off grid living
Thinking of buying a cabin that’s “off grid.” Anyone have experience with solar power living?
I’m specifically wondering what kind of maintenance is involved with solar systems that power off grid homes. We would only be at the cabin a few days a month most of the time…except during long vacations. Is it even possible to maintain a total-home solar system in this kind of situation?
Since you said you were specifically wondering about maintenance, I will assume that you have already researched what size system you require as a result of the total power you need, the latitude of where your cabin is, the total average hours of sun available through the various seasons, etc. The primary maintenance concern is your battery status. To compensate for overcharging I will assume you are using a charge controller. During hot weather your batteries will need more water (distilled only) than in cool or cold weather. To keep rodents away, spray the wiring with peppermint oil. Make sure battery cable attachments to the batteries are coated with an acid preventative. If you do indeed have a total home system it will be quite large. I have a system I have used for 5 years to supply my requirements except heating, hot water and cooking. For that I use propane. I use my barbecue (propane) as an oven when needed (great to cook pizza…better than a regular oven…use the upper warming rack). I use a 12v refrigerator from Sundanzer…..works great even in very hot climates…115 degrees. I have 6ea. 75 watt panels that I tilt twice a year in spring and fall. If you have a large family, use hair dryers, microwave, basically anything with a heating element or constant use motor…then my size system would not work. But I do run my stereo or TV 12 – 16 hours a day when I am there. I generally make meals that do not take hours and hours to cook to save on propane. If your system is oversized or you do not go and use your system monthly then rig something up to use a little power so that your batteries will not always be at 100%. Any other questions, just ask. Good luck!
Organic living Grass house off the Grid Canada 2008
Related posts
Tags: green, grid, living, off, the
