Off The Grid

Here, thought you might like this;

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension-aben/buildingplans

look through their whole site...

 

Thanks for the link, lotsa good information there.

It's been a couple months now, and things are looking good, except I noticed the water in my tanks is cooling down in the late afternoon, because the collectors have cooled off, yet there's still enough sunlight to drive my circulator, and that's a problem. To fix that problem I bought an Eagle PV powered differential controller, which monitors the temperatures of the collectors and my storage tank, and a relay kicks the pump on only when the collector temperature is higher than the temperature in my storage tank. The controller was under 200 bucks, and it uses two 10K thermistors, which are included. I clamped one of the thermistors directly to the manifold at the top of the solar panels, and I noticed the sensors included with my indirect water heaters (my storage tanks) are also 10K thermistors, so they're compatible. In the summer, I connect the sensor in my 40 gallon domestic water tank to the controller. In the winter, I'll connect the sensor in my 80 gallon heating water tank to the controller. I got it all hooked up last night, ran thermostat wire from the sensors to the controller, and the shit works! I'll be surprised if the heat I'm saving doesn't pay for the controller within a few months. I also added a third collector, this time a got an evacuated tube collector instead of the flat panel collectors I already have, because these are better in cloudier colder conditions like we get here in winter, which is when the system will really pay for itself. All told, the tally for materials is around eight grand, and about two weeks of my labor. It's also completely off the grid, since the circulator and the controller are powered by PV panels. When the sun goes down the controller shuts down, which is not a problem because there's nothing to control at that point. It's sweet because an LCD display shows me what the temperature is up top at the collectors, and the temperature in my tanks, as well as the max and min temperatures in the tank. I can also hook up a computer and download the temperature histories to get a better handle on system performance.

 

Good luck my friend,i am trying to be OFF GRID as much as i can!

I DONT HAVE A CELLE OR ANY OF THESE SPYING PIECES OF TRASH! (Iphone,etc)

I am not on social networks (Dont wanna be)


I value privacy VERY MUCH SO

 

So it's been a rough road, getting it hooked up properly for all conditions, but I think I'm on to it now.

You need adequate pressure in the line or it doesn't work, and when the weather gets cold, you need more pressure. I managed to get there by inflating the expansion tank.

That said, I would need more panels to get enough heat to make it sustainable, at least at this point, though it's the worst time of year, the sun is the lowest, yet I'm still gettin' heat.

Next thing is the electric...

 

OK, so year two, sucks in New England for the months of November thru January, 'cause the weather is overcast a lot, but other than that it rocks, I didn't need any energy all summer, and it supplements the winter.

Now I've got a heat exchange system hooked up to my wood stove exhaust which is lookin' good, though it's amazing how fast the temperature in the tank drops when heat goes on.

Next up is the photovoltaics, though I'll probably just get a hundred watts to charge a battery backup. Other than that, maybe a small turbine in the stream...or a wind turbine on the roof, which may not be a good idea with the climate changes...I freaked out in Sandy, when I thought those flat panels were gonna blow off the roof, taking the roof with them...time to put some wood beams in there for augmentation...

 

I believe chronictom hit the nail on the head.
If all you do at first is run your home lighting from solar, thats a start.
The more you power without converters or inverters the better the system.
Try 12 volt lite bulbs and 24 volt freezers and fridges or propane.
I dont know your situation so its hard to advise but, they sell 24volt well pumps and dc aircondition.
Alot of the big power appliances you can run during the day or use a generator.
If you willing to give up dishwashers and hair dryers its alot easier and less expensive.
Good luck

 

You need to figure out what you can live without.
In order to figure out if off-grid is right for you.
As far as solar goes, im sure for a couple grand you could power all your lights.
Im kinda in the same boat as you. On my new homestead in the mountains i wont have grid power.
my delema is air conditioning.
In the summer it gets hot!
But i'll figure it out.
also check your area for the average wind speed. Maybe a wind generator might work in your area.
also the less you convert power the less energy you loose thru conversion.
You can buy 12 volt litebulbs led lighting. And 24 volt appliances.
There are great books on the subject.
Good luck

 

You're right about the conversion to DC appliances, I've considered it, and I'm sure I'll go there eventually when I can afford to, but it's an economic decision, not just what's most practical or what's best for the environment, 'takes time and money to switch over, y'know?

Thanks for the tip though, I'll look into 12V appliances. I like 12V 'cause I can run it off my car, and it's safer than higher voltage DC.

I live on the crest of a hill, so I have fairly sustained winds, but like I did with the solar, I need to do my homework to get a good idea what I can expect for pay back. I'm really lucky in the sense that I live in such a good location I have a great natural setup for extracting power from mother nature. Most folks don't have that.

Take it easy.