We Saved THOUSANDS on Off-Grid Solar - Here's How! (Full DIY Cost Breakdown)
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- Опубликовано: 6 авг 2024
- How much did our massive DIY off-grid solar system cost? This is a detailed cost breakdown of our 7,200W - 28kWH - 5,000W - 120V off-grid solar system that powers our entire homestead. By piecing together our own system from multiple components we were able to save thousands of dollars. Powered by SanTan Solar Panels, REPT LiFePO4 Batteries, REC BMS, @VictronEnergyBV Inverters, Charge Controllers & Color Control GX, and @IronRidgeSolar rack mounting.
SOLAR COST BREAKDOWN ARTICLE: tinyshinyhome.com/off-grid-so...
SOLAR COST CALCULATOR: tinyshinyhome.com/off-grid-so...
SOLAR WIRING ARTICLE: tinyshinyhome.com/diy-off-gri...
SOLAR WIRING DIAGRAM: tinyshinyhome.com/off-grid-so...
UPDATE: 1 WEEK DELIVERY IN U.S. LITHIUMS
REPT LiFePO4 tinyshinyhome.com/280lithium-...
EVE LiFePO4 tinyshinyhome.com/280lithium-...
Mention Tiny Shiny Home to receive a discount (these are non-affiliate links, you just save $$)
OFF-GRID SYSTEM MAIN COMPONENTS
Solar Panels (SanTan Solar) tinyshinyhome.com/santan-promo
IronRidge Rack System www.ironridge.com/
Combiner Boxes amzn.to/3tYcvSk
REPT LiFePO4 Batteries tinyshinyhome.com/280lithium
REC BMS tinyshinyhome.com/recbms-promo
Victron Color Control GX amzn.to/33OcV3c
Victron Quattro 48V 5,000W Inverter Charger amzn.to/3KTezkK
Victron SmartSolar MPPT Solar Charge Controllers amzn.to/33QI1qD
CHAPTERS//
00:00 - Intro
01:11 - Sizing the Solar Power System
02:55 - Solar System Cost Calculator
04:40 - Solar Panel Array & Ground Mount
13:41 - Lithium Battery Bank
18:55 - Smart vs. Dumb Components
20:43 - REC BMS
25:07 - Solar System Wiring Diagram
25:54 - Victron Inverter & Color Control GX
30:42 - Victron MPPT Charge Controllers
34:08 - Conduit, Wire & Service Entrances
38:18 - Tools & Connectors
43:30 - TOTAL COST
45:57 - Wrap Up
LINKS//
HYPERADOBE BAGS: tinyshinyhome.com/hyperadobebag
MEMBERSHIP: tinyshinyhome.com/homies
WEBSITE: tinyshinyhome.com
NINE NINE : www.strongdoodles.com
INSTAGRAM: / tinyshinyhome
FACEBOOK: / tinyshinyhome
COURSES: tinyshinyhome.com/products
AIRSTREAM RENOVATION: tinyshinyhome.com/airstream
MUSIC: artlist.io
We have an affiliate partnership with some of the links above, and may receive compensation when items are sold. This helps support our family, and we only recommend products we truly love.
#diysolar #offgridsolar #lifepo4batterybank #victronengery #ironridge #recbms #santansolar
📄 *MAKE SURE TO READ THE SOLAR WIRING ARTICLE, TOO!* tinyshinyhome.com/off-grid-solar-cost-breakdown
📄 SOLAR COST BREAKDOWN: tinyshinyhome.com/off-grid-solar-cost-breakdown
💰SOLAR COST CALCULATOR: tinyshinyhome.com/off-grid-solar-cost-calculator
⚡️SOLAR WIRING DIAGRAM: tinyshinyhome.com/off-grid-solar-wiring-diagram
Victron is expensive ...for that price i can get 2 EG4 Ex65 inveters 500voc 8000w and connect them in split phase
Great video folks , got urself a sub. Just as a point of reference for the battery if you had gone down the rack mounted route, here in the UK, the equivalent capacity bank with pylontech would have cost just under 11,000 dollars US equivalent inc the BMS. So around half price. Impressive, greatings from Wales
@@thabisomodisane1435 Some people drive Kia's Some people prefer not to .
Woa...I got 31 minutes in and fried my brain. I don't even know how much my lil tiny house would need for basic function. I tried to grasp this, but I'm going to have to have a friend, (knows about solar) spoon feed me. Valuable information...I need to start with, "solar for dummies" first.
for considerably smaller systems there may be a tipping point where the component savings don’t save as high a percentage of the total system since the savings are primarily on what they term the “dumb” components of panels and batteries and that’s what scales down most with smaller system from what I’ve seen. I.e. you can still save money on combining components yourself but savings and even more so the % savings will likely be smaller on smaller system as opposed to buying branded components optimized to work together. What I’m looking at personally is potentially half of their system size on both panels and battery bank so still likely worth developing system myself but I may go a bit middle-ground with some components optimized together.
They seem to have high capacity on both panels and batteries for the amount of inverter output they have to my mind, but they address potentially having to add this in the future.
I only made it in 22 minutes. 🤯 LOL
Respect for anyone who undertakes this stuff.
My little house uses a little more then 3kw a day. A little more then a 200ah battery at 12 volts. I highly recommend going 24v instead of 12v.
Tiny houses can often be jampacked full of electrical appliances and almost completely unsuitable for off grid. I have been designing and installing off grid systems for over 20 years and I recently quoted almost $50,000 to power a very beautiful tiny home and the owners thought I was trying to rip them off. Years later I heard from them and their tiny home has never worked properly because they refused to spend the money.
Total Cost 19k. Thanks for sharing all this info. Very generous.
Solar power is awesome! 🌞😎 Our system was $6,000, but we still need to install our second set of batteries which will add another $2,100 to the cost. We have 6,400 watts from our 16 solar panels. We splurged on the panels, but went less expensive for everything else. We spent $450 to mount the panels to our shipping container barn roof.
Awesome!! ☀️
We ordered almost everything direct from China and used the cheapest brands we could find. It's been working great for almost a year now. 🤞
Great video guys. Easy to understand and very informative.
I spent $3,300 on (2) 170 ah Renogy Lithium batteries! My total cost for solar was approx $6k with 800 Watts of panels and $900 going to install. Nuts! That was 2021.
your video was very informing , thank you for taking your time.
That was well worth watching & I have watched lots of RUclips solar builds in my investigation into taking my solar off grid. Now to watch the rest of your videos on the build 🙂👍Cheers.
just love you guys.. found you thru anothers link.. so happy I did..
You both have done such a good job.
Thank you for doing this. It will help alot of people.
Awesome Video great info presented super well! Thank you I've learned so much!
Wow . Very complete , well thought out, smart system.
That's quite the shopping list !
I've binge watched you on TV!
Love you guys!
Thanks for all the information---Looking forward to building an array someday but I need to work on my electrical knowledge a lot before I will be confident enough to try something on this scale. you all are a perfect match and compliment each other in the video. Good to have fun while building.
Awesome ty both so much,I'll have to do exactly what y'all said to do as I saved the main video and this video so we can do this ourselves ,you guys are so kind to do this again ty so very much and please wish us luck when it comes our turn to do all this and many prayers we don't mess up 😆
So Proud of You and your kids .👍🏻🤩
Very well presented, explained and detailed. Your cost analysis must have taken you guys a while but your professionalism shines through in your very organized presentation along with the documentation and web site resources. I commend you on your successful install and workmanship.
All out there to use solar for off grid and do not miss anything. Solid information how to bring it all together with an approach which gives you complete control over the components. Kudos and thanks for sharing!
What an incredible sky ! ! You are fortunate to see it every day. Oh yea the solar too. Thank you for sharing.
Y’all have knocked it put of the park. Amazing $ process & videography. 👍🏼🙌
Thanks!
WOW!!! Talk about details!
I admire you and your family so much! So much to do together and learn. Bet your children are never bored and know so much about life that other kids will never know. Congratulations for your pioneering abilities. A hundred years ago you might be like the other homesteaders, today what an example! Someone should do a futuristic movie about you and your leading edge
Thank you thank you thank you sooo much for the detailed information in this video. I don't think my family won't go as big but this was a great way to get started. 💪🦖❤🌵
You're welcome! Feel free to go as big or small as you need to :)
I subscribed!!! I know it took a lot of time/effort making both the install/pricing videos - kudoes to you both, you're rock stars. These videos have given me a new perspective and direction for wanting to go solar again after seeing your final costs. FYI... I got an out of pocket expense quote of $71,000 from ADT Solar in April 2022 for a 14.40kW system (40Q cell 360W panels), 2 Enphase Encharge 10 batteries(10.08kV), Unirac Quick mount PV located 100ft from house, and associated labor costs. Estimated 1st year production = 19,975kWh.
Love this and you saved a $h!t T0n! The labor, battery cells, and panels at a fraction of the cost! Outstanding you two! Thank you for the video.
You guys... and gals are awesome! I love what you are doing and the atitude you have doing it! I just bought a bus to turn into an RV/mobile home. Solar is big on a bus and what you guys are doing. Your resourses are priceless. Hopefully I can use your knowledge to achieve my solar goals. Thank you both!!
You're welcome! Yes this was inspired by our friends Beginning from this Morning who did a similar system in their renovated bus.
wow $700 for your panels is a killer deal. Crazy that the ground mount cost but still cheaper than mine 10 years ago. My grid tied 2688w system with no battery backup was $18k total and $8k after local rebates and federal tax credit. 10 years later it's still producing 410 kWH a month average (325-525 range over the year) and I've been paid $7k+ for the power i sold back into the grid. Basically I have a paid for system that should be good for 15 years or more and I can easily add more panels into a standard breaker panel (I used Enphase 240ac inverters). Thanks for sharing your experience and project!!!!
So awesome - solar power is really amazing!
Love your video and other resources. I built a much smaller system for my cabin. I made 1/4 aluminum bus bars but doubled them. They were also torch annealed to undo any percipitation hardening. Much cheaper. I also protected them with a couple layers of heat shrink to reduce the chance of a tool falling on them.
The way your wife looks at you it is clear she adores you. Since you have propane for cooking, etc. buy that sweet little lady a gas dryer.
Well ....I'm sure glad you all know that language, cause I sure don't. But it is really interesting to hear you two explain it. See you on the next one.
Super cool! very detailed info and fun to watch if your a nerd like me. Sounds like you can add wind power to this also if you wanted. There are good wind power devices being developed as we speak. Hopfully they become cost effective sooner than later.
Nah, wind isn’t worth looking into at least in the desert. Sun is a much better investment.
You guys are awesome!!!
Great video. That battery value is incredible! Not sure why you didn't go with all in ones for the charge controller and inverter. Seems like it would have saved you money and simplified the build a lot, and still allowed for easy future upgrades, but I'm sure you had your reasons.
Just found your channel and WOW!! So much goodness going on with you guys. I bought that awesome guide and can’t wait to start my system. Look forward to more content.
Welcome!
Yep... gotta love what this family is doing.
Thanks so much! Glad to have you here :)
I subscribed at the last video, anticipating this video.
Bravo, you guys are so cute, thank you both so much.
Wow! I love this Video.
I see the "Views & Likes" soaring on this video due to the *Highly Detailed* DIY solar system Item/Cost with links to visual "How To* diagrams/schematics/aids for cost effective, diy install.
Thanks, sir!
For the cost to mount the panels ... the solar array could have been a cinder block solar building. Luv u 2 .... Keep on keepin on
Another wonderful video.
Thanks for all your videos. I am slowly learning (I usually tell people to use one syllable words for me - haha). Your article is extremely helpful that was linked in the description. I even went to the ground mounting details article. Both are excellent - well done! I asked about the Iron Ridge mount on another video and you mentioned the cost was with the schedule 40 pipe and I am beginning to believe that. The Iron Ridge design tool has been very helpful to get a quick idea of the design.
So my question is where to get the schedule 40 3” pipe. You mentioned in your article that you had to source that from a local yard. I am calling around my area and only getting specialty metal places or Home Depot/Lowes that only sell up to 5 foot sections. Do you have any hints for me? I don’t ask for you to do work for me,but I am stuck because I can’t find the pipe. I have looked at other ground mount systems but the Iron Ridge looks best for North Texas where I live. Thanks for your videos and listening to me drone on about this. God Bless!
I think this is great and super helpful! thank you. As an architect I would like to say that in your building the roof orientation doesn't affect the passive solar design. You could just as easily have raised the back wall of the house and pitched the roof the other direction. This means you could have placed the solar panels on the roof and saved a lot that was spent on the solar structure. The cost of raising the back wall would need to be offset by the saving made from omitting the standalone solar structure, but the house could have been designed so that the front was one storey, which would have meant bigger savings
.
Yeah the solar shed just wasn’t designed form that. Also which I didn’t mention we need a 30 degree pitch for maximum power generation. That would be a crazy roof 😂
My family and i are looking at solar. My house in the city will probably be the most difficult. I will eventually be doing 220/240.
I have been looking at the hybrid systems for the various projects, including the planned off grid properties.
For reference in the UK ( we had it installed for us, so obviously there is labour, profits, etc in this ), we have 15 x 400W panels ( Maxeon ) and a 6.6 kwh battery ( Duracell ) and paid just over £9000 ( this does not include government grants and selling to the grid ), on the roof so no external solar array. We also have a "smart" system that buys off the grid when solar production is low ( eg in winter ) and grid prices are low ( at night/off peak ), and stores it to supplement the shortage of solar.
On a side note, and unrelated to this video but even if a whole country would go green energy only, you'd still need 1 in 20 houses to have a min of a 3kwh battery to offset the insane burst capacities of non-renewable sources ( especially nuclear ). Eg, when everyone comes home from work at 6pm and switches on the lights, the tv, the kettle, etc
Thank you
Every time you talk about the work you did on the solar array and batteries, I am amazed. This was a very good, informative video. Thank you. Where did your power come from while you were getting your power array up and running?
Our Airstream already had its own solar system from when we traveled full time in it. We also supplemented with generators.
@@TinyShinyHome oh yeah🙂
First I want to say thank you for what you have done! You are the first to see it all in one main video on the solar system. My question is if you don't have internet then what would you recommend on the controllers we only have our phones but very unreliable service. Please advise, and again thank you!!
Tinyshinyhome.com/internet
Nice couple. Going green for sake of future generation. Thumbs-up. By the way, She has that unique African respect look.
Thank you for you gracious and kind understanding of my obvious mistake. You are by all means a very fair and honest family. No refund is expected as this was entirely my fault. Im knocking on the door step of 70 and been around to long to not know where the error is. Keep the good work and kind action to everyone. Thank, Dwight Bennett
No worries, I'll go ahead and refund you since it sounds like you don't need it :) Cheers and sorry for the confusion.
For $150 you could have bought a good arc welder and save a significant amount of money on pipe and clamps and hold downs. Would also be stronger with everything welded and can easily add more later on. Just for those who think they need crazy expensive piping, no you don't get round tube and cast cement in them with some rebar, would be much stronger than what is in this video.
As much as I love saving money, I much prefer an engineer's recommendations to just assuming cement pipes and welding stuff on is better. I'm not saying it's not, but there's no way to quantify and recommend safely. If you think it works, and have done the math, go for it.
@@TinyShinyHome This is a DIY system and most of your system is not engineered, so the notion of engineering falls away. Steel and concrete method would be stronger than what you have now as there would be no connections that are failure points, welds > connectors. I have built multiple systems in rural Africa and we use welded sections and cement poured into tubes as this makes the tubes significantly more rigid in high wind loads and gives more mass to the system, never mind the cost and time savings and if you were really worried about wind you would have sealed the underside of the panels with walls as to not act like a sail(good place for extra storage perhaps?). Not saying your method is wrong, just giving my experience of building multiple large systems already as some of your viewers might not be from the US and not have access to the same connection system as you do.
Thanks!
Thanks Frank!
I keep watching videos like yours even though I am through with my ground mount. I am in Florida and have lived in the same place for 52 years. We do not really get much wind so I was not worried about that. My mount is also only 4 ft high, I have two rows of panels 42 ft long.
I did watch a video made by people who are also in a desert area. They also used an Iron Ridge system but they used a hand held auger to make 9 inch holes with just one bag of cement dumped into the bottom. I guess different states have different requirements. My county has no requirements at all.
That would have to be very mall panel array to only be held down by those tiny holes and cement. Otherwise they're going to have issues down the road :(
@@TinyShinyHome Lee's Living out of the Norm. 24 panels, just like mine but stacked high. They didn't seem to be worried.
Excellent video & Presentation, on your solar system ! You did an awesome job of installing !
I think you guys are very close equipment wise, to the system that Wild Wonderful Off Grid installed on their property !
I don’t remember the size of their system, but it is large. And Josh is a Licensed Commercial Electrician. You should check it out, it is an awesome system.
I Love your videos and the way you have your whole family involved.
Thanks! Yeah their ground mount video was a great source of info for our install for sure :)
I tell ya, I saved many hundreds of dollars by using old oil drill pipe 2 7/8 size and instead of the 3'' top caps, I just welded a steel plate to the top of the pipe and installed u bolts.
I did the same for pipes. But I used wooden 6x6 posts.
Very well presented and explained in such a structured and clear manner. Bravo to you and your family. I have a practical question: Which software do you use to draw those nice schemes? I 'd like to diagram my diy projects this way too :)
Thanks - I use Adobe Illustrator :)
hey guys you did an amazing job of breaking this down and helping me to understand how this works thank you, I clicked on the link for the batteries, and it seems that the price has gone up significantly, you guys bought 32 packs, now the price is over $600 / pack
Inflation is bad right now, but not that bad. Look closer, they come in packs of 4 ;) So we bought 8 (8x4=32 Cells)
Great info. Curious what’s involved in zoning and/or permitting. For building such a homestead.
We’re part of the owner builder opt out in Cochise County AZ so we didn’t have to worry about it.
A solar company told me a price of $48,000 WITHOUT any type of battery backup. OUCH NO WAY.....The welder you spoke of for $300 is a cheap one only good for sheet metal or slightly thicker...Need to get a 180 190 amp welder for Most any type common welding. I bought a hobart wire welder 190 amp and I decided to buy the argon gas bottle to save on reg wire and burns great. Got it on sale for $900 - $1000 at the time and it had a aluminum wire spool hand head gun not really needed but nice to have. I've been using this welder extremely often many hours on many welding projects. My #1 for a must have tool..
You guys worked hard to make this so sophisticated and tons of electricity from your system! My neighbor had about1200 watts of solar installed last year, also on a metal frame, but he set his 8 feet high so he could mow under it, etc. His system was at least $30-35k for that amount, and he has no batteries, it's all hooked to the grid, so if our power goes out, his is out too, even though he has solar. His is not the way I'd like to go. We're also in AZ, just further north from you.
Thanks! Yes working within the constraints of the grid can make things much more complicated.
Your neighbor installed 1200 watts of panels? Or 12,000 watts?
So in total, about 20k investment. Being off-grid, this is actually cheaper than if you were to have services brought to the property. So right off the get-go, you've saved and every ounce of power you generate, is 'free'. This is especially true if you're a mile+ away from the grid.
Great job keeping track of and explaining the costs.
Great job, love the videos! Were you able to take advantage of tax rebates or does that not apply to off-grid.
We’ll find out when we do our taxes :)
We got quoted solar in the 6000 watts range just before the pandemic with NO battery for $40,000.
Yup! Compelling reason to do it yourself:)
Thanks for sharing the information! I watch another channel called @Kris Harbor Natural Building. He builds beautiful stuff and makes Hydro electric and wind power I think solor to.
Love your channel too 🤗❤👍
Solar energy technology is advancing at a very rapid pace. Today, most DIY people are no longer assembling their batteries from bare cells as you have done. Most people are now opting for server rack style premade batteries which can contain their own BMS. People wanting to build their own DIY system will want to run the numbers both ways and consider the time/cost differences before deciding which way to go.
I've already done that. Rack mounted systems are easily 3x the cost. And everything's enclosed and often proprietary so it's much harder to maintain. Make sure to watch our install video.
You could have done a super cheap flat mount on cement blocks. You loose 35% capacity by not tilting them but the cost difference would have more than allowed for 35% more panels.
If you wanna do that, go for it :)
😁👋👍👍👏👏💕🙏
Thank you so very much
You could of paid for a long bed trailer (second hand).. whooee ,but worth it right!?!
Hope to have one one day, but wasn’t in the budget at the time.
This is a great job, but very few people are capable of such.
Instead of the schedule 40 they could have built that array stand from 6x6 pressure treated and 4x4 cross bracing and bolt the panels directly to the 4x4’s.
I’ve built array stands in Oklahoma with much worse wind event possibilities out of 6x6/4x4.
In a high wind area you don’t want your panels as close as they arranged them as it acts like a sail, so separating them 6” from each other allows wind to flow through them taking away from the overall wind pressure.
Like we mentioned in the main installation video (ruclips.net/video/vnjMQLhp6LE/видео.html) the ground mount was calculated by IronRidge Racking Systems. I don't think it's overkill at all considering our updraft wind events of 100+mph and sandy soil. Here in the desert wood is a poor investment for something like this, and to know for sure if your design would work you'd need an engineer to actually calculate the soil type, wind, snow loads, etc...
great
Great system !! Well done on all accounts. BUT, I disagree on the Growatt dig. Growatt does make a clean power unit or 2. The one I have, provides cleaner power that my local utility (tested). Great video, thanks again!!👍
Did't say it couldn't make clean power, just that it's a budget brand made directly in China. I prefer my inverters a little more boutique and made with love :)
@@TinyShinyHome fair. 👍
What did you use to draw the wiring diagrams? The look great.
Thanks, I used Illustrator
Have you considered going 16S2P on the batteries instead of 2P16S? With the cost of another BMS you could run your system at half capacity while waiting to replace a bad cell.
No, but you could totally do it that way!
I just started watching you and I am amazed at your system and work ethic. I have a question for the beginning of your journey. At this point I realize you have a lot of income streams but how did you get started? When you left your home, you had a nice camper and nice truck and I'm sure you had to spend money on your trips having 4 children. Personally, I can't leave my home because if I did, I would, first of all take a lot of debt with me and Have a payment on a truck and camper, etc. Do you see where I'm going with this? Can you include in your "about" section of your site how you got started financially. I would love to do something like this but do not know where to start... And I don't have but one kid and he is now 36 years old. Thanks, I know this is long, but I'm just researching. (by the way, I love your complete program) I will be following you for more updates.
Sold our house, paid off all our debt, bought truck and RV with cash, work full time even on the road. We still work.
@@TinyShinyHome Thanks for the input. I’m headed in the same direction, I hope.
Thank you guys! Very helpful. Question: Do the batteries off gas and need their own room away from peoples? Or are lithium batteries different and you don’t need to provide a room of their own? ⚡️
You’re welcome! Right, lithium’s do not offgas at all so they can be inside. We would have vented them if we needed to :)
Li-ion batteries give off a number of toxic flouride gases and also CO2. It needs to be really in another room. One should not sleep near it.
You said "sorry about the wind noise" I never heard any of you farting by the way great videos
Just out of curiosity would it have been feasible (and possibly cheaper) to build a separate hyper-adobe wall structure for the solar array instead of the steel pipes and concrete?
You would have to build a fully enclosed building with an actual roof and then use a roof racking system instead. Otherwise you'd still have to figure out a way to put the pipes into the earthbag. Also you'd negate the grounding properties of the metal mounting system. I mean, it could work, but opens up a few cans of worms :)
Really slick setup! I’m confused by the way you wired your batteries. I understand that when you parallel the batteries that your current will increase. Why didn’t you do a string of 16 batteries and then have a second set of 16. That way you could disconnect one string for maintenance while still keeping the system up and running. On all of the commercial ups systems that I have worked on each string of batteries is in series 1, 2, 3, etc. to add up to the desired voltage (your case 48volts). Then each string of battles (48volts)is then paralleled with string 1 - 48v 135 amp hour , plus string 2 48v 135 amp hour, plus string #… etc to get the highest amperage output desired. In your case 48v 270 amp hour. The combing the batteries the way shown battery 1,2 paralleled then in series with batteries 3,4 paralleled creates a potential problem down the road for you. Let’s say a your group (battery 8) has an internal problem in one of the 2 batteries, that will cause the other battery to not work as well because current will take the least path of resistance. Each battery is rated at a certain voltage and amperage. When you put the batteries in series the voltage adds up but the amperage stays the same. In parallel the voltage stays the same and the current ands up. So back to the fault in your group 8. If one of the batteries fails, you are assuming that you have the ability to have 270amp hours running through the ground. You don’t. Your failed battery has zero and the good one can only handle 135. So if your system is under a heavy load the one good battery could fail or explode trying to run double the current through it. I really think that you need to separate the batteries into 2 different strings of 16. Then get a master controller and get 2 slave controllers. You are not able to truly see and monitor your batteries properly. I could be way off but basic series parallel circuits is what I see and I’ve never seen batteries connected like this in a commercial battery back up system for building power.. (30yr commercial electrician)
Seriously you have done a ton of amazing work and saved a ton by sourcing directly. I would really hate to see a major failure and have your batteries destroyed under load
Put 16 batteries in series, put a disconnect switch in, and an inline fuse. From each of those strings put a large distribution block in so each of the positives attach together. From the distribution block take your larger cable to then go to the inverter. Do the same thing for the negatives. An easy thing to do is also use Anderson connectors between the distribution block and the fuse. This will allow you to isolate each string and have zero voltage at each of the string fuses if you have to change one.
Check the actual install video for more battery details. Short version is the BMS only had 16 inputs do that’s why we created 16 “cells”. Regardless, the BMS is monitoring everything so it’s job is to look for voltage and temp changes.
ruclips.net/video/vnjMQLhp6LE/видео.html
So which of these components would you buy extras of in case of failure? So that you don't have to be without power while waiting for parts.
Since we have two charge controllers probably inverter. But that’s dang expending to just have an extra.
I'm a battery manufacturer and I sell complete solar systems. This video is actually really good. Much better than any Will Prowse video I've seen. I don't like the exposed bus bars and wiring though. Its an accident waiting to happen. I enclose everything so that can't happen. Also there are some details that are not gone into like the amount of balance time required and how you make that happen. You can find my info on my channel under contact, hopefully you tube has not deleted it again. Its also really good to go into how to actually size your system for your needs. Also having backup generator in the norther climates is important and can be an additional complication. I really think CATL cells are much better but you can't get them unless your a registered manufacturer. But they are currently almost double what these guys paid because the prices have gone up a lot recently.
Just exposed so you can see it setup in the video. It has a nice cover over the whole battery box. Tons more details in the actual install video here if you want: ruclips.net/video/vnjMQLhp6LE/видео.html You can totally get CATL cells, but they're so much more expensive.
@@TinyShinyHome I'm just skeptical that you can get CATL cells when I deal with CATL directly and the cells other companies are selling call CATL cells don't match in spec, appearance, terminal style etc.
Great video I have a 10 acre piece of property in North Florida planning on selling my current house and building on it. You guys definitely look like the pros just had a few questions would a 12,000 grow watt inverter with a similar size solar array and a 30kwh battery backup be sufficient to run a 1600 ft block house with probably like a 3 ton AC I could put the stove and water heater on gas if needed but would like to try to be completely on solar everything. Would a 30 kwh backup get me through the night also I would have a generator backup to charge on rainy days. If there's anybody out there that can answer this it would be greatly appreciated or chime in with what setup you would go with thx in advance. I almost forgot the reason I would like to be all solar is because I'm so far back in the woods they want 80k to bring power back. And would it be stupid to go with a regular 3-ton AC or should I try something more efficient
It really all depends on what you want to run during the day and at night. You have to do those calculations and size the system for your needs. That's why we talk about how we stayed at 120V and plan to supplement with passive solar, thermal mass transfer with earthbag, and definitely leave most of the heating and cooking to gas or propane. I'd 100% look into mini split AC's though. Way more efficient than traditional AC's. Also I'd try to plan your storage to keep you going for 2-3 days without needing the generator if you can. Our 28kwh is drawn down to about 80% overnight running the minsplit, deep freeze, and an entire Airstream trailer.
@@TinyShinyHome thank you thank you for the prompt response I will definitely look into mini splits and I definitely think you're right about the heater and stove on gas and here in North Florida we only need heat a handful of times a year so that wouldn't hurt the pocket too bad for gas and I could put the water heater on gas as well if needed. Thanks again for the input
How did you have so many panels going to solar charger isn't it max 250 volt and each panel at 48 volt each x is over 250 dc volts thanks
From the other install video and article: “Here's how the math worked out. Each 240W solar panel array connected 5 in series produced 1200 Watts, 186 Volts, & 8 Amps. Then connecting all 6 arrays in parallel created a 7200W, 186V, 50A solar panel system.“
How do you calculate voltage open circuit each panel 37v and you have 250 charge controller
Watch the install video for more details and illustrations of the panel calculations DIY Off-Grid Solar FULL Install & Wire Diagrams - Powering Our Homestead w/ the SUN!
ruclips.net/video/vnjMQLhp6LE/видео.html
Hahaha. I built 2700W of solar, 10kW of lithium and 4kW of split phase inverter for the cost of your battery bank. Of course I am a retired master electrician. You do have a nice system that should bring many years of trouble free power. Congrats
I have got to ask(and I know I should not) where are you getting the money to do all these awesome things? If your not working off the farm/Homestead?
Jonathan has run a web design business for many years, but just recently we’ve moved to RUclips, our memberships and products full time.
Have you ever thought of going to Biofuel from your waste system?
Have definitely researched all the things :) Not convinced that stuff is quite ready for primetime yet, but we're keeping an eye on it for sure.
Since you bought the solar panels as 2nd hand.... is there a warranty still for that?
1 year, upgradable to 5 for extra. Doesn’t really matter though. Solar panels are very simple. They’ll work for years, and why worry about a warranty when you can replace them for so cheap?
❤️❤️❤️
I got a 5000 Victrom invertor too. Took me a while it is 5000VA not 5000Watts
Volts x amps = watts ;)
@@TinyShinyHome Voltage-Amperes is something else. Depends on Power Factor ( I think, maybe ask Jaun)
So, correct me if I'm wrong, but you experience a lot of wind out there in the desert? So, technically it would be cheaper to build a wind generator so that you have power even when the sun goes down - but why build in a desert if you have to transport water over vast distances, unless you plan to build huge rain collectors at some point - sorry for all the questions but I am very interested from a survival aspect, and hope to one day build my own place off grid and self sufficient in all aspects
We have a running joke about how everyone thinks we need wind power (we get asked this all time :) Wind turbines are very expensive, surprisingly noisy, and you'd be amazed just how much wind you actually need to produce meaningful power. Solar is silent and much more cost efficient. You size your battery bank for those times when there's no sun. We have tons of videos about our permaculture and rainwater catchment plans - start with this playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLVcTn_zT8q6IlZyemGNfV0PGhO68W1DtJ
Although Li ion batteries are safer than the other type s, they DO require ventilation because of runaway energy from overheating can cause them to explode.
No, they don’t. Keeping them temperature regulated is important, but there’s no off gassing.
It's a 28kWh system but how many kwh do the solar panels produce on a daily basis?
I’ve seen it produce 35+kWh on a summer day running multiple air conditioners. Could produce more if I had more draws. On average I’d say we produce about 15kwh. That will change when we build our house and the usage goes up.
Dont buy the colorcontrol, use the newer cerbo gx. Integrated wifi and bluetooth. Some features are not supported by the colorcontrol
The color control is great, and you don't have to buy an additional screen. They're both probably way overkill for what most people need, though in terms of deep level settings and programmability :)
What is the life expectancy for the batteries?
2k-3k cycles or 15-20 years: tinyshinyhome.com/diy-off-grid-solar-system#finding-best-deal
Have you thought how much rain water you could collect off those panels?
No, there's space between them on purpose for airflow to protect against wind gusts.
Where do y’all live? What state and town?
Have I misunderstand? We purchased the software with hopes to help us to calculate the solar power needed. Please help
Hi Dwight, not sure what you mean? We only sell a way to help calculate your cost, not the solar power needed (plenty of free ways to do that online). The page is pretty clear about what it's to be used for, but if it's not something you need feel free to email us and we'll get you a refund.
How about a emp shield.protect your investment.gave a like.im on craps champ on utube.
That'll work last forever
💪🏻 thanks
All how much?
Watch the video or read the article it’s all there.