Put a timer on the pool pump. Start running it at dawn and turn it off at dusk. Get a thermostat that can be programmed with a schedule and let it change the setting on the A/C amduring the night.
I have NEVER run my 3/4HP pool pump/filter system 24/7 here in East-Coast Canada. 12/24 is more than I need in the hottest (35*C+, 95*F+) days. I often set my system to circulate ONLY when the solar heating system is functioning - and occasionally when I am using my heat-pump heater. I keep a close eye on pool clarity, but rarely need to shock my pool. Maybe you should try dialling back the circulation hours ?!?
@@terryw.2957 I have my pump set to run just 4 hours every day. The pump turns on automatically when solar heat gain is available. I need to remember to shock the pool occasionally because I NEVER experience algae growth/green water. I also keep my (salt-water pool) chlorine levels to a minimum.
Backup power is a rabbit hole. We lost power a few years in a roll for a few days and I didn't want to keep dragging out the generator and run extension cords to power up a few things every time the power went out. I looked into a whole house generator and found we could do solar for the same cost if we didn't run the central air or heater. We went solar, the solar system doesn't feed back to the grid, nor do we use any of its power unless the grid is down so, our system is backup power only just like a whole house generator is. We did purchase a small dual fuel inverter generator later on as backup to the solar panels to charge the batteries in inclement weather and so far, we haven't run the batteries down so the generator has never been used. With that said since we installed the solar system the longest power outage, we have had was 16 hours. The auto transfer switch that that switches the sub panel from grid to solar was well worth the money because, we don't need to do anything to switch back and forth. I keep finding myself wanting to upgrade the system so we can run the central air, but I do manage to talk myself out of it. I should have said the cost of doing so changes my mind. We have installed an inverter window AC in the bedroom so we do have a room to keep cool in and we only used it once during the 16-hour power outage other than the testing I did to make sure the system could handle it. I'm glad to see you have a system that works for you. Solar is like gardening; you do what works for you and change what doesn't.
I installed my own solar and battery system and my return on investment is less than four years with respect to my electricity savings and if my power goes out 90% of my house remains energized and as long as it is sunny I can run my air conditioner for quite a few hours to cool the house down before it gets dark.
You are so much smarter than me on electrical issues, or any DIY things, but regarding you running your pool pump 24/7 - we have an in ground pool and we run out pump 7 hours a day. We use a cartridge that goes in the filter that prevents algae problems and we use two 3" chlorine tablets in a float a week. Water stays great.
This is a great video. Many years ago, we had a swimming pool filter that was on a timer. We did not need to run the swimming pool filter 24/7, more like 12/7.
Great to hear it is all working out! You seem to have the best of all worlds! It’s great to know you have backups! don’t have to explain why you do what you do for home & family to anyone….Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge so others may gain something from it. Good luck with the success of all your projects ! 😊
They are posting to youtube for crying out loud. Saying “don’t have to explain why you do what you do for home & family to anyone” is a pretty funny comment to make.
Done the same set up with the 10 circuit Reliance transfer switch, and for the exact same reason. Only difference, is on my transfer switch, i have the 240 outlet installed into the transfer switch face, and connect the output of the inverter to the transfer switch with a generator cable. That way, should the inverter fail AND the grid fail, I can connect the gas generator directly to the transfer switch. Offgrid/self reliance type mentality drives you to have back ups for your back ups, I guess....
My husband and I installed solar panels on our home. We live in WV so we have to stay on the grid. Our most recent electric bill was $3. and some change. We are currently saving up for battery backup and we are very happy with our system. If any of your viewers live in WV I strongly suggest Solar Hollar. It’s not cheap, but there is a 30% tax credit.
Got the grid for a backup like you guys, spent 5k putting together a 3kw setup with 10kwh of batteries and cut our electric bills in half....very happy with it and almost sure in 10yrs it will just be free power.
Mine is not exactly like yours, but it is completely off grid on 120v loads and if I need the grid I just move over 3 extension cords to 3 diff wall outlets. My loads on system are max 30 amps cords are all 10 gauge.
Agree about the cost comparison of the choice between grid connection and off grid. Just installed an off grid solar system for £13500, compared to a quote for grid connection for £117000.
So good to see you, I have missed seeing you but understand being busy. So great about the off grid solar panels they are looking so great. Have a wonderful blessed and beautiful day, sending love and hugs, bye!! 😂🥰😘🙏🙏🙏👏👏💖💕💜💜💜
Gosh I wish that I had a system like that. I've been thinking about some kind of system because I live in southeast Louisiana and power goes out far more often than it should. With all the hurricanes, massive thunderstorms that seem to pop up daily and so many trees the power lines are always breaking or the transformers are shorting out, and that doesn't count the cold winters. You would think that there would be more underground power lines. The last big storm "IDA" I was without power for 10 days because of 1 tree that blew over in my neighbourhood that broke 4 poles and some wires and we would have been without power longer but someone contacted the fire dept and they told the power company that they would be responsible for the cost if there was a fire past the downed tree and power lines in the road. They had power back within 4 hrs., New poles ,new lines and the tree removed so the road was reopened, and power was on. They descended on my neighbourhood like a swarm of ants! My june power bill was over $586.00 and I think it is getting out of control, May was $200.00. I'm afraid that I would need a massive system to go off grid.
Glad to hear you are starting out with no issues and no problems from storm damage. I've had my rooftop array for 4 years and in that time I've had 3 microinverters which were covered under warranty. The first one was fully paid for under warranty because it occurred in year one, but the other two failed in years 3 and 4 so I had to pay our original installer to replace both. I'm not a DIYer from a solar perspective and not willing to climb on the roof so needed to pay for that inverter swap. Didn't think of that type of maintenance as I thought the warranty covered both equipment and labor for the period it covers. My fault for not understanding the warranty. Regarding what you stated about payback period. What I recommend is that if people are looking for payback and time period type of reason to get solar, understand what your state and utility rules and procedures are regarding solar generation. Some offer rebates at both state income tax level and at the utility level. Also determine if your state does pay you back for overgeneration of solar above and beyond what you are using. Many states have done away with netmetering or removed it's financial viability so find out how your utility works in that regard and also if there are any plans or state legislation in the works to make solar less viable from a payback perspective. I agree you should not get solar from a strict financial perspective if your state and/or utility are against it. My state is sort of in the middle. I currently earn 1/2 to 1/5 the price I pay on solar generated power above what I use because the utility charges tiered rates and gives a lower price per kWh for the power I send back to the grid. I have to overgenerate power significantly beyond what I use in order to get sufficient credits to break even on an annual basis. Unfortunately my agreement for payback ends after 10 years and I will bet money at that point that this utility will no longer provide credits and that I will no longer benefit from generating more than I use. At that point I will seriously look to upgrade my minimal battery storage in order to cover my needs during late day peak tier rate times and overnight (which I nearly cover today with my smaller battery). Solar can be good, but has its drawbacks. Haven't needed to use mine from a backup perspective yet.
Very honest evaluation. I'm glad you didn't gloss over the cost aspect of going solar, "if the grid is available". I've done the same thing you have, to a lesser degree, on two different properties. I did not do it for financial reasons, but because I enjoy the hobby of installing solar and building batteries, plus my work really requires me to have power 24/7.
G'day guys good to see you putting out some clips again. Pool filter 24/7 you must be kidding, here in Australia we only run them for max 8 hours a day Try to find some info for that
Thx for the video. I thought for sure you were going to say that your electricity bill was $0. Especially in the summer. It only guets worse (in terms of pv energy production) as you get into the winter, right? So now I am back to thinking what I really need is a generator. I so want this solar + battery stuff to make sense financially. But the payback doesn't seem to be there. And for the hassle of getting everything installed and then having to worry about a tree falling on a panel (we do have trees close by), or having an issue somewhere else... If nothing else, this really makes me appreciate the value that our utility company delivers here in GA.
Propane is a good back up plan Propane doesn’t go bad so getting a large tank and buying at the right time might be a good option Personally if you have to the money solar plus propane back up generator is the way to go Especially if you are in a remote area. Also wood burning heaters are a big plus if you have plenty of free fire wood on your property I don think there is a perfect solution But having some type of back up is becoming more important.
Awesome setup you did vs plain old fuel backup system. Power outages here more often than Florida, yet because we have electric co-op, up in hours. - Definitely watch all your tech vids beforehand! Thanks.
@GAH great to know your system is working well, i think the real reason you are not saving allot is ONLY because your utility cost is not high, for example in NY during the summer with SuperPeak 48cent pkwh using only 1,400-1,500kwh per month you’ll be paying $540-590 in utility bill, your bill for 1,100kwh of only $130 getting solar should not be for saving but more for backup power that you can’t put a payback price on, so I’ll have to say going solar if you have a high electric rate 100% you can payback your system within a year or two even without batteries.
@@sam-and-angela thats awesome its great to have low utility rates that in is self is saving when you compare to other places, your system is one awesome full backup setup all you need now is more batteries for extended time off grid.
It's eventually a money saving thing if you are able to DIY it. My ROI is around 10 years, however my reason for doing it is for a completely opposite reason.
Normally we spend about $170-220 a month on electricity. We have a smaller array that we used with lil grid tie inverters you just plug in to the wall(they power off if the power on the grid goes out for safety reasons). Anyway the electric company thought I was messing with their system and sent someone out here and they made me unplug my stuff because “I didn’t fill out the application and pay the fee” so I figured I’d go off grid so I ordered solar from santan solar (50 used panels for $23 each). I’m not looking to sell back to the grid, I just want to be independent and have less bills. Solar: $950 with a summer deal, $600 for shipping 10kw inverter 20kw peak hooked up to transfer switch: $1300 with coupon on eBay. 6 lifepo4 batteries in 24v pattern:$1300 Cables for 2/3’s the array $600 Connectors:$50-60 Lumber: $550 3 Amazon charge controllers that work surprisingly well: $130 total. My total was around $5500 for this setup. Pay off should be around 2.5 years. And the real payoff of this is now and its independence.
Our Prices for kwh in Alberta, canada is at about $0.30/kwh after fees. base kwh charge is 8-11cents. at 800 KWH, no ac, natural gas stove/heat, I am about 480kwh a month at 60% useage . 12months about 5700kwh. at $0.30/kwh. that is close to $1700 a year in savings. Well worth it for me to Go with Solar even at my residential. Plus we have had close to powergrid failures in winter due to over population.
That's a pretty slick system. It is so easy to switch between the grid and off grid system. Never knew such a thing existed on a per circuit basis. I'm in the city so i don't really need such a setup, but its pretty nice that you have then with so many power outages.
I like your philosophy in life which I also follow. Buy once cry once. If you really want a piece of mind about the winds in the solar panels put up a 12 ft fencing and the green windblocker like they do at the tennis courts. Also put a soft star on your air conditioner. That will reduce the amp draw from 130 down to 30ish. I'm approaching solar the same way you are not to save money for a piece of mind. Electricity is only going to get more and more expensive even if we get free Fusion reactors that has unlimited energy for some reason the electric company will charge us more for it. Even if that is the case the grid is only as strong as the weakest link.
I love watching videos like this. Maybe eventually it will sink in😊 and I'll see the applicability possibility😅 to our situation in a town. Actually we are surrounded by trees so it would be risky to have solar panels in our backyard. 🙏🇨🇦
Wife and I bought a house on 2 acres. We’re completely solar for electricity. Our set up ran us like $2k for 2 batteries and $12 or 1300 for 4 panels and a mppt charger. It’s summer so production is really good, but we’re gonna add 4 more batteries and maybe a few more panels. We’re pretty light on usage. No ac, we do have a small inverter to run fans and a tv. Our electric bill averaged $350/month before moving and going completely off the electric grid. So, it will be paid off in about 3 years at most?
Hopefully we do not have to repeat "the old days" anytime soon! Non-stop renovation, building, and spending so much money and work on the home just to get a nicer place. :) The exterior siding is on our list, but obviously not terribly high. We'll see what the Fall brings with cooler weather.
There are definitely more affordable options than what you did. Bigbattery charges $400 per kW on their batteries. I can find that reliably for half off. You could probably do this whole system for what you spent on inverter/battery combo. I’m not sure what wire and small items cost you. I can get 36 solar panels for $2,000, brand new. Inverter $1,500-$2,500.
@@lindamaskus5142 I did. I’m assuming a factor that went into their figuring was the 10 year warranty. I was just trying to give that information out. You can build this system and the savings pay for itself within 3 or 4 years. It also depends on how much you use.
I have to disagree with you about the "solar is not really a money savings thing". A solar system pay-off really depends on how much electricity you use (i.e., your electrical loads). I see you have many solar panels and I bet when the sun is up, you are generating more electricity than you are using. Therefore, you need to find a way to take advantage of the excess generation. For example, charge an electric car and pay zero for gas or heat up water in a tank or save in batteries. I have done the numbers for my own usage and my ROI is only five years. My numbers don't even include selling excess back to the grid. I pay federal taxes and took advantage of the 30% incentive.
@user-ei3ml8jo1s Yes, looking at his 2023 electric usage shows that he is using ~1458 watts continuously. I don't know where he is using all those watts. My mini-split uses 350 watts continuously (on average), but my gaming PC also uses the same. He needs to get Emporia power monitoring and see what he is doing with all those watts.
Very true. I installed my own solar system and my return on investment based on my electricity savings is less than four years and if I have a power outage 90% of my house remains energized.
Do you not have the grid input hooked up on the inverter? I have the EG4 version of this inverter I have mine set to start pulling from the grid after the batteries hit 20% and when the sun comes out it starts charging and only has to pull from the grid if it drops back down past 20% again. I usually make it until 3:30-6am before I have to pull any from the grid. That is with 15kwh of storage. I have more storage on order that has been on backorder for a while now but can't wait to add it back to the system.
ok I have to ask what are the three glass I am assuming lights on the bottom of the inverter. I can honestly say that is the first time I have seen that on the hundreds of inverters installations I have seen. Some kind of warning lights or what mode it is in grid/inverter/generator
Sam, how far apart are the 2 banks of solar panels? I wanna build something similar but I wanna keep them far enough apart so shadowing is not an issue. also what size posts did u use. I'm thinking 🤔 maybe 4x6 set in concrete.
You said all you had to do was flip the transfer switch. How is phase synchronization handled?? When I was in the navy we had to synchronized one system to the other before shifting the load. Does your system stay in sync constantly?? Just wondering.
youtube money/sponsors seems to be working out great. I originally started watching this channel because you all were very similar to us as far as income and time ABLE to spend on the homestead. But i do believe this has turned into a sponsored JOB in the last several months. Good luck to yall. I do not blame you, i would do the same, but you were so transparent originally.....
We get it... some can't just be happy that we've had some success in things and able to improve our lives by our own hard work and dedication. Anyone who says RUclips is easy must really give it a try to see how easy it is! This channel is nine years old... nine years of work and dedication and we can finally take advantage of some appropriate partnerships with companies. You don't see us peddling over priced cereals, shaving razors, chicken feeds, mattresses, or anything else that so many other would truly sell out for. Instead we choose things that can enrich our lives or be educational for others. Yeah... boo on us!
@@sam-and-angela I totally understand. That's why in my original comment. i was congratulating you all! I think you all have done a wonderful job!! And i am VERY happy for your family!!!. Im just saying it makes it a little less relatable to us folks who cant afford what has been given through sponsors, youtube, add rev ect.. Like i said, I would do the same!! And congrats again!!!
Besides being off-grid because there are not any utilities nearby, I can't imagine a possible financial benefit from going solar. If most people would spend a few thousand on ramping up their insulation and fixing issues on their home, they should be able to conserve energy and get by with an extremely low power bill. Mine never goes over $200 and during mild temperatures hover around $90 and that's with 4 people and 2500 sq feet plus cooling the garage mildly. A solar system that would keep up my consumption would probably cost $400/mo at minimum. How is that a smart idea? I love solar because I have an off-grid cabin far back in the hills...but there I use little to nothing because it's not my residence. Just wanted to make sure people are aware before running off and dropping $30-$60K on a nice home solar system that it's going to cost you far more than grid power will for the same amount of power consumed. Adjust your habits at home, beef up your insulation and home efficiency, and enjoy easy maintenance free grid power if you can.
@@sam-and-angela more family life, life on the homestead. Not so much technical things and so detailed. family interaction, the boys growing up. The change in the land, animals, garden. Consistent videos, truthfully i had forgotten about your channel until it popped up on my feed. I had always watched for it..this is just my opinion, one person's...
First off, I'm not sure if the cover you guys are standing under is building code compliant? I don't see enough hurricane brackets? The main beam is sitting on posts with flimsy brackets with little lag bolts. Back to the solar 😂 I didn't see your rail system. You said it's very expensive. The very cheap rail you can use to mount the solar panels is the super strut. Electricians use them for mounting heavy conduit risers or horizontal. You can buy them at Home Depot or Lowe's for 35 dollars per 10 ft. Mounting bolts are reasonabley priced. I used a heavy duty angle frame brackets to mount the panels. Mounting Too many people try to build the whole home solar power system. I tell people to only build a 120v system and keep the 240v from the grid. By doing it this way, you don't have to overbuild the solar array and the battery banks My 6000w solar array and 20 kwh batteries is more than enough for my needs. My grand total after the Federal credit is little over 8,000 dollars. My power bill is roughly 5 dollars per month during spring, summer, and fall. 25 to 30 dollars per month during winter. Yes, I don't use 240v appliances. I upgraded to a heat pump water heater. 99 dollars after the Federal and local power company rebates. My washer and dryer are also heat pump hybrid that run on 120v only. Upgrading your appliances is cheaper than trying to build the whole home solar power system.
I am super happy that you have taken the steps that you have to get the results that you want. What I do have an issue with is your claim that you are off-grid, or have an off grid system. You are not living off grid, nor do you have an off-grid system. You have a HYBRID SYSTEM at best. you are fine ti have that, no problem at all. except you claim OFF GRID, and you're not even close.unless you can sever your utility services. Again, I have no issues with having a system like yours, expect that you call it off-grid, I can only assume for the clicks. Now to myself for a second. I have two homes, One OFF GRID, and the other HYBRID, My House in canada I use 50% throughout the year on the hyrbrid system. 8 months out of the year I am swimming in power, 4 months of the year I am a slave to the grid. My House in Mexico is 100% off grid, at least 10km to the nearest utility. Year round I can sustain life down there with trucked in water, septic, and solar. Off grid where I am I have no choice, if I want something I have to provide it myself since there is nothing near us.5km dirt road off the highway to our home. Spot the difference?
@@boblatkey7160 It wasn't exact, or I would have asked if his load was 4166 watts which would equal 100kw a day. But he could be using 5000w all day with 4 hours of that load provided by PV input which would be 100kw discharge from battery. In Jan you really only get 4 decent hours of production.
So technically you are still on the grid..since you have to ise it when you run low in your solar….do you ever plan to have a big enough system so you can detach completely…or do you stay hooked to electric in order to not raise red flags with things that aren’t technically supposed to be done? I dint understand what you meant by “big brother” checking in on you…
I’m sorry. That is not an off grid system. It’s actually a poor implementation of a grid tied system. Putting the China high frequency inverter aside for a minute. You should be set up grid tied without a manual transfer switch. You can choose to set grid export to zero if you would like. There is no reason in this day and age to be getting up in the middle of the night to manually turn on your grid connection. Also, your energy consumption is HUGE. I have been on grid tied solar for years. When the grid goes down the lights don’t even flicker. 12.96kWp , 2 ground mounts, 8s2p on each. 29.6kWh of Discover AES batteries DC coupled and closed loop with Schneider XWPro M&S and 2 600/100 MPPT. I routinely produce 50% more AC power than I consume. Sorry but that system is what sponsors gave you. It’s nothing to be bragging about.
And there is no need for you to brag about paying way too much money for Discover batteries and Schneider inverters when in fact Sol-Ark out performs them and is much much lower in cost. I've been installing off grid systems for 25 years and I am done with that old-school crap that cost way too much money.
Put a timer on the pool pump. Start running it at dawn and turn it off at dusk. Get a thermostat that can be programmed with a schedule and let it change the setting on the A/C amduring the night.
So happy you have the system up and running and no regrets. Keep on keeping on.
I have NEVER run my 3/4HP pool pump/filter system 24/7 here in East-Coast Canada. 12/24 is more than I need in the hottest (35*C+, 95*F+) days. I often set my system to circulate ONLY when the solar heating system is functioning - and occasionally when I am using my heat-pump heater. I keep a close eye on pool clarity, but rarely need to shock my pool.
Maybe you should try dialling back the circulation hours ?!?
I run my pool pump 7 hours a day in north Florida.
@@terryw.2957 I have my pump set to run just 4 hours every day. The pump turns on automatically when solar heat gain is available. I need to remember to shock the pool occasionally because I NEVER experience algae growth/green water. I also keep my (salt-water pool) chlorine levels to a minimum.
Very cool! Glad to see you back - you were missed!
Backup power is a rabbit hole. We lost power a few years in a roll for a few days and I didn't want to keep dragging out the generator and run extension cords to power up a few things every time the power went out. I looked into a whole house generator and found we could do solar for the same cost if we didn't run the central air or heater. We went solar, the solar system doesn't feed back to the grid, nor do we use any of its power unless the grid is down so, our system is backup power only just like a whole house generator is. We did purchase a small dual fuel inverter generator later on as backup to the solar panels to charge the batteries in inclement weather and so far, we haven't run the batteries down so the generator has never been used. With that said since we installed the solar system the longest power outage, we have had was 16 hours. The auto transfer switch that that switches the sub panel from grid to solar was well worth the money because, we don't need to do anything to switch back and forth. I keep finding myself wanting to upgrade the system so we can run the central air, but I do manage to talk myself out of it. I should have said the cost of doing so changes my mind. We have installed an inverter window AC in the bedroom so we do have a room to keep cool in and we only used it once during the 16-hour power outage other than the testing I did to make sure the system could handle it. I'm glad to see you have a system that works for you. Solar is like gardening; you do what works for you and change what doesn't.
I installed my own solar and battery system and my return on investment is less than four years with respect to my electricity savings and if my power goes out 90% of my house remains energized and as long as it is sunny I can run my air conditioner for quite a few hours to cool the house down before it gets dark.
I love how you break everything down, show processes, etc. I just love your channel and all the progress you both make. GOD bless
Thank you so much!
Glad to see you all making so much progress!!
You are so much smarter than me on electrical issues, or any DIY things, but regarding you running your pool pump 24/7 - we have an in ground pool and we run out pump 7 hours a day. We use a cartridge that goes in the filter that prevents algae problems and we use two 3" chlorine tablets in a float a week. Water stays great.
Our filter & pump are due for an upgrade very soon. Hopefully we can get by with similar run times!
Hello! Missed seeing y’all!
Would lick to see more of your everyday lives like watching on your journey.
So happy to see you on this channel!! I’ve been watching since you started. One of my favorites!! Thank you!!
This is a great video. Many years ago, we had a swimming pool filter that was on a timer. We did not need to run the swimming pool filter 24/7, more like 12/7.
Hey guys, great to see ya.
Great to hear it is all working out! You seem to have the best of all worlds! It’s great to know you have backups! don’t have to explain why you do what you do for home & family to anyone….Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge so others may gain something from it. Good luck with the success of all your projects ! 😊
They are posting to youtube for crying out loud. Saying “don’t have to explain why you do what you do for home & family to anyone” is a pretty funny comment to make.
@@user-ei3ml8jo1s glad you’re laughing 🙄…. seems they owe nothing to you…watch if you want to…don’t watch if you don’t want to 🤷🏼♀️
Hi you two. It's nice to see you. Being off grid will be a nice change for you. ❤❤🎉
Done the same set up with the 10 circuit Reliance transfer switch, and for the exact same reason. Only difference, is on my transfer switch, i have the 240 outlet installed into the transfer switch face, and connect the output of the inverter to the transfer switch with a generator cable. That way, should the inverter fail AND the grid fail, I can connect the gas generator directly to the transfer switch. Offgrid/self reliance type mentality drives you to have back ups for your back ups, I guess....
My husband and I installed solar panels on our home. We live in WV so we have to stay on the grid. Our most recent electric bill was $3. and some change. We are currently saving up for battery backup and we are very happy with our system. If any of your viewers live in WV I strongly suggest Solar Hollar. It’s not cheap, but there is a 30% tax credit.
With no batteries when the grid goes down you are sitting in the dark. When my grid goes down the lights don’t even flicker.
@@user-ei3ml8jo1s we are saving up for backup battery system. Can’t do it all at once and we like being debt free.
Got the grid for a backup like you guys, spent 5k putting together a 3kw setup with 10kwh of batteries and cut our electric bills in half....very happy with it and almost sure in 10yrs it will just be free power.
Mine is not exactly like yours, but it is completely off grid on 120v loads and if I need the grid I just move over 3 extension cords to 3 diff wall outlets. My loads on system are max 30 amps cords are all 10 gauge.
Agree about the cost comparison of the choice between grid connection and off grid. Just installed an off grid solar system for £13500, compared to a quote for grid connection for £117000.
So good to see you, I have missed seeing you but understand being busy. So great about the off grid solar panels they are looking so great. Have a wonderful blessed and beautiful day, sending love and hugs, bye!! 😂🥰😘🙏🙏🙏👏👏💖💕💜💜💜
Thanks so much!
Gosh I wish that I had a system like that. I've been thinking about some kind of system because I live in southeast Louisiana and power goes out far more often than it should. With all the hurricanes, massive thunderstorms that seem to pop up daily and so many trees the power lines are always breaking or the transformers are shorting out, and that doesn't count the cold winters. You would think that there would be more underground power lines. The last big storm "IDA" I was without power for 10 days because of 1 tree that blew over in my neighbourhood that broke 4 poles and some wires and we would have been without power longer but someone contacted the fire dept and they told the power company that they would be responsible for the cost if there was a fire past the downed tree and power lines in the road. They had power back within 4 hrs., New poles ,new lines and the tree removed so the road was reopened, and power was on. They descended on my neighbourhood like a swarm of ants!
My june power bill was over $586.00 and I think it is getting out of control, May was $200.00. I'm afraid that I would need a massive system to go off grid.
I wish I could set time thing like this up. I did fire up my tiny bluetti will be ok for my art studio
HOLY CRAP!!! They do exist!!!
Glad to hear you are starting out with no issues and no problems from storm damage. I've had my rooftop array for 4 years and in that time I've had 3 microinverters which were covered under warranty. The first one was fully paid for under warranty because it occurred in year one, but the other two failed in years 3 and 4 so I had to pay our original installer to replace both. I'm not a DIYer from a solar perspective and not willing to climb on the roof so needed to pay for that inverter swap. Didn't think of that type of maintenance as I thought the warranty covered both equipment and labor for the period it covers. My fault for not understanding the warranty.
Regarding what you stated about payback period. What I recommend is that if people are looking for payback and time period type of reason to get solar, understand what your state and utility rules and procedures are regarding solar generation. Some offer rebates at both state income tax level and at the utility level. Also determine if your state does pay you back for overgeneration of solar above and beyond what you are using. Many states have done away with netmetering or removed it's financial viability so find out how your utility works in that regard and also if there are any plans or state legislation in the works to make solar less viable from a payback perspective.
I agree you should not get solar from a strict financial perspective if your state and/or utility are against it. My state is sort of in the middle. I currently earn 1/2 to 1/5 the price I pay on solar generated power above what I use because the utility charges tiered rates and gives a lower price per kWh for the power I send back to the grid. I have to overgenerate power significantly beyond what I use in order to get sufficient credits to break even on an annual basis. Unfortunately my agreement for payback ends after 10 years and I will bet money at that point that this utility will no longer provide credits and that I will no longer benefit from generating more than I use. At that point I will seriously look to upgrade my minimal battery storage in order to cover my needs during late day peak tier rate times and overnight (which I nearly cover today with my smaller battery). Solar can be good, but has its drawbacks. Haven't needed to use mine from a backup perspective yet.
Perfect description of Sam. I am in the Angela camp but really appreciate what Sam does and shows us. Great team that balances things.
God bless, good to see you again.
Very honest evaluation. I'm glad you didn't gloss over the cost aspect of going solar, "if the grid is available". I've done the same thing you have, to a lesser degree, on two different properties. I did not do it for financial reasons, but because I enjoy the hobby of installing solar and building batteries, plus my work really requires me to have power 24/7.
G'day guys good to see you putting out some clips again. Pool filter 24/7 you must be kidding, here in Australia we only run them for max 8 hours a day Try to find some info for that
Great and interesting video. Good to see you guys again
Thx for the video. I thought for sure you were going to say that your electricity bill was $0. Especially in the summer. It only guets worse (in terms of pv energy production) as you get into the winter, right? So now I am back to thinking what I really need is a generator. I so want this solar + battery stuff to make sense financially. But the payback doesn't seem to be there. And for the hassle of getting everything installed and then having to worry about a tree falling on a panel (we do have trees close by), or having an issue somewhere else... If nothing else, this really makes me appreciate the value that our utility company delivers here in GA.
Propane is a good back up plan
Propane doesn’t go bad so getting a large tank and buying at the right time might be a good option
Personally if you have to the money solar plus propane back up generator is the way to go
Especially if you are in a remote area.
Also wood burning heaters are a big plus if you have plenty of free fire wood on your property
I don think there is a perfect solution
But having some type of back up is becoming more important.
Great installation. We've fitted a red and Green light in Kitchen. To indicate Grid and Inverter supply
We only run our inground pool about 12 or less hours a day
So cool! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Awesome setup you did vs plain old fuel backup system. Power outages here more often than Florida, yet because we have electric co-op, up in hours. - Definitely watch all your tech vids beforehand! Thanks.
Good afternoon Sam and Angela , I am SO happy that you are still vlogging , Ive missed y ou .
In 2015 we had power out for two weeks. You might want to put a pilot light on the utility grid so you know if it is off or on.
@GAH great to know your system is working well, i think the real reason you are not saving allot is ONLY because your utility cost is not high, for example in NY during the summer with SuperPeak 48cent pkwh using only 1,400-1,500kwh per month you’ll be paying $540-590 in utility bill, your bill for 1,100kwh of only $130 getting solar should not be for saving but more for backup power that you can’t put a payback price on, so I’ll have to say going solar if you have a high electric rate 100% you can payback your system within a year or two even without batteries.
Well said! Our power here is quite cheap by comparison to other regions for sure! It's half the cost of what we paid when we lived in NC.
@@sam-and-angela thats awesome its great to have low utility rates that in is self is saving when you compare to other places, your system is one awesome full backup setup all you need now is more batteries for extended time off grid.
I has been A LOT HOTTER here!!! But it will not be long and fall weather will be here!
What I don't like about it is that panels are so ugly in your yard. Great video brother
It's eventually a money saving thing if you are able to DIY it. My ROI is around 10 years, however my reason for doing it is for a completely opposite reason.
Great job on RUclips videos 😎👍
Nice to see you both again.
Normally we spend about $170-220 a month on electricity. We have a smaller array that we used with lil grid tie inverters you just plug in to the wall(they power off if the power on the grid goes out for safety reasons). Anyway the electric company thought I was messing with their system and sent someone out here and they made me unplug my stuff because “I didn’t fill out the application and pay the fee” so I figured I’d go off grid so I ordered solar from santan solar (50 used panels for $23 each). I’m not looking to sell back to the grid, I just want to be independent and have less bills.
Solar: $950 with a summer deal, $600 for shipping
10kw inverter 20kw peak hooked up to transfer switch: $1300 with coupon on eBay.
6 lifepo4 batteries in 24v pattern:$1300
Cables for 2/3’s the array $600
Connectors:$50-60
Lumber: $550
3 Amazon charge controllers that work surprisingly well: $130 total.
My total was around $5500 for this setup. Pay off should be around 2.5 years. And the real payoff of this is now and its independence.
Our Prices for kwh in Alberta, canada is at about $0.30/kwh after fees. base kwh charge is 8-11cents.
at 800 KWH, no ac, natural gas stove/heat, I am about 480kwh a month at 60% useage . 12months about 5700kwh. at $0.30/kwh. that is close to $1700 a year in savings. Well worth it for me to Go with Solar even at my residential. Plus we have had close to powergrid failures in winter due to over population.
That's a pretty slick system. It is so easy to switch between the grid and off grid system. Never knew such a thing existed on a per circuit basis. I'm in the city so i don't really need such a setup, but its pretty nice that you have then with so many power outages.
Great info! I’ve wanted to be off grid for years. Loved seeing you both! Missed you! ❤
glad y'all are back !
Great, thorough review. Glad your solar system is doing awesome! 👍👏❤
Love and enjoy your videos. May the lord bless and protect you and your family
Hi Sam and Angela! Very informative video for off grid living😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
Solar A/C is out now they run on solar panels 12000 and 24000 BTU units ar working good!
I like your philosophy in life which I also follow. Buy once cry once.
If you really want a piece of mind about the winds in the solar panels put up a 12 ft fencing and the green windblocker like they do at the tennis courts.
Also put a soft star on your air conditioner. That will reduce the amp draw from 130 down to 30ish.
I'm approaching solar the same way you are not to save money for a piece of mind. Electricity is only going to get more and more expensive even if we get free Fusion reactors that has unlimited energy for some reason the electric company will charge us more for it. Even if that is the case the grid is only as strong as the weakest link.
Let the sunshine in. Good job being off grid.
That's a good video Sam ur a smart man going off grid wish I could do the same
I love watching videos like this. Maybe eventually it will sink in😊 and I'll see the applicability possibility😅 to our situation in a town. Actually we are surrounded by trees so it would be risky to have solar panels in our backyard. 🙏🇨🇦
You can save by not running your pool 24 hours. 8-10 hours should be sufficient.
Great info guys thank you
Our pleasure!
Love you guys videos been watching you from day one❤
I like your setup for the load center and transfer switches in your house. What model transfer switch do you have and main load center?
Wife and I bought a house on 2 acres. We’re completely solar for electricity. Our set up ran us like $2k for 2 batteries and $12 or 1300 for 4 panels and a mppt charger. It’s summer so production is really good, but we’re gonna add 4 more batteries and maybe a few more panels. We’re pretty light on usage. No ac, we do have a small inverter to run fans and a tv. Our electric bill averaged $350/month before moving and going completely off the electric grid. So, it will be paid off in about 3 years at most?
I miss the old days on your channel. When are you doing the outside of your house?
Hopefully we do not have to repeat "the old days" anytime soon! Non-stop renovation, building, and spending so much money and work on the home just to get a nicer place. :) The exterior siding is on our list, but obviously not terribly high. We'll see what the Fall brings with cooler weather.
There are definitely more affordable options than what you did. Bigbattery charges $400 per kW on their batteries. I can find that reliably for half off. You could probably do this whole system for what you spent on inverter/battery combo. I’m not sure what wire and small items cost you.
I can get 36 solar panels for $2,000, brand new. Inverter $1,500-$2,500.
He said you can go cheap. Did u miss that part?
@@lindamaskus5142 I did. I’m assuming a factor that went into their figuring was the 10 year warranty. I was just trying to give that information out. You can build this system and the savings pay for itself within 3 or 4 years. It also depends on how much you use.
Pool needs to circulate ~6-8 hours a day.
Not in my climate, it will go nasty. 10 to 12 hours/day depending on temperature.
@@boblatkey7160 ok, your video you stated 24/7, In Atlanta, we are 6-8 hours....it doubles the electric usage for us during summer months.
I have to disagree with you about the "solar is not really a money savings thing". A solar system pay-off really depends on how much electricity you use (i.e., your electrical loads). I see you have many solar panels and I bet when the sun is up, you are generating more electricity than you are using. Therefore, you need to find a way to take advantage of the excess generation. For example, charge an electric car and pay zero for gas or heat up water in a tank or save in batteries. I have done the numbers for my own usage and my ROI is only five years. My numbers don't even include selling excess back to the grid. I pay federal taxes and took advantage of the 30% incentive.
He is still buying power from the grid. He doesn’t have excess power since his self reported usage is HUGE.
@user-ei3ml8jo1s Yes, looking at his 2023 electric usage shows that he is using ~1458 watts continuously. I don't know where he is using all those watts. My mini-split uses 350 watts continuously (on average), but my gaming PC also uses the same. He needs to get Emporia power monitoring and see what he is doing with all those watts.
@@majid_us my Schneider system includes awesome real time energy monitoring with their Insight. I generate 50% more AC power than I use.
Very true. I installed my own solar system and my return on investment based on my electricity savings is less than four years and if I have a power outage 90% of my house remains energized.
Do you plan on increasing batteries to include adding soap shack to the system
Sam….. don’t run your pool filter 24/7. Run it 8 hours a day during the hottest part of the day. That’s all it takes.
EMP proof
Very nice setup did you put a soft start on your air conditioning unit?...
There's no need.. we have mini splits for our HVAC.
Do you not have the grid input hooked up on the inverter? I have the EG4 version of this inverter I have mine set to start pulling from the grid after the batteries hit 20% and when the sun comes out it starts charging and only has to pull from the grid if it drops back down past 20% again. I usually make it until 3:30-6am before I have to pull any from the grid. That is with 15kwh of storage. I have more storage on order that has been on backorder for a while now but can't wait to add it back to the system.
ok I have to ask what are the three glass I am assuming lights on the bottom of the inverter. I can honestly say that is the first time I have seen that on the hundreds of inverters installations I have seen. Some kind of warning lights or what mode it is in grid/inverter/generator
I have a question about porch metal roof? Did your screws go all the way thru to under side? Thank you.
Sam, how far apart are the 2 banks of solar panels? I wanna build something similar but I wanna keep them far enough apart so shadowing is not an issue. also what size posts did u use. I'm thinking 🤔 maybe 4x6 set in concrete.
You said all you had to do was flip the transfer switch. How is phase synchronization handled?? When I was in the navy we had to synchronized one system to the other before shifting the load. Does your system stay in sync constantly?? Just wondering.
Do you plan to go fully off grid at some point?
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youtube money/sponsors seems to be working out great. I originally started watching this channel because you all were very similar to us as far as income and time ABLE to spend on the homestead. But i do believe this has turned into a sponsored JOB in the last several months. Good luck to yall. I do not blame you, i would do the same, but you were so transparent originally.....
They CHANGED years ago !!!! Noone can relate.....because all are not as fortunate to RECEIVE SPONSORS, $, DONATIONS or GIFTS !!!!
@@michaelhodge237 You are absolutely right.. I was being generous with the several months statement! LOL
We get it... some can't just be happy that we've had some success in things and able to improve our lives by our own hard work and dedication. Anyone who says RUclips is easy must really give it a try to see how easy it is! This channel is nine years old... nine years of work and dedication and we can finally take advantage of some appropriate partnerships with companies. You don't see us peddling over priced cereals, shaving razors, chicken feeds, mattresses, or anything else that so many other would truly sell out for. Instead we choose things that can enrich our lives or be educational for others. Yeah... boo on us!
@@sam-and-angela I totally understand. That's why in my original comment. i was congratulating you all! I think you all have done a wonderful job!! And i am VERY happy for your family!!!. Im just saying it makes it a little less relatable to us folks who cant afford what has been given through sponsors, youtube, add rev ect.. Like i said, I would do the same!! And congrats again!!!
Well said!! I love seeing your success over the years!!❤@@sam-and-angela
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Besides being off-grid because there are not any utilities nearby, I can't imagine a possible financial benefit from going solar. If most people would spend a few thousand on ramping up their insulation and fixing issues on their home, they should be able to conserve energy and get by with an extremely low power bill. Mine never goes over $200 and during mild temperatures hover around $90 and that's with 4 people and 2500 sq feet plus cooling the garage mildly. A solar system that would keep up my consumption would probably cost $400/mo at minimum. How is that a smart idea? I love solar because I have an off-grid cabin far back in the hills...but there I use little to nothing because it's not my residence.
Just wanted to make sure people are aware before running off and dropping $30-$60K on a nice home solar system that it's going to cost you far more than grid power will for the same amount of power consumed. Adjust your habits at home, beef up your insulation and home efficiency, and enjoy easy maintenance free grid power if you can.
You need redundancy if you are running fully offgrid. Getting a parallel unit will give you that redundancy.
That's a terrible idea, I installed off grid systems for 20 years and very few of them ever fail. That's a complete waste of money.
You neglected to tell us the total cost of your off grid system
Yeah not worth the hype and cost grid is your best bet
How much is your investment in solar? We were quoted $70,000. in western Kentucky
We're well under half that cost, but did all the work ourselves.
Be nice to see more of you, but I guess you are both busy with your businesses.
Need to add a Wind Turbine(s) , glad things are working 🙏 🙏 🙏
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👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I miss the old green acres...😢
Elaborate what the old green acre was
@@sam-and-angela more family life, life on the homestead.
Not so much technical things and so detailed.
family interaction, the boys growing up.
The change in the land, animals, garden.
Consistent videos, truthfully i had forgotten about your channel until it popped up on my feed. I had always watched for it..this is just my opinion, one person's...
Been a while, nice to see you again. Nice hat. And is that a hickey on the wife's neck ;)
I apologize for being so nosey, but how do you survive financially.
First off, I'm not sure if the cover you guys are standing under is building code compliant? I don't see enough hurricane brackets? The main beam is sitting on posts with flimsy brackets with little lag bolts.
Back to the solar 😂
I didn't see your rail system. You said it's very expensive.
The very cheap rail you can use to mount the solar panels is the super strut. Electricians use them for mounting heavy conduit risers or horizontal. You can buy them at Home Depot or Lowe's for 35 dollars per 10 ft.
Mounting bolts are reasonabley priced.
I used a heavy duty angle frame brackets to mount the panels.
Mounting
Too many people try to build the whole home solar power system.
I tell people to only build a 120v system and keep the 240v from the grid.
By doing it this way, you don't have to overbuild the solar array and the battery banks
My 6000w solar array and 20 kwh batteries is more than enough for my needs. My grand total after the Federal credit is little over 8,000 dollars.
My power bill is roughly 5 dollars per month during spring, summer, and fall. 25 to 30 dollars per month during winter.
Yes, I don't use 240v appliances.
I upgraded to a heat pump water heater. 99 dollars after the Federal and local power company rebates.
My washer and dryer are also heat pump hybrid that run on 120v only.
Upgrading your appliances is cheaper than trying to build the whole home solar power system.
That's kind of old-school. All high-quality inverters these days make 120/240 split phase power.
I am super happy that you have taken the steps that you have to get the results that you want. What I do have an issue with is your claim that you are off-grid, or have an off grid system. You are not living off grid, nor do you have an off-grid system. You have a HYBRID SYSTEM at best. you are fine ti have that, no problem at all. except you claim OFF GRID, and you're not even close.unless you can sever your utility services.
Again, I have no issues with having a system like yours, expect that you call it off-grid, I can only assume for the clicks.
Now to myself for a second. I have two homes, One OFF GRID, and the other HYBRID,
My House in canada I use 50% throughout the year on the hyrbrid system. 8 months out of the year I am swimming in power, 4 months of the year I am a slave to the grid.
My House in Mexico is 100% off grid, at least 10km to the nearest utility. Year round I can sustain life down there with trucked in water, septic, and solar. Off grid where I am I have no choice, if I want something I have to provide it myself since there is nothing near us.5km dirt road off the highway to our home.
Spot the difference?
Did that print claim 100kw a day in Jan? How? 5000w of electric heat? I bought 48kw of battery for 9600 usd.
You have your units completely screwed up. That doesn't make any sense at all. Power is expressed in watts and energy is expressed in kilowatt hours.
@@boblatkey7160 It wasn't exact, or I would have asked if his load was 4166 watts which would equal 100kw a day. But he could be using 5000w all day with 4 hours of that load provided by PV input which would be 100kw discharge from battery. In Jan you really only get 4 decent hours of production.
@@bobmonztr 100 kW a day? Again, you have your units completely screwed up! That's like saying I have a water pump that does 40 psi per day. 🙄
@@boblatkey7160 I thought I saw something that said 100 kw ,that's why I asked, if I was wrong who cares
@@bobmonztr yeah, who cares if you bought a water pump that does 60 psi per day. 🖕
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So technically you are still on the grid..since you have to ise it when you run low in your solar….do you ever plan to have a big enough system so you can detach completely…or do you stay hooked to electric in order to not raise red flags with things that aren’t technically supposed to be done? I dint understand what you meant by “big brother” checking in on you…
Are you going to utilize your 30% solar income tax credit?
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I’m sorry. That is not an off grid system. It’s actually a poor implementation of a grid tied system. Putting the China high frequency inverter aside for a minute. You should be set up grid tied without a manual transfer switch. You can choose to set grid export to zero if you would like. There is no reason in this day and age to be getting up in the middle of the night to manually turn on your grid connection. Also, your energy consumption is HUGE. I have been on grid tied solar for years. When the grid goes down the lights don’t even flicker. 12.96kWp , 2 ground mounts, 8s2p on each. 29.6kWh of Discover AES batteries DC coupled and closed loop with Schneider XWPro M&S and 2 600/100 MPPT. I routinely produce 50% more AC power than I consume. Sorry but that system is what sponsors gave you. It’s nothing to be bragging about.
And there is no need for you to brag about paying way too much money for Discover batteries and Schneider inverters when in fact Sol-Ark out performs them and is much much lower in cost. I've been installing off grid systems for 25 years and I am done with that old-school crap that cost way too much money.
@@boblatkey7160 You do you. You sound like an angry old person.