Such a great reminder. I have watched this video before but when it popped up in my feed I decided to listen to it while I was doing other things. It is good to be reminded of what we can do even if we don't live off grid....YET! Thank you!
Good food for thought Ariel. People tend to forget that anything with a transistor that is plugged in will constantly drain power EG tvs, radios, toasters etc. Having these things on a power strip saves money and decreases a power bill or saves on battery drain.
This information is sure enough true and correct; however, this wireless broadband modem is doing more than just staying on when you are not using it. It is frequently communicating information back and forth with your ISP. Your ISP can also get into it remotely for 'maintenance'. Both of these will cause a considerable power draw over other electronics that just keep the little red LEDs juiced up in their off position. Good vid once again!! I'm liking them. I'm learning all kinds of crap. :) Glad you're doing what you do!
Thank you for sharing this! I have children in college and I didn't even think to unplug clocks etc when they're not here. Probably could find something in the cellar and garage too.
That is interesting. And yes, you have to unplug appliances..I have an extra refrigerator I dont usually use and that would turn itself back on everytime we had a power surge or brief outage..I finally got help moving it to unplug it!
So true. I've had a Bose Wave Radio for years and when you shut it off it stays completely powered up. The only thing that shuts off is the speakers. It also burns out the capacitors in the radio faster because it's always on. Lousy design for such an expensive radio.
I have no idea what kind of electrical wiring you have in your house, but if it is just a small version of what other houses have, you should have a breaker panel. If your only constant load is the refrigerator and it is on its own circuit, you could just turn all the others breakers off when you're away. Just a thought. Nice video.
Good video. I admire you for figuring out to get by on a minimum sized solar system that meets your needs. Many people just throw more money into extra panels before investigating which devices are draining power at night. I've had a solar powered boat dock since 2004 and spent way too much money on the initial setup, because I did not think through the actual duty cycle. Ninety-eight percent of the time the only power drain is the charge controller. We use the boat lifts a few times a year, mainly during the summer months. I could have saved a lot of money had I considered that fact on the front end. Of course, your situation is much different. You are obviously getting maximin benefit from your solar power system with minimum investment necessary to power what you need on a daily basis. I'm an engineer and did not think like one when it came to my own solar power system. You're not an engineer, but it appears you think like one.
WOW as a female prepper thank you for this video. I just botched to my power company today. Time to find my power strip to shut off everything when I am gone
In a few months, I'd be curious to see what difference you notice on your power bills! One of my other followers said after she unplugged things when she wasn't using them, her power bill dropped by 25%.
Hi Ariel: It's Mark J. We haven't talked in awhile. It's worth mentioning what is the current charge rate your solar panels are delivering to charge your battery array at (??) As a good rule of thumb, your solar panels should be able to deliver an overall charge rate to your battery array *of at least 10 amps, while not exceeding 20 amps.* What this translates to is the amount of time it takes to return your battery array to a full charge (100%) status. For example: *5 hours* to fully recharge your batteries from a state of 70 % of full or 30 % discharge rate to 100 % is considered excellent. If it takes you *3.5 days to return your battery array to the fully charged state, then you are most likely providing an inadequate charging rate of 6 amps or less* to the battery group.
Great video. I am 10 miles away from the Chetco Bar fire and 14 miles from the Miller complex fire in Oregon. It has been so smoky that one day I had only 3 amps coming in from our off grid solar system. In full sun we normally have 180 amps @ 24 volts with a 4.8k array. The smoke and ash can really affect that solar gain, the garden growth, the egg production etc. Phantom loads like your internet antenna, things we don't see running can be a problem. We originally went off grid with 610 watts of solar. We had to be very frugal with power. Now we don't even think about it with 4.8k. The winter in the Pacific North Wet can be challenging as every year we have over 50 days in a row with zero solar gain. zero times any size array is still zero lol. My wife and I have raised 6 sons who are all on their own and married so its just Carol and I. We live in the woods on a 40 acre wood lot. We dream of selling some day and starting over with a smaller house and less acreage. We really only need about 600 square feet to live in. We have a Woodmizer sawmill and we built all the buildings on our place right off the land. It has been 27 years building this homestead. I am inspired by your tiny house and what you are able to do with it. Especially in a place with such harsh winters. We had 100 inches of rain last year and 5 feet of snow with 4 feet at the deepest point. That's nothing compared to up north where you are. Great job and have a wonderful day.
I hear you! People are always telling me to get a bigger array, but like you said, zero times zero is still zero! And since my setup works for most of the year only needing a generator to back up in the middle of winter, I'm fine with that. It sounds like you folks have a lovely setup!
Great tips! Thank you. I've unplugged everything in my house except refrigerator, stove to save on our electric bill and it worked! I don't remember exactly how much but I was very pleased with how much and how easy was to save money. Unfortunately, my mother and daughter felt it was such a nuisance to have to plug the coffee maker, the microwave, the tv, the lamps back in every morning! I tried to make my case, but ohhh hearing the grumbling everyday wore me down. It's amazing how much electricity one tiny appliance uses! Thanks for your sharing!
so happy to find your channel.youre wise beyond your years.i always had these goals but i was a consumer junky.mostly for necessities to live off grid.we shall go thru this together.looking forward to your input.tyvm
Thanks Ariel, I always wondered about that and I'm unfortunately not off grid. my power bill is beyond a financial hardship ripoff. Thanks for sharing,😐peace
wow ! thats really good information ( i ran down staurs to yank some cords ) i pay alot where i live in my fifth wheel rv. im at an Rv park and we pay Commercial Rate for power. i never hear about phantom power draws. But this goes to show how wasteful consumer living has gotten. And its basically built in to be wasteful. ... hmm. thank you for getting me to think.
In a few months, I'd be curious to see what difference you notice on your power bills! One of my other followers said after she unplugged things when she wasn't using them, her power bill dropped by 25%.
My dog, Sammy is trying to get my attention, but I just told him to please wait just one more minute...I love this girl and I love her website. Okay, Sammy, let's go outside.
Great observation, that is a significant power draw for a unit that one assumes would not need so much power. Leads me to think my own wi-fi must be burning money every minute I'm not using it. It's rather like my car's calculated cost at $.20 per mile (fuel, maintenance, insurance) adds up to real dollars quickly. I need to investigate this electric cost, thanks for the heads up.
How nice you found your leak. Love your videos! I also have gone to AGM batteries, love no more filling or cleaning posts in golf cart batteries. An IMPORTANT point to using AGM batteries is that the solar charger or generator charger should not go over 14.1 volts, as going over will significantly reduce their life.
If you're interested in constant power loss.....the long wire carrying twelve volts between the solar panel and the batteries is usually an issue, unless you have a very heavy wire similar to the wires for your car's battery. Because heavy copper wires are so expensive people often go cheaper ie: just loose the power, use heavy aluminum wire or move the batteries close to the solar. In my setup the batteries and the inverter are buried in a plastic box near the solar so the long wire is 110 volts and I also have a second thin wire for the charge controller monitor. Now it may seem like too much of a hassle to move things, buy a box, dig a hole etc. but on many low light days in the winter it can make the difference between getting a little bit of charge instead of nothing. While I do have a propane generator to get by in the winter, I hate having to go out and start it. Great video, thanks!
Thanks for the thoughts. Yes that is #10 wire running the distance from the panels to the house. Due to my extremely cold climate, I can't keep batteries outside, so I have all AGM batteries and they are inside. Check out my video on the whole system for more details. th-cam.com/video/HXyjZAbynIM/w-d-xo.html
Great information as usual , thanks . I have been unplugging things on grid for years and my usage report has me consistently much lower than other homes in my area. I am now looking at tiny homes and off grid solar now and found that the Lifepo4 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries are much much better and can deliver 98 % of power with 3-5000 charge cycles. They are expensive ($950)but in the long run(10 years) they are much cheaper then AGM/lead acid. Brattleborn seems to be the best with a 10 year warranty. Also no off gassing or venting at all because almost no electrolyte inside. With everything you do living in the wilderness off grid, you inspire me and I'm sure countless others. Your home and garden are very nice.. Thanks
I turn my inverter off in the winter as that uses power, even if I am not using it. I have a 12v fridge freezer and my nature’s head fan is 12v so I only put the inverter on if I need to use my 2 plug sockets, which I rarely do in the winter, I have little usb charging ports around the tiny house and just use them for charging phones etc, I try to only charge things when the solar is pulling power in, I have a small power pack to charge things in the evening. :)
BTW I'm going to have to try that ginger, honey, cinnamon, etc drink you make. I've been wanting to incorporate ginger or tarragon into my diet anyway. And take that wonderful compost with you to your land!! I'm jealous big time of your gardening and preservation skills. Interesting stuff. Hopefully I'll get there. The next person on that property is going to already have an amazing setup. Seems like you should get something for that... Wait a minute!! What's this I see!! Off grid garden sprinkler!! Well I guess I'm clicking that one next...who needs sleep.
I found a good solution to help me not forget stuff like that. I have a plug/timer that I have a power strip plugged into. I have my booster and WiFi router plugged into the strip. I set the timer to whatever amount of time I’m going to be using those items such as 2 hours if I’m streaming a movie or 1 hour if I’m online watching your videos lol. It’s great because if I forget to turn off the power strip the timer shuts everything down at the end of the allotted time. I think I paid $3.99 at Home Depot or maybe it was 𝙰𝚖𝚊𝚣𝚘𝚗 I don’t remember lol. So that’s my tip of the week for everyone lol Cheers mate and happy trails
In a few months, I'd be curious to see what difference you notice on your power bills! One of my other followers said after she unplugged things when she wasn't using them, her power bill dropped by 25%.
Prepping in the Spirit I hope by the time I'm ready for one, society will have caught up and allow us to live this way without so many hoops to jump through. 😊
Hi Ariel, I just watched your 2 Anniv. video and you mentioned wanting to by your own land. Check this website out called Billyland, they have been selling land on the net for more than ten yrs and are a reputable company. That is how I was able to buy my 5 acrs in Colorado. Just be aware of the zoning and building codes in the county you buy in, not all will accept tiny homes.
Thanks! Also called a vampire power draw. I'm turning off my router when I leave the house and/or sleeping and waiting for the results in costs savings.
I'd be curious if you report back when you find out what difference it makes. One lady told me it cut her power bill by 30% when she started unplugging everything which was not in use. Which I thought was amazing!
another issue Ive heard before is small loads cause the inverter to never be able to enter a low power mode and it always stays in active mode wasting power because of devices wasting it already
Something I use to see what uses power is a device called "kill-a-watt". It has been an eye opening device. I found so many things, mostly those AC adapters (black bricks) that tend to fool you into thinking, oh this lil thing can't be that much of a draw or waste. Now I test my power devices and record what they use so when our power goes out in a storm I know what my batteries and inverter can power up and for how long. Oh and have you every thought of adding a wind turbine to boost your power charging to your system?
It can be shocking what various items use. No, not here. I just hardly ever get any wind with my location tucked into a drainage on the side of a mountain in the trees.
The new "smart" meters can be remotely changed. The power company can actually change your meter reading and charge you a little extra. These meters are only smart for them, never you, but you have the legal right to refuse them. Most people don't know that. But here's an fascinating point. I was listening to the "I AM Discourses" and it was stated that if you use your I AM properly, you can illumen a room by acting upon the electrons in the room thus eliminating the need for electric lights. Cool eh?
Fortunately no meter for me since I'm not tied into the power grid! You've have to send me a video of what you describe there at the end. Sounds fascinating!
Hi Ariel, I'm a physicist and electronic engineer. your AGM batteries will show a loss of capacity down to 80% if they are allowed to freeze down below 32 F, even if the electrolyte doesn't actually freeze. This is cause by reduced battery chemistry at low temperature. So I doubt your small draw from a router for 5 days would do that by itself. The fridge doesn't run and use power when it is frozen down in an unheated house, so it wasn't doing it either. The way most charge controllers assess charge level is to briefly put a load on the battery and observe the voltage drop. So this phony loss in capacity would fool it into saying that till the batteries were warmed up again. You might put a little heat source in your battery box under the couch. A small strip of heat tape might be enough.
Most devices are DC. For most devices you need AC then the device itself use DC (after the brick). The inverter wastes most of the power either when idle or with low use. Use DC from your solar batteries whenever possible. Use DC to usb dc buck converters for all usb you save 30% overhead double conversion energy. For example I saw a canon battery charger on AC, get a dc one. most internet devices have bricks get rid of bricks and provide them their required curent (yes that is a littke work on voltage conversions and connectors) but you save huge % of power waste. internet dsl box uses 35w on AC but only takes 7W when i supply it with its required 18V. I have a 24V system. most devices accept 12/24V otherst need 15 or 18, I purchase screw adjustable buck converters, those are 98% step down efficiency.
You are certainly right. But to do all that would just require extra work for me, and my current system works for what I need. So just for the sake of simplicity, not because it's the absolute best setup in the world. :)
I can understand that, some of my stuff is a little geeky. My idea is to have more output with less input (or smaller panels and/or smaller batteries) If one day you need more electrical equipment you may overstress your system, then you will have to choose between making your system bigger or reduce the waste, or a little of both.
Your rooter was not the cause of your battery drop, and to inform you that in snow the panels charge 100% due to the the unticatoptrism of the snow, providing you clear the snow of them During the day so the snow does not set on your panels just water them down with the hose That keeps them clear for most of the time.
Very interesting and informative video, Ariel. When you're off grid you really have to think about ALL the electricity you use. Who knew such a little gadget could drain your batteries so quickly? By the way, I'm no mathematician but the charge/discharge cycles thing with your batteries: when they're comparing charging from 75% up to the full 100% charge versus 0% charge to 100%, the 300 cycles versus the 10,000 cycles… since you're only discharging 25% in one scenario versus 100% in the other, wouldn't it be more accurate to divide the 10,000 cycles by four since the 100% discharge would require four times less charge/discharge cycles? In other words, wouldn't it be more accurate to compare 300 cycles to 2500 cycles? Still a big difference but it seems to me that the comparison offered by the battery manufacturer isn't entirely accurate in a meaningful sense.
I don't think it's a simple equation on charging times, it's that a full discharge wears a battery out really fast. Kind of like driving on a flat tire will ruin the tire right away. At least that's my understanding.
Hi Ariel. Love your informative videos. Keep them coming! I have an off grid solar set up in VT, and am interested in an electric refrigerator. Can you tell me the make, model and specs of yours? Thanks!
Thanks! My fridge is this one. I am happy with it. www.amazon.com/Avanti-RA7316PST-Apartment-Refrigerator-Platinum/dp/B00D1SZNO6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1485363067&sr=8-2&keywords=avanti+fridge
Just a thought, maybe being gone and possibly having the windows closed that time of year could cause the temp to rise in your house causing your fridge to run more also?
...yes...routers use almost equal the electricity as a refrigerator...amazing isnt it?...a lot of people don't know that...that's why I just use unlimited phone wifi, and cast to my tv (which incidentally uses no hotspot data), or hotspot to my tv or computer...magic...no internet service required ...especially if you have a service like Roku...almost makes internet obsolete...
hi love your videos please keep them coming, looking forward to your new property and all the new challenges. re solar setup and your comments on draining your batteries as im building a tiny house in the UK 1. is your compost loo fan on a 24/7, if so does it drain your batteries. i was going to have a DIY compost loo with sawdust and a fan that i can leave on for period of time not 24/7 on another issue. when u use a generator to charge the battery bank how is it wired. do u have to disconnect the solar feed?
Thanks! The toilet fan could run 24/7 but I've only plugged it in a few times in going on 4 years. I don't seem to need it. And no, both chargers are connected to the battery bank at the same time.
Well spotted Ariel ! Your 3G internet device might say on it how many watts (W) or amps (A) it draws, or if not, this number should be in the user's guide under 'specs'. The power it draws in Watts, x the number of hours it was left on would tell you how many WattHours (Wh) of energy it used while you were away, and you could compare this with the total energy stored in your battery bank, which I just looked up - assuming you still have 5 batts of 310Ah each, this gives a total of 1550 Ah capacity, if you multiply this by the voltage, say about 13v, this gives 20150 Wh (=20.150kWh) total energy available in your batt bank. You would then know how much batt bank capacity your internet device would use over that time in the absolute worst case - ie no sun, and 'fridge was off the whole time. I know, I know, it's starting to get complicated now ! Anyhow, hope your batt bank is now keeping up with your demand again. (just say if you want help with the calculations :o) ) Dave
I should have clarified that. Yes! Unplugging the cell router totally solved the problem! I'm back at 100% every day! I could look it up, but the router it's self is propped in the highest loft window facing the closest tower of the local company that provides my service. And it's a little inconvenient to move everything to get to it up there, so since going back to leaving it unplugged when I am not using it has resolved the problem, I'll pass on doing all the math right now. :)
Haha ! Yes, if the router is hard to get to, and you have solved the problem anyway, why make more work ? :o) I agree with you. I suppose I was thinking of future loads you might want to connect up and leave on...glad you are back to full power at Fy Nyth now. :0)))
All good points. Just wondering, because I know very little about solar power, do your solar panels get adjusted during the year. Do to the earths 23 1/2 degree tilt in winter in the northern hemisphere the sun is much lower in the south. We just past summer when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and is now working its way southward as approach fall and winter. In other words are you panels less effective as the sun angle gets lower?
I do adjust them throughout the year. But yes, as the sun drops very low in the horizon in the winter, there are just many less total hours of sun which certainly affects the panels output.
Yes, you have fewer hours which I do understand, I was just wondering if their was a drop in charge just from the suns angle getting lower and not striking the panels at near 90 degrees, thus the adjustment. Great channel, makes me wish I was younger. Looks like my kind of life.
Didn’t know if anyone asked this yet or not but when you get snow on your solar panels do you have to be careful or do a certain technique to get the snow off just wondered thanks and I have been watching your videos last couple of days good info
Just trying to figure out why you didn't go three way fridge? Propane in winter when you got no solar, 12 v in summer, also what's your inverter draw in idle?
I've always wondered how much leaving my modem and router on all the time cost in electricity. I'm hoping a internet connection with satellite just draws more vs cable internet modem/router.
My internet connection is actually via cell signal, not satellite, but I couldn't tell you how the draw compares to a modem/router. And I would imagine different models vary as well...
Hey there's a way to make a self generating generator that's completely self sustaining. I make them . The one that lm using now power's my house. No fuels no oils.
i just recently started watching your vids. you seem to be an impressive woman. i seem to be living a similar setup as you except in central wisconsin. i use my car's onstar wi-fi for my internet. very power hungry, but low cost and pretty reliable signal. i run a twelve volt system in the cabin....so i rigged an extension cord to the car's battery. my car's onstar seems to use around 30- 35 watts. before i got this car, i was considering a wi-fi setup similar to yours. do you know what the hardware and installation cost was? how many watts do you figure your wi-fi setup uses?
Welcome! Sounds like you have a unique setup. I've never heard of anyone using onstar for wifi. Nice! There was no installation cost for my setup. My local company owns the router and there is no monthly rental fee either. They would just charge me if I dropped the account and failed to return their router. Let me check on the watts and get back to you.
Nope and nope. Simply because of all the wildlife around my house. From bears, wolves, coyotes, foxes, to eagles, hawks, ravens, to mice, voles, squirrels, pine martins, skunks, raccoons, etc. :)
Wow...so did this completely solve the problem? ...or don't you know yet? ...a multi meter that measures volts and up to maybe 10 Amps of current are fairly reasonable and really useful. The fluke with an inductive ammeter shown in your images in the blog is pretty expensive for just a homeowner to invest in....although damn handy if you have access...knowledge is necessary to make any meter valuable though. At any rate the source of your issue really doesn't seem like a heavy enough power user......tag on it will tell you though. Electronics especially are much more efficient if you can find a way to power them on 12 DC power without needing an inverter...remember 12 volt is better with stranded wire...the inverter is going to have an efficiency loss of up to 50%...better pure sine wave versions are more efficient generally up to say 90% for the better ones...ratings should be available. I saw the word pure on yours...that alone doesn't mean anything...key words not completing the phrase are common sales gimmicks.
I should have clarified that. Yes! Unplugging the cell router totally solved the problem! I'm back at 100% every day! The fluke I just have access to thanks to a great neighbor who's a contractor. I didn't feel a need to go buy one myself.
Fy Nyth I am so very sorry to hear this. Thanks for sharing. Shadow was an amazingly beautiful cat. I have 9 rescues from as far back as 12 years. I've lost one over the years. Still bothers me to this day I don't know what happened to her. I fully understand your position now.
I could look it up, but the router it's self is propped in the highest loft window facing the closest tower of the local company that provides my service. And it's a little inconvenient to move everything to get to it up there. :) It's owned and provided for free (as long as I have service, but no monthly rental) by my local cell company.
How about you gorgeous inviting me , an admirer, to come and live a week in your shoes so to speak and show me another side of life , im pursuing the same lifestyle.. IM From northern Ireland..
Sometime way in the future and once I'm on my own land, I may at some point have a setup for doing classes for those interested. Best wishes with making your dreams happen!
So how long did it take for your powerbank to get back to 100% once you unplugged that phantom load? Just one day of sunshine?
About a day and a half. I'm back at 100% every day!
I am glad it was something so simple to fix and not something wrong with your system!
Such a great reminder. I have watched this video before but when it popped up in my feed I decided to listen to it while I was doing other things. It is good to be reminded of what we can do even if we don't live off grid....YET! Thank you!
Good food for thought Ariel. People tend to forget that anything with a transistor that is plugged in will constantly drain power EG tvs, radios, toasters etc. Having these things on a power strip saves money and decreases a power bill or saves on battery drain.
Thank you...my family has never understood why I turn off lights that are not being used. I shall now refer them to you!
This information is sure enough true and correct; however, this wireless broadband modem is doing more than just staying on when you are not using it. It is frequently communicating information back and forth with your ISP. Your ISP can also get into it remotely for 'maintenance'. Both of these will cause a considerable power draw over other electronics that just keep the little red LEDs juiced up in their off position. Good vid once again!! I'm liking them. I'm learning all kinds of crap. :) Glad you're doing what you do!
Thank you for sharing this! I have children in college and I didn't even think to unplug clocks etc when they're not here. Probably could find something in the cellar and garage too.
That is interesting. And yes, you have to unplug appliances..I have an extra refrigerator I dont usually use and that would turn itself back on everytime we had a power surge or brief outage..I finally got help moving it to unplug it!
Excellent presentation. Your videos are interesting and enlightening. A pleasure to watch.
So true. I've had a Bose Wave Radio for years and when you shut it off it stays completely powered up. The only thing that shuts off is the speakers. It also burns out the capacitors in the radio faster because it's always on. Lousy design for such an expensive radio.
I have no idea what kind of electrical wiring you have in your house, but if it is just a small version of what other houses have, you should have a breaker panel. If your only constant load is the refrigerator and it is on its own circuit, you could just turn all the others breakers off when you're away. Just a thought. Nice video.
That would work and is something I hadn't thought of. I usually don't worry about it, because I normally never leave anything plugged in.
Good video. I admire you for figuring out to get by on a minimum sized solar system that meets your needs. Many people just throw more money into extra panels before investigating which devices are draining power at night.
I've had a solar powered boat dock since 2004 and spent way too much money on the initial setup, because I did not think through the actual duty cycle. Ninety-eight percent of the time the only power drain is the charge controller. We use the boat lifts a few times a year, mainly during the summer months. I could have saved a lot of money had I considered that fact on the front end.
Of course, your situation is much different. You are obviously getting maximin benefit from your solar power system with minimum investment necessary to power what you need on a daily basis.
I'm an engineer and did not think like one when it came to my own solar power system. You're not an engineer, but it appears you think like one.
WOW as a female prepper thank you for this video. I just botched to my power company today. Time to find my power strip to shut off everything when I am gone
In a few months, I'd be curious to see what difference you notice on your power bills! One of my other followers said after she unplugged things when she wasn't using them, her power bill dropped by 25%.
Hi Ariel: It's Mark J. We haven't talked in awhile. It's worth mentioning what is the current charge rate your solar panels are delivering to charge your battery array at (??) As a good rule of thumb, your solar panels should be able to deliver an overall charge rate to your battery array *of at least 10 amps, while not exceeding 20 amps.* What this translates to is the amount of time it takes to return your battery array to a full charge (100%) status. For example: *5 hours* to fully recharge your batteries from a state of 70 % of full or 30 % discharge rate to 100 % is considered excellent. If it takes you *3.5 days to return your battery array to the fully charged state, then you are most likely providing an inadequate charging rate of 6 amps or less* to the battery group.
It's all good. Unplugging the cell router totally solved the problem! I'm back at 100% every day!
Great video. I am 10 miles away from the Chetco Bar fire and 14 miles from the Miller complex fire in Oregon. It has been so smoky that one day I had only 3 amps coming in from our off grid solar system. In full sun we normally have 180 amps @ 24 volts with a 4.8k array. The smoke and ash can really affect that solar gain, the garden growth, the egg production etc. Phantom loads like your internet antenna, things we don't see running can be a problem. We originally went off grid with 610 watts of solar. We had to be very frugal with power. Now we don't even think about it with 4.8k. The winter in the Pacific North Wet can be challenging as every year we have over 50 days in a row with zero solar gain. zero times any size array is still zero lol.
My wife and I have raised 6 sons who are all on their own and married so its just Carol and I. We live in the woods on a 40 acre wood lot. We dream of selling some day and starting over with a smaller house and less acreage. We really only need about 600 square feet to live in. We have a Woodmizer sawmill and we built all the buildings on our place right off the land. It has been 27 years building this homestead. I am inspired by your tiny house and what you are able to do with it. Especially in a place with such harsh winters. We had 100 inches of rain last year and 5 feet of snow with 4 feet at the deepest point. That's nothing compared to up north where you are. Great job and have a wonderful day.
I hear you! People are always telling me to get a bigger array, but like you said, zero times zero is still zero! And since my setup works for most of the year only needing a generator to back up in the middle of winter, I'm fine with that. It sounds like you folks have a lovely setup!
Great tips! Thank you. I've unplugged everything in my house except refrigerator, stove to save on our electric bill and it worked! I don't remember exactly how much but I was very pleased with how much and how easy was to save money. Unfortunately, my mother and daughter felt it was such a nuisance to have to plug the coffee maker, the microwave, the tv, the lamps back in every morning! I tried to make my case, but ohhh hearing the grumbling everyday wore me down. It's amazing how much electricity one tiny appliance uses! Thanks for your sharing!
Nice to hear ya explain what we take for granite...always nice
so happy to find your channel.youre wise beyond your years.i always had these goals but i was a consumer junky.mostly for necessities to live off grid.we shall go thru this together.looking forward to your input.tyvm
Great catch of a phantom load. We are on the grid, but I try to keep our base low since we go to generator often enough for power outages
Thanks Ariel, I always wondered about that and I'm unfortunately not off grid. my power bill is beyond a financial hardship ripoff. Thanks for sharing,😐peace
wow ! thats really good information ( i ran down staurs to yank some cords ) i pay alot where i live in my fifth wheel rv. im at an Rv park and we pay Commercial Rate for power. i never hear about phantom power draws. But this goes to show how wasteful consumer living has gotten. And its basically built in to be wasteful. ... hmm. thank you for getting me to think.
In a few months, I'd be curious to see what difference you notice on your power bills! One of my other followers said after she unplugged things when she wasn't using them, her power bill dropped by 25%.
My dog, Sammy is trying to get my attention, but I just told him to please wait just one more minute...I love this girl and I love her website. Okay, Sammy, let's go outside.
Great observation, that is a significant power draw for a unit that one assumes would not need so much power. Leads me to think my own wi-fi must be burning money every minute I'm not using it. It's rather like my car's calculated cost at $.20 per mile (fuel, maintenance, insurance) adds up to real dollars quickly. I need to investigate this electric cost, thanks for the heads up.
They really do add up more than I would have thought!
How nice you found your leak. Love your videos! I also have gone to AGM batteries, love no more filling or cleaning posts in golf cart batteries. An IMPORTANT point to using AGM batteries is that the solar charger or generator charger should not go over 14.1 volts, as going over will significantly reduce their life.
Yeah I am happy with my AGM batteries so far.
Thanks for the advice on pwr. I have shore power, but go off the hook when traveling and thinking about solar.
Wow that's amazing! Thanks for sharing. Thanks for the tip.... I'm one for conserving as much as possible.
It adds up! Thanks for bringing that to our attention!
If you're interested in constant power loss.....the long wire carrying twelve volts between the solar panel and the batteries is usually an issue, unless you have a very heavy wire similar to the wires for your car's battery. Because heavy copper wires are so expensive people often go cheaper ie: just loose the power, use heavy aluminum wire or move the batteries close to the solar. In my setup the batteries and the inverter are buried in a plastic box near the solar so the long wire is 110 volts and I also have a second thin wire for the charge controller monitor. Now it may seem like too much of a hassle to move things, buy a box, dig a hole etc. but on many low light days in the winter it can make the difference between getting a little bit of charge instead of nothing. While I do have a propane generator to get by in the winter, I hate having to go out and start
it. Great video, thanks!
Thanks for the thoughts. Yes that is #10 wire running the distance from the panels to the house. Due to my extremely cold climate, I can't keep batteries outside, so I have all AGM batteries and they are inside. Check out my video on the whole system for more details. th-cam.com/video/HXyjZAbynIM/w-d-xo.html
Great presentation, information, and lesson learned for all. Thank you for sharing.
You are welcome!
Great information as usual , thanks . I have been unplugging things on grid for years and my usage report has me consistently much lower than other homes in my area.
I am now looking at tiny homes and off grid solar now and found that the Lifepo4 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries are much much better and can deliver 98 % of power with 3-5000 charge cycles. They are expensive ($950)but in the long run(10 years) they are much cheaper then AGM/lead acid. Brattleborn seems to be the best with a 10 year warranty. Also no off gassing or venting at all because almost no electrolyte inside. With everything you do living in the wilderness off grid, you inspire me and I'm sure countless others. Your home and garden are very nice.. Thanks
Thanks for the heads up about the power being unplugged wherever possible to save on power. Good tip.
Good tip Ariel ! I'm the same way , if I'm not using something, that plug is coming out !
Oh my, thank you so much Fy! Love your style :)
Another great video, good information. You are living the dream!
"Things that utility companies won't tell you" for 20, Ariel!
one thing I have learned is to go LED. they are cheaper to operate.
My lights are all LED, but that might be changing. I'll do a video on why in the future!
Thank you, Ariel. Good information.
I turn my inverter off in the winter as that uses power, even if I am not using it. I have a 12v fridge freezer and my nature’s head fan is 12v so I only put the inverter on if I need to use my 2 plug sockets, which I rarely do in the winter, I have little usb charging ports around the tiny house and just use them for charging phones etc, I try to only charge things when the solar is pulling power in, I have a small power pack to charge things in the evening. :)
I'm easing into solar and still have a lot to learn. Great video! !
I like the power strip idea. Thanks
Great reminder for an easy fix to lower energy bills! Thank you!
BTW I'm going to have to try that ginger, honey, cinnamon, etc drink you make. I've been wanting to incorporate ginger or tarragon into my diet anyway.
And take that wonderful compost with you to your land!! I'm jealous big time of your gardening and preservation skills. Interesting stuff. Hopefully I'll get there.
The next person on that property is going to already have an amazing setup. Seems like you should get something for that...
Wait a minute!! What's this I see!! Off grid garden sprinkler!! Well I guess I'm clicking that one next...who needs sleep.
Well don't forget that sleep is pretty important to your health too. :)
I found a good solution to help me not forget stuff like that. I have a plug/timer that I have a power strip plugged into. I have my booster and WiFi router plugged into the strip. I set the timer to whatever amount of time I’m going to be using those items such as 2 hours if I’m streaming a movie or 1 hour if I’m online watching your videos lol. It’s great because if I forget to turn off the power strip the timer shuts everything down at the end of the allotted time. I think I paid $3.99 at Home Depot or maybe it was 𝙰𝚖𝚊𝚣𝚘𝚗 I don’t remember lol. So that’s my tip of the week for everyone lol
Cheers mate and happy trails
Good advice on unplugging things. I'll be doing that.
In a few months, I'd be curious to see what difference you notice on your power bills! One of my other followers said after she unplugged things when she wasn't using them, her power bill dropped by 25%.
Look forward to every new video, more cooking videos please !
Will do as I have time!
Good advice, turn stuff off your not using, save $$$.
You are definitely living the dream!! Love watching your videos. Very informative and inspiring!
Prepping in the Spirit I hope by the time I'm ready for one, society will have caught up and allow us to live this way without so many hoops to jump through. 😊
Hi Ariel, I just watched your 2 Anniv. video and you mentioned wanting to by your own land. Check this website out called Billyland, they have been selling land on the net for more than ten yrs and are a reputable company. That is how I was able to buy my 5 acrs in Colorado. Just be aware of the zoning and building codes in the county you buy in, not all will accept tiny homes.
Thanks! See this video. ;) th-cam.com/video/FRs0dprPUI4/w-d-xo.html
Thanks! Also called a vampire power draw. I'm turning off my router when I leave the house and/or sleeping and waiting for the results in costs savings.
I'd be curious if you report back when you find out what difference it makes. One lady told me it cut her power bill by 30% when she started unplugging everything which was not in use. Which I thought was amazing!
I will when I get a baseline because I started using a space heater for the winter.
Interesting-may try this to see what happens.
another issue Ive heard before is small loads cause the inverter to never be able to enter a low power mode and it always stays in active mode wasting power because of devices wasting it already
Something I use to see what uses power is a device called "kill-a-watt". It has been an eye opening device. I found so many things, mostly those AC adapters (black bricks) that tend to fool you into thinking, oh this lil thing can't be that much of a draw or waste. Now I test my power devices and record what they use so when our power goes out in a storm I know what my batteries and inverter can power up and for how long. Oh and have you every thought of adding a wind turbine to boost your power charging to your system?
It can be shocking what various items use. No, not here. I just hardly ever get any wind with my location tucked into a drainage on the side of a mountain in the trees.
The new "smart" meters can be remotely changed. The power company can actually change your meter reading and charge you a little extra. These meters are only smart for them, never you, but you have the legal right to refuse them. Most people don't know that. But here's an fascinating point. I was listening to the "I AM Discourses" and it was stated that if you use your I AM properly, you can illumen a room by acting upon the electrons in the room thus eliminating the need for electric lights. Cool eh?
Fortunately no meter for me since I'm not tied into the power grid! You've have to send me a video of what you describe there at the end. Sounds fascinating!
Hi Ariel, I'm a physicist and electronic engineer. your AGM batteries will show a loss of capacity down to 80% if they are allowed to freeze down below 32 F, even if the electrolyte doesn't actually freeze. This is cause by reduced battery chemistry at low temperature. So I doubt your small draw from a router for 5 days would do that by itself. The fridge doesn't run and use power when it is frozen down in an unheated house, so it wasn't doing it either. The way most charge controllers assess charge level is to briefly put a load on the battery and observe the voltage drop. So this phony loss in capacity would fool it into saying that till the batteries were warmed up again. You might put a little heat source in your battery box under the couch. A small strip of heat tape might be enough.
This was summer, so the house was not below freezing.
Great tip, thank you. Enjoying yor vids.
People with electric or even gas ovens can often turn off the heat 10 or so minutes early, if that type of oven has good heat capacity or storage.
Most devices are DC. For most devices you need AC then the device itself use DC (after the brick). The inverter wastes most of the power either when idle or with low use. Use DC from your solar batteries whenever possible. Use DC to usb dc buck converters for all usb you save 30% overhead double conversion energy. For example I saw a canon battery charger on AC, get a dc one. most internet devices have bricks get rid of bricks and provide them their required curent (yes that is a littke work on voltage conversions and connectors) but you save huge % of power waste. internet dsl box uses 35w on AC but only takes 7W when i supply it with its required 18V. I have a 24V system. most devices accept 12/24V otherst need 15 or 18, I purchase screw adjustable buck converters, those are 98% step down efficiency.
You are certainly right. But to do all that would just require extra work for me, and my current system works for what I need. So just for the sake of simplicity, not because it's the absolute best setup in the world. :)
I can understand that, some of my stuff is a little geeky. My idea is to have more output with less input (or smaller panels and/or smaller batteries) If one day you need more electrical equipment you may overstress your system, then you will have to choose between making your system bigger or reduce the waste, or a little of both.
Ariel will you be doing a video on your ram pump I am interested in how it is working? and how you have it set up? Love the videos great job!
Yes, when I have time! And thanks.
Your rooter was not the cause of your battery drop, and to inform you that in snow the panels charge 100% due to the the unticatoptrism of the snow, providing you clear the snow of them
During the day so the snow does not set on your panels just water them down with the hose
That keeps them clear for most of the time.
Tho's can use up to 400 or more watts. That's like my small AC running. !!! Glad your safe and all is good.
Very interesting and informative video, Ariel. When you're off grid you really have to think about ALL the electricity you use. Who knew such a little gadget could drain your batteries so quickly?
By the way, I'm no mathematician but the charge/discharge cycles thing with your batteries:
when they're comparing charging from 75% up to the full 100% charge versus 0% charge to 100%, the 300 cycles versus the 10,000 cycles… since you're only discharging 25% in one scenario versus 100% in the other, wouldn't it be more accurate to divide the 10,000 cycles by four since the 100% discharge would require four times less charge/discharge cycles? In other words, wouldn't it be more accurate to compare 300 cycles to 2500 cycles? Still a big difference but it seems to me that the comparison offered by the battery manufacturer isn't entirely accurate in a meaningful sense.
I don't think it's a simple equation on charging times, it's that a full discharge wears a battery out really fast. Kind of like driving on a flat tire will ruin the tire right away. At least that's my understanding.
Thank you.
Thanks for the info.
Hi Ariel. Love your informative videos. Keep them coming! I have an off grid solar set up in VT, and am interested in an electric refrigerator. Can you tell me the make, model and specs of yours? Thanks!
Thanks! My fridge is this one. I am happy with it.
www.amazon.com/Avanti-RA7316PST-Apartment-Refrigerator-Platinum/dp/B00D1SZNO6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1485363067&sr=8-2&keywords=avanti+fridge
Just a thought, maybe being gone and possibly having the windows closed that time of year could cause the temp to rise in your house causing your fridge to run more also?
It could, but the house tends to stay around 55 F. inside if I'm not home in the summer due to our cool temps so I doubt that was much of an issue.
awesome,!!!great advice !!!
Your battery bank could be getting a little low on the reserve power it might be time to start saving up money for replacements.
It's all good. Unplugging the cell router totally solved the problem! I'm back at 100% every day!
I like the green plant
Me too! I love plants and have several around my house.
...yes...routers use almost equal the electricity as a refrigerator...amazing isnt it?...a lot of people don't know that...that's why I just use unlimited phone wifi, and cast to my tv (which incidentally uses no hotspot data), or hotspot to my tv or computer...magic...no internet service required ...especially if you have a service like Roku...almost makes internet obsolete...
I'm curious, are you in the States? And if so, what service are you using for your phone wifi? I'm always looking for better options.
hi love your videos please keep them coming, looking forward to your new property and all the new challenges. re solar setup and your comments on draining your batteries as im building a tiny house in the UK
1. is your compost loo fan on a 24/7, if so does it drain your batteries. i was going to have a DIY compost loo with sawdust and a fan that i can leave on for period of time not 24/7
on another issue.
when u use a generator to charge the battery bank how is it wired. do u have to disconnect the solar feed?
Thanks! The toilet fan could run 24/7 but I've only plugged it in a few times in going on 4 years. I don't seem to need it. And no, both chargers are connected to the battery bank at the same time.
thank you so much, greatly appreciate what you do
Well spotted Ariel ! Your 3G internet device might say on it how many watts (W) or amps (A) it draws, or if not, this number should be in the user's guide under 'specs'. The power it draws in Watts, x the number of hours it was left on would tell you how many WattHours (Wh) of energy it used while you were away, and you could compare this with the total energy stored in your battery bank, which I just looked up - assuming you still have 5 batts of 310Ah each, this gives a total of 1550 Ah capacity, if you multiply this by the voltage, say about 13v, this gives 20150 Wh (=20.150kWh) total energy available in your batt bank. You would then know how much batt bank capacity your internet device would use over that time in the absolute worst case - ie no sun, and 'fridge was off the whole time. I know, I know, it's starting to get complicated now ! Anyhow, hope your batt bank is now keeping up with your demand again. (just say if you want help with the calculations :o) ) Dave
I should have clarified that. Yes! Unplugging the cell router totally solved the problem! I'm back at 100% every day!
I could look it up, but the router it's self is propped in the highest loft window facing the closest tower of the local company that provides my service. And it's a little inconvenient to move everything to get to it up there, so since going back to leaving it unplugged when I am not using it has resolved the problem, I'll pass on doing all the math right now. :)
Haha ! Yes, if the router is hard to get to, and you have solved the problem anyway, why make more work ? :o) I agree with you. I suppose I was thinking of future loads you might want to connect up and leave on...glad you are back to full power at Fy Nyth now. :0)))
All good points. Just wondering, because I know very little about solar power, do your solar panels get adjusted during the year. Do to the earths 23 1/2 degree tilt in winter in the northern hemisphere the sun is much lower in the south. We just past summer when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and is now working its way southward as approach fall and winter. In other words are you panels less effective as the sun angle gets lower?
I do adjust them throughout the year. But yes, as the sun drops very low in the horizon in the winter, there are just many less total hours of sun which certainly affects the panels output.
Yes, you have fewer hours which I do understand, I was just wondering if their was a drop in charge just from the suns angle getting lower and not striking the panels at near 90 degrees, thus the adjustment. Great channel, makes me wish I was younger. Looks like my kind of life.
Can we build a extra bedroom, so I can come and enjoy the beautiful country that God has blessed us with?
Didn’t know if anyone asked this yet or not but when you get snow on your solar panels do you have to be careful or do a certain technique to get the snow off just wondered thanks and I have been watching your videos last couple of days good info
You do have to be careful to not scratch the panels. I use a soft broom to dust them off.
Just trying to figure out why you didn't go three way fridge? Propane in winter when you got no solar, 12 v in summer, also what's your inverter draw in idle?
Just because of the extra expense of the initial cost of the fridge and having to buy more propane.
I've always wondered how much leaving my modem and router on all the time cost in electricity. I'm hoping a internet connection with satellite just draws more vs cable internet modem/router.
My internet connection is actually via cell signal, not satellite, but I couldn't tell you how the draw compares to a modem/router. And I would imagine different models vary as well...
Oops, my mistake. I've used my phone as a hotspot and it's power draw is insane!
nice generator charge controller
Hey there's a way to make a self generating generator that's completely self sustaining. I make them . The one that lm using now power's my house. No fuels no oils.
i just recently started watching your vids. you seem to be an impressive woman. i seem to be living a similar setup as you except in central wisconsin. i use my car's onstar wi-fi for my internet. very power hungry, but low cost and pretty reliable signal. i run a twelve volt system in the cabin....so i rigged an extension cord to the car's battery. my car's onstar seems to use around 30- 35 watts. before i got this car, i was considering a wi-fi setup similar to yours. do you know what the hardware and installation cost was? how many watts do you figure your wi-fi setup uses?
Welcome! Sounds like you have a unique setup. I've never heard of anyone using onstar for wifi. Nice! There was no installation cost for my setup. My local company owns the router and there is no monthly rental fee either. They would just charge me if I dropped the account and failed to return their router. Let me check on the watts and get back to you.
would your system benefit from an extra couple of panels?
It could. But I don't need them, until I do something careless anyway, so I think I'll invest that money into other things for now.
Your airvent on the stairs is crooked. You gotta fix that. I can't even...
It's perfectly straight, the camera is just at an angle to the steps. :)
Do you keep your fridge outside in the winter? Or put your food wrapped up in a snowbank? Just curious.
Nope and nope. Simply because of all the wildlife around my house. From bears, wolves, coyotes, foxes, to eagles, hawks, ravens, to mice, voles, squirrels, pine martins, skunks, raccoons, etc. :)
Thanks!
Have you researched earth batteries and their uses?
I don't know anything about earth batteries. But they sound interesting! Do you have a link to some good info?
Wow...so did this completely solve the problem? ...or don't you know yet? ...a multi meter that measures volts and up to maybe 10 Amps of current are fairly reasonable and really useful. The fluke with an inductive ammeter shown in your images in the blog is pretty expensive for just a homeowner to invest in....although damn handy if you have access...knowledge is necessary to make any meter valuable though. At any rate the source of your issue really doesn't seem like a heavy enough power user......tag on it will tell you though. Electronics especially are much more efficient if you can find a way to power them on 12 DC power without needing an inverter...remember 12 volt is better with stranded wire...the inverter is going to have an efficiency loss of up to 50%...better pure sine wave versions are more efficient generally up to say 90% for the better ones...ratings should be available. I saw the word pure on yours...that alone doesn't mean anything...key words not completing the phrase are common sales gimmicks.
I should have clarified that. Yes! Unplugging the cell router totally solved the problem! I'm back at 100% every day!
The fluke I just have access to thanks to a great neighbor who's a contractor. I didn't feel a need to go buy one myself.
How did you choose your plot of land? Do you own or rent the land or is it public land?
ive seen this answered in another video. she helps the land owners with tasks in order to be able to park her tiny house there
I trade work for parking. See the full story here. fynyth.blogspot.com/2015/07/finding-home-for-your-tiny-house.html
I'm curious , what do you do for work to make money?
Check back in a day or so for the video I'm uploading right now. :)
Enjoying so much of what I see. But , something is missing. 🙂 She needs a cat.
Thanks! See this post on my cats. fynyth.blogspot.com/2016/12/in-memory-of-my-kitties.html
Fy Nyth I am so very sorry to hear this. Thanks for sharing. Shadow was an amazingly beautiful cat. I have 9 rescues from as far back as 12 years. I've lost one over the years. Still bothers me to this day I don't know what happened to her. I fully understand your position now.
Can you tell us the name of that unit. Id like to look up what it's stand by power draw is.
I could look it up, but the router it's self is propped in the highest loft window facing the closest tower of the local company that provides my service. And it's a little inconvenient to move everything to get to it up there. :) It's owned and provided for free (as long as I have service, but no monthly rental) by my local cell company.
What brand/model is the wifi thing you use?
It's a little wireless router provided by a small local cell company.
what do you prefer a man shaved or a man with a beard
How about you gorgeous inviting me , an admirer, to come and live a week in your shoes so to speak and show me another side of life , im pursuing the same lifestyle.. IM From northern Ireland..
Sometime way in the future and once I'm on my own land, I may at some point have a setup for doing classes for those interested. Best wishes with making your dreams happen!