# 12v Cabin Project



## 1knifehunter (Feb 12, 2009)

Hello everyone,

I have a little piece of heaven in Ohio and am wanting a small amount of power to operate a 20" tv/dvd player, small fan in the summer and a few sets of led christmas lights under the front porch.

This is a weekend cabin for the family. The usage is minimal.

I am reading as much as I can on the subject of solar power but the numbers you fellas throw around makes my head dizzy! I know very little on the subjest.

I need some sound advice on a very basic system. I would like to have the flexability to charge the batteries with solar, wind and generator. 

Can a basic start up system such as this be added to and expanded upon? 

So far I have kept everything off grid and want to continue to do so. I have two 100lb propane tanks with auto-switch over that runs my wall heater and 3 Humphrey propane wall lights. I also have a small wood burner for the really cold nights in the winter.

It is basically a blank canvas to work with. I need some ideas.

Here are some pics of the cabin. It is located 1200ft above sea level on top of a ridge with unobstructed westerly winds.


































Any info would be great.

Thanks,
Don
1knifehunter


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## roachhill (Jul 8, 2009)

Well first off when you buy batteries you need to get them all at once or within a reasonably short period of time (within a year). So that's one area you can't add to later because you don't want old and new batteries together. Also make sure your charge controller is big enough for the final system so you don't have to replace it when you buy more panels. If you don't have one already buy an LCD TV they use much less power then a picture tube or plasma. More efficient appliances are cheaper then solar panels. If you look hard there are some LCD TV's that are 12v but have a converter to plug into the wall socket. They don't tell you they are 12v you have to look at the input voltage on the back of the set. Mine was this way but I didn't realize it until the converter died and when I was looking for a replacement I found out I could plug the TV directly to the 12volt battery. I'm planning on starting by buying 2 T-105 batteries and a small propane generator then adding 2 more T-105's within a couple months (for a total of 450amp hrs). Then beginning to add solar panels I'm thinking 4 175 watt panels total finally adding a small wind turbine to help keep things charged in winter time. I already have a 3000 watt inverter for the few things I need to plug into an AC wall socket. At current prices my system would run about $4000 using some serious bargain hunting and doing all the work myself. Although battery prices have been jumping up recently so it's anyones guess what they will cost in the future. That's a little bit of info to get started.


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## roachhill (Jul 8, 2009)

I can't believe nobody else has any comments. The people on this board usually love to talk solar and batteries. Anything in particular you had questions on 1knifehunter?


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

You have too much shading on your roof for solar PV. What direction from you cabin is the clearing in the last pic?


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## ace admirer (Oct 5, 2005)

i agree on the shading,,,,but i would not want to loose those trees,,what a great looking place....

i know this causes line lose problems,,,but could he place his array a distance away from the house where there might be more sunlight,,,then build a remote battery/inverter/generator/power house....the last inverter i purchased had a remote switch function on it..


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## PyroDon (Jul 30, 2006)

this is a week end place . 
Solar panels are going to be inviting to thieves and vandels .
most systems need fairly close monitoring . 
for the battery bank find an electric golf cart it will serve a dual purpose , as well as being mobile (we use ours in our UPS back up for storms Ive rigged it to be charged at either 36 volt or 12 volt using disconnects)


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## 12vman (Feb 17, 2004)

"It is located 1200ft above sea level on top of a ridge with unobstructed westerly winds."

Mount them high on a telephone pole so they are hard to get to..


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## 1knifehunter (Feb 12, 2009)

I understand the thieves and vandels issue. I am looking very strongly at the new trail cameras with cellular capability. A fella down the road has outdoor cams set up and are very noticable. 

The 3rd pic down shows the sun hitting the roof. I have no problem taking trees off the backside. As a matter of fact I will be building a garage off that end very similiar to the porch coming off the front. The only difference is that it will be enclosed. Most of those trees are coming down anyways.

I was thinking about putting the panels on the backside. I believe the angle of the roof would be just about right. Correct?

The last pic shows the front of the cabin and it faces west. I have just planted about 15fruit trees in that field but there is about an acre cleared.

I would like to string up some led xmas lights under the front porch and be able to run a tv/dvd player in the evenings. I looked at a tv that was rated 40 watts. I don't know how to calculate what size panels I need. 

Is there a basic start up system available on the net? I value the opinions of people who have been where I'm at, not the opinions of salesmen trying to sell me something. I just want something that won't break in a year and be flexible enough that I can expand upon.

Thanks,
Don
1knifehunter


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## dcarch (Jul 20, 2008)

Are you sure you can get TV signal in that area?

dcarch


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

1knifehunter said:


> ...The 3rd pic down shows the sun hitting the roof. I have no problem taking trees off the backside. As a matter of fact I will be building a garage off that end very similiar to the porch coming off the front. The only difference is that it will be enclosed. Most of those trees are coming down anyways....


Sorry that pic shows way too much shading for solar PV to work. I had the same problem with my wife understanding that until we went to a sustainable living fair. They had a water pumping demonstation setup. Using 1 finger to shade about 1/4 of 1 cell I could shut the system down. Those trees and leaves would provide alot more shading than my one finger.



1knifehunter said:


> ...I was thinking about putting the panels on the backside. I believe the angle of the roof would be just about right. Correct?
> 
> The last pic shows the front of the cabin and it faces west. I have just planted about 15fruit trees in that field but there is about an acre cleared....


If the front faces west than wouldn't the backside face east? The ideal oreintation would be to face due south. Not east. The best place you mount the system may be on a pole or rack on the north side of that clearing. You really need to have a site survey done to determine how much power is lost due to shading at that location.



1knifehunter said:


> ...I would like to string up some led xmas lights under the front porch and be able to run a tv/dvd player in the evenings. I looked at a tv that was rated 40 watts. I don't know how to calculate what size panels I need....


In addition to the rated watts we need to know how many hours you plan on using each item. Solar calculation are started by using watt-hours (WH).
We also need your location so we can get sun insolation for your site.


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## 1knifehunter (Feb 12, 2009)

Thanks for the info.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Best for there would be a high voltage - pole mount out in that clear area.


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## Gianni (Dec 9, 2009)

Your emergency generator can be an old small engine off of a tiller or lawnmower that has a belt drive. Build a mount and couple it to an old Chevy alternator.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Gianni said:


> Your emergency generator can be an old small engine off of a tiller or lawnmower that has a belt drive. Build a mount and couple it to an old Chevy alternator.


its a weekend place the least expensive thing you cna do is the above , most generators have the ability to do 12v DC and better than they do 120ac

2 golf cart batteries 
A) mounted in your truck get there turn the switch diconecting them from the truck and plug in your special extention cord to a special outlet on the cabin you have power and your truck still starts in the morning.
B) in a batery box somewhere out of the way at the cabin with a small solar pannel to keep/get a charge on them while you are gone for the week and plug in the generator if they become worn down either the a made one from a alternator and a small engine or a store bought one, it costs you lest than a pint to charge back up. 

if you get a store bought gen or an inverter , you can run power tools off of it ,but if you built the place i bet you already have a generator. 

i know you were asking about solar but is it worth the $ for the weekend use.
i also don't like the tv idea , get a radio my grundigs go 6 months on 4 d cells 
tv is over rated , might spoil that very nice cabins atmosphere


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## roachhill (Jul 8, 2009)

If you want batteries charged off the truck you would be better to install an isolator to keep from running the starting battery down. Otherwise you forget to turn the disconnect switch and you won't be going anywhere in the morning. It's a good idea for a weekend place little money to invest and nothing left for the thieves. As long as you use the vehicle often enough their isn't much of a down side.


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