Eric, when we lived in the high desert the solution for rats in the engine compartment that worked was leaving the hood open. They are going there to keep warm....leaving the hood open eliminates that.
Eric, you have to make sure the WIRING can handle the new breaker BEFORE you upgrade it. You can start a fire if the wire is not rated for the Amps you put through it.
Eric, If you have an 150 Charge controller, it means it will charge up to and including 150 Amps. The wise thing to do before changing the breaker to 125 or 150 amps, is to change the size of the wire from the charge controller to the breaker panel with a 150 amps carrying wires so that it will be able to carry 125 o150 amps. Otherwise you may have a serious fire on your hand. Seek some expert advice from the solar people and get some heavier wire between the charge controller and the breaker panel.
Eric, get this for your rat and mouse problem: Victor M792 Heavy-Duty Indoor Sonic PestChaser Pro Ultrasonic Mouse, Rat and Other Rodent This really does work, we saw it with our own eyes and use this under our own Rv. We had this hooked up under our rig and an Rv neighbor friend of ours had a Mouse in her basement 5th wheel compartment which jumped out when they opened the door and ran toward our rv, he got about halfway there and skidded to a stop and turned around and ran back toward their rv and jumped back into their open compartment. I watched this through the window as my husband was trying to get their attention as they were getting ready to leave. If I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t believe it. I wish I’d had my camera to film it. You also should wash out your engine compartment, we used bleach so they can’t smell where they or others have been. Coffee beans is a very good rodent deterrent as well. My husband used to farm and used coffee beans in the tractor scattered about to keep out rodents and it works really well!
Eric, there is something wrong in your solar setup. The Victron charge controller is a 150/85 which means it is a 150v 85a unit. It shows in the app that your amperage going to the batteries is 84.10 amps at almost peak wattage of 1243 watts, the system is working perfect. If you're blowing a 100 amp breaker it is not because the charge controller is putting out more. To the right of the circuit breaker panel you have DC/DC charger that I am assuming is for the vehicle chassis battery, since your battery would not start the RV tells me something is wrong. Please check or have someone check the system out, putting in a bigger breaker will most likely lead to a fire!
Eric, your spread is going to be a security nightmare when you hit the road. You need a properly fenced compound...whatever size you prefer...to fit all of your outbuildings and vehicles. Be deliberate about the layout. Cover the fenced interior layout with 4-6 inches of stone before placing any outbuildings. This layout seems so haphazard...think about your needs and future proofing the security of your personal property. Personally, I would design a compound around a permanent metal building (say 40'x60' w/a minimum 14' clearspan ceiling and a 12' rollup door)/barndominium that could fit all of your vehicles/personal property. This is not a huge investment if planned properly.
Just an FYI, the feeders need to be cleaned a minimum of once a week. The bacteria build up due to all the sugar will kill the poor little hummers. Here in the Phx valley, you have to do it every other day. I gave up. Rather skip the hummers than take a chance of making them get ill and die.
Put some Pine-Sol in a spray bottle and spray the engine compartment. When I first retired and moved to my property the mice and rats were everywhere. They ate the wiring in all of my vehicles and my new tractor. John Deere rep sold me some expensive stuff but the Ford Dealer said they use Pine-Sol and spray the engine bay once a week and don't have any problems. Pine-Sol is much cheaper and seemed to work well for me too.
Correction, the Victron charge controller is a UP to 150volt 85AMP charger, not 100amps. I've had breakers be weak and turn off way before they should. You probably need to change out the breakers.
Food for thought. You can get recycled crushed concrete for really cheap. I used that for my driveway and am happy with it. It's taken from construction projects and crushed up
Eric, I don't know what size wire you have from your breaker panel to your charge controller. But, You need to check because too small a wire will fry. Here is a little sizing chart based on AWG wire. 1/0 AWG is good for 125 AMPS................2 AWG = 95 AMPS..............6 AWG = 55 Amps................8 AWG = 40 AMPS..............10 AWG = 30 AMPS....... If your breaker is a double breaker (two pole) 1/0 AWG copper wire is good for 125 amps because you are dividing the 125 AMPS by two wires. Now if it is AL (aluminum) you need even larger wire. The wire coating will say what size and what the conductor is AL (Aluminum) or (CU Copper). There are other factors such as how long the run is and temperature but you don't need to worry about those as you are under a 100' run and the wire is not buried. I hope that I didn't confuse you.
Eric. i think your charge controller is a 150 Volt open circuit input and 85-amp max current output unit. You may be able to go into the inner settings of that controller and lower the max amps it puts out. Some you can in expert mode and some you can't. Make sure input wiring to 100-amp breaker is rated for the 125 + amp breaker upgrade you plan to try, or you might need to change that short piece of wire. as well as the breaker. Before I replaced the breaker, I would find out how 100 amps is getting to the breaker and or what is causing it to trip. Controller is only supposed to put out 85 amps max, I think. Good luck and please don't burn down your house.
If you want to make sure the rats and mice do not get into your engine compartment use this item it's called mouse magic it repels them they do not like the smell of lavender they will come no where near your RV comes 4 to a package plus it will not hurt the cats this product is animal friendly it's very reasonablely priced I haved used this item in my barn no mice or rats since using it
Eric, the 150/80 on your controller means 150 volts max input to the controller, and the 80 means the controller can produce a max of 80A of current at ~12VDC out of the controller to your batteries. You have probably overloaded the system controller with those ground panels, which you don't need with so much sun during the summer. You shouldn't be changing a circuit breaker to a higher rating without a professional confirming your solution is safe, unless you want a fire in the rig.
His charge controller is a Victron 150/85, the screen shot from the Victron app shows his solar system is working great. His panels were putting out 1243 watts which is almost max and the charge controller was supplying 84.10 amps which is also almost max, should not be blowing a 100 amp circuit breaker. The panels on the ground aren't for the RV, he's got some other issue going on in the wiring of the RV. I noticed he also had a 12v/12v charger which I'm assuming is used to charge his vehicle chassis battery from the solar system, him having a dead chassis battery tells me something isn't set up right in the system.
Yes, welcome to country living. We have experience from a remote area we have tried for services in. Rock delivery, propane delivery, etc. all will have their own timeline. You will have to just go with the flow. The kitties look comfortable in the RV. Enjoy the RV living as you develop your property.
I work at a big box store. I used to work in the delivery section for many years. We started offering a 2 hour and 4 hour window for an extra fee. It was great most of the time, but it was extra frustrating when it didn't work. It was frustrating for us and extremely frustrating for the customer. But customers would ask for a discount for the inconvenience. And they would usually get it. So maybe ask for a discount for the inconvenience, ask for like 10% off.
We use peppermint oil in and around our rv, and home. We buy the drops and mix our own in a spray bottle. Rodent's don't like the smell of it. Usually about a dozen drops to a spray bottle and spray anywhere and everywhere we can get to. Not had any rodent problems nor bugs crawling around in our rv and house. Not saying it'll work for you but it does seem to be working for us.
I’ve a rather low patience tolerance when my personal time is not considered as valuable as those that may keep us waiting beyond appointment timeframes. Especially at a doctor’s office when they always insist one arrives at least 15 minutes earlier then scheduled yet left waiting 45 minutes to 1-1/2 hrs beyond initial appointment. 🤬
Been following you a while but this is my first time commenting. We had a bad mice problem in our 40 footer. Once we got them all cleared out using both poison and sticky traps we put light strips underneath and that did the trick, no more mice in over a year. Also the guy who suggested crushed concrete is rite. If it is cheaper it will perform better over time as it will reharden a little and resist the rain. Its the trucking charges that are so high now. Good luck
Your Victron MPPT controller is 150 volt / 85 amp controller. Your altitude and no panel obstruction is causing your higher watts, etc. Sun spots can also increase wattage and amperage. More photons. You should not exceed the voltage/amperage on your MPPT controller. Obviously, if a 100 amp breaker is tripping you will exceed the 85 amps for control box rating. So, you can adjust voltage/amperage by changing panel configurations (parallel or series) and/or add another breaker and MPPT controller.
Eric. in the South Pacific islands they had a saying : no hurry no problems, you in a hurry you got a problem. It took me a while to get used to that type of work scheduling. It's all good, it mainly matters how we learen to deal with these issues. your doing fine.
Before you install a larger circuit breaker you need to make sure what amps the wires can handle. If you over size the breaker to keep it from tripping then it could melt the wires and cause a fire.
lol welcome to mountain time. glad you got a call is some cases a company wouldnt even call you. lots of companies out here work on mountain time which means they do things on their time. also set your mouse bucket near the front of your rv. use multiple devices to deter the mice/rats. trim the bottom of your trees will help .
So, I'm only in to 5:10, but I've heard some folk call it 'mountain time', neighbor. What that means is that it can be so competitive up here, especially when it is busy (good weather), that the lower priced folk will over promise and under deliver. Trust me, I've seen a lot here in the many years I've lived here. Perkins Cinders, Poteet Construction (maybe Jesse does this) are a couple good ones. You do NOT want to deal with any contractor who has lived here less than one full winter at least. Good luck.
dont raise the amount of amperes of the switch... you could get overheating and fire in the RV. (wires have a to smaller diameter) greetings from holland
Circuit breakers can wear out and not carry the amperage they're rated for. Not likely your 85 amp Victron controller is sending over 100 amps to trip the breaker. Please don't put in a higher amp breaker.
Hey Eric. I have not advice for your rat or electric problems. All I have for you are words of gratitude. I am always encouraged by your willingness to share the adventure of your life. Thanks.
We have grey rats who live someplace under my RV. I've tried almost everything. Mint. Traps, caught many, have not tried lights yet. But I can tell they are not detecting the pack rats. So grey rats probably won't care either. I have found that really obnoxious men's cologne sprayed around and inside my fuse box stops small mice from nesting inside that. I also got 4 different kinds of the hottest peppers known, blended them to fine powder and powdered all my wires and important stuff under the hood. It rains so much lately in Maine leaving the hood up doesn't seem logical. I bought a electric zapper trap. Not one rat ever entered it. I don't know if it works or not without sticking my hand in there. No room inside truck engine for that either. I also bought two clear see through have a heart type traps and non of them would enter thos either. So I will b monitoring all the products you try to deter the rats. Try some nasty perfume, it might slow them down, while you come up with a better solution. I guess, because all rats are so darned smart. Like Secret of Nim smart, one has to constantly be changing up the game. Just when they got you figured out get them with something new.
As the Arizona monsoon season kicks off Thursday - officially running from June 15 until Sept. 15 - the next three months can bring powerful thunderstorms across the region with flash floods caused by increased rainfall.
I absolutely love your puppy. He's adorable. Life is full of ups & downs. Just keep smiling and let it all roll off...like water on a duck's back. There's no benefit to getting stressed or angry. I love your property. I know it will be such a blessing for you. I saw your "short" video about unwanted visitors. People are crazy. I hope that you can eventually afford a fence & gate. My son lives on a 2 acre property. He fenced it himself, and installed a solar-powered gate that he can open with his phone app. It just helps make a barrier for unwanted visitors. Obviously it doesn't stop criminals, but it helps with privacy.
I enjoy your videos at your homestead. Haven't missed a video since you were living in your RV pretty much staying in one or two towns in Washington state. Your videos where you do what you want and where you don't worry about doing what the "audience" wants are my favorite. Either way. I'll keep watching. Good luck with the gravel.
@Dan-Rather we can keep this up all day. I actually enjoy directed negativity toward myself. I feel like i've got power over you. I can comment. And then i'm in your head.
@Nomadic Fanatic In the video where Opie goes for a walk unleashed, I noticed he walked much faster on the rocks verses the dirt. I could be wrong. I was thinking the rocks may hold the heat and may have felt hot on his paws. I'm sorry about the gravel delay. Sadly, businesses don't seem to be as reliable lately, especially businesses which provide services for building/construction. I watch other channels and they're experiencing similar issues.
Honda created an anti-rodent tape treated with capsaicin (chemical compound that makes chili peppers hot) that you can wrap the wires under the hood with for extra protection. Honda Part #: 4019-2317. Works great at deterring rodents...just don't handle it with bare hands. Definitely need to use some nitrile/latex gloves. You need to have the wire harness looked at closely...rats love to chew on those wires. If they were under the hood, they've definitely chewed on some somewhere. As others have said, your breaker should be sized for the wiring. The whole purpose is to protect the wire and keep it from catching fire. You need to get an accurate measurement of the amperage during the peak time. If it's less than the breaker is rated for, then the breakers are most likely defective and need replaced with the same size. If you're getting more than 125a, then your charging controller is malfunctioning (rated for 150v/85a) and needs replaced. A $25 DMM (digital multi-meter) can easily handle this, but you'd probably be better off having someone more comfortable with electric doing it.
Try to get recycled asphalt chunks it is cheaper we used it in a driveway in Florida. We rented a tractor with bucket at Home Depot for 3 to4 hrs the price wasn’t to bad if you need more pushing power the have a skid loader good luck 😊
Hey Eric I’ve lived in AZ desert the past 4 years off grid. I love what you’re doing. It’s my dream to do as well. I recommend you put out some 55 gallon barrels to catch whatever rain does fall. Also, when the sun becomes too much for your battery bank, you have to enlarge your bank. I’m up to 8 batteries now with 800 amp hours.
Aww Rats 🐀🐀🐀 Sounds like you need a new breaker, try replacing with same amperage one first. Shouldn't be tripping with the screenshot of your solar. Seems like it's malfunctioning.
If it's allowed, get another water tank and fill it up with rain water for bathing, washing and watering plants. Can filter through a Big Berkey and drink it. I like your home base.
Peppermint oil...not the stuff in the baking section of the grocery. Pure peppermint oil, the kind you put in diffusers. Put it on cotton balls and place into nooks and crannies in the motor compartment. Works!!
I do that too, i wait all day 'by' the phone so I'm ready and then they do me like that. At least they called you because its worse if they just no call no show. some people just have no respect for other people and it shows! I feel sick to my stomach for you. edit: oh cool that they called in the morning some redemption!
Rats and mice will move out if you spay vinegar around the edges of every space and where they come in. They think it is a predator although they don't know which one. It worked for me with mice - the second evening I sprayed again and they moved out.
Based on my experience, peppermint oil works to repel mouses and (i assume) rats. Soak cotton balls or mix it into a spray bottle. Lots of info online.
Make sure you have at least 4 inches of rock or put a double layer of black plastic down or you'll get weeds popping up!! Hopefully it's small gravel...
Eric, you’re making some great videos with your homesteading . But sorry to say your buddy CVK lets us all in on your life about a week ahead of time you do.
Thank you for bringing this up, cvk is ruining any surprise weeks ahead. I'm scratching my head wondering what the heck Eric is thinking letting cvk spoil it for us, ridiculous.....
Eric look at your charge controller and you’ll actually see it’s a 150 v / 85 A charge controller. If that is a 100 amp breaker, it is bad. On your phone it showed that you were producing a little over 84 A so everything should be working correctly. Your breaker is overheating for some reason.
Eric, it seems lately that nothing ever goes smoothly with deliveries. no matter who you talk too most will say it’s hard to get things delivered in a timely manner. Customer service lacking everywhere what I do is not to bet on it. When it’s delivered, fine ! Right, get a light for the motor
we have our rv in a barn so no whether but nice mostly. we have a thor four winds 22e, the lights help but on our toyota rv they still walked under the fuel injection and popped down the timing belt cover and made it jump 2 times now!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One of the major reasons why these companies schedules get so messed up is due to homeowners not being prepared or just flat not being there when they're supposed to be. These companies know how much they can do in the time frames in which to do it so they schedule accordingly but all it takes is to have one or two homeowners screw up their schedule for the entire day and in some cases for an entire week because these companies are usually scheduled a week or two out in advance maybe even months.
Eric, mint keeps rats and mice away. You can get it in a spray at Home Depot and spray it around your rv, that way you don't have to have a light burning or keep your hood open all the time.
Good luck with the rats. I don't have any suggestions as the only rats I've ever dealt with are city rats and traps handled that problem. Keep the good stuff coming.
Hi Eric, rats hate the smell of Ammonia. Just put it around the motorhome in glass containers so you can see when it evaporates. It is cheep alternative.
As a kid on the farm in the red river valley I would of gotten my ass beat for leaving a door open due to field mice . Keep your doors and hatches closed. Rats are smart and quick . Another problem with rats and mice in the desert they draw snakes because snakes love rodents you probably have a lot of snakes on your property . Get rid of the rats and the snakes will leave
Welcome to the promise and sweep! Companies like that overbook, just like airlines! They do this on purpose! They expect others to cancel or trucks break down. They get last minute delivery requests from their biggest buyers. You now become expendable, but only at the end of the day where you cannot or would not make sense to cancel. They are manipulating the schedule for their cash flow. Common, but frustrating!
Just look up a calculator to figure out how much you need. 11 ft wide 70 ft long 3 inches deep is 15 cubic yards. Went with 3/4 minus also know as crusher run it has the fine material mixed in just ground up rock. 1/4 for heavy industrial minus includes the fine dust which allows it to pack harder.
You could have went with the expensive rock and I bet it would have been there on time. When your looking for cheap you should never expect the same service because your not going to get it. It’s just a good thing you have nothing better to do than hang out.
Eric, when we lived in the high desert the solution for rats in the engine compartment that worked was leaving the hood open. They are going there to keep warm....leaving the hood open eliminates that.
Eric, you have to make sure the WIRING can handle the new breaker BEFORE you upgrade it. You can start a fire if the wire is not rated for the Amps you put through it.
You are right. The wire could become the fuse.
All good advice. The solar store will hopefully reinforce this information.
Sometimes, the smaller size wires would heat up causing the breaker to heat up, and tripping it. I always oversize my cables now
12 volts x 100 amps = 1200 watts. Take your watts and divide by your 12 volts to figure breaker size.
100 amp wire needs to be big.
Eric, If you have an 150 Charge controller, it means it will charge up to and including 150 Amps. The wise thing to do before changing the breaker to 125 or 150 amps, is to change the size of the wire from the charge controller to the breaker panel with a 150 amps carrying wires so that it will be able to carry 125 o150 amps. Otherwise you may have a serious fire on your hand. Seek some expert advice from the solar people and get some heavier wire between the charge controller and the breaker panel.
The 150 refers to the max input voltage from the panels. The 85 refers to to max amps the controller sends to the batteries.
Eric, get this for your rat and mouse problem: Victor M792 Heavy-Duty Indoor Sonic PestChaser Pro Ultrasonic Mouse, Rat and Other Rodent
This really does work, we saw it with our own eyes and use this under our own Rv. We had this hooked up under our rig and an Rv neighbor friend of ours had a
Mouse in her basement 5th wheel compartment which jumped out when they opened the door and ran toward our rv, he got about halfway there and skidded to a stop and turned around and ran back toward their rv and jumped back into their open compartment. I watched this through the window as my husband was trying to get their attention as they were getting ready to leave. If I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t believe it. I wish I’d had my camera to film it. You also should wash out your engine compartment, we used bleach so they can’t smell where they or others have been. Coffee beans is a very good rodent deterrent as well. My husband used to farm and used coffee beans in the tractor scattered about to keep out rodents and it works really well!
I wonder if cats and dogs can hear it too? Hmm 🤔
Eric, there is something wrong in your solar setup. The Victron charge controller is a 150/85 which means it is a 150v 85a unit. It shows in the app that your amperage going to the batteries is 84.10 amps at almost peak wattage of 1243 watts, the system is working perfect. If you're blowing a 100 amp breaker it is not because the charge controller is putting out more. To the right of the circuit breaker panel you have DC/DC charger that I am assuming is for the vehicle chassis battery, since your battery would not start the RV tells me something is wrong. Please check or have someone check the system out, putting in a bigger breaker will most likely lead to a fire!
Breaker are to protect the wires from starting fires. The breaker should be sized based on wire size or gauge.
Eric, your spread is going to be a security nightmare when you hit the road. You need a properly fenced compound...whatever size you prefer...to fit all of your outbuildings and vehicles. Be deliberate about the layout. Cover the fenced interior layout with 4-6 inches of stone before placing any outbuildings. This layout seems so haphazard...think about your needs and future proofing the security of your personal property. Personally, I would design a compound around a permanent metal building (say 40'x60' w/a minimum 14' clearspan ceiling and a 12' rollup door)/barndominium that could fit all of your vehicles/personal property. This is not a huge investment if planned properly.
Obviously he’s not in a master planned development 😂
Just an FYI, the feeders need to be cleaned a minimum of once a week. The bacteria build up due to all the sugar will kill the poor little hummers. Here in the Phx valley, you have to do it every other day. I gave up. Rather skip the hummers than take a chance of making them get ill and die.
@shibalover54
that’s interesting, im in Pennsylvania and never had to do that. Is it because of humidity in ur area or what?
Put some Pine-Sol in a spray bottle and spray the engine compartment. When I first retired and moved to my property the mice and rats were everywhere. They ate the wiring in all of my vehicles and my new tractor. John Deere rep sold me some expensive stuff but the Ford Dealer said they use Pine-Sol and spray the engine bay once a week and don't have any problems. Pine-Sol is much cheaper and seemed to work well for me too.
To figure rock quantities, multiply your width by length by depth and divide by 27. That will give you your cubic yards needed.
That works for all dimensions using feet as the unit of measurement.
Correction, the Victron charge controller is a UP to 150volt 85AMP charger, not 100amps. I've had breakers be weak and turn off way before they should. You probably need to change out the breakers.
I believe that victron mppt numbers are, for that 150/85, 150 volts input from the solar panels and 85 amps output to the batteries.
Hello Eric, if your getting too many amps in the system maybe remove one strip of solar panels from the array. Have a great weekend/week anyway!
Food for thought. You can get recycled crushed concrete for really cheap. I used that for my driveway and am happy with it. It's taken from construction projects and crushed up
Yes and it's cheaper!
Coliche works well, too.
I was going to suggest that too. Curious though if they have that out there. That Grizzly gravel almost looked like crushed concrete
@@JonnyDIY My dad had an off grid cabin near Show Low 40 years ago and used coliche then. I don’t know if it’s still available but probably.
Eric, we already know about the new addition to the family, Kevin gave it away today lol
Right! I saw it too. I thought he had that little chocolate lab girl & was surprised to see his little one!
I wonder if Eric has ever owned a dog? Big difference from owning a cat …..
Eric, I don't know what size wire you have from your breaker panel to your charge controller. But, You need to check because too small a wire will fry. Here is a little sizing chart based on AWG wire. 1/0 AWG is good for 125 AMPS................2 AWG = 95 AMPS..............6 AWG = 55 Amps................8 AWG = 40 AMPS..............10 AWG = 30 AMPS....... If your breaker is a double breaker (two pole) 1/0 AWG copper wire is good for 125 amps because you are dividing the 125 AMPS by two wires. Now if it is AL (aluminum) you need even larger wire. The wire coating will say what size and what the conductor is AL (Aluminum) or (CU Copper). There are other factors such as how long the run is and temperature but you don't need to worry about those as you are under a 100' run and the wire is not buried. I hope that I didn't confuse you.
Peppermint oil sprayed all over keeps them away. Plus it smells really good. Place is looking great Eric.
Eric. i think your charge controller is a 150 Volt open circuit input and 85-amp max current output unit. You may be able to go into the inner settings of that controller and lower the max amps it puts out. Some you can in expert mode and some you can't. Make sure input wiring to 100-amp breaker is rated for the 125 + amp breaker upgrade you plan to try, or you might need to change that short piece of wire. as well as the breaker. Before I replaced the breaker, I would find out how 100 amps is getting to the breaker and or what is causing it to trip. Controller is only supposed to put out 85 amps max, I think. Good luck and please don't burn down your house.
For those mice & rats use a spray bottle with water and a little dish soap with Fabulso and peppermint oil.
If you want to make sure the rats and mice do not get into your engine compartment use this item it's called mouse magic it repels them they do not like the smell of lavender they will come no where near your RV comes 4 to a package plus it will not hurt the cats this product is animal friendly it's very reasonablely priced I haved used this item in my barn no mice or rats since using it
Eric, the 150/80 on your controller means 150 volts max input to the controller, and the 80 means the controller can produce a max of 80A of current at ~12VDC out of the controller to your batteries. You have probably overloaded the system controller with those ground panels, which you don't need with so much sun during the summer. You shouldn't be changing a circuit breaker to a higher rating without a professional confirming your solution is safe, unless you want a fire in the rig.
His charge controller is a Victron 150/85, the screen shot from the Victron app shows his solar system is working great. His panels were putting out 1243 watts which is almost max and the charge controller was supplying 84.10 amps which is also almost max, should not be blowing a 100 amp circuit breaker. The panels on the ground aren't for the RV, he's got some other issue going on in the wiring of the RV. I noticed he also had a 12v/12v charger which I'm assuming is used to charge his vehicle chassis battery from the solar system, him having a dead chassis battery tells me something isn't set up right in the system.
Yes, welcome to country living. We have experience from a remote area we have tried for services in. Rock delivery, propane delivery, etc. all will have their own timeline. You will have to just go with the flow. The kitties look comfortable in the RV. Enjoy the RV living as you develop your property.
I work at a big box store. I used to work in the delivery section for many years. We started offering a 2 hour and 4 hour window for an extra fee. It was great most of the time, but it was extra frustrating when it didn't work. It was frustrating for us and extremely frustrating for the customer. But customers would ask for a discount for the inconvenience. And they would usually get it. So maybe ask for a discount for the inconvenience, ask for like 10% off.
We use peppermint oil in and around our rv, and home. We buy the drops and mix our own in a spray bottle. Rodent's don't like the smell of it. Usually about a dozen drops to a spray bottle and spray anywhere and everywhere we can get to. Not had any rodent problems nor bugs crawling around in our rv and house. Not saying it'll work for you but it does seem to be working for us.
I’ve a rather low patience tolerance when my personal time is not considered as valuable as those that may keep us waiting beyond appointment timeframes. Especially at a doctor’s office when they always insist one arrives at least 15 minutes earlier then scheduled yet left waiting 45 minutes to 1-1/2 hrs beyond initial appointment. 🤬
Been following you a while but this is my first time commenting. We had a bad mice problem in our 40 footer. Once we got them all cleared out using both poison and sticky traps we put light strips underneath and that did the trick, no more mice in over a year. Also the guy who suggested crushed concrete is rite. If it is cheaper it will perform better over time as it will reharden a little and resist the rain. Its the trucking charges that are so high now. Good luck
Eric had a mouse problem in my car. They do not like peppermint or cinnamon. So I put essential oils of them and got rid of my mice
Your Victron MPPT controller is 150 volt / 85 amp controller. Your altitude and no panel obstruction is causing your higher watts, etc. Sun spots can also increase wattage and amperage. More photons. You should not exceed the voltage/amperage on your MPPT controller. Obviously, if a 100 amp breaker is tripping you will exceed the 85 amps for control box rating. So, you can adjust voltage/amperage by changing panel configurations (parallel or series) and/or add another breaker and MPPT controller.
Eric. in the South Pacific islands they had a saying : no hurry no problems, you in a hurry you got a problem. It took me a while to get used to that type of work scheduling. It's all good, it mainly matters how we learen to deal with these issues. your doing fine.
Before you install a larger circuit breaker you need to make sure what amps the wires can handle. If you over size the breaker to keep it from tripping then it could melt the wires and cause a fire.
lol welcome to mountain time. glad you got a call is some cases a company wouldnt even call you. lots of companies out here work on mountain time which means they do things on their time. also set your mouse bucket near the front of your rv. use multiple devices to deter the mice/rats. trim the bottom of your trees will help .
THE HOMESTEAD is BEAUTIFUL🌳🌳🌳 🌳🌳🌳🌳 🐕🐈🐈 Great area for the puppy & kittens..
So, I'm only in to 5:10, but I've heard some folk call it 'mountain time', neighbor. What that means is that it can be so competitive up here, especially when it is busy (good weather), that the lower priced folk will over promise and under deliver. Trust me, I've seen a lot here in the many years I've lived here. Perkins Cinders, Poteet Construction (maybe Jesse does this) are a couple good ones. You do NOT want to deal with any contractor who has lived here less than one full winter at least. Good luck.
dont raise the amount of amperes of the switch... you could get overheating and fire in the RV. (wires have a to smaller diameter) greetings from holland
You could wire two of the panels differently that would increase the voltage and lower the amps. P=IE
Homesteading suits you Eric. You look happy and relaxed. Things are falling into place. So excited and happy for you.👍😁
Well, Eric, it’s a little thing called life. And by the way, it’s not babe blue box and trailer Swift. It’s the blue shed and the motorcycle trailer.
You’re preaching to a ‘man’ with a huge Mickey Mouse collection.😂
I love the names. It goes along with NF’s Peter Pan attitude toward life. So refreshing .
A good mood is rare for this guy!
a rat for a rat
Circuit breakers can wear out and not carry the amperage they're rated for. Not likely your 85 amp Victron controller is sending over 100 amps to trip the breaker. Please don't put in a higher amp breaker.
the breaker is 100 amp to protect the wiring beyond the breaker - so you have to upgrade those too
Hey Eric.
I have not advice for your rat or electric problems. All I have for you are words of gratitude. I am always encouraged by your willingness to share the adventure of your life.
Thanks.
We have grey rats who live someplace under my RV. I've tried almost everything. Mint. Traps, caught many, have not tried lights yet. But I can tell they are not detecting the pack rats. So grey rats probably won't care either. I have found that really obnoxious men's cologne sprayed around and inside my fuse box stops small mice from nesting inside that. I also got 4 different kinds of the hottest peppers known, blended them to fine powder and powdered all my wires and important stuff under the hood. It rains so much lately in Maine leaving the hood up doesn't seem logical. I bought a electric zapper trap. Not one rat ever entered it. I don't know if it works or not without sticking my hand in there.
No room inside truck engine for that either. I also bought two clear see through have a heart type traps and non of them would enter thos either.
So I will b monitoring all the products you try to deter the rats. Try some nasty perfume, it might slow them down, while you come up with a better solution. I guess, because all rats are so darned smart. Like Secret of Nim smart, one has to constantly be changing up the game. Just when they got you figured out get them with something new.
As the Arizona monsoon season kicks off Thursday - officially running from June 15 until Sept. 15 - the next three months can bring powerful thunderstorms across the region with flash floods caused by increased rainfall.
Enjoyed watching and hope your having a great weekend. Thanks!!!
We use a peppermint oil spray on the engine compartment to deter rodents . We lost some ignition wires . now with the oil no reoccurrence .
I absolutely love your puppy. He's adorable.
Life is full of ups & downs. Just keep smiling and let it all roll off...like water on a duck's back. There's no benefit to getting stressed or angry.
I love your property. I know it will be such a blessing for you.
I saw your "short" video about unwanted visitors. People are crazy. I hope that you can eventually afford a fence & gate. My son lives on a 2 acre property. He fenced it himself, and installed a solar-powered gate that he can open with his phone app. It just helps make a barrier for unwanted visitors. Obviously it doesn't stop criminals, but it helps with privacy.
Why he had unwanted people at they property did he?
I enjoy your videos at your homestead. Haven't missed a video since you were living in your RV pretty much staying in one or two towns in Washington state. Your videos where you do what you want and where you don't worry about doing what the "audience" wants are my favorite. Either way. I'll keep watching. Good luck with the gravel.
@Dan-Rather we can keep this up all day. I actually enjoy directed negativity toward myself. I feel like i've got power over you. I can comment. And then i'm in your head.
@Dan-Rather you are searching my comments. Such a simp move.
@Nomadic Fanatic
In the video where Opie goes for a walk unleashed, I noticed he walked much faster on the rocks verses the dirt. I could be wrong. I was thinking the rocks may hold the heat and may have felt hot on his paws. I'm sorry about the gravel delay. Sadly, businesses don't seem to be as reliable lately, especially businesses which provide services for building/construction. I watch other channels and they're experiencing similar issues.
Hey Eric, maybe use a trail cam in the tree to see if the hummingbirds are stopping by. 😊
Honda created an anti-rodent tape treated with capsaicin (chemical compound that makes chili peppers hot) that you can wrap the wires under the hood with for extra protection. Honda Part #: 4019-2317. Works great at deterring rodents...just don't handle it with bare hands. Definitely need to use some nitrile/latex gloves. You need to have the wire harness looked at closely...rats love to chew on those wires. If they were under the hood, they've definitely chewed on some somewhere.
As others have said, your breaker should be sized for the wiring. The whole purpose is to protect the wire and keep it from catching fire. You need to get an accurate measurement of the amperage during the peak time. If it's less than the breaker is rated for, then the breakers are most likely defective and need replaced with the same size. If you're getting more than 125a, then your charging controller is malfunctioning (rated for 150v/85a) and needs replaced. A $25 DMM (digital multi-meter) can easily handle this, but you'd probably be better off having someone more comfortable with electric doing it.
Welcome to rural life! They more services one requires the more opportunities for frustration.
Try to get recycled asphalt chunks it is cheaper we used it in a driveway in Florida. We rented a tractor with bucket at Home Depot for 3 to4 hrs the price wasn’t to bad if you need more pushing power the have a skid loader good luck 😊
Hey Eric I’ve lived in AZ desert the past 4 years off grid. I love what you’re doing. It’s my dream to do as well. I recommend you put out some 55 gallon barrels to catch whatever rain does fall. Also, when the sun becomes too much for your battery bank, you have to enlarge your bank. I’m up to 8 batteries now with 800 amp hours.
Eric you give me a lot of hope sir.
Aww Rats 🐀🐀🐀 Sounds like you need a new breaker, try replacing with same amperage one first. Shouldn't be tripping with the screenshot of your solar. Seems like it's malfunctioning.
If it's allowed, get another water tank and fill it up with rain water for bathing, washing and watering plants. Can filter through a Big Berkey and drink it. I like your home base.
Peppermint oil...not the stuff in the baking section of the grocery. Pure peppermint oil, the kind you put in diffusers. Put it on cotton balls and place into nooks and crannies in the motor compartment. Works!!
Hope Tig is settling in with Opie and TaraBear. ❤😊
The cats out of the bag😂
@@cynthiadickey3055 nah; they were sitting in Eric's driver's seat.
He mentioned the puppers in the description of the video too
It’s called mountain time with the contractors in that area expect it and get used to it. 👍👊😎
Yeah, it's totally normal , welcome to homeownership. Looking good out there, thanks Eric.
I do that too, i wait all day 'by' the phone so I'm ready and then they do me like that. At least they called you because its worse if they just no call no show. some people just have no respect for other people and it shows! I feel sick to my stomach for you.
edit: oh cool that they called in the morning some redemption!
Rats and mice will move out if you spay vinegar around the edges of every space and where they come in. They think it is a predator although they don't know which one. It worked for me with mice - the second evening I sprayed again and they moved out.
I use peppermint oil for mice it seems to work so far
That’s a 85 amp charge controller. You must have a weak breaker. You can also see cloud edging that really increases the amps too.
Hi Eric, Your charge controller is not 150A it is 150V / 85Amp. Just saying.
Based on my experience, peppermint oil works to repel mouses and (i assume) rats. Soak cotton balls or mix it into a spray bottle. Lots of info online.
Make sure you have at least 4 inches of rock or put a double layer of black plastic down or you'll get weeds popping up!! Hopefully it's small gravel...
Hi Eric. Just be aware of hummingbird deaths if the feeders are not maintained correctly.
Eric
Up there it’s called mountain time.
That means whenever they show up it’s mountain time.
Also they don’t let you know when they aren’t making it.
For City Folk it’s 8 am 9 am 10 am
For Country Folk it’s Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Place Bounce dryer sheets all over. We did in our trailer and never had rodents.
Eric, you’re making some great videos with your homesteading . But sorry to say your buddy CVK lets us all in on your life about a week ahead of time you do.
Thank you for bringing this up, cvk is ruining any surprise weeks ahead. I'm scratching my head wondering what the heck Eric is thinking letting cvk spoil it for us, ridiculous.....
Kevin responded to that... he had Eric's permission...☺️ You an still watch as Eric adds new facets to the story. Rounds it out. Completes it.😊
Be careful of your comments. They will block your comments because it shakes their Ego's. Iooks like they are merging the 2 channels
That way he gets more NF views. CVK is not stupid. He’s always ahead of the game.
@@sactopyrshepin my opinion CVK is definitely the alpha male amongst his “friends”. He like to very conveniently tell people what to do.
Eric look at your charge controller and you’ll actually see it’s a 150 v / 85 A charge controller. If that is a 100 amp breaker, it is bad. On your phone it showed that you were producing a little over 84 A so everything should be working correctly. Your breaker is overheating for some reason.
Eric, it seems lately that nothing ever goes smoothly with deliveries. no matter who you talk too most will say it’s hard to get things delivered in a timely manner. Customer service lacking everywhere what I do is not to bet on it. When it’s delivered, fine ! Right, get a light for the motor
Use different colors of rock to make the place look artsy, like inlaid rock.
Put some of that gravel where you park your RV. If it’s jagged and rough enough it should help deter the rodents.
Thank you Eric for sharing another awesome video
we have our rv in a barn so no whether but nice mostly. we have a thor four winds 22e, the lights help but on our toyota rv they still walked under the fuel injection and popped down the timing belt cover and made it jump 2 times now!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eric, let your kitties roam. They won’t take a off and they will kick some rodent ass!
Eric before you upgrade to a bigger breaker please make sure your wires can handle 125 amps at the voltage that you're using.
One of the major reasons why these companies schedules get so messed up is due to homeowners not being prepared or just flat not being there when they're supposed to be. These companies know how much they can do in the time frames in which to do it so they schedule accordingly but all it takes is to have one or two homeowners screw up their schedule for the entire day and in some cases for an entire week because these companies are usually scheduled a week or two out in advance maybe even months.
Eric, mint keeps rats and mice away. You can get it in a spray at Home Depot and spray it around your rv, that way you don't have to have a light burning or keep your hood open all the time.
Welcome to life on The Mountain, where “mañana” doesn’t mean tomorrow, it just means “not today.”
Good luck with the rats. I don't have any suggestions as the only rats I've ever dealt with are city rats and traps handled that problem. Keep the good stuff coming.
Hi Eric, rats hate the smell of Ammonia. Just put it around the motorhome in glass containers so you can see when it evaporates. It is cheep alternative.
you are for sure gonna want to move the RV and get a good pad of gravel underneath it too
Homesteader Eric. It has been interesting to watch this develop. Rock on !😉
The puppy jig is up thanks to CVK & his camp’s puppy welcoming Committee.
As a kid on the farm in the red river valley I would of gotten my ass beat for leaving a door open due to field mice . Keep your doors and hatches closed. Rats are smart and quick . Another problem with rats and mice in the desert they draw snakes because snakes love rodents you probably have a lot of snakes on your property . Get rid of the rats and the snakes will leave
Absolutely, don’t feed birds sunflower seeds since it attracts mice and pack rats which attracts the rattle snakes.
WHAT! Disneyland travel to your homestead. Ausia having problems too. Mickey busy this year
We'dBee so excited for what's to come! Stay safe & BEE happy. Aloha😻😻🐾💞🐾
Well, all I can think to say is welcome to the post cov world. At least they called.. I.m sure the stone looks nice. Easier on little paws...😊
I hate waiting around for deliveries. They always ruin a whole day for me, too. Basecamp is looking good. I'm glad you are enjoying Arizona.
Maybe disconnect a couple panels? At least they are telling you what`s going on. Good luck Friday.
Time to build a cage around the RV
Keep it up Eric love the homesteading videos
Welcome to the promise and sweep! Companies like that overbook, just like airlines! They do this on purpose! They expect others to cancel or trucks break down. They get last minute delivery requests from their biggest buyers. You now become expendable, but only at the end of the day where you cannot or would not make sense to cancel. They are manipulating the schedule for their cash flow. Common, but frustrating!
Just look up a calculator to figure out how much you need. 11 ft wide 70 ft long 3 inches deep is 15 cubic yards. Went with 3/4 minus also know as crusher run it has the fine material mixed in just ground up rock. 1/4 for heavy industrial minus includes the fine dust which allows it to pack harder.
You could have went with the expensive rock and I bet it would have been there on time. When your looking for cheap you should never expect the same service because your not going to get it. It’s just a good thing you have nothing better to do than hang out.
I stained my rocks around a 1400 sq ft house. It’s easy cheap and it came out great.
Love little Tig❤