Recent content by peakbagger

Yes I have a spare Evergreen for my pole mount array. Its more exposed than up on my roof.

Good old fashioned solar hot water system for hot water. I see used panels up for sale on Craigslist all the time. Pick up a used Amtrol boiler mate which is normally used to supply residential hot water. Then all you need is DC pump and a small solar panel to run the pump. You also need an...

The panel leads are always energized if in the sun. Ideally cover them with cardboard or a tarp before disconnecting and reconnecting. If they are bifacials if more difficult. Alternatively do it at night.

Yup you are right I will edit it

Not worth swapping out good double panes for new triple panes. The big efficiency increase is get rid of double panes, even the best double panes are inferior to a casement type windowss be it US or the Euro style. Double hungs inherently have far more linear feet of gaps that need to be sealed...

Heated area is about 1500 square feet in Northern NH (if gets down to -20 F on occasion). 2x6 walls, double pane windows with double cellular blinds with side tracks on windows (an extra R 5). The tank usually gives me 24 hours, so I fire it once a day, but in cold conditions its twice a day...

I have ancient Burham wood boiler with 500 gallons of thermal storage. I had it running 10 days ago when I got 18 " of snow. I may run it again if there is cold snap but the minisplit is carrying the house so might as well burn up my surplus power. BTW with respect the most efficient...

Keep in mind the much more lucrative IRA rebates (for some folks) are not retroactive and depends on individual states setting up rebate program that meet and are approved by the DOE. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/priorities/inflation-reduction-act/inflation-reduction-act-investments-by-state...

Back in the early days of grid tied PV, most utilities were encouraged/forced to create "short form" or expedited interconnect rules for grid tied PV. as their rules were written for industrial power and were quite complex and expensive to obtain. Normal interconnected generation needed approved...

I needed some 50 foot long 50 Amp California twist lock cords to connect my DC solar trailer to my house. I priced it at several places and for the same brand and model number Walmart.com was the cheapest. About 30% less than Home Depot. Not the first time I have bought from Walmart for stuff I...

I think its simpler, firemen want something that might survive an ax blow. PVC gives off toxic smoke and cuts pretty easy with an ax.

It all comes down to how much extra is someone willing to pay and potentially impact efficiency and lifetime?. Its a cost benefit analysis, over the long term is the extra cost worth it or is it cheaper to buy insurance from a company that have actuaries that have access to long term loss data...

Generally electrical Co-ops are not owned by corporations, many were created to fill in the rural gaps that profit making firms decided it was not worth filling. Many go back to the REA days. In most cases they have elected boards elected by the rate payers. Few folks really care about how the...

There is a local scrapper that is the only one nearby that will handle all the metal for cheap but the only way he will do it is if there is no dump picking (he has his crews do that later on). The town selectmen and public works guy likes it as its easy, having a dump "store" can cause a lot of...

My system is very similar except I built a pivot into it rather than the pipe clamps. The weight is quite well balanced. When I change my angle I use one hand to push the panel up or down and use the other hand to change the location of support strut. It takes a 7/16" and a 3/4" wrench and...