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What makes coronavirus light preps different from lighting preps for anything else?

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In Lights, etc., make note that solar yard lights are pretty effective when you have enough sun daily to keep them charged up. For those with a lot of sun - unlike some of us with a week or more of winter overcasts - you simply drag them into the house for illumination, then at bedtime plant them back outside to charge up tomorrow. One in a bathroom as a night lite works ok, too.

They are dirt cheap and commonly available now in multipaks. It's spring so the garden departments are stocking up with the ones made last fall - in China.

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Nothing, but I figured people coming from outside the regular SF Forum guys, would be looking for CoronaVirus specific info.

I've always believed that if you prepare for a long term Hurricane/Winter Storm type event, you'd have covered 90% of prepping scenarios.

That said, focusing discussions might also help fill out the remaining 10% for others.

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Hey Guys,

So I'm looking for advice for Solar.  I don't want to attach solar panel to my house, because I prefer to have them portable, but I'd like my portable system to be able to power my house, or place up north in the future.

I recently purchased a 20" enclosed trailer and was wondering if there are any Solar guys who could give me advice on the concept of putting panels on the roof of the trailer and then feeding charge controller, batteries etc the would live either in the house or in an unattached garage?

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Enough solar panels to run the house won’t fit on your trailer. You won’t get full rated power with them mounted flat on a roof.

Get a generator for your backup power needs.

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In Lights, etc., make note that solar yard lights are pretty effective when you have enough sun daily to keep them charged up. For those with a lot of sun - unlike some of us with a week or more of winter overcasts - you simply drag them into the house for illumination, then at bedtime plant them back outside to charge up tomorrow. One in a bathroom as a night lite works ok, too.

They are dirt cheap and commonly available now in multipaks. It's spring so the garden departments are stocking up with the ones made last fall - in China.

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Hey Guys,

So I'm looking for advice for Solar.  I don't want to attach solar panel to my house, because I prefer to have them portable, but I'd like my portable system to be able to power my house, or place up north in the future.

I recently purchased a 20" enclosed trailer and was wondering if there are any Solar guys who could give me advice on the concept of putting panels on the roof of the trailer and then feeding charge controller, batteries etc the would live either in the house or in an unattached garage?

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A little info about battery storage some of y'all might find useful (I'm kind of a battery geek).

You can greatly decrease the discharge rate & extend cycle life by keeping your consumer-item batteries in the fridge. Lower temps reduce the chemical reaction that causes self-discharge. Some sources, including at least one manufacturer of alkalines, say this isn't necessary with modern batteries but I know from testing (as well as a basic knowledge of how batteries work) this isn't true. I seal them in freezer bags with a small dessicant pouch and throw them in the crisper. The lower the temp the better for the most part, but I would stay above freezing (I have suspicions this could cause issues, & haven't tested). I do this with disposable alkalines, lithium (ion, LifePo4, etc), & NiMh. NOTE: Let the reach room temp before drawing power from them, or attempting to charge them.

It's best to store batteries w/ lithium chemistry at ~40% state of charge. NiMh batteries can & should be stored at 100% state of charge (so they're ready to use), but only if they're the ones that state something along the lines of 'precharged' or 'ready to use' on the packaging. That's most of what you'll find now-days, but older NiMh batteries are different. I have quite a few radio batteries (lithium) that I've kept in the fridge (as above) at ~40% SOC which haven't lost any significant voltage for YEARS. The NiMh batteries stored full do lose a little bit... I top them off annually. Since the bulk of my lithium batteries are at 40% - meaning I'll need to charge them before putting them into use - I try to keep an alternative-battery option for anything that uses them.

Non-rechargeable alkaline batteries are usually a better option for storing in your car. Other chemistries can be more negatively impacted by extreme temps, particularly heat.

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Another tidbit.

We have a bunch of Eneloop AAA and AA batteries from about 2006 and later still sealed in the retail packaging.

I can test them to see how much capacity is remaining when I get time [maybe when quarantined].



And also to see what their charge/discharge characteristics are, after 10 to 14 years since being manufactured.

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Thanks so much for the data, Chris!

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I've got 4 panels on the Stealth Trailer since 2008.  Outback CC and 2 G2 golf cart batteries, mains charger and monitoring instrumentation.

What do you want to know.

Your idea is doable.

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Any suggestions for small pure-sine wave inverters? Enough to run a typical residential refrigerator or two, thinking 300W continuous/600W peak or so. I have a few MSW inverters, and they’ll work, but looking for suggestions on a better option.

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@EXPY37

Hey EXPY,
I'm trying to walk before I run with solar, I guess and I'd like to keep some portion of it portable, because I have a home and a vacation home.

First, my background is I'm a Fire Alarm guy, who knows quite a bit about electrical, but is more of a controls guy than a power distribution guy.

[Doesn't matter, knowledge is transferrable]

My Goal is to build a solar system, by incrementally.
1 - A few solar panels on the trailer to start, feeding
2 - Charge controllers, batteries and Inverters (I think).
3 - Then scale up adding panels and batteries over time.

My hope is to buy large enough charge controllers/inverters for the larger completed project up front, but feed them with only a few panels, charging only a few batteries.  Then as I get more money, just keep adding panels and batteries to the completed system size of roughly 30-40 panels.

[Good plan, I hope as I explain this it shows how little $$$ is needed]

My questions are:
Is this feasible?
[Quite]

Will the larger controllers/inverters not be efficient with few panels in the beginning?
[Won't make much difference ---AND PANELS ARE CHEAP! I'd stick with Outback Flexmax charge controllers, unless someone would provide a convincing argument to change]

how would you configure a panel system where roughly 30 panels would be stationary on maybe a roof, but it is supplemented by 4-6 more panels mounted on the roof of a trailer?
[I wouldn't bother tying them together]

Where would you place the charger?  I'm assuming in the trailer, but the batteries and inverter would need to stay at the house.
[I would make the charge-controller portable/plug in, using appropriate inexpensive forklift connectors or aircraft APU connectors [see eBay and myself] and move it where needed]
[There is too much loss at 12vdc to not have the charge-controller located directly at the battery bank. If there is only one battery bank, that's where it goes]

Am i better off building 2 completely seperate systems?  (large house and small portable trailer systems)  I'm kind of leaning in this direction.
[I think you are better off -initially- sharing the common more expensive system components, i.e., the charge controller]

If I build the 2 seperate systems, can I still scale up the large one as described earlier?

[Yes, because you are initially sharing the more expensive component]

I'm assuming 48 volt panels are best if I have long runs from panel to controller, but for the trailer, I'm assuming 12 volt is best?

[NO]

[Probably, since your low voltage wiring can be a lighter gauge. BUT- Put you panels in series -in consideration of the specs of the charge controller- then use 12vdc to the batteries in the trailer and 12vdc, 24vdc, 48vdc in your house, as your batteries become available]

[There are voltage limitations to the input of the charge controllers, the Outback trips out over 142vdc input----. Since I use 5 groups of 4 Sharp panels each, on the 'barn', in the winter [cold] the voltage to the 4 Outback's exceeds 142vdc so I designed a "Voltage Dropping Module" that prevents trip out of the Outback's when the voltage is high.

Where is the best source to buy good Charge Controllers, Inverters, Panels, Etc?

[eBay ]

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What are you guys using for fuel in your indoor oil lamps?

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Many thanks, @EXPY37 (not just for this. For many posts in the BIG thread that I can't even keep up with).

I'd DEFINITELY be interested in knowing what those test out to, for my own edification. Those are NiMH, correct?

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Capacity isn’t the controlling factor with older NiMH batteries, high I.R.s (internal resistance) are. This means that charging/discharging becomes harder and harder.

Think of your kitchen sink’s plumbing getting gummed up with deposits, to the point that water flow is restricted.

I don’t have Eneloops going back to 2006, but I do have a bunch going back to 2011 and 2012.

I just cycled them 3 times on a Maha C9000 and got some average capacity numbers using a 1A charge and 1A discharge rate, which is decent for most applications. I.R.s were all within nominal ranges, but have elevated since new.

White Eneloop standard 1900mAH date coded 09/2011:

1828 mAh
1860 “
1868 “
1882 “
1828 “
1893 “
1901 “
1904 “
1791 “
1787 “
1747 “
1895 “

Eneloop 5th Anniversary Glitter AAs 09/2012, by color:

1906/1907
1883/1899
1875/1883
1901/1894
1888/1895
1878/1905
1845/1891
1881/1896

Minimum capacity for standard Eneloops is 1900mAh.

Chris

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What are you guys using for fuel in your indoor oil lamps?

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@EXPY37  Your reply was awesome and informative.

When I get on Ebay, I become hesitant, because I have no idea which items are quality and which are junk.  I have no concept of the market for this stuff.

I will spend some more time researching.

Thanks again!!!

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@EXPY37

Expy,

I have about a $6000 budget.  I'm no longer worried about getting this on the roof of a trailer, although that's still an option, I can mount panels on a roof, post in yard or top of fence if I need to.

That said, my goal now is to just get the parts here so that I have them to assemble at some point in the future.  My closest friends are all Master/Journeyman Electricians who are a part of the team building this, just no Solar experience for parts selection.

Some facts about my home systems to consider:
1 - 1000 gal propane tank buried in yard
2 - Gas fired/forced hot air Heating Units (attic & basement)
3 - Gas millivolt fire places (Kitchen, Living Rm, Master Bedroom)
1 - Over-sized Wood Burning Stove in Basement
1 - 17kW Kohler Air Cooled Stand-by Gen.  (Burns about 3.3 gal / hour)
2 - 5500W Portable Gen (100 gal Gasoline)

My goal is to be able to run the following:
1 - 220V Well Pump (VFD 3-Phase on a 20A/220 Breaker, See attached Name Plate)
1 - Propane Hot Water Heater (120V power vented)
2 - HVAC systems (For complete heating or also for just using the blowers to move warm air from the Wood Burning Stove in Basement)
1 - Refrigerator
1 - Deep Freezer (Optional)

Is there a quality complete package system that makes the purchasing of this thing worthwhile?

If not, what parts, brands, sizes do you recommend for this size system?

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/52131/Well_Pump_VFD__3_-1312510.jpg

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@EXPY37

The VFD already converts 220vac into 3 phase.  Its fed with the same 20amp / 220 feed from the original well pump that was a standard 220 volt pump

Does that change anything?

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I stock up on batteries every Black Friday.  I get hundreds of AA and AAA batteries. Way cheaper.

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Gas storage question.
I bought a HDPE 55 gallon drum and have started filling it with gas. I know I have to add stabil to it and finish filling it (got about 40gals before it got dark) it’s stored in my shed.

What about venting?  I filled it at 35 degrees F. I know it will soon be up to 70f with spring.
I don’t plan to have this crazy long term.  I was thinking 3-4 months max.
What should I do to safely store this with regards to venting and pressure relief.

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Why are you storing that much gas? Given the current price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, gas is cheap and abundant.
Time and resources are finite. I don't know your situation, but for me gas is near bottom priority right now.

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Anyone have any idea?

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OODA... just an anecdotal on my GoalZero 7W panel...