I have been binging UA-cam solar vids for 6 months. YOU are the first one to explain the whole concept so detailed and easy to understand, that-it literally made sense to me!!! Thank you!!! 🤝💕😎
Thank you for the quick, clear and concise video on the basic pros and cons of both approaches. I have watched dozens of solar videos and reviews and none explained it as simply as you did. Bravo!
Wow thank you. Yea I remember trying to explain it to someone once using the larger terms and theory and they were lost. Like my dad trying to explain math to me… just lost lol. So I tried to figure out ways to make it really simple with just the basic info that you need. Most people don’t care about the crazy little detail specs. Does it work, yes!!! How much ?? Ok I’ll just buy plug and play or build my own. I think that’s what people want to know.
I’m not sure why the UA-cam algorithm suggested this video of yours to me today. To understate it, my head is hungry and my interests are widely varied. My friend, I am so very glad that the algorithm did! I’m a DIY to the max kind of guy. 5 kids, 4 of which are boys. My family and I are traditional type folks… AKA Dad feels the responsibility to supply the necessities required to support the lives he loves most as his passion/duty, while Mom takes pride in deftly assembling those necessities, making them palatable/inspiring, while ensuring that the hearts in her purview run even keel alongside the minds attached while her flock occasionally excuses Dad for being crotchety when the necessities are harder to come by. Lol I’ve easily watched 100+ videos on this topic that concentrated on the more advanced aspects of solar systems of any range. I’d managed to assemble enough knowledge from those to start a shopping list of components that COULD help me begin. THEN- Your barebones, no nonsense video gave me the reassurance and the kick in the… pants… to actually leave the starting block! Quality panel + efficient controller + sensible monitor + quality battery + a decent gamble on an appropriately sized inverter = a starter kit that is at the very least, NOT a waste (minimal risk) and scalable within specs to anyone’s need. THIS is what the majority feels behind on. Don’t tell me I can overextend my budgeting to shave a percentage off my utilities. Don’t use fear to shove me towards an end that’s presently in its infancy. Don’t legislate me to dump the vehicle I know I can stretch for 100k miles more if it means I afford a healthy start for my lineage. Instead: Lay out the basics. Give me the keys to tailor this alternative to the lives I love and live to serve. You mentioned imagining 5 years development in a reply to another. Amen! I’d add… imagine 1 year from now if the prevalent concentration was on education vs maximizing profits for ready made temporary “solutions” currently on the market. You sir deserve handshakes, pats on the back, and a string of IOU favors beyond your years for making it a point to break this down for everyone behind you in their own search for the best path forward. May you ALSO find the perfect jump start to the endeavors you’ve let sit on the side for too long as I did on this one. Summary: My deepest thanks for sharing your grasp so eloquently! Do it again. Embrace this introductory concept. You have a talent for introducing a need that intimidates many in a way that demystifies. Load your channel with it and watch your audience numbers soar as you relish in making a real difference. ~Sincerely, a random dude that leaves comments too long for most attention spans
Wow ….. I almost don’t know what to say, except thank you so much for all the kind words and encouragement to help others start a simple but needed journey to help them at least get but for a few days if the need come to power some simple items. Agree being a dad is rewarding and brings joy but the worry of hoping your doing it right and they are ready is stressful and troublesome at times. One boy one girl here..🙌🏼 I’m glad I could help you start your journey.. and I read every comment I can and respond if I can. Thanks again you honestly made my morning if not my day and I’m glad you found me. Thank you watching and hope you will continue to add feedback for me and others here to read and help them start there journey..🙌🏼👍🏼😊👍🏼🙏🏼
I like how you made the process easy with a simple explanation. Now for myself, I like 5 of the 100 watt Harbor Freight panels wired in parallel, red to red, and black to black, running to a 50 amp charge controller. From there, the power goes to a reconditioned standup forklift battery wired for 12 volts. I have a second 20 amp charge controller with a DC output that I have set up to power a small inverter and a pair of 12 volt DC power points.
@JOHNNY'S WEEKENDS I am going for the higher charging amps. The system itself is all recycled parts and is more of a hobby toy that I used to teach my children how easy it can be to set up an alternative energy solution. All it is normally used for is to power an Xbox one, 85-120 watts, a flat-screen TV, 50 watts, and a 60 watt phone charger. The nice thing about having the higher input wattage is that it will allow us to keep everything running all night long.
Nice. Yea normally you would try to go with a higher voltage and doing a split of series parallel would be great. But only 5 panels the numbers are going to come out almost the same for over all power combined. You would need another panel to equal it out for a 3 series 2 parallel set up. But it’s working.
@JOHNNY'S WEEKENDS The whole project was something that I came up with to supplement my kids' science class on green energy. I agree that a series parallel system would be better. Sadly, the charge controllers are 12 volt. The panels and charge controllers were given to me. The only thing I paid for was the battery that was heavily used. I had a friend who reconditioned it. So, my total investment for the project was $100.
Wow glad it could help you. There is a starting point for everyone and I think people just want a idea on how to power some items when the power goes out..! Glad I could help and thanks for watching 👍🏼😀
I hope. There’s a million “how I installed solar” But when you watch it they don’t really teach anything, they just show you how THEY did it, which isn’t very helpful to normies
Thank you for this video. I was actually hoping it would never end because you were explaining things so well, I wanted more information 😁 . I've looked at SEVERAL videos on YT on the subject of solar, but everyone assumes all viewers know what these components are, what they do, and what connects to who! 🧐🧐🧐🧐😒😒 I could never figure out what the darn solar panels connect to until this video. I was looking into Bluetooth and the Ecoflow only because I could not find a video to explain how the setup details in basic NOOB language with samples. Thanks again.
Your welcome .. glad you found it useful and I’ll have more basic videos coming along the way just like todays video on battery basics. May be a good video as well to watch ..😀👍🏼 Welcome to solar 😉👊🏼
@@johnnysweekends I have the opportunity to get two 550w pancels. The question is don't take them unless you can really use them. I am starting a small garden. And I can't determine if I can use them although I wanted to do outside hydroponics. Everytime I think I have learned something, I learn that I don't know what something else is. HAH
Lol well that’s life, I know little about hydroponics maybe enough to build a set up but that’s about it. But life is constantly learning new things and this keeps the mind young and working. Although sometimes with some stuff it turns into, I’m just gonna call someone 😂👍🏼
Thank you for this. I’m oxygen dependent and really really need a couple different back ups. With my supplemental air I’m actually very active so I’m setting this up myself. I am installing an LP whole house generator but you might as well be running your fridge on crushed diamonds ($3.09/gal lasts 30 mins!) so a solar setup is a necessity. I’ve had three grid outages in the past month due to storms. Man oh man.
My friend wanted me to search for her a whole house generator and when I started digging. I found out generac and alot of whole house generators were just for backup power. I also checked into the whole house generators because I liked the smaller whole house generator units because you could install them in the rain outside but they're not for off grid. Whole house generators that are commercial generators but cost almost double in price are the Cummins Onan generators their liquid cooled they tach less RPMs and are about the best in the business. But the problem now with Cummins Onan generators they have a massive big time on them. For myself I went off grid before covid happened. For power I use some lithium batteries I charge up when I'm driving. I'm using some solar and a Honda generator I converted to tri-fuel but I only use propane in it. Down the road from me they have propane at $2 a gallon that's a pretty good price. At first I tried two cheap Chinese inverter generators and burned up two of them. I said I would never buy a Honda generator they're too overpriced. But Honda does have the dependability and longevity that I look for in something. And the Honda inverter generators the suitcase portable units are commercial grade engines. The problem with the cheap Chinese inverter generators. I had the inverter burned up on one generator it was still under warranty and it went back to the store and the other one the engine locked up it was under warranty too and it went back to the store. Cheap Chinese generators are okay if you use them here and there and for camping sometimes but not a lot of usage. Of course the bigger the generator is like a whole house unit the more fuel you burn. And the only problem if you choose natural gas as we all know the government can shut it off you'd be better off with propane or have both and be able to plumb them in with jets so you just turn ball valves and have natural gas running and if they shut that off shut off the natural gas and turn on the propane through ball valves. I'm sure there's a way you can make it happen because now on the open case generators they have a natural gas and a propane inline aluminum looking jet. To me it looks like on the smaller 4,000 watt tri-fuel generators open case frame units you could plumb them in with ball valves so you don't even have to take rubber hose clamps off and do all that just turn ball valves on and off whether you want to run propane or natural gas or gasoline at the turn of a valve. Because having multiple fuel choices in emergency, grid down in another crisis is a plus. And running propane or natural gas vapor fuels it's called they don't have all the problems that the liquid fuels have.
I have been planning an off-grid home that I am building. Really just a fridge, internet, and a PC...I do not plan on staying there year around but wanted to experiment with Solar or wind ( It is always windy). Anyway, Thanks
I thought about doing some wind as well but during late spring into summer it’s not windy at all were I live. Sure there is a breeze here and there but it’s not enough for me to benefit unless it gets closer to fall. Which would be the time for me to check it out. 👍🏼
Great video for the beginner (me), it was very helpful. I'll be watching this more as I set up a system. I hope you do more of these video's on solar explaining the basics. Thank you!
@@johnnysweekends This video alone has over 4,800 views, 357 likes which seems like a lot to me and don't forget about your subscriber base of 16,000. That could grow significantly by adding some solar videos, which was the reason I chose to watch it. I feel more people are wanting to get away from fuel powered generators and into solar generators. It is a huge market and growing, just look at all the new solar generators hitting the market one after another. Wishing you success on this journey while I anxiously await some solar videos for beginners. 🙂 Thanks again for the very simple and basic info!
Wow thanks so much for the kind words and insight. And yes it’s getting more and more popular and some of it really is getting easy for plug and play units. Imagine in 5 years!!
Thank you so much and I'm so glad that God told me about a charge controller before I ever tried this I got mine off Amazon it kicks booty I got five batteries but I noticed if I hook the solar panel directly to the inverter and turn it on to charge jump from 27.8 to 7.7 and it would fry anything
Great video, but when that metal MPPT controller was sitting on top of the battery, so close to shorting out the terminals it tightened my colon a bit.
I'm building a work/home van and looking at powering Starlink and a i9 PC with a 750w PSU for work, having a modular system would work great! Just need to figure out how many batteries I need for at least 8 hours of work 😅
Thank you this is great. Silly me bought a 48v inverter, not looking at it closely, until I wondered why it would only alarm....well shoot it is not a 12v inverter, I didn't know there were different size other than looking at the watts peak & running. Oh well now to figure put what to do
This is my first video on solar. I have tried visualizing a setup but as I am fairly illiterate at electricity, until I actually do something I can't remember what I read and be able to act on it. I actually enrolled in a jr college course on solar cell construction/maintenance about 10-12 yrs ago but it was cancelled due to not enough enrollment. Photovoltaic I think it was called.
Nice the 200 portable is a nice unit to have and I think is the minimal you want. 100 is ok but if at all over cast or cloudy your not getting much. And the 200 isn’t that much bigger. Thanks for the feedback 👍🏼😀
thank you for your help and recommendations or insight. i'm poor so i'd go the cheap route. if i was rich, i'd still go the cheap route for greater power.
I went cheap to save some money and bought one inverter generator that died took it back to the store got another one it died. I went to a Honda portable inverter generator and converted it to tri-fuel. I only run propane in it though. I have a little bit of solar but I've got to do some more solar. I plan on doing something with an exercise bike to an alternator to charge up batteries a little bit at some point. Sometimes things are a learning curve.
Nice video. I bought an Ecoflow Delta Pro just for the power and convenience. But I will be putting together the other system you showed with a 2000W inverter. Thanks! 🤠👍
Thank you for this video. Been looking at building a cheap solar charge station for my house just to charge mobile phones and smaller devices like that or even as a backup to my ISP modem (I have a UPS for my PC) just to get started with solar. I have a idea of what to do but being as I live in the UK and not US not sure if its even worth while for me haha. Again thanks for the video. Giving you a sub as im sure your other videos will come in handy.
Was wondering if the inverter has only 2 AC outlet plugs and we want to run more then 2 AC appliances, can a multiple outlet power adaptor be used, as long as we don't go over the limit of the inverter? Thanks for this video it has helped me decide on a battery style solar setup instead of the solar generator for my home needs.
You can run a multiple plug extension cord with any of these as long as you have a extension cord that can handle the load and you don’t go over the inverters max rated power.
Good info to help me decide that I'll stay with my gas generator. This is a great example of how inefficient and wasteful solar is. We have days in the Midwest when it's overcast and cold for days or sometimes a week or more. This might be ok for keeping a charge on an RV or classic car battery's trickle charger, but the cost for my household is not financially feasible.
Thanks for this video...If occasionally I'll need a 2K watt inverter but most of the time a 500 watt inverter is sufficient, is it worth it economically to buy both inverters but only hook up the 2K watt inverter when I need it? I'm guessing the 2K watt inverter is less efficient and using up more power when not being used or when used with a low wattage load compared to the 500 Watt inverter.
Most are about 90% efficient so 10% loss even as they get bigger. But a cheap 500 watt could be less efficient then a decent middle grade brand that’s 2000 watt. Have to read the specs. Most are 10..👍🏼
What device would you add to this basic setup that can tell you how much energy is in the battery or percentage of charge? Does one need a shunt for this? Please mention the most economical product that is also fairly accurate. Is there a built in BMS (battery management system) in the battery you show in this video?
Yes all new lithium batteries have a built in bms… some have built in Bluetooth that tell you all that info directly and I can get info for that. They are a little more money but eliminate all the other items you need because it tells you through the bms. No shunt, no volt meters, nothing. They are only getting better!!
What inline fuse should I use between the panel and the Solar charge controller if my panels are set in parallel? I have 4 100w mono panels from HQST. HSP100D-L Do I run an inline fuse between each panel or only one between the last panel and the controller? Thank you for the video and time.
Why are you running all 4 in parallel? Are you trying to keep voltage down. Series would be better unless you are dealing with a lot of shade or series parallel. Either way fuse would go at the end of the sting. But again you would need to figure out if you are truly doing parallel all the way. Which would bring you to a 25 amp fuse I believe.
I just bought a 300 ah Ampere Time battery, 60 amp MPPT charge controller, and a 2000 watt inverter. My issue is my solar panels. I have three 100 watt panels and a 190 watt one. I do have 100 watt and a 120 watt folding panels. Can I parallel the 190 watt with the 120 watt and the three 100 watt ones together through a single 10 gauge 20 foot MC4 cable to the controller? Here in Louisiana panels put out their rated wattage or higher. The inverter has an AC ground connection. If a hurricane hits do I absolutely have to ground it if I`m just running a small air conditioner? If so can I plug in a 50 ft extension cord to a grounded 3 prong outlet outside at the pole and connect the inverter to the ground of it safely? We usually get hurricanes in Louisiana in late August and the first half of September. I`m moving into a camper this month.
First see what your controller can hold for total volts coming in. I assume your fine with a 60a as it probably 150 volts max on a 12v set up. You typically don’t want to mix panels if you can. The lower 100 watt panels will draw down to 190 watt panel to virtually another 100 watts or so. If the 100 watt panels are giving 16-17 volts it will draw down a higher panel down to that voltage. Now running it will produce more power overall you just won’t get what you could out of it. Typically you want to run the panels in series as you’ll get more overall power to your controller but also it’s a lot easier to run a higher voltage in a 12-10g wire then a higher amperage s that will need a thicker wire if you run to many amps in a long run. But 20’ on the 10g will be fine. What you don’t want to do is run 3 panels in series that are different watts and then run another set of 3 panels that are different watts then parallel those into the controller. Your voltage in those two strings with be different from each other and essentially your controller will in simple terms be pissed off… lol. Series is what you want. Run them all in series, and check your total voltage before plugging into controller. Also check to see if you can run the foldable panels in series. Some say not to.
Well the only thing I'm not sure about is two or more battery's connected to the power station or charge controller. And a battery charger, is it possible to plug a charger into the system.
You can plus a rear charger into the battery if you want to pre charge it with out ac as long as it’s a compatible charger for the type of battery or batteries. Some power stations can be linked together for double the battery life or even out put!!
I am sooo confused.. according to my electric bill, the most electricity I've used in one month was about 810KWH's. My average monthly KWH use is 431. I'd like to get a small solar system to help offset my monthly power usage. I don't think I would need a lot but I don't know specifically what I would need. I do know that I would mount the panels on a rack I'd build in my backyard, I have almost perfect sun direction, and I want to tie it in to my electrical panel. Most of the things I see are for RV's, totally off-grid, etc..., but not really finding anything to help tie in with my existing electrical panel.
Well because it has to be done by a licensed electrician and needing a permit plus your power company needs to sign off for any grid tie system. Now what you could do is get 3 quotes for a partial and full system to see how big of a system you need for mostly covered or 50% ish. Then after you find the cost to do both price a system you can do. You will need to be able to either get large power stations to utilize you power or find other “ways” to put power into home. You have to be careful doing this. If you do things that result in a fire with no permit and somehow they figure out the fire was caused by electrical work not permitted insurance could get ugly.
@@johnnysweekends Thanks for the reply! I should have been more specific... I was just looking for kits, not necessarily DIY kits though for a 1.2-2kw system (the kind you would tie into your existing electrical). While I do a lot of electrical work, including wire new houses, remodels, install/replace/upgrade new panels, meter sockets, etc... I don't think I would undertake this task for the reason you quoted: liability! Plus, I know if I didn't install something correctly and the shut off didn't kick over to disconnect my house from the main feed, a lineman working on the lines during an outage could be injured or worse. I was just trying to wrap my mind around what equipment I would need, how it hooks up, type/brand of batteries, etc... That work I would probably do myself and then pay a licensed journeyman to tie it in for me (all depending on cost... because I know it can range from $2k - $40k). Thanks!
Will Prowse has some really good videos as well on basic tie ins but again the final would be the electrician. Unfortunately I don’t have the log he has lol. But I still bringing more
Is it possible to set up couple of HF solar panal to connect directly to a space heater without a battery? In that case apart from the solar panels what else would I need? I am not sure of the ROI for solar panel in my region/setup so I thought maybe using solar panels during winter months daytime to provide a little bit extra heating will be nice.
@@johnnysweekends Thank you! So if I don't want to purchase a battery right now (may get one later) and just want to dump the power as heat do you know if an affordable controller could accomondate that task?
Well it’s not just a controller. It goes… Solar panel to controller, Controller to battery Battery to inverter Inverter to plug in devices. There are other options from other companies that take solar input that you can use straight from controller but you need more solar input and the cost is much higher. Unfortunately trying to run heat takes a lot of power. A power station is by far the quickest and easiest but also the most expensive
Well like Annie said the sun will come out tomorrow. But that’s why you have back up power, like a generator or wood to provide heat and more. This is just another tool someone can or may want to use for there setups. And the payback can vary depending how you do things. Sometimes in less then two years or less you could pay for items you have bought. All all depends. Most homes if you do a normal solar system is a 4-6 maybe 7 year payback. So if you plan to stay at the home it could very well be worth it in many ways. And it adds resale unlike a pool lol
@@johnnysweekends just thought I must say thanks to you for the reply but I still cannot justify the cost because of where I live.It is always overcast and raining in the winter.But saying that I am going to trial a small system soon.John
Ahh well in your case I would be looking for other alternatives like the wood gas conversion stuff and more because solar won’t do much for you. Sure it still works with clouds and over cast but like 10-15 percent of normal and that’s if it’s not super dark and angled correctly. Yea may not be the best option for you.
The battery should be connected to a solar charge controller. Then panel to controller. But battery can be hooked to controller and inverter and running appliances at the same time and can also be charging as well
Way back I took certification tests on CTEC and MECP. You failed if you answered soldering over crimping a joint as the solder was a dissimilar Metal being added to the joint. I understood but, at the same time thought a soldered joint was a stronger joint as opposed to crimping that could allow corrosion 🤔
Solder can crack after a while which is why some believe a crimp and solder is better or just crimp alone..🤷♂️ It’s been about 50-50 of which is better.
@@johnnysweekends Yeah but, no matter what you or I think the correct answer is, on a certification test it is crimp. You would hope the “experts” would know better than the rest of us 😶
If you want to keep corrosion off of wires and I've wired for years in automotive and truck and I use 100% silicon on very important wires and wires outside of vehicles they started doing this several years ago. Excuse me I should say they started putting electrical connectors injunction boxes outside of the vehicle and they exposed water area which is dumb. Which causes problems and the only way to deal with it is totally seal it after you fix it. As long as the wire and connection stay still the silicon will stay on it. If you really want to go extreme weatherproof on a connection and it won't come off they use it for motor mounts and in to install windshields in. Use primer and black urethane automotive windshield adhesive on. I just used it to install a plastic tank on something that I cannot get tank or mounts for anywhere because it's so old. so I had to make them. The black urethane adhesive is also used to mount solar panels to the top of RVs it's so strong it's no joke. But if you take up the solar panels you'll be tearing part of the roof off or cutting it off. As long as it's properly cleaned primered and the urethane is applied right.
how do you find out what wire on the panel is pos/neg. i was given a shumacher 4.8w /260ma panel with the connector cut off and the wires are like a 2 wire lamp cord
You need a multimeter and put into Dc mode like 5v and test both leds with panel in the sun. If it says 3 volts it’s pos if it says 3- or -3 it’s negative… and tape it or mark it accordingly. That’s just a example I don’t know what the voltage of that small panel will be.
Yes several inverter chargers will just charge the batteries and if power goes out it will kick over to batteries to supply power. Power stations now are also much like that to it acts as a UPS. Uninterrupted power supply. So depending your set up and inverter charger or a power station could probably work for you.
Seems like no one discuses wire sizes from charge controller to the battery or the wire size from the solar panel!😬😬 I want to mount my battery, charge controller & Inverter on my covered back porch but it will be at least 30Ft from my panels! Good info on hook-up but nothing about wire sizes!
From your panels even at 30 feet as long as in series you could get away with 12g wire depending how many panels and size you hook up. But voltage passes through small wire easier then amps You want your charge controller close to your battery setup. Closer the better. Is doesn’t have to be touch but 5g wet or less would be great. Now even though 12g will work everyone seems to want to upgrade later and 10g has more uses and makes it to where you have to buy less items…soooo Hook up solar panels in series using 10g wire to your controller. From your controller to your battery use the same 10g wire. Then from your battery, well that all depends what you are doing. 10g spools are just easier to use for a bunch of things and you don’t have to worry so much about wire size because it will handle most diy small systems.
@@johnnysweekends Thanks, I was planing on using 8 gauge wire from the 30amp controller to the battery about 2 ft away with the 1500 watt inverter on the wall next to the controller about 3 Ft from the battery with 2 gauge wire. I have the Harbor freight 100 watt panel with SAE connectors that will be 30 or 40 ft away. Having trouble finding the fine wire welding cable wire locally or any SAE connector 10 gauge cable longer than 20 Ft. P.S. I am using a 100 ah Ampertime battery, may add another one later.
You can use 8 if you have it but it’s way overkill for your setup. Especially since everything is so close and only running a 100 watt panel. Again when running in series a smaller wire can be ran to handle the higher voltage. But again 10g will easily run your setup. Obviously from battery to inverter you want a appropriate cable which would be supplied or suggested in the manual of the inverter. Here is a Link to 10g braided copper if you need it. amzn.to/3p48Crr
@@johnnysweekends Thanks for all your help, I looked at the 10G wire link you posted but that is primary wire. I was wanting to run 10 gauge welding/battery cable wire from the panel because of the lower resistance per foot than primary wire. Just found some on amazon, their search engine stinks! I have some solid core 10 gauge romex I could use in a pinch🤣🤣. Thanks for the link to the MC4 connectors!!!
Thanks for vid. So I’m looking into installing a solar set up on my truck to power exterior light’s for example light bars and flood lights. Could I just connect the lights straight to the battery? I do want an to use an inverter for plugs and usb.
Yes some solar panels have a distribution block with a mini charging block or you can get some separate here is a link to a solar panel that comes with one. I also have one from my xstar solar panel that has a a small Dc charging block that will charge phones or other small items. amzn.to/3Jdxvdz
Great vid but it seems that this is still not for the every day Joe use. It's still expensive especially that power station. $1500 Yikes! I was kinda hoping this would solve my ac issues.
That’s the problem is people want to run a ac unit and it still takes a lot of power. A battery set up and building your own is far cheaper but still takes a decent chunk. A good swamp cooler can really help cool things off.
Size fuse depends on how many amps you are going to run. Also the size wire will also determine length and again the amount of amps you need. There are charts to show what 10g and how far you can go. Off the top of my head I think its 50ft at 30 amps but I would have to double check.
@@johnnysweekends The reason is the system that I'm building has the battery bank on a shelf in my garage. I pull the panels out to the front lawn , I currently have enough wire to make it to the center of my lawn. But if I move it to the back yard I'll probably need between 75 to 100 feet. Its a small system of 4 AGM batteries in parallel to get 140AH and a 750 watt modified sine inverter. It's just enough for a few fans and a few lights in the event of an emergency like the hurricanes in Florida. Its one of those Harbor Freight 100 watt kits that I want to expand and learn on. I have an additional 30A controller (a cheap PWM, and here is where I'm thinking to add another 2 or 3 hundred watts to make it up to 400 watts of panel. I may consider adding two more batteries for a total of 210AH, I don't know if thats ok to do. Please let me know if I'm on the right path here. Thank you.
You want to keep solar panels the same. And when building a battery bank the same as well unless you want to move the charger around. You can always do 8g wire that way you have room to expand. Because you probably will. Soon you’ll want 800 watts or 1200. At least you wont need a bigger wire.
Better to build a 30,000 watt system with prismatic batteries, a bms, charge controller and panels plus an inverter and power the entire house in an emergency.
I have been binging UA-cam solar vids for 6 months. YOU are the first one to explain the whole concept so detailed and easy to understand, that-it literally made sense to me!!! Thank you!!! 🤝💕😎
Awesome so glad I could help!!!
I’ll have more videos coming out soon about more basics on solar panels..👍🏼😀
Amen!
Thank you for the quick, clear and concise video on the basic pros and cons of both approaches. I have watched dozens of solar videos and reviews and none explained it as simply as you did. Bravo!
Wow thank you. Yea I remember trying to explain it to someone once using the larger terms and theory and they were lost. Like my dad trying to explain math to me… just lost lol.
So I tried to figure out ways to make it really simple with just the basic info that you need. Most people don’t care about the crazy little detail specs. Does it work, yes!!! How much ?? Ok I’ll just buy plug and play or build my own.
I think that’s what people want to know.
I agree but I wish you would keep your hand & fingers out of the way. It's very distracting.
I’ll try and not do it as much but if I don’t direct people to where I’m talking or what I’m talking about they also get lost lol.
Best solar video for beginners ever! Way to get to the point!
Wow thank you 😀😀👍🏼 hope it helped..! And thanks for watching. 👊🏼👍🏼
I’m not sure why the UA-cam algorithm suggested this video of yours to me today. To understate it, my head is hungry and my interests are widely varied. My friend, I am so very glad that the algorithm did! I’m a DIY to the max kind of guy. 5 kids, 4 of which are boys. My family and I are traditional type folks… AKA Dad feels the responsibility to supply the necessities required to support the lives he loves most as his passion/duty, while Mom takes pride in deftly assembling those necessities, making them palatable/inspiring, while ensuring that the hearts in her purview run even keel alongside the minds attached while her flock occasionally excuses Dad for being crotchety when the necessities are harder to come by. Lol
I’ve easily watched 100+ videos on this topic that concentrated on the more advanced aspects of solar systems of any range. I’d managed to assemble enough knowledge from those to start a shopping list of components that COULD help me begin. THEN- Your barebones, no nonsense video gave me the reassurance and the kick in the… pants… to actually leave the starting block! Quality panel + efficient controller + sensible monitor + quality battery + a decent gamble on an appropriately sized inverter = a starter kit that is at the very least, NOT a waste (minimal risk) and scalable within specs to anyone’s need.
THIS is what the majority feels behind on. Don’t tell me I can overextend my budgeting to shave a percentage off my utilities. Don’t use fear to shove me towards an end that’s presently in its infancy. Don’t legislate me to dump the vehicle I know I can stretch for 100k miles more if it means I afford a healthy start for my lineage. Instead: Lay out the basics. Give me the keys to tailor this alternative to the lives I love and live to serve.
You mentioned imagining 5 years development in a reply to another. Amen! I’d add… imagine 1 year from now if the prevalent concentration was on education vs maximizing profits for ready made temporary “solutions” currently on the market. You sir deserve handshakes, pats on the back, and a string of IOU favors beyond your years for making it a point to break this down for everyone behind you in their own search for the best path forward. May you ALSO find the perfect jump start to the endeavors you’ve let sit on the side for too long as I did on this one.
Summary: My deepest thanks for sharing your grasp so eloquently! Do it again. Embrace this introductory concept. You have a talent for introducing a need that intimidates many in a way that demystifies. Load your channel with it and watch your audience numbers soar as you relish in making a real difference.
~Sincerely, a random dude that leaves comments too long for most attention spans
Wow ….. I almost don’t know what to say, except thank you so much for all the kind words and encouragement to help others start a simple but needed journey to help them at least get but for a few days if the need come to power some simple items.
Agree being a dad is rewarding and brings joy but the worry of hoping your doing it right and they are ready is stressful and troublesome at times. One boy one girl here..🙌🏼
I’m glad I could help you start your journey.. and I read every comment I can and respond if I can.
Thanks again you honestly made my morning if not my day and I’m glad you found me. Thank you watching and hope you will continue to add feedback for me and others here to read and help them start there journey..🙌🏼👍🏼😊👍🏼🙏🏼
Hey Rob - your passion for your family kept my attention to the end. No worries 🙂
You have described this so clearly that I think I can do it myself. Bravo!
Awesome!! That’s the goal just a simple start to help if you need a little power when the grid shuts off!
Great video! This was a clearest explanation I have seen. Great with details, so I know I can do it. Thanks
Awesome glad I could help and thanks for watching 😀👍🏼👊🏼
I like how you made the process easy with a simple explanation.
Now for myself, I like 5 of the 100 watt Harbor Freight panels wired in parallel, red to red, and black to black, running to a 50 amp charge controller. From there, the power goes to a reconditioned standup forklift battery wired for 12 volts. I have a second 20 amp charge controller with a DC output that I have set up to power a small inverter and a pair of 12 volt DC power points.
Yea that’s a little different doing 5 in parallel.
Do you have a lot of shade passing over the panels or just wanting high amp input?
@JOHNNY'S WEEKENDS I am going for the higher charging amps.
The system itself is all recycled parts and is more of a hobby toy that I used to teach my children how easy it can be to set up an alternative energy solution. All it is normally used for is to power an Xbox one, 85-120 watts, a flat-screen TV, 50 watts, and a 60 watt phone charger. The nice thing about having the higher input wattage is that it will allow us to keep everything running all night long.
Nice. Yea normally you would try to go with a higher voltage and doing a split of series parallel would be great. But only 5 panels the numbers are going to come out almost the same for over all power combined.
You would need another panel to equal it out for a 3 series 2 parallel set up.
But it’s working.
@JOHNNY'S WEEKENDS The whole project was something that I came up with to supplement my kids' science class on green energy. I agree that a series parallel system would be better. Sadly, the charge controllers are 12 volt. The panels and charge controllers were given to me. The only thing I paid for was the battery that was heavily used. I had a friend who reconditioned it. So, my total investment for the project was $100.
Dude can’t argue with that..👍🏼
I knew nothing about solar charging. This was an excellent video for getting an overall idea of the pieces involved. 👍
Wow glad it could help you. There is a starting point for everyone and I think people just want a idea on how to power some items when the power goes out..!
Glad I could help and thanks for watching 👍🏼😀
I already see this video hitting a million. You made it dummy proof, thank you 🙏
Wow that would be cool and my first video to hit a million views….
Does this mean I made it 😂👍🏼🤷♂️😁
I hope.
There’s a million “how I installed solar”
But when you watch it they don’t really teach anything, they just show you how THEY did it, which isn’t very helpful to normies
I agree so I’ll try and keep things simple for the new people..👍🏼😀
Thank you for this video. I was actually hoping it would never end because you were explaining things so well, I wanted more information 😁 . I've looked at SEVERAL videos on YT on the subject of solar, but everyone assumes all viewers know what these components are, what they do, and what connects to who! 🧐🧐🧐🧐😒😒 I could never figure out what the darn solar panels connect to until this video. I was looking into Bluetooth and the Ecoflow only because I could not find a video to explain how the setup details in basic NOOB language with samples.
Thanks again.
Your welcome .. glad you found it useful and I’ll have more basic videos coming along the way just like todays video on battery basics.
May be a good video as well to watch ..😀👍🏼
Welcome to solar 😉👊🏼
Thank you. I finally understand. I just need to call an electrician. :) Forth time watching and I am learning....
Lol it takes time but also depends what you are trying to accomplish.
@@johnnysweekends I have the opportunity to get two 550w pancels. The question is don't take them unless you can really use them. I am starting a small garden. And I can't determine if I can use them although I wanted to do outside hydroponics. Everytime I think I have learned something, I learn that I don't know what something else is. HAH
Lol well that’s life, I know little about hydroponics maybe enough to build a set up but that’s about it.
But life is constantly learning new things and this keeps the mind young and working. Although sometimes with some stuff it turns into, I’m just gonna call someone 😂👍🏼
@@johnnysweekends Thanks. I am going to go for it. It is supposed to be a learning garden. Plus never look a gift horse in the mouth.
Lol right !!! Awesome have fun ..👍🏼😀
Thank you for this. I’m oxygen dependent and really really need a couple different back ups. With my supplemental air I’m actually very active so I’m setting this up myself. I am installing an LP whole house generator but you might as well be running your fridge on crushed diamonds ($3.09/gal lasts 30 mins!) so a solar setup is a necessity. I’ve had three grid outages in the past month due to storms. Man oh man.
Oh wow, well glad this is able to help a little to find you some ways for back up power.
My friend wanted me to search for her a whole house generator and when I started digging. I found out generac and alot of whole house generators were just for backup power. I also checked into the whole house generators because I liked the smaller whole house generator units because you could install them in the rain outside but they're not for off grid. Whole house generators that are commercial generators but cost almost double in price are the Cummins Onan generators their liquid cooled they tach less RPMs and are about the best in the business. But the problem now with Cummins Onan generators they have a massive big time on them. For myself I went off grid before covid happened. For power I use some lithium batteries I charge up when I'm driving. I'm using some solar and a Honda generator I converted to tri-fuel but I only use propane in it. Down the road from me they have propane at $2 a gallon that's a pretty good price. At first I tried two cheap Chinese inverter generators and burned up two of them. I said I would never buy a Honda generator they're too overpriced. But Honda does have the dependability and longevity that I look for in something. And the Honda inverter generators the suitcase portable units are commercial grade engines. The problem with the cheap Chinese inverter generators. I had the inverter burned up on one generator it was still under warranty and it went back to the store and the other one the engine locked up it was under warranty too and it went back to the store. Cheap Chinese generators are okay if you use them here and there and for camping sometimes but not a lot of usage. Of course the bigger the generator is like a whole house unit the more fuel you burn. And the only problem if you choose natural gas as we all know the government can shut it off you'd be better off with propane or have both and be able to plumb them in with jets so you just turn ball valves and have natural gas running and if they shut that off shut off the natural gas and turn on the propane through ball valves. I'm sure there's a way you can make it happen because now on the open case generators they have a natural gas and a propane inline aluminum looking jet. To me it looks like on the smaller 4,000 watt tri-fuel generators open case frame units you could plumb them in with ball valves so you don't even have to take rubber hose clamps off and do all that just turn ball valves on and off whether you want to run propane or natural gas or gasoline at the turn of a valve. Because having multiple fuel choices in emergency, grid down in another crisis is a plus. And running propane or natural gas vapor fuels it's called they don't have all the problems that the liquid fuels have.
I'm not sure if it showed up but take a look at my comment at the bottom. I was writing it for you and others.
Best of luck to you Rose! let us know what you end up going with!
Yes thank you for great laymen terms on this solar jargon. Easily understood .
Awesome glad it helped…👍🏼😀
And thanks for watching 👊🏼
I have been planning an off-grid home that I am building. Really just a fridge, internet, and a PC...I do not plan on staying there year around but wanted to experiment with Solar or wind ( It is always windy). Anyway, Thanks
I thought about doing some wind as well but during late spring into summer it’s not windy at all were I live. Sure there is a breeze here and there but it’s not enough for me to benefit unless it gets closer to fall. Which would be the time for me to check it out. 👍🏼
Great video for the beginner (me), it was very helpful. I'll be watching this more as I set up a system.
I hope you do more of these video's on solar explaining the basics. Thank you!
I will try to do a few more …😀👍🏼
Didn’t know I had so many new people watching. But what better time to start.
Glad it helped..👍🏼
@@johnnysweekends
This video alone has over 4,800 views, 357 likes which seems like a lot to me and don't forget about your subscriber base of 16,000.
That could grow significantly by adding some solar videos, which was the reason I chose to watch it. I feel more people are wanting to get away from fuel powered generators and into solar generators. It is a huge market and growing, just look at all the new solar generators hitting the market one after another.
Wishing you success on this journey while I anxiously await some solar videos for beginners. 🙂 Thanks again for the very simple and basic info!
Wow thanks so much for the kind words and insight. And yes it’s getting more and more popular and some of it really is getting easy for plug and play units.
Imagine in 5 years!!
Thank you so much and I'm so glad that God told me about a charge controller before I ever tried this I got mine off Amazon it kicks booty I got five batteries but I noticed if I hook the solar panel directly to the inverter and turn it on to charge jump from 27.8 to 7.7 and it would fry anything
Well I’m glad this helped you out..👍🏼
New sub! I’m gonna have one built soon, just need to watch some more of your vids
Awesome, welcome to the club, and awesome you are starting your journey to having some back up power when you need it..😀👍🏼
Very good explanation. I have a Jackery 300 and DIY 900wh. Both have a purpose. The Jackery is compact and lite, but won’t run my frig in a blackout.
Nice having options is always good.
Great video, but when that metal MPPT controller was sitting on top of the battery, so close to shorting out the terminals it tightened my colon a bit.
It’s plastic on the back and a pwm 😀👍🏼
And Thank you !!
Good job. Waiting for the other videos you mentioned.
Thank you..👍🏼😀
They will be coming soon but have others I need to do as well.
Yes the video help me, I'm new to all of this. I ready appreciate your videos.
Thank and more will be coming but other non related solar as well as I have a few odd ball stuff to review lol
very good instruction...thank you I need help with my solar.
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Your welcome glad I could help..👍🏼
yes this video was informative appreciate it
Glad it helped ..😀👍🏼
Noob here…Great information…. Thanks
You’re welcome hope it helps a little.👍🏼😀
Johnny! Just want to say thank you for the education man! This is going to help me a ton :)
I'm building a work/home van and looking at powering Starlink and a i9 PC with a 750w PSU for work, having a modular system would work great! Just need to figure out how many batteries I need for at least 8 hours of work 😅
You need to do a energy audit.. and your welcome..👍🏼😀
Excellent video! Clear and concise! Many thanks!!
Nice glad I could help. 👍🏼
Great Video, thanks for breaking down the basics!
You’re welcome thanks for watching 😀👍🏼
Thank you this is great. Silly me bought a 48v inverter, not looking at it closely, until I wondered why it would only alarm....well shoot it is not a 12v inverter, I didn't know there were different size other than looking at the watts peak & running. Oh well now to figure put what to do
Yea you need a lot more input voltage for that unit lol.
Return it.?
This is my first video on solar. I have tried visualizing a setup but as I am fairly illiterate at electricity, until I actually do something I can't remember what I read and be able to act on it. I actually enrolled in a jr college course on solar cell construction/maintenance about 10-12 yrs ago but it was cancelled due to not enough enrollment. Photovoltaic I think it was called.
Everyone starts some where
Purchased the Bluetti PV 200 foldable panels to power Bluetti eb55 , it takes 200w of solar
Nice the 200 portable is a nice unit to have and I think is the minimal you want. 100 is ok but if at all over cast or cloudy your not getting much.
And the 200 isn’t that much bigger.
Thanks for the feedback
👍🏼😀
thank you for your help and recommendations or insight. i'm poor so i'd go the cheap route. if i was rich, i'd still go the cheap route for greater power.
You’re welcome and thanks for watching 👍🏼😀
I went cheap to save some money and bought one inverter generator that died took it back to the store got another one it died. I went to a Honda portable inverter generator and converted it to tri-fuel. I only run propane in it though. I have a little bit of solar but I've got to do some more solar. I plan on doing something with an exercise bike to an alternator to charge up batteries a little bit at some point. Sometimes things are a learning curve.
Nice video. I bought an Ecoflow Delta Pro just for the power and convenience. But I will be putting together the other system you showed with a 2000W inverter. Thanks! 🤠👍
Nice, having options is great and when power shuts off you just grab what you need to run a fridge or whatever for a bit.
Great job show how to build a box or cart to put all the parts in to move about .
Yea that seems to be the next thing down the road soon. 🤷♂️
This is really good, best solar starter vid ever!
Wow thank you very much, glad it helped 😀👍🏼
Thank you for this video. Been looking at building a cheap solar charge station for my house just to charge mobile phones and smaller devices like that or even as a backup to my ISP modem (I have a UPS for my PC) just to get started with solar.
I have a idea of what to do but being as I live in the UK and not US not sure if its even worth while for me haha.
Again thanks for the video. Giving you a sub as im sure your other videos will come in handy.
Thank you appreciate it..and thanks for watching 👍🏼😀
Really great video, if you can show how to hook up more than one battery to increase capacity it would be very helpful to a novice.
I’ll work on that…😀👍🏼
Dope! Thanks man
You’re welcome 👊🏼👍🏼😀
This is a great video!! Thank you!!
Wow thank you, glad I could help and thanks for watching..😀👍🏼
Total non electrical guy. But wow even I can follow this direction more to come
Awesome glad this helped 😀👍🏼👊🏼
👍👍👍that was perfect..well done ..awesome..
Thank you glad it helps…😀👍🏼
So helpful! Thanks!
You’re welcome and glad it helped you some, also thanks for watching 😀👍🏼
Was wondering if the inverter has only 2 AC outlet plugs and we want to run more then 2 AC appliances, can a multiple outlet power adaptor be used, as long as we don't go over the limit of the inverter? Thanks for this video it has helped me decide on a battery style solar setup instead of the solar generator for my home needs.
You can run a multiple plug extension cord with any of these as long as you have a extension cord that can handle the load and you don’t go over the inverters max rated power.
@@johnnysweekends - Good to know thanks.
Good info to help me decide that I'll stay with my gas generator. This is a great example of how inefficient and wasteful solar is. We have days in the Midwest when it's overcast and cold for days or sometimes a week or more. This might be ok for keeping a charge on an RV or classic car battery's trickle charger, but the cost for my household is not financially feasible.
"How inefficient and wasteful solar is." That's a good one! Solar is "wasteful." I'm still laughing. 🤣
Thanks for this video...If occasionally I'll need a 2K watt inverter but most of the time a 500 watt inverter is sufficient, is it worth it economically to buy both inverters but only hook up the 2K watt inverter when I need it? I'm guessing the 2K watt inverter is less efficient and using up more power when not being used or when used with a low wattage load compared to the 500 Watt inverter.
Most are about 90% efficient so 10% loss even as they get bigger. But a cheap 500 watt could be less efficient then a decent middle grade brand that’s 2000 watt.
Have to read the specs. Most are 10..👍🏼
What device would you add to this basic setup that can tell you how much energy is in the battery or percentage of charge? Does one need a shunt for this? Please mention the most economical product that is also fairly accurate.
Is there a built in BMS (battery management system) in the battery you show in this video?
Yes all new lithium batteries have a built in bms… some have built in Bluetooth that tell you all that info directly and I can get info for that. They are a little more money but eliminate all the other items you need because it tells you through the bms. No shunt, no volt meters, nothing.
They are only getting better!!
What inline fuse should I use between the panel and the Solar charge controller if my panels are set in parallel? I have 4 100w mono panels from HQST. HSP100D-L Do I run an inline fuse between each panel or only one between the last panel and the controller? Thank you for the video and time.
Why are you running all 4 in parallel? Are you trying to keep voltage down. Series would be better unless you are dealing with a lot of shade or series parallel.
Either way fuse would go at the end of the sting. But again you would need to figure out if you are truly doing parallel all the way. Which would bring you to a 25 amp fuse I believe.
I just bought a 300 ah Ampere Time battery, 60 amp MPPT charge controller, and a 2000 watt inverter. My issue is my solar panels. I have three 100 watt panels and a 190 watt one. I do have 100 watt and a 120 watt folding panels. Can I parallel the 190 watt with the 120 watt and the three 100 watt ones together through a single 10 gauge 20 foot MC4 cable to the controller? Here in Louisiana panels put out their rated wattage or higher. The inverter has an AC ground connection. If a hurricane hits do I absolutely have to ground it if I`m just running a small air conditioner? If so can I plug in a 50 ft extension cord to a grounded 3 prong outlet outside at the pole and connect the inverter to the ground of it safely? We usually get hurricanes in Louisiana in late August and the first half of September. I`m moving into a camper this month.
First see what your controller can hold for total volts coming in. I assume your fine with a 60a as it probably 150 volts max on a 12v set up.
You typically don’t want to mix panels if you can. The lower 100 watt panels will draw down to 190 watt panel to virtually another 100 watts or so. If the 100 watt panels are giving 16-17 volts it will draw down a higher panel down to that voltage. Now running it will produce more power overall you just won’t get what you could out of it.
Typically you want to run the panels in series as you’ll get more overall power to your controller but also it’s a lot easier to run a higher voltage in a 12-10g wire then a higher amperage s that will need a thicker wire if you run to many amps in a long run. But 20’ on the 10g will be fine.
What you don’t want to do is run 3 panels in series that are different watts and then run another set of 3 panels that are different watts then parallel those into the controller. Your voltage in those two strings with be different from each other and essentially your controller will in simple terms be pissed off… lol.
Series is what you want. Run them all in series, and check your total voltage before plugging into controller.
Also check to see if you can run the foldable panels in series. Some say not to.
Well the only thing I'm not sure about is two or more battery's connected to the power station or charge controller. And a battery charger, is it possible to plug a charger into the system.
You can plus a rear charger into the battery if you want to pre charge it with out ac as long as it’s a compatible charger for the type of battery or batteries.
Some power stations can be linked together for double the battery life or even out put!!
I am sooo confused.. according to my electric bill, the most electricity I've used in one month was about 810KWH's. My average monthly KWH use is 431. I'd like to get a small solar system to help offset my monthly power usage. I don't think I would need a lot but I don't know specifically what I would need. I do know that I would mount the panels on a rack I'd build in my backyard, I have almost perfect sun direction, and I want to tie it in to my electrical panel. Most of the things I see are for RV's, totally off-grid, etc..., but not really finding anything to help tie in with my existing electrical panel.
Well because it has to be done by a licensed electrician and needing a permit plus your power company needs to sign off for any grid tie system.
Now what you could do is get 3 quotes for a partial and full system to see how big of a system you need for mostly covered or 50% ish.
Then after you find the cost to do both price a system you can do. You will need to be able to either get large power stations to utilize you power or find other “ways” to put power into home.
You have to be careful doing this. If you do things that result in a fire with no permit and somehow they figure out the fire was caused by electrical work not permitted insurance could get ugly.
@@johnnysweekends Thanks for the reply! I should have been more specific... I was just looking for kits, not necessarily DIY kits though for a 1.2-2kw system (the kind you would tie into your existing electrical). While I do a lot of electrical work, including wire new houses, remodels, install/replace/upgrade new panels, meter sockets, etc... I don't think I would undertake this task for the reason you quoted: liability! Plus, I know if I didn't install something correctly and the shut off didn't kick over to disconnect my house from the main feed, a lineman working on the lines during an outage could be injured or worse.
I was just trying to wrap my mind around what equipment I would need, how it hooks up, type/brand of batteries, etc... That work I would probably do myself and then pay a licensed journeyman to tie it in for me (all depending on cost... because I know it can range from $2k - $40k).
Thanks!
Will Prowse has some really good videos as well on basic tie ins but again the final would be the electrician.
Unfortunately I don’t have the log he has lol.
But I still bringing more
Is it possible to set up couple of HF solar panal to connect directly to a space heater without a battery? In that case apart from the solar panels what else would I need? I am not sure of the ROI for solar panel in my region/setup so I thought maybe using solar panels during winter months daytime to provide a little bit extra heating will be nice.
Yes the solars panels need to be connected to a controller or power station or a battery bank.
@@johnnysweekends Thank you! So if I don't want to purchase a battery right now (may get one later) and just want to dump the power as heat do you know if an affordable controller could accomondate that task?
Well it’s not just a controller.
It goes…
Solar panel to controller,
Controller to battery
Battery to inverter
Inverter to plug in devices.
There are other options from other companies that take solar input that you can use straight from controller but you need more solar input and the cost is much higher.
Unfortunately trying to run heat takes a lot of power. A power station is by far the quickest and easiest but also the most expensive
What happens in the winter when it is needed most and the sun doesn't shine?Also the pay back period is quite long
Well like Annie said the sun will come out tomorrow. But that’s why you have back up power, like a generator or wood to provide heat and more. This is just another tool someone can or may want to use for there setups.
And the payback can vary depending how you do things. Sometimes in less then two years or less you could pay for items you have bought. All all depends. Most homes if you do a normal solar system is a 4-6 maybe 7 year payback. So if you plan to stay at the home it could very well be worth it in many ways. And it adds resale unlike a pool lol
@@johnnysweekends just thought I must say thanks to you for the reply but I still cannot justify the cost because of where I live.It is always overcast and raining in the winter.But saying that I am going to trial a small system soon.John
Ahh well in your case I would be looking for other alternatives like the wood gas conversion stuff and more because solar won’t do much for you. Sure it still works with clouds and over cast but like 10-15 percent of normal and that’s if it’s not super dark and angled correctly.
Yea may not be the best option for you.
Can you leave the battery connected to the solar panel while the battery is connected to the inverter AND power an appliance?
The battery should be connected to a solar charge controller. Then panel to controller.
But battery can be hooked to controller and inverter and running appliances at the same time and can also be charging as well
@@johnnysweekends thanks so much! I am planning on building a DIY power back up instead of buying an expensive one like the Jackery
It’s cheaper in the long run for sure and you get more WHs for the money.
Way back I took certification tests on CTEC and MECP. You failed if you answered soldering over crimping a joint as the solder was a dissimilar Metal being added to the joint.
I understood but, at the same time thought a soldered joint was a stronger joint as opposed to crimping that could allow corrosion 🤔
Solder can crack after a while which is why some believe a crimp and solder is better or just crimp alone..🤷♂️
It’s been about 50-50 of which is better.
@@johnnysweekends Yeah but, no matter what you or I think the correct answer is, on a certification test it is crimp. You would hope the “experts” would know better than the rest of us 😶
Well I never solder I crimp and pull… stays connected good crimp. Comes out well crap 🤣👍🏼
If you want to keep corrosion off of wires and I've wired for years in automotive and truck and I use 100% silicon on very important wires and wires outside of vehicles they started doing this several years ago. Excuse me I should say they started putting electrical connectors injunction boxes outside of the vehicle and they exposed water area which is dumb. Which causes problems and the only way to deal with it is totally seal it after you fix it. As long as the wire and connection stay still the silicon will stay on it. If you really want to go extreme weatherproof on a connection and it won't come off they use it for motor mounts and in to install windshields in. Use primer and black urethane automotive windshield adhesive on. I just used it to install a plastic tank on something that I cannot get tank or mounts for anywhere because it's so old. so I had to make them. The black urethane adhesive is also used to mount solar panels to the top of RVs it's so strong it's no joke. But if you take up the solar panels you'll be tearing part of the roof off or cutting it off. As long as it's properly cleaned primered and the urethane is applied right.
how do you find out what wire on the panel is pos/neg. i was given a shumacher 4.8w /260ma panel with the connector cut off and the wires are like a 2 wire lamp cord
You need a multimeter and put into Dc mode like 5v and test both leds with panel in the sun.
If it says 3 volts it’s pos if it says 3- or -3 it’s negative… and tape it or mark it accordingly. That’s just a example I don’t know what the voltage of that small panel will be.
thanks for the super quick reply. love the knowelage you share in your videos
Thank you!! I try to help where I can..😀👍🏼
Great video. Is there an inverter out there that has an AC pass-thru so the battery can just kick in when the power goes out?
Yes several inverter chargers will just charge the batteries and if power goes out it will kick over to batteries to supply power. Power stations now are also much like that to it acts as a UPS. Uninterrupted power supply.
So depending your set up and inverter charger or a power station could probably work for you.
I have some of these lithium powered battery boxes it's good to charge them every 3 months or as directions say.
Seems like no one discuses wire sizes from charge controller to the battery or the wire size from the solar panel!😬😬 I want to mount my battery, charge controller & Inverter on my covered back porch but it will be at least 30Ft from my panels! Good info on hook-up but nothing about wire sizes!
From your panels even at 30 feet as long as in series you could get away with 12g wire depending how many panels and size you hook up. But voltage passes through small wire easier then amps
You want your charge controller close to your battery setup. Closer the better. Is doesn’t have to be touch but 5g wet or less would be great.
Now even though 12g will work everyone seems to want to upgrade later and 10g has more uses and makes it to where you have to buy less items…soooo
Hook up solar panels in series using 10g wire to your controller. From your controller to your battery use the same 10g wire. Then from your battery, well that all depends what you are doing.
10g spools are just easier to use for a bunch of things and you don’t have to worry so much about wire size because it will handle most diy small systems.
@@johnnysweekends Thanks, I was planing on using 8 gauge wire from the 30amp controller to the battery about 2 ft away with the 1500 watt inverter on the wall next to the controller about 3 Ft from the battery with 2 gauge wire. I have the Harbor freight 100 watt panel with SAE connectors that will be 30 or 40 ft away. Having trouble finding the fine wire welding cable wire locally or any SAE connector 10 gauge cable longer than 20 Ft. P.S. I am using a 100 ah Ampertime battery, may add another one later.
You can use 8 if you have it but it’s way overkill for your setup. Especially since everything is so close and only running a 100 watt panel.
Again when running in series a smaller wire can be ran to handle the higher voltage.
But again 10g will easily run your setup. Obviously from battery to inverter you want a appropriate cable which would be supplied or suggested in the manual of the inverter.
Here is a
Link to 10g braided copper if you need it.
amzn.to/3p48Crr
Here is a link to switching the SAE connector ua-cam.com/video/CFgRCBzquz4/v-deo.html
@@johnnysweekends Thanks for all your help, I looked at the 10G wire link you posted but that is primary wire. I was wanting to run 10 gauge welding/battery cable wire from the panel because of the lower resistance per foot than primary wire. Just found some on amazon, their search engine stinks! I have some solid core 10 gauge romex I could use in a pinch🤣🤣. Thanks for the link to the MC4 connectors!!!
Thanks for vid. So I’m looking into installing a solar set up on my truck to power exterior light’s for example light bars and flood lights. Could I just connect the lights straight to the battery? I do want an to use an inverter for plugs and usb.
You could but make sure it’s not the starter battery. Add a second battery for the accessories 👍🏼
@@johnnysweekends thanks, sorry I wasn’t specific with battery. Yes, my plan includes a 2nd battery in the cab or bed of the truck.
Is there a way to power devices straight from the solar panels?
Yes some solar panels have a distribution block with a mini charging block or you can get some separate here is a link to a solar panel that comes with one.
I also have one from my xstar solar panel that has a a small Dc charging block that will charge phones or other small items.
amzn.to/3Jdxvdz
Where do you get USED residential solar panels?
Facebook market place
Clist
Solar installers or distributors
Google search used solar panels
Great vid but it seems that this is still not for the every day Joe use. It's still expensive especially that power station. $1500 Yikes! I was kinda hoping this would solve my ac issues.
That’s the problem is people want to run a ac unit and it still takes a lot of power.
A battery set up and building your own is far cheaper but still takes a decent chunk. A good swamp cooler can really help cool things off.
What gauge wire do you use for the panels? looks like a 10 awg. can you verify? Also when making these cables how long can I make them, 50 ft, 100 ft?
Size fuse depends on how many amps you are going to run. Also the size wire will also determine length and again the amount of amps you need. There are charts to show what 10g and how far you can go. Off the top of my head I think its 50ft at 30 amps but I would have to double check.
@@johnnysweekends The reason is the system that I'm building has the battery bank on a shelf in my garage. I pull the panels out to the front lawn , I currently have enough wire to make it to the center of my lawn. But if I move it to the back yard I'll probably need between 75 to 100 feet. Its a small system of 4 AGM batteries in parallel to get 140AH and a 750 watt modified sine inverter. It's just enough for a few fans and a few lights in the event of an emergency like the hurricanes in Florida. Its one of those Harbor Freight 100 watt kits that I want to expand and learn on. I have an additional 30A controller (a cheap PWM, and here is where I'm thinking to add another 2 or 3 hundred watts to make it up to 400 watts of panel. I may consider adding two more batteries for a total of 210AH, I don't know if thats ok to do. Please let me know if I'm on the right path here. Thank you.
You want to keep solar panels the same. And when building a battery bank the same as well unless you want to move the charger around. You can always do 8g wire that way you have room to expand. Because you probably will. Soon you’ll want 800 watts or 1200. At least you wont need a bigger wire.
Easiest one, least expensive!
😀👍🏼
I did both lol
Lol nice…👍🏼😁
Let me know if this helps you and what else you would like to see?
Did you like the quick flash intro???
😀👍🏼
I would love to know where to buy the used residential panels
Depends where you live…But
Facebook market place
Clist
Letgo
Solar installers
Google search used panels 👍🏼
I would love to see this type of set up with a variable voltage transformer and a j1772 connecter so you could charge from a EV gas station.
Lol yes that would be nice but I think the only benefit would be if you could charge for free.
@@johnnysweekends I'm in a van so it would be easy to charge on the road.
Better to build a 30,000 watt system with prismatic batteries, a bms, charge controller and panels plus an inverter and power the entire house in an emergency.
Not everyone needs or wants to do that. Some just need simple setups for a multitude of reasons
neeto
Darn right it’s neat..!! 😂👍🏼
7:45 Cringe level 11 putting an aluminum body inverter on big LFE battery so close to shorting the contacts. Don't do that, people
I agree new people should be careful and keep items away from the posts ..!
hi can i contac you by email. thanks
My email is listed in the about section