Emergency Power Outage and a Stupid Solution
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- Опубліковано 20 січ 2025
- I had an emergency with my solar power batteries when they shutdown due to under voltage. I had to pull out all my best brains to fix the problem. Also, I have a problem with my chimney.
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What a joke this channel is,ive never seen such a lazy man,you poke some ice from the roof and you run away like a little girl😮
If you don't like it why are you here? Just for attention?
@WilleneHall yes dear
Bye bye Karen
Do you live off grid. I'm guessing not . Living off grid you can't be lazy so your comment is unkind .
Well done for fixing that frustrating problem. I could see the relief after hours of stress.
Well, I enjoyed that very much. Loved the Willow story, and for the guy who thinks your video's are too long, pay no mind. If i see you have done one over an hour, im like YES ( fist pump in the air) ...lol Have fun in the snow, we are supposed to get 9 inches here in Virginia tomorrow!! Cant wait. !!See ya next time!
Here on Crete island in the Mediterranean we dream of nine inches. Well, my wife does. ;)
Your videos are great however you want to make them. Be that long or short. I for one appreciate the time it takes to film something for us. Thank you for what you do. Stay warm and be safe on your roof. ♥️
Fantastic solution to your power situation! Loved the story about Willow going and getting her “sister” for meal time! Lol! I never feed my two pups separately. One might be outside, and I might start preparing their food, but I always bring the other one in before serving. I tell the one waiting, hold on, I gotta get(Cookie or Penny), just wait.
Thank you for the video, it was just what I needed today. ❤
Just a guess but maybe you had a chimney fire that heated that metal cap hot enough to become soft. When replacing the cap maybe remove and inpect that top section to make sure the inner liner is OK. How often do you clean your chimney?
Enjoyed your video. You amaze me at what you can do. So talented. I'm 73, and a Grandma, and always thought I'd like to do what you and Alecia do.
Being an officiado of falling off the ladder/ roof I was cringing when you went up and down on your own on a ladder that looked a little askew, glad you made it back down.. via the ladder
Russ, Quickly temporary reinforce the roof cap legs, find some small pieces of metal cut to size, drill small holes at each end nutband bolt them and parrell them to the cap legs or just add a few more. A 2 hour fix will get you by as a vortex cold front is moving in fast. And you will need lots of heat.
Great winter video to enjoy on a snowy day ❤❤😊
Dogs are pretty smart and make the best friends.
Happy new year for you and for all your family in peace , joy , health ,security , happiness , blessing .
Creosote build up is really bad. no sign of brushing Maintenance maintenance, I had a flue fire from burning pine back in the early 80's. Now I burn hardwood only and brush every other spring after the season is over. I also use a flue creosote remover by Rutland 3 or 4 times a season.
I feel your frustration! I really like watching you work your way around things. TY❤
I enjoy the longer videos , thank you . Happy New Year .
That is so cool, she didn't want June Bug to go off, willow wanted h e breakfast and that is that. Love your long videos! ❤
Good job! Great video!👍🏽😊❤️🇺🇸
I believe, like so.eone else mentioned, that youve had a chimney fire that you weren't aware of, and the heat distorted the cap. There is a lot of creosote build up visible at the top of the chimney and looks like it may have been dripping at one time. The creosote blockage would certainly cause poor draft. Please be careful and get it cleaned to be certain.....cheap insurance and preventive maintenance.
Nice video Russell. Loved the willow story. Happy New Year! ❤
Great job, Russell - Thinking outside the box. You were smarter than the smart device.
Lol. Dogs are the best! I have so many funny stories from our dog Knight and our previous dog Cindy.😊
Interesting solar repair. Great Willow story. Good video.
😅 Loved your story .. very cool to witness that LOL .. ❤
Wow that was pretty cool.
There are things u r good at and other things, not so much, but when it came to this, you were like a mad professor and it got done!! Cool.
I could never have figured this out.
Give yourself a good pat on the back Russel
Yeah, all you need is 48V on the input to get the BMS to detect an input voltage and get power into the battery. The other one also starts because they're wired in parallel. Typically, you can also set up communication between the inverter and battery which should solve this, but just having a small 48V or thereabout capable power supply should do the trick: the size of a laptop supply and you power it with the generator when you get into this situation.
You must be a scientist ❤
Sounds like the BMS went to sleep. Need to find out how to restart it. In mine, you short the positive and negative momentarily.
@@norm4907 It's not really asleep: it turned off the discharge MOSFETs. This means charge is still possible, but the voltage is no longer present. The BMS itself is still awake (screen is also still active). All you have to do is 'trick' the charge controller to see the voltage, and charging will start.
You are a real scientist. Love your videos. You are a genius ❤
GREAT VIDEO RUSSELL🎉🎉🎉❤ Loved the Willow story😂😂 and MOST of all, YOU ARE NOT STUPID💥💫🗯💙 PLEASE DON'T EVER SAY THAT AGAIN!!! Love you guys❤❤❤ 'Longer videos makes me happy', makes me happy too🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😊😊
Glad you got it going. I had to do the same thing to a small power pack one time.
Great willow story - animals are amazing. Great video long as you like😁
Great video Russell! Stay warm! Here in Ohio we are expecting 8 to 11 inches of snow
Great video as always I like the longer videos, and looks like you need to clean your chimney
Hey Russell. Just seeing you try and get your foothold on the roof was a bit dodgy. I had a thought in the interest of your safety. Perhaps get some rubber strips wide enough to fit in the grooves of the roofing that are long enough to reach nearest the chimney. Maybe a longish rubber outdoor mat (not to heavy though) that you could cut to size. Put them in the storage shed when you don't need them. Loved the Willow story by the way! Cheers for now.
On your power box, can you hook up a weather windmill that you see on top of the barn with the switch to windmill or solar When the sun ain’t out to power your electricity. I saw it on, An Alaska Homestead.
Happy New Year....videos are never too long!!!
Your so smart Russell 😊 glad you were able to fix it
Wishing you motivation to complete your cabin
All the best to you and City Girl, happy New Year from Alberta! 🎉
They sell creosote fire logs and a powder called creosote destroyer in the USA. As much as you burn I would use it once a week and it might make it a whole wood burning season. Your pipe could be too long and the smoke is cooling and sticking at the top of the pipe. I thought I saw where the creosote had liquified which indicates to me a chimney fire had melted the creosote after it was deposited at the top of the pipe. They say burn small hot fires.
I have a Canadian Regency insert in my brick chimney and it is catalytic. The catalytic part superheats and glows and that is supposed to clean up the smoke/reduce creosote with the damper turned down. I had chimney fires before the insert was installed. One night the neighbor called the fire department because I left the fireplace door open to get the fire going and he said there was ten feet of flame coming out of the chimney. I had the insert installed twice because the old creosote on the brick was getting hot from the new pipe and smoke could only get out into the house.
We had a chimney fire years ago at the family homestead in Maine...it was damned scary.
Yessir, flames up & out the chimney like a Roman candle!
Russ I was watching your video, and I got to thinking. Your charge controller BMS has an engineering menu. A lot of two way radio equipment has a similar thing. It allows the user that knows how to access it to change power setters transmit range and modulation outputs beyond the user menu. I wounder if on UA-cam or any of the online blogs or forums on your charge controller with BMS someone has posted how to access the engineering menu? If they have it should allow you to adjust the charging voltage to a lower voltage. Such as from 240 volts to 120 volts. I would look into it. Might allow you to custom set up your BMS to make things a little easier for your needs.
Interesting.. I have seen a couple videos about "reviving" power tool batteries. They stated that the charger needed a voltage to recognize there was a battery to charge. SO, they used jumper cables (small ones) to put a few molecules of juice in a failing battery. THEN the charger would recognize it, and charge it. YOU did that with your system. Genius Russell!! And it worked!! Way to go.
The chimney cap was a bit much. That roof is WAY to flaky for MY gonads to climb on. I might have taken a stick and knocked the cap off till summer. Chimineys didn't used to come with a cap. Unless you have bats and swallows it should be good till better weather. I was feeling squirrelly watching YOU on the roof.. Ya done good man. Ya done good.
When we bought our (old) house it didn't have a chimney cap. 2 birds and 1 squirrel later, we have a chimney cap.
Lol, Russell why do you have a picture of Cosmo Kramer on your deck? Or did I miss something lol? I hope all the electric solar (otherwise referred to as biting faries) is worked out. Love the pups and the videos. You and your lady have an amazing week!😊
🎉❤ Happy new year Russell and City Girl xoxo and to anyone reading this. Sorry I missed your live stream Russell. It's a good thing that (love you Ray), LOL that you didn't listen to Ray on a smaller bathroom and bigger kitchen LOL 😅
I just watched the movie twisters, and one of the characters her nickname was City girl LOL
I laughed a loud many times, until you got up on that icy roof. OOOOOOOOOH yikes! I kept telling myself, "If something had happened to him he would not be having this video. So it has a happy ending." And as for long video, the longer the better for me. Though I missed seeing/hearing CG. I don't think she said much in this one, right? Not that I saw. Though had to watch it in two sittings because was interrupted. Anyhow, I hope she is feeling well. BTW, Happy New Year!
Very interesting video Russell. Feel so bad that everything is going wrong all at once. You are BRILLIANT figuring it all out!! Please be careful up on that slippery roof, I was nervous watching you!! Loved the Willow story 😊
sounds like a chimney fire/ explosion that zapped your cap and huffed itself out. usually, the fire keeps going and shakes everything and sounds like a freight train. I think you dodged a bullet!!! Clean the chimney.
You should purchase and keep on hand a chimney extinguisher stick, puts out fire in seconds.
Glad you overcame your electrical dilemma, but I do have a question as I am not familiar with solar power, can you connect a battery charger to your solar batteries to bring up a charge on them? I did enjoy your video and the story about your four-legged pals was just a testimony on how intelligent animals are. Stay safe and just a safety tip if you go up on your slippery roof again tie a rope to a tree on the other side of cabin and loop it around your waist to have something to hold you on the roof. Take care stay safe.
Not looped around the waist. If he falls, it'll cut him in half. Buy a proper harness.
Yes, a suitable 48v battery charger could be used, powered by the generator. But a 12v - 48v buck converter would provide a simple way to kick-start the system with a single 12 volt battery.
@@manolisgledsodakis873 if rope applied properly as taunt around the waist you won't fall and if looped twice it will not move, but your observation is good for someone to possibly place rope improperly, however a harness is a great idea.
Clean your flue out once a year Russell. Have you not had enough sunny days to charge your batteries. You usually check that often. So glad you figured out the electric problem. Love the Willow story. ❤
Russel you fixed it! Yeah! Boy, you are just havin' all the luck. One thing after another goin' on.
Yes, Russel! Using the lead acid batteries to 'jump-start' your charge controller is actually quite smart.
Field expedient engineering!
Now, even your 'silly' idea about AA batteries will probably work too!. (And isn't as silly as you think.)
To provide 'pilot' power to your Charge controller for starting from 'flat' like you had to,connecting a lot of AA cells them through an appropriate resistor will work. The resistor stops the charge controller sucking the AA batteries dry. A 600 ohm resistor should let a 48V AA pack supply 80mA or so; which is a current so low it would be able to jumpstart over and over again. 32 AA cells in a holder, a switch, and a 600 ohm 5 watt resistor. Turn it on when you need to 'jumpstart' the system. Turn off as soon as them BMS stops complaining and connects the batteries; the resistor would stop it from charging off the AA's.
It's not so much that the BMS is too smart, it's just trying to protect the lithium cells. Happens to me too.
(Most BMSes are a pain in the rear.)
Having an alternate charger system that will put 48Vdc on the battery bus is actually essential in the long term of any offgrid solar system. If that big black thing you tried in the episode really is an inverter? If so, it's the opposite of what you want; it would make 220V from your 48V battery bank. (But that's kinda useful too...)
A 48V battery charger that runs on 110V ac is what you need; get one rated for a current output of about the wattage your generator can put out. The 400W ones are the cheapest, I think.
That was a great story... Dogs are amazing! Thanks for sharing❤
Cute story about Willow. She is showing you her Shepard herding skills. My Shepards I had done that with my grandchildren and my kids.
Sweet doggies story.
Yep. I learned that years ago when portable car battery booster packs were first out. Useless for a completely dead battery, but wire any 12v battery, even the household ones, into into system to trick it and away you go.
That happened to me years ago with my wood stove in my wreck room. I had loaded it, fire was burning nicely, closed the door and waited a couple mins. Closed the flute about 90-95% as usual. Waited a couple mins and all was good.
Sat down and watching t.v. Then suddenly POOF! There was smoke coming out what seemed to be every seal in the stove!!
I figured it had to have lost oxygen some how couldn’t find out why?
I had just cleaned the pipes that fall so ruled out creosote.
Ok this was a really great video one of your best! Who goes up on a ladder in his jammies…. So glad you fixed the power problem and you so need to clean that stove pipe…when was the last time you did that?
Our kids (dogs) sometimes do the craziest things hopefully everything is good with the solar system. Take care and be safe ✌️ 🍲
Hi Russell, I agree they are more laid back out of town at stores like Walmart very cool re the carpenter square , Happy you got things up and running good job. ! aww don't call yourself stupid , If it happens again you'll know live and learn eh. Hey City Girl good to see ya , What a cute story about June bug and willow lol smart dog willow is , knowing she was hungry and had to have Junebug to be able to eat lol.
I am glad Ray is available for consultation! ❤ (*** Ray must have tighten that one. 😂) Oh, China. Lots made there...but when things go south, the ish gets real. I am glad you know what you are doing Russell, because all of this. is Greek to me. I know you can fix it. Pea soup! PS: the ambient sound of the drizzle and dripping water from the roof, was so soothing. 🥰
I've had those outback charge controllers fry just from condensation in a cabinet, it's wild you've had one outside working for so long. Jumping your batteries with another battery or DC power supply of the same voltage is typically the way to get a charger to start working on dead flat batteries, you can do the same with bricked power tool batteries, obviously letting them go dead in the first place didn't do them any favors though.
It looks like the chimney cap might have warped from moisture, wind, or extremes of temperature? Taking it off might make things worse in case of inclement weather. You've checked if the chimney needs cleaned, right? If you're burning pine or unseasoned wood, creosote can build up and cause chimney malfunction/fires. I can't remember if you've ever mentioned/showed cleaning or inspecting the chimney to see if it needs it.
Willow: This breakfast delay has gone on far too long---I must take action!
Junebug: Why didn't you say something sooner??
So why did the system fail initially? What will prevent it happening again?
Undervoltage detected. I need to configure my inverter to shutdown before the batteries do.
What she described is called a Creosote Back Draft Burn. It happened to me and almost Blew the door off my stove. Always Keep the Pipe Clean! Happy New Year. 🎉
What she described? There was no fire at the time.
That climbing on the roof was scary to watch, my God.
I sometimes think about Hermit Crabs. They're kinda cool. Kinda.
You'd look odd, humping the hermit cabin around with you. ;-)
The trouble with a smart system is that it's only as smart as the idiot who designed it! Anyway, good thinking with the 48v idea. It was obvious (to me as an electronics engineer) but you got there. I believe that you can buy a 12v - 48v buck converter that might allow you to employ the same trick with only one 12v battery. For off-grid living, triple redundancy for everything important is essential, albeit expensive. Anyway, I'm looking forward to your building the workshop. Figure out how large it needs to be and then double it. Make sure that it has a south-sloping roof for the solar panels and an insulated room to keep batteries above freezing. Maybe an insulated water tank in the roof space.
Thanks for keeping me company while I make stew.
Nice video Russell!
Can't believe you went onto the roof in the winter without a safety line.
Me, either.
My wife was on my case this morning about the dirty pipe. The cap will not fix the problem. I see that another person nmentioned to keep the pipe clean. You must have heard the same from many. Don't let that go too long.
You need a roof ladder up to the chimney...
Russell I think you should season the firewood stacked in Sun an air one year for all except oak season two or more. Don’t no for sure but I do know you❤
Russell, the things u do to get us great camera shots 🙈 (roof) 😱
Willow is an intelligent German sheperd dog :) The chimney needs cleaning? It could be lower I guess, only a bit over the roof so that the smoke goes away both sides. Great solution to the solar system!
I actually like longer videos...I can play them in the background and listen while I'm doing something else 😄
Like watching a Shawn James video?
Do you keep a raging fire alive for a half hour or more daily? Burns the creosote out before it builds up and causes problems.
Wow great work thinking outside the box. Youre petty s smart . I don’t think your videos are too long
You need to adjust your low DC cut-off to a voltage setting closer to 48V that will save you from going so low to the BMS low DC voltage cut-off point which is a lesser setting. Your Willow story could be about food or maybe a paternal instinct, that June Bug was heading in a direction that is known danger! While watching your video's I often think about your dog family falling through the ice later in the season, please don't let that happen! Looks like you have a creosote build up, you need to tie yourself off next time you go up on your roof, you live dangerously close to the edge. Cool Pink Floyd the Wall T-Shirt!
it looks like your going to need to clean it in short time ,get yourself a cleaning kit also pine has alot of creosote in it ,especially when burnt at low temps.
may e build a proper work shop / well pump house whit a lean on spot for wood storage...
You are awesome 🤩
When it's time to eat, it's time to eat.
🤣
Hi Russell, so my question is, why or how did the batteries get below LBCO that caused the inverter to shut off?
Maybe have a ladder screwed down to the roof so you can climb to the chimney, or some kind of steps
I think Junebug needs more time to stimulate things for the morning poop to happen. It's cute what Willow des to hurry her along.
Your PV system is not setup properly.
You can not rely just on the BMS. That should only cut off (disconnect) the batteries as a last resort, to prevent battery damage due to discharging them too low.
The inverter should be set to turn off before the BMS disconnects the batteries. So if your BMS disconnects the batteries at 45V, the inverter must be set to turn off at higher voltage than 45V, for instance at 48V. This way you should never run in this situation where you can't recharge the batteries because the BMS disconnected them.
Congrats on solving that power problem! What might’ve caused it?
Russel would awesome to have a organized home inside. Easier to move around and get access too everything arnt you worried all is a fire hazard especially around the power boxes. Really need too build a permanent out building for all your junk accumulated wondering are you a packrat guess too each their own
If your lost leave it alone for someone who knows what they are doing like perhaps have a tech come out and undo what you did to make it operational again furthermore if those electrical components are rated for outdoors its ok but if not water or even moisture can destroy what you have unless you have an outdoor powerhouse too your home
Good job Russell. It pays to have stupid systems.
Perhaps an eagle tried to perch on the cap and bent it due to weight, and also dislodged some creosote down the pipe.
Could you have flown your drone up to check out the chimney cap?
NOW you tell me! That is a terrific idea.
@@RaspberryRockOffGridCabin Thanks, sorry I didn't get it to you sooner but I was shaking right along with you getting up and down on that ladder and roof.
LOL, I'm still finishing the video but just got to the part where you,"Russelled " the problem...LOL perfect example a real world issue fighting against engineers in the lab.
The longer the better 👍🏼
HUZAAAH! Your a good fixerer.
Bud your chimney is plugged its not just the cap. Please be careful. Enjoy the video's! 👋 City girl!
I lifted the stack and used a mirror and a flashlight to look up, not much creosote.
@RaspberryRockOffGridCabin Awesome was a little worried for a minute lol. Not being a key board warrior. I used to have the mesh and different layers like yours on the cap "spark resonators" same problem. I ripped them out and just kept the cap. Never had an issue since. The Amish run the same way.
Bird attacking your chimney?? Good problem solving Russell,
Omg.
Stupid Russell, I don't think so. Human Ingenuity Russell, yes indeed. When was the last time the chimney was swept? You know what needs to be done. I'm looking forward to your water pipeline installation. As always, keep up the good work. Peace ✌️
I'm singing Talking Heads Burning, Down The House. Ah, watch out
You might get what you're after
Cool babies
Strange but not a stranger
I'm an ordinary guy
Burning down the house
One thing we missed was the city girl making the dinner. We love ya city girl. U 2 Russell.
1/2"' pipe gives more pressure.