Every time my phone goes off with an update for a RUclips video, by boys are hollering 'is that the boss's video Ma? They always hope to see Tilldy and Frankie.... but sit through anything you talk about.. lol they are after their dad to build a greenhouse like yours! Lol thanks again boss! As always, we learned something!
oh goody ! this feeds right into our very first 80 degree day , talk about charged up ! ol hoss is dancing Tennessee walking ,flexing his muscles in the warm sunshine . flapping and clapping his new shoes 🐎 oh wait ...back in the 50's and rain tomorrow.☔ well it won't be long and we all will be tap dancing into spring time🌱 🐝 lawn chair Long neck's in the greenhouse are a pretty good distraction till then. have a great week 🍻
The wood frame looks like good structure. No need metal. 400 watts system, if it runs to $1000, it’s quite costly. Looks like not great power production, then migrate to battery bank/inverter which adds more to total costs. A cabin solar geek, to some extent. Good presentation.
I've watched a boatload of videos and this is the first I've heard of inverters using up power in and of itself. That's very important info to know. Thanks.
Boss man, I always appreciate your honesty. Sometimes these projects can be a little intimidating. Hearing it from you makes me feel better about all the times I’ve experienced this. I’m not as handy as you but can hold my own. I’ll find myself putting these projects off, but then I’ll somehow breeze through them once I actually start. Means a lot to hear someone like you can be a little stand offish with certain things. Nice to know we’re not alone. God bless my friends!
I like that Boss. Dragging your feet a little. I always appreciate your response to my comments and thoughts. It really means a lot to me and brightens my day. You mean so much to so many of us! Take care my friend and God bless you and yours. It would be so wonderful to actually meet you and spend a day together. We can dream, right?
Great video! I do have a warning about your small inverter. We use the 750-watt model and the other day I managed to touch the wrong terminals as I was switching the cables to where they needed to be. With a big flash, I thought everything was destroyed. With one last hope, I took it apart in hopes of a fuse being inside. Yes indeed, there THEY were! There are two 40 amp blade fuses protecting the inverter. We had to go to the car parts store because the 40 amp size was too big for the box store. We now have a couple extra blade fuses and look forward to another 10 years of using it.
I have a system in my rv. I have a switch on the inverter where I just flip it on and off when I am going to run a 110v device. Otherwise everything else runs off 12 volt and the inverter stays off. Of course it is a little easier being all in a contained small environment. Our inverter switch is right near the kitchen where most of our 110 appliances are.
Thanks for helping pass the covid winter. Love your outlook on life. We have many things in common and i hate it also when people give me the "your so LUCKY" 😠 L- look for opportunities U- understand how to succeed C- calculated risks are nessessary K- kick yourself in the rearend. Remember LUCK is a by-product of determination. Good day boss man. God bless
You make some great videos. Always trying to help others by sharing your experiences. I will try sharing some of my experience. I noticed your roof tin is screwed down on the low part of the tin. It is easy to fix it down like that and because you have done such a good job I don't think you will have any leaking problems. On most roof tin installations I have come across. The roof tin is usually screwed down with the screws going though the high ridges of the roof tin. This helps to reduce the chance of water leaking through the screw holes as water runs down the channels. It can be a little tricky running the screws through the high ridges of the roof tin. You need to get a feel for it making sure the screws hold the roof tin down firm, without going in to far and pushing the roof tin out of shape. If are going to install any roof tin it maybe worth considering though. I have learnt so much from your video and have subscribed to see more 👍
Hi Rob. I appreciate your input and I understand your viewpoint as it seems that the high point would be the best place for the screws but... the industry standard for this type of roofing is the screws ALWAYS go in the flat and not in the rib. The rule of thumb is nails in the rib, screws in the flat. If you google screw placement for metal roofing you'll see what I'm referring to. Cheers :-)
@@thebossoftheswamp Thanks, if you did install the screws trough the rib. The tin may also need to be thicker for strength when fixing down. The type of roof tin and screws are important. Longer screws would be needed as well. All adding to the cost. I think screws are a better option than nails even through the rib. Cheers 🙂👍
Hi Boss, we have 900watt system at our camp and we also use a 400 watt inverter. I was curious if you kill your inverter before bed or leave it on all the time.
It just blows my mind when I see a number of "thumbs down" on your videos, because I know you have put a lot of time & energy into them and the "catchy song" at the end just tops it all off. I find myself singing it as I drive down the road. What's not to like? Just rude people I think!
I think those people don’t have anything better to do than be negative I’ve watched boss for long time and has always had good down to earth educational videos
feel sorry for them. They are probably stuck in a crappy job , live in a crappy place and have to deal with crappy people every day. We are so thankful that we have some land, fresh air, a small garden, and our health & happiness. Praise the Lord. We thank him at every dinner meal. Amen.
That means on ideal conditions, and I mean perfect sun exposure those batteries will get 400 watts per hour to charge. If he's constantly running say 800 watts for 3 hours those panels should replenish power back to the batteries. Basically what you use, you have to put back into your battery bank. Then the Charge Controller and Inverter as well need to be deducted as well as watts being used.
Great video and something I’ve been considering ! My wife thinks I am completely freakin crazy walking around singing Frankie and the Boss after your videos !! Lmao. Take care
Great video on installation of a simple and small system. One bonus you didn't mention is, by elevating you panels a little off the roof you allow the warm/hot air to vent from under the panel, keeping your panels cooler. Cooler panels are more efficient than warmer/hotter panels so you generate higher voltages from your solar panels.
@@thebossoftheswamp Probably more than you want to know but my MPPT charge controller (Outback MX-60) can take 100 volts up to 60 amps of input. Using 24V panels I was going to run strings of 3 panels in series. The output of each panel is very near 33 volts. On a really cold winter day with snow on the ground (reflected light) and the sun at just the right angle it is unlikely but still possible to exceed 100V with three panels in series. This would let the 'magic smoke' out of the charge controller making for a very expensive day. Sorry about the complexity of this explanation, I hope you get it. I'd comment more but don't want to appear pompous. Thanks for your really great videos.
i appreciate that you "didn't make a video on how to do something you didn't know how to do yourself." i question a lot of howto videos... im like this is for sure his first time doing this. its nice when they say it upfront. maybe if you filmed it, say up front that it's your experience learning to install them so it's less of a howto and more of a blog on your experience.
Boss, I gotta say the solar power on my off grid cabin was a wonderful addition. Like you, just a couple of lights and charging small devices is about all we do but it's nice to have. I bought mine piece meal from Missouri Wind and Solar about 3 years ago. They have (had?) some informative how-to videos on their website. And, like you, I found some PT scraps in the pile and built a frame for the panel. Harvesting rain water, making your own electricity, burning your own firewood....all very satisfying. Thanks for all your great ideas and suggestions and encouragement over the last few years. I think your winter solitude video (the month you spent alone at your upstate NY cabin) was the biggest inspiration for me. Reminded me of why I do what I do. Enjoy every moment and live life on your own terms. A great message. Hope you are well and God bless. Tom
I bought a similar kit and my order was mixed up. I bought from Amazon and there were two variations of the product in the listing. They sent me some things from the one I actually ordered, and some components from the variation that I didn't order. Arghhh. I had to buy a few cables that were supposed to be included, but it's up and running.
What a treat to come home on a Friday evening and see that notification that I had a video from the Boss waiting for me. Maybe in the next video you could tell us what the system cost. Were the batteries included? Can you just buy more batteries? Have a great evening Boss. I sure will. God Bless
I think the kit sells for around 700. now and the batteries for 350. ea but I got mine on sale on the Home Depot website for around 290. plus 10% off cupon :-))
Thanks for explaining your system, I've seen others that are a mass of wires and thing-a-ma-jiggers I couldn't make heads or tails out of! Your system is much easier to do. Again thanks Boss. Say hi to Mama, give Frankie and Tildie hugs and a treat from me. Much love from So.Cal.💟
Appreciate you sharing your knowledge and skills with us. Love solar and looking forward to getting my own system. In our thoughts and prayers. God Bless y'all and the kids ✌❤😁
I picked up used panels with no frames on them. I've built a stand for them and only thing I can think of is using Liquid Nails and then put strips of wood around them like you did yours. Since mine is 6 ft in the Air I can easily stand under it to do all my connection's. Maybe even with the space under it I can make a little shed for yard crap and tires. So my stand is ready but my energy is in the pooper to lay panels, at least I won't have to go on my roof.
Sure is good to see you smiling and seemingly happy after your surgery, for some unknown reason, well at least to me unknown any surgery in the brain area can seem to put people in a real funk........Good to see you doing much better!!
Great video like usual. I got to say four years ago I started off with one panel and one battery deep cycle living totally off grid I’m now up to 10 renogy 100 watt panels which is 1000 Watts and 6 -100 amp hour batteries. I bought the Renogy battery,s in the beginning But found that the warranty on them Wasn’t anywhere near as good as the lithium ion Battle Born Bateries which is 100% replacement for the first 10 years and then a prorated additional five you’re on top of that so Renogy was good enough after some convincing to refund my money and take their batteries back. I am also on my third charge controller because as you increase your panels output the charge controller has to accommodate the power from those panels so right now with the charge controller I have I could go up to 1400 W which means I could get four more panels. Should’ve realized it was like building a garage always make it bigger than you need because you’re going to use it I would’ve saved A lot of money if I would’ve taken that into account but I was green and not really sure what I was doing. And like you said January and February are very low power producing months in New Hampshire, right now I’m running pretty much without the generator and that’s including running a pellet stove which takes a lot more power than I thought it would.
I'm glad to see the solar is working good for you on the mountain Boss. I to have grape solar/GS400 system here in Michigan. Loving it. Great video. God bless you and your family.
Hummmm. I have really thought about solar for my shed. U make it look simple enough. I’m thinking 2 Panels would work. I’m gonna do some thinking Thanks.
Great video! Im on board with ya on mounting costs. Im doing mine out of unistrut. If you decide to upgrade maybe think about going 24v. I got a cheap 3kw inverter ($300) and at idle it pulls 10watts. Plus youll be using 1/2 the amps. Thats what causes thermal loss. It even can run my 15amp chop saw no prob.
Thanks for saving me the time up front not to bother watching. I wish other YT posters would be so considerate.I hope your system lives up to your hopes.
great job, you should change the terminals of the 400 watts converter to get a better safe connection ? by the way I don't think that having extra batteries is a bad idea at all, me not an expert but just saying. I will take a look at the company that you bought the system for, looks like very simple easy install !! thanks
Great video, Boss ! I just recently set up a 100watt solar panel with controller, inverter, and a deep cycle battery. Works awesome for what I need ! Thumbs up !
You can increase the amount of energy you get during the winter by using metal-sheet mirrors (i.e. metal sheets for construction, or space blankets or tinfoil + epoxi + tarp to make rigid mirror boards, since optically-perfect mirrors are a lot more expensive), and angling and moving them so you get more sunlight during the winter onto the solar panels, and maybe even using the same thing to get more sunlight onto your windows and walls, to reduce the heating bill. Also look into trombe walls and solar air heating, so you can use either normal sunlight or concentrated sunlight to heat the air in your house, while at the same time circulating the air inside your house to prevent mold, and you can even install a heat recovery ventilation to move the heat from the air going out of the house into the air which goes into the solar air heaters or trombe walls through a pipe inside your house, and then making it into the house after the solar air heaters or trombe walls heated it.
As with everything in life, there is a learning curve. And switching from on grid power to solar power, you have to learn what your system can and cannot handle. (you may also need to adjust your system to meet your needs) I went through that learning curve over 6 years ago and have been off grid ever since. Not having a utility bill in over 6 years is priceless.
How many watts did you set up? Did you do the system for your house or cabin? I'm wanting to set up for my house and I'm wondering how many watts I should consider or at least start with, then add on later. I live in Canada and can access the Canadian Amazon if you have products to refer to. Thanks.
When I bought my land, I built a 14' X 16' cabin, on a full-size basement. I figured out what appliances and equipment I needed to have in my cabin, then I calculated how many total watts were required to operate everything for a 24-hour period and designed my solar system, using those figures. Being new to solar, I made the typical mistakes of using non quality equipment and learned the hard way to go with name brand, high quality equipment that will last. My system can be viewed in the videos on my channel, which is accessible by clicking on my name.
Holy cow you got 800 AH of battery. It would take many, many days of lights and computer usage to run those down much at all. Way over battery for the usage and size of the rest of the system but you should never run out!!
I think you are coming along well. The capacity to grow your solar is the key. I actually have two systems here: 1500w/24V and a 10,000w/48V I really like solar because for me year round it serves my needs and is very simple and maintenance free as well. thanks for the video. Jim in Chile
You gave it the "KISS" touch hooking the solar up(keep it simple stupid)! Doesn't sound to awful hard. With the watts you create with your system, will that run your house and shop needs(lights, computer, phones)? Or do you need more panels for that much consumption! Great video...
Using Watts as a rating does not really work for a solar system. Most people think that a 400 watt system will run 4 100 watt light bulbs but that is not really the case. When thinking of solar think Amps and Amp hours. Amp Hours is the amount of fuel in the tank so to speak. Amps is the amount of power each device draws. For device that need an inverter, the inverter will draw an extra amount of power to change the power from DC to AC. So with 800 amp hours you could run a 1 amp load for 800 hours. or one 800 amp load for 1 hour. Although in reality this would kill your batteries. They can only be drawn down to a certain point without damage. Oversize your battery and solar panels to account for less than ideal days.
Hi JC - I use Renogy products too with no problems. I have a small panel that attaches to my RV's window with suction cups and it has a USB outlet on it for charging cell phones, etc. The other small panel I have has a variety of attachments that I use to keep my motorcycle or ATV battery charged when it's not in use. That one is portable as well and works great! Thanks for sharing your info!
Good stuff Boss. I started setting up a house with solar several years ago. I ran most of the wiring from the panel locations to the charge controllers. A couple of suggestions. As much as possible use 12 volt power and skip the inverter. I ran 12 volt wiring for lights using 900 lumen LED s from SuperBrightLED The bulbs were 25 dollars then and well worth the money. The lights are getting close to 10 years old and still out perform anything else. Amp draw is extremely low like .05 amps per hour. If I remember the math correctly. I could be wrong but then again I have never been accused of being right. The owner has done modifications to the original setup. If somebody out there likes to listen to music, two knob style 12 volt car radios will play for days on a 100 Amp hour battery. My friend installed three of them in his house with speakers mounted in the ceiling. Look at the truck stop there are numerous 12 volt appliances to include refrigerators/freezers, that will run from a small solar setup. These could be useful in a grid down situation for those living in an urban area to help keep food and medicines fresh until the power comes back, As a back up I rigged up a couple of terminal posts on the side of the house. In a pinch I could jump the house off the truck. For those with more of an interest look up Will Prowse on You Tube. He can be extremely technical but has videos for beginners. His website is a fantastic resource. Very smart young man.
@@thebossoftheswamp Anytime Boss. You have shared your Backwoods Logic with us for many years. I can give back in areas where I have some experience. Even if it is pointing them to a resource of information.
Now you need to make a box with a reasonably flat car or truck windshield to put some 3/4 black plastic pipe & an insulated water tank or barrel for water to be solar heated in summer ;)
Another great video boss! Clear concise and to the point! Keep up the wonderful work. By the way, I showed my folks your channel. The video was the, one about the sex sells.... So after the video I proved your point to them. They clearly see, what you guys and I already knew. Lol. Now of course, it seems we see more and more of that junk. I've watched you, for about six years. You've always been a straight shooter. I respect the hell out of ya. Stay warm up there.
The batteries are awesome! I upgraded to lithium and don’t regret it. The only drawback is you cannot charge them when it is below freezing. Even though they are initially expensive, they will out perform and out last lead acid batteries. Because they last longer, in the long run are more economical.
Nice solar setup! I have too have a small system that i built myself. 1000 watts total in solar panels, a 1000 watt pure sine wave Renogy inverter and i recently upgraded my battery bank to a single 100AH Power Queen LiFePo4 battery. Greetings from Jamaica.
During the recent snow storms in Texas, so many lost power for days! My daughter and son-in-law were in their little solar powered cabin living the life, but almost feeling guilty that they were so comfortable, when so many others were not!
Great video! I'm sure @DIYSolarPowerwithWillProwse would be thankful for the recommendation on his book. I own a copy myself and his YT channel is where I learned the bulk of my knowledge about small scale solar and batteries. Thanks for sharing.
I always like it when some one makes something one thinks is complicated and makes it simple. Thanks Boss
Yes I agree. I think people who make things seem complicated aren't really trying to teach/help you.
THANK YOU.
Instablaster.
Every time my phone goes off with an update for a RUclips video, by boys are hollering 'is that the boss's video Ma? They always hope to see Tilldy and Frankie.... but sit through anything you talk about.. lol they are after their dad to build a greenhouse like yours! Lol thanks again boss! As always, we learned something!
Good luck with your greenhouse :-))
Finally I`ve seen how it`s all hooked up simply .Thanks
For a long time i was never sold on solar..now I have it I wouldnt be without it😊👍
Things have improved a great deal even in the last 15 years. The cost of solar panels has dropped a great deal and the panels are better too!
You're not kidding. It's very affordable now :-))
oh goody ! this feeds right into our very first 80 degree day , talk about charged up !
ol hoss is dancing Tennessee walking ,flexing his muscles in the warm sunshine .
flapping and clapping his new shoes 🐎
oh wait ...back in the 50's and rain tomorrow.☔
well it won't be long and we all will be tap dancing into spring time🌱 🐝
lawn chair Long neck's in the greenhouse are a pretty good distraction till then.
have a great week 🍻
Great Solar RUclips channel that keeps it simple and easy is Grumpy Mountain Man for those who want to learn and do it yourself
"Desclos Power & Light" haha! That's the Goldie Lox System, not too big, not too small. Nice job
Who else sings the song at the end of the video ? I do, every time !!
Ya gotta sing at the end of the video . . State Law lol
@@brentrobinson6956, I bet it is !
Yup...its a thing that just happens to everyone!
I'm singing as I type :-)
Does this guy realize how smart he really is? Wow D frikin tailed. 👍
You have such a knack for simply making beautiful things. :)
Thank you for that :-)
That certainly seems simple enough, thanks for the video!
Well put together system very nicely I like it.
Thank you :-)
Yup. Yankee ingenuity and common sense. We are seriously blessed. Thanks.
The wood frame looks like good structure. No need metal.
400 watts system, if it runs to $1000, it’s quite costly.
Looks like not great power production, then migrate to battery bank/inverter which adds more to total costs.
A cabin solar geek, to some extent. Good presentation.
Excellent video! God bless you too!
I've watched a boatload of videos and this is the first I've heard of inverters using up power in and of itself. That's very important info to know. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this DIY video. Hope you are doing well.
Thank you and the same to you.
Finally someone that can make it so simple that anyone can understand!!! Awesome Job!!! Thanks so much!!
Glad you liked it!
Thank you for your blunt honesty and making this so simple to understand
My pleasure!
Boss man, I always appreciate your honesty. Sometimes these projects can be a little intimidating. Hearing it from you makes me feel better about all the times I’ve experienced this. I’m not as handy as you but can hold my own. I’ll find myself putting these projects off, but then I’ll somehow breeze through them once I actually start. Means a lot to hear someone like you can be a little stand offish with certain things. Nice to know we’re not alone. God bless my friends!
Yeah I can drag my feet when attempting to jump into something I know nothing about :-)
I like that Boss. Dragging your feet a little. I always appreciate your response to my comments and thoughts. It really means a lot to me and brightens my day. You mean so much to so many of us! Take care my friend and God bless you and yours. It would be so wonderful to actually meet you and spend a day together. We can dream, right?
Appreciate this, thank you
Great video! I do have a warning about your small inverter. We use the 750-watt model and the other day I managed to touch the wrong terminals as I was switching the cables to where they needed to be. With a big flash, I thought everything was destroyed. With one last hope, I took it apart in hopes of a fuse being inside. Yes indeed, there THEY were! There are two 40 amp blade fuses protecting the inverter. We had to go to the car parts store because the 40 amp size was too big for the box store. We now have a couple extra blade fuses and look forward to another 10 years of using it.
I have a system in my rv. I have a switch on the inverter where I just flip it on and off when I am going to run a 110v device. Otherwise everything else runs off 12 volt and the inverter stays off. Of course it is a little easier being all in a contained small environment. Our inverter switch is right near the kitchen where most of our 110 appliances are.
Great video! I'm getting to do a solar system, so Im do my research. Seem pretty basic installs, plus I have the electrical experience.
I know very little about this stuff but this was easier than I thought and has been working flawlessly ever since.
Wow very nice, thanks for sharing..
💖thanks!
Thank you for this video :-) 👍👍
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks great video.
Yes sir
Thanks for helping pass the covid winter. Love your outlook on life. We have many things in common and i hate it also when people give me the "your so LUCKY" 😠
L- look for opportunities
U- understand how to succeed
C- calculated risks are nessessary
K- kick yourself in the rearend.
Remember LUCK is a by-product of determination.
Good day boss man. God bless
Very well said Paul. God Bless,
Great video!
Thanks!
You make some great videos. Always trying to help others by sharing your experiences. I will try sharing some of my experience. I noticed your roof tin is screwed down on the low part of the tin. It is easy to fix it down like that and because you have done such a good job I don't think you will have any leaking problems. On most roof tin installations I have come across. The roof tin is usually screwed down with the screws going though the high ridges of the roof tin. This helps to reduce the chance of water leaking through the screw holes as water runs down the channels. It can be a little tricky running the screws through the high ridges of the roof tin. You need to get a feel for it making sure the screws hold the roof tin down firm, without going in to far and pushing the roof tin out of shape. If are going to install any roof tin it maybe worth considering though. I have learnt so much from your video and have subscribed to see more 👍
Hi Rob. I appreciate your input and I understand your viewpoint as it seems that the high point would be the best place for the screws but... the industry standard for this type of roofing is the screws ALWAYS go in the flat and not in the rib. The rule of thumb is nails in the rib, screws in the flat. If you google screw placement for metal roofing you'll see what I'm referring to.
Cheers :-)
@@thebossoftheswamp Thanks, if you did install the screws trough the rib. The tin may also need to be thicker for strength when fixing down. The type of roof tin and screws are important. Longer screws would be needed as well. All adding to the cost. I think screws are a better option than nails even through the rib. Cheers 🙂👍
Thanks for sharing, I would be interest in also knowing how the rest of the cabin was connected to it.
The wire coming from the inverter plugs into an outlet which feeds power into the outlet rather than pulling power pout of it.
Thanks for sharing Boss Guess what I’m going to do with my stimulus check LOL 😆 God bless see you on the next video
That's a good way to spend it. Mine's going into my next build also.
I Loved the Video.........Has Anyone ever told ya, You look like Captain Cragen (Dann Florek) From Law and Order SVU, The Voice too
That's a first.
This video, by far, was the simplest method for installing a small solar system that I've seen so far. You da man!
Agreed!
That’s why he’s the BOSS!!!
Glad you liked it!
Awesome and simple, KISS. Love it. Oh and KISS is not a kiss for you it means keep it simple 😉
The computer you should use is Apple M1 Mac mini., it only uses 5 watts!
Hi Boss, we have 900watt system at our camp and we also use a 400 watt inverter. I was curious if you kill your inverter before bed or leave it on all the time.
It's always on.
is there a video on how to make the frame?
No there isn't.
Did batteries come with the kit, or what was recommended?
Where did you get that grizzly warning sign?
right here amzn.to/2NjU1Jc
When all is said and done, what were your total costs
What kind of fuse is that on the positive cable?
This is what I used. Very simple to install. amzn.to/3wfO3e1
What’s the cost
Put your panels on the ground, so when it snows you can clean them. If you don't, you'll lose power in the winter..😉
I sweep them off from the ground with an extension pole and I show that in the video.
Looks like you came up short on your roof panels
🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏🙏🙏
It just blows my mind when I see a number of "thumbs down" on your videos, because I know you have put a lot of time & energy into them and the "catchy song" at the end just tops it all off. I find myself singing it as I drive down the road. What's not to like? Just rude people I think!
I think those people don’t have anything better to do than be negative I’ve watched boss for long time and has always had good down to earth educational videos
feel sorry for them. They are probably stuck in a crappy job , live in a crappy place and have to deal with crappy people every day. We are so thankful that we have some land, fresh air, a small garden, and our health & happiness. Praise the Lord. We thank him at every dinner meal. Amen.
Josey, I agree 100% with you. These videos aren't just instructional they are definitely entertaining.
They’re obviously communists.
Fortunatly we cant see them anymore :)
With 400W panels on average how many Wh or kWh do you think you pull in per day and do you know the average summer to winter variance?
That means on ideal conditions, and I mean perfect sun exposure those batteries will get 400 watts per hour to charge. If he's constantly running say 800 watts for 3 hours those panels should replenish power back to the batteries. Basically what you use, you have to put back into your battery bank. Then the Charge Controller and Inverter as well need to be deducted as well as watts being used.
Can you run a small air conditioner over night on the panels ?
Air Conditioners draw lots of current, I'd go with a Swamp Cooler, but the initial start up will draw lots of current till that wheel gets moving.
Look up Will Prowse on You Tube.
He set up a shed with a small AC running off solar.
Great video and something I’ve been considering ! My wife thinks I am completely freakin crazy walking around singing Frankie and the Boss after your videos !! Lmao. Take care
Great video on installation of a simple and small system.
One bonus you didn't mention is, by elevating you panels a little off the roof you allow the warm/hot air to vent from under the panel, keeping your panels cooler. Cooler panels are more efficient than warmer/hotter panels so you generate higher voltages from your solar panels.
Great point and thanks for commenting :-)
@@thebossoftheswamp Probably more than you want to know but my MPPT charge controller (Outback MX-60) can take 100 volts up to 60 amps of input. Using 24V panels I was going to run strings of 3 panels in series.
The output of each panel is very near 33 volts. On a really cold winter day with snow on the ground (reflected light) and the sun at just the right angle it is unlikely but still possible to exceed 100V with three panels in series. This would let the 'magic smoke' out of the charge controller making for a very expensive day.
Sorry about the complexity of this explanation, I hope you get it. I'd comment more but don't want to appear pompous. Thanks for your really great videos.
I have no idea why I've been intimidated by solar. After watching this, no excuses. Thank you
Always enjoy your videos JC. Stay safe and God Bless my friend. Until the next one.
God Bless :-)
i appreciate that you "didn't make a video on how to do something you didn't know how to do yourself." i question a lot of howto videos... im like this is for sure his first time doing this. its nice when they say it upfront. maybe if you filmed it, say up front that it's your experience learning to install them so it's less of a howto and more of a blog on your experience.
Boss, I gotta say the solar power on my off grid cabin was a wonderful addition. Like you, just a couple of lights and charging small devices is about all we do but it's nice to have. I bought mine piece meal from Missouri Wind and Solar about 3 years ago. They have (had?) some informative how-to videos on their website. And, like you, I found some PT scraps in the pile and built a frame for the panel. Harvesting rain water, making your own electricity, burning your own firewood....all very satisfying.
Thanks for all your great ideas and suggestions and encouragement over the last few years. I think your winter solitude video (the month you spent alone at your upstate NY cabin) was the biggest inspiration for me. Reminded me of why I do what I do. Enjoy every moment and live life on your own terms. A great message. Hope you are well and God bless.
Tom
I wouldn't trade this lifestyle for anything. It's physical and demanding but rewarding beyond words.
Life is what you make of it :-))
God Bless.
I bought a similar kit and my order was mixed up. I bought from Amazon and there were two variations of the product in the listing. They sent me some things from the one I actually ordered, and some components from the variation that I didn't order. Arghhh. I had to buy a few cables that were supposed to be included, but it's up and running.
What a treat to come home on a Friday evening and see that notification that I had a video from the Boss waiting for me. Maybe in the next video you could tell us what the system cost. Were the batteries included? Can you just buy more batteries? Have a great evening Boss. I sure will. God Bless
I just sourced all the stuff and came up with around $2,378. There may be more if shipping and tax is added. Still it also depends where you buy from.
I think the kit sells for around 700. now and the batteries for 350. ea but I got mine on sale on the Home Depot website for around 290. plus 10% off cupon :-))
Thanks for explaining your system, I've seen others that are a mass of wires and thing-a-ma-jiggers I couldn't make heads or tails out of! Your system is much easier to do. Again thanks Boss. Say hi to Mama, give Frankie and Tildie hugs and a treat from me. Much love from So.Cal.💟
Glad it helped :-))
Appreciate you sharing your knowledge and skills with us. Love solar and looking forward to getting my own system. In our thoughts and prayers. God Bless y'all and the kids ✌❤😁
Thank you Sandra and God Bless :-))
I picked up used panels with no frames on them. I've built a stand for them and only thing I can think of is using Liquid Nails and then put strips of wood around them like you did yours. Since mine is 6 ft in the Air I can easily stand under it to do all my connection's. Maybe even with the space under it I can make a little shed for yard crap and tires. So my stand is ready but my energy is in the pooper to lay panels, at least I won't have to go on my roof.
Good idea.
I put my first set up on ladder style scaffolds like a bakers rack but slightly wider.
snow removal is abear. Set up on the ground facing south is the way to go.
In our location, the roof has sun a lot more than the ground so the roof was the best spot for them.
Sure is good to see you smiling and seemingly happy after your surgery, for some unknown reason, well at least to me unknown any surgery in the brain area can seem to put people in a real funk........Good to see you doing much better!!
Thank you kindly.
Great video! Thanks!
Thanks for your insight and wisdom
Watching you it all looks great, since it is all Greek to me, if you say it is good and proper, so be it. Thanks for the video. You made it look easy.
Great video like usual. I got to say four years ago I started off with one panel and one battery deep cycle living totally off grid I’m now up to 10 renogy 100 watt panels which is 1000 Watts and 6 -100 amp hour batteries. I bought the Renogy battery,s in the beginning But found that the warranty on them Wasn’t anywhere near as good as the lithium ion Battle Born Bateries which is 100% replacement for the first 10 years and then a prorated additional five you’re on top of that so Renogy was good enough after some convincing to refund my money and take their batteries back. I am also on my third charge controller because as you increase your panels output the charge controller has to accommodate the power from those panels so right now with the charge controller I have I could go up to 1400 W which means I could get four more panels. Should’ve realized it was like building a garage always make it bigger than you need because you’re going to use it I would’ve saved
A lot of money if I would’ve taken that into account but I was green and not really sure what I was doing. And like you said January and February are very low power producing months in New Hampshire, right now I’m running pretty much without the generator and that’s including running a pellet stove which takes a lot more power than I thought it would.
Your system works for you, and I actually think it will work for me as well. Thanks Boss!
I'm glad to see the solar is working good for you on the mountain Boss. I to have grape solar/GS400 system here in Michigan. Loving it. Great video. God bless you and your family.
God Bless :-))
Hummmm. I have really thought about solar for my shed. U make it look simple enough. I’m thinking 2 Panels would work. I’m gonna do some thinking Thanks.
Great video! Im on board with ya on mounting costs. Im doing mine out of unistrut.
If you decide to upgrade maybe think about going 24v. I got a cheap 3kw inverter ($300) and at idle it pulls 10watts.
Plus youll be using 1/2 the amps. Thats what causes thermal loss. It even can run my 15amp chop saw no prob.
Thanks for saving me the time up front not to bother watching. I wish other YT posters would be so considerate.I hope your system lives up to your hopes.
You simplify everything! God bless
Thank you! I appreciate your informative videos.
Glad you like them!
great job, you should change the terminals of the 400 watts converter to get a better safe connection ? by the way I don't think that having extra batteries is a bad idea at all, me not an expert but just saying. I will take a look at the company that you bought the system for, looks like very simple easy install !! thanks
True, but I left the clamps on it for a reason that I'll explain in my next Q&A :-))
Great video, Boss ! I just recently set up a 100watt solar panel with controller, inverter, and a deep cycle battery. Works awesome for what I need ! Thumbs up !
Sounds good buddy. Solar has been a real game changer for us.
You can increase the amount of energy you get during the winter by using metal-sheet mirrors (i.e. metal sheets for construction, or space blankets or tinfoil + epoxi + tarp to make rigid mirror boards, since optically-perfect mirrors are a lot more expensive), and angling and moving them so you get more sunlight during the winter onto the solar panels, and maybe even using the same thing to get more sunlight onto your windows and walls, to reduce the heating bill. Also look into trombe walls and solar air heating, so you can use either normal sunlight or concentrated sunlight to heat the air in your house, while at the same time circulating the air inside your house to prevent mold, and you can even install a heat recovery ventilation to move the heat from the air going out of the house into the air which goes into the solar air heaters or trombe walls through a pipe inside your house, and then making it into the house after the solar air heaters or trombe walls heated it.
Good job my friend,very good and helpful
As with everything in life, there is a learning curve. And switching from on grid power to solar power, you have to learn what your system can and cannot handle. (you may also need to adjust your system to meet your needs)
I went through that learning curve over 6 years ago and have been off grid ever since. Not having a utility bill in over 6 years is priceless.
How many watts did you set up? Did you do the system for your house or cabin? I'm wanting to set up for my house and I'm wondering how many watts I should consider or at least start with, then add on later. I live in Canada and can access the Canadian Amazon if you have products to refer to. Thanks.
When I bought my land, I built a 14' X 16' cabin, on a full-size basement. I figured out what appliances and equipment I needed to have in my cabin, then I calculated how many total watts were required to operate everything for a 24-hour period and designed my solar system, using those figures.
Being new to solar, I made the typical mistakes of using non quality equipment and learned the hard way to go with name brand, high quality equipment that will last.
My system can be viewed in the videos on my channel, which is accessible by clicking on my name.
Holy cow you got 800 AH of battery. It would take many, many days of lights and computer usage to run those down much at all. Way over battery for the usage and size of the rest of the system but you should never run out!!
I plan to up my wattage with more panels. I grabbed the batteries cause they were on sale and couldn't pass them up.
Thanks Boss, wife and I are in the process of doing this right .now !!!
You can do it!
I think you are coming along well. The capacity to grow your solar is the key.
I actually have two systems here: 1500w/24V and a 10,000w/48V
I really like solar because for me year round it serves my needs and is very simple and maintenance free as well.
thanks for the video. Jim in Chile
This video was powerful, electrifying, charged with energy!
I’ll show myself out.
You got me choking on my own spit!
I wish I'd understand this stuff more, but what you say makes sense, so THANKS🤓
You gave it the "KISS" touch hooking the solar up(keep it simple stupid)! Doesn't sound to awful hard. With the watts you create with your system, will that run your house and shop needs(lights, computer, phones)? Or do you need more panels for that much consumption! Great video...
Using Watts as a rating does not really work for a solar system.
Most people think that a 400 watt system will run 4 100 watt light bulbs but that is not really the case.
When thinking of solar think Amps and Amp hours.
Amp Hours is the amount of fuel in the tank so to speak.
Amps is the amount of power each device draws.
For device that need an inverter, the inverter will draw an extra amount of power to change the power from DC to AC.
So with 800 amp hours you could run a 1 amp load for 800 hours.
or one 800 amp load for 1 hour.
Although in reality this would kill your batteries.
They can only be drawn down to a certain point without damage.
Oversize your battery and solar panels to account for less than ideal days.
Yes the camp, the shop and shed are all linked together and run on the system I showed here.
@@thebossoftheswamp that is great! Not too much, not too little, at a fair price. Thanks boss...
What a timely video! I'm about to add solar to my off-grid cabin myself. Picked up some good ideas from you. Thanks! 🌞🌞
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the info boss. I honestly thought it would be far more complicated than that. Bless you all.
Hi JC - I use Renogy products too with no problems. I have a small panel that attaches to my RV's window with suction cups and it has a USB outlet on it for charging cell phones, etc. The other small panel I have has a variety of attachments that I use to keep my motorcycle or ATV battery charged when it's not in use. That one is portable as well and works great! Thanks for sharing your info!
I need solar!! I was just thinking about this.
Good stuff Boss.
I started setting up a house with solar several years ago.
I ran most of the wiring from the panel locations to the charge controllers.
A couple of suggestions.
As much as possible use 12 volt power and skip the inverter.
I ran 12 volt wiring for lights using 900 lumen LED s from SuperBrightLED
The bulbs were 25 dollars then and well worth the money.
The lights are getting close to 10 years old and still out perform anything else.
Amp draw is extremely low like .05 amps per hour. If I remember the math correctly. I could be wrong but then again I have never been accused of being right.
The owner has done modifications to the original setup.
If somebody out there likes to listen to music, two knob style 12 volt car radios will play for days on a 100 Amp hour battery. My friend installed three of them in his house with speakers mounted in the ceiling.
Look at the truck stop there are numerous 12 volt appliances to include refrigerators/freezers, that will run from a small solar setup.
These could be useful in a grid down situation for those living in an urban area to help keep food and medicines fresh until the power comes back,
As a back up I rigged up a couple of terminal posts on the side of the house.
In a pinch I could jump the house off the truck.
For those with more of an interest look up Will Prowse on You Tube.
He can be extremely technical but has videos for beginners.
His website is a fantastic resource.
Very smart young man.
All good points Shawn. Thank you.
@@thebossoftheswamp Anytime Boss.
You have shared your Backwoods Logic with us for many years.
I can give back in areas where I have some experience.
Even if it is pointing them to a resource of information.
Now you need to make a box with a reasonably flat car or truck windshield to put some 3/4 black plastic pipe & an insulated water tank or barrel for water to be solar heated in summer ;)
Another great video boss! Clear concise and to the point! Keep up the wonderful work. By the way, I showed my folks your channel. The video was the, one about the sex sells....
So after the video I proved your point to them. They clearly see, what you guys and I already knew. Lol. Now of course, it seems we see more and more of that junk.
I've watched you, for about six years. You've always been a straight shooter. I respect the hell out of ya. Stay warm up there.
That's not going to answer all the questions Uncle Boss. I'm sure that book is great. Just come do it for us...... ;)
The batteries are awesome! I upgraded to lithium and don’t regret it. The only drawback is you cannot charge them when it is below freezing. Even though they are initially expensive, they will out perform and out last lead acid batteries. Because they last longer, in the long run are more economical.
I've heard good stuff about them.
Hey Boss. This seems pretty doable. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Nice solar setup! I have too have a small system that i built myself. 1000 watts total in solar panels, a 1000 watt pure sine wave Renogy inverter and i recently upgraded my battery bank to a single 100AH Power Queen LiFePo4 battery.
Greetings from Jamaica.
During the recent snow storms in Texas, so many lost power for days! My daughter and son-in-law were in their little solar powered cabin living the life, but almost feeling guilty that they were so comfortable, when so many others were not!
I feel the same about everyone getting worked up over stuff they see on social media. We stay away from all that and just enjoy our days ;-))
Great video, Thanks
Great video! I'm sure @DIYSolarPowerwithWillProwse would be thankful for the recommendation on his book. I own a copy myself and his YT channel is where I learned the bulk of my knowledge about small scale solar and batteries. Thanks for sharing.