# Looks like barn is going to be off grid



## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

At least for awhile 

So if I can figure it out and get it set up I have no issue wIth making it permanent but I'm lost. 

My biggest issue is getting water from the well up and to the troughs. 
Ideally would like hot water someday, lights, and laundry. Need the occasional capacity to run clippers. 

That's about it. 

Any ideas? 

Thanks


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Going to be costly. How far is the barn from grid power ?


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## postroad (Jan 19, 2009)

How about a sump pump in the well and a small generator?


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## gpforet (Dec 24, 2013)

I've done this but without the pump. If you can store some water at the barn without fear of freezing than it's going to be less costly using a low capacity pump to fill the storage vessel during the day than putting in enough panels and batteries to pump on demand.

If storing water is not feasible, the first step is figuring out how much power you need daily. The pump will be your biggest user.

Hot water can be done with solar collectors rather than electricity. I'm currently looking into solar hot water for my home and it looks like about $1,800 for a self-installed system sufficient for my wife and I.

My new solar rig I put together to run a deep freezer and fridge has 500w of panels, a 235ah/24v battery bank, and 1000w pure sine inverter, and a midnite solar charge controller. Total including cabling, panel mounting hardware, and switching and protection components ran around $3k for self-install.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

brody said:


> At least for awhile
> 
> So if I can figure it out and get it set up I have no issue wIth making it permanent but I'm lost.
> 
> ...


First thing to determine is do you have the solar insolation to support a system. Look up the worste monthly average foe you loaction on a site like http://www.gaisma.com/en/. If your lowest month is less then 1 hour then you don't have enough solar to support a system and need to look into other options.

Next thing is to determine if your loads are suitible for solar. Break your loads into 2 groups. Those that you use 4 or more times (days) a week and those that are less than 4 times a week. The less then group loads are not suitable for solar. Either those loads need to be redesigned or ran by other means.

Next is to determine what type of solar each load should be powered by. Anything that involves heat will be done more efficently by thermal solar.

Next is to determine if the loads can be run solar direct or require a battery system. An example of solar direct would be a DC well pump that pumps into a cistern without a battery bank. 

Everything that is now left needs to be analyzed for how much energy it consumes in a day. Look at hou much wattage it uses and how many hours per day it needs to run. In doing this remimber you have to plan for worst case otherwise you system will be too small and will leave you "in the dark." All loads at this point need to be calculated as daily loads even if they are used only 4 days a week or less if you plan on pwering them with solar.

When you get that far post those numbers and location and we can calculate further.

WWW


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## Gray Wolf (Jan 25, 2013)

Simplest:

Bury a big plastic water tank. (To keep it from freezing). Maybe 1,000 gallon or so. Use generator to periodically run well pump to fill burried tank. Use 12 volt rv pump to get water from tank to your livestock. Use panels to charge battery bank.

Or, if you have topography to allow it, bury the tank uphill of your barn and let gravity do the job. That's how our house is set up. We pump every week or so using a generator and then let gravity feed the house. No solar electricity involved!

If/when you need 120 volt power in the barn you can add panels, batteries, charge controller, and an inverter.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

As others have noted your applications are not very solar friendly. While a panel or two for lights and light AC application. YOU might get some hot water out of a PV water heater but its not cost effective to use electric to heat water. Your water needs really depend on well depth and how often you need to move water... I would think a small generator would be a better option for most of what you want to do for what sounds like occasional use applications.


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## Nimrod (Jun 8, 2010)

You live where it gets really cold so you have to prevent pipes from freezing. Do you have an existing well that provides water to the house? 

I don't know where the well is nor what type of well it is. If it's a shallow well, the pump and pressure tank will be on the surface and there must be an insulated, heated well box to keep them from freezing. If it's a deep well with a submerged pump then the water pipe comes out the side of the casing below the frost line so it won't freeze. The existing well pump will provide pressure to get the water to the barn.

For just water for the stock tank, dig a trench from the well to the stock tank that is deep enough to be below the frost line. Bury the water pipe in the trench. Use a frost proof spigot at the tank. You can turn on the spigot to fill the tank. When you turn it off the water, the water in the spigot's pipe will drain out so it doesn't freeze.

Hot water is more difficult. You have to provide a heated insulated area 24/7 to prevent freezing. It's very expensive to do this with solar electricity. I would put in a propane heater to keep the space warm. A propane water heater will heat the water without using any electricity. Make the heated area big enough that the laundry will fit in too. 

You should be able to get a reasonably priced solar panel/battery system to provide electricity for the lights, clippers and ocational use of the washing machine. You might even have enough electricity to run a propane dryer.


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