Author Topic: Off the grid  (Read 5019 times)

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Offline LazyBkpr

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Off the grid
« on: February 16, 2018, 09:13:54 am »

   Living in Maine was... interesting.  I learned quite a lot! I think the main thing I learned, was that paying for electricity is a total waste of money, when you can get it free.

   Now, here in Iowa, I have my house/farm My store, and my shop (Dads shop I pay the electricity bill) So I am paying in the neighborhood of 400 to 500 a MONTH for electricity...
   The store I could easily go off grid, but being on the town square I have no place to put panels except on a north facing roof, and that won't work well...  The shop.. uses a LOT of power, but will be a consideration...
   My house, I have all the room, all the sun and all the wind I need.. I WILL be going OFF GRID over the course of the next three years...   My payments are 200 to 300 a month for electricity here at the house. I can eliminate that completely!


   My wife bought a cabin on the Piscataquis (spelling?) River. The river is about twenty to thirty steps out the back door, it is about a mile off the beaten path. It has no power lines. It runs completely on solar panels. Those panels charge a bank pf batteries, and the batteries feed an inverter that converts the DC power to AC power. If we get a few days of stormy and cloudy weather, she starts her generator and runs it for two to three hours to charge the batteries, and she is good for another two or three days.
   She has a washing machine, Microwave, TV, XBox, and at least while I was there a computer. Internet is provided via the hot spot on her phone. Gas stove and gas on demand hot water, and a drilled well. We lacked for NOTHING.
   YES, we had to be more conscious about shutting lights off. We had to do laundry etc during peak hours when the sun was shining on the panels, but none of it was really any type of inconvenience. I was perfectly content and comfortable.
   She has a little wood stove, and a gas wall heater as backup.   I cut wood and stacked her porch full, and kept the wood stove going all winter. I cooked on it most of the time as well, just because I could, not because I needed to.
   As I get going on adding solar and wind to THIS house in Iowa, I will take pictures and create a thread here about it, if anyone is curious...

   As battery technology improves, Inverter's get better, and wind power becomes more dependable with brush-less generators etc...   I just can't imagine continuing to PAY so much to the power companies...     However, I am also starting to see where states and federal governments are now making it "illegal" to go off grid completely. Power companies are trying to LIMIT grid tie and off grid systems...   I really don't blame them, because from what I now KNOW to be a fact, the power companies TIME is limited!
   Scott
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Offline tedh

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2018, 10:47:13 am »
Welcome home buddy! 
Share that which you have an abundance of.  In doing so both the giver and receiver are enriched.

Offline apisbees

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #2 on: February 16, 2018, 02:06:44 pm »
Good to see you back at home with the bees. Have you checked on them and how are they doing?
I heard that they ? (Domestic solar power panel manufactures, Power companies, big oil in energy sector, Government, ???) want to add more tariffs to Chinese solar panels as they can be bought so cheap, once the old tariffs expire. Any thing to keep the cost of living high and big corporate America making lots of money.
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Offline neillsayers

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #3 on: February 16, 2018, 09:54:38 pm »
We've been off grid for years and love it. We add to our power plant as we can afford it. Don't have enough for all our winter needs yet but getting there. This summer I have a wind turbine I will be installing and 6 more solar panels. Internet and telephone are through a satellite dish. TV through another.

I don't miss the bills or the visits from crews clearing right of way. :)
Neill Sayers
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Offline Lburou

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2018, 11:36:29 pm »
When the zombie apocalypse comes, being off-the-grid will be very wise indeed.  :)
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Offline Les

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2018, 10:50:56 pm »
We have solar panels but we are not off the grid, at this age of our life the doggone battery backups are just not an expense we want.  Most of the year we are free of electric bills, except Christmas when I like to run lots of decorations but they will soon be going by the wayside as I am starting to shed "stuff" out of our lives.

Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2018, 07:55:02 pm »
I certan9inly didn't miss the electric bills...  It is a bit of a good feeling having that security. I'm not all that worried about the zombie apocalypse, but there are a plethora of other things that could go wrong. Losing reserve currency status for instance. Even just terrorism taking the grid down. Knowing you don't need it is a good feeling.
   Les Grid tie gives you a lot of freedom and you don't have to worry if you have a week of cloudy weather. Batteries, especially GOOD batteries are expensive. Hopefully, as the technology continues to improve, we will see better batteries or other storage solutions for less money!
   Scott
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Offline Lburou

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #7 on: February 19, 2018, 08:07:30 pm »
Post pictures so we can better understand your cabin setup...please.  :)
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Offline neillsayers

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #8 on: February 20, 2018, 12:56:47 am »
Several years ago we had a horrible ice storm. Trees breaking everywhere-all the power lines down. I'm sitting in my living room watching the morning news and they are reporting everyone in NW Arkansas and SW Mo are blacked out. I started feeling very smug and said to the TV, "Not Everyone!"

A moment later a tree branch gave out trashed my antenna.

Pride cometh before destruction! :laugh:
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Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #9 on: February 20, 2018, 10:13:38 am »
Several years ago we had a horrible ice storm. Trees breaking everywhere-all the power lines down. I'm sitting in my living room watching the morning news and they are reporting everyone in NW Arkansas and SW Mo are blacked out. I started feeling very smug and said to the TV, "Not Everyone!"

A moment later a tree branch gave out trashed my antenna.

Pride cometh before destruction! :laugh:

Nature can be very humbling.

Offline Wandering Man

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #10 on: February 20, 2018, 10:39:33 am »
So now I'm wondering.

How well do solar panels do during hurricane force winds?  My TV antenna got blown over during Harvey, but not destroyed.  It would have been nice to have electric power and access to the news during the four days it took to restore power.

I now own a small generator, but haven't got it connected to the house.
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #11 on: February 20, 2018, 07:09:30 pm »
   The panels are made to handle hail etc to a point. Those we have in Maine are bolted to telephone poles set pretty deep, so it would take a serious storm to knock them out. EVEN if the panels went down for some reason, the batteries are still there. It takes our generator about two and a half hours to recharge them. With NO SUN we have to recharge every... three to five days? It all depends on how much power we used. It would still be cheaper to run the gen when the batteries needed charging than it does to pay for electricity.
   I will see if I can get some pics of it.
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #12 on: February 20, 2018, 07:32:06 pm »
Okay, I have some pics on the other pc....

Inside pics. First from up in the loft;




   The MASTER bedroom.. .where she lets me sleep once in a while...




 Kitchen area downstairs. Gas heater etc;




   Solar panels behind the old dodge;




   The camp and the generator shed to the left, and wifes tacoma;




   From the back door looking out at the river




   From the river to the house / winter. Can see the garage I built in the background. No front doors on it yet.





    That help?
   With any luck, the time will soon arrive when it is nice outside, and TedH and I can once again have a brawl as we fight over the Abandoned wife!



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Offline Some Day

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #13 on: February 20, 2018, 07:50:14 pm »
LazyBkpr,

It looks like you have 8 solar panels, are they 100 watt each?

Do you use an MPPT charger for the batteries?

How many batteries are used and what Amp are they?

What is the size of the inverter in watts, 1500w or 3000w, etc.? 

I am going to be doing this in the next month, just would like some real world feed back.

Thanks!!

Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #14 on: February 20, 2018, 08:03:31 pm »
eight panels and six of the large deep cycle 12V batteries hooked up as 24 volt. I do not remember the size of the inverter, but the MPPT controller is a 60 amp outback;

https://www.thepowerstore.com/outback-power-flexmax-60a-150v-mppt-charge-controller?gclid=Cj0KCQiAq6_UBRCEARIsAHyrgUz1vcl3ocxhYtRda0We7TLq5o0sSeOVr7ue5t-Ir7YddbqKMuEl_94aAgNzEALw_wcB

   The panels are 265 watts each.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ESU53WC/ref=asc_df_B01ESU53WC5378093/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B01ESU53WC&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198107824285&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9027448934779903330&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9018504&hvtargid=pla-348805312926

   They are the poly panels as opposed to the monocrystaline. They are not as effective as the mono but they are cheaper to buy initially, and to date, they are doing a good job.
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Offline Lburou

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #15 on: February 20, 2018, 10:28:43 pm »
Thanks for the pictures, looks like a piece of heaven to me.  :)

Do you have pictures of the battery bank and inverter?
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Offline Some Day

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #16 on: February 20, 2018, 10:37:07 pm »
Thanks,

8 @ 265w would equal 2120 watts total, that makes more sense to me than 8 @ 100w for 800 watts.  I will look into those.


Offline riverbee

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #17 on: February 21, 2018, 08:46:37 pm »
scott......
thank you for the update and i enjoyed the pix!  thanks!

sure missed you here!
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #18 on: February 21, 2018, 10:53:11 pm »
No I don't Lee, I can try to get my wife to send me a pic of the power board it is all mounted to.

  YAY! Ms River!   How are you??
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Off the grid
« Reply #19 on: February 22, 2018, 12:45:37 am »
scott, i am good and feisty as ever........i think............ :D
happy to see ya back and loved the pix, like lee said some heaven there!
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