Post Mount Remote Solar System Design by LaMar
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Post Mount Solar design by LaMar. Get the Sketchup file on my website: www.simplesolarhomesteading.com under the Project Plans tab. Please subscribe and give the video a like. This is a HD video so for best effect watch in HD resolution.
Comments
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What number of heavy duty cable will you use from the inverter to your cabin? Thanks.
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Its a good set up but here where I live in this neighbor hood my batteries and solar system would be gone by thieves. I would have to put my batteries and equipment inside my home in a room under lock and key. as for my panels I would have put them high up so I could keep them and I wood most defiantly insure them. incase of damage by weather or by gangs. I never have trouble when I am home just when I have to be gone for a few days. other than my gas was stolen a couple times this month. I stopped that by locking my gates at night. most of them know I will shot if necessary I have sks /410/44 marlin/ 357 magnum 308 mouser/ and many more weapons. I make knives / machetes/ arrows/ bows/ and throwing stars out of carbon still 3/16 and 1/4' steel. But I pray to god I never have to take another live. but if I have no choice. As I am a pro with any of these weapons I was trained by military personnel. And I have taught primitive combat using blades or what ever weapons that are on hand. But you just cant watch your home when you are gone.
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I thought you may want to give the box lid a slight angle for rain and snow runoff. Just a thought... :-)
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Good design, maybe a 1X2 cross brace in the middle of the boxes, and a piece of plywood glued to the center section for added strength. Also not sure but I think you need to go down 4 feet to get below the frost zone in your area to prevent the ground from heaving your post out.
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Lamar, wouldn't the bottom of the frame form a pocket for wind to get underneath and rip off the panels, especially when lying flat?
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Thank you for your reply and I totally enjoy all your videos. I think how you are living and helping so many people along the way is a great thing!!
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I do have a question.... How durable are these panels for hail? Thank you, and I love your channel. :D Oh and will you bury the pvc holding the extension cord in the ground?
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Your channel is the first one where I began learning about solar panels and how to set them up. So I feel funny trying to offer any help since you seem very knowledgeable about the electronics of this. I have been watching a guy here in NY set his up and the critters would yank his wires out of the solar panels because he had them on the ground. I think your post mount idea is good due to wind and other things that could affect them. I do think it would be a good idea to channel the wires through some type of conduit even if it is just pvc pipe.
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How about a V roof dog house look. make it so you can raise one part of the roof to service the batteries and put a vent in the fake door and at the rear near the roof line. This look will be better than a box and the rain will not pool on top of the box.
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LaMar, I have your book and have used it as a reference many times.
This is a project I am currently trying to work out as well. Right now my panels, 8 of them are on a ground stand angled for the winter time. I keep thinking about a tilt design but just not sure how to go about it. Have looked at sleeving a galv pipe to make a heavy sort of hinge that wont' wear out, but the framing is my issue. I see many out of wood, I was considering the galv slotted metal, only for the reason I can ground it to help protect from lightening. My battery banks are about 20' away, we use a square d outside breaker panel to make a combiner and shut off, and was lucky to find some 2/0 stranded copper to encase in conduit the approx 20' to the pumphouse where the battery bank is. we have zero loss of voltage this way and can handle the approx 60 amps coming from the panels.
this is one idea that I have looked at, http://spectrumz.com/2013/low-cost-adjustable-solar-panel-rack/
but my fear with any wood rack is any twisting, whatnot that can take place and damage the panels. -
The battery box needs vents near the bottom and near the top so the hydrogen gas vents, I always put several cement blocks under the battery box and slant the top like a shed roof so water doesn't puddle on top. Remember for non directed during the day solar collectors like yours, that slightly west of south is better than full south because the morning haze reduces the light in the morning and evenings the sky is clear so there is more light and more electric energy output...
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How about placing a stainless steel rod into the concrete with a strike plate around it. Then a hole in your post with a strike plate around it to receive the pivot rod. Seems like a simple way of making a pivot point. The strike plates would need to be of a non-rusting material also. The rod need only be a foot long or so (six inches into the concrete and 6 inches into the post) and would need to be of sufficient diameter to not bend. The only time it would bend is if you were to hit it with your truck. The solution for that is simple... Don't hit it with your truck!
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If I was going to build this system I would put another latch to hold the lid of the box open so that it doesn't slam shut on your head while working in your battery box. Overall its an awesome design.
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Very nice idea.
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A few people have suggest a swivel mount with a tracking system but here is some things to think about: trackers only work when the sun shines and have a tendency to jam leaving the panel at the wrong angle. A manually operated swivel requires you to go out and adjust the panels every few hours. My design is to get the majority of the sun all the time even when I am away from the cabin.
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I like the #solar array design that was featured on the Discovery Channel's 'The Colony.' It has a tracker that moves the entire array in the direction of the sun so you get maximum sunlight on your array. Check it out here: http://youtu.be/d-Rz0nYSkLM
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I think your design is pretty solid. In fact I might actually make something similar, but smaller for a little 6v, 60watt panel I have. I don't think you need to make it swivel unless you want to chase the sun around with it all day..! hehe The only thing I would really suggest is that you put an additional hole on your tilter between the other two for the spring & autumn seasons.
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What program do you use for these designs?
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I wouldn't necessarily use 45deg and 0deg. Research the best angle settings for you based on your latitude.
You could set a 1.5" pipe into a hole drilled into the top of the wood post, then slip a larger pipe over that one. You'll need a bearing for the larger pipe and panels to rest on. Not necesarily ball bearings, but a bearing of some kind. -
thanks for using sketchup
11m 47sLenght
170Rating