Summer going out with a bang... or How low can you go...

Photowhit
Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,006 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
I came home after being gone for a couple nights to a 100+ degree home, about 4pm. The fridge ran continually from when I came home until about 10pm when I put a fan in front of the base, I don't know that that helped or if it finally got the watermelon and groceries cooled off. I started the A/C in the back bedroom and it ran nearly continually until midnight when I cut it back to 76 degrees. After about 6pm I was running off battery and by 7:30 was getting no help from solar array.

So this morning about 9am before the sun is strong on my panels. I checked the system voltage. I had about a 350 watt draw and I was down to 23.5! So I'm guessing close to 50% of battery capacity. I knew I would be pushing things and really not too worried. It'll be a sunny if somewhat hot day. I should be fully charged and get to do a little cooling with the sun up in the back bedroom so tonight shouldn't be nearly as bad.

While I went out to put my old inverter with newly installed fan in service, it was just too hot a day to fool with rewiring and perhaps having to re-rewire things. 85 and humid at 9am.

I guess I can brave the heat to wipe the dust off the panels... Glad this is the end of my peak use!!!
Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
- Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Summer going out with a bang... or How low can you go...

    So you don't want to hear about me lighting the wood fire this week? :D
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  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,006 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: Summer going out with a bang... or How low can you go...

    Not really, I just wrote a thingy on my Facebook page about how I like the weather here so much better than Florida. Sister in Tampa has a steady forecast for the next 10 days, 88-90 degree highs, 77-78 lows(ouch!) and 30% chance of rain. We hit 100 for a couple hours yesterday with a feel like temp of 105, Tallahassee (mom) only reached 95, but a feel like of 104. We had a heat advisory, schools closed, in Tallahassee it's just normal, with more coming...(If a little cooler) Our lows will be in the 50's with in the week.
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
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  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: Summer going out with a bang... or How low can you go...
    Photowhit wrote: »
    Not really, I just wrote a thingy on my Facebook page about how I like the weather here so much better than Florida. Sister in Tampa has a steady forecast for the next 10 days, 88-90 degree highs, 77-78 lows(ouch!) and 30% chance of rain. We hit 100 for a couple hours yesterday with a feel like temp of 105, Tallahassee (mom) only reached 95, but a feel like of 104. We had a heat advisory, schools closed, in Tallahassee it's just normal, with more coming...(If a little cooler) Our lows will be in the 50's with in the week.


    HAHA it is so soupy here I can't believe it. Next week is mid 100's for highs and mid 80's for lows. It has sort of drizzled the last 3 or 4 days and a couple of gully washers as well. Almost 30% chance of rain everyday. Solar production is way down from all the cloud cover.

    Only up side, the panels are clean.
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  • ChrisOlson
    ChrisOlson Banned Posts: 1,807 ✭✭
    #5
    Re: Summer going out with a bang... or How low can you go...
    Photowhit wrote: »
    Not really, I just wrote a thingy on my Facebook page about how I like the weather here so much better than Florida

    It was hot, close to 100 here for three days last week. But the wind switched around to the north so we got a nice breeze off the Big 'Fridge - Lake Superior. 47 degrees here this morning from a high of 96 yesterday. Wind blows in from the south we get hot weather from air being heated over all that land. Wind blows in from the north and we get nice cool weather from air being cooled by the largest body of fresh water on earth.

    I was inspired by the nice cool morning. I tilted my south facing solar arrays up to the winter 70 degree angle :cool:
    --
    Chris
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  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,006 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: Summer going out with a bang... or How low can you go...

    1pm I'm getting close to absorb at 28 volts, array producing about 103amps, A/C and fridge running most of the time, so only 70 amps going to the battery, 50~70 from 10-11 so about 200 ah into a 800Ah battery bank nearing roughly 80% so likely 50% DOD was a good guess. The back room is feeling cooler, guess drying out.
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: Summer going out with a bang... or How low can you go...

    photowhit,
    don't you mean 200ah into a 800ah battery bank?

    temps here are still hot, but we had a few cooler days a few weeks back. been about 80-85 degrees during the day. more cool days are coming as they predict tuesday to be a high of 68 and a low of 54. i know the one morning was about 45 or so. i never look forward to losing the daytime sun going into fall, but winter is a beach.:cry: an icy one.:p
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  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,006 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #8
    Re: Summer going out with a bang... or How low can you go...

    Yep, I changed it. Winter for me is a breeze, just the fridge and <1kwh of light, cooking, entertainment.
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
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  • NorthGuy
    NorthGuy Solar Expert Posts: 1,913 ✭✭
    #9
    Re: Summer going out with a bang... or How low can you go...
    Photowhit wrote: »
    Yep, I changed it. Winter for me is a breeze, just the fridge and <1kwh of light, cooking, entertainment.

    Summer has been a breeze to me. Bracing up for the winter. Will be my first completely off-grid.

    Many of my neighbours are getting ready to go South for the winter.
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  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,006 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #10
    Re: Summer going out with a bang... or How low can you go...

    Batteries at 24.9V this morning at 8am, though that's a little deceptive, since nothing much running in the house, just a 5 amp load and I was charging at 8amps as well. So figure at about 65-70%.

    Load shifting makes a difference. Running the a/c all day, cooled of the bedroom and allowed the a/c to cycle a bit during the day and regularly after sunset. I do think the fridge liked having the fan in front of it, I left it there. I caught it cycling off from time to time yesterday, even though it hit 101. I see rain to the west, perhaps we'll catch a bit today!
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
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  • northerner
    northerner Solar Expert Posts: 492 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #11
    Re: Summer going out with a bang... or How low can you go...
    NorthGuy wrote: »
    Summer has been a breeze to me. Bracing up for the winter. Will be my first completely off-grid.

    Many of my neighbours are getting ready to go South for the winter.

    I'm in the same boat as you, as I'm also bracing for my first off grid winter. It could be interesting! You must have even less daylight hours and a lower sun angle than what I will face.
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