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Professionally installed by me

A few months ago, I found a Lion's Mane mushroom growing on a tree in the woods. I cloned it to Petri dishes until I had a clean culture. I used the clean culture to inoculate jars of sterilized birdseed and wood dowels. Now I'm growing Lion's Mane in my kitchen

If you think one party has your back and the other is evil, you are lost. You will cheer for your team fervently while they throw you under the bus, and you won't notice, because it's your team. This is by design.

So an update... Since the inverter is new, I didn't want to do anything to invalidate the warranty so I contacted Current Connected via email. Got a reply within an hour, RMA started with Victron, new PCB is on the way to CC. Instead of being down for who knows how long, I decided to order a...

With all the negative press some vendors continue to receive, I continue to be blown away from the service at CC. Had a minor issue with an MK3-usb device, sent an email to CC. Just received a new one in the mail today. No hassles, no BS, didn't ask for a return. Just like the inverter I broke...

Made 10 gallons of all-grain kolsch last weekend on a homemade brick rocket stove using whatever sticks I could scrounge off the ground. Works well, saves $15 in propane every batch and I'll never run out of fuel.

I've heard that Current Connected also doesn't suck.

I feel your pain. I am fully off grid, with no grid option. This is why I went with CurrentConnected. I just could not take the risk of being another SS support casualty. I just can't afford to be down. I have not been disappointed. Dexter has taken care of me since day one, including a lot of...

This makes me envision a future where electricity is used as "currency". I could see people carrying small, light, high capacity batteries and buying things with them. Later, it morphs into a central bank and a lithium standard is adopted. Cash is printed. Batteries will be rumored to be kept in...

"How long can you (and your family) survive if the grid went down for an extended period?" Until I fight to the death with my dumbass neighbor about the finer details of diesel fuel

I'm in the "dad didn't teach me shit" camp. In fact, I never met him. It stung here and there as a kid. But now in my mid50s, I can see that by not being around, he taught me everything. I was working and putting food on the table at 12. I am comfortable with all situations, I know I will...

Hell, even cheap beer is expensive. I make 10gallons of a Miller Lite clone at a time, which is about 4.5 cases for about $9. The savings is real. ROI all depends on how fancy your equipment is and how much you drink. It's also not difficult to make any beer you can buy or imagine. My next...

Victron was my 3rd choice when I upgraded my system to 48v. My previous inverter was Magnum, rock solid. I wanted another Magnum but saw they sold out and therefore no longer trustworthy. My SCC was/is a Morningstar unit. Also flawless service, fanless, so I looked at their new fanless...

It seems "keeping quiet and not posting about it on the Internet" is the answer. One thing I do is lessen my panel tilt. Trade a few watts for less overhead visibility.

I live in 30+ acres of woods adjacent to thousands of acres of woods. Our biggest regular threat is tornadoes. I considered building a tornado shelter next to the house, but instead built the house underground, mostly alone, over 6 years, without machines, using logs I cut and peeled with a...

Setting a reminder to follow up in 15 years

Don't forget the okra! I installed a couple of hanging chairs yesterday, but instead of a pic of that, inspired by 420's view, I'll just post my current view from the new hanging chair.

Cook outside as much as possible, especially in the summer, as it's ridiculous to add heat to the house while trying to cool it. Added bonus, my cooking fuel regularly falls from the sky for free, in the form of sticks/limbs. I built my house facing south, all windows on the south, from floor...

Or "stimulus" checks

I do all my own pest control, diypestcontrol dot com

I am not one to trust that the government has my best interest, but when the scientists whose job is to monitor these situations sound the alarm, tell us "this is deadly, these are the actions you should take to save yourself and loved ones", to second guess that warning is foolish. "There is a...

Just knowing that I will be taken care of going forward into the future is easily worth an extra 10%, happy to pay it.

It took me 5 months of ignorance to go from zero comprehension to having a rack of balanced batteries. Without the tireless brains on this forum, I'd probably still be trying to save my old agms and getting up at 3am to crank the generator.

This is also how I treated the logs I cut, peeled and built my house with. It's anti-termite/mold/fungus. Sold under brand name Timbor, but I made my own. Nice to know it's also fireproof. Amazing!

Thanks, but ultimately, it was totally my fault for trusting a borrowed torque wrench. I won't make that mistake again. But you're right, I did work with my dealer, Current Connected. They did not justifiably blame me, or charge me for the repair or even shipping cross-country. The whole...

Too bad they don't just sell them, you have to request a quote.

My loads fall to a minimum outside of summer cooling. This year I'm using a propane heater. Next year will be wood heat. This is the first winter with my new system. I knew my SCC is over panelled to the point when it's 4⁰f outside the VOC will be over 150v. A couple mornings ago, I thought I...

I do things simply and cheaply, especially with ground mounts as I have not had one in the same position for more than a year. Have withstood a few bouts of 80-90mph winds. But again, not considered permanent.

It all depends on how important your solar power is to you. If it's for grid backup or a weekend in a camper, sure roll the dice. If you depend on it every day, all day for everything, you will value reliability and warranty over a "deal".