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groingo
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2014 00:40 - Edited by: groingo
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I just took delivery of my new Renogy 400 watt solar offgrid bundle that after a mess of research, Renogy looked like the ticket especially with my falling power requirements, although the Yamaha 1000 inverter generator has performed incredibly charging the batteries for 13 hours once every seven days on under a half gallon of fuel which was painless but I had this bug eating at me that kept telling me I could do better.
Procrastination was my best friend, failure my teacher and German, Dutch, Scotch with some Assiniboine Indian thrown in for good measure meant it was an itch I had to scratch so here we are....it's go time!
Building a ground based platform with adjustable angle until I have the suns behavior down was first, then mounting of panels to platform....it all fit, trench for 50 foot wires to cabin and install, dig and install ground, install charge controller (tiny little bugger, bout the size of a pack of cigarettes), double and tripple check all hookups, sleep on it, check again this morning prior to sunrise, plug power cables in and see what happens.
This is a cloudy morning barely any sun visible yet voltage was growing, the charge and battery condition lights came alive we have power!
The first tests were just four hours with broken clouds that when completed batteries had increased in charge from stable 12.47 battery volts to 13.08 with a seven hour fallback to a stable12.73 and the new Crown batteries are performing well...outstanding!
Tomorrow will be busy testing and checking the individual panel voltages and getting to know the charge controller better and basically observing and bonding with my new friend and especially trying to figure out my real voltage losses just for grins.
All in all it has been a great learning experience and I have definitely been bitten by the Solar Bug!
Ultimately I do give great credit to the knowledgable, patient and very helpful people at Renogy for putting up with my incessant questions and this forum for being a deep source of inspiration and information and I'm just getting started!
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2014 02:12
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Nice work groingo! Are you jacked up or what? 
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LoonWhisperer
Member
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2014 08:35
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Awesome!  I have heard a lot of good things about Renogy and you can't beat the value.
I am just beginning the journey, having purchased a 130ah battery, power box and inverter yesterday. The Yami generator and Renogy 100 watt system are the next pieces.
Look forward to seeing some pics and more test results.
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2014 10:11
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As many of you know....."I'm borderline on my best days"...this is like Pee Wees big adventure but with electricity!
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rmak
Member
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2014 10:19
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Good for you, groingo!
I haven't used my generator since my solar panel went up. It works well as a sculpture piece in the corner of the cabin, and is still useful when I want to use power tools. I dream of the day when I can do solar at our old farmhouse. I'd love to make the power company as ticked as they've made us over the years.
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2014 17:42
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Here are some shots of the system.
1. Array on moveable platform with blackout curtain stowed below if I need to work on it in daytime to keep from producing power.
2. Backside of rack with adjustable legs to allow for sun angle changes.
3. Battery box with forced air vent that exhausts air outside when needed.
4. All closed up with tiny charge controller in back and volt meter beside.
All new battery box is in the works that will look like a storage chest but have a separate contained drain system and two piece upper and lower half for easier less lifting battery swapping.
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Ontario lakeside
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2014 18:45
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Nice setup, Thats the size of system I'm looking at. If you don't mind could you share your costs?
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2014 19:06 - Edited by: groingo
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Total cost including my platform and Renogy stuff, panels, connectors, 50 ft MC4 10 awg cable and charge controller ( don't let tiny size fool you it is working good) $709.00., and the beauty is....you CAN do it yourself!
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Ontario lakeside
Member
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2014 21:25
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Thanks
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 23 Sep 2014 09:28
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And now the batteries will be happier and last longer, as long as they get a full recharge daily. The generator should last longer too, but don't let it sit idle for months on end with fuel in the tank / carb.
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 23 Sep 2014 10:39 - Edited by: groingo
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"And now the batteries will be happier and last longer, as long as they get a full recharge daily. The generator should last longer too, but don't let it sit idle for months on end with fuel in the tank / carb."
Spot on Don, both generators have been run out of fuel, tanks emptied and oil changed for what looks like may be semi retirement and the batteries are fully charged and happy as hell!
Smartest thing I have done since bought my Geo Metro 4 years ago!
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 23 Sep 2014 10:39
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groingo, if that gennie sets long, there is a nice carb bown drain, drain the carb completly. Only good way to store a carb'd engine is carb always full of fuel or none. And you can also store with with pure gas, ie no ethanol, but hard to locate. Go to http://www.pure-gas.org and find one near you. I use only pure gas in all my power equipment and my ATV and motorcycles. Sta-Bil never hurts to add, even with pure gas.
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 23 Sep 2014 10:49
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"groingo, if that gennie sets long, there is a nice carb bown drain, drain the carb completly. Only good way to store a carb'd engine is carb always full of fuel or none. And you can also store with with pure gas, ie no ethanol, but hard to locate. Go to http://www.pure-gas.org and find one near you. I use only pure gas in all my power equipment and my ATV and motorcycles. Sta-Bil never hurts to add, even with pure gas."
Have a place in Gig Harbor that sells the ethanol free fuel, unused fuel has Lucas fuel stabilizer in it and the oil change I have learned from storing cars is a good idea as used oil becomes acidic when sitting when combined with condensation can pit metal parts (Jay Leno's Garage) so clean oil is a good thing and cheap insurance.
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Scott G
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2014 21:21
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Thanks for sharing your info. If i may ask: what do you have exactly ror batteries? Cost? Inverter?
At under $750 these components make sense for me as well. Im thinking another $750-$1000 for batteries and inverter.?
Thanks.
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 30 Sep 2014 21:55
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Scott;
Batteries $238
Inverter $35.00 Schumacher 410 modified sine wave
Panels, cable, PWN charge controller and wood for platform $709.00
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Scott G
Member
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2014 07:01
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Great, thank you groingo.
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 13 Oct 2014 10:38 - Edited by: groingo
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Have now blown by three weeks of solar, lowest power over 24 hours was 12.60 or a solid 100% (my lowest reading, left the inverter on by accident over night) typically been averaging high 12.60's with rain and partial cloudy weather, best investment next to my Geo Metro and cabin.
See Renogy has some new 250 and higher watt panels made in Germany now for those who may be interested.
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