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There are some very strange "bedfellows" out there ... grid, banks, insurance, codes ... they are all in bed with each other to your detriment, and this indeed leads to mind-boggling scenarios and conditions/requirements. If you follow the money, it's all business. Businesses will try anything...

We "chose" to go off-grid, on our 40 acre homestead in southern colorado, and wanted to pass on to the readers of this forum both our reasoning for doing so, and the approach we took. Reasoning: We are off-grid by necessity; at the time of land purchase, we had no nearby power lines, and...

I think anything is possible, but it has to be done with the individual's (or family's) choices and tradeoffs in mind. If you have a Caviar lifestyle, it won't be as easy. What we noticed is that, when we went rural and off-grid, all service requirements plummeted, as in, we used less water...

Perhaps another way to look at LF & HF inverters, beyond what types of loads (the old comparison between the two) it can easily handle is ... warranty: - If an HF inverter at only 1- or 2-yrs of warranty, it's not up to snuff for loads; needs more research as to what types of loads it could...

I have yet to see AGS & 2-wire support move down into the portable class of generators (anything with wheels). For AGS to work, the gen must also be auto-start, auto-choke capable, all of which adds complexity and cost. Whereas, AGS & 2-wire support is the bread and butter of the standby class...

There's "base cost", and then there's "fees" which are just another way to extract more money from everyone. Overall, the total bill is going up, along with constraints, restrictions, rules, regulations ... and more fees, as fast as they can find a "name" for the new fee. Put in a parallel...

It would be interesting to see the exact use cases someone is envisioning ... I've seen most folks buying a chargeverter because they have a non-inverter generator with higher THD output ... the chargeverter eats this kind of high-thd power, and charges the batteries directly, for a cost of...

On other threads, and other forums, I try to encourage folks to read these documents: 1. your grid provider "contract" you sign to get the electricity turned on 2. your state's PUC "contract", that both you and the grid provider operate under These are intertwined, and do a good job of...

The beauty of parallel systems (48v and 12v), is that the 12v system isn't pulling/supporting any huge loads, so it's componentry is small and dedicated to all the 12v loads that others have listed in this thread. Many 12v loads in any typical RV setup, and having a parallel 12v system (with or...

Coming at it from a slightly different angle ... everything in your house is always on ... Wall-warts and various other SMPS power supplies, electronic devices that never really sleep, usb charging stations to keep all your phones & usb things topped off ... fridges, freezers, coffee pots and...

I'd tend to go with a component strategy ... and use an LF inverter, Tier-1 specs (Magnum, etc.) ... I'd estimate you'll get 5+ years of life easily out of the arrangement. Some folks sport longevity of 10+ years ... I'm over 5 on mine, and it's still going strong. If you go with the HF...

Don't know where you are in the overall scheme of things, but I did pretty much everything you are wanting to do, only 10 years earlier. We started with raw land (40 acres), and built mortgage-free and off-grid. My suggestions are: 1. get propane onsite, in bulk (we have two 500-gal tanks) 2...

Agree w/ Steve_S ... we are totally off-grid (and never going back), and to everyone's nice lists of what to do & how to do it, I'd add: - build it yourself ... from ground up (no installers). at that point, it's a piece of cake to swap in/out anything, do work-arounds, etc. Legion of reasons...

"products are very good but only for those that are technically inclined and capable of self support" I'm tossing this out, because I want to see what others' expectations are, wrt renewable energy gear and support thereof ... mine is that this is entirely a self-supported world (unless you...

Why would you want a stealth solar project? Forums postings might be on the increase that show the "code/grid/AHJ police" are getting more active, and catching or fining (or worse) folks for putting up some solar panels. What could you possibly even do about this? In my case, I: 1. chose where...

Panels rec'd, all 4 are verified not broken ... came through shipping just fine. These are nicely packed by Renogy, two per box and facing each other w/ innovative styrofoam spacers all around the two panel frames, such that an "air gap" is between the panels and the exterior box. Box is simply...

I would say get a solar generator system (these are everywhere on Amazon and elsewhere). If anyone (you) has some diy skills, build a solar generator yourself to save money ... youtube videos abound. If nobody does, and you don't want to take on the task, then have them buy a solar generator...

You should be able to put anything on a power on/off (digital) timer, and "exercise" the batteries ... this could be useful if you want to do work inside the camper. If the camper batteries: - supply the camper fridge, then you can store things from the house in the camper fridge, and get value...

OP statement was "I can't afford Tier 1 ..." It might be restated as "can I afford not to go Tier 1"? In my case, I was replacing (filling the void of) a utility company that wanted $30k to bring the power to my site. That wasn't happening, so I had to become the utility, and the power had to...

Don't really have a dog in this hunt, as I have Magnum 4024 (LF) that is past it's 5-yr warranty, and still going strong. I DO have to ponder what I'll be replacing it with, if and when it (possibly) breaks. Don't know if it'll be Victron ... leaning towards Midnite. Have a MidNite Classic 150...

Using the bolded sentence in OP, a search reveals that this sentence is in lots of other co-op agreements. That, to me, makes it feel more like a protection for the co-op, as in, we provided service to your property at great expense to ourselves (and you through the setup fees), so don't go...

In the houston, tx area, there are two kinds of house foundations ... those that have cracked and need repair, and those that haven't cracked yet, but will. Not much else in-between, and lots of very heroic efforts to get to one or the other of these two states of being. Solar, from house...

So, the title should really be edited to reflect dealing with Inverters-R-US's warranty efforts, wrt OP's initial post, vs blaming SOK? I haven't had problems with my SOK batteries (12v100ah units for many small solar projects), and still admire them for their repairability. If and when I move...

I don't have a boat (still testing the idea of boats w/ dollar bill bonfires), but I believe they sometimes have "split systems" (12v & 48v). Depending on the actual size & carrying capacity of your "travel trailer", it might be possible to have a full 48v system (inverter, battery-bank...

It seems to always boil down to constraints and variables, and the choices one makes after discovering and reviewing them all. AHJ's, building codes, insurance ... Did one choose *wisely*, or *poorly*, after navigating that maze ... I'm always impressed when someone comes up with an...

Forums are a form of self-help helpdesk ... you have to know how to search, or at least read the bottom 5 suggested "solutions" or similar posts to the one where you asked for help. This forum is full of the exact same answer to 10,000 posts, and has many critical resources in the aptly titled...

Hmmm ... recently went w/ Renogy (8' x 4') 550w panels, as just 4 of them (2s2p) max out my midnite solar classic 150 *and* they are the basis of a full (south-facing) carport, right next to the utility shed holding all the solar gear. These replace some 265w panels (5' x 3') that cantilevered...

Have had two of their 12v x 300ah batteries, in 24v battery bank, for almost 9 months now ... drives the whole house, up to 200a discharge, etc. Magnum 4024 inverter/charger ... Excellent USA presence for shipping and service ... in the first month, one gave some grief with a faulty bms; never...

You have a particular home "envelope" (shape & volumes) with a typical central furnace (and big blower motor) pushing treated air to every corner & space of that house. I'd think that this system has been sized to push air to every spot, so you don't feel cold spots. I'd request a quote from...