SOLArk / Deye inverters should be able to do this automatcally if configured and wired for it. They can "talk" to gas generators with inverters and start it......may need auto transfer switch. I am sure i read/watched on YT university while doing my research on solar solutions. Also it can auto test the generator every two weeks for 10 mins to ensure its ready.
You’re very intelligent Greg. You’re sure is a very good provider, protector, handyman, thoughtful, considerate Husband . Wilma is blessed to have a real man that takes good care of her🙏
@@buildingthephilippinesyes she does and yes you do you’re both very well matched in care of each other, great to observe and see! Your actions speak loud enough 🙏🏻❤️😉
Good information, as usual. Glad you was able to figure everything out and stay powered up and comfortable. You keep giving me information I'll be able to use if the time comes that we get over there. Thanks!
So glad you bought the generator before you decided to go to solar. It is your saving Grace, and I am glad you figured out how to Mai things work because of UTube University. I am glad that this is working out for you. At least you have power, and your neighbors don’t!
Your electric system worked exactly as you intended it to. You usually use solar. When there’s no sun you switch to the grid. You had a 4-5 day brownout so you switched to your backup gas generator. While others around you had no power for 5 days, you guys were living pretty much like normal. Getting a second solar storage battery is a big cost and you probably don’t really need it unless you have visitors staying with you (Norma’s family or people from the states) so it’s up to you guys. When the time comes we will probably going with 2 batteries just to be safe. I figure that and extra $2k usd is worth spending for a little more security and comfort.
5 days of storms and reduced sunlight? You finally got weather we've been dealing with for over 3 months, here on Luzon! 🤣😂🌬🌧 Good thing you're a good 'boy scout', Greg, and always prepared. I remember, when you were installing the solar, commenting about having the generator, and probably never needing it again. Good thing you hung onto it! 😲👍 I had a similar arrangement for switch (more modern) at a previous house in the States, where I could connect my generator to my house and power up several things (furnace, few lights, etc) whenever the power would go down. Usually in the winter. Thanks for the tutorial on the finer points of solar, and having a generator backup, Professor Greg! We don't usually experience brownouts here, and I'll likely have the grid for backup, but it's still useful knowledge. 👍
Your current battery setup is on point. Look instead in to extending the life cycle of your gasoline by 1) Storing it in an airtight, light-proof container of which can be purchased on Amazon. 2) Add a fuel stabilizer to the fuel that will prevent the formation of gum and varnish deposits in the engine when you top off the generator. And 3) Store the container or containers of fuel in a cool, dry place away from heat and direct sunlight. It should be fine in the carport in a cage near the dirty kitchen where there is plenty of ventilation. Triple your fuel storage for up to 2 years as per the American petroleum Institute recommended storage limits, amongst other studies.
lol...had questioned why you had a generator when you had solar, it finally came in handy though. Wouldn't get another battery though if you are going to keep the generator. You have to run the generator sometime so you may as well just use it. Even though it may require a little work to maintain. Still located in Cocoa Florida and it is probably going to be at least a few years until we buy a home in the Philippines. Will save this for when we do purchase a home in the Cebu area. Great video and thank you for sharing, Wilma and Greg...Jim
Wait until your battery is down to the 30% threshold before turning on your generator to charge it. Not just when the sun goes down. If you don't let your batter get down to the the 30% mark before quick charging it, you can actually damage the battery over time and it won't hold a charge as long and you will end up running off of the grid/generator more often.
@markmitera4521 He doesn't have to wait till 30%, the battery charges every day when the sun is out and it is hardly ever down to 30%. Its true that the battery will only take so many charges, doesn't matter what percentage the battery is down to. Hopefully it will last a while if the battery costs $2,000.00 US!
GREAT explanation, Greg. I've been educating myself on solar systems lately. I have 16 panels on my AZ home and wish I'd paid more attention when it was being installed. One of my 2 strings was running noticeably lower than the other, so I don't know if I have a degraded panel or whether the pigeons nesting under them have caused an issue. Anyway, thanks for explaining your system and your charging experience with solar and generator sources. When Lilia and I build there, we plan on having a setup similar to yours, but maybe with extra battery backup.
I think the best way to look at this take your $2k and put the money in a index fund in the market and let it grow then when you get more senior in age then buy a battery in in the future like 5 years down the road the generator is the more economical way to do it
@@buildingthephilippinesGreg it would be hilarious if you rigged it up for a video. You cycling away while Wilma is on the couch, a/c on , watching a movie 🎥 😂
Greg, great video, great details. I would not be able to support investment in second battery with numbers you quoted. Your system very well sized. Only change most would need is to automate turning on generator and everything managed by inverter rather than manual controls. Depending on battery type would control if 30 appropriate time to start charging. On some chemistry, that would kill battery over time. Enjoy video, well done.😊😊😊
@50Options thats good you have an AVR, especially when you share a transformer. Smart move. Solar inverters have built in AVRs and only release pure sine waves, and if you have your transformer, there is no need for AVR.
Hi Wilma and Greg. Have you thought about using the coating used for pickup bed liners to coat your gate to help it not rust? Maybe try it on the lower part where Prince relieves himself. Might be some other rubberized coating that may also work. Just a idea I had. Keep up the Great Videos. Your fan from Iowa USA 🇺🇸.
Consider one or two small rooftop wind generator(s) as was previously suggested. This will generate power at times that your solar panels are producing little to no power.
@garykelder possibly, need to look into cost vs how many watts they produce. I think they only produce small amounts of power. I need to do more research. Thanks for commenting.
Most rechargeable batteries are required to be charged at around 20%, Wilma and Gregs batteries may be able to handle charges when it goes down to 30%, because everyday the batteries are charged slowly by the sun when the batteries are not even down to 50%
Two things are likely to happen if your generator is connected to the grid. First, it would likely stall because the load is too great. If it didn’t stall the 220v would go through your transformer backwards stepping it up to the high voltage and possibly kill the lineman. Second, if your generator was running when the power comes back on, it is likely to explode because it would be out of phase with the grid. If it does happen to be within 5 degrees of phase, it will be fine.
With our manual transfer switch at the generator, wouldn't turning off the main breaker not allow the electric company power to enter the home when the generator is running?
@@buildingthephilippines that’s correct. The one you have with the bar that only allows one switch to be on. You are doing it right, I was just referring to IF.
@RobertsIslandLivingAdventures ok, that's what I thought. If main breaker is guaranteed off, no issues with backfeeding. Still not power here, day 5 no power.
I do think you need more battery, however it is cheaper to overpanel than to do more battery. Yes on sunny days you will blast your battery to 100% much quicker, but it is the cloudy days where the extra panels really help pull more power to charge the battery. Not sure what your panels are at, or what that Dye inverters solar input is. In addition, you are doing yourself no favors at 30% shutdown. Even 20% is not necessary. You can run the LiFePO4's to zero for the rated cycles. 20% will extend the cycles, but your batteries don't die out after the 6000 or whatever the rated cycle life is. These batteries are like solar panels, whereas they are rated at so many cycles before they slightly degrade. So the batteries will last 10 years at the full 200AH rating, then they might drop down to 80% or 180AH capacity. The degradation is not linear, so to get to 70% capacity might take another 15+ years. Theorhetically, you will literally die before your batteries. New battery chemistry and prices will only decline, so just run them. Even solar panels after their warranty life of 20-25 years are usually around 70% efficient. Overall more batteries, more panels, or gas in the generator is a trade-off decision. As you have found out, it is often cheaper to run the generator for a couple of hours once in awhile rather than spend on solar. Windpower, meh.
Remember my batteries 99.9% of the time never gets below 50%. My panels now max put my inverter, so can't add panels without buying a bigger inverter. I'm fine as ot sits, except maybe adding one battery. That may or may not happen.
@buildingthephilippines I think you're missing my point. It isn't so much your lacking battery capacity, although it is a bit short. Ideally, you factor 3 days of battery autonomy. So in 1 day you are at 50%. So that is just under 2 days, meaning you could use about 40% more battery. As for the inverter, it doesn't sound like you need more inverting power output, just more solar input. The cheapest solution is adding a solar charge controller and panels to the system. This will allow much more power input on cloudy days to get the battery up to 100%. It's called overpaneling.
I have 2 batteries and isn’t enough to make it through the night with our 5-6 aircons running. I am thinking of adding 2 more, but they are really expensive! We don’t have a backup generator.
Hi Greg & Wilma Thanks for your always very informative videos With your current set-up, it would seem that you do not actually need the public power grid at all So my big question to you is this: Knowing what you NOW know about solar and having a genset for backup, (if you had to do it again) would you have chosen from the start of your construction to NOT be on the grid at all, and thus having been able to save the cost of installing the transformer for the grid??
Not sure. Transformer was 87k, one battery 100k plus installation. I think having a transformer is worth it just due to the fact your electronics will suffer when you switch to grid on those occasions.
Hi Greg and Wilma. Very interesting video. My installer just had a blank look on his face when I asked him if my generator could charge my battery!! I have the same inverter, unfortunately my WIFI malfunctioned- debating if I want them to take my inverter out to fix that. But one question, do you leave the settings that you made in your inverter or make the changes each time you need to manually charge the battery? Thanks very much for your time. Both take care.
Great question. Definitely need to uncheck when you don't want the system to be recharged. If you leave it checked, the next day the system would use the grid to charge your battery to 100%. You may not want it to do that.
Graig, I only know the basics of solar power, so I won't pretend to be an expert on that. Being from Connecticut, where we get hit by hurricanes and bad winter storms, I know generators. I noted that you understood that the listed number is peak power, and you should not run at Peak power. How long can you run at peak power??? Only about 30 to 60 seconds!!! Longer than that and you burn up your generator. I also noted that you assumed that continuous power would be 6000 watts.... bad assumption. I have a Generac 5000 watt generator, but Generac Lists their power at continuous use power, its peak power is 6500 watts. Generac is American made and I trust their numbers. I've never herd of your brand, so I will assume it's Chinees. Chinees brand are known for over rating their products, I would guess that continuous power rating is between 4500 watts and 5000 watts, that's fine for what you're doing, but be careful not to overload your generator. Personally I would drop the charging wattage to 4500 watts just to be safe. I have a close friend that burnt up two generators during one snow storm , a 7500 and a 10,000 watt, but that's a long story.
Yes, on the video I explained I only put the generator at 4000 watts, which in turn but about 3500 watts into the battery (due to house using the remaining 500watts)
So if you get your second bedroom but you still have to go through all these steps I would invest in two more batteries and probably never have to go through this but yes all depends on your budget
@@buildingthephilippines I agree with Michael, if you can 'afford' it. If one batterie goes 'bad', this will be an additional reason, besides the cloudy sky for days :)
I agree, spending money always makes things better. Retirement life means watching where your finite dollars or in this case pesos goes. Thanks for commenting.
You just proved you can make it through 5 days with little generator usage so IMHO you don’t need a larger battery. There is no weather pattern in the Philippines that I can think of that would cause a longer period of diminished sun short of a massive volcanic eruption or, God forbid, a nuclear winter you are fine with your current system.
Hi Guys, Sorry I have one more question about this process. We have “Solar” and “GEN” circuit breakers in the house. GENs are OFF when SOLARs are on. When I need to use my Generator to power my house (had to 1x) I have to turn OFF Solar c/bs and turn on GEN c/bs to have the house powered by the Generator. Do you have those circuit breakers in your home? And if so, I assume you did not change their state? Thanks again.
@mpnsfilipinoretirement No, we did not hook up that way. Our main line in and generator line is the same line to the electric panel. We installed a manual transfer switch to go back and forth. Solar inverter thinks the generator power is grid power when I switch over to generator.
All great story, but its incomplete, since you dont mention what appliances you use everyday and 4 how long 2me it sounds like you dont use your biggest power consumers, the aircons, in the 5 days u described?
We don't usually use aircons at this elevation. The last time we used the aircon was probably during the heat of summer, so May or June. Been in this house 1.5 years, never needed aircon at night, not even during summer months.
2 batteries? 🤔 Well, things around the world are not getting any better, especially when it comes to the weather. If your area electric co. is not expanding or improving the grid when the need is increasing ie: with more houses being built then a second battery may be a good idea. You don't want Wilma to get scared. 🫣
SOLArk / Deye inverters should be able to do this automatcally if configured and wired for it. They can "talk" to gas generators with inverters and start it......may need auto transfer switch. I am sure i read/watched on YT university while doing my research on solar solutions. Also it can auto test the generator every two weeks for 10 mins to ensure its ready.
Thanks for sharing that information. Appreciate it.
The same type of system that is used on the large RVs.
You’re very intelligent Greg. You’re sure is a very good provider, protector, handyman, thoughtful, considerate Husband . Wilma is blessed to have a real man that takes good care of her🙏
@rosemariealmero1214 thank you for that very nice comment. Wilma is also a great woman, who takes care of me very well.
@@buildingthephilippinesyes she does and yes you do you’re both very well matched in care of each other, great to observe and see! Your actions speak loud enough 🙏🏻❤️😉
@@lindabuck2777 thank you
Excellent video! Real life experience is the best.
@Charlie1776 thanks for the comment, appreciate it.
Good information, as usual. Glad you was able to figure everything out and stay powered up and comfortable. You keep giving me information I'll be able to use if the time comes that we get over there.
Thanks!
Thanks Bob, appreciate the comment.
So glad you bought the generator before you decided to go to solar. It is your saving Grace, and I am glad you figured out how to Mai things work because of UTube University. I am glad that this is working out for you. At least you have power, and your neighbors don’t!
Thanks Steve, back up to the back up. Thanks for commenting.
Great video, good choices.
Thank you
Excellent information, thanks
@@mefarrehal-harbi489 your welcome
Your electric system worked exactly as you intended it to. You usually use solar. When there’s no sun you switch to the grid. You had a 4-5 day brownout so you switched to your backup gas generator. While others around you had no power for 5 days, you guys were living pretty much like normal. Getting a second solar storage battery is a big cost and you probably don’t really need it unless you have visitors staying with you (Norma’s family or people from the states) so it’s up to you guys. When the time comes we will probably going with 2 batteries just to be safe. I figure that and extra $2k usd is worth spending for a little more security and comfort.
Well said, thanks for commenting.
5 days of storms and reduced sunlight? You finally got weather we've been dealing with for over 3 months, here on Luzon! 🤣😂🌬🌧
Good thing you're a good 'boy scout', Greg, and always prepared. I remember, when you were installing the solar, commenting about having the generator, and probably never needing it again. Good thing you hung onto it! 😲👍
I had a similar arrangement for switch (more modern) at a previous house in the States, where I could connect my generator to my house and power up several things (furnace, few lights, etc) whenever the power would go down. Usually in the winter.
Thanks for the tutorial on the finer points of solar, and having a generator backup, Professor Greg! We don't usually experience brownouts here, and I'll likely have the grid for backup, but it's still useful knowledge. 👍
@jerrymarshall2728 thanks Jerry, appreciate the comment. 6 days of rain and counting. Still a brown out as well. 5 days now.
@@buildingthephilippines One of the things we're grateful for, here in Pampanga... steady power 👍
That's good to have.
Your current battery setup is on point. Look instead in to extending the life cycle of your gasoline by 1) Storing it in an airtight, light-proof container of which can be purchased on Amazon. 2) Add a fuel stabilizer to the fuel that will prevent the formation of gum and varnish deposits in the engine when you top off the generator. And 3) Store the container or containers of fuel in a cool, dry place away from heat and direct sunlight. It should be fine in the carport in a cage near the dirty kitchen where there is plenty of ventilation. Triple your fuel storage for up to 2 years as per the American petroleum Institute recommended storage limits, amongst other studies.
@KrayPurn thanks for the information, appreciate it.
lol...had questioned why you had a generator when you had solar, it finally came in handy though. Wouldn't get another battery though if you are going to keep the generator. You have to run the generator sometime so you may as well just use it. Even though it may require a little work to maintain.
Still located in Cocoa Florida and it is probably going to be at least a few years until we buy a home in the Philippines. Will save this for when we do purchase a home in the Cebu area. Great video and thank you for sharing, Wilma and Greg...Jim
You're welcome Jim, thanks for watching.
Wait until your battery is down to the 30% threshold before turning on your generator to charge it. Not just when the sun goes down. If you don't let your batter get down to the the 30% mark before quick charging it, you can actually damage the battery over time and it won't hold a charge as long and you will end up running off of the grid/generator more often.
Hopefully, I won't need to do this again. First time in almost one year that we had no sun for this long of a stretch.
@markmitera4521 He doesn't have to wait till 30%, the battery charges every day when the sun is out and it is hardly ever down to 30%. Its true that the battery will only take so many charges, doesn't matter what percentage the battery is down to. Hopefully it will last a while if the battery costs $2,000.00 US!
He has lithium batteries, not lead-acid.
@ChristopherKnN correct, can be charged at any time.
GREAT explanation, Greg. I've been educating myself on solar systems lately. I have 16 panels on my AZ home and wish I'd paid more attention when it was being installed. One of my 2 strings was running noticeably lower than the other, so I don't know if I have a degraded panel or whether the pigeons nesting under them have caused an issue. Anyway, thanks for explaining your system and your charging experience with solar and generator sources. When Lilia and I build there, we plan on having a setup similar to yours, but maybe with extra battery backup.
Thanks for watching, we are considering another battery as well.
I think the best way to look at this take your $2k and put the money in a index fund in the market and let it grow then when you get more senior in age then buy a battery in in the future like 5 years down the road the generator is the more economical way to do it
That's a good way of looking at it. Thanks for commenting.
HI 👋 U2. WHEN IN DOUBT MCGYVER A BIKE , BELT, & HOOK IT UP TO YOUR GENERATOR:))!!. YOU CAN GET YOUR EXERCISE WHILE PRODUCING POWEE!! 😂BLESSINGS 🙏🌺🌼🌸
@Chickenlegs836 best idea yet, I like it.
@@buildingthephilippinesGreg it would be hilarious if you rigged it up for a video. You cycling away while Wilma is on the couch, a/c on , watching a movie 🎥 😂
@@Chickenlegs836 😆
LOL... You are not right ChickenLegs...lol
Treadmill. Put Prince and Sandy to work.
Greg, great video, great details. I would not be able to support investment in second battery with numbers you quoted. Your system very well sized. Only change most would need is to automate turning on generator and everything managed by inverter rather than manual controls. Depending on battery type would control if 30 appropriate time to start charging. On some chemistry, that would kill battery over time. Enjoy video, well done.😊😊😊
Appreciate the comment, thanks for watching.
I bought a AVR and helps a ton, and I live in Barrangay Casile, Dauin.
@50Options thats good you have an AVR, especially when you share a transformer. Smart move. Solar inverters have built in AVRs and only release pure sine waves, and if you have your transformer, there is no need for AVR.
Hi Wilma and Greg. Have you thought about using the coating used for pickup bed liners to coat your gate to help it not rust? Maybe try it on the lower part where Prince relieves himself. Might be some other rubberized coating that may also work. Just a idea I had. Keep up the Great Videos. Your fan from Iowa USA 🇺🇸.
@lestergambrel8931 thanks for the suggestion. I actually did try it. Only found the spray type.
Consider one or two small rooftop wind generator(s) as was previously suggested. This will generate power at times that your solar panels are producing little to no power.
@garykelder possibly, need to look into cost vs how many watts they produce. I think they only produce small amounts of power. I need to do more research. Thanks for commenting.
You can run your batteries down to 20% which is recommended 30%. I think it’s too high. Some people run down to 10% but I think 20% is optimal.
Thanks for the information
Most rechargeable batteries are required to be charged at around 20%, Wilma and Gregs batteries may be able to handle charges when it goes down to 30%, because everyday the batteries are charged slowly by the sun when the batteries are not even down to 50%
Yep 20% is recommended as target not to go below to ensure long life of battery , also should not charge above 80-90%
I think I speak for everyone on this, we would expect some good 📊 graphics would really help.
JUST KIDDING!!
GOOD INFO
@Ray_Warren we are a low tech channel.
Peel that protective film on the inverter, your screen will be more clear when filming.
Lol, good catch.
🙀
Thx
You can use power shave function or gen input..
Thanks for the suggestion.
Sir..! Have think about install a wind generator...my advice, check it out..
@@johnulriksson2505 possibly, may look into. Thanks for watching.
Waste of money in 90% of places ,, don't forget to add cost of 50 - 80 feet of tower so it gets clear wind
Two things are likely to happen if your generator is connected to the grid. First, it would likely stall because the load is too great. If it didn’t stall the 220v would go through your transformer backwards stepping it up to the high voltage and possibly kill the lineman. Second, if your generator was running when the power comes back on, it is likely to explode because it would be out of phase with the grid. If it does happen to be within 5 degrees of phase, it will be fine.
With our manual transfer switch at the generator, wouldn't turning off the main breaker not allow the electric company power to enter the home when the generator is running?
@@buildingthephilippines that’s correct. The one you have with the bar that only allows one switch to be on. You are doing it right, I was just referring to IF.
@RobertsIslandLivingAdventures ok, that's what I thought. If main breaker is guaranteed off, no issues with backfeeding. Still not power here, day 5 no power.
I do think you need more battery, however it is cheaper to overpanel than to do more battery. Yes on sunny days you will blast your battery to 100% much quicker, but it is the cloudy days where the extra panels really help pull more power to charge the battery. Not sure what your panels are at, or what that Dye inverters solar input is. In addition, you are doing yourself no favors at 30% shutdown. Even 20% is not necessary. You can run the LiFePO4's to zero for the rated cycles. 20% will extend the cycles, but your batteries don't die out after the 6000 or whatever the rated cycle life is. These batteries are like solar panels, whereas they are rated at so many cycles before they slightly degrade. So the batteries will last 10 years at the full 200AH rating, then they might drop down to 80% or 180AH capacity. The degradation is not linear, so to get to 70% capacity might take another 15+ years. Theorhetically, you will literally die before your batteries. New battery chemistry and prices will only decline, so just run them. Even solar panels after their warranty life of 20-25 years are usually around 70% efficient. Overall more batteries, more panels, or gas in the generator is a trade-off decision. As you have found out, it is often cheaper to run the generator for a couple of hours once in awhile rather than spend on solar. Windpower, meh.
Just to add, good job. Solar, batteries, generator, and Starlink are IMO the best situation in the Philippines given the weather and infrastructure.
Thanks
Remember my batteries 99.9% of the time never gets below 50%. My panels now max put my inverter, so can't add panels without buying a bigger inverter. I'm fine as ot sits, except maybe adding one battery. That may or may not happen.
@buildingthephilippines I think you're missing my point. It isn't so much your lacking battery capacity, although it is a bit short. Ideally, you factor 3 days of battery autonomy. So in 1 day you are at 50%. So that is just under 2 days, meaning you could use about 40% more battery. As for the inverter, it doesn't sound like you need more inverting power output, just more solar input. The cheapest solution is adding a solar charge controller and panels to the system. This will allow much more power input on cloudy days to get the battery up to 100%. It's called overpaneling.
I have 2 batteries and isn’t enough to make it through the night with our 5-6 aircons running. I am thinking of adding 2 more, but they are really expensive! We don’t have a backup generator.
Thanks for commenting
Hi Greg & Wilma
Thanks for your always very informative videos
With your current set-up, it would seem that you do not actually need the public power grid at all
So my big question to you is this:
Knowing what you NOW know about solar and having a genset for backup, (if you had to do it again) would you have chosen from the start of your construction to NOT be on the grid at all, and thus having been able to save the cost of installing the transformer for the grid??
Not sure. Transformer was 87k, one battery 100k plus installation. I think having a transformer is worth it just due to the fact your electronics will suffer when you switch to grid on those occasions.
Thanks for your quick response
So it really is best to have all 3: Solar, genset and grid 👍
@@lhvidamstrup I really think so. Why skimp on one part of the system. 2nd battery may help as well.
Hi Greg and Wilma. Very interesting video. My installer just had a blank look on his face when I asked him if my generator could charge my battery!! I have the same inverter, unfortunately my WIFI malfunctioned- debating if I want them to take my inverter out to fix that. But one question, do you leave the settings that you made in your inverter or make the changes each time you need to manually charge the battery? Thanks very much for your time. Both take care.
Great question. Definitely need to uncheck when you don't want the system to be recharged. If you leave it checked, the next day the system would use the grid to charge your battery to 100%. You may not want it to do that.
Graig, I only know the basics of solar power, so I won't pretend to be an expert on that. Being from Connecticut, where we get hit by hurricanes and bad winter storms, I know generators. I noted that you understood that the listed number is peak power, and you should not run at Peak power. How long can you run at peak power??? Only about 30 to 60 seconds!!! Longer than that and you burn up your generator. I also noted that you assumed that continuous power would be 6000 watts.... bad assumption. I have a Generac 5000 watt generator, but Generac Lists their power at continuous use power, its peak power is 6500 watts. Generac is American made and I trust their numbers. I've never herd of your brand, so I will assume it's Chinees. Chinees brand are known for over rating their products, I would guess that continuous power rating is between 4500 watts and 5000 watts, that's fine for what you're doing, but be careful not to overload your generator. Personally I would drop the charging wattage to 4500 watts just to be safe. I have a close friend that burnt up two generators during one snow storm , a 7500 and a 10,000 watt, but that's a long story.
Yes, on the video I explained I only put the generator at 4000 watts, which in turn but about 3500 watts into the battery (due to house using the remaining 500watts)
So if you get your second bedroom but you still have to go through all these steps I would invest in two more batteries and probably never have to go through this but yes all depends on your budget
@@MichaelAnthony-r2h $4000 dollar investment, for an event that happened here once in a year. I need to ponder that expenditure.
@@buildingthephilippines Yes I understand but if it would help why not we only live once or just buy one if that would even help
@@buildingthephilippines I agree with Michael, if you can 'afford' it. If one batterie goes 'bad', this will be an additional reason, besides the cloudy sky for days :)
I agree, spending money always makes things better. Retirement life means watching where your finite dollars or in this case pesos goes. Thanks for commenting.
@@buildingthephilippines True, I even tried to legitimize your investment in the generator and didn't think it was a good idea...lol
I noticed that the back button on your inverter is cracking on the plastic.
It's the plastic film that comes in shipping. I never pulled it off.
How’s the new little wall outside your gate coming along?
It's completed, just need to fill with dirt. Haven't worked on it for a week due to all the rain.
Have you considered windmill power? It is good in vestments
@raycortez7374 possibly, need to research more.
You just proved you can make it through 5 days with little generator usage so IMHO you don’t need a larger battery. There is no weather pattern in the Philippines that I can think of that would cause a longer period of diminished sun short of a massive volcanic eruption or, God forbid, a nuclear winter you are fine with your current system.
I think the generator, with one tank of gas, would give you 10 days of charge. One 5 gallon gas can another 10 days.
Hi Greg why don't you look at wind power to help.
Possibly, need to get in the mood to start researching that option.
Because wind power is basically useless in 90% of situations
so, what size generator do you use?
6500 watts
How was Starlink during the heavy storms?
Perfect, it has not gone out once. Even in these heavy rains. Works great.
@buildingthephilippines That is awesome. Even Dish/DirectTv goes out in heavy storms here in the States.
@ChristopherKnN it did go out a few weeks ago for 5 minutes with another storm. This storm been fine.
Hi Guys, Sorry I have one more question about this process. We have “Solar” and “GEN” circuit breakers in the house. GENs are OFF when SOLARs are on. When I need to use my Generator to power my house (had to 1x) I have to turn OFF Solar c/bs and turn on GEN c/bs to have the house powered by the Generator. Do you have those circuit breakers in your home? And if so, I assume you did not change their state? Thanks again.
@mpnsfilipinoretirement No, we did not hook up that way. Our main line in and generator line is the same line to the electric panel. We installed a manual transfer switch to go back and forth. Solar inverter thinks the generator power is grid power when I switch over to generator.
All great story, but its incomplete, since you dont mention what appliances you use everyday and 4 how long
2me it sounds like you dont use your biggest power consumers, the aircons, in the 5 days u described?
We don't usually use aircons at this elevation. The last time we used the aircon was probably during the heat of summer, so May or June. Been in this house 1.5 years, never needed aircon at night, not even during summer months.
Hi greg. What size battery do u have?
200 amp hour 10.4 kilowatt.
Can you run the ac on your generator?🙏🏻🤔
Yes, the generator can handle the aircons.
do you sleep with an A/C on ? air con
@lkc5637 no never, no need for air con at our elevation at night.
What was the total cost for your current system?
7,000 usd
@@buildingthephilippines 5 to 6 year pay back. Do they publish a lifespan of the system?
25 years on the panels, 10 years on the battery and inverter, not really sure. Warranty is 2 years.
@@buildingthephilippinesok. Thanks
2 batteries? 🤔 Well, things around the world are not getting any better, especially when it comes to the weather. If your area electric co. is not expanding or improving the grid when the need is increasing ie: with more houses being built then a second battery may be a good idea. You don't want Wilma to get scared. 🫣
A little scared is not a bad thing. Two batteries may be in our future.