Solar Power in an Off Grid Cabin with Harbor Freight Thunderbolt Kit
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- Опубліковано 25 тра 2023
- Let there be light! From wiring a few simple fixtures and building a battery box, to custom mounting solar panels and fishing wire.
This video is more about doing the work required for a complete solar set-up than it is a “product review.” That being said, I install the 100-watt Thunderbolt Magnum solar kit from Harbor Freight in the off grid Ridge Cabin with a few accessories, and hook up an inverter for AC power. At the date of this video release, I give the solar kit a thumbs up.
**I am NOT getting paid or sponsored by anyone, including Harbor Freight or Thunderbolt.
In two earlier episodes, I wired the cabin in preparation for solar. Check them out here:
Part 1: • Off Grid Tiny Cabin Bu...
Part 2: • Wiring an Off Grid Tin...
Enjoy @LifeontheMoose and thanks for subscribing!
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Like the way you ran wire in the walls, good job. I have 4 of these batteries in parallel.
Nice! I may end up doing that some day.
What kind of battery
Great job my friend have a great memorial day weekend
Much appreciated! You, as well.
Fantastic video
Great tutorial 10.5
Best solar set up I have seen !!!
Wow thanks! My first! 🙏
Good stuff! Thanks for sharing.
Thank YOU!
You gave me a good idea thanks for sharing ☀️
Thank YOU!
I can't believe you don't have more likes on this video buddy Great job great explanation!! Kind of took what I thought was going to be maybe something I can't handle and made me feel like I should just dive in and go for it! Thanks again for the awesome content!
Thank you! I really appreciate you watching.
@@LifeontheMoose made me want to step up my game! I upgraded my system to a 200ah and 200w panels! Now time to build the cabin!!
I loved to watch this. I liked you humor too.. Thank you for a good UA-cam time. 👍⭐️🇸🇪
Thank YOU! I appreciate you watching.
Man after my own heart! Harbor Freight and TSC all you need!! Lol
Use long foldable table hinges that stay in place and fold whenever you want to for the Solar stand
Great video
🙏
Men I enjoy your video very much nice work and good attitude keep making videos
Thank you so much! If you keep watching, I’ll keep making. 🙏
I use them HF panels a lot, work good. Like the way you MacGyver Ed the SAE wire through the wall ha ha
Whatever I have to do! Appreciate the comment.
Enjoyed the video, have the land but have to get the permit and the material. 😊
Thank you! Let me know how it goes.
Hi, Patrick. This video completes perfectly the other about the wiring. Congratulations. I'm impressed by how easy it is to identify and connect wiring and plugs there. Here in Brazil usually it's not identified (I mean where we need to connect the hot, the neutral and the ground connections at the plug and the electrical outlet). I guess the builder just needs the help of a professional electrician for more complex circuits, or am I wrong? I do maintenance at home about this, but it's because my father taught me a very long time ago when I was really young 😊 (now I say I've been young for a long time... 🤣).
Hi. Indeed, electrical should be left to the pros, unless it’s a relatively simple job. I did wire the main cabin to the grid according to code and with permits, but at a snails pace!🙏
Signed, Young for a long time, too.
Hehe. Cool. 😜
Nice install. I did something similar to my shed. The little battery is all I have too and I drain it very quickly so that's next to be upgraded
Thank you! This, as well..
What battery are u guys using?
Like what you did. I didn't get the HF battery, I got a 122 amp hour DC battery from Walmart. It's flooded, but it needs venting, though. I have the same panels and love them. My choice for a battery is a flooded 29 DC marine battery from Walmart. The reason I chose it was 3 times the power. My panels charge it fine. If it rains I've got lights for several days. I use them for running the lights in the kit and charging a cellphone.
Good to know! My first attempt…
I appreciate the comment, and you watching!
just here to say hello and thanks
Hello and thank YOU!
I see it
Never storage lead acid battery inside your cabinet, specifically battery in charging stage , dangerous gas could cause explosion
Unless you vent it externally, which is easy to do. I've had two campers and a car set up that way from the factory.
Only if you get the unsealed battery.. the sealed batteries don’t gas off
I seen ups batteries crack and leak. 73
HF makes a 4way that you can attach them to, so you only have to run 1 wire through the wall. Great job, though. I just bought one of these kits for my cabin. Will be using your info for my install.
That would have been handy! Good luck and let me know how it goes.
Are those panels sturdy enough to withstand snow and icicles dropping on them??
U should have put a hub on your system one wire in and U can add panels.
great job i just bought the 100 watt set up today but am still thinking about ''2'' 6 volt golf cart battery's as they should last a long time what do you think
I like the idea of 2 6’s. Probably a better way to go.
Is this amorphous solar panels?
Good job!
But you may want to add an inline fuse (as close as possible to the battery) to protect your beautiful cabin from fire.
That’s a good idea. Appreciate you watching!
I expect the inverter has overcurrent protection built in and the solar panels aren't capable of producing dangerous amounts of current. When I was a kid (late teens in the '70s) I had a summer job for two summers as an "electrician's helper" and I once took a two week training course in stand alone solar installation but only used it for camping. As you said, Patrick, at the beginning of the video your inverter is enormously oversized compared to the rest of the system but that shouldn't hurt except to drain the battery quickly and much faster than the panels will recharge it. The house wiring would work with a backup generator but I'd consult a pro before trying to tie one into the system. You could rig a transfer switch to operate low loads on solar/battery and higher loads (power tools and a fast charge for a much larger battery bank) on generator but that would require a charge controller sized for the much larger power source. I don't know how make such an unbalanced system use both sources simultaneously.
@@timothyvincent7371 "I expect the inverter has overcurrent protection built in and the solar panels aren't capable of producing dangerous amounts of current."
That doesnt help if the inverter is broken or a battery cable is damaged. Then youre wrong. 5A from the solar panels are plenty to start a fire.
@chris-yy7qc You are of course correct if the wiring or devices were damaged. A well supplied electrician would have used smooth bushings in the drilled holes before pulling those fragile looking PV panel feeds to prevent damage. I'm not sure where you got 5A, my calculator says the whole array would put out 7.5A but each panel is fed separately so the max on any conductor would be a little under 2A. Once the PV power reaches the charge controller (which I assume is properly sized for the purpose - yes, that word) everything else in the system could easily handle the PV output. I was thinking about a hypothetical case of a dead battery and hooking a gas generator up to the cabin's "extension cord " wiring for cabin power and a quick battery recharge. My suggestion was to completely isolate the solar components from the battery while doing that. Thank you for your reply though, I guess I didn't express myself clearly enough.
Now that's using your head..lol
Hey is that smoke I see? lol just kidding ...great video I'm going to save this info for when I hook mine up here pretty soon thanks
Thank you! Let me know how it goes.
You know of course that electricity is a form of smoke? That's obvious because once the smoke leaks out of anything electrical it stops working (😂)
the insulation under the screw terminal that's not supposed to be there. strip it back a little. not sure about that crimping style lol. but fun video no hard feelings
Thanks for watching!
Very cool setup. My question is, the way you powered the wall wires how much actual run time do you get off the battery and is that a Harbor freight 30 ah battery? Thanks in advance. Looking to do something similar for my shed.
I believe it is.
I’m not sure of the time, as I’ve never “max’d” it out.
I appreciate you watching!
@@LifeontheMoose thanks for the response. Have you upgraded the battery since? Was planning on using a 100ah lithium battery to run a mini fridge and 2 6w led lights in my shed as well as tools here and there. Hopefully it works out great like yours. Thanks again
@@sinner966 I do hope to upgrade the battery, but haven’t dived into the research yet.
2 amps is more than 1 amp. Not bad for a novice. ;)
😅 Thank you!
I didn’t read all comments. You could have used a harbor freight combiner outside. You can hook up to 400 watts. Then only have one wire through the wall.
Thank you! At the time, I did not know that.
Correct me if I'm wrong but don't the batteries need to breath or have some form of air flow?
Yes! Which is why I cut holes in the box for ventilation.
Yeah I seen that after I asked sorry. I installed a cheap PC 120 mm fan in my box
@@josephtreadaway9 no worries! And good idea.
It moved
Lol Thanks! And thanks for watching!
What size inverter is that
1500w
Thanks, did you do anymore hook up to it@LifeontheMoose
@@dudleydorite7678 I did not.
I'm not an electrician but I do know that your outlets are upside down. The ground socket is supposed to be on top.
Hmm... Thanks for watching!
@tn65s . . . LOL - you're a funny guy! 😃
But why Harbor Freight.
Because it was just an easy all-in-one kit. That said, I’ll go a different direction on my current cabin build. Thanks for tuning in!
@@LifeontheMooseCan the 100watt panels accept another 100watt? Solar panel
@@Blah-blah-sure I’m not positive? But I would doubt it.
@@Blah-blah-sureyou can hook up more 100 watt panels in parallel to charge controller.
Black is hot, silver is not.
As a Carpenter for over 40 years, you made a huge mistake running that Circular Saw! NEVER PUT YOU HAND BEHIND THE SAW, NEVER Great way to cut fingers or even you hand off if that Circular Saw kicks. You aren't strong enough to hold a kicking saw! No one is! Rookie mistake! Either clamp the piece of wood down or screw it down or better yet use a table saw with a fence. Can't tell you how many fools I have seen cut fingers off, cut deep into there hand a a few even their hands off. I get tired of calling 911 to save the poor fools from bleeding out! As the old saying goes, you can't fix stupid! Stupid is what it is! I run work now (Foreman) I charge $20 ever time I see a hand behind the Circular Saw. Either pay up or I just assumed you quit! Bye! At $20 bucks a shot, not to many stupid fools want to do it a 2nd time. Good Beer Drinking Money! LOL I saw you do it, now pay up the $20 bucks! LOL Just had a 30 some old guy start, has a college degree could find any work in his field. So he wants to be a Carpenter, fine! Hired the guy, trained him for over 6 months on what to do and not to do. Sent him out with another guy on a framing job. Get a call 3 hours later from the other guy he went out to due the job. They are in the emergency room. He cut 3 of his fingers off! Even guys with brains are fools! He mangled them, Doc tried reattaching them, they won't ever work again right! There goes his dream of being a carpenter! Maybe he can get those fingers good enough to wash dishes at some greasy spoon (dive diner)? LOL Keep your hands out from behind the saw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for watching!
@toddritchie9137 . . . I'll bet . . . Oh, never mind! 🤣