Thanks everyone for your likes, comments and messages. We've been living over here for a while now and release a new video every other Sunday - so make sure you subscribe and hit that notification bell so you don't miss what we are up to! 😊
Thanks very much, we do work very hard. The birdsong here is wonderful and the night sky is so clear that we get to look at the stars and milky way most nights 😊
Hi guys, enjoy Bulgarian sun, It is free of charge and with unlimited access. You have amazing tools and equioment, there is no meaning. Great knowledge you have. You, brave People you are awesome. Be health!
I'm watching from 8647 Karavelovo/Bulgaria, I've lived in the country for 11 years, I'm from Denmark and messing around with solar myself, good job with the whole thing and seeing that someone else says that electricity is cheap here in Bulgaria, I can to that just say no, it WAS cheap at one point, those days are over.
I wish you were my neighbours so I can learn all this from you. It's a dream of mine to work on the house that my dad left me. I want to do it all in his honour. I will watch all your videos with great interest.
Subscribed. I like the positivity and the calmness the English people have. I am looking to install solar panel and get off the grid in the near future as well. The way you explain and the quality and neatness of your install are excellent. Even as a Bulgarian I can understand you easy and clear. I am still struggling sometimes with the Scottish accent😀
Thanks so much for watching and subscribing. We've worked so hard to get to this point, so it's exciting to be finally living the life we dreamed of. 😍
When we were looking for our battery, they really stood out, so we were over the moon that they wanted to work with us. We hope to expand our set-up very soon as this is just the first phase. 😊
Thank you . Great you included the oops with the cable , goes to show you think you have it all sorted . Fingers crossed you will update as you use your system and expand both the panels and battery storage Respect
Thanks for the positive comment 😁 absolutely we think it's very important to show the mess-ups as well as all the good stuff. I'm planning an update video very shortly and we absolutely will be adding more panels, batteries and Inverters to grow our system with our needs.
I would say your a hard worker for what you want :-). I would of liked to of seen you burn the ends of those legs you put on your solar frame for preserving them from being in the ground.
Hi thanks very much. Yes me too, but we have a ban on fires at the moment and I couldn't find my blow torch it must be packed away somewhere 'safe'. I will definitely be rebuilding the frame within the next year or so when we add more panels to our system. For now this will have to do. Thanks for the comment 👍
I just found your channel and I would like to say - Welcome to Bulgaria. I hope you like it here. Regarding the solar system - good job. You definitely know your game :)
Absolutely amazed how you know all that stuff. We'll have to watch this again in a year or so, and see does any of it make sense to us then ha. Well impressed. And happy for you
Nice setup i have a fogstar battery waited about 3 weeks for mine, the reason why i brought it was the warranty and i live 7 miles down the road from redditch where there unit is so its nice to have something local for a change i will be connecting mine up to a easysolar 2. the grow watt are really nice inverters will last years and years i would suggest a t class fuse for your battery so you don't destroy it just incase you never know. great video guys and happy living off grid no more electric bills
Thanks for the comment. on the whole I'm pleased with the Growatt but there's a few things I really don't like. It does feel well made though and you can use up to 6 units in parallel, which means the setup can grow with us. Pleased you also went with Fogstar I honestly believe their products are superior, and it's always nice to support a quality local company for sure! Best of luck with your setup. 👍👍
Ohh mann some nice battery u got there :D i understand the exitement, server backups require lots power so they must be heavy duty, your electrical skills are amazing tho, think i would never be able to put such a good system together
Nice work, the moment you turn it on is very satisfying and it all works. I did something similar with 3 phase, batteries, panels and other bits and the moment you turn it on is fingers crossed even though you know you did it right. Good luck with the future
Haha you're so right..... I was confident I did it all right, but nothing confirms that until you turn that big red isolator 🤣. 3ph system sounds cool! Not sure we'd ever need 3ph.... Maybe if I can get myself a big lathe or mill for my workshop in the future. Cheers for the comment! 👍
Considering my monthly e bill is around 25-30 leva I find it hard to invest in solar , the main reason would be from the constant power cuts , looks great and would like to see update videos on your system after some time .
Thanks for the comment David. Agreed - it is a big initial investment and if you're only doing it for the reasons for cost, then often it doesn't make sense. As for the constant power cuts, our village gets them often too. We will certainly be revisiting our system as it will continue to grow and change as we do ☺️👍
I tried replying with the M and S catchphrase but I'm so tired I can't think of it 🫣🤣 Thank you - the videos take a while to create but we enjoy being able to share our ups and downs with you all.
A great well informed video of the process. Could you please list all elements that you used ie inverter fuse box etc. I've been doing a lot of research regarding off grid with solutions like EcoFlow, Zendure and bluetti. The fogstar approach is a different approach and I like it.
Пожелавам ви успех, но зимата ще е сурова тази година мисля(предчувствие) Дано да греша. Добре е да помислите за собствен водоизточник и други алтернативи за добиване на енергия за вашите домашни потреби. Ако си нямате къде да съхрсните излишъка добит през слънчевите месеци зимата ще е предизвикателство. Бих желал да разбера каква е първоначалната ви инвестиция за системата Успех.😊🤟👍
Fab video. I love the fact that you’re doer. Are you an electrician as well? Or just picked this up on UA-cam.? I myself do minor electric works around the house and for other people and looking at your video, I’m pretty sure I could also arrange that set up but I was just curious as to whether you’re a trained electrician because you make it look easy..😅
Thank you. No I'm not an electrician but I do have a good understanding of what's going on. I've done lots of DC work with cars, campers and caravans. Everything I know is self taught from websites, forums, groups, family and friends and of course UA-cam. 🙂 Thanks for the comment 😁
Excellent video, looking at do the same setup as yourselves. Don’t suppose you have a new discount code as this one is not recognised. I know your video was put out a year ago but i have only just started looking..😜
Our discount code won't work if there is a promotion on - drop them an email and explain what you were looking at getting and I'm sure they will help 👍
Great video guys, and the setup looks mint. Should definitely do the trick 👍 Where did you get your attention seeking microphone from, audio quality is spot on tbh 😅
I really enjoyed your solar installation. Well done including the editing. How did you attach the solar panels to the wood frame? I couldn’t see any hardware connecting them.
Thanks for the question! We actually decided last minute to leave it out of the final edit but we used large pan head timber screws between the panels. These clamp each panel to the timber beneath 👍
Well I haven't costed it up but we are low users id say average about 7/8kw per day over the course of a yr so if we can cut that by 40 / 50% I'd be happy
Definitely on my list for 2024 along with solar water. Is there a percentage scale for an overcast winters day? I mean if in direct summer sun your 410W panel is kicking out 400W then what would it realistically achieve in winter? I really should start working all this out so I can at least have half a clue when I start the project! Regards from Mike in Oryahovo (Volvo bloke).
Hi Mike solar water is on my list too at some point. The power varies depending on how much light the panels can get. If thick storm clouds come over I've seen our system as low as 150w. Luckily here that doesn't last long, and I'm hoping for cold sunny days in winter but we will see... Worst case we have to run the generator more, but we're hoping to get more panels and another battery for the winter.
Nicely done. I think you will probably need more panels or a lot more fuel for your generator though. Do you know what your consumption is? I have eight 450W panels (easy to get and cheap in BG compared to the UK). We are quite low power consumers (around 8-10Kwh/day), but still find solar is not quite enough, so if and when I can afford it, I will buy more panels (maybe a second bank with second hand ones?). I guess being totally off grid is your goal, but if it's about costs, do consider hooking up to the mains. The advantage over the UK is that you don't have a standing charge, so you only pay for what you use. Also night rate is very cheap, so you can charge your battery at night for next to nothing and fully utilise the solar during the day. I like the idea of being totally off grid as a principal and ethical goal is grand and I may well get to that point, but just now I can't afford the extra panels ect. I use no mains power during the day if it's not too overcast, but it takes some juggling. Keep up the great work .... I wish I had your video editing skills byw! lol
Thanks for the comment and the kind words about the editing. Sometimes it takes me 10 hours for one video! Keep playing with it and you'll get your style and get quicker at things. I haven't found any panels that match ours (specs wise) Yes being self sufficient and off grid are the main goals. The initial costs are certainly large but it comes with piece of mind and security. You can also spread the cost gradually, as you have said second hand panels etc. We are intending to get more panels hopefully in time for winter. 👍
Thanks for the feedback - we've noticed the audio quality isn't so great when playing back on phones. Speakers or TV seems to be best. We will keep an close eye moving forward 🎶
Nice installation Phil. But one thing, i dont know if you taken into account that normal 16A B-Type characterstic Breakers need 16A x5=80A to trigger in case of an short circuit. The 5kw inverter is not able to provide that amount, if you are lucky it ill shutoff after a few seconds of overload, but that is often enough to start a fire. It would be good to use multiple smaller Z-Type Breakers. which can trigger from 2-3 times the rated current.
Thanks for the comment. I've looked it up and it seems you are right in the characteristics of the type B. I'm not sure it would cause a fire though? I'm using a 6mm² cable which I think is plenty up to the task. I'd also say that the inverter is very sensitive and id expect it to trip out within a second if there's a dead short. The inverter also has its own AC breaker built into the bottom of the unit which I think is rated at 40a. I didn't manage to find any overload ratings for type Z mcb's though. Very interesting and I think I will have to revisit power distribution when we get our barn/house ready for electrics as I can see us overloading our consumer unit pretty quickly. Cheers 👍
@@OffGridWithTheUdens Since your used realy thick cabling thats very up to the task. I only would see problems with the devices that are then more likely to have bigger damage in case of an dead short, or are being able to start a fire because the short is on for too long. Type Z Breakers "only" need 2-3 times the rated power to trip in case of an short. So it would be usefull to put an additional breaker box in the barn and use multiple type z breakers with the lowest possible rating for the devices. With that you can protect the devices well and reduce risk of fire while at the same time avoiding that anything on that line gets shutdon. My inverter has an inbuilt breaker too but in my case thats for the AC Input only.
We definitely will be putting another consumer unit in the little barn and will be running another load of breakers in there for various things. This is just a temporary setup to get us off of dangerous extension leads. Thanks for the comment I appreciate the advice and will definitely be looking into type Z breakers when we fit that box. Cheers👍
Yes would highly recommend looking at their website and chatting with the team. Their DIY potential is vast and it's a great place to buy your components from. We went for this set up for ease and convenience. 👍
Too late now but easy way to find true south (a magnetic compass can be off 10 degrees or more). Go to Google Earth and activate grid lines (latitude and longitude). Zero in on your home and the latitude lines will give you the precise east-west. One (29' 38' 18 N) runs from the south west corner of my storage shed and half way between my well and the corner of my out building. My two strings of panels will be on either side of that line.
Just to let you know those packing chips are probably not made out of polystyrene they look like the ones made out of cornstarch and they dissolve in water
Thanks for the comment, it's a good point that I didn't mention anything about. I will be doing a one month update on the system so I will cover it then. 👍
I don't like the packaging, using packing nuts for something so heavy is pretty insane. they should have used a closed cell foam that is the shape of the battery espically when they are charging £1200 per battery.
Not sure we can really comment on the packaging as we went to collect our battery and then had it repackaged as we were taking it abroad with us. Not sure what packaging they use usually - this is just how we had ours parcelled up for our journey 😊👍 As for the battery itself - the quality of the product far outways any competitors that we've seen.
Thanks for the comment, we've used 10mm from the inverter to the consumer unit but you can only get it in single core out here which means running 3 separate cables. I will revisit this when it comes to fitting out our little barn in the future though👍
@@VFRrider In Eu if you have solar power station, you dont need an expensive battery because your power operator collects power that you produce and storing it for nights and winter months. And it’s dirty cheap and never ever will be more expensive that good set off batteries, because there is EU law that protects this idea and highly encouraging you to do this.
@@lorraineking3053 once or twice a year for an hour… freezer will live somehow :) P.S. that being said, you can add small battery if this completely necessary for you.
Thanks for the comment.... There are power cuts almost every week in our area so definitely not something you could rely on 100% also I'm not sure what you mean by it being law? Part of the reason for us going off grid was to be able to cater for our own needs and not to rely on any external sources. 👍
electricity is cheap in Bulgaria, the investment is hardly justified considering time needed to pay itself off, additionally you would probably need more batteries in winter
Power cuts in our area are frequent and the cost of electricity over here is relative. If you're interested in why we've made this choice please do watch our other videos which explain this. 👍 the great thing about our system is that it's ready to expand as and when we need to.
Thanks for the comment, the only experience I have is putting solar in our van. I learnt most of it from UA-cam, forums and general electrics from my dad and friends. I haven't yet worked out total cost but I will do, and I'll talk through it in our one month update video. I too am unsure about winter hoping to get more panels and maybe another battery by then. 👍
Thanks everyone for your likes, comments and messages. We've been living over here for a while now and release a new video every other Sunday - so make sure you subscribe and hit that notification bell so you don't miss what we are up to! 😊
The birdsong is absolutely beautiful 😊 I have to say, you guys are absolute grafters hats off to you both, oh and the project manager 😂
Thanks very much, we do work very hard. The birdsong here is wonderful and the night sky is so clear that we get to look at the stars and milky way most nights 😊
Hi guys, enjoy Bulgarian sun, It is free of charge and with unlimited access. You have amazing tools and equioment, there is no meaning. Great knowledge you have. You, brave People you are awesome. Be health!
Thank you very much ☀️☀️☀️ We really love being here in Bulgaria 🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬
Wonderful! More and more ppl should do that ! I’m really amazed how you managed to do it by yourself! Handy man indeed
Thank you. Yes I've learnt a lot along the way. Still an awful lot to learn though 😁. Thanks for the comment.
I'm watching from 8647 Karavelovo/Bulgaria, I've lived in the country for 11 years, I'm from Denmark and messing around with solar myself, good job with the whole thing and seeing that someone else says that electricity is cheap here in Bulgaria, I can to that just say no, it WAS cheap at one point, those days are over.
Thank you. Good luck with your setup. I know prices have risen a lot from previous years. Thanks for the comment. 👍
Also not so reliable especially in the villages
@@sl3rtyb3rdf3rts our village and the surrounding area regularly have power cuts 👍
I'm absolutely glued to your vids! Binged this much this night. Great job thus far 👏
Thanks so much! We will start uploading weekly again later this month ❤️
I wish you were my neighbours so I can learn all this from you. It's a dream of mine to work on the house that my dad left me. I want to do it all in his honour.
I will watch all your videos with great interest.
Thank you. Everything we are doing is self taught - UA-cam is a great resource for learning a new skill. Good luck with your project 🙂
Looking at the video only need to buy the parts...easy
congratulations from Bulgaria :) well done , next step more battery and more panels for the winter :)
Thanks very much. Yes indeed we will need more panels and probably another battery for the winter. 👍👍
We will watch it tonight in nippy Tasmania. Also soon to increase our solar in Queensland
@@tomduncan3547 Tasmania? That is exciting 🙂
@@OffGridWithTheUdensfrogstar are coming out with 15kwh battery in Feb for £2500 bargain
Subscribed. I like the positivity and the calmness the English people have. I am looking to install solar panel and get off the grid in the near future as well. The way you explain and the quality and neatness of your install are excellent. Even as a Bulgarian I can understand you easy and clear. I am still struggling sometimes with the Scottish accent😀
Thanks so much for watching and subscribing. We've worked so hard to get to this point, so it's exciting to be finally living the life we dreamed of. 😍
Just started binging on your videos. You are working hard , 👏 well done.
Thank you so much - it is hard but we know it will be worth it in the long run (and we're enjoying the ride!)
Well done getting fogstar involved really helps getting to grips with it all
When we were looking for our battery, they really stood out, so we were over the moon that they wanted to work with us. We hope to expand our set-up very soon as this is just the first phase. 😊
Fantastic guys, your honest review of the Fogstar rack battery has cemented my decision to get them for myself.
That's great news! We honestly stand by their products - let us know how you get on!
Finally someone using FogStar 48v LiFePo4 server rack batteries!
Absolutely 😁 I'm so impressed!
Thank you .
Great you included the oops with the cable , goes to show you think you have it all sorted .
Fingers crossed you will update as you use your system and expand both the panels and battery storage
Respect
Thanks for the positive comment 😁 absolutely we think it's very important to show the mess-ups as well as all the good stuff. I'm planning an update video very shortly and we absolutely will be adding more panels, batteries and Inverters to grow our system with our needs.
I would say your a hard worker for what you want :-). I would of liked to of seen you burn the ends of those legs you put on your solar frame for preserving them from being in the ground.
Hi thanks very much. Yes me too, but we have a ban on fires at the moment and I couldn't find my blow torch it must be packed away somewhere 'safe'. I will definitely be rebuilding the frame within the next year or so when we add more panels to our system. For now this will have to do. Thanks for the comment 👍
I just found your channel and I would like to say - Welcome to Bulgaria. I hope you like it here.
Regarding the solar system - good job. You definitely know your game :)
Love it guys. We are off grid as well. But I know how exciting it is to have free power.
It's so freeing isn't it?! We're getting a bit addicted to this way of life now.. about to start phase 2 of our solar setup 👍☺️
Nice work there with the solar. Looks like you have a nice plot with lots to do. Cheers.
Thank you, yes there's plenty to do here, hope you're as happy with your batteries as we are ours 👍
Absolutely amazed how you know all that stuff. We'll have to watch this again in a year or so, and see does any of it make sense to us then ha. Well impressed. And happy for you
Thanks guys - lots of research and hard work behind the scenes to make it happen but it is was sooo worth it.
Great progress. A man of many talents. Another enjoyable video.
Thanks for following along Chris. He's pretty determined and I'm a very proud wife! 🙂
I have watch alot of off grid families installing their solar this week. Your system looks good.
Thanks for taking the time to comment! It's great to see how other people do things differently. We've learnt so much from watching others.
Wowie. Subscribed. This is the stuff of hopes and dreams - I'm with you all the way . Please keep them coming.
Thanks so much. We are getting ready for the next upgrade/phase 2 of our solar system so keep an eye out! ☺️
You are great guys; doing great job. I wish you all the best.❤
It really means alot to us. We appreciate you following our journey! ❤️
you are really doing it the right way. beautiful land , i envy you big time .thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks for the lovely comment, appreciate it 😁👍
Nice setup i have a fogstar battery waited about 3 weeks for mine, the reason why i brought it was the warranty and i live 7 miles down the road from redditch where there unit is so its nice to have something local for a change i will be connecting mine up to a easysolar 2. the grow watt are really nice inverters will last years and years i would suggest a t class fuse for your battery so you don't destroy it just incase you never know. great video guys and happy living off grid no more electric bills
Thanks for the comment. on the whole I'm pleased with the Growatt but there's a few things I really don't like. It does feel well made though and you can use up to 6 units in parallel, which means the setup can grow with us. Pleased you also went with Fogstar I honestly believe their products are superior, and it's always nice to support a quality local company for sure! Best of luck with your setup. 👍👍
You guys are AMAZING! This was incredible to watch!xxx
SO exciting to have all our power from the sun!!
Ohh mann some nice battery u got there :D i understand the exitement, server backups require lots power so they must be heavy duty, your electrical skills are amazing tho, think i would never be able to put such a good system together
Thanks for the kind words - we are extremely impressed by our Fogstar battery. It covers all our needs 👍
Nice work, the moment you turn it on is very satisfying and it all works. I did something similar with 3 phase, batteries, panels and other bits and the moment you turn it on is fingers crossed even though you know you did it right. Good luck with the future
Haha you're so right..... I was confident I did it all right, but nothing confirms that until you turn that big red isolator 🤣. 3ph system sounds cool! Not sure we'd ever need 3ph.... Maybe if I can get myself a big lathe or mill for my workshop in the future. Cheers for the comment! 👍
Congrats on your setup
Thank you very much! 😁
life goals right there..great job Phil xx
Thanks guys! 😁😁 Hope you're doing well. Love to you all! ❤️👍
Considering my monthly e bill is around 25-30 leva I find it hard to invest in solar , the main reason would be from the constant power cuts , looks great and would like to see update videos on your system after some time .
Thanks for the comment David. Agreed - it is a big initial investment and if you're only doing it for the reasons for cost, then often it doesn't make sense. As for the constant power cuts, our village gets them often too. We will certainly be revisiting our system as it will continue to grow and change as we do ☺️👍
Cracking video, great setup, well done guys. kayleigh hats off to your spec voiceover, sounded like an M&S food ad, brilliant...
I tried replying with the M and S catchphrase but I'm so tired I can't think of it 🫣🤣 Thank you - the videos take a while to create but we enjoy being able to share our ups and downs with you all.
A great well informed video of the process.
Could you please list all elements that you used ie inverter fuse box etc.
I've been doing a lot of research regarding off grid with solutions like EcoFlow, Zendure and bluetti. The fogstar approach is a different approach and I like it.
Thanks for watching - of course! We will be sure to add this in our recap video, looking back after a month of usage 👍
Well done 👍👍 hope to have updates through the seasons.
Absolutely! The system is designed to be changed and added to as we grow and we will be reporting back regularly to let you know how we get on 👍
Пожелавам ви успех, но зимата ще е сурова тази година мисля(предчувствие) Дано да греша. Добре е да помислите за собствен водоизточник и други алтернативи за добиване на енергия за вашите домашни потреби. Ако си нямате къде да съхрсните излишъка добит през слънчевите месеци зимата ще е предизвикателство.
Бих желал да разбера каква е първоначалната ви инвестиция за системата
Успех.😊🤟👍
благодаря много за коментара. скоро ще направим актуализация на видео, може да говоря за разходите в това. стискам палци зимата няма да е лоша. 👍
A compass points to magnetic south, Solar south or true south is 9° east of magnetic south and that's how your panels should be orientated.
Interesting, we never knew that! Thank you for sharing. The panels were set to an app so hoping this is right 😊
Nice Job Pro regards from Holland
Thanks very much indeed 😃
Great useful Video 👍
Thank you - glad it's helped. We will have more on our solar in future uploads 👍
Fab video. I love the fact that you’re doer. Are you an electrician as well? Or just picked this up on UA-cam.? I myself do minor electric works around the house and for other people and looking at your video, I’m pretty sure I could also arrange that set up but I was just curious as to whether you’re a trained electrician because you make it look easy..😅
Thank you. No I'm not an electrician but I do have a good understanding of what's going on. I've done lots of DC work with cars, campers and caravans. Everything I know is self taught from websites, forums, groups, family and friends and of course UA-cam. 🙂 Thanks for the comment 😁
Excellent video, looking at do the same setup as yourselves. Don’t suppose you have a new discount code as this one is not recognised. I know your video was put out a year ago but i have only just started looking..😜
Our discount code won't work if there is a promotion on - drop them an email and explain what you were looking at getting and I'm sure they will help 👍
Great video guys, and the setup looks mint. Should definitely do the trick 👍
Where did you get your attention seeking microphone from, audio quality is spot on tbh 😅
Thanks guys - so far so good, it's working well ☺️ Winter might be another story 😁 Mr Mic is a Rode I believe🎤
Wow you're a very talented man ,loving your videos and love the attention seeking microphone 😂
Thank you. Really appreciate the comment. I know it often gets in the way... I think it wants to be famous! 😂
I really enjoyed your solar installation. Well done including the editing. How did you attach the solar panels to the wood frame? I couldn’t see any hardware connecting them.
Thanks for the question! We actually decided last minute to leave it out of the final edit but we used large pan head timber screws between the panels. These clamp each panel to the timber beneath 👍
Love this guys! 🙌
#friendsoffogstar 😊 we're SO impressed with our battery and pleased we can share what it can do with others.
Amazing well done
Thank you 😊 ☀️⚡
Looking to add something like this to my grid connected uk home so we cab hopefully do away with the elec bill or a good portion of it
It's great as long as you have enough sun to warrant the initial cost 🌞
Well I haven't costed it up but we are low users id say average about 7/8kw per day over the course of a yr so if we can cut that by 40 / 50% I'd be happy
Great vid guys
Thanks so much!
wery nice (много добре)
Благодаря ти много ❤️
Definitely on my list for 2024 along with solar water.
Is there a percentage scale for an overcast winters day?
I mean if in direct summer sun your 410W panel is kicking out 400W then what would it realistically achieve in winter?
I really should start working all this out so I can at least have half a clue when I start the project!
Regards from Mike in Oryahovo (Volvo bloke).
Hi Mike solar water is on my list too at some point. The power varies depending on how much light the panels can get. If thick storm clouds come over I've seen our system as low as 150w. Luckily here that doesn't last long, and I'm hoping for cold sunny days in winter but we will see... Worst case we have to run the generator more, but we're hoping to get more panels and another battery for the winter.
Nicely done. I think you will probably need more panels or a lot more fuel for your generator though. Do you know what your consumption is?
I have eight 450W panels (easy to get and cheap in BG compared to the UK). We are quite low power consumers (around 8-10Kwh/day), but still find solar is not quite enough, so if and when I can afford it, I will buy more panels (maybe a second bank with second hand ones?).
I guess being totally off grid is your goal, but if it's about costs, do consider hooking up to the mains. The advantage over the UK is that you don't have a standing charge, so you only pay for what you use. Also night rate is very cheap, so you can charge your battery at night for next to nothing and fully utilise the solar during the day.
I like the idea of being totally off grid as a principal and ethical goal is grand and I may well get to that point, but just now I can't afford the extra panels ect. I use no mains power during the day if it's not too overcast, but it takes some juggling.
Keep up the great work .... I wish I had your video editing skills byw! lol
Thanks for the comment and the kind words about the editing. Sometimes it takes me 10 hours for one video! Keep playing with it and you'll get your style and get quicker at things.
I haven't found any panels that match ours (specs wise)
Yes being self sufficient and off grid are the main goals. The initial costs are certainly large but it comes with piece of mind and security. You can also spread the cost gradually, as you have said second hand panels etc.
We are intending to get more panels hopefully in time for winter. 👍
Music is very loud compared to the speaking volume, , I guess it will be sorted as you post in future 👍
Thanks for the feedback - we've noticed the audio quality isn't so great when playing back on phones. Speakers or TV seems to be best. We will keep an close eye moving forward 🎶
It was on an iPad , thanks for your reply 👍
Where did you get the frames for the solar panels?
I like your idea as they can be tilted.
Hi Neil. We built the wooden frames ourselves. This is only a temporary setup whilst we decide where to locate them long term. 👍
Cheers i like the idea too be able to move panels if needed.
Nice installation Phil. But one thing, i dont know if you taken into account that normal 16A B-Type characterstic Breakers need 16A x5=80A to trigger in case of an short circuit. The 5kw inverter is not able to provide that amount, if you are lucky it ill shutoff after a few seconds of overload, but that is often enough to start a fire. It would be good to use multiple smaller Z-Type Breakers. which can trigger from 2-3 times the rated current.
Thanks for the comment. I've looked it up and it seems you are right in the characteristics of the type B. I'm not sure it would cause a fire though? I'm using a 6mm² cable which I think is plenty up to the task. I'd also say that the inverter is very sensitive and id expect it to trip out within a second if there's a dead short. The inverter also has its own AC breaker built into the bottom of the unit which I think is rated at 40a. I didn't manage to find any overload ratings for type Z mcb's though. Very interesting and I think I will have to revisit power distribution when we get our barn/house ready for electrics as I can see us overloading our consumer unit pretty quickly.
Cheers 👍
@@OffGridWithTheUdens Since your used realy thick cabling thats very up to the task. I only would see problems with the devices that are then more likely to have bigger damage in case of an dead short, or are being able to start a fire because the short is on for too long. Type Z Breakers "only" need 2-3 times the rated power to trip in case of an short. So it would be usefull to put an additional breaker box in the barn and use multiple type z breakers with the lowest possible rating for the devices. With that you can protect the devices well and reduce risk of fire while at the same time avoiding that anything on that line gets shutdon. My inverter has an inbuilt breaker too but in my case thats for the AC Input only.
We definitely will be putting another consumer unit in the little barn and will be running another load of breakers in there for various things. This is just a temporary setup to get us off of dangerous extension leads. Thanks for the comment I appreciate the advice and will definitely be looking into type Z breakers when we fit that box.
Cheers👍
Hello, what size is your inverter?
It's a 5kw. We are going to do another upload detailing some of our system, what we think of it a month on and the cost of it 👍
Wow cool system . How much is the cost ???
Thanks for commenting - we are really pleased with it! We have had a few people ask this so we will get a video up including the costs soon 👍
btw fogstar also do a diy version of what you have @15kw capacity for not much more cash tbh
Yes would highly recommend looking at their website and chatting with the team. Their DIY potential is vast and it's a great place to buy your components from. We went for this set up for ease and convenience. 👍
You could have just used google maps and it would show your current location and show you the directions of NESW
Yes I didn't think of that.... Having said that I'm not sure I would be 100% certain on the accuracy. Thanks for the comment. 😊
Would like to know the answer to removing the cables from the pole. I want to divert mine down the pole, then underground to the inverter.
Yes we're curious too! When we find out we will be sure to share ☺️
Too late now but easy way to find true south (a magnetic compass can be off 10 degrees or more). Go to Google Earth and activate grid lines (latitude and longitude). Zero in on your home and the latitude lines will give you the precise east-west. One (29' 38' 18 N) runs from the south west corner of my storage shed and half way between my well and the corner of my out building. My two strings of panels will be on either side of that line.
Nice idea! 👍 thanks for the comment.
Just to let you know those packing chips are probably not made out of polystyrene they look like the ones made out of cornstarch and they dissolve in water
This has blown my mind!! They've been dissolving outside the workshop and we couldn't work out why! Thank you so much for telling us!
I use two Eco flows and live simply...easy
That's cool, whatever works for you. We're planning to grow our system to the point where it can handle a full house, 2 barns and a workshop 👍
I would recommend getting some goats or sheep keep grass down.
Great suggestion and we have thought about. We have some baby trees growing so goats aren't suitable at the moment. Maybe one day 😊
👍👍
Not sure if I missed it but are you running 240v or 120v ?
230v the same as all of Europe. Thanks for the comment 👍
How big a system are you running?
Hi, we're running 2.46kw of panels and 5kw inverter with 5.12kw battery.
This is the very start of our system and we will be expanding as we go. 👍
what are the expenses for the solar setup?
Thanks for the comment, it's a good point that I didn't mention anything about. I will be doing a one month update on the system so I will cover it then. 👍
Do you have electrical qualifications? Or just self taught like me?
Totally self taught. Starting with my dad, then an electrician friend and of course UA-cam. 😁👍 thanks for the comment.
@@OffGridWithTheUdens ah amazing stuff. Yeh UA-cam & the web in general can teach u anything these days! Taught me nearly every I know, Good stuff🤜🏻
We have hyperdrive 🤣
If you know, you know 😏 #friendsoffogstar
Watch out for hail!
Thanks - we will! 🫣
I don't like the packaging, using packing nuts for something so heavy is pretty insane. they should have used a closed cell foam that is the shape of the battery espically when they are charging £1200 per battery.
Not sure we can really comment on the packaging as we went to collect our battery and then had it repackaged as we were taking it abroad with us. Not sure what packaging they use usually - this is just how we had ours parcelled up for our journey 😊👍 As for the battery itself - the quality of the product far outways any competitors that we've seen.
If I was you I would use 10 m instead
Thanks for the comment, we've used 10mm from the inverter to the consumer unit but you can only get it in single core out here which means running 3 separate cables. I will revisit this when it comes to fitting out our little barn in the future though👍
From my own array bigger is better
Bigger is certainly better - but finances have limited us greatly and this is just the first phase of our solar set-up 😃⚡
@@OffGridWithTheUdens it's not cheap. But nice to not pay utility bills
Offgrid in EU is bulshit. Power operator is acting like battery by EU law…
@@VFRrider In Eu if you have solar power station, you dont need an expensive battery because your power operator collects power that you produce and storing it for nights and winter months. And it’s dirty cheap and never ever will be more expensive that good set off batteries, because there is EU law that protects this idea and highly encouraging you to do this.
@@luckyhomestead Will that help if the power grid goes down completely?
@@lorraineking3053 once or twice a year for an hour… freezer will live somehow :) P.S. that being said, you can add small battery if this completely necessary for you.
Using the gird as battery is not that easy in Bulgaria (bureaucracy).
Thanks for the comment.... There are power cuts almost every week in our area so definitely not something you could rely on 100% also I'm not sure what you mean by it being law?
Part of the reason for us going off grid was to be able to cater for our own needs and not to rely on any external sources. 👍
The attention seeking microphone 😂
Haha I know 🤦♂️ it's so annoying! Always wanting to get in the shot! 🤣 thanks for the comment 👍
electricity is cheap in Bulgaria, the investment is hardly justified considering time needed to pay itself off, additionally you would probably need more batteries in winter
Power cuts in our area are frequent and the cost of electricity over here is relative. If you're interested in why we've made this choice please do watch our other videos which explain this. 👍 the great thing about our system is that it's ready to expand as and when we need to.
did you get a Starlink or is cell coverage suffient in the area? As far as I can tell, you are somewhere around Haskovo region?@@OffGridWithTheUdens
We've found cell coverage to be amazing.. keep an eye on the next video for our internet setup ☺️👍
I'm guessing you have experience in working with this stuff, wonder how winter will be and the cost of the set up
Thanks for the comment, the only experience I have is putting solar in our van. I learnt most of it from UA-cam, forums and general electrics from my dad and friends.
I haven't yet worked out total cost but I will do, and I'll talk through it in our one month update video. I too am unsure about winter hoping to get more panels and maybe another battery by then. 👍
Lots of companies now selling for small domestic setups now
I have only found a couple... Do you have any links to the ones you know of? I'm interested in buying more panels here for sure.
@@OffGridWithTheUdens also maybe emag
@@OffGridWithTheUdens солар бг
@@OffGridWithTheUdens Nowadays there are panels everywhere. You can also buy panels in big hypermarkets like Praktiker or Technopolis.