2018 Update - Solar and More

[@jwsolarusa]

Thanks for the thorough explanation buddy. The system and the program is working greatly. It has been a while I haven't seen you online. I am glad you are back and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU

[@rhandsom]

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AS WELL JW!!!, I've been away for awhile. Had a lot of stuff going on with work, family, and life in general. I hope to produce more vids in the future as I get back into the swing of things.

[@yankey4]

HAPPY NEW YEAR BROTHER!!! Brother one tip. My house duse not have a heater. We use that same oil heater for are main het. One tip use a box fan on low blowing on he heater. It will help move that heat around the room. I found it makes it run a small bit less. Most off all the heat is not just in one spot. Right now it's 17 F and that heater is keeping a 600 SF room at 59.02 F.. I have it on max.

[@rhandsom]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! to you as well, and thanks for the tip. I didn't even consider that.

[@kcher]

Thanks for update. Happy New Year.

[@rhandsom]

Thanks and Happy New year to you as well.

[@welderoo]

awesome setup was just wondering how much aprox. do you have invested in all this, is it actually worth cost vs savings on power or is there other reasons for going solar. just wondering because it looks like the more I watch these videos the more I think that not attainable to do other that at hunting camp for lights radio use. how much invested on just battery bank used edisons vs new china? and where and how did you find the old used ones?

[@rhandsom]

Thanks for your comments. If you incorporate batteries into your system, then the idea of saving on electricity goes out the window. Batteries can be expensive, depending on the number and type of cells. My system is for backup purposes and it's more than served that purpose over the years, so for peace of mind it was worth it for me. Getting used cells, edison or otherwise, is always a toss up. My used cells required a great deal reconditioning to bring them up to an acceptable working condition based on what I wanted. But I had the time to work with them. I believe you would come out better simply purchasing new cells from a "reputable" supplier. I got my old cells from a neighbour, it was simply a case of being in the right place at the right time. For a decent system you can expect to pay around $15K or so. I built my system piece meal over a number of years, so I can't give exact numbers but it certainly wasn't cheap. If you are looking to save money on electricity, then you should look at grid tied systems. For battery backup, then you will be looking at a more expensive system. If that is what your looking for, then you should take a look at "pre-packaged" systems instead of building it piece by piece. You'll save time and money that way.

[@welderoo]

right on found a few videos after first comment where you acquired batteries from neighbor and another with link from china I guess I asked too early. I recently acquired a 36v 750 ah forklift battery and was hoping to salvage one or two 12v batteries from the cells and stumbled on your vids by mistake when researching how to recondition them, I only run small grid for hunting camp for lights and small fridge in summer so should be lots if can save it but these Edison cells caught my interest for longevity and was wondering about them. I know you said in one of your videos that they weren't as good quality but do you expect same longevity out of new ones?

[@rhandsom]

Yes, I do expect or "hope" to get close to the same level of longevity from these cells, as long as I treat them right with up keep etc. Up to this point I haven't regretted my decision. I would however, recommend you do some research into your supplier and ensure you get "quality" cells from a reputable supplier. If I had to do it again, I would go with Iron Edison's cells, I like their business model and their support appears to be top notch.

[@amberrivers81]

knock knock hope you all are doing ok

[@rhandsom]

Hello, I'm doing fine, just been busy. Thanks for checking in.

[@sunwarrior5307]

Where did you get the program from, is it available for sale?

[@rhandsom]

I developed the program and graphic interface using mySCADA. You can find it and download it from the web.

[@OverUnity7734]

Would you be able to put a tank of water or electrolyte above the cells and have small hoses run down to each battery ? Do the batteries have a fill line you need to stop at ? Or if the water is boiling off, have the vapor go up a sealed hose or tube so that it can condense and drop back into the batteries. Certainly after a century some one has devised of an automatic way of keeping the batteries topped off.

[@rhandsom]

Thanks for the comment, I believe there are watering systems available, BeUtilityFree, claims to have one available, I just couldn't wait any longer for them to ship it to me after waiting for months, so I cancelled the order. I may revisit the possibility at a later date.

[@adventurious1234]

just found ur channel n all I can say is..Damn..!!...sweeeet..!!....I'm a Gona get me a pencil n paper n warm up the solderin thingie n make me some magic smoke (cause I always do.. dammit...lol)

[@thevaultohio]

Great video. I have the NiFe batteries you have for your system, except 48 volts battery bank. Have you made a video on how to change the electrolyte on the NiFe battery? Did you have to order the powder mixture from China?

[@rhandsom]

Thanks, I Actually I purchase my KOH from a company called Duda Energy. I simply mix it with distilled water at about 2.5 to 3 pounds of KOH per gallon of water. The only difference is that the original mixture has lithium hydroxide or something to that effect, which I don't have. It's supposed to make the cells more efficient, but you can get by without it.

[@thevaultohio]

Thanks. This is very good info. I appreciate your curiosity for trying things and knowledge gained and shared!

[@JohnSmith-ug5ci]

That is a lot of lead acid batteries to have to look after. Have you looked into lithium Ion batteries which require little to no maintenance?

[@rhandsom]

John Smith actually these are nickel Iron and Nickel Cadmium based batteries, that are known for longevity. Lithium based cells are great cells as well, but I don’t want to pay the prices.

[@royamberg9177]

Don't know if your aware but morningstar has a new firmware for the 600 volt charge controller. I just upgraded it. See how this works

[@rhandsom]

Thanks Roy, I'll check into it.

[@MilitaryIndustrialMuseum]

Check out the Electrodacius...

[@rhandsom]

For a lithium based setup, seems like they have a lot to offer.

[@adventurious1234]

hey...will that magna sine charge lithium ion..??