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The tankless propane water heaters in my house each use 2 D size batteries for ignition. The batteries last for years.

Here's one for $10. https://www.ebay.com/itm/364836179527?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=z2lxpkrusjm&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=OBNvB0WBQ6-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I have some ARCO and Solarex panels on my roof that are more than 35 years old and still going strong. The voltage output hasn't changed but I haven't checked amperage output of the individual panels. BTW the ARCO are mono crystal and the Solarex are poly crystal. I also have a couple really old...

Normal installation has both the combustion air intake and exhaust outside so there is no negative pressure inside. If the combustion air intake is inside, there will indeed be a negative pressure, and the exhaust should be piped far enough away so there is no risk of it being sucked into the...

How much per day? It depends how cold it is. Sometimes I run it 24 hours per day.

An fuel option for generators that sit unused for long periods is 100LL Aviation Fuel. It is formulated to sit for long periods of time without degradation. (Not for use in any vehicle with a catalytic converter) Buy it at most small airports. The switch on my WEN 3800 Watt inverter generator...

Up until the last couple years I used nothing but MSW inverters in my off grid house (35 years off grid). The only things that failed on MSW power were an electric blanket controller and a bread maker. Everything else worked fine although some induction motors would hum louder than they should.

Hasn't snowed here in almost 48 hours! Oregon Cascades. A warm 32° F this morning where lately it has been in the 20s overnight. The last wood stove fire of the season should be coming up in early July.

Yes, I believe it is. That was back in the days of 60 lb MSW Trace inverters and Trojan L16 batteries. There were 2 options available back then, this one that fit in a standard electrical box and one that came in a plastic box.

I bought a 1000 watt Xantrex inverter and a Trimetric meter in 1993 that has been used almost 24/7 since then. Over those 30 years I've cooked several inverters but the old MSW Xantrex and Trimetric meter keep on trucking.

I have a Australian made Solahart solar water heater on my house in Oregon. It's been producing all the hot water I need for 9 months out of the year for over 30 years. It's a thermosiphon unit with the tank on the roof of my off grid house so there is no electrical power involved, though it...

I just retired the Trimetric in exchange for the TBD smart shunt. I'll toss it in my old electronics box where someday it'll be a collectable antique like the Commodore SX64 "portable" computer it is next to.

For $72 I'll use a fuse. The one that failed cost under $12 shipped.

Common anti gel additive sold at truck stops works great in diesel heaters. It only takes a very small amount, 1 oz per 5 gallons. In a pinch I've added gasoline to the diesel which also works. Where I live winter diesel blend is sold starting November 1st, and with that I haven't had a gelling...

Chinese companies copying and improving well known reliable Japanese products with expired patents is a smart thing to do. Why reinvent the wheel?

I have a EPEVER Tracer 4215bn that came with the MT50 display. I found the MT50 difficult to work with, very poorly set up. I switched to the $20 Bluetooth dongle and Solar Guardian app which is much more logical and easy to use. Adjusting parameters, monitoring performance graphs, is easy and...

Something is not right with your installation if you can smell exhaust. A diesel heater when tuned right doesn't produce much CO but it still produces soot particles that are bad for your health. I use a diesel heater every day, using one right now, and do not get any smell or CO in my living space.

If we're lucky. I've seen snow and low 20s in August although it's rare.

Keep in mind that trees grow every year. Here in a ponderosa pine forest in Oregon my panels had decent insolation when I installed them 35 years ago but the trees, now approaching 100' tall have grown enough that insolation has been cut in half. Wind doesn't work with tall trees around to block it.

If it has a brand name it must be on a sticker on the back side which is inaccessible right now. I think all of them that look alike and have the same specs are probably the same. I have taken it apart to examine the inner workings and it seems like a pretty simple and solid design.

Reminds me of the electrification of Bodie California where they first ran long distance (13 mile) power lines to the mill. They ran the lines in a straight line because they thought electricity would jump out of the lines on corners...

Do you mean Renogy? The Renogy 1000 watt inverter I bought a couple years ago failed after 14 months of use, 2 months out of warranty. I looked at replacing the MOSFET but access to the bad one was difficult so I replaced the inverter.

Sometimes when it's real cold I'll run it 24/7 whether I'm in the camper or not to keep things from freezing. Probably doesn't use much more electricity than a couple computer fans except during startup and shutdown.

Sitting by the diesel heater rather than the wood stove this morning, 23°F. My daughter next door is going to have 3 huge 100+ year old ponderosa pine trees cut down when she goes full solar PV this summer so that will be enough firewood for years.

Maybe new alternators are more efficient than they were when I was building these things 20 years ago? I still have one BTW, a 60 amp Ford type alternator driven by a 5 hp Honda engine. V-belt drive, manual adjustable resistor to control field current. The engine is maxed out at rated 3600 RPM...

The shunt is now installed in my system and works as advertised. Pretty much identical to the Victron unit including the Android app. The only downside I see is that it won't work in conjunction with other Victron devices over Bluetooth. Not a problem for me as I have no Victron devices.

I use one of those electromechanical switches similar to the one in the link above but it's the standard size one. Cost about $14 and works as designed.

My Renogy 1000 watt sine wave inverter failed after 14 months of use, 2 months out of warranty. One of the MOSFETs popped. Will have to try a different brand next time. I have a Xantrex 1000 watt MSW inverter that was in continuous use 24/7 for 15 years, it's still working.

The problem with using a GM 1 wire alternator is that it will attempt to put out maximum power to push the battery to ~14 volts. If the engine doesn't have enough horsepower it'll bog down and quit. Unlikely a 3.5 hp engine will run a 95 amp alternator at max power. If you use an alternator with...

David McLuckie on YouTube attached a diesel heater to a dryer