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RFClark
Super Nomad
Posts: 2331
Registered: 8-27-2015
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Mood: Looking forward to 2024
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Latest Pictures - We went North for 2 weeks
The project progressed while we were gone!
Kitchen painting, plumbing and counter sealing complete.
West wall finished pending painting.
North Wall finished pending painting and concrete stair steps poured.
South Wall is almost ready for concrete. Not much container exposed now. Soon no container exposed!
Pantry Floor done today. Just a few weeks ago this was bare container. Now the roof and walls are insulated and concrete painted white. The floor will
be sealed concrete. This is how the upstairs container part of the house will be finished as well.
Last 2 Solar Panel Racks ready to install.
Solar System 18 - 540W panels 2 - 6KW 240 VAC inverters and 3 - 4 100A 48V Li Ion batteries
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lewmt
Junior Nomad
Posts: 79
Registered: 4-12-2017
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Man! It's really coming together! What a fun & engaging project. That is a lot of solar input!
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RFClark
Super Nomad
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Mood: Looking forward to 2024
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The 18 solar panels allow us to run the AC and charge our car at the same time while still charging the batteries. We anticipate between 7-8KW midday
between mid-March and October. The panels are flat mounted to take advantage of our location’s overcast summer weather and the fact that the sun
actually travels north of here in summer.
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soulpatch
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Registered: 7-30-2005
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Super cool!
Sorry, I haven't revised the entire thread but you also are grid-connected?
Backup generator?
Congratulations on a cool project.
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RFClark
Super Nomad
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Mood: Looking forward to 2024
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Finished container door end
The right container door has all the durock installed. You can compare it to the left side. Next step cement covering.
Air compressor & plasma cutter both on solar. This is why you need 240VAC/48VDC inverters and lots of solar panels.
Compressors and plasma cutters are difficult loads for small generators or 120VAC solar systems.
For 1/4” steel plate plasma is about 4 times faster cutting than abrasive wheel cutters. Plasma cutter $250 US.
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RFClark
Super Nomad
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The outside Durock is all installed
The Durock (Cement Board) was installed on the East side today.
This picture shows container wall, insulation and Durock.
This picture shows the completed south end with white cement and the East side completely covered. The 1st scratch coat of cement will be done
tomorrow and finished in white cement next week.
The work inside (electrical) continues.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64479
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Nice job. Interesting to see, thank you!
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JDCanuck
Super Nomad
Posts: 1159
Registered: 2-22-2020
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Quote: Originally posted by RFClark  | | The 18 solar panels allow us to run the AC and charge our car at the same time while still charging the batteries. We anticipate between 7-8KW midday
between mid-March and October. The panels are flat mounted to take advantage of our location’s overcast summer weather and the fact that the sun
actually travels north of here in summer. |
RFClark: We are especially interested in how your solar will meet your needs. We have about an equivalent sizing of panels as you for our fully
electric home about 60 miles north of you on the pacific coast, but a fair bit more in batteries, and the total of 32,500 watt hours lithium battery
storage seems about right when we get a string of cloudy days during winter months. So far with these batteries our generator has not been needed. I
have some questions:
Are you also on grid power, or do you have a supplementary generator that will take excess loads, or a larger generator to recharge and carry full
loads in case of solar system failures as we do?
Are you installing timers to spread the various loads out as excess solar is available and after battery storage is recharged?
[Edited on 3-26-2023 by JDCanuck]
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RFClark
Super Nomad
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JD,
We plan to go up to 20KW in battery storage eventually. Our heaviest load is our car charging (4KW) for 2.5 Hrs. We’ve done all our welding and
cutting off the inverters since we installed them.
I calculate that we’ll ultimately have at least 8KW of solar power midday. Our 4 inverter ACs will draw around 4KW max giving us plenty of margin to
charge and run the house. Currently with 2 of the 3 arrays installed we have over a KW of solar from 8:00 AM on.
We don’t have CFE in our area. We have a backup inverter propane plant that is rated at 9KW 240VAC. It will charge the batteries and carry our
maximum AC load.
If we needed night time AC. I would run the generator until we turn in and then AC the bedroom(s) off the 12K btu mini-splits in each BR from the
batteries.
Our San Felipe place has internet control of all the heavy loads. The new place has internet control of the ACs (Carrier AC). We really don’t have
any other big loads that run automatically. We have a dishwasher which we run after 9:00 with a 90 min cycle. Hot water is propane on demand a few
feet away from the DW so its water is quite hot. Max draw is about 900W for the DW.
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JDCanuck
Super Nomad
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Registered: 2-22-2020
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Thanks RFC: Sounds to me like you have excess panels for what you plan as the hot water and stove appear to be on propane. Our hot water is all
electric on 3 separate tanks totaling 60 gal and this is by far our largest loading. The induction/ convection stove and convection toasters are the
second highest loads, but induction stovetop is extremely efficient and boils water in under 2 min as opposed to 4-5 on propane or electric element.
I've considered putting in solar hot water heaters upstream of the electrics, but so far have not found a supplier willing to install out here. If I
ever do this, I should have enough excess to charge a moderately sized BEV. Always something for the future. Do you have any experience with
pressurized solar hot water heaters?
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JDCanuck
Super Nomad
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Registered: 2-22-2020
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I am intrigued by the capabilities of the new 2-way charging and discharging EV's like the Lightning F-150 and the possibility of having them supply
power to the home at a far cheaper cost than expanding the solar batteries when they are not being used for transport. So far only 2 or 3 suppliers
have thought this one out, but I think it will become far more common in future. We have tried to keep our installed solar batteries minimalized for
this reason. Sunrun requires an 80 amp charger circuit for this purpose with the Lightning.
Heres the concept:
https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/f150-lightning/2022/feature...
[Edited on 3-27-2023 by JDCanuck]
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JDCanuck
Super Nomad
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"I calculate that we’ll ultimately have at least 8KW of solar power midday. Our 4 inverter ACs will draw around 4KW max giving us plenty of margin
to charge and run the house. Currently with 2 of the 3 arrays installed we have over a KW of solar from 8:00 AM on."
If you have had the same installer as us for the solar, I suspect you will push out 9kw or more in summer at peaks, as we are getting over 10kw with
just a bit more (4%) panels rating, and the daily output breaks above 60kwh at peaks if we can get the loading phased in to utilize it all. We have 24
- 445w panels installed, so the daily solar factor is just a bit over 6 in our location, we were expecting only 5 to 5.5. Over winter months, we found
that dropped by about 1/3 at the most, and our panel orientation is not the best, shifted about 10 degrees to the west.
[Edited on 3-27-2023 by JDCanuck]
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RFClark
Super Nomad
Posts: 2331
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Mood: Looking forward to 2024
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Electric hot water requires too much electricity even for a CFE house. We need propane for backup anyway. We also have induction plates we use when
it’s hot. A heat pump water heater might be a good idea when the price comes down. You cant beat 11 Peso propane and $150 demand water heaters.
Saves water too!
My calculations as to the max available are very rough. We mounted our panels flat because the sun is actually north of us at 22 degrees for a lot of
the Spring, Summer and Fall. We also have low overcast often in the mornings and evenings.
Flat mounts work better in both cases. Less peak power when the sun is south of us but more hours per day. The less hours on batteries the longer they
last. We generate power from sunrise to sunset on clear days. Our neighbors with south facing panels generate from about 8:30 - 17:00 right now. Flat
panels survive high winds better as well.
We built and installed our own panel racks.
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JDCanuck
Super Nomad
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Yes, it may work better overall at a somewhat reduced angle, we too get excess solar generation from about 7:30 to18:00, recharging of batteries and
additional loads from 8 to 17:30 as it needs to overcome internal system losses as well, which run around 220 watts 24 hr a day. 2 and 1/2 ton heat
pumps are timed from 6:30 to 20:00 with enough battery power to run 2 bedroom 1 tons on extended cooling all night if desired, which will draw down
the storage to about 35-50% before excess solar is available again the next day. These are winter factors, summer of course we will be more stingy on
the cooling overnite, but we are seldom in occupancy at that time of year.
The surprising part this past year was the amount of heating it took overnite to maintain 23 degrees inside. I've been told it was an exceptionally
cool year. In summer we find we adjust to 25 to 26 degrees inside and feel rather cool as the outdoor temps are significantly higher.
[Edited on 4-19-2023 by JDCanuck]
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RFClark
Super Nomad
Posts: 2331
Registered: 8-27-2015
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Mood: Looking forward to 2024
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Interior walls (Finally!)
We are finally doing the upstairs interior. These shots are from the living room. There is a bedroom and bathroom on each side of the living room. The
roof and perimeter of the 2nd floor are insulated and each of the Bedroom and bathroom areas are also insulated to allow operation of zone climate
control as each area has its own mini split heat pump.
   
[Edited on 4-2-2023 by RFClark]
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RFClark
Super Nomad
Posts: 2331
Registered: 8-27-2015
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Mood: Looking forward to 2024
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Cooking a Holiday Dinner in our new kitchen
Home made chili rellenos for dinner from our new kitchen.Today is Sandy’s birthday too. I wish you all a happy whatever you celebrate and will have
more construction pictures next week.
We’re building exterior furniture as well as doors. The wood is domestic 1” Teak planks. It has a more interesting grain than the African Teak
we’re using for hand rails.
[Edited on 4-10-2023 by RFClark]
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RFClark
Super Nomad
Posts: 2331
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Visitors at our doorstep
We had visitors today. Our concrete guy said tacos and burritos de burro are all the rage in La Paz on the weekends.
Moving on the scratch coat is mostly on and the master bath will be done in a couple of days. Pictures soon!
Currently we’re getting over 2KW of solar at 7:30 AM from our 12 - 540 W panels.
[Edited on 4-19-2023 by RFClark]
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WestyWanderer
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Location: San Clemente, CA
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Looking great, coming along so nicely. Are you guys living downstairs now?
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RFClark
Super Nomad
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Yes, we’ve been living there for about a month now.
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RFClark
Super Nomad
Posts: 2331
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Looking for Feedback
Hi,
This type of shutter is widely used in Europe. Does anyone have any experience with them.
The concept:
In the up position the 2 halves are latched together to make a single unit. Both halves are covered with galvanized metal sheeting the same as we used
on the ends of the house. They will be painted white on the exterior side to match the house. Yes there will be a 3rd hinge in the center of the
production units.
The frames and undersides will be painted black to match the steel window frame.
We plan to use 20” gas shocks (think hatchbacks) to hold them open. There will be pin latches on each side in the middle and bottom to hold them
closed.
1/4” neoprene strips will be between the shutter and the window frame to prevent rattle when closed.
I’m interested in any of your thoughts.
Thanks
 
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