Beautiful off-grid cabin deep in the woods using solar

Tim and his wife Cathy wanted a peaceful place to retire. This wooden cabin set high up in the woods on a Montana mountain has amazing views and is powered by solar and Victron Energy. We take a look around to find out how they keep the power running and how they achieve both 240V and 120V supplies.
Intelligent Controls: icmontana.com
Cathy's Podcast: wildernessbedrock.com
Autotransformer: www.victronenergy.com/autotra...
#montana #solar #victron
For technical questions see our support page: www.victronenergy.com/support or contact your Victron dealer, distributor or installer.
You can also have a look at our Victron Community page to see if your question has already been answered there. Or join in the conversation to help others: community.victronenergy.com
00:00 Introduction
00:38 Why live here?
01:43 What it was like when they moved here
02:16 Dream cabin in the woods
02:49 What's in the basement, Tim?
03:14 The need for electricity
03:38 Deciding to use solar
03:59 System on a board
04:25 Aaron explains this is a typical requirement
05:05 Equipment run-through
05:28 How they got both 240V and 120V
06:15 No issues
06:29 Water pump
07:05 Mother-in-law
09:09 No anxiety
09:34 What's next?
10:32 Conclusion

[@VictronEnergyBV]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 03:18 ☀️ Tim and Cathy Schwartz chose to go off-grid in a remote area of Montana, seeking tranquillity and isolation. 05:17 🔌 They installed a Victron system featuring an 8kVA Quattro Inverter Charger, Pylontec Batteries, and solar panels for reliable power in their remote cabin. 07:20 💧 Tim's mother-in-law, Nancy, adapted well to off-grid living with hot water, electricity, and internet connectivity, which she uses for bridge and online shopping. 09:53 🏡 Tim plans to expand the system for more family visits and greater reliability in their off-grid setup. 11:25 🌲 The family enjoys the peace and therapeutic aspects of living off-grid in their lakeside cabin in Montana.

[@waltzwithbash]

Tims a legend! Supporting his family and keeping them comfortable.

[@joeygay7115]

You guys have inspired us to soon realize our dream of moving off grid sooner than we thought

[@VictronEnergyBV]

Now that is fantastic news. Good luck!

[@intelligentcontrols]

Hey, way to go! Let us know if your have any questions along the way.

[@NYCamper62]

Hope they are doing well. Off grid retirement, that is awesome 👌. Cheers & best of luck!

[@ralfblumhoff7930]

Very nice installation! I only noticed one point for optimization that can be implemented without any effort: The Pylontech batteries should be connected diagonally to the Victron system, i.e. connect the positive pole to the first and the negative pole to the last battery or vice versa. This measure ensures that all batteries are evenly loaded!

[@VictronEnergyBV]

You are right - I'll pass this on Ralf, thank you

[@4LXK]

@@VictronEnergyBV If they are going to expand maybe even a ring connection would be better. I am running a similar sized solar on-grid, albeit with 5x3000C pylons and the cables are only rated to 100A. The only challenge is having to double them up in the Lynx to use the same fuse.

[@hein_mcleod]

Even better, run a positive and negative cable from either end of the bank. The supplied cables are only rated for 100A so you need 2 sets to match the 8kVa inverter.

[@intelligentcontrols]

Nicely spotted Ralf! You're totally accurate there. One cool feature of these Pylontech batteries that helps out there is that they will run a balancing process once they reach 100% SOC; they essentially communicate with each other and equalize the entire system down to the cell level during the lithium equivalent of the "absorption" or "float" phase of charging."

[@patricklyons7683]

​@@VictronEnergyBV ...both of the two us3000 battery banks (three on each string) need positives taken from other end of them. All done once system is shut down of course!

[@MarkPrince1317]

Impressive Best regards from Philippines 🇵🇭☕☕

[@D.D.1963]

Amen on not having neighbors Close✨🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲✨ nature all the way.

[@intelligentcontrols]

It is SO peaceful up there!

[@arthurquintana1345]

This is why I am interested in Victron equipment

[@VictronEnergyBV]

Great to hear it Arthur!

[@intelligentcontrols]

Say more about that, Arthur. Would love to know why you think Victron gear is different or special.

[@intelligentcontrols]

@@DavidJames-sv9sm well put. The opportunities really are limitless.

[@Kosmonooit]

Can't go wrong!

[@HansKeesom]

@@Kosmonooit That is Victron!

[@davidniquot6423]

For me .. this is the way, small house in the forest with reduced energy consumption. Good job.

[@mrsunelectronics544]

Hab den ganzen keller mit Victron voll installiert 🤩💯☀️ 💯🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔌🔌💡💡💡 Victron Power System 👍

[@heraldmangava5169]

Wow. This is nice.

[@TJackSurvival]

I love this one

[@mikeunum]

I know a lot of alaskian people living off-grid there. On my advise they use Victron now for years and they are more then happy.

[@VictronEnergyBV]

Great to hear!

[@intelligentcontrols]

That's awesome, Mike. These types of systems are so satisfying to help build. It's just a good experience for everyone.

[@LaidBackHomesteader]

Working towards being off grid with my family in Northern Ireland. I'm not retired we're just getting started

[@VictronEnergyBV]

Great to hear - good luck!

[@maksyms.]

Fantastic!

[@IamMotorHomeless]

Wow, I would love to live in an off-grid cabin deep in the woods, but I will have to settle for a semi off-grid bungalow.. my panels go on this Wednesday, and the twin Multiplus 48/5000s should get fitted in about two weeks Can't wait

[@intelligentcontrols]

Very cool. Excited for you!

[@IamMotorHomeless]

@@intelligentcontrols me too... the installer told me it would be 2 or 3 months... then he emails me this morning, to say someone canceled last minute, and they could do the panels this week. only 6.4kW, but we don't use much :)

[@intelligentcontrols]

It's nice when that happens! Best of luck @@IamMotorHomeless

[@IamMotorHomeless]

​@@intelligentcontrols yes, they dropped the Scaffolding off today. so it's all go for tomorrow. the weather is forcast as light cloud and a gentle breeze. so they should have the panels up and sorted in no time.

[@hayesisaac6890]

Great company, the best at what they do!

[@joesalazar770]

I commend you both what a dream come true. I only wish I had the money to move to an area similar. Me and my wife of 15 years I'm a colo native and live on a 80 acres ranch with power but still have neighbors. I've thought about remote areas in Alaska but gett them is not easy if I could I'd build a small log home in the middle of the forest and live till we are gone love you guys and your dreams..

[@intelligentcontrols]

Nice! Yeah, it was a big decision. They had always lived with a grid connection. Recently, Tim said an elk herd passed through, and two golden eagles are nesting close by. They feel very blessed, to be sure.

[@joesalazar770]

I have a freind who put in his own complete solar system in Colorado full sun no shade he only needs minamal power for comfort. 8 panels and ten batteries and a inverter that handles charging and the generator if needed most days the batteries are in float by noon. I'm thinking about doing something similar but requirements would be double.

[@intelligentcontrols]

That sounds like a fun setup@@joesalazar770. Would you like to talk with one of our people to figure out how you want to do it?

[@HansKeesom]

I saw some shadow on the panels on the right. Topping the right tree could help a lot here.

[@VictronEnergyBV]

Yep, Tim is doing to do that

[@carlthor91]

Nice video on their install. Jono, you and the crew have produced a great document of their system. Best wishes from the far North.

[@VictronEnergyBV]

Thank you Carl

[@Sagittarius-A-Star]

Ha! This is funny - I remember Jono mentioning that he got a job at Victron ( Damn! This was five years ago already?? ) in one of his videos on his channel "Journey with Jono". How do you know he was involved in this video?

[@carlthor91]

@@Sagittarius-A-Star He had great knowledge of Victron equipment before. And he is narrating this.

[@Sagittarius-A-Star]

It's true. I watched another Victron video and paid attention to the narrator. "...it's always on the wise ..." - this is Jono. @@carlthor91

[@danielardelian2]

The use of the MPPT RS 450 / 100 suggests that a long PV string was used, but I see shading from the trees on the panels in most scenes...I think with tree shading, multiple shorter PV strings (2 - 3 panels at most), connected in parallel to a low-voltage MPPT (150V or 250V) would give a better energy yield. But that would be more complicated to wire and the MPPT RS 450 offers more room to grow the PV system...

[@johannesboonstra6917]

you are aware most panels have bypass diodes built in? this shading you describe is not an issue then.

[@Kosmonooit]

Probably all 8 in that string (say Voc 8x40 = 360) - I'm suggesting a ground mount system to scale up, up the hill, will need to put that chainsaw into action tho.

[@mflo1970]

Sin duda la introducción de la tecnología de baterias de litio ha contribuido de manera notable ,para dar impulso a los sistemas remotos y no tan remotos ,los sistemas de transformación victron tienen el tiempo en sus manos enhorabuena 👏 por tener la mejor eleccion

[@margarita8442]

superba install

[@hardwarelabor1631]

absolutly dream build. The could even charge a electric vehicle if the put more solar panels on the roof and the ground with a second or third inverter with three-phase-power and a big cooker. If the put a long pipe to the sea the have a garentied water supply

[@VictronEnergyBV]

It’s an amazing location

[@margarita8442]

good install install !!!!

[@davidadams421]

Brings new meaning to 'covet thy neighbour's house'.

[@intelligentcontrols]

It's a sweet spot, that's for sure. It's amazing what Tim and Cathy have done in just two years to make it livable, comfortable, and stress-free. It was pretty stressful getting started!

[@davidadams421]

@@intelligentcontrols I enjoy the Victron stuff, I'm a bit of a fanboy after living in a caravan for 7 years, but all I could think about during that video was how appealing Tim and Cathy's 'life in a cabin' appeared to be. Tim's piece at the end talking about the changing seasons was inspirational. And a great case study for Victron because, in my experience, when it just has to work, the answer is Victron.

[@intelligentcontrols]

@@davidadams421, this was the last off-grid home we visited with Jono, (Victron's Media Producer) and we literally had to make ourselves leave! They are just as lovely in person, and the location is just so peaceful. Do check out Cathy's podcast. 'Episode 8: Beavers & the Blood Moon' is brilliant. A great evening, chill down listen.

[@VictronEnergyBV]

I could stay there full time and edit the videos looking out of the window over the lake. The chipmunks in the trees etc, oh how I can dream. Lol. It sure was amazing. (Jono)

[@LiveMedia123]

I wouldn't mind spending my EOL days there

[@getubelogin]

Thanks Jono.

[@VictronEnergyBV]

Thats okay Geoff - thanks for watching

[@jfletc3000]

to me and this is my opinion if i can't leave you can keep that peaceful life but the cold got go

[@VictronEnergyBV]

You could invest in a snow buggy! Although deep in the woods, they aren't that far from supermarkets and towns etc.

[@jybuis3939]

I'm liking those Snickers Work Wear clothes.

[@intelligentcontrols]

Ha! Their pants are really, really nice.

[@jybuis3939]

@@intelligentcontrols Nice, I'm going to order some of their pirate pants for myself. I'm a hyuuuuge fan of Fjallraven Vida Pro pants for working outdoors, have a half-dozen pairs and they last forever (and shed ticks really well). The pockets on the Snickers look handy tho.

[@intelligentcontrols]

LOL. Aaron wears those in the summer (and we enjoy making fun of him), but he persists. Built-in tick-shedding technology, eh? Handy! :) Will check them out. Thanks,@@jybuis3939

[@jybuis3939]

@@intelligentcontrols The fabric is a pretty tight weave that they have a hard time climbing, and the cuffs have good blousing straps built in. I apply some permethrin to the legs every few washings and overall I get few to zero ticks making their way all the way up to my belt line.

[@intelligentcontrols]

Ha! Ticks be gone! That’s great. Ticks are the living worst.

[@Kosmonooit]

Beautiful, but I am sure they could use more PV panels, perhaps on the upper roof - another string (8?) at least? Care to share their VRM address? read only of course. Would be interested to see their data. Guess a ground mount structure would be a bit tricky with all those trees, some would have to be cleared. But surely that would make maintenance easier (like clearing snow), no risky roof adventures. And with 450v Solar Charger long cables not too much of an issue?

[@VictronEnergyBV]

Tim’s plan is to add more panels.

[@Kosmonooit]

@@VictronEnergyBV He should really look at ground mount array to scale up, also with that 450V system cable length should not be too much of a costly issue. What are the codes like there for roof mount? I know elsewhere in the US its a royal PIA since each panel needs a disconnect (Engineer775 stays away form them for that reason)

[@chuxxsss]

Wish I had more Victron stuff, but Chinese stuff is cheaper here in Australia. I feel guilty as I am half Dutch.

[@Kosmonooit]

Pytontechs are Chinese and are excellent products so are most PV panels. But once you experience Victron there is no turning back!

[@Nuggetsjourney]

How do they get power in winter months?

[@VictronEnergyBV]

Mixture of solar and generator. You’ll be surprised how much solar you can get on a cold crisp day!

[@Robert-tl6pv]

@@VictronEnergyBV what kind of generators are stable enough to be used to charge pylontech batteries? We noticed our own 'household' generator, wasn't stable enough to do so.

[@intelligentcontrols]

@@Robert-tl6pv Good Q. Any higher end generator with an electronically controlled throttle would have no problem but plenty of our customers have Pylontechs that are being charged with budget generators. Note that you can also change settings in the inverter/charger to accept low-quality power.

[@1whitecottagelife770]

So how much did all the systems cost?

[@intelligentcontrols]

@1whitecottagelife770, probably under 15K. He started with a big battery bank, which is often the most expensive part of a power system (but not one where you want to cut corners). It's not uncommon for customers to start out with 3 or 4 Pylontech battery modules and expand the capacity of the bank over time as their budget allows. There's a contact form on the top banner of our website if you'd like to talk about sizing your system or what Victron components we'd recommend.

[@mfs1011]

Nasty shadow on those panels. Hope they’re optimised somehow.

[@VictronEnergyBV]

Just a bit of ‘tree topping’ is required.

[@intelligentcontrols]

Tim added a second MPPT, which will help, but yeah, some trees will need to go eventually.

[@margarita8442]

any victron system is rolls royce !!!!

[@survivalgameexploration5724]

mother in law is sitting right in front of the window and has turned on the lights. great. it is clear that you need batteries with 21kWh.

[@VictronEnergyBV]

The lights were turned on due to the extra light needed for filming.

[@tomfull6637]

We already know that forests are “driven” by solar energy 🤣 (..your headline)

[@VictronEnergyBV]

boom boom LOL

[@ptrsngr]

maybe 4 kwp with 20+kwh batt, serouis?

[@VictronEnergyBV]

His system has room to grow

[@kevinmills5293]

I’ve 2.5kWp of solar and they regularly put out over 20kWh in a day.

[@ptrsngr]

@@kevinmills5293 you know that this is not the truth

[@4LXK]

They have a generator, so more battery capacity makes sense to not run that thing every 5 minutes during winter.

[@kevinmills5293]

@@ptrsngr I know it is the truth.

[@veronicaroach3667]

Wonderful until one of you has an emergency medical situation in snow season - then I guess you have to assume a helicopter will come & get you - as long as your phone is working - or do you rely on some other emergency contact - carrier peigeon maybe ? I was always a person with a great desire for alone-ness - until I became an old bird, then I suddenly recognized why we humans need other humans ! So looking at your situation makes me feel nervous !

[@VictronEnergyBV]

They are alone in this forest but not a huge distance from a local town. There are people far far more isolated. Plus there is a LOT of medical knowledge in this house!