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Yea I saw the reviews also. But at this price I can just run it in straight electric mode if I lose the heat pump. 10 year parts warranty but I figure since it was a DIY installation they would find a way to not honor it.

If yours is a salt based softener system it will actually speed up deterioration of the anodes, etc. The HO Smith HP unit manual specifically calls this out for increased frequency anode inspections.

I 'found' an AO Smith 80g unit in the clearance section of our local blue big box store. Was a previous year model advertised as 3x as efficient - the new ones advertise 4x efficiency. Anyway, orig price $2600 +/-, fir st saw it marked down to $1,600 and offered them $1,000. No dice. Went back 3...

I went to Trade High School for a year in my hometown of Springfield MA. The school was setup so that you had one week of 'book study' classes then one week of your shop trade class. I was in the heating & air conditioning group. I loved the shop week but usually skipped the other.... Later...

Patrick it seems to me that the issue is not the starting function of your LFP battery - you did not identify any problems with it handling the surge current of starting your outboard. The issues you describe are all on the charging side of the equation, and it sounds like your alternator is...

You have correctly identified the issues with so-called 'drop-in' LFP batteries. The new ones rated for starting battery current loads have the exact same charging constraints / challenges. So the answer to your question is "Yes, you still need additional components...." Fortunately the solution...

OK makes more sense now - thank you.

Reading further into the Xantrex manual, it shows that the absorb phase last until either: a) the charging current drops to 2% of the battery capacity; or b) the absorb timer lapses (default is 3 hours). Since the LFP batteries will accept all the current that the charger can supply until they...

Thanks! I can adjust the float voltage up to 13.5V. I assume the AGMs will be OK with that slight increase as well.

I have two 8D batteries for starting and six 8Ds for the house. I'm happy to say that they're all in need of replacement..... ugh! It's now cheaper for me to replace the house 8Ds with LIFEPOs than AGMs. 12V 280Ah Eco Worthy units are now just $500 each as opposed to the best price I could find...

I already get a "Low Battery Voltage" warning from my chart plotters. I think the ABYC logic is that a LA battery will stay connected and provide power until it's completely flat vice the BMS cutofff. Not sure how that's a real-world difference except in the case of over-temp or high discharge...

Choice of a really expensive system (Tao) or a very in the weeds techie approach. Waiting for this technology to mature I guess...

Wondering what to use to meet the ABYC requirement of an audible alarm before the BMS will disconnect your LiFePO4 batteries? Would a simple low voltage alarm suffice or do we have some new products out there to meet this requirement? Would be nice to have something more than a dumb threshold...

deleted so as to not hijack the thread....

Read through the earlier threads and the problems described with the AIMS charger / converters. Does anyone know if this has been resolved? Looking for a decent 24V charger for a marine application. TIA.

Looking at the amazon listing I saw that one of their picture panels said "Do not mix ELEFAST batteries with other brands...." so I did a quick search on 'ELEFAST' within Amazon. That brought up a listing for the same 12v 100Ah battery under a different brand name. In fact the bluetooth optioned...

Too bad the Renogy unit has a Frequently Returned Item warning on Amazon. Scared me off along with other experience reports on this forum.

During COVID I had to replace the 8 6V GC2 batteries in our RV. The only ones I could get at the time were FLA units to replace the solid-state units that had expired. Repair shop installed the new units and I set the inverter / charger profile to Lead Acid battery type. All is good..... until...

Agreed - or at least I hope so. My estimated production used the 75% 'rule of thumb' and due to shading, roof shape / position, I used only 4 hours of sunlight per day. Neighbors have some really tall trees that are nice for everything except solar production....

The insurance is to protect you should the system malfunction and somehow create a hazard to linemen. You purchase your insurance through a private carrier, not the utility. I've heard figures of around $15 / month for a $1M policy. Each client is different though..

Technically correct - I saw this in an amendment to the rule that was not adopted. They can only 'recommend' this amount of liability insurance for Tier 1 systems. My mistake.

How large is your PV array?

The Tiers for solar are defined in the Florida Administrative Code 25-6.065 - not applicable to those outside of FL. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/RuleNo.asp?ID=25-6.065 Tier 1 = 10kw AC or less. Requires $100K liability insurance Tier 2 = 10kw to 100kw AC. Requires $1M liability insurance...

I've been soaking up as much information as I can on this forum - many thanks to the community! I live where it costs me $0.17 per kwh (thank you Duke Energy...) and I am trying to get a handle on the financials involved. A Tier 1 system can be no more than 10kw (or 12kw of panels using the 120%...

Great thread for this newbie ..... consumption & production info is golden. My 'phase 1' has been to reduce consumption as much as practicable. Switched to a variable speed pool pump, induction cook top and scored a clearance isle last-year's model 80g heat pump water heater for less than the...

Am a beginner myself but why deal with import/export crap when a supplier close by (or at least close enough for a long day trip) offers 'brand name' UL listed bifacial panels for .40 / watt? My little utility trailer will be headed that way before long ...

thanks for the replies

Watching... planning a similar Marion County / Duke Energy DIY build....

Early design phase for my grid tied project. Wondering which smart phone measuring tool folks recommend? I want to map out my roof and need specific dimensions & angles. Would prefer not to have to do it the old fashioned way...

Am considering doing likewise in a nearby county. Could you post your DIY plan? TIA, Mark

yeah I guess that's the only way. was thinking that you don't want a hole in the flashing but that's what roofing sealant is for I guess....

In the early planning stages for roof top solar. I have a pitched roof with new architectural composite shingles. Looking at the Ironridge installation guide for the Flash Foot2 mounts, it has you take the 9 inch wide by 12 inch long flashing and slide it up underneath 2 courses of shingles...

Saw these panels advertised for sale. The manufacturer label says ETL certified and "conforms to ... (various UL standards)" Does this really mean anything for US use / obtaining permits / etc?

New construction - don't you need arc fault breakers?

Agreed - the difference now, however, is that the new ABYC standard has been published.