This panel can put out close to 100 watts ruclips.net/user/postUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.
FINALLY have found an exact duplicate of my thoughts on mounting the panels horizontally, w/ unistrut, close to the ground, at a comfy working height. Very nice cable layout + management. The 90° bends... awesome. The parts list is great for us to get a little at a time, budget permitting. A shoutout to the folks who warned of the religious transition... I heeded & left the vid at that cut. Thanks ALL !
In addition how informative your video was on the subject matter that I searched it up for, I just loved the brief word that you gave to end it. Amen🙌🏽
Nice set-up Jim!We cannot be prepared enough.I liked your transition into the gospel,and you are right we do not have any excuse in our preparedness or salvation.In Amos 5 it says to prepare to meet your maker.
I just want to thank you for including your grounding method. So many solar setup videos don't mention grounding at all. I will view your video a few times until I have confidence my setup will work and be safe. This may take awhile as I have to keep viewing your closing comments. :)
Great video Jim, very thorough with your set-up...impressive. I also liked your closing comments, sometimes we get confused and angry about life situations and lose our trust and belief.
Nice, Clean, and laid out professionally. You took us through your system like a Professional, WITHOUT all the MUSIC in the background OVER-RUNNING your presentation, some people on the tube just need attention. Thanks for your time and effort.
This video is 6years old but this was exactly i was looking for to build a small setup (300watt solar), i will be doing mine with 2x100ah Lipo4 batteries. Its alot cheaper now to build such a system and with better devices. Not sure how yours held up through the years. Thanks for sharing your faith as well. Its sad how this world has turn into now but it is prophesied, so it should not be a surprise. Thanks again.
You're right, it is prophesied so why not get excited about our part in the Great Commission?! Sure, news is a drain and life is full of trials, but Jesus...Hey I want to upgrade my system using Lipo4 etc. can you share what components you chose? Thanks
Wow... Great job. I kept going on to another video for some reason I kept coming back to yours. I found out why at the end of your video. He was telling me something. I was lost in life until the end of video . I'm still here and breathing because of you and God. Thank you Jim.
Hey Jeremiah thanks for the comment - makes it all worth it. How can I help bro? Would be an honor to walk with you thru the storm. I've got some heavy storms at the moment too...lemme know.
Thanks for the video. As a retired C-10 electrical you did a nice install. I would like to add a few pointers to DIY out there. 1)Superstrut/Unistrut are different brand names of basically the same product. Superstrut is what is sold at HD/Lowe's and has basically same specs sizes etc. 2) I see a lot of people use strut for platforms with loads etc. Sometimes they support huge barrels of 300-500 lbs. I guarantee these strut platforms with manufacturer strut brackets will rack over time. Strut corners and brackets have a tendency to slide around. Of course, this depends on direction and amount of loads etc. Most people purchase cheaper 1/4 nuts washers etc. If you notice strut/bracket slots and holes are a bit larger than 1/2". This causes wimpy 1/4" nuts and flat washers to compress into the slot (on brackets etc) and bend/ and oftentimes slide/twist around no matter how much you tighten. (The washer at 1:12 appears to have a gap) I recommend 1/2" spring beefier nuts and bolts/flat washers in combination with a small amount of JB weld in areas where there might be side loads/racking issues. JB weld is probably easiest but not as strong as brazing corners but comes apart with sawsall if needed. I use JB weld after everything is lined up and permanent with manufacturers brackets in place and tightened. Seems to work OK. Strut is mostly galvanized zinc and brazing can create noxious fumes. Brazing/ welding is much stronger but uglies up the install unless you grind and paint. Muggyweld has a lower temp silver solder technique with Mapp gas. I have tried this with only modest success. The large pieces of strut wick away too much heat for the newer MAPP gas. Spot welding structural corners with Oxy/Acet is probably best. I hate welding but sometimes it is necessary. I have also drilled my own proper sized holes with my own brackets/nuts/washers. This works extremely well but takes more time. 3) Using Sawsall with bi-metal blade works OK but will never really get a square corner or 45. Using and abrasive type cut-off saw works OK. Lots of sparks, not so accurate 45/90 corners, hot metal and grinding of corners is needed. I also have tried Diablo metal blades in my normal wood chop saw. But I ended up changing out blades too much. I ended up with low RPM low temp, non-abrasive type Evolution Rage saw ($226 at HD). This saw is low temp, creates clean 90 and 45 cuts and requires very little clean up/ deburring. A bit long winded but helpful to DIY'rs God Bless. Have you or any commenters noticed any sliding/movement in your strut corners?
You did a pretty good DIY job. As an electrician, I will tell you about some (minor) quibbles I have. First, while you can get away with the MC4 connectors as a disconnecting means, I think an actual disconnect switch would be better. The thing I didn't like the most was the lack of connectors when you entered your indoor equipment. At the very least you should have some Bushings on those knock outs. Good job overall.
I have just started (one piece at a time) something that is about 90 percent of what you are have done. My mount will be different and brand names on equipment may be different, but mostly the same set up. My goal is to have a system that like you said can preserve food in a fridge and freezer and will give some time until my generator can be set up to supply AC and charge batteries. Subscribed so that finding this video again is much easier. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you Jim for the tips on building a solar system. Special thanks for sharing the truth about our Lord and Savior, Jesus. God Bless, sincerely, Jim
Great video. I have studied solar for quite sometime and finally bought 1 100 watt panel to get started. I don,t understand electricity that well, but I am learning. Thanks , and God Bless, Tom
Well Done, Very professional install with great attention to detail, And a well spoken review, Only thing I do not like about your solar system is that it is installed at your house and not mine...
Nice small system. One suggestion on making battery cables. Crimp, then solder, then shrink wrap with glued shrink wrap. Crimping for a mechanical connection. solder for a good electrical connection..
I do not. By the way, once the weather breaks in April I'll be posting my updates to this system, including lithium iron phospate batteries, MPPT charge controller, another solar panel, and structural functional improvements.
Thank you for the idea of the mount and conduit. I did something very similar with my 400W system. It's interesting how before I saw your video we did something very similar looking inside with the disconnect. charger, etc. Thanks again. Very helpful video.
Enjoyed the Video, Thanks. Looking to build a system myself here in the caribbean but by his grace it will be done, Thanks again and Praise the Lord Our God!
Very, Very Nice!! Thanks for sharing. I'm going to "borrow" your plans. The only thing I will do different (living wet Michigan) is either have the wires from my panels enter through the bottom of my connector box or leave enough wire to form a drip leg. I Just want a little extra protection from water intrusion. Thanks again Jim
A little over kill for my needs but thank you so much for the details and explaining exactly how you did it. I will have to watch it 3 times to get all of the info, but the video is very well made.
Jim, you did a great neat Job on your setup and video. It is one of the few videos to the point also most importantly for me showing the grounding fashion you used. I have been a bit perplexed on that end, and still not sure if this grounding of the negative battery pole works for all setups and inverters. I have a pure sine 300 watts inverter that has a chassis grounding screw, and 2 connectors for the plus and minus from the charge controller. Instructions are very poor on it's grounding connection and I'm still researching. Thanks again for sharing your setup and I don't mind the end at all, better to hear you share instead of watching too many ads :-) Best wishes!
Nice video. I totally agree there is a God and we have the Bible to teach us about God and how mankind came into existence. Thank you for sharing. We are living in the last days. People should read John 3:16 for how to be saved.
Wow that's a nice setup. I just built a shed and have it running on a small temporary solar setup (everything just kinda thrown together on the ground) but I ordered 4 100w panels off Amazon and now looking into the best way to mount them on the roof. May do unistrut, have a few ideas. So this is quite inspiring. I would experiment with putting those panels in series if your charge controller can handle the voltage, that way even when it's overcast it might get enough voltage to trickle charge the battery. I personally like to do everything in multiples of 2 though so it's odd to see 3 panels and 3 batteries and not 2 or 4, but either way it works. I guess being a computer geek does that to you, so that's why I went with 4 panels myself. I will probably do 2 groups of 2 in series/parallel, but I'll experiment to see what works best.
Hi Jim. I have an off grid near the Canadian Border and put in a small system also (2 -100 amp Battle Born Batteries and 2 -200 solar panels with a 40 amp Rich Controller). The ONE subject that has a CRAZY amount of differing and confusing opinions is GROUNDING!! I can't believe how much stuff I have watched and how many DIFFRENENT opinions I have gotten on something that should be so simple. our installation is so orderly, but I was wondering a couple of things and look forward to other's perspectives. First of all, Electrical guru Mike Holt, says that lightening protection is a whole different animal. AS I understand it, you do not want lightening connecting with your system, but rather if one wants lightening protection, that is done by creating a "shell" of sort over your structure that is separate from the electrical system. Secondly, (again I am a novice and looking for more opinions) , in a 12 volt system of your size, grounding the system is not necessary, but bonding the frames of the SA and then going straight to a ground rod, like you did will help dissipate a lightning strike, but the in that event, your panels will be toast no matter what you do. BUT, by connecting them with another grounding cable, like you did to your whole system, you would be inviting lightening INTO your whole system with the associated damage in the event of a lightening strike. Curious about what you and others think. Like I said, I am a novice, just trying to get a grip on it. In my case, many of the issues I have with my 2000 watt inverter or my honda 2200i generator when I bring AC into the tiny cabin can be mitigated with my GCFI's which are cheap protection from short circuiting issues. Any opinions are welcomed!
Great points Rod. I tend to agree with your assessment. Lightning will toast it no matter what you do since everything is so close. Keep spares on hand and let me know your final decision regarding grounding.
I invested in 1800 watts of grid tie for about $2k runs the meter backwards or offsets demand.. Lowered bill by about $100 / month then I purchased a 6.5KW generator for power outages and can run the whole house. for as long as I have gas
If i am seeing this right, you have the bare copper wire going to the negative side of your batteries. That Copper wire is going to the grounding post set in the ground. If lighting hits your solar array you are going to have problems with your batteries.
Congrats on having the absolute nicest solar panel setup on all of RUclips. I have no idea where to get all of those mounting brackets. Those are exactly what I'm looking for. I found a 310 watt solar panel 6.5 x 3' for $130 brand new.
System looks nice. Well put together. I disagree that an MPPT controller isn't worth it at that size array. You'd lose less in transmission if those panels were in series, and you'd have saved a bit by being able to use thinner wire potentially.
Nice job! If you build another mount please video the building process. I would bolt on the fuse to the battery or at least put the ANL as close to the battery as possible than controller & electrical tape all your exposed terminals to prevent accidental shorts. Very neat work. God bless you & family.
I upgraded it this year and made a modification to allow for easier tilting with the sun. Basically, I rounded the bottom of the square bracket on the rotating frame that rests on the vertical struts.
@@JimKirchner I have a 3k 24v expandable on the way that I need to plan for. I have 6 panels now but will add 3 more so need to build for the 9. The cost of uni strut being 30.00 a stick now is crazy and I will need to do framing with wood and the rails with uni strut.
you would be suprised what a storm can do, your setup is great but i would recommend to make some horizontal profile too between the vertical ground poles, or maybe better crossed.
Not to ground the inverter chassis to the battery negative which I think this is what you did in your breaker box inside, since you connected the grounded box to the battery negative and you said to the inverter also. It might work for your inverter, but not in mine and maybe others. Thanks!
Thanks VERY much for all of your info. Awesome system and so clean. EXACTLY what I needed to see. Again, thanks so much for sharing the solar info and the word, I can see it ALL helping a lot of people in the near future!!
I should'a paid more attention in shop class!! I love the set up! Neat, orderly and easier to maintain. I have a WHOLE lot to learn....maybe give some credence to the expression, teach an ole dog a new trick! Never was good with math! Thanks for sharing Gods good news at the end.
Thanks Jim for the video. It was spot on and helped me a great deal with my own off grid solar installation for my small cabin. The information was correct and concise. If a picture is worth a thousand words then this video should be enough to at least a small book. Great job brother!
one flaw needs to be noted for others watching. on the wiring going into your supply post, the cables should droop lower than the entry hole and then upwards into the hole thereby if water runs down the cable it will drip off instead of going into the hole if not sealed perfectly.
This is great! What alot of important info especially useful video. I wasn't thinking of the dissimilar metal connections on the ground of panels. I'll have to get a few of those connectors. Thanks!
Jim, Great job on your solar installation, I can see that you are a man with high standards. I would like to offer you one suggestion regarding your dc disconnect box. I suspect that the Square D circuit breaker you used is an ac breaker. If I am mistaken please ignore my following comment. I must point out that an ac circuit breaker and a dc circuit breaker are designed differently and should not be interchanged. You must use a dc breaker for dc current and here is why. It is far more difficult to extinguish a dc arch than an ac arch in a switching mechanism. Think about the fact that alternating current falls to 0 voltage two times per cycle. At 60 cycles per second or 60 Hertz the voltage of alternating current falls to zero 120 times in one second, every second. On the other hand direct current is always flowing at peak voltage 100% of the time. The dc arch that forms in the breaker at the moment it is switched off is harder to stop. The dc breaker is designed to overcome this arching issue. An excellent line of dc breakers is made by a company called MidNite Solar. Their breakers are marketed by most solar equipment retailers. You probably will not have any issues with your low voltage system but if you one day upgrade and are working with higher voltages you would be well advised to switch to dc breakers. Be safe and God bless.
Patrick - thanks for your thoughtful response! We should work together ;o) Schneider Electric QO circuit breakers are rated for both AC or DC (48 VDC) operation. See this bulletin: www.schneider-electric.com.mx/documents/local/qo.pdf
Awesome work. I would give anything to be that squared away. Everything looks sharp and clean labeled too. Meanwhile I am over here unable to commit to any system....
That is what was said in the video but it is incorrect. The grounding, no matter how perfectly done, would not protect any equipment from the effects of a lightning strike. That needs to be done differently, i.e. by installing the lightning strike termination devices high up to create a zone of protection. See e.g. ruclips.net/video/Ypo99VRxT44/видео.html for reference.
@@pbasista Yes you are absolutely right. What I said was not about the lightning protection but about the grounding. If you have Grounding for your house and a separate grounding for your lightning protection for the same house ( which should be done properly) At the end of the day you must connect both groundings with a wire so they are one and the same grounding. :)
Hi Jim I have been searching the internet on how to build small solar system and watched countless of youtube videos some quite confusing. I choose your idea because it makes sense to me. Here's what I got: two solar panels, 12V 150Watts, total 300Watts Square D Circuit Breaker Box QO24L70S and Square D 20Amp Circuit Breaker QO220CP 3215RN Tracer 30A 12V/24V EP MPPT Solar Charger/ Controller with MT5 meter E2 by Scoshe EWFH Single ANL Fuse Holder with Absolute ANL 60 Amp Gold Plated Fuse in 6 AWG cable between solar controller and battery EverStart 12v 122 ampH deep cycle battery E2 by Scoshe EWFH Single ANL Fuse Holder with Absolute ANL 200 Amp Gold Plated Fuse in 4 AWG cable between battery and inverter Tiger Claw 1500w/3000w Pure Sine WavePower Inverter Control panel with all components will be mounted on the wall in my basement, however the battery will be in my garage, right on the other side of the wall. I bought just one battery at Wallmart, it isn't sealed and I'm not comfortable with keeping it in my garage let alone in my basement. I might buy more and different kind later. For this reason I will have to drill several holes through the wall. Some say it isn't a good idea to keep the positive and negative cables of DC current in the same conduit. I understand why we have to keep the battery cables apart but what about solar panel extention cables? Also I intend to use welding cables between charger and the battery. they seem to have quite a good rating, the label says 156016 6AWG CSA CL 1503 150C 600V. I wonder if I can keep them together in one conduit when going through the wall. When it comes to grounding, some say: "The same thing needs to be done to your solar PV system by connecting all the equipment together to include the solar panels, PV mounts, combiner box, inverter, charge controller and any other device that makes up your solar PV system. Everything needs to be tied together to the same grounding system as your house. You do not want separate grounding systems for your house and your solar PV system. This is very important. taken from: www.weatherimagery.com/blog/how-to-ground-solar-pv-panels-correctly/ I'm still not decided on how I'm going to do grounding
This panel can put out close to 100 watts ruclips.net/user/postUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.
I came for the solar and I left with blessings and joy in my heart. Thanks and greetings from Greece. God bless you and your family.
That moment when you’re watching videos about solar panels and the message at the end hits you like a true preacher. Great job. God Bless you.
Excellent video my brother. Clean and meticulous install, best I've seen yet. Thanks for closing with a personal message of faith in Jesus.
FINALLY have found an exact duplicate of my thoughts on mounting the panels horizontally, w/ unistrut, close to the ground, at a comfy working height. Very nice cable layout + management. The 90° bends... awesome. The parts list is great for us to get a little at a time, budget permitting.
A shoutout to the folks who warned of the religious transition... I heeded & left the vid at that cut.
Thanks ALL !
In addition how informative your video was on the subject matter that I searched it up for, I just loved the brief word that you gave to end it. Amen🙌🏽
Nice set-up Jim!We cannot be prepared enough.I liked your transition into the gospel,and you are right we do not have any excuse in our preparedness or salvation.In Amos 5 it says to prepare to meet your maker.
I just want to thank you for including your grounding method. So many solar setup videos don't mention grounding at all. I will view your video a few times until I have confidence my setup will work and be safe. This may take awhile as I have to keep viewing your closing comments. :)
Great video Jim, very thorough with your set-up...impressive. I also liked your closing comments, sometimes we get confused and angry about life situations and lose our trust and belief.
Nice, Clean, and laid out professionally. You took us through your system like a Professional, WITHOUT all the MUSIC in the background OVER-RUNNING your presentation, some people on the tube just need attention. Thanks for your time and effort.
Nice to be able to finally hear professional language and terms when describing an electrical project. Thank you
This video is 6years old but this was exactly i was looking for to build a small setup (300watt solar), i will be doing mine with 2x100ah Lipo4 batteries. Its alot cheaper now to build such a system and with better devices. Not sure how yours held up through the years. Thanks for sharing your faith as well. Its sad how this world has turn into now but it is prophesied, so it should not be a surprise. Thanks again.
You're right, it is prophesied so why not get excited about our part in the Great Commission?! Sure, news is a drain and life is full of trials, but Jesus...Hey I want to upgrade my system using Lipo4 etc. can you share what components you chose? Thanks
Wow... Great job. I kept going on to another video for some reason I kept coming back to yours. I found out why at the end of your video. He was telling me something. I was lost in life until the end of video . I'm still here and breathing because of you and God. Thank you Jim.
Hey Jeremiah thanks for the comment - makes it all worth it. How can I help bro? Would be an honor to walk with you thru the storm. I've got some heavy storms at the moment too...lemme know.
one of the best detailed vid on home solar setup on RUclips. thanks!
great video Jim, and great message! PROVERBS 18:10 "The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe"
Thanks for the video. As a retired C-10 electrical you did a nice install. I would like to add a few pointers to DIY out there.
1)Superstrut/Unistrut are different brand names of basically the same product. Superstrut is what is sold at HD/Lowe's and has basically same specs sizes etc.
2) I see a lot of people use strut for platforms with loads etc. Sometimes they support huge barrels of 300-500 lbs. I guarantee these strut platforms with manufacturer strut brackets will rack over time.
Strut corners and brackets have a tendency to slide around. Of course, this depends on direction and amount of loads etc. Most people purchase cheaper 1/4 nuts washers etc. If you notice strut/bracket slots and holes are a bit larger than 1/2". This causes wimpy 1/4" nuts and flat washers to compress into the slot (on brackets etc) and bend/ and oftentimes slide/twist around no matter how much you tighten. (The washer at 1:12 appears to have a gap) I recommend 1/2" spring beefier nuts and bolts/flat washers in combination with a small amount of JB weld in areas where there might be side loads/racking issues. JB weld is probably easiest but not as strong as brazing corners but comes apart with sawsall if needed. I use JB weld after everything is lined up and permanent with manufacturers brackets in place and tightened. Seems to work OK. Strut is mostly galvanized zinc and brazing can create noxious fumes. Brazing/ welding is much stronger but uglies up the install unless you grind and paint. Muggyweld has a lower temp silver solder technique with Mapp gas. I have tried this with only modest success. The large pieces of strut wick away too much heat for the newer MAPP gas. Spot welding structural corners with Oxy/Acet is probably best. I hate welding but sometimes it is necessary. I have also drilled my own proper sized holes with my own brackets/nuts/washers. This works extremely well but takes more time.
3) Using Sawsall with bi-metal blade works OK but will never really get a square corner or 45. Using and abrasive type cut-off saw works OK. Lots of sparks, not so accurate 45/90 corners, hot metal and grinding of corners is needed. I also have tried Diablo metal blades in my normal wood chop saw. But I ended up changing out blades too much. I ended up with low RPM low temp, non-abrasive type Evolution Rage saw ($226 at HD). This saw is low temp, creates clean 90 and 45 cuts and requires very little clean up/ deburring.
A bit long winded but helpful to DIY'rs God Bless.
Have you or any commenters noticed any sliding/movement in your strut corners?
You did a pretty good DIY job. As an electrician, I will tell you about some (minor) quibbles I have. First, while you can get away with the MC4 connectors as a disconnecting means, I think an actual disconnect switch would be better. The thing I didn't like the most was the lack of connectors when you entered your indoor equipment. At the very least you should have some Bushings on those knock outs. Good job overall.
Thank you for your insight, experience, and words of encouragement in the days we live in. Have a blessed day sir!
I have just started (one piece at a time) something that is about 90 percent of what you are have done. My mount will be different and brand names on equipment may be different, but mostly the same set up. My goal is to have a system that like you said can preserve food in a fridge and freezer and will give some time until my generator can be set up to supply AC and charge batteries. Subscribed so that finding this video again is much easier. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you Jim for the tips on building a solar system. Special thanks for sharing the truth about our Lord and Savior, Jesus. God Bless, sincerely, Jim
Great video. I have studied solar for quite sometime and finally bought 1 100 watt panel to get started. I don,t understand electricity that well, but I am learning. Thanks , and God Bless, Tom
Well Done, Very professional install with great attention to detail, And a well spoken review, Only thing I do not like about your solar system is that it is installed at your house and not mine...
Man that was a work of art, and I love to testimony. I really needed to hear that God bless you
My favorite part was the message at the end. I enjoyed the info on solar but faith in Christ is so much more important. Bravo.
I love how you explained everything very clearly and how neat and tidy you set up looks. Thank you for your informative video!
Amen! Hey I'm off grid. Getting ready to set up. Thanks for the help!
Five years old and still current. Thank you.
Nice small system. One suggestion on making battery cables. Crimp, then solder, then shrink wrap with glued shrink wrap. Crimping for a mechanical connection. solder for a good electrical connection..
I have watch alot of youtube about alot of stuff (solar system grids but have never hard what the presenter beliefs - Great Message
great video. your ending message was awesome as well!
Jim, finding this video was no accident, thank you.
Thank you for sharing your Solar PV project details and your Witness. I enjoyed both.
Thanks for this video, it's perfect for my needs. I also thank you for the comments at the end. Do you have an older brother?
I do not. By the way, once the weather breaks in April I'll be posting my updates to this system, including lithium iron phospate batteries, MPPT charge controller, another solar panel, and structural functional improvements.
Great to see that inplix has new instructions to save my money and energy to build it.
Cleanest installation I have seen. Lot of attention to detail. Thoroughly enjoyed your video. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Jim for a very informative video about DIY solar and spiritually sound advice!
Thanks very much Jim for the Video very informative and thanks for sharing the Gospel with us. God bless you and continue to use you.
An electrifying evangelization!
Great off grid set up, AND spreading of the word of God!
Thank you for the idea of the mount and conduit. I did something very similar with my 400W system. It's interesting how before I saw your video we did something very similar looking inside with the disconnect. charger, etc. Thanks again. Very helpful video.
Enjoyed the Video, Thanks. Looking to build a system myself here in the caribbean but by his grace it will be done, Thanks again and Praise the Lord Our God!
Wonderful video, and thank you very much for your comments about Christ He is THE GREATEST!!!
If "the greatest" means "without proof of existence", then yes
Very nice setup Jim! Thank you for putting this together and having the courage to share the good news of our Lord :) God bless brother!
Thank you for this video. I appreciate it much especially your closing statements. God bless- Jessie
+Jessie Dalaqui
Agree!
I really enjoyed your video and learned a lot but I really, really, thoroughly enjoyed your message at the end. Thank you.
I love you 100%... I wish I have your kinda courage to speak about Christ without fear or favor as you just did... I am blessed brother.
Very, Very Nice!! Thanks for sharing. I'm going to "borrow" your plans. The only thing I will do different (living wet Michigan) is either have the wires from my panels enter through the bottom of my connector box or leave enough wire to form a drip leg. I Just want a little extra protection from water intrusion. Thanks again Jim
Thank you for posting this! I was able to use your design to make a stand that holds 6 100watt panels.
A little over kill for my needs but thank you so much for the details and explaining exactly how you did it. I will have to watch it 3 times to get all of the info, but the video is very well made.
Jim, you did a great neat Job on your setup and video. It is one of the few videos to the point also most importantly for me showing the grounding fashion you used. I have been a bit perplexed on that end, and still not sure if this grounding of the negative battery pole works for all setups and inverters. I have a pure sine 300 watts inverter that has a chassis grounding screw, and 2 connectors for the plus and minus from the charge controller. Instructions are very poor on it's grounding connection and I'm still researching. Thanks again for sharing your setup and I don't mind the end at all, better to hear you share instead of watching too many ads :-) Best wishes!
Thank you for sharing to the people on You tube! Yeshua commanded us to go and spread the Gospel to the world! Blessings brother and great video!
Nice video. I totally agree there is a God and we have the Bible to teach us about God and how mankind came into existence. Thank you for sharing. We are living in the last days. People should read John 3:16 for how to be saved.
Wow that's a nice setup. I just built a shed and have it running on a small temporary solar setup (everything just kinda thrown together on the ground) but I ordered 4 100w panels off Amazon and now looking into the best way to mount them on the roof. May do unistrut, have a few ideas. So this is quite inspiring. I would experiment with putting those panels in series if your charge controller can handle the voltage, that way even when it's overcast it might get enough voltage to trickle charge the battery. I personally like to do everything in multiples of 2 though so it's odd to see 3 panels and 3 batteries and not 2 or 4, but either way it works. I guess being a computer geek does that to you, so that's why I went with 4 panels myself. I will probably do 2 groups of 2 in series/parallel, but I'll experiment to see what works best.
I didn't understand alot of this video but I enjoyed the message at the end.
Hi Jim. I have an off grid near the Canadian Border and put in a small system also (2 -100 amp Battle Born Batteries and 2 -200 solar panels with a 40 amp Rich Controller). The ONE subject that has a CRAZY amount of differing and confusing opinions is GROUNDING!! I can't believe how much stuff I have watched and how many DIFFRENENT opinions I have gotten on something that should be so simple. our installation is so orderly, but I was wondering a couple of things and look forward to other's perspectives. First of all, Electrical guru Mike Holt, says that lightening protection is a whole different animal. AS I understand it, you do not want lightening connecting with your system, but rather if one wants lightening protection, that is done by creating a "shell" of sort over your structure that is separate from the electrical system. Secondly, (again I am a novice and looking for more opinions) , in a 12 volt system of your size, grounding the system is not necessary, but bonding the frames of the SA and then going straight to a ground rod, like you did will help dissipate a lightning strike, but the in that event, your panels will be toast no matter what you do. BUT, by connecting them with another grounding cable, like you did to your whole system, you would be inviting lightening INTO your whole system with the associated damage in the event of a lightening strike. Curious about what you and others think. Like I said, I am a novice, just trying to get a grip on it. In my case, many of the issues I have with my 2000 watt inverter or my honda 2200i generator when I bring AC into the tiny cabin can be mitigated with my GCFI's which are cheap protection from short circuiting issues. Any opinions are welcomed!
Great points Rod. I tend to agree with your assessment. Lightning will toast it no matter what you do since everything is so close. Keep spares on hand and let me know your final decision regarding grounding.
I invested in 1800 watts of grid tie for about $2k runs the meter backwards or offsets demand.. Lowered bill by about $100 / month then I purchased a 6.5KW generator for power outages and can run the whole house. for as long as I have gas
Thank you for this. Very good for a small install but many principles can be used for larger systems.
Thanks you for making this video and including a parts list, much appreciated!
If i am seeing this right, you have the bare copper wire going to the negative side of your batteries. That Copper wire is going to the grounding post set in the ground. If lighting hits your solar array you are going to have problems with your batteries.
Congrats on having the absolute nicest solar panel setup on all of RUclips. I have no idea where to get all of those mounting brackets. Those are exactly what I'm looking for. I found a 310 watt solar panel 6.5 x 3' for $130 brand new.
I have 16 huge panels that I want to ground mount like this. What a royal P.I.T.A.
great video especially the end of it.keep up the great videos brother.
System looks nice. Well put together.
I disagree that an MPPT controller isn't worth it at that size array. You'd lose less in transmission if those panels were in series, and you'd have saved a bit by being able to use thinner wire potentially.
Nice job! If you build another mount please video the building process. I would bolt on the fuse to the battery or at least put the ANL as close to the battery as possible than controller & electrical tape all your exposed terminals to prevent accidental shorts. Very neat work. God bless you & family.
Thank you for posting this. I had been pondering ways to have an adjustable system and this helps. 🙏
I upgraded it this year and made a modification to allow for easier tilting with the sun. Basically, I rounded the bottom of the square bracket on the rotating frame that rests on the vertical struts.
@@JimKirchner I have a 3k 24v expandable on the way that I need to plan for. I have 6 panels now but will add 3 more so need to build for the 9. The cost of uni strut being 30.00 a stick now is crazy and I will need to do framing with wood and the rails with uni strut.
Great install. So much better than a gas powered generator for back-up. it can be used before the power goes out and pay itself back over time.
Thank you, this is exactly what I’m looking for, perfect!!! 👍🏻
you would be suprised what a storm can do, your setup is great but i would recommend to make some horizontal profile too between the vertical ground poles, or maybe better crossed.
Not to ground the inverter chassis to the battery negative which I think this is what you did in your breaker box inside, since you connected the grounded box to the battery negative and you said to the inverter also. It might work for your inverter, but not in mine and maybe others. Thanks!
Thanks VERY much for all of your info. Awesome system and so clean. EXACTLY what I needed to see.
Again, thanks so much for sharing the solar info and the word, I can see it ALL helping a lot of people in the near future!!
Thank you for the video, God Bless you, Keep the message going.
I should'a paid more attention in shop class!! I love the set up! Neat, orderly and easier to maintain. I have a WHOLE lot to learn....maybe give some credence to the expression, teach an ole dog a new trick! Never was good with math! Thanks for sharing Gods good news at the end.
totally unexpected ending, but the best part of the video. praise God, praise Jesus. and thank you for the solar info brother.
Very clean install! Thank you for posting your setup. I will keep this in mind when I install my panels. :)
Thanks Jim for the video. It was spot on and helped me a great deal with my own off grid solar installation for my small cabin. The information was correct and concise. If a picture is worth a thousand words then this video should be enough to at least a small book. Great job brother!
one flaw needs to be noted for others watching. on the wiring going into your supply post, the cables should droop lower than the entry hole and then upwards into the hole thereby if water runs down the cable it will drip off instead of going into the hole if not sealed perfectly.
Beautiful Layout dude...very clean and attractive!
Amen brother keep doing this the ALMIGHTY God is using you to give and be light in the darkness GOD bless you amen.
This is great! What alot of important info especially useful video. I wasn't thinking of the dissimilar metal connections on the ground of panels. I'll have to get a few of those connectors. Thanks!
inspiriting thank you for loving our Father
Loved your closing message segment. Thanks for the insight on solar energy too!
One off Best explainantion videos i've seen! Thanks
Nifty build/design on the panel rack.
Your clean install is outstanding! Nice work!!!
very organized clean set up... great job, and I share your faith
Jim,
Great job on your solar installation, I can see that you are a man with high standards. I would like to offer you one suggestion regarding your dc disconnect box. I suspect that the Square D circuit breaker you used is an ac breaker. If I am mistaken please ignore my following comment. I must point out that an ac circuit breaker and a dc circuit breaker are designed differently and should not be interchanged. You must use a dc breaker for dc current and here is why. It is far more difficult to extinguish a dc arch than an ac arch in a switching mechanism. Think about the fact that alternating current falls to 0 voltage two times per cycle. At 60 cycles per second or 60 Hertz the voltage of alternating current falls to zero 120 times in one second, every second. On the other hand direct current is always flowing at peak voltage 100% of the time. The dc arch that forms in the breaker at the moment it is switched off is harder to stop. The dc breaker is designed to overcome this arching issue. An excellent line of dc breakers is made by a company called MidNite Solar. Their breakers are marketed by most solar equipment retailers. You probably will not have any issues with your low voltage system but if you one day upgrade and are working with higher voltages you would be well advised to switch to dc breakers. Be safe and God bless.
Patrick - thanks for your thoughtful response! We should work together ;o) Schneider Electric QO circuit breakers are rated for both AC or DC (48 VDC) operation. See this bulletin: www.schneider-electric.com.mx/documents/local/qo.pdf
this was awesome.. thanks for sharing this.. now I am sure that I'm going off the grid..
awesome solar panel, I still got on my beginner size panel... i really need to upgrade..
Happy New Year DOOD!
Nice installation. Very professional looking. Thanks for mentioning specs etc.
I loved your video. God bless you brother. Great job sharing the great commission of Jesus Christ and Romans 1:20.
Nice crimper, have not seen that before... thanks for showing...
Very nice setup going presentation but I'd say best msg came at the end well done
Awesome work. I would give anything to be that squared away. Everything looks sharp and clean labeled too.
Meanwhile I am over here unable to commit to any system....
Fantastic setup. God Bless you and yours.
Nice job on all the information on solar. Very proud of you to state your love for Jesus Crist.
Wonderful that you gave Gods message!
Thank you for saving the best for last! Good job keep it up
If I understood correctly the grounding for the electric equipment and lightning protection is one and the same. Thank you!
That is what was said in the video but it is incorrect. The grounding, no matter how perfectly done, would not protect any equipment from the effects of a lightning strike. That needs to be done differently, i.e. by installing the lightning strike termination devices high up to create a zone of protection. See e.g. ruclips.net/video/Ypo99VRxT44/видео.html for reference.
@@pbasista Yes you are absolutely right. What I said was not about the lightning protection but about the grounding. If you have Grounding for your house and a separate grounding for your lightning protection for the same house ( which should be done properly) At the end of the day you must connect both groundings with a wire so they are one and the same grounding. :)
nice.I couldn't find hardware to put the unistruts back to back. I only found the spring washers.
Very nicely presented. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Jim
I have been searching the internet on how to build small solar system and watched countless of youtube videos some quite confusing. I choose your idea because it makes sense to me.
Here's what I got:
two solar panels, 12V 150Watts, total 300Watts
Square D Circuit Breaker Box QO24L70S and Square D 20Amp Circuit Breaker QO220CP
3215RN Tracer 30A 12V/24V EP MPPT Solar Charger/ Controller with MT5 meter
E2 by Scoshe EWFH Single ANL Fuse Holder with Absolute ANL 60 Amp Gold Plated Fuse in 6 AWG cable between solar controller and battery
EverStart 12v 122 ampH deep cycle battery
E2 by Scoshe EWFH Single ANL Fuse Holder with Absolute ANL 200 Amp Gold Plated Fuse in 4 AWG cable between battery and inverter
Tiger Claw 1500w/3000w Pure Sine WavePower Inverter
Control panel with all components will be mounted on the wall in my basement, however the battery will be in my garage, right on the other side of the wall. I bought just one battery at Wallmart, it isn't sealed and I'm not comfortable with keeping it in my garage let alone in my basement. I might buy more and different kind later.
For this reason I will have to drill several holes through the wall. Some say it isn't a good idea to keep the positive and negative cables of DC current in the same conduit. I understand why we have to keep the battery cables apart but what about solar panel extention cables? Also I intend to use welding cables between charger and the battery. they seem to have quite a good rating, the label says 156016 6AWG CSA CL 1503 150C 600V. I wonder if I can keep them together in one conduit when going through the wall.
When it comes to grounding, some say:
"The same thing needs to be done to your solar PV system by connecting all the equipment together to include the solar panels, PV mounts, combiner box, inverter, charge controller and any other device that makes up your solar PV system. Everything needs to be tied together to the same grounding system as your house. You do not want separate grounding systems for your house and your solar PV system. This is very important.
taken from: www.weatherimagery.com/blog/how-to-ground-solar-pv-panels-correctly/
I'm still not decided on how I'm going to do grounding