Nice to have a system that will start everything BUT the more power you use the faster the battery will empty. Discipline in power consumption is still your best friend.

2 items to consider when doing a project like this.. 1. Your system should have a manual interlock or auto transfer switch to ensure you do not accidentally connect your system and the utility. This could cause a big boom. Also. If power is lost, transformers wok backward. You could be powering up the line on the ground or be slipping your neighbor just enough power to get hurt. 2). They make "soft start units" that can limit the large current draw associated with large mtors starting. These might save you system from big current draws on start ups. Hope that helps someone.

Your almost there! Ok a few of your points I'd like to make clarifications on. Let's start with batteries. Your AGMs are good starters (so was mine). But LFP batteries will give you the best value long term. For a quality 200Ah LiFePo4 battery with BMS you are talking around $700. A 200Ah LFP battery puts out MORE than twice the power of a 200Ah lead acid (AGM). So a 200Ah LFP battery is more power storage than a 400Ah lead acid AGM. AGM batteries have a 3 year average lifespan (more if used lightly). LFP batteries can last 2-3 decades. So $50 for a used 100Ah AGM would need to buy x4 the batteries ($200) to match the storage of a single LFP 200Ah ($700). The LFP is $400 more still. But you gotta look at how the batteries age out. The used AGM will last 1-3 years before needing replacement. Where as the LFP will last 2-3 decades. Over the course of 20 years your looking at roughly $4,000 replacement cost for used AGM compared to $700 for a LFP battery over the same time. Long term costs LFP is the way to go! As far as your hardware that AIMs inverter is one of the best you can get! Renogy hardware is so-so OK. But Renogy is not the best quality and not the best price for what you get. For someone wanting to shift their house off grid over time I would recommend buy "two" grid supporting MPP Solar inverter/charge controllers all in one (one inverter for each AC 240v leg) or a Sol Ark (best inverter money can buy but expensive). The reason I would go this route is these inverters will use your solar/batteries to efficiently power your house. When the batteries get to a programed discharge level that you program (usually %50-%80) the inverters will auto switch and let the grid power through until your batteries recharge back up from the solar. This is the most seamless way to build up your solar piecemail while offsetting your electric bill in the process. In this setup the incoming grid will go to your inverter. Then your your inverter will power your breaker box. The inverter will seamlessly do all the switching. Lastly solar panels are the cheapest part of this buildout. There are SO many solar builds/projects out there right now! This means there are TONs of used/surplus solar panels out there on the market. I drove 300 miles with my pickup to Buffalo where I bought 340 watt new surplus commercial solar panels $100 each. You'll likely have to travel to a big city to get these kind of prices. But if you plan to buy 3000+ watts you will save SO much money doing it this way. At these prices you can easily over provision (get more solar than your charge controller supports) and you will have more power on cloudy days. Hope you find this information helpful! :)

I needed a unit kzfaq.infoUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y that I could store in my home when I wasn't running, so it being light and running on propane were key requirements. I can store the propane tank/bottle outside yet store the generator in my home when it's not in use as I will never put any gas in the engine. It is so light, and on echo mode, which I expect is how it will be used most of the time, it is pretty darned quiet (certainly compared to all the generators I hear in my neighborhood after each power outage).Many of the previous reviews had me concerned that it would be difficult to start on propane, but I have to say, I had absolutely no problem at all. I primed it first using the choke...3 pulls, heard the engine want to start, flipped it to propane, and one more pull and she started. I ran it for 2 hours the first time and plugged it in my fridge. And when I was done, I put the propane tank away and carried the generator to my basement for next time.I could not be happier.

I’ve learned more watching this video than I’ve learned watching tons of others solar videos. I like the practical approach. This makes it doable

The prices on LiFePo4 batteries are coming down significantly (Amazon has 200ah batteries as low as about $620 now.) With those lead acid batteries, you're only going to get about half their rated capacity in actual usable power. By switching to LiFePo4 batteries, if you get them with the exact same rated capacity as your lead acid batteries, you're actually doubling your capacity.

Nice a clteetus hat,kool , thanks BigAl California

May 2024 ,,,The month of freedom,and a vlog every day, Cleetus Garrett Mitchell McFarlane says , yesterday was EPIC, thanks BigAl California

I have seen a 6 room cabin that was off the grid, operated by a system entirely salvaged from a wrecked camper. 12 volt fridg, small well pump powered by a single separate solar panel from the system. The pump ran to an elevated tank and provided good pressure. Everything worked super fine. Total cost under 300 dollars.(except for the fridge)

Great video man! So the thing with Lithium vs Lead Acid is you can cycle them from 100% to 0% if needed and you wont destroy them. Normally from 90% to 10% so there is more usable energy. You cant do that with LA. Plus they will last many more years!!🤘

Great video. Love to see you expanding your solar system further. 👍

Get limiter to clean up the surge when your big compressors come on. It would save you more wattage. Good job, I like what you're doing 👍👌

It will be interesting to see how this hobby-grade solar setup compares to the larger one you have coming.

Will Prowse's channel, website, and forums are a tremendous resource for DIY Solar. He has great links for used panels that are an incredible deal as well as recommendations of batteries, components, and panels from every price range.

This is the first video I really liked, appreciated and enjoyed regarding solar power. Awesome!

Awesome set up and appreciate your knowledge and ingenuity !

Great video brother! You got straight to the point and covered lots of great information. This was presented very well.

You were actually testing the load capability of the battery bank, not the solar panel. The battery bank is most likely limited on how long it will provide power, using it faster than the solar panels will be able to charge them.

Nice set up. Thanks for showing that split phase inverter. I hooked one up also, it work great for my 220v stuff.

I really enjoyed the video and you got a subscription out of it. I like your DYI approach! That is what got a sub and the fact that you showed us everything that you did on your own!

As for the wind powered generator.. Add more guide wires one set about 18 inches from top and a second set about a third of the way up from ground.... To make more efficient use of the head of the generator make the blades longer and make sure they are perfectly balanced.. A.K.A. replicate the same look as the giant ones you have all around your property....That is CRUCIAL to maximize the efficiency of the system

Great job! That's amazing!

Very interesting setup! Definitely take advantage of all that wind too, a huge plus on those cloudy days or night

Australia made Solar panels and Tindo is the toughest Australian Solar panel, comes with a 30+ year guarantee............... TINDO awesome!!!!!

This was really interesting. It actually surprised me the price of some of the stuff as far as it being reasonable. I only have a fridge and a small freezer , lights and a tv so wouldn’t need the kind of power you need. Definitely going to look into this more as I thought it would be much more expensive. Great video and looking forward to all the new stuff you have coming 👍

Great vlog Justin . I love solar power . I’ve already built an RV / camper van that we use a lot for off grid . It’s got 2 panels on the roof 460 watts charging 3 210ah AGM batteries. We very rarely run out of power . I would love to build a new house with so much solar . Ground source heat pump for heating / cooling etc . Wind turbine for winter back up . We are currently being robbed blind here in the uk . For GAS ELECTRICITY AND FUEL FOR VEHICLES DIESEL AND GAS . $10.50 per gallon for gas / petrol . Now the big companies are going to carry on paying dividends to investors. Mmmmmmm I’m off before I really vent .

Thanks for making this video. I'm replacing the cable's inside bushing on a 2004 F150, which looks the same as the bottom one in your video, and I learned which piece in the 14057 pkg to use and how to install it. So thanks again.

Thank you for sharing this. I see many practical ideas on KZfaq but this great and will save money. SF

For full house use, as opposed to cabins, you probably want to eventually get to about 5KW of panels, 48V based system, LiFePO4 batteries and at least 4k split phase inverter, especially with your well pump. Looks like you have a good start to build on! Timers on freezers and fridge might be helpful to manage power usage.

I have 2kW of solar panels feeding 10kWh of FLA batteries (5kWh usable; 8x6V golf-cart batteries just like in this vid), for a well pump. It's enough for the pump, but the RV AC drains those batteries in a couple hours. The next build will be going to 8kW of panels and 20kWh of LiFePO4 batteries (18kWh usable). Mini-split AC is the way to go. You don't realize how much electricity it takes to run a 'normal' life until you try to go solar. Use propane everywhere you can... that would be heat, range, oven, on-demand water heater, washer/dryer.. otherwise ALL of those consume WAY too much electricity to afford with solar.

Straightforward and simple explanation, thank you!

Great video. You the man to have around. Electrical genius.

FYI - Regarding the “Sine Wave Inverter”, Sine is pronounced like the word sign. Same as stop “sign”. Sine is a math function.

Interesting and pleasant video, thanks! Had some sketchy stuff happening to our wind turbine as well. Steel piping and steel anchor cables at the top under blade level helps 99% but that last 1% is always an issue. Awesome solar setup sir, working on mine at the moment too.

I've heard that we might be harnessing electricity from a Tesla system that will be free or dramatically reduced in cost. You're a patriot, awesome! God bless you too bro! 🙂

Thank you for the information! We will check back. We are doing similar, way out, and hour or so off pavement.

Well done, thanks👍

i found that for the wind turbine pole, if you connect at 2/3 of the distance up you don't get any vibrations....

Great info, you gave me food for thought. Thanx😀. Tom

Good vid. As an aside, I like the way you planted your corn.

PS: If you are using around 1500 kw/hrs (1,500,000 watts/hrs) on your electric bill each month that equates to around 50,000 watts per day usage. If you figure average sun in your area (it averages 6 hours per day year round here where I live in Texas) you would need to divide the 50,000 by 6 = 8333 watts of solar generation capability. Most downsize their use during emergency or upsize their battery bank for short term grid down situations. Those that have that type usage and design for solar as the means of production spend a fortune to produce all they need. And the payback is not there. The cost to buy the system, installed will never be offset by the production savings before major components fail and need replaced. So keep in mind that solar is not feasible for total usage, all the time. I've done the math. Now large solar farms being set up across the country will produce enough to pay for themselves if fed directly into the existing grid. Interestingly, Elon Musk is working on large storage modules to offset community grid down scenarios. With tax incentives he claims he will be able to produce such large storage modules and make a profit. In some future setting, it might be possible to produce solar at your location and sell it to the community storage module then used to provide power back to users when needed.

Nice one. For sure these power systems are the future for our homes. I'm going to do 48v just for the efficiency and because you and have double the solar input for the same price of the core 24v system. And less efficiency losses across longer cables too. Looking forward to building it.

Nice job man. True freedom comes with self reliance. The well is a good goal to hit.

Nice job showing the capabilities of a reasonably priced system

A $1400 48v 100 amp hr LiFePo4 is equivalence to 4 of those 12v 100 amp hr AGM batteries in watts. You would need 24 of those AGM batteries to equal the power of six 48V LiFePo4. When considering that a LiFePo4 should last 10 years or more under heavy use, they are considerably cheaper than AGM or flooded cell batteries, new vs new in the long run. LiFePo4's are a big investment upfront but payoff several times over in the long run unless you can keep getting such a great deal on those AGM's you have.

You probably already know this but I'm just throwing it out there, don't forget to file your IRS Form 5695 when you file your taxes next year so you can get your 26% tax credit for the purchase of solar panels; you'll also have to list the tax credit in Section 25D of the 1040 also and you might want to get some sort of receipt from your friend you traded for the batteries just in case of an audit. Also, if you have any excess electricity from your solar panels, your local power company has to buy them from you, so that's more money back in your pocket. Great video as always and looking forward to the next one. 👍✨🔥💥

Thanks for sharing! We've been thinking about a solar system for our homestead and you had a lot of good info. 👍

You might consider putting a soft start on your AC unit to mitigate the compressor's locked rotor amperage when it first kicks on. This will prolong the lifespan of your inverter since it won't be seeing the initial inrush of power from the compressor. You can get soft starts for well pumps too.

I just bought an acre and a quarter of land and the only thing that has on it is a small building and a little deck out in the middle of the property with a roof. I plan on putting a big RV next to the deck and solar panels on the roof of it which is probably about as big as what you have on your solar panels outside. I hope to be able to get as much off grid as possible when I retire in a couple years hopefully. My question is is how much did all that cost you? I'm still learning about solar panel power. The video finally completely unlocked where I can watch the rest of it you answered my question about price you have a nice setup.

Great job and a really nice setup!

Looks like you have got some things going right for you on getting that power for a shop and the house .... great job...

Thank you SO MUCH for this practical and useful information! I have been researching an alternative power system for a long time, and have watched dozens of videos, and read numerous websites, which left me no clearer on what it will take to power my homestead - with two fridges, three freezers, and a well pump 😉 Now I at least have a starting place. I very much appreciate it💜

In a pinch you could install a small window AC in the house and only cool one room, and you could also install small fans that run directly from solar panels to help keep the rest of the house cool, granted they only run when the sun is hitting the panels, but you also don't need to involve your batteries

ok im brand new here and i must say i have been watching off grid related videos for past few years and i like the simplicity of what you have shown here thank u i liked it well enough to become a new subscriber and gave a big thumbs up thank u sincerely

Sweet set up....great job

To measure voltage drop properly the meter leads go across the load. You were measuring voltage across incoming line. Still impressive to have 120v on a run that long. Wonder what you started with at the shop? Note: On the lights volt drop is not a big deal. On the motors 10-20% drop is ok but makes them inefficient. Less than that you'll burn up motors.

This is the EXACT video I needed and now I'm a subscriber! I appreciate folks like yourself that share a cost effective away and not all the bells and whistles. Thank you so much again.

Very informative. Thanks!

Very cool! Thank you!

Nice setup u have there, seems very efficient too, Im surprised how well it powers the house and all those loads over such a distance, but Ti doesn’t seem to worry it at all. Inverter does do a great job for its size. Ur right of course that 48v is the way to go if ur serious & more efficiencies to boot, in Australia we run on 240v, so we get some more efficiency there too. Good score with the batteries. Im currently setting up a few systems 24v & 48v for house, shed, bus, and possibly with a view to an EV in the not too distant future. I am using Lifepo4 304A prismatic cells which are coming down lately & while they are pricey, are very nice cells that will last many years to come. i am using All-in-one systems as they have so many cool features all built in for the price point and super easy to set up + they have variable charging algorithms with high charging outputs, so are a very easy way to go nowadays. Good vid and info, you have done a great job for what u have spent on this setup,works well. Sub’d Cheers from Australia

Dustin, SOK 12V 206Ah LiFePO4 Battery Bluetooth&Built-in heater $1,200.00 retail ($600 per 100Ah). Just an FYI. This may change your 'used battery' calculation slightly. By the way, there are many other solar panels on the market, for a lot less money (Renogy is overpriced) that will give you more output than the Renogy. Love the videos, keep 'em coming. From a fellow Coloradan and RV owner.

Amazing!! I'm buying my solar tomorrow and this was all the information I really needed!! Thank you 😊!

This is the content i was looking for thankyou. Love this solar content

I was thinking about doing solar for just my garage, just to see how it does. I just might try it now

Definitely, those agm batteries are a great starting investment. I used 8 agm batteries from sasktel when I first started my off-grid system. I did invest in 64 new 150ah golf cart batteries wires in a 24 volt configuration, I use between 2 and 5% of the batteries at any given time, powering my home, shop tools etc. I do have a small wind generator that is ok for trickle charge. I use both signeer and aims inverters, love them both. Now my panel system is 4kw that is designed in 4 individual systems that works perfectly. Awesome video. 👍

This is cool. It’s obvious that the system was only intended for the shop but it’s cool to see you can run the house in need. Few additional batteries and whatever else it would be cool dual use system

Great job sir. Thank you for the inspiration.

Just a heads up, Hyundai currently do 400w panels (somewhat larger than those 1719 x 1140mm) but in the UK are around £250/$270 which is around 68c per watt with a 25 year warranty. Larger panels are probably cheaper than smaller ones.

@Engineer775 here on youtube recently showed some kind of an addon for AC units that is a capacitor that reduces the impact somehow when starting up AC units... I haven't gone solar but may want to add it eventually.

Thanks a bunch! Love your presentation 😎

Very nice setup, and excellent, video, great job!!!

I recommend that you visit DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse. He does reviews on solar LifeP04 batteries. He will show that you can get good batteries much cheaper. I highly recommend him.

"sine" is pronounced like "sign". Running an inverter is good for those things that need to be mains AC powered. You can also run some lights off the 12 or 24V directly and get a bit more efficiency in the result. Gear from the automotive area is a good idea. Since you seem to have the room a desiccant based air conditioner may be a good idea. I will explain how it works in general terms. Motors work blowers and move desiccant from place to place to make it all work. -- There is a solar oven where heat is used to dry out desiccant. -- There is shaded sealed cooling room where the hot dry desiccant cools off. -- Desiccant is used to dry out air. -- Drying air heats it up so there is a "cooling" chamber -- This "cool" dry air is spit into two paths. -- (1) path 1 air gets a lot water added making it cooler very wet air. -- (2) if "heat exchanged" with (1) to make cooler dry air -- some water is added to the (2) air to make it normal humidity. There are ways to add more steps to get even cooler air if needed. Splitting the cool dry air into 3 paths will get you some of this.

You did a great job with the system.

Impressive project. Thank you for sharing!

I like Renogy (I have their stuff). I love them actually. Good price for great products. But my main complaint/warning is... their "complete" kits don't come with enough fuses. So if 1 panel dies/is damaged, and all your other panels combined dump their current into that panel (8-10amps * by each string in parallel). Now you have a dead panel that is ALSO hot as fire and will probably burn your house/shed/field down. Sure, any "pro" knows to put a fuse on it. Except... they advertise their product as this easy quick-snap installation. Well then they should ship with a couple more easy quick-snap fuses that can go in line :D Anyway, awesome setup btw. I like seeing everyone's work.

Another good clip, just love your down to earth style. Oh and is it just me or are you getting more grey in the beard lol.

i Install off grid systems for a living. You did an awesome job!!!

Nice setup

Why not add a big can half full of water to the pole to counter the resonance? Why not add longer wires to stabilize the tower? There are better options than shortening the pole.

Nice job! Please tell us the size of your well pump, I'm struggling with what size inverter to get... Also, can you run washer and/or dryer? Dryer electric or propane? Not an emergency item but... Thanks for putting this together. BTW, I would suggest you leave turbine up that high, just add another set of guy wires higher up.

Thank you...always learning here...

Very nice video, thank you.

So, what you were trying to show us is that you can power your whole house with 1200 watts of solar power. You showed us it is possible, but with your setup only for a short time. Your $2000 dollar inverter makes that possible but you are vary limited on reserve power for it. You can buy 300 watt used 72x38 solar panels for $99 to $125. About 12 of them would supply that inverter all day. Batteries are just a buffer for appliance startup in this case. You will need a way bigger charge controler like a 2000 watt or even bigger. I am just saying you will need to make changes/ upgrades to keep up with the battery power loss to your inverter if you want to run your house and other stuff on solar all day. Lastly , don't waste time and money on your wind generator. Unless you have an industrial one you will need 10 of them to make the same power as a solar panel. Spend your wind generator money on your solar panels. Wind generators are not worth the time and trouble for 300 watts if it even makes that many watts.

I was first!

Great job.

That was one very good video it's such a good proof of concept

Your wiring of the solar power into the shop AND from the shop to the house is both illegal and very dangerous! It must be mechanically impossible to have both systems able on at the same time!!! Marking the breaker panel isn’t acceptable! If you know this, why are you showing it on KZfaq? In addition, if you EVER have any accident involving electricity, your homeowners insurance is void because of your illegal wiring. This includes, if your house catches on fire, your insurance is voided! If you don’t understand why it is so wrong, illegal and dangerous, call a licensed electrician and let him fix it, then repost a new video on KZfaq or your insurance company attorney will never allow a claim! In the mean time, I suggest you immediately remove this video so no one else follows your dangerous installation method. Good luck. I’m a retired inspector. I’ve been involved in past litigation. Do some research

Great job. Please keep up the good work.

Great job Dustin!

I'm very impressed man!

Inspiring! Thank you

Enjoyed the vid, lots of good info and personality... liked and subscribed

Thank you for sharing. Really enjoyed the video. Appreciate the explanation of how it works. I will look forward to the next one. I plan to design and install my own solar power to my home. Beautiful home too, BTW.

So cool, amazing and it works! I want to learn from you!!

Thank you for your video

I don't understand the techno jargon, but I do understand free electricity. Great job.

This was really interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Definitely saved this great informative video in my Favs! New subbie here, Fam! 🙋🏽‍♀️

Awesome video! Thanks!