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The complexity involved in 48v rack-mount batteries is: ... add another one, done. The complexity involved in my 24v battery-bank (of 12v batteries) is: series the 1st two, add busbars, series the next two, parallel both series. Pairing (paralleling) the first two sets of batteries was ok, but...

If you've already made the decision to go with 48v100ah batteries, then you've chosen 48v for system reference voltage ... From what I see of your requirements, and most specifically the need to start out small and/or inexpensive, I'd put in a 48v AIO, and try to get one that can be paired with...

The existing system seems to be old? If the existing 24v inverter wasn't high quality to start with (a LF magnum, etc.), then this would be an ideal time to flip over to 48v & LiFePO4, unless the higher costs of 48v are holding you back. In that case only, a 24v system might be appropriate. I'm...

I'd like to see them start off with off-grid and/or parallel use case, which would really spur the market for both solar and going off-grid from the many grids & co-ops out there. This (mostly) avoids all the permitting & grid-connected headaches, and possibly electrician expenses, unless folks...

Not quite apples to apples, but ... Magnum & affiliates have (always had) a 4024 "pre-wired unit" consisting of: ms4024pae, midnite solar 150, and pre-wired base, all connected together. This is what I put up on the wall of my utility shed almost 10 years ago now, when we built off-grid. It was...

WAG, but ... Get a stable power supply (smps wall wart) and power the RPi (or whomever's PI) through that. With that power in effect, maybe not as much grief from power trying to come in over USB, and RPi not liking that (not booting). Adding more shields and such, and replacing SD with SSD...

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...

For the micro-community of TinyHomes, I would ensure each tiny home (TH) has its own off-grid system; fully independent, capable of running just that (TH) household. Their battery-bank is sized to support just their household for design period (3-days or more). As the group of TH's are near...

All my solar gear *is* in a separate utility building, an intentional design from the start, for various colorado reasons. Been on LFP for 3+ years now, and FLA for years before that, and there are no problems. Pre-wired Magnum 4024, 4x 12v300ah battery-bank ... this stuff is rock-solid. Don't...

Any US store-bought solar generator has a number of compliance marks, so it would take digging to figure out which marks each one has; Goal Zero, other big names. It's an appliance ... My comments aren't meant to imply U/L 1741 (inverters hard-wired, AHJ & such), but it does mean that a...

Rule #0 might be to find out what the apartment rules & restrictions are, as you seem to be a tenant. As quietly as you can, find out what the owners/managers think about such things. If your solar gear burns down the apartment, or the entire block of apartments, things could get iffy in a...

Also keep in mind your cycle depth choice ... while every battery vendor says "our battery can go down to .00001 percent of remaining capacity"**, it's perhaps wise to think about your choice, say, 90% depth of discharge, and try to get within 10% of full. That's about 80% per cycle, and a cycle...

I, too, would apply new design principles to your "existing" (built by someone else) situation: 1. reduce, and the good news here is that much reduction has been done for you (propane, wood heat, solar gain, etc ... all good stuff); only thing left to discover is what your family can do...

I bought into LiTime batteries ... had no problems buying vs building, trading money for time & labor. While sealed, batteries are well-packed, clean & simple, and installed in minutes. SOK has batteries that you can open up and repair, but for more money. So, with LiTime, Chins, etc., you'll...

I couldn't imagine using a 30aH battery in a system, even though it's a 48v model ... the smallest I'd go is 48v100aH. Not sure why you'd want a 30ah battery (one at $700?), but it would take lots of calculations to see if it would serve your needs, and, that 30ah battery is probably...

That's diy ... nice!

One approach ... Get a 24v 3000w or larger AIO inverter, or a 48v 6000w or larger inverter, and an appropriate battery-bank for each: - 24v MPP 3000w (off-grid model) inverter, 2x 12v300ah (LiTime) LiFePO4 batteries in series for 24v, or 2x 24vXXXah batteries in parallel - or, 48v 6000w...

Another way to approach this is to install an off-grid friendly "expandable" system, in these phases: 1. reduce your loads where possible, as power saved at this stage makes the rest of the system work better. Turn off internet at night (simple power switch or power strip, in front of all...

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 think the answer is "warranties" ... no waiting around needed if you've done the research, and avoided the: - "90-day" to "6-month" garbage - "we love our product, and think you will too (but it still only has a 1-year warranty)" - "10 generations later, we think we've got it right, so we're...

OP has a grid conn, and its unlikely this could ever go away (most grids do the "hotel california" thing) ... so, might as well use it as alternate charging source (off-peak rates). OP already knows how to sort thru wiring, so have him call CurrentConnected to ask for all components of an...

An air-cooled, diesel gen at 3000rpm ... looks to be non-inverter-gen type. Interesting, and not what I would've expected out of a diesel genset, but, it is inexpensive. Can't give any advice on this, other than find the manuals & warranty, and read up on it. Can't yet find THD values for it ...

I'm off-grid, and I use westinghouse propane gens ... these are auto-start/auto-choke, and have an ATS smart port built in. Couple that gen (various models) with the westinghouse ATS box (sold separately), and you have automatic ATS power when the monitored power source goes offline. As we are...

As this is just the first of many power-hungry tools that will accrete in your type of wood shop, I think I'd go with a hd shop power source, like a diesel gen ... Both tractor (for pto) or diesel-gen can be "used" (depending on which route you go), so perhaps that gives you some options in...

"2. Research and implement a backup generator; could be inverter-gen, could be open-frame non-inverter gen with a "ChargeVerter". Putting this in place now, sized for future needs, and you have backup for when grid goes down." You'll want to figure out your requirements (things this gen has to...

Rewrite of your goals: - build the system slowly: batteries, solar panels (ground mount) batteries, backup generator; get rid of utility one day. - everything manageable by power management system that doesn’t require lcd menus on the equipment - my usage: 15.5kwh x 2 be optimal or 1 to get...

It's a tiny home ... distances just aren't that great in one of these, and OP is wiring it up. I'd put in two inverters & battery banks, if you can find the room for them, or have an insulated/heated shed nearby: 1. big guy (24v) powering the high-draw long-running loads, but only at the...

It is interesting that you are choosing a battery designed for golf cart applications, and implementing it as a solar battery-bank. These batteries (seem to) have a BMS in them, and the manufacturer (of the battery box w/ BMS) knows what they built, and also knows the limitations of various...

Pictures would help ... take a picture of the circuit-breaker box where the gen cord plugs in, and try to get the manufacturer nameplate in some of the pics. Take a pic of the generator, or give us the exact model. Take a pic of the cord coming out of the gen, and another where it plugs into the...

Nothing like getting things done at the state level, where we are guaranteed to have 50 different ways of doing the same thing, vs once at the federal level. WRT the NEC, just ignore them, and do what you're going to do (safely) ... there's always a way around a roadblock organization that says...

If this is new construction, there shouldn't be any problem running parallel systems ... wire the whole house for AC, and use appropriate plug design for that (all white plugs). This wiring system can be fed by solar, or later on, by grid (if someone else buys the place and rips out the solar...

This is a perennial question, choosing AIO (usually HF) or individual (usually top-tier, LF) components ... With AIO, I'd tend to have two on hand, installed (up on the wall or whatever), with one in-line and operating, and the other off but near-line and ready to spring into action if needed...

As mentioned above, you will want to investigate whether your AIO cares about low-THD gen output, and might reject the power from your chosen generator. In the old days, it was open-frame, possibly high-THD. Have to carefully read the AIO docs, or ask their support department (if they have one)...

It is interesting, but for these reasons, not useful for me: - clown, er ... cloud-based. needs wifi/internet, transfers data to others - insurance ... do you really want your insurance company to know things to this level? - subscription-based (after 1st year, if not covered by insurance) ... I...

I would consider your 4S experience as a test or experiment ... you've learned a lot of material to get to the point of 1st power from it. You can DIY again for the 16s, searching for the threads on this forum of folks (Steve_S, others) who have or continue to do it, and see if you get inspired...