I finally found another off grid installer with experience (nope, not on the internet, but through an authorized dealer from Outback Power company). I wanted him to come out and take a look at the system and explain how things work, what I really should be doing and why I don't have enough power on cloudy days - even though I hardly use any.
He did stop by on August 1, 2013 to look over the system. He felt the 900 watt turbine and 1kw solar array weren't large enough to power my house and so more solar was the answer. Before I knew it, I was installing 12- 250 watt solar panels adding to the 8-125 watt array.
There was a lot of prep work, as we were constructing the pole and mount on our own. The install date was November 2, 2013. The new array looks gigantic compared to the original array. Things went fairly well, except the listing of things that have to be fixed or replaced on the original system to meet code. The initial installer didn't seem to follow any sort of code. My list of to do's is never ending!
The next day, November 3 was a beautiful sunny day. The batteries were fully charged - FULLY- by 11am. That's crazy. The original system would never fully charge the batteries, even on a sunny day during the summer.
But this brings its own set of "issues". I am really good at not using power - especially at night. Little power? No problem! I just go to bed and read by flashlight at 7pm. Now, I will have an excess of power during the day - when I really don't need it because I am not home. So it's got me thinking... Can I run the dishwasher on a timer so it will begin its cycle around noon? Same with the washing machine? No more waiting weeks for a sunny weekend day to do laundry and no more washing dishes by hand! Maybe I can even watch TV at night?
You might be saying to yourself, hey, this is all good, finally things have changed. But alas, they haven't. I decided that with this extra power, I can finally start the furnace - the outdoor wood boiler that heats the domestic hot water as well as the water in the heated floors. It was a balmy 57 degrees on November 3 (inside the house!). So, I started a fire and waited for the water to heat up. Finally at 6pm the water temperature was at 170 degrees, but the tubes that carry the water from the stove into the utility room, weren't even warm. I went outside to check the stove, it was still on. I felt the pump and nearly burned my hand. The pump was on, but it didn't seem to be moving any water. Turn the stove off. Call the stove guy. There's my two steps back!
He did stop by on August 1, 2013 to look over the system. He felt the 900 watt turbine and 1kw solar array weren't large enough to power my house and so more solar was the answer. Before I knew it, I was installing 12- 250 watt solar panels adding to the 8-125 watt array.
There was a lot of prep work, as we were constructing the pole and mount on our own. The install date was November 2, 2013. The new array looks gigantic compared to the original array. Things went fairly well, except the listing of things that have to be fixed or replaced on the original system to meet code. The initial installer didn't seem to follow any sort of code. My list of to do's is never ending!
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| The new mega solar array! |
The next day, November 3 was a beautiful sunny day. The batteries were fully charged - FULLY- by 11am. That's crazy. The original system would never fully charge the batteries, even on a sunny day during the summer.
But this brings its own set of "issues". I am really good at not using power - especially at night. Little power? No problem! I just go to bed and read by flashlight at 7pm. Now, I will have an excess of power during the day - when I really don't need it because I am not home. So it's got me thinking... Can I run the dishwasher on a timer so it will begin its cycle around noon? Same with the washing machine? No more waiting weeks for a sunny weekend day to do laundry and no more washing dishes by hand! Maybe I can even watch TV at night?
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| The complete system. |
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