Weird thing happened today.....

GreenPowerManiac
GreenPowerManiac Solar Expert Posts: 453 ✭✭✭
I had left the house at around 11:00am to go run errands with my wife and because the power was off on the grid. Didn't want to wait until it came on. My vital solar water heating pumps are on the isolated circuits from the solar/wind array. When we came home, the power was off to my solar/wind array and the grid back on. When I looked at the Inverter in the barn, it said, "voltage too high" and was beeping. I guess I've hadn't had a case where there was plenty of sun and 35mph winds generating an overload of power getting past my diversion loads. Are there any D/C loads out there that are cheaper & simpler to hook up that doesn't heat water ? Was thinking of setting up a few short strings of D/C car light bulbs for an overload in excess to the diversion.... Any other ideas ?
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Comments

  • Slappy
    Slappy Solar Expert Posts: 251 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Weird thing happened today.....

    the head lights sounds good, but I can only think of may be some radiator fans from an junk out vehicle???
  • AntronX
    AntronX Solar Expert Posts: 462 ✭✭
    Re: Weird thing happened today.....

    Chainlink fence steel wire. I made two giant resistors for testing my lithium batteries at 28V 150A. It is 9 gauge if I remember right. I used 2 inch PVC pipe to make coils. Now you need to figure out how to switch them on during overvoltage.
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Weird thing happened today.....

    resistance heating is the easiest way to dump power as other things just don't draw like resistance heat does. the drawback to heating water is that it can evaporate away and cause the element to burn out. to dump heat to the air can be done, but then there's a super heated wire that you might worry if it may cause a fire. to do that with resistors can also be done, but that's allot of resistors if there's very much power to dump.
  • GreenPowerManiac
    GreenPowerManiac Solar Expert Posts: 453 ✭✭✭
    Re: Weird thing happened today.....

    Great ideas, all of them. Those lead me to believe I could hook up a voltage dump to a future livestock electric fence. The over voltage could be dumped to my electric fence wiring, which is off the ground and the electric fencer comes in D/C hookups. Thinking about getting chickens next year. Next project is to keep the neighbors dogs and hawks out of the coop......Another off subject dilemma....
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,422 admin
    Re: Weird thing happened today.....

    Not sure I understand the electric fence wiring as a dump load--You don't want to start a fire with a shorted fence (animal/wind knocks down fence).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • GreenPowerManiac
    GreenPowerManiac Solar Expert Posts: 453 ✭✭✭
    Re: Weird thing happened today.....

    True. I've added another circuit to the Solar/Wind power load center. That should do the trick for the future.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: Weird thing happened today.....
    BB. wrote: »
    Not sure I understand the electric fence wiring as a dump load--You don't want to start a fire with a shorted fence (animal/wind knocks down fence).

    -Bill

    Not going to happen. Electric fences are very low impedance and are designed to keep animals in/out. They frequently get knocked down/broken and do not start fires. This happens at thousands of acres of farmland all over the world.

    However, as a diversion load it wouldn't be very good because there's not much current draw.

    I can tell you from experience you should pull the fuse on a fence charger when fixing the fence. Otherwise some "helpful-type" will plug the thing back in while you're twisting the wire together half a mile away ... :grr
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,422 admin
    Re: Weird thing happened today.....

    I was not sure, but I read the question as connecting 12vdc directly to a length of fencewire as a power resistor.

    Not just a fence charger as a dump load.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: Weird thing happened today.....
    BB. wrote: »
    I was not sure, but I read the question as connecting 12vdc directly to a length of fencewire as a power resistor.

    Not just a fence charger as a dump load.

    -Bill

    Yes, that wouldn't work either - for the opposite reason. Not enough V to make a viable electric fence, but plenty of A to cause problems if there were a short.
    and the electric fencer comes in D/C hookups.

    Which are meant to run off a battery.

    How about a nice water pump somewhere filing up a cistern?
  • GreenPowerManiac
    GreenPowerManiac Solar Expert Posts: 453 ✭✭✭
    Re: Weird thing happened today.....

    All right, enough is enough. I'm going to "Dump" that idea and use my backup battery bank to keep an electric D/C fencer and hopefully some heat lamps in colder months. Still working on my VAWT pole mount to make it sturdy enough not to break the alternator housing in high winds.
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Weird thing happened today.....

    gpm,
    being what you are making is a vawt i would be interested in being kept up to date with details. my location is poor for a hawt, but a vawt may work to some extent here.
  • GreenPowerManiac
    GreenPowerManiac Solar Expert Posts: 453 ✭✭✭
    Re: Weird thing happened today.....

    Yes, indeed, Niel. Same alternator technology, new pole mount design modifications. When I install in the next few weeks, I'll let everyone know the power output and other details: start up speeds, volts/amps, vibration (if any), etc.
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