Solar system Upgrade

[Kola]

solar.jpg

solar1.jpg

Still in the works, once she's done everything thing will get neatly tucked away and anchored.

Four Panasonic 96 cell 335 watt mono-panels mounted on PT wood with adjustable tilt. (wired for 70v and approx 22 amps)
**I used 6 awg cables to cover the span from the combiner box at the array to the cabin = 75 feet ***

Four Battle Born lithium-ion batteries 12v 100ah wired series/parallel for 24v (using 2/0 cables) (able to keep these indoors is a huge plus!)

Outback FM 80 MPPT (wired with 6 awg) (gage size as per OB install manual)

Outback Inverter 24v/2500 watt (2/0 cables) (gage size as per PB install manual)

OB 175 vdc breaker (in large J-box) for batts to inverter ( I cut out openings to mount and later found Midnight Solar makes a great box to house a lot of breakers. busses, etc)

OB 80 amp breaker in (smaller j-box) for Battery to FM controller (as per manual)

I still have to run 6 awg solid copper wire for all my grounds (inv, cc and batts) and my 10/2 awg feed from inverter to AC panel. I already pounded in one 5/8" copper coated ground rod along cabin and another one out at my array.

Conduit gets trenched and buried in Spring (hopefully) and Honda 7000 EU will be hard-wired in as well.

Overall, it's not a big system at all, BUT it should suit my demands as I am super frugal on electrical usage. We'll soon see !
My main goal is to be able to run my pellet stove through the entire night. It's an Enviro Mini A and checkig with my Kill-O-Watt meter uses very little wattage/amps (300 to 600w) The exception is when ignitor fires up (900-1000w) but it's not hooked to a T-stat so it doesn't go on/off like that. I just set the Pelly on low and she purrs all night steady.

[Kola]

Attachment 4083
simple combiner box for 4 panels, breaker and lightning arrestor as well


Attachment 4084

I made it easily adjustable for summer/winter tilt. They'll be sonotubed cemented in place in spring. Fo now I drove in 4 foot long 5/8' rebar and anchored it down. The large gaps I left between each panel will reduce wind loads. I've been keepig my eye on it though.

[sdart]

Couldn't see the photos in the second post. We are just putting up our solar at the moment also, so are interested to see!

[donjuedo]

Great progress!

[Kola]

try again: this picture loading system is finicky, basic PITA actually try again

PV.jpg
^^^^^^ easy to tilt with a simple pivot set-up and 1/2"thu-bolts. I made one just by winging it and was a prototype, then made a second one and attached them.

PV2.jpg

below is all 4 panels, 2 per mount (don;t why image its attached like it is????) but anyway I purposely left big gaps between each panel to reduce wind loads.

[Kola]

My combiner box for solar array. It has MP4 connectors (snap in) for 4 panels ( so actually 8 altogether, four pos and four neg) You can buy combiner boxes with as many plug-ins to suit your specif solar panels. The box also came with a lightning arrestor, on/off circuit breaker, ground lug and a decent water proof box.

PV5.jpg

PV12.jpg

PV55.jpg

I've got it all connected and mounted out on my supports and I'll get a picture of it asap to post here.

[Kola]

Here's the Outback 175dc breaker that goes between my battery pos cable to my Outback inverter. Dam thing is HUGE about 8 inches long, 4 wide and 2 inches thick. I mounted it in that large grey J-box from first posted pics. OB install manual calls for this size breaker. 100 bucks too.

Attachment 4092

is it just my PC or what? Look at all the different ways my pics are attached. ?????? SMH, I need a beer.

and it just changed...it now says "attachment" and those are the ones that don't come up.

[sdart]

Thanks! All the photos came up except... as you know... the last one. Your setup looks a lot like ours, only the supports we built are much beefier and overbuilt (as always.) We regularly get very high winds here and are afraid the panels will catch the wind.

[rreidnauer]

Thanks! All the photos came up except... as you know... the last one. Your setup looks a lot like ours, only the supports we built are much beefier and overbuilt (as always.) We regularly get very high winds here and are afraid the panels will catch the wind.

See? You're missing an opportunity. Turn those panels into wind turbine blades. Double your output!

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[mudflap]

sheesh, you make it look so easy, Kola!

[loghousenut]

Koala is loaded. He just calls a guy and then sends a check.

I hear he made all his money in California.

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[sdart]

The wind is too turbulent for small wind turbines here, Rod. Only a huge one would work and we don't want that. But we get more than enough sun to run everything we want.

[Kola]

Koala ?? as in Koala Bear ?? wth ! LOL ! And boy do I wish I had money to hire peeps to do this stuff, I'm getting old. Oh yeah, and another thing LHN, lol.. I didn't make any money in Californy, I made all my money here in Colorado making and moving moonshine and pretending to be a choirpractor' !

Speaking of money. I'll add up the numbers and see how much this entire solar set-up has cost me. A wild guess ? $10-12k plus another $5k for the Honda genny. That's just parts, equipment, wiring, doodads and such.

About my solar frames? I think they are very stable and we get some nasty winds up here at 9000 feet. Again large air gaps between each panel minimize things. Weather forecasts for tomorrow are 50-70 mph winds so 'll be watching - you can bet yur' britches. ( I said britches..not bitches) But....if I had to build these over again? I'd go with all metal -as Double R suggested to me (but I already was making them from wood)

Anyone can put a solar system together, it's not hard and there's plenty of GOOD information available online and in books. Knowing the dangers is key. Rod got me started and helped me along 10-12 years ago when I did my tipi living days and constructed a bare bone solar setup. Over the years I also joined a solar online forum (Outback Forum) and had lots of help from the OB staff and other experienced folks that posted there.

The cost to have it "professionally" done by a contractor/electrician (JUST labor, guessing an easy $15-30k) Maybe more. Need incentive to DIY ? There it is. And the other kicker for me? $38k to have the electric company come in and hook me onto their shitty grid. While they ruin my landscape with their ugly tarred poles. Not to mention those idiotic "smart" meters.

I'll get some more pics up and comments when done but tomorrow I start a big flooring job and that'll set me back. I'm wanting to get out of here and head to AZ for a few weeks dammit.

[loghousenut]

Sorry Kola. That durned cell phone! Seems like the faster I type, the more the rascal edits.

And I was just funnin' about that California money.


PS... It is a perfectly lovely solar system.

[Kola]

Oh I know, all in fun !

recent pic of me and son :

koala.jpg

[loghousenut]

You trimmed your mustache!

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[Kola]

LOL !

Ooops "message too short'

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

[Kola]

Yes ! I got the solar system up and running yesterday.I missed both football games but oh well. I had some problems firing up the new inverter but got some much needed help from a good friend. I'll let it take a nice full day of sun charge then put it to the test tonight,

So...on a bad note I am very displeased with the Outback inverter FXR2524. It hums loudly and since it is inside in the center of my home it can be heard everywhere. A definite transformer hum. And especially at night. I had to shut off the breaker just to sleep. 2000 bucks and a company can't make the thing quiet?I've had a cheap Xantrex inverter and a Morningstar inverter and they were silent.

So I will attempt to soundproof the area but I doubt that'll work. Only other option is to mount it under my cabin (outside) and make some type of soundproof box. I've got about 4 feet of crawl space. That's means making up more 2/0 cables and a lot of extra work. Had I known it would be noisy I would have planned things differently.

HUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rreidnauer]

Are you sure it's not OHMMMMMMMMM ?

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[Kola]

Ohmmmmm.............as in Ohms Law or for meditation purposes ?

Welp...the good news is that I ran my pellet stove for 17 straight hours and only used minimal voltage. You read that right. From start, batts were at 26.2v and when I shut her down (after 17 run-hours) batts read 25.8v.Shaazaaam !

I was also running my usual stuff, internet router, laptop, a few LED lights and my propane stove which vampires a little bit of juice for the control board. --- Not. Too. Shabby.

[donjuedo]

Making it work -- Bravo!

[Kola]

Yes donjuedo, I'm pretty stoked.

Now if I CAN'T resolve or reduce the humming noise I'll just have to build a box outside of the cabin wall - and sound proof the sucka'

The Outback guys are trying to help me out.

It's too early to give my opinion about the Battle Born lith/ion batteries yet. But so far I'm damn impressed. I ran that pellet stove for 17 hours and it only sipped .4 volts from those batteries -- that's crazy good.

[rreidnauer]

Just keep in mind that I think those batteries might have a pretty flat discharge voltage reading, then drop off fast near depletion. You'd have to look up what your resting voltage is, and see how far down you are to know how much you really used. An amp-hour recorder would be better still, (like the Trimetric) or your Pal monitor gizmo might have it built in already.

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[Kola]

I'm calling the Battle Born company today as I cant find that info anywhere online.

[loghousenut]

Out 2,000 watt Trace inverter has sat quietly under the bed in the old bus and has never initiated a complaint from any of the many people who have slept there.

Back when that was our only source of power the cooling fan would come on while under a good heavy load. Typically that would only happen during laundry or while running the table saw or counter, etc.

I'd send it back and do a thorough search of the reviews on its replacement.

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[Kola]

I re-booted my entire system, shut everything down, then turned things on one at a time -trying to isolate a possible culprit. After going through everything ?

Noise gone. Unbelievable.

[loghousenut]

That's how I woulda handled it.

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[Kola]

Just keep in mind that I think those batteries might have a pretty flat discharge voltage reading, then drop off fast near depletion. You'd have to look up what your resting voltage is, and see how far down you are to know how much you really used. An amp-hour recorder would be better still, (like the Trimetric) or your Pal monitor gizmo might have it built in already.

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I called Battle Born office, spoke with some young chicky chomping the gum. smh. She said the resting volts is same as float I said..mmm, K.

The float for my 24v bank it's 27.2 My charge setting is 28.8. So guess they rest at 27.2

I asked her how low they can go before it compromises the overall life of the batts. She says it don't matter as they'll just shut themselves off at ~10v or in my case ~20v. Uh, OK, bye.

REALLY ???
-------------------------
amp hour recorder? never heard of it (note to self to google it)

Huh? my Pal monitor gizmo?? LOL You mean that Mate3s box they sold me? I ain't farted with it much yet - but I did get a error flash code today on "The Gizmo3s "....it said batts went up to 31 volts. I have't a clue what that's about. It was running fine when I checked it and has been OK all night. Maybe the batts didn't like taking 31 volts? Better check the settings.