love it, so helpful my man! we live off grid in northern az and winters get cold at night so helpful tip - if it works in Canada, AZ should be a piece of crum cake
I rafted the Grand Canyon in December a few years back and drove through a major snowstorm from Las Vegas to get there. So yup, I know if gets cold up in your neck of the woods. What's cool for you is you can just drive a couple of hours to warmth! We sadly don't have that option here...
Right now I live in Florida, about opposite from your weather conditions. However my goal is to live off grid in a schoolie and this idea will help! Thanks, blessings.
Yeah, what I forgot to say in the video is that this heating film only uses 150W. Compare that to a 1500W ceramic space heater! We're in an Extreme Cold Warning right now, which means it's cold and sunny. So, at 150W I can even run the heating film for an hour or so in the afternoon once my batteries are fully charged and the sun is still shining.
I saw another guy online, he used a small electric blanket. An old-style light bulb is also a technique, and in an enclosed space a tiny bulb would work, probably very low like 5W or so. My solution, for my Prius gen 3, is going to be to insulate the rear quarter where the lead-acid 12V is, and i bought two tiny ‘plate heaters’ (woteva that is - for 3D printer??), and I already fitted a solar charger (8W, about 15 inches square, from the ‘AA’ in the UK here) directly to offset cold weather/non-driving issues. So, finally I have a little digital thermostat for a tenner, and electrical connectors etc, and from now on I should be covered. I have realised though, battery insulation is a thing manufacturers super-neglect. This may be an automotive bias? IE they are more concerned about vehicle use, which mainly is an overheating concern in summer? Anyway, thanks for the video, I didn’t know such a film existed. Good luck and Happy New Year from the North of England, to all in 2024 (East side of the Pennine hills, is us. To the west, it’s commonly wetter weather and milder, our side is the North Sea side, colder and drier…but not this year, I mean last year, it’s a dozen different types of rain, including that floating stuff the Scots call ‘smirr’ which literally goes UP the way, and crawls in making the attic damp by defying gravity!).
Yeah, there is definitely more than one way to skin a cat! What I like about the heating film is the ability to place it directly under the batteries and heat the batteries directly as opposed to heating the air around the battery. This winter I'm following a plan that if the batteries are reading
My last batteries survived lasted 15 years without any winter heating system. So this heat I added is just a bonus for them. A thermostat would definitely work, but I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to our power consumption, so I want my battery heat to be a manual endeavour.
I have just started using a power inverter and 12 volt battery in my generator shed to power lights a battery tender to my zero turn battery and an exhaust fan. I have the inverter powered on the 12 volt battery 24/7 is this advisable? Will it hurt the inverter?
Although I don't fully understand your setup, I don't imagine what you are describing will hurt your inverter. Inverters are designed to turn DC into AC. If they are working too hard, the only potential for damage would be too much heat. If you inverter has a built it fan, it should, there shouldn't be a problem.
Yes sir I like to share with you the ability of utilizing water flow allowing the batteries to never get hot or cold but keeping the batteries and a water trough allows for you to homeowner to keep the batteries at a constant temperature that you want here in Arizona they are installing the batteries in the Attic and maybe needing the homeowner to be able to get back to grid once I've developed a system allowing to homeowner to give back to grid three times a day and make up to $4,000 a month with the system and water trough in Arizona and installing the batteries in it laundry room and a water trough allows for the batteries to never get hot or even warm when giving back to grid I prefer to have the batteries at a cool 68°
Yes, I'm sure setting up some sort of elaborate water flow might work, but there are a couple of problems with that when you live off grid. Since I'm talking about keeping batteries WARM in the winter, that would mean circulating heated water around the batteries. Our well water is about 4C. This means we'd be using some form of power to heat the water and even more power to circulate it. With the "system" I shared, we only use power when the generator needs to run anyway. So with my way, no additional power is really needed to keep the batteries close to 20C.
It’s good but what happens when you’re away? Look into a zigbee gateway and temp sensor, cheap as chips. I have mine set so when the temp drops below a certain temp it kicks on my deisel heater to bring the temp back up.
I don't "need" to warm the batteries. They are indoors. Just not in a heated room and they're against an external wall. I've only had this heating system in place for a year now, so they can live without it. We have 5 dogs, 3 horses and 2 goats, so we need a house-sitter when we go away. But I don't bother having them warm the batteries when we're away.
Agm batteries can charge and discharge below freezing. If you have lithium, they can discharge below freezing but they like to be between 60-80 f to charge them.
If you are running batteries to power anything of significance, then you should have meters to monitor what's happening. If you're noticing a lower battery voltage in cold weather vs warm, with similar power draws, then you may want to look at ways to warm those batteries up.
The heating pad is plugged into a regular AC outlet that is ultimately connected to my inverter and batteries. But I only run it when I'm running the generator because that way the generator is ultimately powering the pad while I charge the batteries at the same time. It's just a more efficient use of the generator. Since the batteries have so much thermal mass, I don't need to heat the batteries all the time. A couple hours a day is enough. And those couple hours come when I'm charging the batteries!
The purpose of our batteries is to power our home. Warm batteries power our home better than cold batteries. In the winter we need to run a generator to charge our batteries. So if we're running the generator anyway, it only makes sense to use the power my generator is making anyway to warm the batteries and increase their efficiency.
I see you replied to someone else's concern about hydrogen gas and 20-years of doing this. Sorry but your past success is exactly how a disaster happens. They all start out with..... it was never a problem before......... Not trying to be a hater as I appreciate your ideas. But consider purchasing a monitor to that enclosure. Your 2000 Sq. Ft has no value to your enclosure, that is where the potential explosion would occur. My best to you and your family.
I don't view you as a "hater" at all. You're just sharing your concern. TBH, up until last year my solar array was barely big enough for my battery bank and my batteries didn't receive an abundance of current. I had to fill them with deionized water once or twice a year. This year, I'm filling them every month, which means they are gassing off A LOT faster. I'm leaving the lid to the enclosure open. Reading your comment, I won't close the enclosure until I have a meter to ensure it's safe to do so. Thanks for your respectful concern.
love it, so helpful my man! we live off grid in northern az and winters get cold at night so helpful tip - if it works in Canada, AZ should be a piece of crum cake
I rafted the Grand Canyon in December a few years back and drove through a major snowstorm from Las Vegas to get there. So yup, I know if gets cold up in your neck of the woods. What's cool for you is you can just drive a couple of hours to warmth! We sadly don't have that option here...
Right now I live in Florida, about opposite from your weather conditions. However my goal is to live off grid in a schoolie and this idea will help! Thanks, blessings.
Yeah, what I forgot to say in the video is that this heating film only uses 150W. Compare that to a 1500W ceramic space heater! We're in an Extreme Cold Warning right now, which means it's cold and sunny. So, at 150W I can even run the heating film for an hour or so in the afternoon once my batteries are fully charged and the sun is still shining.
Thank you sir for the information.
Thank you sir very much helpful
I saw another guy online, he used a small electric blanket. An old-style light bulb is also a technique, and in an enclosed space a tiny bulb would work, probably very low like 5W or so. My solution, for my Prius gen 3, is going to be to insulate the rear quarter where the lead-acid 12V is, and i bought two tiny ‘plate heaters’ (woteva that is - for 3D printer??), and I already fitted a solar charger (8W, about 15 inches square, from the ‘AA’ in the UK here) directly to offset cold weather/non-driving issues. So, finally I have a little digital thermostat for a tenner, and electrical connectors etc, and from now on I should be covered. I have realised though, battery insulation is a thing manufacturers super-neglect. This may be an automotive bias? IE they are more concerned about vehicle use, which mainly is an overheating concern in summer? Anyway, thanks for the video, I didn’t know such a film existed. Good luck and Happy New Year from the North of England, to all in 2024 (East side of the Pennine hills, is us. To the west, it’s commonly wetter weather and milder, our side is the North Sea side, colder and drier…but not this year, I mean last year, it’s a dozen different types of rain, including that floating stuff the Scots call ‘smirr’ which literally goes UP the way, and crawls in making the attic damp by defying gravity!).
Yeah, there is definitely more than one way to skin a cat! What I like about the heating film is the ability to place it directly under the batteries and heat the batteries directly as opposed to heating the air around the battery. This winter I'm following a plan that if the batteries are reading
I have been keeping my battery 40 to 50 degrees F. Using a small electric blanket laid on top of them. Using very little current.
Great idea! Love it
get a cheap in line thermostat and a timer. Could save you energy and possible battery damage, low voltage shut off too maybe. Good video!
My last batteries survived lasted 15 years without any winter heating system. So this heat I added is just a bonus for them. A thermostat would definitely work, but I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to our power consumption, so I want my battery heat to be a manual endeavour.
I have just started using a power inverter and 12 volt battery in my generator shed to power lights a battery tender to my zero turn battery and an exhaust fan. I have the inverter powered on the 12 volt battery 24/7 is this advisable? Will it hurt the inverter?
Although I don't fully understand your setup, I don't imagine what you are describing will hurt your inverter. Inverters are designed to turn DC into AC. If they are working too hard, the only potential for damage would be too much heat. If you inverter has a built it fan, it should, there shouldn't be a problem.
Yes sir I like to share with you the ability of utilizing water flow allowing the batteries to never get hot or cold but keeping the batteries and a water trough allows for you to homeowner to keep the batteries at a constant temperature that you want here in Arizona they are installing the batteries in the Attic and maybe needing the homeowner to be able to get back to grid once I've developed a system allowing to homeowner to give back to grid three times a day and make up to $4,000 a month with the system and water trough in Arizona and installing the batteries in it laundry room and a water trough allows for the batteries to never get hot or even warm when giving back to grid I prefer to have the batteries at a cool 68°
Yes, I'm sure setting up some sort of elaborate water flow might work, but there are a couple of problems with that when you live off grid. Since I'm talking about keeping batteries WARM in the winter, that would mean circulating heated water around the batteries. Our well water is about 4C. This means we'd be using some form of power to heat the water and even more power to circulate it. With the "system" I shared, we only use power when the generator needs to run anyway. So with my way, no additional power is really needed to keep the batteries close to 20C.
It’s good but what happens when you’re away? Look into a zigbee gateway and temp sensor, cheap as chips. I have mine set so when the temp drops below a certain temp it kicks on my deisel heater to bring the temp back up.
I don't "need" to warm the batteries. They are indoors. Just not in a heated room and they're against an external wall. I've only had this heating system in place for a year now, so they can live without it.
We have 5 dogs, 3 horses and 2 goats, so we need a house-sitter when we go away. But I don't bother having them warm the batteries when we're away.
@@OffGridArk so why are you warming them if you don’t need to? 🤔
Do I need to do this with a marine battery and power inverter in a generator shed?
Agm batteries can charge and discharge below freezing. If you have lithium, they can discharge below freezing but they like to be between 60-80 f to charge them.
If you are running batteries to power anything of significance, then you should have meters to monitor what's happening. If you're noticing a lower battery voltage in cold weather vs warm, with similar power draws, then you may want to look at ways to warm those batteries up.
Are you running the heating pan from the generator or the batteries? Also why aren’t you heating them overnight? Is it due to lack of power usage?
The heating pad is plugged into a regular AC outlet that is ultimately connected to my inverter and batteries. But I only run it when I'm running the generator because that way the generator is ultimately powering the pad while I charge the batteries at the same time. It's just a more efficient use of the generator. Since the batteries have so much thermal mass, I don't need to heat the batteries all the time. A couple hours a day is enough. And those couple hours come when I'm charging the batteries!
Do you have a link to the heat source you used?
I just moved my coop battery inside. I debated using a rv tank heater (12 volt) . As me mentioned decreased sun added drain..... no good lol.
Ever had any concerns about hydrogen gas. Is it vented at all?
My batteries are in a 2,000 square foot room. They've been there for 20 years and no problems so far!
Should be vented to the outside…
Like video 😍😍
So you realizing a thermal heat sink and having the batteries and water will be able to keep all the batteries regulated whether you're there or not
i hate the idea of using energy to keep the battery warm! it defeats the purpose of the battery!
The purpose of our batteries is to power our home. Warm batteries power our home better than cold batteries. In the winter we need to run a generator to charge our batteries. So if we're running the generator anyway, it only makes sense to use the power my generator is making anyway to warm the batteries and increase their efficiency.
Is it a requirement to grow a beard to make you tube videos?
I don't think so, but it is a requirement if you live off grid, cut firewood and own an Australian Shepherd dog!
I see you replied to someone else's concern about hydrogen gas and 20-years of doing this. Sorry but your past success is exactly how a disaster happens. They all start out with..... it was never a problem before......... Not trying to be a hater as I appreciate your ideas. But consider purchasing a monitor to that enclosure. Your 2000 Sq. Ft has no value to your enclosure, that is where the potential explosion would occur. My best to you and your family.
I don't view you as a "hater" at all. You're just sharing your concern. TBH, up until last year my solar array was barely big enough for my battery bank and my batteries didn't receive an abundance of current. I had to fill them with deionized water once or twice a year. This year, I'm filling them every month, which means they are gassing off A LOT faster. I'm leaving the lid to the enclosure open. Reading your comment, I won't close the enclosure until I have a meter to ensure it's safe to do so. Thanks for your respectful concern.
Glad you are taking this seriously.