Bruce
Herd Master
That's good, no labor costs! It could actually be affordable.
NH Homesteader- turkeys!
- Thread starter NH homesteader
- Start date
babsbag
Herd Master
We have a grid tied solar array and a generator...2 of them. Right now the small generator is enough to run the well and lights in the garage. For now the disconnect only isolates the well and garage from the rest of the house. The ultimate plan is the big generator and a hard disconnect and an auto transfer switch (which we own) so I can still milk, keep milk and cheese cold, and have water. One big joy of a well is no power no water.
Bruce
Herd Master
Yep. My 1931 propane cook stove has nothing electric on it at all so I can still cook with the power out. But no water unless we have stored some. I'm really hoping that someone will soon make a big leap in battery technology so enough amp storage to be useful is affordable. Then I could have power when the power company wasn't providing it.
Well, I don't know the max sustained KWH your arrays put out during the day, but you could get an inverter and do all your electrical needs only during daylight hours while the array is at max capability. Get a larger water holding tank for the well (or maybe a large water holding tank with gravity feed?) and fill it during the day. Do laundry/showers, that sort of thing during the day, while there's power and then you'd only need a small battery bank for nighttime. Switch over to 12 volt DC for lighting and such. I had natural gas for cooking at my last place. Back to electric here. I like cooking on electric much better but then I can't cook if the power goes out. I can't cook on this wood furnace as it's encased in an outer shell. And even if I could, who in their right mind would want to fire up a wood stove mid summer to cook when the temp is in the high 90s? I do have the gas grill and extra propane tanks for it and it's on a covered deck, so can still cook even with weather (as long as it's not blowing a hurricane out).
It's great that your DH is knowledgeable about all this stuff. licensed electricians (and plumbers) are pretty danged expensive!
It's great that your DH is knowledgeable about all this stuff. licensed electricians (and plumbers) are pretty danged expensive!
- Thread starter
- #845
NH homesteader
Herd Master
Yeah there are certain things we would have to hire an electrician for... But we have friends who are electricians! And plumber? Nah he does all that. He can also fix all our vehicles and builds all our barns, etc. And he butchers all our meat animals. He's always been a farm guy! We save a LOT of money!
CntryBoy777
Herd Master
We have electric for cooking in the trailer, but the house has propane stove....here in the trler we use a propane camping stove to cook with during outages....just a 2 eye, but have to get the generator to town to the shop to get it running....well is 175' down, so a hand pump would be difficult to use...
Devonviolet
Herd Master
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2014
- Messages
- 3,402
- Reaction score
- 8,170
- Points
- 513
- Location
- East Texas - Near Sulphur Springs
I'm really likin' that, Bruce! We would love to put solar panels on our roof. But, we just can't afford it right now, with the batteries being the most expensive part.
Our neighbor has a large generator, that he said we could plug into. However, DH just told me the neighbor admitted, that he doesn't know where to plug into his system.
So, now we are talking about buying a medium size generator.
babsbag
Herd Master
I have propane for hot water and cooking, and wood stove for heat. That leaves the freezers and the water. I would HATE to loose what is in my freezers. With the dairy alternate power is a necessity as goats won't wait to me milked until the power comes back on. But really my biggest concern is losing power in the summer due to a wildfire and not having the ability to have water. I have a 5000 gallon pool I could drain, and a gas fire pump, but the well is still really convenient.
We are putting in a 3000 gallon storage tank but that is really for pumping water into at night when my electric rates are low and using it via a 12v pump during the day when the rates are high. Grid tied solar makes me do everything during off peak hours but I have too much irrigation to do during the summer to get it all done off peak.
We are putting in a 3000 gallon storage tank but that is really for pumping water into at night when my electric rates are low and using it via a 12v pump during the day when the rates are high. Grid tied solar makes me do everything during off peak hours but I have too much irrigation to do during the summer to get it all done off peak.
- Thread starter
- #849
NH homesteader
Herd Master
Well I'm thinking spring today! Lol, with a lot of snow on the ground... I ordered my seeds from Baker Creek, super excited! And I ordered a bunch of chickens. I was going to avoid hatchery birds but I wanted to try out some breeds so if I fall in love with one of them, I'll go for the added expense of getting some better stock from a breeder. I got some straight run Dorkings, my husband wanted some Cornishes (weird birds, but he has this obsession with making his own meat birds), and I think 3 Araucana/Amaricauna crosses just for fun. Then we let our daughter pick out 2 birds (as long as they followed the rules of what we can keep here!) and she picked White Orpingtons.
I've been trying to post pictures but my phone won't let me. We played with the pigs this morning, they were hysterical!
I've been trying to post pictures but my phone won't let me. We played with the pigs this morning, they were hysterical!
Bruce
Herd Master
Depends on the time of year and how much sun and clouds, rain and snow and the time of day those things are occuring @Latestarter !
As you can see below, we have some good days and some BAD days this month. On Nov 27th we made no power at all, first time ever since the array went live Dec 8, 2015. Our usage on average is under 1 KW per hour and on sunnier days give most of it to the power company. On less productive days we use most of what we make during the day plus some from them. Obviously it is all from them at night.
Knowing all that, look again at the chart, we didn't make as much as we use the first 10 days of the month. Would need a BIG battery bank to cover that shortfall.
As you can see below, we have some good days and some BAD days this month. On Nov 27th we made no power at all, first time ever since the array went live Dec 8, 2015. Our usage on average is under 1 KW per hour and on sunnier days give most of it to the power company. On less productive days we use most of what we make during the day plus some from them. Obviously it is all from them at night.
Knowing all that, look again at the chart, we didn't make as much as we use the first 10 days of the month. Would need a BIG battery bank to cover that shortfall.
