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captkw
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Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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smell's
Blanca,david Is right,, burnt smells is not good!!something did burn!! and as In my first post on this thread.. a true sinewave is a good way to start
your journey into the world of off the grid power!!! CAPS !! love it!! ever get zapped by a CRT? LOL...K&T  ...
[Edited on 7-4-2012 by captkw]
[Edited on 7-4-2012 by captkw]
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Or charge up a large electrolytic with a high pot and then forget about it?
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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LOL !!
NoW !! getting Zapped is good for the Heart !!!!
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rts551
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David
no matter what the size of the inverter, batteries have to keep up with it.
The road south was pretty good a month ago, but as dirt roads go,,, be prepared to go slow or hitch a ride with a local. maybe Jaime (el Jeve de
Biosphere) he comes south sometimes
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
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Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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ok, we are doing good here except we need more solar panels.
anyone have some to sell ?
and Dave, the road is very bad washboard the last 5 miles into la bocana. the rest of it, from asuncion south, is really quite smooth.
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BajaBlanca
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David, this is Les.
You're right, I checked the power from the generator yesterday and it was up to 178 volts, looks like it blew out the TV.
Solar is working just fine and I do have 1500W pure sine wave inverter for the kitchen stuff like the fridge and rest of the circuits runs on 3000W
modified sine wave inverter, 2 140W solar panels runing through 50A control to 8 batteries, actually 4 are Interstate and 4 Trojan rated at 235APH all
new. So as you can see I need more Solar panels as the batteries don't get fully charged now that we are here.
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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EXCELLENT! Well anyway at least as far as the batteries, and inverters are concerned. Is your genset running at its proper RPM? Not running way too
fast?
I sent Blanca my email address. It would be easier to communicate that way, and you can see some comments I made Les.
Glad to help.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by ncampion
YFirst figure out what your daily use is, get inverters to cover that and sufficient batteries to manage the load at night. Only then do you get
panels and controllers with sufficient wattage to recharge the batteries. Oh and BTW figure at least 50% safety margine on everything. I have a 6000
watt system for our off grid home in Loreto and we use AC at night with no generator run. It can be done. |
Correct, except that the battery bank should be sufficient to cover not just one night, but preferably 24-48 hours period because there can be
overcast and even rain sometimes. On such days the panel might collect as little as 10% compared to "normal" weather. Plus, the battery should not be
discharged below 50% often, or its life will shorten dramatically. Which means the battery bank should be at least 4 times your 24 hour consumption.
Most solar home guides recommend 10 times, but for Baja 4-6 times should be enough.
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LancairDriver
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The following information may be of interest on the output of a solar system a friend has recently installed in Utah and sent to me.The system has 47
215W American built solar panels that are mounted on a Aircraft hanger roof. He is able to check on the system remotely over the internet in real time
and can monitor output on each of the 47 panels individually. He is selling excess power back to the Electric Company on a 1:1 cost basis. I am no
expert on solar but it looks pretty impressive to me.Total cost ran about $20k with professional installation after rebates.Looks like a decent return
on investment based on the cost of electricity.Looks like the hot setup for a house in Baja.
Monthly Energy Production
Report for xxxxx
Enphase Energy maximizes your solar energy production and keeps you informed about your system. Your monthly energy report shows how your system
performed and how much you contributed to offsetting the global carbon footprint.
Energy Production and Peak Power for
June 2012
Week Peak Power Energy Produced
06/01/2012 - 06/07/2012 10.4 kW 570 kWh
06/08/2012 - 06/14/2012 9.99 kW 575 kWh
06/15/2012 - 06/21/2012 9.95 kW 565 kWh
06/22/2012 - 06/28/2012 10.3 kW 565 kWh
06/29/2012 - 06/30/2012 9.84 kW 162 kWh
June 2012's Total: 2.44 MWh
Previous Month's Total: 1.28 MWh
Year to Date: 3.72 MWh
For more details on these production results, please visit your Enphase® system.
Your Carbon Offsets
Your Enphase system generated 2.44 MWh of energy during the month of June 2012.
CO2 offsets: 1.68 tons
You have offset the equivalent of:
43 Trees
Powered by
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
©2008-2012 Enphase Energy, Inc. All rights reserved.
This is an automated system notification from Enphase Energy Inc., 201 1st Street, Suite 300, Petaluma, CA 94952, USA. To edit your notification
preferences, please log in to your Enlighten® account.
Your privacy is important to us. Please review Enphase Energy's Privacy Policy.
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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Blanca and all
| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaBlanca
David, this is Les.
You're right, I checked the power from the generator yesterday and it was up to 178 volts, looks like it blew out the TV.
Solar is working just fine and I do have 1500W pure sine wave inverter for the kitchen stuff like the fridge and rest of the circuits runs on 3000W
modified sine wave inverter, 2 140W solar panels runing through 50A control to 8 batteries, actually 4 are Interstate and 4 Trojan rated at 235APH all
new. So as you can see I need more Solar panels as the batteries don't get fully charged now that we are here. |
************** HOLA,,its more than best to NOT mix batts !!! very Important..do not mix batts in your system..K & T
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2753
Registered: 5-10-2011
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| Quote: |
06/22/2012 - 06/28/2012 10.3 kW 565 kWh
06/29/2012 - 06/30/2012 9.84 kW 162 kWh |
Yes. Some days and weeks you will collect MUCH less than average (4 times less in this example). This is why the battery bank should be large enough
to get you through those dark days. Thanks God not too many dark days in Baja.
Approximate calculator is here , one of the best that I know of. Unfortunately, it doesn't show anything South of San Diego. You may count on roughly 15% more daily
energy in Baja than in SD. Calculator should be used carefully - it doesn't include drop in panel output in a hot weather, results are for standard
test conditions (70F). Detract 0.5% per each degree above that, and consider that in 80F air the panel can warm up to 85F or more. But this one at
least shows realistic results, unlike few others that I've seen.
Note that this calculator shows MONTHLY energy collection, not weekly or daily. I prefer to know daily collection data. Energy audit is always Step #1
in solar system design. Know you consumption. Measure it, or estimate to the best of your abilities. Some can live on 1 kWh a day, and some need 10
Kwh. Energy consumption is usually the highest in summer, because of AC. Without AC, if you can live with powered vents and ceiling fans, summer
energy draw is not much higher than winter. Compressor fridge will draw more in summer, but not nearly as much as AC. If you have enough energy to
power MW and other small alliances like toaster, coffee maker, hair drier etc, it makes sense getting a normal 110V fridge rather than propane unit.
Yes, there are minimalists - I'm one of them - that can live without MW and make coffee on gas stove (nothing terrible, btw), and then 500W panel and
400-500 AH battery bank will do. The above calculator doesn't even accept panel values less than 0.5 KW, assuming that most solar homes have MUCH more
panel wattage.
Edit - PS: What Captain said - never mix batteries. Different brands have different charging parameters, what is perfect for one battery can be just
so-so for another.
[Edited on 7-3-2012 by Alm]
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monoloco
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6667
Registered: 7-13-2009
Location: Pescadero BCS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaBlanca
David, this is Les.
You're right, I checked the power from the generator yesterday and it was up to 178 volts, looks like it blew out the TV.
Solar is working just fine and I do have 1500W pure sine wave inverter for the kitchen stuff like the fridge and rest of the circuits runs on 3000W
modified sine wave inverter, 2 140W solar panels runing through 50A control to 8 batteries, actually 4 are Interstate and 4 Trojan rated at 235APH all
new. So as you can see I need more Solar panels as the batteries don't get fully charged now that we are here. |
Take it from someone who has lived off the grid for almost 20 years, 2 140w solar panels will not be enough to run an electric
refrigerator and everything else you will want like lights etc. Either plan on getting a gas fridge or substantially upgrading your system.
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Islandbuilder
Senior Nomad
Posts: 555
Registered: 11-9-2011
Location: nob
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Mood: bewildered
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaBlanca
David, this is Les.
You're right, I checked the power from the generator yesterday and it was up to 178 volts, looks like it blew out the TV.
Solar is working just fine and I do have 1500W pure sine wave inverter for the kitchen stuff like the fridge and rest of the circuits runs on 3000W
modified sine wave inverter, 2 140W solar panels runing through 50A control to 8 batteries, actually 4 are Interstate and 4 Trojan rated at 235APH all
new. So as you can see I need more Solar panels as the batteries don't get fully charged now that we are here. |
Les, It sounds like you have a control problem on your genset. I have analog gauges showing volts and the cycles. You need 120 volts and 60 cycles.
The cycles are controlled by RPM's of the engine, volts by the windings or configuration of the generator. Right DavidE?
So, changing the RPM's will only fix part of the problem (to get the cycles close, try slowing the motor down until the lights flicker, then speed it
up until they are steady, should be close).
Sorry about the TV, I hope that's the only problem!
I would suggest using power strips or switched outlets for most of your appliances and electronics. Virtually everything now doesn't turn all the way
off with the switch, but stays in stand-by mode, using about half as much power as if it was on.
Power strips are just easier than unplugging everything to really, fully, turn it off.
Good luck with the new place, I look forward to seeing it!
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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islandbiulder
Hola,good morn...the freq. depends on how manys poles and speed in a given design and volts are usally controled with a pot and be advised that today
with so many designs and models (brushless) that before I start to repair a genset I get the MANUAL and I do not mean the owners man, but the service
manual !! all gensets generate AC voltage and with a recterfier (diodes) lopes off part off the sine wave to change to DC volts.....K & T
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Bajajorge
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2604
Registered: 10-13-2005
Location: Topaz Lake, NV/San Felipe
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| Quote: | Originally posted by willardguy
anything davidE can't help you with, northern arizona wind and sun can. its a great forum from beginner to pro. |
Their prices are pretty good compared to others.
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Unless of course, you try and control a generator using a saturated field concept, and the capacitor shorts. Technically this is "voltage regulation".
Not so technically, when things fry and the exciter goes to ground it ain't easy to fix.
A good genset I used to build used the customer's prime mover, a Kato generator, Delco H9000 voltage regulator, and a Woodward electronic governor.
120.0 +- .1 volt, and 60.0 hz +- .1 hz. All this became obsolete when inverter generators came on the scene. Of course my units were a minimum of 20
KW. I used a Scott T connection to convert 3Ø to single phase when necessary.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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Islandbuilder
Senior Nomad
Posts: 555
Registered: 11-9-2011
Location: nob
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Mood: bewildered
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Wow, between capkw and DavidE I am a bit afraid to offer any advice! There are obviously bigger brains than mine in the conversation. Which is very
good!
I guess my only observation about the genset problem is that there is probably more going on than operator error. There may be an internal regulator
problem that allowed the generator to make much higher voltage than it should have. Had Les just run it too fast, he would have run the cycles above
60, to get more volts there may be a mechanical or wiring problem.
Before he puts the genset back on line, he needs to get some more advice, perhaps?
If DavidE is within striking distance it seems like his presence would be very useful. Heck, I'd like to get him on the boat to check out a couple of
concerns.
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Islandbuilder
Senior Nomad
Posts: 555
Registered: 11-9-2011
Location: nob
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Mood: bewildered
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Hmmm,, could the genset be wired incorrectly to the house, so that it's delivering 220v, with 110v getting into the neutral line? That'll cook some
stuff pretty dang fast!
In other words, the genset is ok, it just got pigtailed into the house panel wrong?
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Alm
Ultra Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by monoloco
2 140w solar panels will not be enough to run an electric refrigerator and everything else you will want like lights etc. Either plan on getting a gas
fridge or substantially upgrading your system. |
He (Les) didn't say that it was enough. As I read his post, he got those 2*140 panels with his new house, doesn't know yet their output, and he does
use a generator.
I wrote this already, without a daily run of a generator 500w or at least 400W is the bare minimum, and this is without AC and with a very limited use
of microwave and other small 110V appliances like toaster, vacuum etc. Small 5 cu.ft 12V fridge is realistic to have with this setup - $1,000 RV type,
not $200 residential type. This has been confirmed by offgrid "cabin" crowd like trailers. This lifestyle assumes trips to washer-drier on the camp,
and of course no luxuries like a dishwasher. Not terribly uncomfortable, the whole setup costs under 2K, easy to maintain, zero generator costs, but
this is not for everybody. I've seen many people that absolutely won't live in a home with no microwave and washer-drier.
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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I like two 5 gal buckets half full of warm water and detergent. Put in a few pieces of clothes, step barefoot into both buckets, and churn while
reading a paperback. When you finish a chapter the load has been washed. Good for clean toenails too.
Clad any refrigerator with two inch rigid foam insulation panels, and carefully spray aerosol closed cell foam behind not on to coils and pipes, motor
compressor, and then coat the underneath. With a good door gasket this will reduce energy costs by over half and keep food cold on a 45C day (electric
fridge) and reasonable with an absorbsion ammonia refrigerator. Close off, that means encase the refrigerator so the rear half is sealed from room
air. Make a 6" X 12" vent 6" off the ground and use wire mesh to stop critters. Run the enclosure all the way to the ceiling and make another vent.
Let mother nature's convection work for you. If you want to get fancy, get a surplus 24V computer style fan and run it directly off solar panels. Play
the air across the fins on the rear of the refrigerator. I have enjoyed rock hard ice cream on a 45C day this way. The refrigerator door doesn't look
too cool clad in rigid foam but you can't have everything.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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