Solar Power items.

[pkveazey]

I just ordered a couple of solar panels and a 5KW 12vdc to 220 vac inverter. No batteries? Yep, no batteries. My plan is to use solar as my backup system as a last resort. If I buy a bunch of $200 batteries now, then they might be worthless by the time I get around to needing them. I have no plans to install any of it until I need it. The solar panels and Inverter will keep indefinitely. I don't want to use Car Batteries because they deliver a ton of power but they go dead quicker than Deep Cycle Batteries. But, they are an option if I can't find Deep Cycle when I need them. Deep Cycle battery technology is improving almost daily and it might be in my best interest to wait until I need them. I've given Solar power quite a bit of thought and have come to the conclusion that Buying what I need isn't much of a problem, Setting up the system isn't much of a problem but Protecting the Batteries and Inverter from the weather is going to be a big problem. I refuse to keep the Batteries and inverter inside the house due to the fire hazard from the batteries.

[Jackalope]

Yeah, okay.  I guess supply chain issues aren't a problem.  My last set of deep cycle batteries lasted about 10 years with proper maintenance.  The set of lithium batteries for my current home should last 20+ years, again with proper maintenance.  I guess it depends on what you wish to settle on if the supply chain dries up.  Auto batteries will work for a short time, like less than a year if they're actually used like a deep cycle battery.  Use a large tupperware tote to contain your batteries.  Lowes and Home Depot both carry a large tote that will easily contain four of the T-105 type batteries.  Fire from the batteries should be a minor concern if the installation is done properly.

[pkveazey]

My biggest concern is that when I do buy the batteries, they might be really expensive. Right now I could afford about 4 or 5 deep cycle batteries. Later on when prices skyrocket, that money might only buy one or two. If I see hyper inflation start to kick in, I'll just go ahead and buy them before they get unreachable. My plan is not to go completely off grid unless there is no other option. For right now, I'm just getting 200 watt solar panels to keep the batteries topped of so I'll have lights and frig at night. I plan to add more solar panels later. Its going to be bitch to not use the TV, computer, Ham Radio etc unless its an emergency.

[JoJo]

 
  They use to make batteries with out acid in them and they would last almost forever until you added the acid.
  One tip if you buy batteries with the acid in them, don't put them on concrete they will drain out. Scientists say this is malarkey but with 40 years in the trade I found it to be true. Place then on 2x4s.
 

[Nemo]

I just ordered a couple of solar panels and a 5KW 12vdc to 220 vac inverter.

Source?  Cost?  More info! Link?  Please.

Nemo

[Jackalope]

Solar panels are very cheap right now, but that may change as the cargo containers don't return.  Ebay has 100 watt panels for $74.99 including shipping from a vendor I've dealt with: https://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Watt-100W-12V-12-Volt-Slim-Solar-Panel-Battery-RV-Boat-Camping-Off-Grid/264618723815

I'd suggest making purchases before September, before more unrest ramps up before the election.

[pkveazey]

I got mine from AMAZON. The Panels, Charge Controller, and 220 volt Inverter was about $500ish. I'll add more panels and the deep cycle batteries soon. When the inverter gets here I'm going to make a proper heavy duty Cable with the proper plugs so I can back feed the house panel from the Dryer 220 volt outlet. That's how I feed the House from my generator during emergencies. Those cables can get real expensive real fast. Why don't I just use the same cable that I use on my generator? Oops, the plug on the inverter doesn't look anything like the one on the generator. Also, the generator cable is 65 feet long and I will only need about a 20 foot cable out to the Inverter.

[pkveazey]

Hot Dog...... My solar panels and charge controller arrived today. Just before sunset, I took them out in the yard and faced them toward the sun and they each put out 22.1 volts and 3.5 Amps. The Charge controller said it can handle up to 4 panels so I'm going to order 2 more panels. Hmmmm.... I don't need another Charge Controller. Do I go ahead and do a buy it again so I'll have a spare Charge Controller or do I save money by just buying 2 more panels? What the Hell, I can afford it right now so I think I'll just click on buy it again and have a spare Charge Controller. Its a good thing I'm trained in electronics because that crap was a bit confusing at first and the Instructions were bare minimum lame. I hooked everything up and noticed that they didn't have any indication of which wires were Hot and Cold. All the wires were BLACK. Well, screw that. I grabbed my bag of Heat Shrink tubing and slipped some RED heat shrink on all the ends of the Hot wires and left the Black wires alone. I'm glad I read the minimal instructions because it said to NOT HOOK UP THE CHARGE CONTROLLER until after I have hooked up a battery. I learned a little something else also. That charge controller doesn't want me to mix battery types. You punch a button to tell it what kind of batteries you are using. There are 4 choices. Hmmmm..... I guess I'll be ordering several Lithium Ion deep cycle batteries to get started. The brand of Solar equipment that I bought is RENOGY.

[Jackalope]

Renogy is a good brand.  It's a good idea to have a spare controller, since that's the "brains" of your system.  It may have come with MC4 connectors, which have become the industry standard, and the cables are usually all black.  I always check panel polarity with a multi-meter, since many of the panels come from China, and those guys are prone to making mistakes.  Most of the controllers require that the batteries are connected first, then panels, and then the load.  And it's normal for only one battery type to be used, since different battery types require different charge rates, also the maximum charge voltage will be different, as well as cut-off minimum voltage.  You're well on the way to having a solar powered amateur radio station.

[pkveazey]

I just did a bit of research on Lithium Ferrite Phosphorous batteries and got sticker shock. Hmmmmm......  The best one on the planet seems to be Battleborn (I think that's the name) and they are $950 each for 12 VDC 100 AH. The reviews were off the charts for how good they are. Hmmmmm...... I think I'll just start with one and then get a second one to run in parallel later. Anyway, I put one in my Amazon shopping cart and I'll probably punch the checkout button a little later. I have a couple of 12 to 120 volt inverters here (a 500 watt and a 1000 watt) and I'll play with those until the 220 volt 5000 watt one comes in Sept.

[Kbop]

you could try SOK Power - new company but a good BMS with prismatic batteries.  so it won't last 20 years but should last 10 under load.  Battleborn is better - but mostly for longevity and bump&rattle ops (like in an RV or boat).

[pkveazey]

OUCH, OUCH, OUCH....... I called Battle Born and talked to a fellow named Cory. I ordered two $900 batteries. That stung like Hell but it should do the job for me. Cory also told me to get another 200 watts of solar panels to keep those batteries at full charge. After the new inverter arrives and the sting fades away I'll order two more 100 watt panels. If I had ordered the batteries through Amazon they would have been $950 each. If you call Battle Born and talk to Cory, you will definitely be talking to someone who knows his product and Electronics.

[Kbop]

Buy once Cry once. i hope they work well for you.   

[pkveazey]

Alright, alright, alright....... The last items of my emergency power solar system has arrived. Now, I'm all set to connect it all together and see how it works. Ooops, I want to install the stuff under my back deck in a huge plastic storage bin. I'm trying to get my friend, who builds Decks, to come by and replace my side Stoop and back Deck before I install all that crap. Hmmm... Do I wait until the deck is replaced or do I hook up all that crap as a trial run first. I've got the panels, the Charge Controller, the Batteries, a 500 watt 12 v to 120 v, a 1000 watt 12v to 120 v, and a 12v to 220 v inverter. It appears that I'm all dressed up with no place to go. I don't have the Plastic Storage Box yet but what I need is not going to need to be very big. My first thought was to mount the Panels on the new Metal roof but then I thought about dragging my 75 year old ass up there for cleaning and doing maintenance. Nope, that ain't gonna happen. Those panels will be ground mounted next to the new South facing deck and I can't do that until my buddy builds the deck. I may get a wild hair up my butt and drag all that crap out into the yard and hook it up just to see how it all works. Then I'll have to tear it all apart and put it all away.

[Jackalope]

    I've found that ground mounted is the way to go.  Ground mounting gives you easy access to the panels for troubleshooting, reconfiguring or replacement.  It also allows you to easily remove snow, though that isn't a major concern at your location.  By the way, those lithium batteries don't lose much of their charge over extended periods, another great benefit of having lithium batteries.

[pkveazey]

WOW.... Guess what I found. I had a travel trailer that I never used because it was so damn old that I didn't trust it. It was a 1972 model. Anyway, before I gave it to my daughter to use as a storage or outbuilding, I cut the Power Cable off and threw it in my junk bin. Wow! That thing has a molded plug on it that is a perfect fit for back feeding my drier outlet and the conductors are #10 wire and they are properly color coded(Green, Black, and White). Guess what? The No. 10 wire is the exact gauge that my unite requires. All I need to do is go to Lowes and buy a 30 Amp plug that mates with my 5000 watt 12 volt DC to 220 volt AC inverter. Then I'll have every last Item I need for my emergency power set up. I even bought a few more connectors that will allow me to parallel more Solar panels later on if I want to. Yes, I probably will buy 2 more 100 watt panels.

[pkveazey]

Latest update on my Emergency Solar power system. Battle Born batteries told me that I should be good to go with what I have but that I should add 2 more 100 watt solar panels in order to get a full charge on my 2 100 amp hour LiFePo batteries after a full night of use. Well, I just ordered the last 2 100 watt Renogy panels that are an exact match for the other 2 panels that I already have. They are supposed to be here in 7 days. When I receive them, I'm going to hook everything up in the back yard and see how well it works. The house is paid off and I don't have a car payment so I was able to put this system together without having to wait forever to save up for it. Its a bit exciting to know that I'll have a quiet system to use instead of a noisy gas guzzling Generator for power outages.

[pkveazey]

Uh Oh...... I have a couple of 120 inverters and a 220 volt inverter. they'll work right out of the box for 120 volt appliances. ooops.... I tried to find the proper 220 plug to plug into the inverter and the damn thing is a European 3 prong plug. I could hunt all over hell and yonder for the proper plug but I'm going to just build my own. I soldered the 3 stranded no.10 cable wires so they are now solid wires and I'll use the plug holes in the 220 volt inverter to get the spacing just right and then Ill mix up some 5 minute Epoxy to make the plug. I'll have to use a cardboard or thin plastic spacer to keep the Epoxy from getting to the inverter. When it sets up, I'll just unplug it and refine the 3 pins that plug into the inverter.