Buying this Kit was the BEST CHOICE for Our HUGE Solar Arrays

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Күн бұрын

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@coziii.1829 13 күн бұрын

I would have painted the wood with high temp black paint . Also I would have painted tar or use those wraps of yours the length that is in the dirt and seal bottom . Looks great

@diyfferent 5 ай бұрын

So far this is the smartest home solar setup that I have seen. It makes a lot of sense and it was really smart to put it on the ground level.

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

Thanks! We're really happy with how it turned out. We've had some very strong wind storms in the last few days and it all held up wonderfully!

@Uvoted4this 5 ай бұрын

I have never understood why people that build it on the ground don't spend a few extra dollars and elevated it for FUTURE use as storage, shade or car port.

@diyfferent 5 ай бұрын

@@Uvoted4this You have to find that balance for your needs. If you put it too high, they become hard to clean and maintain. Put it too low and they are harder to get under and easier to damage. You have to find that perfect spot. I would have never considered building out the array like this until watching these videos. I had the old "put it on the roof" mentality. I like Sam's setup very much.

@Kregorius 5 ай бұрын

@@Uvoted4thisaccessibility is the word. Winter: if you need it for primary energy source than you need to clean snow off it. Some elevation is needed so it doesn't pile up to the panels. But too much and the stick with scraper will get looooooong. Two decent panels are around 4 meter long. Add some to hold on to. You need to have control what you doing up there. That's 5-6 meters of stick you need to keep up in the air and be gentle with. Add couple meters of height for a shed structure- that 5-6 just turned to 7-8 meters. Doing it once or twice may be ok, but you don't want to do it every day whole winter just because you need it to keep your lights on. Cleaning: same spiel as last one. Even of you don't need to clean it too often, there will be some layer of muck accumulating eventually. Structural integrity. Some stakes in the ground is ok. Some long and some short stakes are ok. Make all the sticks long and wobbly - there will be issues. Best to start with the whole structure planned as she'd or car park with solar roof. But that's way more wood than some stakes in the ground.

@jcberb 3 ай бұрын

Agreed, this is the route I am going for sure. I just need to get myself a tractor first... because a ladder/platform will not be safe enough when working on the top portion of the ground mount (or at least that is what I am telling my wife).

@Charlotte-bn4gp Ай бұрын

P.S. running so far behind! I cant get through one remodel before another pops up🤦but stealing time to visit with one of my favorite KZbin families 🤗

@Charlotte-bn4gp Ай бұрын

We are homeowners and we know the cost of solar is out of our reach but i love learning about it. Ive watched many systems being installed...why🤷, i haven't a clue!😂 You always explain so well, thanks for sharing knowledge, its priceless!!!

@janmilos5975 5 ай бұрын

Sam and Angela, I have been watching you guys for a long time - is there anything you can't do? Talk about a handy man ( couple) you are the best.

@NiNitosix 5 ай бұрын

Exactly what I thought! They can do anything.

@ur_quainmaster7901 2 ай бұрын

Very similar to what I did, at least as far as the base goes. The differences being I used unistrut instead of 2x6 for going between the two headers. I then fit three panels horizonally on each 10ft piece of unistrut. I then used standard unistrut hardware square washers to tighten everything down. This worked great except on the edges.... I ended up using the square washers cut in half as a spacer to emulate having another panel on the outside of the bolt. This sort of thing was helpful for mounting panels with different thickness in the frames.... also used cut in half square washers as a spacer below the regular square washer when I had to go between a fat frame and a shallow one. My ground mount for 8kw of panels was around $1000-1200. I also used roofing tar instead of those shrink wrap things. It is a good idea to treat it in some way... I considered sugi ban, but I used treated wood and didn't know how that would change things. Oh, and I used plywood I had lying around for one header, painted it, but it did not last. It rotted and warped so I found a huge overkill steel I beam. Had I not found that, I would have used treated double 2x12 (staggered!), that would raise the price of everything by whatever 80ft of treated 2x12 cost.

@debralawler-nt9si 5 ай бұрын

You are really teaching your boys about solar power this is a great educational tool while being very self sufficient boys are hard workers and you are teaching them that

@GeorgeKauffman-w6g 5 ай бұрын

Very well done, both the build and the explanation. My question: why so many wooden rafters? It looks like every other rafter has no load?

@elainebuchka6533 5 ай бұрын

Don't own My own home but I love watching whatever You & Angela & Boys are Up to.. I've Been watching You All since You were on the Other Place in another State. You All Have came a Long Ways Since Then.. THIS PROPERTY IS CHANGING always & You are ALL AMAZING! GOD BLESS YOU ALL & I'LL BE WAITING FOR THE NEXT VIDEO...Much Love the Lil Ole Grandma in MO 😊

@RumMonkeyable 5 ай бұрын

Great job! Sam and Angela are excellent instructors! 👍👏❤ The tractor lift continues to be AWESOME!

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

Thanks 👍

@brendahogue5487 5 ай бұрын

Love your videos and enjoy watching them. May the lord bless and protect you and your family and the homestead and getting the solar panels up

@HansKeesom 5 ай бұрын

Great system. I like the fact the angle is steep so you will produce in winter conditions and snow will fall off much easier. With all the space you have I wonder why you did not place the two array side by side to avoid the front one throwing a shadow on the other one. Or does the sun does not get that low in winter in Tennessee?

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

The arrays are separated enough that one will never shade the other. The camera makes them look closer than they really are. :) We didn’t go side by side to keep the arrays out of our hay field and to keep the visual impact and size lower by one being behind another from our neighbors and road traffic point of view.

@anthonymiller8979 5 ай бұрын

You all have come a long way since the last, small homestead. Well done !

@lynnp3457 5 ай бұрын

I love they way you explain everything clearly for those that might want to do this. Looks fabulous.

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

Thanks so much 😊

@danielharsh7698 5 ай бұрын

You have done a great job. I wonder if you should have painted first?

@jamesellis7637 5 ай бұрын

Sam the wife and I have loved watching your samcraft videos. I just found this Chanel. We enjoyed your solar panel video. Thank you for your hard work on this video

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

Awesome! Thank you!

@deannaoverstreet4146 5 ай бұрын

Thank you both for sharing! You have accomplished a lot since the move! So proud for you!

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!

@mikegrok 5 ай бұрын

The racking system looks great, but it is not going on a roof, so you could have used 2x4 cross members to keep the same coefficient of expansion as your frame, then used cheaper hold downs. As it is, that mounting system for 8 panels is the same price as 8 solar panels. Personally I would rather double the number of panels I am putting up than have fancy mounting brackets.

@raifmt 5 ай бұрын

You are an excellent communicator, answering my questions throughout the demonstration.

@billchurch9117 5 ай бұрын

I am glad I found your channel. I have watched many DIY solar install videos and I think yours is the best one out there. I am planning to put solar on my homestead for my aquaponic greenhouse. Your setup is awsome. Looking forward to the next one. God bless you and your family.😊🙏

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@stephenreiner1523 5 ай бұрын

Very comprehensive information on your off grid power source. Tamarack, yes I purveyor that. Interesting to see how yours works for off grid performance needs.

@randyrejer4219 5 ай бұрын

All good Sam. Looking forward to the rest of the build.

@normaburton161 5 ай бұрын

You do very nice work and you are a very good teacher it will explain things very well you take good video of what you're doing. Thank you very much

@twinshobbytwinshobby3863 4 ай бұрын

Awesome JOB !There is nothing better than being energy independent!

@ElwoodPDowd-ed7pc 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing, very helpful! All the best to ya’ll!

@madzabinga8382 5 ай бұрын

I think you all are due for a vacation. This was pretty epic! Can't wait to see what's next, and to hear how this works for you. Do you have your pool ready for action yet?

@SkyCharter Ай бұрын

Nicely done.

@GeezerWheels 2 ай бұрын

Great video with very well done details. Your attention to specific things and explanations with the video create an excellent production value. Thanks loads --- putting in my own DIY solar system now - and I'm a new subscriber.

@sandracunningham2689 5 ай бұрын

So smart to have this for your home. Nicely explained.

@jackie6582 5 ай бұрын

Great job this is so awesome 👍👏

@denisewilson8367 5 ай бұрын

Wow, that's a ton of power. But with the house, your 2 workshops, and Angela's she shed, I guess you'll need it. I'm only one person and I don't have electric appliances. But I live fully off grid in a field with a very tiny 100-watt solar system. In summer, I have more power than I can use, and 2 months in winter, I could use double what I have. But I'm in Michigan and we don't get very much sun for 6 months of the year. Your solar array looks fantastic!

@PegAMurphy 5 ай бұрын

great video y'all love what y'all are doing to yalls property really looks fantastic y'all have come along way in such a short time 💖

@rayoliver7120 5 ай бұрын

I know this has run through yalls mind , hail damage , I was thinking from what I've seen of other set up's that's been hit by hail , and was wondering what if you were able to set up a clear covering like acrylic mounted above panels 6-8 inches above panel(s) , if it would take away from the effenchcy of said solar panel ...... and if it does then there could be a way to mount brackets to hold such panels in case of a storm with hail ........ don't know if this could be feasible or not ...... one thing I'd do is have more separating between upper and lower rail of solar pans , 8 to 10 inches to allow for high wind to escape ...... like the way you have them mounted good and solid

@grandmapam 5 ай бұрын

Independence California the high school has solar array built high and serves as shade for the parking lot.

@BillMiguel-r4d Ай бұрын

Great videos on building solar array mounting system. I like your style, no bullshit just good information.

@NoTreadingOnMe 2 ай бұрын

Very nice video series on this build! Maybe this was suggested already, but on your double 2x6 beams, if you overlapped the joints instead on landing them on the same post it would add a considerable amount of strength/rigidity.

@kencotton4645 3 ай бұрын

I looked into the rails. For a 3 high x 6 wide setup, I would need 36 rails. That's almost $2400 before I buy anything else to create the system. That is my biggest issue with solar. It costs so much that the payback for the system is beyond the lifetime of the equipment. Something has to give if the solar industry is ever going to be affordable for the average household. I am 75, so I don't see how I could recoup the cost of a system in my lifetime.

@Tim_Kent Ай бұрын

Good point; those expensive rails seem unnecessary. I get the impression that they were intended to mount panels on a roof with a gap for ventilation underneath. Given that panels on a ground mount frame will have air circulating underneath, I would rather try to space the rafters to match the width of the panels and simply attach the panels to the rafters. 🤔

@PersonalStash420 Ай бұрын

It's never been about saving money, it's about independence and never having to depend on the government or the corporation utility. At least for me anyway.

@kencotton4645 Ай бұрын

@@PersonalStash420 I agree with your sentiment. Going with solar of any kind is not cost effective. But being the owner of two EVs, I really like the idea that I am charging them from the sun, not from the grid.

@PersonalStash420 Ай бұрын

@@kencotton4645 Oh yes, getting free energy from the sun is awesome. I only have a starter system now, just 1,200 watts of panels and a 5kwh battery but I love a sunny day. I am looking to add another 4,000 watts of panels and that's why I am looking at this ground mount. You are right, it's terribly expensive the way he's done it but I don't need any of the metal he is using. I will just xcrew the panels to the wood.

@kencotton4645 Ай бұрын

@@PersonalStash420 I'm not sure, but you have to be careful. I think that one reason for the rails is to electrically tie the panels to ground. Be sure you don't have to ground all of those connections to protect yourself electrically. I'm looking at, and you might consider using Uni-Strut. That is much less expensive, and Uni-Strut makes clips expressly for securing solar panels to the struts.

@dorothygroulx1352 5 ай бұрын

Really enjoyed you putting these up. Good job

@MississippiHomesteadJourney 4 ай бұрын

I like your build, but I want to be able to tilt my arrays, so I'll probably do 8 panels(200 watts) to an array to make lifting them easier. One thing I saw a guy in Europe do with the area under the panels was some raised beds. Shade tolerant vegetatables would work, maybe extend the lettuce growing season. Here in deep south Mississippi, full sun during the summer is too much for just about everything. lol

@georgehardy8165 5 ай бұрын

Hello Sam and Angela, Nice Job Guys...!, looks awesome and looks very professionally installed, A question will all the solar panels that you currently have installed on your property produce and make enough Electricity to run your Home, the 2 Work Shops, and all of the other structures on your property? can not wait to see the next video Sam my wife Carmen & I send our regards to you, your wife Angela, and your 2 boys From your Friends here in Lima Peru George & Carmen

@paulinesmith61 5 ай бұрын

Sam and Angela, great work on the solar panels!

@harvmac69 3 ай бұрын

Such a cool job you guys!! I am very impressed!!

@JasonCarmichael 5 ай бұрын

I've used these rails on two of my setups, I am super happy with them. On my third setup I did unistrut, these rails turned out a better buy and were far easier to cut and look much better.

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

Great to hear!

@ericjohnson1008 5 ай бұрын

Sam getting things done again. This is awesome.

@Rt777-55 5 ай бұрын

I am building a greenhouse and will be power by solar, this is going to be a great help.

@rockygrindstaff7312 3 ай бұрын

Excellent video. Learned a few things. Thanks

@debbiemorgan-thompson5369 5 ай бұрын

It was great to see you Angela!!

@Alphasig336 2 ай бұрын

You see any reason panels couldn’t start 8’ on the lower end? 12 feet on high end?

@papa_made 5 ай бұрын

Among many videos in this subject, your video is best. Thanks.

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

Wow, thanks!

@dellaburns7307 5 ай бұрын

So proud of you alll

@jeanniealford4234 5 ай бұрын

You and Angela are the best!

@rubberdc 5 ай бұрын

Good evening Sam and Angela . MY WORD that IS a wall of solar panels !

@frank_III 5 ай бұрын

Sam, what if a storm drops large hail on the panels? Would your home owners insurance cover it?

@frankintx699 5 ай бұрын

Hi all, I have not watched in a while, and I see you accomplished a lot. 👍👍❤❤🙏🙏

@Janisg616 2 ай бұрын

In off-grid situation during summer when the sun is high that is ok and most you will get more KWh than you can spend. But during winter, when days are shorter and the sun is much lower you need to squeeze out last KWh from your panels, and might need to run generator from time to time. Looks like you have plenty of land, and judging how steep the panels are quite far north, or angle is optimized for winter. Dosent panel stand the on on front cast shadow to the on stand behind him during winter, when sun is low?

@ronwhited1224 5 ай бұрын

Sam, how will you tilt the panels as the angle of the sun changes at different times of the year? Or did I miss that in the video?

@nonamenowhereski7563 4 ай бұрын

Just a couple questions - what is the wind rating for the rail/clamp system? and then also what has your experience been with hail or other blown debris on the arrays? great video! thanks!

@PJPerron_me 4 ай бұрын

Love your helpur. 🙃

@tracymankey9314 5 ай бұрын

You guys done amazing job

@connieverbeck1110 5 ай бұрын

Fantastic!!!

@emptypockets2467 5 ай бұрын

Sam could you do a cost break down and benefit of this project after you get the data. Thanks.

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

Absolutely! I may be scared to see it, but I will do a tell-all on the costs when we're done. :)

@waterhammer5807 5 ай бұрын

Well done.

@jesusislord2457 5 ай бұрын

Hi Kids!!! ✌️

@elcomandante31able 4 ай бұрын

Nice set up very clean I have 4 solar panel 7’6” x 3’9” any idea that you can share with to do The structure

@stickerhoggz 5 ай бұрын

Looking good! We just installed solar on our home too. So far so good, our first bill was just $32. Excited to see what the summer months bring. What wattage are those panels?

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

These are 370w panels. They're brand new and we got them for $80-90 per panel from a warehouse deal listing in Knoxville, TN.

@stevec5000 4 ай бұрын

I don't see the need for those aluminum horizontal pieces when you could just screw the panels down to the wood beams?

@susancastle1309 5 ай бұрын

Awesome 💗

@estellaknox9285 5 ай бұрын

Hi guys I'm back I got to catch up on your video's because you guys have made tremendous progress Sam you know you always makes me laugh 😅

@mentalarson 4 ай бұрын

Grounding depends on your inverter specifications.

@karencary3312 5 ай бұрын

Looking real good!!! ❤❤❤❤

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

Thank you!!

@sandramarshall7712 5 ай бұрын

Amazing!

@dallas11573 5 ай бұрын

Watched you for a hot minute. Love your videos. I do have questions about the hardware you used. I’m very close to making the move to solar and have been doing my research. Love how these mount. Does the C channel have weep holes? I’m concerned about water just sitting and causing issues down the road.

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

There aren't any drain or weep holes, no. I suspect any moisture will evaporate quickly though with them facing into the sun, but that is not known for sure. :)

@tranformatuvida08 28 күн бұрын

Hello blessings, my question is how much is 6x6 to 6x6 and front to back? Thank you

@johnnybugattisr.9558 5 ай бұрын

Great Job❤

@brucemitchell5637 5 ай бұрын

Love the cats paw prints at 18:30. LOL! 😂

@BudgetsWithELMA 5 ай бұрын

Great video 😊❤

@kencotton4645 4 ай бұрын

It looks like some of your boards had no clamps attached to them. If that is correct, why did you include them? Also, where did you get the man lift for your loader? I could really use one of those. Never mind, I saw the link in your comments and you answered my first question at the end of the video. Will you show the total cost for the system at some point?

@adnanahaque 20 күн бұрын

Love your DIY build, did u have to get an engineering design for the permit ? And if you did, who did u use ?

@peter-hr1gl 2 ай бұрын

what are the considerations for uplift of the arrays due to thunderstorms? Is there a rating of what windspeed your wooden structure can support from an updraft wind perspective for winds coming from behind the array where basically it would be like a sail or wing? My solar installers put an angled metal bracket structure on a flat patio roof I have and installed 5 panels on it telling me the solar generation from those would be higher than putting them on less optimal areas of the roof, but when we get strong winds coming from the sides I wonder. You have a much larger surface area to contend with.

@christinejohnson9082 5 ай бұрын

Hi Sam Question: Why did you put the solar panels racks in front of the other panel racks. Won't they shadow off them?

@daddio7249 5 ай бұрын

There is a distance to height calculator for that. Looks far enough away to me.

@marknoble4131 9 күн бұрын

I am in Mid Tennessee. Where do you buy your solar equipment.

@jrjohnson5336 Ай бұрын

Is it a spec of the Tamarack mounts that you don't go all the way to the end of the rail? Or is it designed to fit slightly larger panels, and you get the rail kit that fits the closest to your panels?

@joebeecher3919 5 ай бұрын

please share a link to the rail kits

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

They just added them to the site. Here's a direct link to the rail kits: www.langstonsalternativepower.com/solar-power-kit/tamarack-solar-93-rail-kit-solar-roof-mount-system-up-to-8-modules-2-3-black/

@rldunn73ify 5 ай бұрын

I love the kitty paws on the panel

@notme5909 4 ай бұрын

Good stuff..

@richardbosson774 5 ай бұрын

It looks like 1 array is shadowing the 2nd array when the sun is low in the sky. Won't this reduce the amount of power you generate?

@kyleweller3390 5 ай бұрын

Sam, Please keep the videos coming. They are both entertaining and informative. Question on the rail mount kit, followed your link above, but did not find any rail kits on the site. Can you send a link to the kit?

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

@kencotton4645 4 ай бұрын

I was looking through your product list for the rails and brackets as I was considering building my own wood frame for the solar panels. I actually want to build a "carport" style frame to shade my pickup that is parked outside with the solar panels. But while you had a lot of your hardware listed, I did not see the info on the rails, attachment hardware or the brackets for the rails. Could you let me know where you purchased the rails and that hardware? I tried searching for the name you mentioned, but maybe I am spelling it incorrectly.

@OFFGRID_Trucker 5 ай бұрын

You know.. after you cranked up the video speed.. you could have got alot more done if you get your twin brother back on the job. It was nice of him to make an appearance anyways.

@TheWoodHaven 5 ай бұрын

Looks like a great system but couldn't find it on the Langston website. Any idea when it will be added?

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

@cooltrkin 5 ай бұрын

Man I hope the equipment is affordable. I'd love to have a system like this but I don't think we need that much power.

@meadoman2000 5 ай бұрын

Sam can you put a link to where you got the solar panels. I am going to be doing this as soon as I am able to get moved onto the land I will be moving on within a month.

@sam-and-angela 5 ай бұрын

Facebook marketplace.

@linwoodwilson7219 5 ай бұрын

How did you find the direction and angle for your arrays?

@daddio7249 5 ай бұрын

I just installed similar system. There are online solar calculators just for that. Or you can just put the slope at your latitude in degrees and due south for the most average output per year.