senseless 966 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Go for grid tie with battery backup. http://www.wholesalesolar.com/system/15-astronergy-grid-tie-battery-backup-system.html That system would provide around 750 watts of continuous power 24 hours a day 365 days a year for 10K. It'll draw surplus power from the grid when necessary and if the grid goes down it switches over to batteries. Link to post Share on other sites
senseless 966 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 (edited) hell, one thing I have NO desire any more for is water heating...today, I put ICE CUBES in my bath!!! all three of my ac units are currently down...2 of which died last week...this has been my first full week without ac...and let me say, it has been a long week!!! we have had constant brownouts since the typhoon hit...need some option for power...trying to decide between solar (which I know nothing about) and buying a generator... Do you have grounds in your house? More than likely lack of grounds killed your A/C units. Weird that they should all die at the exact same time. .. And I don't mean that the plug supports the ground, but that there's actually a grounding rod for the house and that the rod is wired to your outlets. I've seen houses where they have the rod but it's not attached to anything. I've seen houses with outlets that support grounds but no wiring and no rod. I've seen houses that support grounds which are wired but someone removed the grounding rod and sold it to buy drugs. Without proper groundings your electrical equipment is going to die like crazy. Specially if you're having regular brown outs. Edited December 29, 2013 by senseless Link to post Share on other sites
senseless 966 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 The higher the voltage, the lower the amperes, the smaller the wire necessary to carry the same current x distance. I would say that :- You're going to have greater loss on DC systems on long runs. If you have perimeter lighting around your property it might be better in the long run to buy an inverter or transformer and stick with AC even if it isn't grid tied. Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 55,114 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 You're going to have greater loss on DC systems on long runs. If you have perimeter lighting around your property it might be better in the long run to buy an inverter or transformer and stick with AC even if it isn't grid tied. In most cases, I would agree with you. However, when we first started our project, for example, we did not have the budget for an inverter too. So, we ran low voltage lighting throughout two houses and the (outside) kitchen and dining areas. It would not be feasible to simply go back and change all of that now, simply because I have an AC inverter. Considering the load, and no AC is required there yet (until I move out there), there is no reason for an inverter to sit idling, drawing unnecessary current from the batteries. I may begin changing it over to AC voltage, as things change and the array expands. In TJ's (Skyman) plan, I may be wrong, but I think he wants to stick with low voltage lighting as well? Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 55,114 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 I just had a ligth bulb momemt! What if I spent hundreds of thousands of pesos installing a solar powered system in our home and I kick the bucket all of a sudden? Would my surviving spouse have enough money to maintain such a system if it ever malfunctions or if mother nature blows away all of the outdoor mounted arrays of solar panels? In the past 15 yrs our area has been directly hit with strong winds from hurricanes and mounted solar panels would definitely not stay intact! Something to consider huh! I'll just have to think about some more before I make a final decision to install one! Anyways, there are other primitive alternative means to maintain our creature comforts! Use your own imagination on that thought! I saw a few on YouTube! You really enjoy thinking worst case scenario's, don't you? Maybe moving from that area would be a not-such-a-dumb-idea while it is on your mind? South would definitely be safer for you. PV panels are designed to last for many years, 20 to 25. Batteries, if maintained, and dependent upon the type, can last 8 or 10 years; some, much longer. Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfpack 2,166 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Do you have grounds in your house? More than likely lack of grounds killed your A/C units. Weird that they should all die at the exact same time. .. And I don't mean that the plug supports the ground, but that there's actually a grounding rod for the house and that the rod is wired to your outlets. I've seen houses where they have the rod but it's not attached to anything. I've seen houses with outlets that support grounds but no wiring and no rod. I've seen houses that support grounds which are wired but someone removed the grounding rod and sold it to buy drugs. Without proper groundings your electrical equipment is going to die like crazy. Specially if you're having regular brown outs. I had my a/c units since 2005...all 3 of them...and all three have different problems... One a/c unit is fine when you turn the fan on but when you turn it to a/c...you get an electric shock if you touch the wall...so I shut that one down... One a/c unit, the compressor goes on and off about every two minutes...so I shut that one down... One a/c unit, shut itself down...a brownout hit...it went off...when the brownout was over...it never worked again... so for 3 weeks now, I have been without a/c...undecided if I want to repair my current old a/c units...or buy something new...so many options to choose from... Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 55,114 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 so for 3 weeks now, I have been without a/c...undecided if I want to repair my current old a/c units...or buy something new...so many options to choose from... Give it another three weeks. (Remind me in three weeks and I will post the same reply again.) 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfpack 2,166 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Give it another three weeks. (Remind me in three weeks and I will post the same reply again.) in about a week, I will have my electric bill...if it is under 5000 pesos, I might be sold on life without a/c...might, I say Link to post Share on other sites
senseless 966 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 in about a week, I will have my electric bill...if it is under 5000 pesos, I might be sold on life without a/c...might, I say Give it another 6 months. Right now we have the northerly winds and it's cold. Just wait until the sun is overhead and it's 40C outside. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 55,114 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Only lightweights can't handle the temperatures in SE Asia. I haven't used an air-con since 2007, except for special events. Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfpack 2,166 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Give it another 6 months. Right now we have the northerly winds and it's cold. Just wait until the sun is overhead and it's 40C outside. it is not the day time that concerns me...swimming pools, malls and beer keeps me cool... it is the night time that concerns me, right now, a fan with an open window has been just fine... a few hot and muggy nights in which I can't sleep...that would change my thinking...and force me to buy something to deal with the heat... Link to post Share on other sites
NOSOCALPINOY 1,864 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 (edited) Only lightweights can't handle the temperatures in SE Asia. I haven't used an air-con since 2007, except for special events. I'm not as young as I used to be! When I was 19 yrs and just a newbie in the military, my first assignment for 4 yrs was at Clark AB as a flightline aircraft mechanic working on planes with 2 jet engines or more in the late 60s. I worked in every weather condition mother nature could dish out from extreme heat, pouring rain, lightning strikes and earthquakes and I never experienced living in an air conditioned room, but just in an open bay barracks with just ceiling fans, it was my home! Now that I'm older and retired here in the Philippines since 1998, I do enjoy my creature comforts and air conditioning is one of them! We like where we live and wouldn't consider in relocating to a cooler place! After 12 yrs in one place, we're here to stay! Edited December 29, 2013 by NOSOCALPINOY 1 Link to post Share on other sites
fred42 2,503 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Paul..A question.. A mate of mine tells me that these dry cell batteries need to be discharged regularly.. How do you make sure that happens?Is he correct? Obviously they will discharge at night but now Im thinking if I have too many batteries all hooked up then that may lead to battery damage.. What do you reckon? Link to post Share on other sites
SkyMan 23,717 Posted December 30, 2013 Author Share Posted December 30, 2013 Would my surviving spouse have enough money to maintain such a system if it ever malfunctions or if mother nature blows away all of the outdoor mounted arrays of solar panels?That depends on how much you're going to leave her but assuming that's not going to happen right away, just budget an amount for the array/house maintenance. Eventually that will build to enough to replace the system if necessary. In the past 15 yrs our area has been directly hit with strong winds from hurricanes and mounted solar panels would definitely not stay intact! Something to consider huh! I'll just have to think about some more before I make a final decision to install one!You normally are warned of the approach of typhoons. Take the panels down before that. Go for grid tie with battery backup. http://www.wholesalesolar.com/system/15-astronergy-grid-tie-battery-backup-system.html That system would provide around 750 watts of continuous power 24 hours a day 365 days a year for 10K. It'll draw surplus power from the grid when necessary and if the grid goes down it switches over to batteries. That's $10K. Uffdah! In TJ's (Skyman) plan, I may be wrong, but I think he wants to stick with low voltage lighting as well?I'm going to stay on AC for now. Future projects may go DC but I'll always have a need for AC I think. Link to post Share on other sites
Cgu 797 Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Paul..A question.. A mate of mine tells me that these dry cell batteries need to be discharged regularly.. How do you make sure that happens?Is he correct? Obviously they will discharge at night but now Im thinking if I have too many batteries all hooked up then that may lead to battery damage.. What do you reckon? Do not discharge the battery unnecessarcy, it will decrease the lifespan - of every battery type. An average life span of a good battery is around 4 years. You can prolong the lifespan by not discharging more than 80% ( meaning you only will use 20% of the battery capacity each cycle - so you need to size the bank accordinlgy). And yes, a battery can have a life span of 10 years if you always keep it full, but this is theoretically. My problem always was (and is) the power storage, which is the battery and does not make the solar (and wind) feasible (yet), but is a hobby of mine. Actually the best would be hydro storage (but who has land to build a dam!!!!) Link to post Share on other sites
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