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I power my cabin with a system that costs about $4000 all-in, to include the generator. I believe overall the aspect of having power makes the cabin worth approximately $10k to $15k more than one without in today's market, but it will never be for sale..... so i guess my return will not be...

Ladder racks? They drill in on the sides. Might be less invasive. Keep panels on one side front to back and you can still put a ladder on the other side.

The Midnite Diy 3024 is a high freq SRNE inverter. Good units but its not going to like that pump startup.

Heres a single panel pole mount from ebay. Im using a large panel so i added the aluminum angle full length and bolted in a few extra spots. All in im $145 and its pretty beefy. Goes on 3" pipe.

Yeah its too hard to tell from pics. Do you have a neutral/ground bond anywhere? Before the transformer? Double and triple check that you don't have a Line and Neutral reversed.

Ahhh yes the prices today on panels, lithium batteries and Chinese AIO units open the doors to a really budget friendly, large, turn key setup at any voltage, but especially 48v. At the end of the day, satisfaction with your system will be determined by it being sized appropriately for your...

Im doing almost exactly this right now for a friend's cabin. The Square D load center could easily be replaced by a L5-30 plug box being the cabin is already ran off the gen cord. I already have an L5-30 inlet plug for generator input/charging.

Assuming 48v system? Not 2 strings of 4 batteries for 24v? Trojan recommended max rate is 13% of the C20, so thats 42.9 amps. Plus with useage from the inverter, loses, and non perfect conditions. I wouldnt worry about adding 900w to the current 1800w array. Not all of the power goes "into" the...

You absolutely need a 2nd solar panel if you expect to charge via solar at 24v . Only having 1 might as well be zero

Somethings not right here. Merchants can reverse credit card transactions easily or issue a credit back to the card all the same. I would never recommend that a customer file a dispute unless i fully intended on fighting it as the merchant. Disputes resulting in fraudulent charges are harmful...

Yes Grundfos have built in soft start controls, they are great for inverter applications

Thanks! - Now this has my wheels turning. time for another experiment 😅

Ruger 10/22 - 22lr Remington 870 - 20ga Ruger M77 - .270 My choices are based on putting food on the table (in north America). I'm not much on self-defense pieces, although they are fun! Just not in the budget...

Have you ever done an equalization charge? What setting is your charge controller on? 13.5 is not high enough for a full charge on lead acids. Not having specifics on your batteries, 14.8 would be bulk charge for Trojan FLA. How old are the trojans? Id be tempted to reduce the battery group...

I know most folks don't like lead acids but for northern climate cabins these Trojan SPRE-06-415 are a solid choice. I have a set at my own camp going on 7 years old now. These are what im pairing with that victron panel above as they will stay in the cabin all winter.

Im probably the only one on here that recommends golf cart 6v lead acids. I also love my 24v system and would do it all over again. Golf cart 6v are widely available, generally around 220ah, can handle cycles just fine, local options to warranty or replace, can be configured to any voltage...

I posted this in "vehicle mounted systems" because there are lots of folks on here recharging batteries and loading up their vehicle alternator. My question is about monitoring temp, as the high end alternator controllers do this to not burn up an alternator. Also lots of pickup campers use the...

FYI - An Outback Flexmax 80 can be found for $336 right now. Flexmax 80

Buy per pallet and youll find your best deal. Check A1 solar store, inxeption and signature. Black is nice for appearance and melting frost at first light. Think about your max voc of 500v and the voc of each panel. Example: pallet quantity of 30. Panel voc of 41v figure 3 strings of 10 panels...

Over-panel! Get a top quality generator, no matter what you will use it more than you think. I prefer diesel as fuel is easy to get on weekends and holidays (not dependent on propane delivery) Fuel consumption and parts/service availability should be the deciding factor in what you purchase...

A Victron multiplus II, 3k/24v/70a inverter charger can be had for $1050, victron mppt 100/30 for $130. I have a pallet of Hyundai 365w panels here in northern MI, 2 for $220 and id be happy to deliver. Yes 2 panels would easily support a weekend 24v system. 4 golf cart 6v would get you up...

UL1741 is the quality/performance standard for inverters and pv systems to interact with the utility grid

In the DIY spirit, why not make your own pre-wired panel? I do this often for customers and actually prefer it over AIO units. I did one sort of like you described using a 6K Aims split phase UL listed inverter charger, a Midnite Classic 150 MPPT and a pair of IOTA DLS 27-40's. The Aims unit...

Yes, slightly dated design (kinda like the Midnite Classics), but right now for the price... very attractive. A 150/85 Victron is about $100 more, plus the $35 plug in display (if you want a display) As @Brucey pointed out, you could jump to the 100A version. I think if already paying extra...

Use a din rail breaker box with a cover. The cover keeps them in place. https://www.solar-electric.com/misobigbabox.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwMqvBhCtARIsAIXsZpYLVcyfAuvOpv4piTbywH_v6KP-e0iB94qaAadFdUmTJbGwyf_Y95caAj_LEALw_wcB

Maybe find an electrician to work with and get all the "cut wires" taken care of, building wiring squared away and so on. Maybe even have him do a generator input plug to the main panel so you have a power source temporarily (Later this circuit can be input from solar/inverter). Then, IF THEY...

Using PV wire has its advantages. Most quality pv wire can be direct bury and is sunlight resistant. THHN is neither. 10ga is kinda standard. But will vary depending on if panels are series or parallel configuration. With only 4 panels you can do either with 10ga. Just keep this in mind for...

https://www.fluke.com/en-us/product/electrical-testing/best-solar-energy-industry-tools/flk-irr1-sol Something like this would be nice for comparison sake

Also a single 200w panel with voc of 23v will never charge a 28v system

Yes