of the wiring is ludacris!
@@markbrettnell3503 $1k in copper?! what in the world are you talking about haha the batteries come with their own cables, and thats a 2/0 cable for inverter connection. Use a short nema 14-50 extension and use the male side for ac input and female side for ac output. Cheap and easy
This seems like a really good idea for temporary power for construction of an off grid home. When you've got the electrical rough in complete, you can mount the equipment in the mechanical room.
@@mindlessftw When you first start building, you won't have a mechanical room, but you still need power for cement mixers, saws, winches, etc. For on-grid construction, it is common to put in temporary power. I'm thinking this could be a convenient way to accomplish the same thing, using the equipment that will eventually be permanently installed. Also, there is a necessity to work with inspectors, who will frown on you starting to run power through a partially constructed house without first having the building closed in and the electrical rough in approved.
Will, I just bought a Harbor Freight plastic cart and am building an entire H. F. solar power station on it! This video inspired me to do it. I now have their 3000 pure sine wave inverter and their solar panels.
Nice I just put a pair of 6k eg4 and 6 rack batteries on my mom's house, no solar, yet I moved all the circuits to a new 2nd panel, put a pair of large circuits with plugs on the main panel so the house just "plugs in to the grid" this lets be bypass a lot of southern California requirements. This is a small 1200sq foot home in Palm Springs. Her central A/C failed 2 years ago, and i replaced it with 2 dual Zone Minisplits using the ceiling units and added more insulation to the house. It only has 100A service. The eg4 system is setup for TOU California is flipped at my mom's place because of rampant solar and wind power is dirt cheap during the sun hours at 9-14 cents per kwhr and started at 4:30pm it jumps to 42cents and stays tell 2am and changes back. 30kw of battery, even with the heat pumps going at night, I haven't seen the system drop below 30% soc. Eventually, I want to add 4 more batteries as power outages are common and a small 3-6kw solar array. 2 years ago with the old central air in summer it was not uncommon for her to have a 500-600$ electric bill just for using the A/C replace the 35yr old a/c with dual zone Minisplits and putting another r15 of blow in insulation up top and the exterior walls. This dropped to the 200-250$ range. The first bill this month on the eg4 system running tou was 78$ thats with no solar if add just a few kw I can get that down to just the 20$ connection feebut really I'm 11k in total cost including the A/C systems and it's close to a 3yr payback rate keeping in mind I'm a licensed electrician and a gen B contractor
@jimritter6861 with a 10kw panel array it's possible with around 35-40kwhr in batteries to go fully off grid if you maximize the efficiency of your home. In my mom's house, i sold her washer and dryer and got a GE ultrafast combo heat pump unit. Ditched the gas cook top for an induction unit. The only thing she has that's gas is the water heater, and the gas bill is only 18-22$ a month. Maybe when heat pump units come down in costs, i will change it over. My house is 4x the size of my mom's up in Palm desert it's bought 3.6ac and built a massive underground bunker with a small home and steel building on grade it's not hard to find black 9ft fence around 2ac steel building in the south west corner and a 42kw ground mounted solar array. Sits above the bunker. Above the ground, the house is a 1860sqft. The bunker is 3688sqft it has 3 levels. Each level is 13 feet thick with a drop celling and a raised panel floor for full access to all plumbing and electrical. The bunker is 4ft below grade, a small 10x12 room on l1 has my batteries and generators this is a pair of RV cummins 12kw generators made for RV's and toy hullers this is temporary but tested at a 75% load I'm getting around 9.8kwhrs per gallon of red diesel this is stored in a 1200gal tank built into the floor and pair of marine grade fuel filters and water separators keeps the full flowing to a set of small 10gal feeder tanks. On l3 the water utility room is a long 32ft room with access to my well on end and water filters storage food storage and a pumping room on the opposite end that handles waste pumps everything to the city sewer I have a small septic system about 100 yards away I can transfer to but it's limited in capacity 90% of the bunker is under the solar array most the first floor is storage, grow room and garage with lift. The 2nd floor is living space and is built to be simulate a space ship with a lot of port windows and a large starship like window in the living room all of them are simple frames over HDR TV's running custome render videos everything is powered by PI's and controlled by home assistant cheap 10in tablets are mounted on the wall in every room this has a kiosk page specifically for the room hosted on a rack server that drive home assistant nfc tags in each room will auto load the same page on any phones on the wifi. I'm almost done with building in the interior. When I'm done, I will post a walk through it's like being on a startrek set
That's why Will such has a loyal following. He's incredibly thorough but he presents things in a way anyone can understand. He's definitely the main man!
I'm so rooting for your 1M subscribers! Your content is *ALWAYS ACCURATE* and on point! It is so heartening to see the correct usage of *kW kWh Ah* and others.
I also really love that he sometimes goes back too some past projects and gives updates or corrections to prior videos. It is one of the things that makes it feel real, up to date and i respect him for putting that out there.
*in 2015 i went back to the photovoltaic school i learned PV from and built one of these so the students could learn and see and take apart. lot's of things from spare parts came in very handy. i must find those pictures / video and post them* *Thanx Will*
My workshop "power cart" is just 2 EG4 sever rack batteries, a Chargeverter, and an Energeer 6kw split phase low frequency inverter. This all fits into a military surplus shipping box on caster wheels.
EG4 REALLY needs to start offering a rack mount inverter with 0ms transfer time, compatible with their server rack batteries. THEY WOULD ABSOLUTELY DOMINATE.
Will, you-da-man!!! I absolutely love your approach to solar and cost. How you explain how easy something is to swap out is music to my ears. Even though it may take a bit more knowledge to do the swap outs, the fact they are possible is a HUGE advantage over ready made systems. This is coming from a guy that purchased a Bluetti AC500 and 2 B300 batteries during the pre-release of the AC500 (so I got a pretty decent discount). Now that I've got a bit more knowledge on these systems, I would definitely get one of these cart systems you put together. I purchased the Bluetti so I could use it at home and in my 5th wheel = plug and play, and it's doing what I expected. Now I'd get something like what you demonstrated here for my house which is solar ready, I've actually got the Bluetti wired into the house, and used as a UPS for my frig, freezers, and furnace. Thanks for all you do, I love your channel.
I love it! Very close to my off grid system. Suggested challenge, put it on a small trailer and test it as a range extender or go anywhere power supply.
Another great video, Will! I built a similar system using the 3-bay EG4 steel cabinet with heavy-duty casters. Inside are 3 EG4-LL server rack batteries. I connected them to the bus bars with 2AWG copper cable (instead of the supplied wimpy 5AWG wire). I use massive 2/0AWG to connect to my 6000XP, which sits on top of the cabinet (making the display visible and allowing access to the inverter wiring). I also mounted a NEMA 14-50R receptacle box (for inverter output to my NEMA 3R Generator receptacle that connects to a 50A breaker in my panel via interlock). I also installed another receptacle box on the side of the EG4 cabinet that allows me to charge from the grid via a 50A outlet in my shop (however, I never use it because PV does the job down here in southern AZ). Anyway... same concept as your cart. But using the 3 bay EG4 cabinet at less than $375 bucks. And I added a bit of flexibility with the receptacles. Btw... I used big 50A rated RV cables for the runs to my generator and grid power receptacles. They are 'keyed' so you cannot mix things up or have energized prongs exposed.
Thanks for showing us this option, i am looking to expand the system for my garage and this meets every want i have. every expansion battery i am aware of is stupid expensive more content creators need to call out the manufacturers on this.
I did mine with two Victron Multiplus II's, a 250/100 Victron Charge Controller, Lynx distributor, Cerbo GX, all mounted on a Ryobi foldable hand cart, a single Chins 48v 100ah LiFePo4. Should be around 200-220lbs + cart. It's relatively mobile. It sits in the garage charging the our EV now from a 3.6kW array in the back yard. Last thing to install will be a Victron Charging station to replace the one we have. The Idea is to be able to move it to an overlanding trailer or camper with around 4kW of panels on top of it and charge our Lightning while working from camping areas countrywide. It's built and working, next have to get the camper purchased, or convert a 5x8 trailer we already have. Don't think I can get 4kW of panels in any kind of usable array on that, though.
I could see where a u-boat cart would be practical for a heavy battery system. A deck size of 24" wide and 48-60 " might be suitable. These are easily customizable and very maneuverable when heavily loaded, the leverage that you get with the long/tall handles is what makes them so maneuverable and the larger center wheels also. They also have shelves as an option .my two cents . Thanks for another great creative video !!!
Outstanding Brother. I have been Watching and learning from your Awesome Videos, for about 1 year now. Thank you. How can anyone have to much Power. I am attempting to build my First Solar Cart. I have a 3500 watt inverter from Vevor. I have 2 Batteries, now I am in the hunt for a Good Bluetooth 100amp Charge Controller.. anyway Thank you Brother. I hope and Pray 🙏 that you and your family have a Awesome New Year 🎉 Sincerely your freind from Mo Rick and God bless you 🙏 and your family and God Bless America 🇺🇸 🙏 and God Bless all of the Great Veterans and First Responders 🙏
I love the idea and the possible runtime is great, especially as you can only pull a max of 25 amps. I know I harp on the amps, but its its not just about the kw and volts.
I recently did something on a much smaller scale (5,500 Wh with a 1,000W AIO) built into a wooden box with casters on the bottom, for my parents. An equivalent OEM with the same capacity would have been 4x or more expensive. One suggestion is 3D printed covers to cover the positive terminals from any errant dropped screwdriver or such.
@CoolBreeze640 It was a 12V system using an MPP Solar 12v1kw aio and two LiTime 12V 230 Ah batts. The aio cost $400 and the two LiTime batts cost just under $900. Add on taxes, a maxi fuse, a breaker, some 4awg and terminals, and it was around $1,400. A guy could do it for less if they shopped around and was willing to wait for a deal, but I was quite time bound to get it done.
@CoolBreeze640 Just be aware that most oem solutions with that much capacity will tend to have MUCH higher outputs (3,000W or more.) But for my application (backup ups for an oxygen concentrator) I only needed it to run a sub 400W load for at least 12 hours. But that's the beauty of making it yourself, you can pay for the features you want.
I don't know if it's because I'm in Canada or I just don't know the best place to get server rack batteries, but so far nothing has beaten just getting 100Ah LiTimes. Yes there are a couple of cheaper brands but they seem questionable based on reviews. My point is though, 4 x 12v 100Ah is coming out cheaper than 1 x 48v 100Ah. I am only looking at the racks after the sales ended though, but still. For a newbie who actually likes the modularity of having a bunch of the same 12v battery (vs a single bigger one as you said you prefer in a different video - in my 2P configuration I don't worry about the balancing) it's working out great! PS I know this may make you cringe, because you made a video about using 48V over 12V, but I like it better. Safer (in the sense you don't have to really think about it), chargers are easier to find and swap around. Yeah, I'm guessing it made you cringe lol
That is GREAT, gives some real options, perhaps a vid on what NOT to do during assembly. Just realized the info is on your website, did not read description before commenting Duh
Holy cow, these "portable" carts are starting to get a bit extreme 😂 Pretty cool how easy they're getting to put together though. I've been thinking of doing another hand truck build, still not sure.
Hi @WillProwse ! Your videos are pretty good, helping a lot, thanks for them!. I would be happy if You could make a video about overpaneling. How, why, risks, limitations, trying out different SCCs, different all-in-one inverter/chargers, etc... Would be pretty helpful.
Will... you must have been reading my mind🤯. I'm in the market to purchase an off grid electrical system for my tinyhouse I'm converting from a 2 level 340sqft HomeDepot Tuff Shed... and as mush as I love Ecoflow I can't afford them for my power needs, but this video just gave me a more affordable option and more powerthanI need. Thank you, you're amazing
I have the dpu/shp2 from ecoflow but I gotta say I’m in love with the system you just showed. If I move I’m building your design!!!! Or hopefully a friend wants me to build if for them!
Thank you for this video. I'm putting together an EG4 6000xp setup as we speak. I have the Ruixu Lithi12-16 but plan to add some server rack batteries via bus bar, and it looks like this cart setup is perfect for what I'm trying to do. This is purely for backup with an existing generator interlock.
Thank you for the comparison. I'm looking at expanding my current off-grid 24v system. I have watched your videos on 48v batteries and the comparison of solar panels. Currently, I am using using Trace 4024 SW inverter, 3 24v Simpliphi batteries, 4 280 watt 72 cell (paired for 48) 2 180 watt 72 cell (paired for 48) panels, Morning Star MPPT charge controller, also a breaker box with breakers for power from the panels in, made for room to hold the large breaker for the power going to the inverter. The consensus seems to be that I need to go to 48v. I would keep this system for another building or small house.
Will, could you do a more in-depth video showing steps involved? Watching your previous DIY cart videos I think I could do this build but still would appreciate an in depth step by step.
Would be great to see a similar setup for a house with 400 amp service. I assume a separate ATS wall mounted would make sense. Thanks for another great video!
Like the Torque test channel we need a series dedicated to inverters. Comparing actual output to manufacture spec using a controlled load. Being able to know the max Horse Power electric motor can be used solely on the inverter (ex. water pump, ac compressor motor, hydraulic pump, fan motors) is the one thing holding me back from ditching the power company
My God William! what kind of Frankenstein cart is that ! 🤣 that thing needs to built on one of those self powered pallet movers.... oh no l hope l didn't give you a new BIGGER power cart idea lol l love it!
Nice evolution of the kart saga =) The all in one powerstations can be good value though, when comparing low capacity low power units to diy assemblies. Also for larger units there is the resale value as well as ease of use. But for most capacity and best bang for the back the DIY solution is king (not as portable and many people would still need to be careful for the added protections such as breakers, fuses, etc. also when dealing with solar panels).
Thanks for the ideas! I have an Apollo that I have hauled around in my car on occasion, it makes a nice lug-able unit and works as a UPS for critical loads in my house. Something like this would work well for central air and, essentially, the rest of the house. I just need to decide if i would use vertical batteries or server rack batteries.
Nice job Will, you're killing it!! Love version 3 👍🏻 is there a good way to emp proof this set up besides a faraday cage? I'm an idiot when it comes to this stuff. Thanks brother ✌🏻
a bit OT: Id like to see an evaluation of built-in fire suppression modules in large batteries. What are they, how do they work, do they (always) work, are they toxic, etc?
Looks like the price gap is becoming lower and lower as all-in-one unit prices are falling faster than server rack batteries. For example, Jackery 5000 has been selling for $3k since launch and it produces 7.5kw output. There are also DPU deals at Costco every now and then. DPU supports pass through charging which is a must have if you want to use generator. There is still some savings in DIY route when you go for larger storage capacity.
*48V Version 3 Solar Kart Parts List (affiliate links)*
6000XP Inverter/MPPT: signaturesolar.com/eg4-6000xp-hybrid-inverter/?ref=cPwLcVc0SW-BjN
Sever Rack Batteries: signaturesolar.com/shop-all/batteries/eg4-lifepower4/?ref=cPwLcVc0SW-BjN
Large Tool Kart: amzn.to/41O0Oi4
Battery Cable: amzn.to/3wM2PeB
Solar Disconnect: amzn.to/3VdG27j
NEMA 14-50 male and female: amzn.to/3B16b2m
NEMA 14-50 to 120V load adapter: amzn.to/3Znq0dE
*12V Solar Kart*
Small Tool Kart: amzn.to/3CGciJR
300Ah Wattcycle Battery: www.wattcycle.com/products/wattcycle-12v-300ah-mini-lifepo4-battery?ref=aaezwkkc
12V Inverter: www.mobile-solarpower.com/inverters.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Does off-grid solar confuse you?*
Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system blueprints and current product recommendations, and so much more!
www.mobile-solarpower.com
*Join our DIY solar community*
#1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike:
www.diysolarforum.com
*Check out my Book*
Best-selling and beginner-friendly guide to 12V off-grid solar!
amzn.to/2Aj4dX4
*My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar Products:*
*Signature Solar*
Offgrid One-Stop-Shop. Best Value 48V LiFePO4, Victron and Offgrid Specific Heat Pumps:
www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek
*Current Connected*
SOK, Victron, Mr.Cool Heatpumps and High Quality Components. Fantastic customer support:
currentconnected.com/?ref=wp
*WattCycle*
My favorite 12V budget battery!:
www.wattcycle.com/?ref=aaezwkkc
*Epoch Batteries*
My favorite high-quality 12V battery:
www.epochbatteries.com/products/12v-460ah-lifepo4-battery-ip67-heated-bluetooth-victron-comms?rfsn=7352625.50494d
*Watts247*
Need international shipping for large batteries and big inverters? Check them out!
watts247.com/?wpam_id=3
*Renogy*
A classic 12V solar store that has been around for ages! DC to DC Chargers and more!
renogy.sjv.io/n1VjXx
*Rich Solar*
Renogy's biggest competitor! Similar products, but at a better price:
richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek
*Battery Hookup*
Cheap cell deals
bit.ly/2mIxSqt
5% off code: diysolar
*Contact Information:*
I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com
Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar
*FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers:*
Every video includes paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :) DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,
An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
The EG4 manual for the 6000 XP recommends not to run it upside down. But that's pretty much true for all of these. I'm going to run it upside down. The fans are going from left to right. Even if they were going up to down like the 6548, still doesn't cause an issue. If I get over temperature I will make a video
@@WillProwse per Signature Solar it does matter. Manual pg6 section 5.2 You know a ton more than me regarding this but I’m just repeating what the manufacturer says.
@@dalltex Yeah I'm ignoring that, I think it's for code compliance. If I get high temperature error I will make a video about it.
@@dalltexyes very true, glad you mentioned it. Going to ignore it unless I get high temp error. Shouldn't be issue if you look at the cooling system.
@ Like I said you are the GOAT with Solar so I’m just repeating what they said. I’m sure you’re correct.
I fully expect Will to debut his 18-wheeler battery bank that will power a mid size city during 2025.
Check out Edison Motors Hybrid Truck.
@@jaytrock3217 Not even remotely the same.
Lol
I don’t think so. More like 2026 lol
Lmao yes!!!!
Will, you are so close to a MILLION Subs!!! No one deserves it more than you. You have helped and educated so many and I know I speak for the many when I say, Thank You most sincerely!.
He should have been there a long time ago. Excellent work, just a small market I guess. Or... some algorhythem hocus pocus. But agreed, he has helped so, so, many folks.
I agree, Will has been through a lot in his life, and I love his objectivity, sincerity, and comparisons.
Can't wait until he hits a million😊, been hoping he gets there
I'm really enjoying this solar kart series.
0:00 Intro
1:17 How to Build It
2:06 Comparing to the Competition! Right to Repair and More
3:11 Price Comparison
When you did the total price of the diy kit, did you include the outlandish price of the cables for both the DC and AC? There's almost a $1K in copper there.
The price of the wiring is ludacris!
@@markbrettnell3503 $1k in copper?! what in the world are you talking about haha the batteries come with their own cables, and thats a 2/0 cable for inverter connection. Use a short nema 14-50 extension and use the male side for ac input and female side for ac output. Cheap and easy
This seems like a really good idea for temporary power for construction of an off grid home. When you've got the electrical rough in complete, you can mount the equipment in the mechanical room.
Why not permanently 😂
@@mindlessftw When you first start building, you won't have a mechanical room, but you still need power for cement mixers, saws, winches, etc. For on-grid construction, it is common to put in temporary power. I'm thinking this could be a convenient way to accomplish the same thing, using the equipment that will eventually be permanently installed. Also, there is a necessity to work with inspectors, who will frown on you starting to run power through a partially constructed house without first having the building closed in and the electrical rough in approved.
@@richdobbs6595 inspector are only there to make a paycheck or raise the taxes on your house.
Perfect video! This is why we all love coming back to see whats next
Will, I just bought a Harbor Freight plastic cart and am building an entire H. F. solar power station on it!
This video inspired me to do it.
I now have their 3000 pure sine wave inverter and their solar panels.
Nice I just put a pair of 6k eg4 and 6 rack batteries on my mom's house, no solar, yet I moved all the circuits to a new 2nd panel, put a pair of large circuits with plugs on the main panel so the house just "plugs in to the grid" this lets be bypass a lot of southern California requirements.
This is a small 1200sq foot home in Palm Springs. Her central A/C failed 2 years ago, and i replaced it with 2 dual Zone Minisplits using the ceiling units and added more insulation to the house. It only has 100A service.
The eg4 system is setup for TOU
California is flipped at my mom's place because of rampant solar and wind power is dirt cheap during the sun hours at 9-14 cents per kwhr and started at 4:30pm it jumps to 42cents and stays tell 2am and changes back.
30kw of battery, even with the heat pumps going at night, I haven't seen the system drop below 30% soc. Eventually, I want to add 4 more batteries as power outages are common and a small 3-6kw solar array.
2 years ago with the old central air in summer it was not uncommon for her to have a 500-600$ electric bill just for using the A/C replace the 35yr old a/c with dual zone Minisplits and putting another r15 of blow in insulation up top and the exterior walls. This dropped to the 200-250$ range.
The first bill this month on the eg4 system running tou was 78$ thats with no solar if add just a few kw I can get that down to just the 20$ connection feebut really I'm 11k in total cost including the A/C systems and it's close to a 3yr payback rate keeping in mind I'm a licensed electrician and a gen B contractor
it would be great if you could post your build on TH-cam or other channel
I definitely need to talk with you. I want to do this at my place in Palm Springs because electricity is cost prohibitive.
@jimritter6861 with a 10kw panel array it's possible with around 35-40kwhr in batteries to go fully off grid if you maximize the efficiency of your home.
In my mom's house, i sold her washer and dryer and got a GE ultrafast combo heat pump unit. Ditched the gas cook top for an induction unit. The only thing she has that's gas is the water heater, and the gas bill is only 18-22$ a month. Maybe when heat pump units come down in costs, i will change it over.
My house is 4x the size of my mom's up in Palm desert it's bought 3.6ac and built a massive underground bunker with a small home and steel building on grade it's not hard to find black 9ft fence around 2ac steel building in the south west corner and a 42kw ground mounted solar array. Sits above the bunker.
Above the ground, the house is a 1860sqft. The bunker is 3688sqft it has 3 levels. Each level is 13 feet thick with a drop celling and a raised panel floor for full access to all plumbing and electrical.
The bunker is 4ft below grade, a small 10x12 room on l1 has my batteries and generators this is a pair of RV cummins 12kw generators made for RV's and toy hullers this is temporary but tested at a 75% load I'm getting around 9.8kwhrs per gallon of red diesel this is stored in a 1200gal tank built into the floor and pair of marine grade fuel filters and water separators keeps the full flowing to a set of small 10gal feeder tanks.
On l3 the water utility room is a long 32ft room with access to my well on end and water filters storage food storage and a pumping room on the opposite end that handles waste pumps everything to the city sewer I have a small septic system about 100 yards away I can transfer to but it's limited in capacity 90% of the bunker is under the solar array most the first floor is storage, grow room and garage with lift.
The 2nd floor is living space and is built to be simulate a space ship with a lot of port windows and a large starship like window in the living room all of them are simple frames over HDR TV's running custome render videos everything is powered by PI's and controlled by home assistant cheap 10in tablets are mounted on the wall in every room this has a kiosk page specifically for the room hosted on a rack server that drive home assistant nfc tags in each room will auto load the same page on any phones on the wifi. I'm almost done with building in the interior. When I'm done, I will post a walk through it's like being on a startrek set
@@ZoeyR86wow. That’s a phenomenal setup. How many gallons of diesel you burn during an average year?
I had you until 'underground bunker'.!! Now you DO owe us a full YT video series.
really enjoy watching your videos, just because you break things down better than others i've watched. thanks for your knowledge.
That's why Will such has a loyal following. He's incredibly thorough but he presents things in a way anyone can understand. He's definitely the main man!
I'm so rooting for your 1M subscribers! Your content is *ALWAYS ACCURATE* and on point!
It is so heartening to see the correct usage of *kW kWh Ah* and others.
I also really love that he sometimes goes back too some past projects and gives updates or corrections to prior videos. It is one of the things that makes it feel real, up to date and i respect him for putting that out there.
thanks for following up on the cart build.
*in 2015 i went back to the photovoltaic school i learned PV from and built one of these so the students could learn and see and take apart. lot's of things from spare parts came in very handy. i must find those pictures / video and post them*
*Thanx Will*
I am ready for this to become a TIG welding channel. Fully custom carts, here we come.
My workshop "power cart" is just 2 EG4 sever rack batteries, a Chargeverter, and an Energeer 6kw split phase low frequency inverter. This all fits into a military surplus shipping box on caster wheels.
EG4 REALLY needs to start offering a rack mount inverter with 0ms transfer time, compatible with their server rack batteries. THEY WOULD ABSOLUTELY DOMINATE.
Will, you-da-man!!! I absolutely love your approach to solar and cost. How you explain how easy something is to swap out is music to my ears. Even though it may take a bit more knowledge to do the swap outs, the fact they are possible is a HUGE advantage over ready made systems. This is coming from a guy that purchased a Bluetti AC500 and 2 B300 batteries during the pre-release of the AC500 (so I got a pretty decent discount). Now that I've got a bit more knowledge on these systems, I would definitely get one of these cart systems you put together. I purchased the Bluetti so I could use it at home and in my 5th wheel = plug and play, and it's doing what I expected. Now I'd get something like what you demonstrated here for my house which is solar ready, I've actually got the Bluetti wired into the house, and used as a UPS for my frig, freezers, and furnace.
Thanks for all you do, I love your channel.
I still haven't read your book, but I DID buy it. and that's the main thing!
Thanks , exactly what we need for our homestead.
EXCELLENT info. Love this kind of stuff as a DIY type of guy. A few pannels on the roff & we're good to go.
Fantastic and dead simple! Sweet video Will, thank you for sharing.
I love these type of videos where you compare premade systems to home built. Keep up the good work
Fantastic stuff Will. Thanks for bringing this knowledge to us.
you really help to simplify the process of going solar, thank you.
I love it! Very close to my off grid system. Suggested challenge, put it on a small trailer and test it as a range extender or go anywhere power supply.
Love to see a step/step for this one. Looks very interesting.
Another great video, Will! I built a similar system using the 3-bay EG4 steel cabinet with heavy-duty casters. Inside are 3 EG4-LL server rack batteries. I connected them to the bus bars with 2AWG copper cable (instead of the supplied wimpy 5AWG wire). I use massive 2/0AWG to connect to my 6000XP, which sits on top of the cabinet (making the display visible and allowing access to the inverter wiring). I also mounted a NEMA 14-50R receptacle box (for inverter output to my NEMA 3R Generator receptacle that connects to a 50A breaker in my panel via interlock). I also installed another receptacle box on the side of the EG4 cabinet that allows me to charge from the grid via a 50A outlet in my shop (however, I never use it because PV does the job down here in southern AZ). Anyway... same concept as your cart. But using the 3 bay EG4 cabinet at less than $375 bucks. And I added a bit of flexibility with the receptacles. Btw... I used big 50A rated RV cables for the runs to my generator and grid power receptacles. They are 'keyed' so you cannot mix things up or have energized prongs exposed.
Thanks for showing us this option, i am looking to expand the system for my garage and this meets every want i have. every expansion battery i am aware of is stupid expensive more content creators need to call out the manufacturers on this.
As always,,, Wills the bomb 💣,,,, have a Happy New Year,,,....
I did mine with two Victron Multiplus II's, a 250/100 Victron Charge Controller, Lynx distributor, Cerbo GX, all mounted on a Ryobi foldable hand cart, a single Chins 48v 100ah LiFePo4. Should be around 200-220lbs + cart. It's relatively mobile. It sits in the garage charging the our EV now from a 3.6kW array in the back yard. Last thing to install will be a Victron Charging station to replace the one we have. The Idea is to be able to move it to an overlanding trailer or camper with around 4kW of panels on top of it and charge our Lightning while working from camping areas countrywide. It's built and working, next have to get the camper purchased, or convert a 5x8 trailer we already have. Don't think I can get 4kW of panels in any kind of usable array on that, though.
thank you for making PV systems more accessible to us. spread so thin, this is a huge help.
Will, i would love to see you do a build project video on these components. Great video❤
Great build video! I think I am going to build a cart that can support a welder, using those EG4's, too .
Great update and good job keeping it simple!
I could see where a u-boat cart would be practical for a heavy battery system. A deck size of 24" wide and 48-60 " might be suitable. These are easily customizable and very maneuverable when heavily loaded, the leverage that you get with the long/tall handles is what makes them so maneuverable and the larger center wheels also. They also have shelves as an option .my two cents . Thanks for another great creative video !!!
Thanks for putting this together, really provides perspective.
Outstanding Brother. I have been Watching and learning from your Awesome Videos, for about 1 year now. Thank you. How can anyone have to much Power. I am attempting to build my First Solar Cart. I have a 3500 watt inverter from Vevor. I have 2 Batteries, now I am in the hunt for a Good Bluetooth 100amp Charge Controller.. anyway Thank you Brother. I hope and Pray 🙏 that you and your family have a Awesome New Year 🎉 Sincerely your freind from Mo Rick and God bless you 🙏 and your family and God Bless America 🇺🇸 🙏 and God Bless all of the Great Veterans and First Responders 🙏
I built the larger version on the other cart. I had to reinforce the lower shelf but it was a piece of cake.
From a geek pov I think the diy setup is far more beautiful to look at.
Brilliant idea. I hope to see you at CES, I'll be mostly hanging out at the Bluetti booth.
I love the idea and the possible runtime is great, especially as you can only pull a max of 25 amps.
I know I harp on the amps, but its its not just about the kw and volts.
I recently did something on a much smaller scale (5,500 Wh with a 1,000W AIO) built into a wooden box with casters on the bottom, for my parents. An equivalent OEM with the same capacity would have been 4x or more expensive.
One suggestion is 3D printed covers to cover the positive terminals from any errant dropped screwdriver or such.
Was that a 12v system I take it? Tends to be what a 1,000 watt AIO
If you don't mind sharing, how much did that build set you back?
@CoolBreeze640 It was a 12V system using an MPP Solar 12v1kw aio and two LiTime 12V 230 Ah batts. The aio cost $400 and the two LiTime batts cost just under $900. Add on taxes, a maxi fuse, a breaker, some 4awg and terminals, and it was around $1,400.
A guy could do it for less if they shopped around and was willing to wait for a deal, but I was quite time bound to get it done.
@danh2716
Still cheaper than an off the shelf solution. I may borrow your ideas. 🙂
@CoolBreeze640 Just be aware that most oem solutions with that much capacity will tend to have MUCH higher outputs (3,000W or more.) But for my application (backup ups for an oxygen concentrator) I only needed it to run a sub 400W load for at least 12 hours. But that's the beauty of making it yourself, you can pay for the features you want.
It’s starting to morph into a DeLorean 😂 Great Scott
Thanks Will! This cart design will be my set-up going forward.
I don't know if it's because I'm in Canada or I just don't know the best place to get server rack batteries, but so far nothing has beaten just getting 100Ah LiTimes. Yes there are a couple of cheaper brands but they seem questionable based on reviews. My point is though, 4 x 12v 100Ah is coming out cheaper than 1 x 48v 100Ah. I am only looking at the racks after the sales ended though, but still. For a newbie who actually likes the modularity of having a bunch of the same 12v battery (vs a single bigger one as you said you prefer in a different video - in my 2P configuration I don't worry about the balancing) it's working out great!
PS I know this may make you cringe, because you made a video about using 48V over 12V, but I like it better. Safer (in the sense you don't have to really think about it), chargers are easier to find and swap around. Yeah, I'm guessing it made you cringe lol
That is GREAT, gives some real options, perhaps a vid on what NOT to do during assembly. Just realized the info is on your website, did not read description before commenting Duh
That is a great setup
Holy cow, these "portable" carts are starting to get a bit extreme 😂 Pretty cool how easy they're getting to put together though. I've been thinking of doing another hand truck build, still not sure.
Hahahah
20kwh but mobile is a bit much
@@WillProwseSelf-propelled 4x4 version next please :)
@@BradCagle lol. an underwater capable setup to drag with a jetski :P
@@segundacuenta726 Haha, how about a submarine?
Well done Will, I love the cart!😊
Awesome 😊 Merry Christmas my friends
Awesome - great savings here!
Man, That is a thing of beauty!! Maybe there's hope for me yet!!
Thank you Will! Love the content!
G'Day from Australia 👋🐨 Marvellous idea 🎉👍
Thank You & all the best to you 🍾🎆🥂🌞
Thanks, was needing to also power a well.
This is the exact build I needed, thank you
🎄🇨🇦 MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 🇨🇦🎄 Thank you for the continuing usefull info
I love it Will thank you again
You are fantastic!
This is really cool 😊 thank you for your work
Sweet! Thanks Will!
Hi @WillProwse !
Your videos are pretty good, helping a lot, thanks for them!.
I would be happy if You could make a video about overpaneling. How, why, risks, limitations, trying out different SCCs, different all-in-one inverter/chargers, etc...
Would be pretty helpful.
Thanks for the cart build. Love these videos
Will - the LEGEND
I disagree with you. It looks like you did a great job! Especially with used wires and batteries in an hr! thanks for this video!
Love your channel. Excellent!!
Will... you must have been reading my mind🤯. I'm in the market to purchase an off grid electrical system for my tinyhouse I'm converting from a 2 level 340sqft HomeDepot Tuff Shed... and as mush as I love Ecoflow I can't afford them for my power needs, but this video just gave me a more affordable option and more powerthanI need. Thank you, you're amazing
You are a mad scientist
Killer DIY, with all the money ive spent i could have made one like you have here and prob saved money.
Function before Fashion... I LOVE IT :)
Thanks, Another great DIY money saver
Thumbs up 👍 thanks for sharing your thoughts Have a happy New Year 🎆
Thanks for another clear video 👍👍👍
looks like a great idea
I so want to build something like this, hopefully one day.
AWESOME THANKS!!!
Very cool.
I have the dpu/shp2 from ecoflow but I gotta say I’m in love with the system you just showed. If I move I’m building your design!!!! Or hopefully a friend wants me to build if for them!
Thank you for this video. I'm putting together an EG4 6000xp setup as we speak. I have the Ruixu Lithi12-16 but plan to add some server rack batteries via bus bar, and it looks like this cart setup is perfect for what I'm trying to do. This is purely for backup with an existing generator interlock.
Nice setup brother 💪
Nice Will.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the comparison. I'm looking at expanding my current off-grid 24v system. I have watched your videos on 48v batteries and the comparison of solar panels.
Currently, I am using using Trace 4024 SW inverter, 3 24v Simpliphi batteries, 4 280 watt 72 cell (paired for 48) 2 180 watt 72 cell (paired for 48) panels, Morning Star MPPT charge controller, also a breaker box with breakers for power from the panels in, made for room to hold the large breaker for the power going to the inverter.
The consensus seems to be that I need to go to 48v. I would keep this system for another building or small house.
3:20 Wow!
Will, could you do a more in-depth video showing steps involved? Watching your previous DIY cart videos I think I could do this build but still would appreciate an in depth step by step.
Love it! Thanks.
Would be great to see a similar setup for a house with 400 amp service. I assume a separate ATS wall mounted would make sense. Thanks for another great video!
i'd love to see that style of inverter packaged into a rack.
Like the Torque test channel we need a series dedicated to inverters. Comparing actual output to manufacture spec using a controlled load. Being able to know the max Horse Power electric motor can be used solely on the inverter (ex. water pump, ac compressor motor, hydraulic pump, fan motors) is the one thing holding me back from ditching the power company
He has several videos on these larger inverters and their capacity /capabilities.
My God William!
what kind of Frankenstein cart is that ! 🤣
that thing needs to built on one of those self powered pallet movers.... oh no l hope l didn't give you a new BIGGER power cart idea lol l love it!
After shopping sales I bought the delta pro ultra and 3 batteries for 8900. I thought that was a good deal but I really like the cart.
I like that set up. 😊
Thanks
Nice evolution of the kart saga =) The all in one powerstations can be good value though, when comparing low capacity low power units to diy assemblies. Also for larger units there is the resale value as well as ease of use. But for most capacity and best bang for the back the DIY solution is king (not as portable and many people would still need to be careful for the added protections such as breakers, fuses, etc. also when dealing with solar panels).
Thanks for the ideas! I have an Apollo that I have hauled around in my car on occasion, it makes a nice lug-able unit and works as a UPS for critical loads in my house. Something like this would work well for central air and, essentially, the rest of the house. I just need to decide if i would use vertical batteries or server rack batteries.
Interesting. Thanks!
Brilliant now your talking
Nice job Will, you're killing it!! Love version 3 👍🏻 is there a good way to emp proof this set up besides a faraday cage? I'm an idiot when it comes to this stuff. Thanks brother ✌🏻
a bit OT: Id like to see an evaluation of built-in fire suppression modules in large batteries. What are they, how do they work, do they (always) work, are they toxic, etc?
Looks like the price gap is becoming lower and lower as all-in-one unit prices are falling faster than server rack batteries. For example, Jackery 5000 has been selling for $3k since launch and it produces 7.5kw output. There are also DPU deals at Costco every now and then. DPU supports pass through charging which is a must have if you want to use generator. There is still some savings in DIY route when you go for larger storage capacity.