@nanscott5449 Thank you. Happy New Year to you. Good idea with your personal power pole and solar power. You can get a credit with CMP for the solar power you are generating. Also, I hope you took advantage of the Solar panels rebate (~$13,000/yr. For 2 years ). Finally, you probably know this already, you can take advantage of the Homestead exemption ($25,000 exempt off your assessed taxes), Farming exemption (5 acres property and spend $2,000 on farming supplies per year), Tree growth exemption on a 10 acre property and then there's the Property Tax Stabilization for Senior Citizens, also known as the Property Tax Stabilization Program (the “Program”), is a State program that allows certain senior-citizen residents to stabilize, or freeze, the property taxes on their homestead. As a result of recent changes in the law, the Tax Stabilization Program will only apply to the property tax year beginning April 1, 2023. However, this same legislation has expanded the eligibility thresholds for participation in the Property Tax Deferral Program and increased the maximum benefit available under the Property Tax Fairness Credit for those age 65 and older. Stabilization Application - The filing deadline for the property tax year beginning April 1, 2023 was December 1, 2022.
Not sure how cold gets in that battery shed, but If you get rid of these lead batteries and use LiFepo4, you can charge and discharge them between 0 and 100% and do the job with way less batteries (quarter or a third of your capacity now) and put couple of more solar panels.
I appreciate your input, but I'm happy with our Rolls Surrette batteries and have no plans to change any time soon. If maintained properly, these can last many years. 😊
Thanks for the solar walk thru. I really appreciated it!! I'm in the Western Mountains of Maine and will be switching to solar soon. I also moved from Chicago area to here about 5 years ago! I used to live in Palatine, IL but I was born in New England. Glad I'm back home!!
@@elfwoodadventures2103 Wauconda here 😉 We were practically neighbors! 😂 Be sure to spend the time and as accurately as possible, size the system you’ll need. Once you do that, the rest is relatively easy. 😊 Happy to help when the time comes. Best of luck! 😊
Some people want to be off-grid and have all the comforts, while others want to really rough it and be minimalistic. I'm in the firat group. If you built your solar setup 2 years ago, it's outdated. That technology has jumped in the past year, with panels and battery prices dropping to half what they were. You could put 30kwh of usable lifepo4 batteries in your system for around $6k right now. I bought 390 watt bifacial panels for $125 this summer, so you could easily expand another 2kw of panels for $1k. Pretty much anynsystem will have limitations, unless you want to spend $100k on your system. Your setup is fine 90% of the time, and you really can't control cloud cover. I would add a few more panels and make the switch to lifepo4 if you can swing it. You'll be much happier with that chemistry, but you will need low temp protection and heated batteries where you live.
@@jdollar5852 Thank you for the feedback and support! We’ll add panels soon enough. As for switching to Lithium…will never happen. I have my reasons. That said, I appreciate the comment! Have a Happy New Year!
@@HanbleceyaRanch would you be willing to expound on those reasons? I would never swap a healthy battery system out for a new one, but I am very curious why you wouldn't replace the current battery bank with Lifepo4 when it's reached end of life (considering how lifepo4 has so many more cycles and way better safe depth of discharge.) I'd love to understand what I'm missing, if you wouldn't mind explaining 🥰
I have 6kw of flooded batts. I only use my system for 12 v lighting and a air fan that runs 24/7 in the winter... I also use it to charge all things usb... and during the dark times of winter here in Mn. I need to add a trickle charge to keep them topped off ... but so far i think i have paid off my sytem for what it has saved me the last 3 yrs on my elec. Bill... once we get off grid. Then i will likely double the system. Or add another that is double the size... It is nice to have redundancy...
Happy New Year The simple outline and informative nature of your videos is much appreciated. I've always been skeptical of the up front cost and short Life of batteries. Obviously necessary- with driveway length and pole cost. Have you seen the videos of the system that utilized ADT 4V batteries -that were surplus? It was storage for a hydro-powered generator! But the entire system was under $4k and life of the 100(s?) of batteries was 20+ years! If I find it I'll Send the link. It's a very old video and again was hydropower- but the storage was a unique one.
Happy New Year! Thank you for the kind words and support 😊 Solar is costly upfront, that’s just how it is. As for the batteries, I don’t like Lithium so I don’t talk about them. When it comes to FLA’s, you get out of them what you put into them. The number one reason FLA’s have a bad rap for not lasting long, is because the owners fail to do the maintenance on them. I went with Rolls as they are a high end FLA battery with some folks having their Rolls going on 20 + yrs. It all boils down to maintenance. I’ve seen so many types of battery banks built and scraped together, through my past life, I can’t remember them all. I’d be interested in the one you mentioned. Sounds interesting. Maybe one day I’ll build a battery bank. 😊
We have no issues with the black flies because all of the openings are covered in screening. We do however have an issue in the fall with the cluster flies. Just can’t seem to shake those 😂
Nice info on your system. I was wondering why you don't have more propane powered appliances. Like tankless propane hot water heater and refrigerator. Other than the emergency heaters and stove, what else uses propane? Also, what size tank do you have, and do you own your own tank? I and I'm sure others that are just getting started off grid in Maine appreciate your help!
@@CM-sm6rs thank you for the kind words. Propane appliances are expensive hence why we don’t have a propane fridge. Our (2) tankless instant hot water heaters, stove and (3) wall heater all use propane. We own 2-120 gal and 1-52 gal tank that we fill 2x a year. Hope that helps! 😊
Extremely complex and expensive to "simply" be "off grid". While admirable, the daily intelligent effort fussing with systems is not for most. We're on grid gladly with 99% wood heating served from our 60a woodlot, and love it when the Maine winter temps rise into the 30s to 40s when we can use shoulder season firewoods. Yes it is wet and mucky. No big deal. Looking at all your vehicles, appliances, structures, tech devices, need for security ( why ? ) ,and animals it seems much too complex (for us). No cell phones here , just an older PC and VOIP 'landline' phone. Our choice. And two well used older cars. Best success to you both. JMNSHO
@@annaaron3510 Life offgrid is neither complex or expensive. That said, I appreciate your straight forward feedback, it’s refreshing 😊 As for our security, I’m sure I addressed that once before. Despite our current warmer temps, the cold is on its way this weekend. Hope you have a Happy New Year! 😊
I was thinking, why do the batteries only give you one half of the killowatt hours they receive ? Did you look into gas powered fridge? How is the pVC pipe you put under the driveway to get the water to flow away?
@@Traveler1965 FLA’s are designed to be discharged no more than 50% of their rated capacity; 70% if one wants to keep the batteries in tip top shape. I have my system alarm set at 65% so when we sit it get triggered we know it’s time to run the generator. We did look into them but found them to be costly, so we went with a chest freezer converted to a fridge, then later upgraded to the fridge in the video. It has kept that area free of water, no Lake Hanbleceya yet this year! 😊
Did you have someone set up your solar system or did you research it and build it yourself? I’m trying to figure out who to go through in the county. I thought of doing it ourselves but it’s so confusing to me.
I designed, procured the equipment and installed it myself. In my prior life I was an Electrical Engineer so that helped 😉 I’ve helped quite a few Mainers already size and build their systems. Working on one now for a neighbor. Feel free to reach out to me via email if you need help. Happy to do it. 😊 Happy New Year!
Question: If the summer sun equals 100% light/charge all the time, what percent of light/charge do you get in the winter? Is it 3/4, or 1/2, or much less. Really curious. Thanks.
@@Backyard_Chickens great question. When I say “full sun”, I mean that the sun is directly perpendicular to the panels. During the summer we’ll get ~6 hrs and during the winter we’re lucky to get ~3 hrs. As it pertains to the rest of the day, think of it like a bell curve where the bells’ peak is full sun and before and after is simply a running percentage of productivity. I hope I explained that well enough.
@@JohnUpnorth We’ll never switch to lithium batteries. The Rolls FLA’s make more sense for us. Additionally, the high cost and sketchy safety measures, along with 20+ years in the electronics industry, I’ll never “buy” into the idea that lithiums are a better battery. Just my 2 cents 😊
@@HanbleceyaRanch I get it you sunk money into the Rolls and hard to walk back but seriously consider LFP lithiums, no fire risk, can cycle 100% for years and no watering required. Prices are also falling fast.
@@vladik6565 I think you misunderstood me… my decision to not go with lithium has nothing to do with sinking $ into Rolls… I specially chose Rolls based on my application. We’ll never have Lithium batteries nor will you ever hear me recommend them. That said, if someone feels they are the right fit for them, then all power to you, but for me, nope.
@@vladik6565 I was under the impression LiFePO4 was only safe to discharge down to 10% remaining to get the rated discharge cycles? Still a mountain more functional DoD than lead acid, but 90% isn't 100% 😅
@@cedricgates9976 Not at all. We conduct maintenance every month on our batteries, which is about 15 mins. No harder than any other chore. We are more in tune to our electrical footprint than when we were on the grid.
It's nice to see a Maine basic living video. 👍 From Maine.
Wow, you're on the Maine/Canada borderline, that's really off the grid.
Happy New Year 🎉
Very cool!! But a lot of startup dollars I’m sure! Only for the bravest amount us! Carry on!!👍
@nanscott5449 Thank you. Happy New Year to you. Good idea with your personal power pole and solar power. You can get a credit with CMP for the solar power you are generating. Also, I hope you took advantage of the Solar panels rebate (~$13,000/yr. For 2 years ). Finally, you probably know this already, you can take advantage of the Homestead exemption ($25,000 exempt off your assessed taxes), Farming exemption (5 acres property and spend $2,000 on farming supplies per year), Tree growth exemption on a 10 acre property and then there's the
Property Tax Stabilization for Senior Citizens, also known as the Property Tax Stabilization Program (the “Program”), is a State program that allows certain senior-citizen residents to stabilize, or freeze, the property taxes on their homestead. As a result of recent changes in the law, the Tax Stabilization Program will only apply to the property tax year beginning April 1, 2023. However, this same legislation has expanded the eligibility thresholds for participation in the Property Tax Deferral Program and increased the maximum benefit available under the Property Tax Fairness Credit for those age 65 and older.
Stabilization Application - The filing deadline for the property tax year beginning April 1, 2023 was December 1, 2022.
@@sd247 Thank you for the support! 😊
Not sure how cold gets in that battery shed, but If you get rid of these lead batteries and use LiFepo4, you can charge and discharge them between 0 and 100% and do the job with way less batteries (quarter or a third of your capacity now) and put couple of more solar panels.
I appreciate your input, but I'm happy with our Rolls Surrette batteries and have no plans to change any time soon. If maintained properly, these can last many years. 😊
Thanks for the solar walk thru. I really appreciated it!! I'm in the Western Mountains of Maine and will be switching to solar soon. I also moved from Chicago area to here about 5 years ago! I used to live in Palatine, IL but I was born in New England. Glad I'm back home!!
@@elfwoodadventures2103 Wauconda here 😉 We were practically neighbors! 😂
Be sure to spend the time and as accurately as possible, size the system you’ll need. Once you do that, the rest is relatively easy. 😊 Happy to help when the time comes. Best of luck! 😊
Absolutely I find value in your videos!!👍 real recommendations from real world experience…
Thanks so much for the kind words!! So glad you enjoy the videos!! 😊
We’re starting our off grid in northern maine as well, so excited
Best of luck on your journey!! 😊
@@HanbleceyaRanch thank you, we'll be in amity soon
Very helpful info, thanks!
You’re welcome 😊
Some people want to be off-grid and have all the comforts, while others want to really rough it and be minimalistic. I'm in the firat group.
If you built your solar setup 2 years ago, it's outdated. That technology has jumped in the past year, with panels and battery prices dropping to half what they were. You could put 30kwh of usable lifepo4 batteries in your system for around $6k right now. I bought 390 watt bifacial panels for $125 this summer, so you could easily expand another 2kw of panels for $1k.
Pretty much anynsystem will have limitations, unless you want to spend $100k on your system. Your setup is fine 90% of the time, and you really can't control cloud cover. I would add a few more panels and make the switch to lifepo4 if you can swing it. You'll be much happier with that chemistry, but you will need low temp protection and heated batteries where you live.
@@jdollar5852 Thank you for the feedback and support! We’ll add panels soon enough. As for switching to Lithium…will never happen. I have my reasons.
That said, I appreciate the comment! Have a Happy New Year!
@@HanbleceyaRanch would you be willing to expound on those reasons?
I would never swap a healthy battery system out for a new one, but I am very curious why you wouldn't replace the current battery bank with Lifepo4 when it's reached end of life (considering how lifepo4 has so many more cycles and way better safe depth of discharge.)
I'd love to understand what I'm missing, if you wouldn't mind explaining 🥰
Happy new year ,thank you for sharing
@@peperetuque7744 Happy New Year!
Excellent and informative. Always love the outdoor kitchen, in TX it would be full of dirt.
Thanks so much!! We appreciate the support!! The kitchen does get quite dirty during harvest season!!😉
I have 6kw of flooded batts. I only use my system for 12 v lighting and a air fan that runs 24/7 in the winter... I also use it to charge all things usb... and during the dark times of winter here in Mn. I need to add a trickle charge to keep them topped off ... but so far i think i have paid off my sytem for what it has saved me the last 3 yrs on my elec. Bill... once we get off grid. Then i will likely double the system. Or add another that is double the size... It is nice to have redundancy...
Sounds like you’ve got a great setup and a good plan in place going forward. Redundancy’s are a great insurance policy. 😊
Happy New Year!!!!
Happy New Year! 😊
Happy New Year
The simple outline and informative nature of your videos is much appreciated.
I've always been skeptical of the up front cost and short
Life of batteries.
Obviously necessary- with driveway length and pole cost.
Have you seen the videos of the system that utilized
ADT 4V batteries -that were surplus?
It was storage for a hydro-powered generator!
But the entire system was under $4k and life of the 100(s?) of batteries was 20+ years!
If I find it I'll
Send the link.
It's a very old video and again was hydropower- but the storage was a unique one.
Happy New Year! Thank you for the kind words and support 😊
Solar is costly upfront, that’s just how it is. As for the batteries, I don’t like Lithium so I don’t talk about them. When it comes to FLA’s, you get out of them what you put into them. The number one reason FLA’s have a bad rap for not lasting long, is because the owners fail to do the maintenance on them. I went with Rolls as they are a high end FLA battery with some folks having their Rolls going on 20 + yrs. It all boils down to maintenance.
I’ve seen so many types of battery banks built and scraped together, through my past life, I can’t remember them all. I’d be interested in the one you mentioned. Sounds interesting. Maybe one day I’ll build a battery bank. 😊
Happy New Year
@@brendaalbee7922 Happy New Year! 😊
Happy new year from madawaska.
@@joecrachemontange4613 Happy New Year neighbor! 😊
Very good. Only thing I wondered is when she is cooking in the outdoor kitchen, don't the black flies come in?
We have no issues with the black flies because all of the openings are covered in screening. We do however have an issue in the fall with the cluster flies. Just can’t seem to shake those 😂
Nice info on your system. I was wondering why you don't have more propane powered appliances. Like tankless propane hot water heater and refrigerator. Other than the emergency heaters and stove, what else uses propane? Also, what size tank do you have, and do you own your own tank? I and I'm sure others that are just getting started off grid in Maine appreciate your help!
@@CM-sm6rs thank you for the kind words. Propane appliances are expensive hence why we don’t have a propane fridge. Our (2) tankless instant hot water heaters, stove and (3) wall heater all use propane. We own 2-120 gal and 1-52 gal tank that we fill 2x a year. Hope that helps! 😊
Extremely complex and expensive to "simply" be "off grid". While admirable, the daily intelligent effort fussing with systems is not for most. We're on grid gladly with 99% wood heating served from our 60a woodlot, and love it when the Maine winter temps rise into the 30s to 40s when we can use shoulder season firewoods. Yes it is wet and mucky. No big deal. Looking at all your vehicles, appliances, structures, tech devices, need for security ( why ? ) ,and animals it seems much too complex (for us). No cell phones here , just an older PC and VOIP 'landline' phone. Our choice. And two well used older cars. Best success to you both. JMNSHO
@@annaaron3510 Life offgrid is neither complex or expensive. That said, I appreciate your straight forward feedback, it’s refreshing 😊
As for our security, I’m sure I addressed that once before.
Despite our current warmer temps, the cold is on its way this weekend.
Hope you have a Happy New Year! 😊
@@annaaron3510 someone always has to complain
I call it lazy .... don't want to out in the effort
thumbs up
Thanks Tom!👍
Very informative video. Now how do I figure the capacity I need?
Thank you for the kind words and support. That requires a more detailed response. I’ve been asked this many times, I’ll do a video on it… 😊
I was thinking, why do the batteries only give you one half of the killowatt hours they receive ? Did you look into gas powered fridge? How is the pVC pipe you put under the driveway to get the water to flow away?
@@Traveler1965 FLA’s are designed to be discharged no more than 50% of their rated capacity; 70% if one wants to keep the batteries in tip top shape. I have my system alarm set at 65% so when we sit it get triggered we know it’s time to run the generator.
We did look into them but found them to be costly, so we went with a chest freezer converted to a fridge, then later upgraded to the fridge in the video.
It has kept that area free of water, no Lake Hanbleceya yet this year! 😊
@ oh so it’s much like trying to not run your cell phone battery too low every time you use it?
@@Traveler1965 I suppose you could say it like that…the consequences are a bit more severe but you get the idea. 😊
How much wattage in solar panels do you have?
@@hondraburton5069 ~2.6kw in panels
Did you have someone set up your solar system or did you research it and build it yourself? I’m trying to figure out who to go through in the county. I thought of doing it ourselves but it’s so confusing to me.
I designed, procured the equipment and installed it myself. In my prior life I was an Electrical Engineer so that helped 😉
I’ve helped quite a few Mainers already size and build their systems. Working on one now for a neighbor. Feel free to reach out to me via email if you need help. Happy to do it. 😊 Happy New Year!
Question: If the summer sun equals 100% light/charge all the time, what percent of light/charge do you get in the winter? Is it 3/4, or 1/2, or much less. Really curious. Thanks.
@@Backyard_Chickens great question. When I say “full sun”, I mean that the sun is directly perpendicular to the panels. During the summer we’ll get ~6 hrs and during the winter we’re lucky to get ~3 hrs. As it pertains to the rest of the day, think of it like a bell curve where the bells’ peak is full sun and before and after is simply a running percentage of productivity. I hope I explained that well enough.
How's you're starlink working out [power and speed]??
I have no complaints about our Starlink. It’s one of the best investments we’ve made.
Any thoughts on upgrading to lithium?
@@JohnUpnorth We’ll never switch to lithium batteries. The Rolls FLA’s make more sense for us. Additionally, the high cost and sketchy safety measures, along with 20+ years in the electronics industry, I’ll never “buy” into the idea that lithiums are a better battery. Just my 2 cents 😊
@@HanbleceyaRanch I get it you sunk money into the Rolls and hard to walk back but seriously consider LFP lithiums, no fire risk, can cycle 100% for years and no watering required. Prices are also falling fast.
@@vladik6565 I think you misunderstood me… my decision to not go with lithium has nothing to do with sinking $ into Rolls… I specially chose Rolls based on my application.
We’ll never have Lithium batteries nor will you ever hear me recommend them.
That said, if someone feels they are the right fit for them, then all power to you, but for me, nope.
@@vladik6565 I was under the impression LiFePO4 was only safe to discharge down to 10% remaining to get the rated discharge cycles?
Still a mountain more functional DoD than lead acid, but 90% isn't 100% 😅
do you think that this system is hard to manage? is life that hard this way?
@@cedricgates9976 Not at all. We conduct maintenance every month on our batteries, which is about 15 mins. No harder than any other chore.
We are more in tune to our electrical footprint than when we were on the grid.
2 much bs
@@CharlesGilliam-k7j Care to expand on that?