I thought of that too. But for now it's still FREE. Don't spread it around, we wouldn't want them to find out something else to tax.
Solar Power
- Thread starter Clyde
- Start date
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This is the Harbor Freight 45 watt solar kit in action. The Ever Start battery is totally dead. To the left are 2 6v and the grey box is my 12v. The flat one on the railing is a 10w coleman trickle charger. Right above the Ever Start is the Harbor Freight charge controller.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION:
100 Watt Solar Array....busy. Lots of planning going into this.
May start running dedicated solar outlets in house.
100 Watt Solar Array....busy. Lots of planning going into this.
May start running dedicated solar outlets in house.
Got 3 more panels today plus 2 new 12v Marine Deep Cycle Batteries.
I think I'm going to get a 600Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter. These Modified Sine Wave Inverters are for the birds. The Pure Sine Wave are much more expensive but you don't get "issues" with fluorescent lights and grounding with them.
I think I'm going to get a 600Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter. These Modified Sine Wave Inverters are for the birds. The Pure Sine Wave are much more expensive but you don't get "issues" with fluorescent lights and grounding with them.
Here is my 90 Watt Solar Array. Those are 15 Watt amorphous panels. Two Harbor Freight Kits. I'm running 2 charge controllers on the 12v Marine/RV batteries.
View attachment 218
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this is the rest.
I thought of that too. But for now it's still FREE. Don't spread it around, we wouldn't want them to find out something else to tax.
give them time.
I wanted to post this pic of something that is real handy when it comes to figure out how many watts an appliance uses. You plug this into an outlet and then plug the appliance into it. It gives you Volts, Amps, Watt, Hz, KWH. It's called a Kill A Watt P3. Get them on ebay for about $ 20 dollars. I've always got this plugged into someting.
wanting to get the harbor freight kit for my rv. How do you like it?
Hi, actually I like them. Amorphous panels work in bright sun or cloudy days. The Mono or Poly do not. These are 10% efficient whereas the others are more like 18% effective. You also have to give them about 6 months for the coating to set so you will see a 20% efficiency rate decrease until they do. I'm not crazy over the charge controller, there are better on the market. Overall I like it. It does a good job. If you don't have a True RMS Multimeter it would be better to have one or else your readings will be low. The ones in the pic that you commented on:
HF-sku 90599. they are 12" wide and 36" in length. They have a metal frame.
Are you going to mount them on top of your RV or keep them in the basement and take them out when you park?
The newer kit is plastic frame and the dimentions are:
38" Length, 13 1/4" Width
HB- sku 68751.
Look for coupons before you buy. I got both kits for $ 149.99 each.
Overall I like them. Great starter kit. Plug & Play all the way, very easy assembly...just add (tax free) sunlight LOL.
Hades,
Would you believe the County I live in TAXES me on the RAINWATER that drops off my house!
I just ordered a 600 Watt PURE SINE WAVE DC TO AC INVERTER. It's a Voltec. I'm so tired of "ELECTRICAL ISSUES" with Modified Sine Inverters. Should be here Tues.
BTW: Modified Sine Inverters will not work with some Medical Equipment.
BTW: Modified Sine Inverters will not work with some Medical Equipment.
I was actually thinking of permanent mount on the roof.Tired of going out to start it and finding a dead battery.Thanks a lot Loomis.
My county is doing the same. Freaking crooks.
I have heard of this, even some states outlawing it completely. without water rights. my argument for that would be in the form of bills, for the damage that thier rain has caused to my home. if they own it they would be responsible for it wouldnt they.
There are plenty of vids on You Tube on how to install on RV's. Another suggestion would be one 15 Watt panel (Harbor Freight $ 59.99) also. How many coach batteries do you have? The 45 Watt would be more than sufficient. I know the feeling with dead batteries. Same thing when I had my RV.
three batteries total one coach two power
Then the 45 Watt panels would be best.
I have picked up a slightly larger solar generator at a higher cost ($1600) and yet, still portable enough (1800 watts)...My thoughts were to have the power for the computer, a few other short term, operating devices, which includes a small, plug-in, AA Battery charger (Must Be Rechargeable Type Batteries)...Reason for this is that I have a yard full (12) of those small garden solar lights (AA size) , that can charge all day by themselves, which gives me inside lights in the house at night, if and when the power fails,.and I can still recharge them in case they run down and didn't recharge during the day......
Thats a great idea!
My wife and I discussed having one of them. We can't really justify the cost with what food we have in the freezer/refridge. Our power has only gone out twice in 10 years. My little solar set up is more of a hobby than anything else.
One more reason I didn't mention and vitally important,...I have a handfull of Hand-Held CB Radios, loaded with the rechargeable AA's.....always able to recharge and communicate locally......
Umm, I know I'm chiming in a little late but thought I would mention something about welding. I've welded since I got out of the Army and got my degree in welding engineering. Just a few things that I saw mentioned I thought I could help out with. One thing to keep in mind about welding is that the more you do it the better you become. When I went to a welding school I basically paid for the materials and thats about it. So before spending a bundle just pick up a welder and start welding.
1: The small boxes that you get from harbor freight most welders call 'buzz boxes'. They are great for around the house but not something you want to try really heavy duty welding with. And great for smal repairs, especially for minor repairs. You can rent, lease or buy larger welders, and welding generators from both Miller and Lincoln for REALLY reasonable rates. They have gas pwr, diesal pwr, and propane pwr.
2: How far your wire sticks out of your nozzel is called the Electrode Stick Out (ESO). When too close you will clog your nozzel and tip, which reduce the flow of electric current, and restrict the flow of sheilding gas. Too far and your wire will usually melt right at the tip and could clog the bloody thing. Ideally, you want your ESO to be about 1/4 inch.
3: Arc welding (aka 'stick welding') has an electrode that is covered in flux. At the end of each electrode, towards the end you place in your stinger, are a series of numbers. (E7018) The 'E' stands for electrode. The first two numbers (in this case 70) are the tinsel strength. In this case once two peices are welded together you have to apply 70,000 pds of pressure to pull it apart. The third number (1) tells you which positions you can use this particular electrode for. In this case 1 means you can use it in the flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions (every position you can weld in) And the fourth number (in this case 8) tells you what kind of flux is covering the rod. In this case 8 is a low hydrogen rod, meaning it has to be kept dry or else the flux will break off or allow be degraded enough that it will allow atmosphere into the weld causing defects. To start the arc with Stick welding you hold the electrode just above the material to weld, and use a 'scratch' start to ignite it. Basically a quick 'J' motion that touches the metal momentarily and starts the flow of current. Can be very frustrating because if you remain in contact with the metal too long your rod will stick. Just remember, throwing your welder into the lake is NOT productive!!
4: Mig welding (aka wire welding) uses spools of wire (from 5 pd spools up to 50 pd spools) that continuously feed wire. Once you pull the trigger the wire feeds and keeps feeding till you release the trigger. It is the most easily learned welding process and is rather cheap. Wire designation is actually a pain in the ass because there are SOOO many. Best way to know what you are buying is to go to a welding supply store and ask. Another factor that makes this process much different from Arc welding is that you have to have an inerat gas hooked up to your machine to prevent atmosphere from getting into your weld. Usually it is CO2 or a mixture of 25% argon and 75% CO2. There are other gas miztures but these are the most common. To start the flow of current simply place your wire on the metal and pull the trigger. Current starts immediately and forms the weld pool.
5: Airgas, Westco, Miller and Lincoln stores tend to have welding equipment for professional welders. Places like Harbour Freight, Home Depot, Lowes, and Tractor Supply have more around the house items.
6: Other welding processes are Flux Core, TIG, High-frequency TIG, Blast Welding, and Torch Welding. I can explain these in detail if you want but generally, Flux Core is very similar to Mig, but mostly used for industrial use, and runs hotter and faster than Mig. TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) uses and non-consumable electrode in a torch and is either water cooled or gas cooled, but both use sheidling gas. Very clean and very neat, a lot harder to learn than most other processes. Hi-freq TIG uses a foot pedal to control the flow of current and can be used on materials that have low melting temps (ie: Aluminum, Stainless steel) Blast Welding is not something most people do, using explosives to fuse two dissimilar types of metal together. And Torch Welding is a torch that uses Oxy-acetalyne or propane, and Oxygen and creates a flame that is very hot. You simply place two pieces of metal in the way you want and use the torch to melt them together.
As far as welding after SHTF goes it won't be useable depending on the nature of the disaster. Personally I've been taking blacksmithing lessions and it is very educational and will be an EXTREMELY valuable skill in post-SHTF world. If your curious about it you can look up vids on youtube.
There is so much info I have on welding and a lot of experience to draw upon if anyone wants to know more let me know. And if you have a project you want some suggestions on I can help there as well.
Hope you guys like this. Sorry it was so bloody long.
1: The small boxes that you get from harbor freight most welders call 'buzz boxes'. They are great for around the house but not something you want to try really heavy duty welding with. And great for smal repairs, especially for minor repairs. You can rent, lease or buy larger welders, and welding generators from both Miller and Lincoln for REALLY reasonable rates. They have gas pwr, diesal pwr, and propane pwr.
2: How far your wire sticks out of your nozzel is called the Electrode Stick Out (ESO). When too close you will clog your nozzel and tip, which reduce the flow of electric current, and restrict the flow of sheilding gas. Too far and your wire will usually melt right at the tip and could clog the bloody thing. Ideally, you want your ESO to be about 1/4 inch.
3: Arc welding (aka 'stick welding') has an electrode that is covered in flux. At the end of each electrode, towards the end you place in your stinger, are a series of numbers. (E7018) The 'E' stands for electrode. The first two numbers (in this case 70) are the tinsel strength. In this case once two peices are welded together you have to apply 70,000 pds of pressure to pull it apart. The third number (1) tells you which positions you can use this particular electrode for. In this case 1 means you can use it in the flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions (every position you can weld in) And the fourth number (in this case 8) tells you what kind of flux is covering the rod. In this case 8 is a low hydrogen rod, meaning it has to be kept dry or else the flux will break off or allow be degraded enough that it will allow atmosphere into the weld causing defects. To start the arc with Stick welding you hold the electrode just above the material to weld, and use a 'scratch' start to ignite it. Basically a quick 'J' motion that touches the metal momentarily and starts the flow of current. Can be very frustrating because if you remain in contact with the metal too long your rod will stick. Just remember, throwing your welder into the lake is NOT productive!!
4: Mig welding (aka wire welding) uses spools of wire (from 5 pd spools up to 50 pd spools) that continuously feed wire. Once you pull the trigger the wire feeds and keeps feeding till you release the trigger. It is the most easily learned welding process and is rather cheap. Wire designation is actually a pain in the ass because there are SOOO many. Best way to know what you are buying is to go to a welding supply store and ask. Another factor that makes this process much different from Arc welding is that you have to have an inerat gas hooked up to your machine to prevent atmosphere from getting into your weld. Usually it is CO2 or a mixture of 25% argon and 75% CO2. There are other gas miztures but these are the most common. To start the flow of current simply place your wire on the metal and pull the trigger. Current starts immediately and forms the weld pool.
5: Airgas, Westco, Miller and Lincoln stores tend to have welding equipment for professional welders. Places like Harbour Freight, Home Depot, Lowes, and Tractor Supply have more around the house items.
6: Other welding processes are Flux Core, TIG, High-frequency TIG, Blast Welding, and Torch Welding. I can explain these in detail if you want but generally, Flux Core is very similar to Mig, but mostly used for industrial use, and runs hotter and faster than Mig. TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) uses and non-consumable electrode in a torch and is either water cooled or gas cooled, but both use sheidling gas. Very clean and very neat, a lot harder to learn than most other processes. Hi-freq TIG uses a foot pedal to control the flow of current and can be used on materials that have low melting temps (ie: Aluminum, Stainless steel) Blast Welding is not something most people do, using explosives to fuse two dissimilar types of metal together. And Torch Welding is a torch that uses Oxy-acetalyne or propane, and Oxygen and creates a flame that is very hot. You simply place two pieces of metal in the way you want and use the torch to melt them together.
As far as welding after SHTF goes it won't be useable depending on the nature of the disaster. Personally I've been taking blacksmithing lessions and it is very educational and will be an EXTREMELY valuable skill in post-SHTF world. If your curious about it you can look up vids on youtube.
There is so much info I have on welding and a lot of experience to draw upon if anyone wants to know more let me know. And if you have a project you want some suggestions on I can help there as well.
Hope you guys like this. Sorry it was so bloody long.
Thanks for this post! It was extremely helpful!Umm, I know I'm chiming in a little late but thought I would mention something about welding. I've welded since I got out of the Army and got my degree in welding engineering. Just a few things that I saw mentioned I thought I could help out with. One thing to keep in mind about welding is that the more you do it the better you become. When I went to a welding school I basically paid for the materials and thats about it. So before spending a bundle just pick up a welder and start welding.
1: The small boxes that you get from harbor freight most welders call 'buzz boxes'. They are great for around the house but not something you want to try really heavy duty welding with. And great for smal repairs, especially for minor repairs. You can rent, lease or buy larger welders, and welding generators from both Miller and Lincoln for REALLY reasonable rates. They have gas pwr, diesal pwr, and propane pwr.
2: How far your wire sticks out of your nozzel is called the Electrode Stick Out (ESO). When too close you will clog your nozzel and tip, which reduce the flow of electric current, and restrict the flow of sheilding gas. Too far and your wire will usually melt right at the tip and could clog the bloody thing. Ideally, you want your ESO to be about 1/4 inch.
3: Arc welding (aka 'stick welding') has an electrode that is covered in flux. At the end of each electrode, towards the end you place in your stinger, are a series of numbers. (E7018) The 'E' stands for electrode. The first two numbers (in this case 70) are the tinsel strength. In this case once two peices are welded together you have to apply 70,000 pds of pressure to pull it apart. The third number (1) tells you which positions you can use this particular electrode for. In this case 1 means you can use it in the flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions (every position you can weld in) And the fourth number (in this case 8) tells you what kind of flux is covering the rod. In this case 8 is a low hydrogen rod, meaning it has to be kept dry or else the flux will break off or allow be degraded enough that it will allow atmosphere into the weld causing defects. To start the arc with Stick welding you hold the electrode just above the material to weld, and use a 'scratch' start to ignite it. Basically a quick 'J' motion that touches the metal momentarily and starts the flow of current. Can be very frustrating because if you remain in contact with the metal too long your rod will stick. Just remember, throwing your welder into the lake is NOT productive!!
4: Mig welding (aka wire welding) uses spools of wire (from 5 pd spools up to 50 pd spools) that continuously feed wire. Once you pull the trigger the wire feeds and keeps feeding till you release the trigger. It is the most easily learned welding process and is rather cheap. Wire designation is actually a pain in the ass because there are SOOO many. Best way to know what you are buying is to go to a welding supply store and ask. Another factor that makes this process much different from Arc welding is that you have to have an inerat gas hooked up to your machine to prevent atmosphere from getting into your weld. Usually it is CO2 or a mixture of 25% argon and 75% CO2. There are other gas miztures but these are the most common. To start the flow of current simply place your wire on the metal and pull the trigger. Current starts immediately and forms the weld pool.
5: Airgas, Westco, Miller and Lincoln stores tend to have welding equipment for professional welders. Places like Harbour Freight, Home Depot, Lowes, and Tractor Supply have more around the house items.
6: Other welding processes are Flux Core, TIG, High-frequency TIG, Blast Welding, and Torch Welding. I can explain these in detail if you want but generally, Flux Core is very similar to Mig, but mostly used for industrial use, and runs hotter and faster than Mig. TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) uses and non-consumable electrode in a torch and is either water cooled or gas cooled, but both use sheidling gas. Very clean and very neat, a lot harder to learn than most other processes. Hi-freq TIG uses a foot pedal to control the flow of current and can be used on materials that have low melting temps (ie: Aluminum, Stainless steel) Blast Welding is not something most people do, using explosives to fuse two dissimilar types of metal together. And Torch Welding is a torch that uses Oxy-acetalyne or propane, and Oxygen and creates a flame that is very hot. You simply place two pieces of metal in the way you want and use the torch to melt them together.
As far as welding after SHTF goes it won't be useable depending on the nature of the disaster. Personally I've been taking blacksmithing lessions and it is very educational and will be an EXTREMELY valuable skill in post-SHTF world. If your curious about it you can look up vids on youtube.
There is so much info I have on welding and a lot of experience to draw upon if anyone wants to know more let me know. And if you have a project you want some suggestions on I can help there as well.
Hope you guys like this. Sorry it was so bloody long.
Here is an update: March 5, 2013
1) Everything ran great until the cloudy weather came along. Sun lately has not been sufficient to keep batteries charged.
2) A 600 Watt dc to ac inverter shorted out and zapped the battery.
3) One of the Harbor Freight charge controllers lost the digital display. Controller still works thou.
4) In order to keep the batteries charged on cloudy days you MUST have a WIND TURBINE, set to the size of your battery storage and a wind charge controller.
On a side note the cheap eBay solar charges work awesome! I picked one up to power my apple devices, under 20$ shipped. Right out of box I plugged in my iPhone cable and it did its job. A similar kit at sportsman's was 70$. So if anyone has been hesitant to pick one up because they fear of being ripped off. I can charge my ipad,iPhone,etc even while primitive camping. About an hour for a full charge, about the same as my house charger. Have to start somewhere!
thats where i got my head lamp and pocket flash light for $5.00,as well as my chain sharner for my chain saw chains..pluse i've gotton other things there as well..great store to do buisness with..
Not only that but like Craftsman, all harbor frieght tools are lifetime guarenteed
