Goodbye Grid: My Rebel Move to Solar Power | Wranglerstar's DIY Freedom Pt. 1 

EcoFlow site: bit.ly/47bf9ov Wranglerstar's Delta. Pro amzn.to/3RH9C2u (amazon affiliate link)

I went off grid 35 years ago, on the Oregon coast. First in my county. Had to source equipment back in the early days. Always have a backup plan. Forty batteries in a configuration of ten strings of four batteries for 24 volts using 6 volt trojan T-105. Each set of batteries lasted 10 years, about 3650 cycle life. The 2.4 kw system continues to charge the batteries and run a 4000 sqft home. Water heater runs on propane, but also employed a woodstove closed loop system for winter, a HDPE pipe system for summer, and a small 115 volt electric tank for summer excess power to be consumed. Stovetop and range ran off propane but did a considerable amount of cooking and baking on the woodstove. Two woodstoves warmed the entire home on two levels. Backup generator topped off batteries in truly bad weather.

I'd like to say, your videos are therapeutic. I found myself rather upset from a situation at work. I let it get to me until I watched this video, I felt a huge shift in my mood. Thank you.

I remember when you inspired me many years ago to start collecting manual powered tools to prepare for a zero fuel society, I have taken it seriously and covered a lot of bases now. Crosscut saws, saw maintenance tools, axes, felling equipment, bits and braces, timber slicks and chisels, old fashioned machining equipment, gunsmithing tools. I still use my good old Husqvarna, but when the trucks aren't delivering anymore, I can switch immediately over to man powered mode. And if it comes down to it long term, I will have the ability to be employed without the need for power tools. As you once said, there was a time when a man with nothing but a gardening hoe could find steady work with just that one tool. From a 23 year old east coast man who has been watching since my early teen years. Thank you Mr. W.

My wife walked in just as you pulled your best hand brake turn. Now she can't stop watching.

Our property has been completely off grid for 15 years. My advice is to use the generator for welding, keep your batteries floating at over 80% to make them last, and finally... Buy spare breakers for the generator... you'll need em.😊

I still remember the con game in the early 2000's when we apparently had an energy "shortage," and monthly bills became nearly unaffordable, while power was randomly shut off in "brown-outs." Utility companies ended up with record profits.

Battery banks are affordable now, reliable and with 10 year lifespans! That allows large surge capacity with solar trickle and generator recharge as needed.

I’m living the dream of having my own property through you, thank you for this. (I will never be able to afford something like this: due to a severe auto-immune disease I’m severely limited vs what I used to be - gone from enduro dirt bike riding to not being able to walk 1km without extreme pain) anyhow - I’m thankful to experience part of your journey through your videos, it brings joy to my heart. My prayers are with you and your family. 🙏🏻👌🏻

Never be afraid to ask for help. You might feel like an inconvenience, but if its someone that loves you, they won't mind.

Sort of odd to get panels when there are power lines right next to your shop, but I understand not wanting to deal with delivery issues and control. Keep in mind if the power grid ever had lots of problems your panels look to be in full view of the road so someone might "borrow" them if they think you don't need them.

I have been off grid for 5 years. More solar is the key to happiness. I got a pallet of 31 315w panels for $3800 delivered. Just added a bunch more lithium iron storage. Slowly but surely reducing my need on the Honda eu2000 generator. Fully eliminated the need for larger generators by running large loads off the batteries and slowly recharging with the solar or small gen as needed. The parts are so cheap, easy and reliable that the payback period is only a few years. Makes cutting the cord a no brainer.

The fact that there are power lines right next to the shop is my favorite part.

"I don't want to be an inconvenience, and ask for help ": I see it this way, if it's spur of the moment, AND, the person being asked is already doing something, then yeah, it can be an inconvenience, otherwise, you're giving them an opportunity to be a blessing to someone who has a need.

Recently had a job reenforcing a deck for a hot tub up in the mountains at 9,000 feet elevation and the only time I could finish the job was during a storm with 20 degree temps, 40 mph winds and raining chunks of ice. Not the most fun I’ve had while working but It put dinner on the table

10kW of solar with a 2kW wind set up is the best solution if you want to really live comfortably off grid.

i constantly buy all kinds of tools because of you, even if i dont need it. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Treat the solar panels with a ceramic coating. The snow will not gain a purchase and slide right off.

Love you sir. But we don't have your kind of money!... My son and me watch you religiously...but we can only dream of what you have... We'll just keep trying... Thank you...

Once again, another great video. Praying for you and your family, Cody. I was expecting you to paint the support pole.

Love watching you such a father figure!

Beloved, you should have a magnet tool to pick up and find your screws. You can also use it over an area to keep it safe for barefoot walking. They’ve been a lifesaver for me.

Don’t leave your fiberglass ladder or tools in the sun for long duration. It will itch so bad you will never want to touch them again.

Solar? OK, I get it. It's an option on sunny days. But surely biomass is the best, reliable solution when you have acreage to supply the plant matter.

Off grid power systems are the right thing to do nowadays. All the solar equipment is cheap and very reliable nowadays. Efficient energy storage IS here today in LiFePo4 chemistry, as well. I built my first off grid house 10 years ago with 1140 watts of solar, and, 100ah 48v lead acid batteries... I ruined batteries left and right during the daytime because i tried to run my bigger loads depending mostly on the PV... All it takes is one little cloud, and the lead acid discharge over amped. 100ah deep cycle lead max discharge is 20 amps(.2×capacity)... 1000w was max with battery alone, so, i needed solar to run anything bigger to provide power in real time... Lithium iron is capable of discharging intermittently at 1×capacity(no decimal point), or .5 × capacity continuously without damaging cells, and will last it's rated time at that rate(e.g. 100ah battery will last 120 min @50 amp rate)... with lead acid you only get 100ah if discharging at 1 amp rate... At max 20amp a 100ah lead chemistry battery is only good for about 30 min, then ruined forever 😂. With 51.2v 105ah battery bank, i can weld from my hot tub while waiting on my pottery to finish baking in my electric kiln🤭... On thing tho.... DC current doesn't have electrocution risk, but, it can start fires in an arc fault situation... Keep conductors separated, and use correct fuses for dc voltage. 12v fuses offer NO protection in a 50v system... When the fuse metal melts in two, the voltage will continue to bridge the gap with an arc even at the distance of the blades.... Blades from higher voltage dc are much further apart than automotive fuses. Like 1.25" space between blades on a 50v rated DC fuse of any amperage.

How nice of Momma to share her toys and snacks. She even left it close to the wood stove to stay warm for him!

Cody also there is the factor of cold on the battery's ? They won't work when cold ? You might have to go with AGM in the winter or keep the lithium heated ! TIME WILL TELL

So sweet of mama to share her kill with you! Enjoy that fresh bird

FYI- city fireman prefer wooded ladders due to poor conductivity so they don’t accidentally kill themselves by touching power lines.

Small system that is a good start. Been Running my whole farm off solar and wind for a few years now. Would never look back. The back up generator has done nothing but collect dust for a while now.

My main power draw will be air compressor and welder..240 is a must there also large machine tools being 240 is a must.. a guy can use a phase converter to obtain 3 phase for lathe/mills..I'm interested in solar myself..hope to acquire a decent array myself..glad to see you forging a clear path for us..a guy can learn alot from what you've done.thanks..proho baby

Great video as usual, thanks for the education Champ,, God bless wish I lived near you! You could impose anytime. Cheers.

My favorite RU-vid channel. Appreciate your content. God Bless You and Your Family Cody. Got a Wool Crusher for Christmas from my wife. 🙌🙏

Sadly, I've got lots of sun, as well as thieves near the house I'm in now. However, my mountain farm will be off grid completely. There is NO WAY I'm paying for someone else to limit my power usage, or have to deal with outages anymore. Moving my 91 year old parents up in the Western NC Mountains won't work, but everything is ready for the house. Both hydro and solar are the plan. That newest Ecoflow is sweet! I remember when they first started the crowd funding for the Delta.

We have lived off grid for over 30 years and tried it all and have a affordable system. Go AGM battery for better cost and small back up generator and a big one for big power tools. Keep your panels under 5mt from your battery or you will lose power and simplify everything by using a inverter rather than running different voltages

Wranglerstar slowly turning into heisenberg

My gripe is being someone of lower income, a full solar system is nice, but I will never see the cost benefit in my lifetime.

Poetic justice setting up a solar system in the literal shadow of power lines on your road! Well done!!

God bless you, thanks for this new video ❤

A fantastic installation and a perfect spot for it. I can't wait to get the six 100W panels I got at HF set up, but need to invest in the battery storage for it to go somewhere. God Bless, Cody. This was a great video and really had that old-passion feel of guys working on a project.

Hey CODY- I install SOLARK inverters often for my business, They are great inverters with lots of capability. Battery- solar-and wind

You just put them up and as you were doing your outro speech, you can already see the snow significantly obscuring the panel. Is there any automated way to keep it clear?

Great video! One of my favorite in a long time for some reason

Merry Christmas Brother. Hope you have a wonderful 2024❤

Yeah I have 'Two Bluetti's' and solar panels. Not about saving the planet. Its about 'Energy Independence' and saving my wallet from high electric bills.

Utilizing technology like the internet and RU-vid to fund your way off grid and away from the dangers of modern society brough upon us all by technology and RU-vid. What a power move, godspeed Wranglestar, you remind me of my grandpa who passed about 20 years ago.

I worked for a wireless company with lots of wireless dishes. You can spray pam on a wireless dish to keep the snow off, there might be a compound for solar panels to help distribute the snow when you cannot.

Many folks died and it took years to recover from our grid shutting down. The wind and solar that we had to purchase with tax money didn't keep the grid up. TX was minutes from a statewide shutdown. It would have taken months to get back online. Be thankful you have your own power and do not rely on the liars at the power company. We didn't have power for 3 days when temps were near zero. When you called them they told you nothing. The streets were covered in ice. So, it's always better to be prepared. Solar won't work for me. So, it's great that you can cut them A-hats out of money and your support.

A good old-fashioned episode. Boy, I love these.

Ahhh, the joys of rear wheel drive and drifting in the snow! I love it!!!

The best of friends will always drop everything to help with the smallest tasks.

BEAUTIFUL VIDEO 👍🙏❤😇

I hipe you have good security Cody, that sheed is a sitting duck for thieves being so close to the road and the contents being visable from the road

Just today I was fixing my 4 wheeler plow, 120 MiG was not enough! About sheet metal max! And yes sometimes I do weld excavator buckets, sometimes I weld semi truck frames, little more than prohibiting but I do know when it’s enough current.

I love your videos! Thank you

Jumping a fiberglass ladder in below freezing temperatures with snow and ice on the ground. What could go wrong? That's how us East Coast men get things done. Welcome to the club, sir!

Like Jesus carrying the cross when you put up that pole. I really appreciate your videos, my brother, very inspiring to all the other prohos 🤝

FYI signature, solar makes a ac / dc mini split 9k and 12k that is a direct solar panel hookup. Heat/ dehumidify and cool directly off the sun. The unit is about $1500.00

I do applaud your effort, having done residential solar for the last year. Regarding the "smart meter" the only thing smart about it is that they don't need to walk up to it to read it, it has a little radio in it that phones the number back. They can't afford to put a switch in your meter socket, at least not yet. The way they would cut off your power is with the disconnect at the service transformer.

Excellent video sir.

Finally spent a few bucks on a rolling magnet for the shop because of all the screws I've lost over the years. I've found screws, drill bits, and all the metal shavings from the past years with that thing. Sadly, though, I dropped a box of tiny aluminum nails in the grass not long ago, and am still finding ones I missed picking up by hand... if only aluminum (and some stainless varieties) would stick to the magnet.

I'm installing a similar but smaller energy system for my shed. Single 100 watt panel feeding a 12v deep cycle battery with a contoller and 2500 watt inverter. Backup is a small 2000 watt gas generator. No welding, but power tools.

I already have the Ecoflow Delta Pro. The Ultra isn't available to us now, yet you have it already. You must be special. Must be nice.

Nothing is truly “off grid” All wind and solar components require the grid. We were “off grid” for three years before we came to the true understanding that no matter how independent you think you are unless you go back and live in a manner prior to electricity will you ever be truly independent from the grid. Solar is great for backup and your generator as a back up for your solar. For our community friends who are all off grid beside us we enjoy not having the noise of our generator on all the cloudy days in the Ozarks.

I started me journey for energy independence a year ago, phase 1 was a 12KW grid-tie PV system to reduce my monthly electric bills, actually the past year I was energy positive for 8 of 12 months. Where I live the power company charges a delivery fee no matter what. Depending on the rates, expect ROI in 5 years based on the past year numbers. We will see. Next phase is storage batteries and adding more panels on the shop roof or may clear some land and put up a frame. Them replace the ICE vehicles with EV’s which may be a conversion. Do not need the fancy electronics. So will end up with my own power station for home, shop, vehicles and diesel for tractor and back-up generator. Now all we need to do is get rid of property taxes to remove that chain on our leg.

So how many sunny days do you have per year? That will be the test of feasibility of this project.

Definitely interested in this series. Got to build another shed on my property but don’t have power anywhere near where it would be and can’t run power to it. But I did just pick up an ecoflow river 2 and was thinking I would use that to power a few lights in the shed.

"do it all myself my whole life" I felt that.

Very cool. I’m just guessing by eyeing it, but if you plan to adjust the tilt from season to season, you would want to go a bit steeper. You would get the extra benefit of snow sliding off easier with a steeper angle. The down side is you’d have to readjust the angle a couple times a year.

I’m looking forward to, “This is how ProHo integrates Thorium Nuclear Salt generators into the homestead.”

Amen brother!!!

Proho is a closet drifter...love it!!

It's fun watching descend into madness

Correct as usual King Friday. Another outstanding video! Thank you for making and sharing with us! Best wishes to you and yours!

You can solar your home for under 2k pretty easily. 8 batteries, 2-300w panels, inverter, charge controller, and 10g wire is what you'll need. The trick with batteries is, turn your fridge off when the sun isn't charging your system. It's plenty insulated to stay cold for 36 hours. For a little more cash, you can mount those panels on a swivel, to face east, south, and west. You'll pick up 4 more hours of direct sunlight this way.

Did this about 12 months ago, off grid with generator back up.

Great content Cody, really enjoyed it!

Love these homestead videos, thank you so much! I have learned so much from you! I am a single man for now, could live in a bus, easy to please. Maybe I would have a shop on property. I love the idea keeping it simple. Thanks again, nice power slide! A friend use to have video of a power slide I did on a mower, not sure which is easier a mower power slide or atv power slide. No brake pads on mower. 🤔 😆 Happy New Year Cody!

Right on, Sir….

Luv that panel mount !!

Maybe use a steel garden rake and rake the area where the screws flew into, this way you do NOT risk getting a flat tire when driving in the area. Just a suggestion....🙂

Ground mount is what I want when I get to building my own easier to service plus better airflow for panel longevity during hot months

Man I hear you about wind in Oregon. Been out in the Columbia gorge for around 30 years, when that east wind picks up it'll move things with ease

I really only use this platform so I can watch your videos. I'm not great at remembering to like your videos, I genuinely appreciate reminders, especially the way you deliver them. Thank you for all you do!

You’re inspiring to me and my family

Priceless… solar install in the snow and completely sun blocked :). I would not have a weak-point threaded connection in my main mount pole, yes would take allot of wind force to snap but weak point introduced.

You can add an automotive spray wax to the panels to help the snow slide off. It also will make cleaning the panels easier

I think that whole assembly is going to turn in the wind. You may need Two poles in the ground, or some kind of stakes and tie downs.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="622">10:22</a> weee :) Regarding ladders, little giant makes a great 4 step ladder for indoor use. Super light and has held up well for me. I use it in property maintenance. So used weekly.

Last guy I seen go "off grid" water, power, and sewer in Arkansas got 20 years in the state penitentiary. Stay safe!

Power to ya Cody. But my tech abilities fall short for DIY and at $32K cant afford contractors.

Your chainsaw comparison, you did about five years ago. Got us is going down the off grid path I have you to thank for that my wife did not want to go with electric chainsaw until she saw your video. We still have one gas chainsaw but most of our vehicles and our house everything is powered by the sun With some power going back to the grid because we already had the grid tie

It's about time. I asked you years ago why you didn't go with solar and you said at that time that you were looking into it. Good to see that you have finally seen the wisdom of moving to more self sufficient means of power generation. Another plus is that solar is scalable and the tech is improving.

I put my 3000 watt solar system as a 48 volt system 10 years ago. About ready to replace the back-up batteries. Works great for outages.

Goodbye Wranglerstar. Hello Wranglerberg

This is awesome!

On the ladder subject. I have two aluminum ladders, one 6’ step ladder and one 32’ extension. They are both still solid as the day I bought them 30+ years ago. In that same time I have also owned many 4’, 6’ 8’ fiberglass stepladders and they only last about 10 years before the fiberglass begins to deteriorate and then you have a fun glass splinter situation and have to trash it. The aluminum ladders if they ever do go bad I can at least get a few bucks at the scrap yard.

ProHo, if you really want to stick it to the system stewards and show them how grounded you are, I highly recommend picking up an old school 2 stroke diesel generator to run on waste oil or veggie squeezins!

Our electrical grid is the most reliable and cost effective form of energy in this world, BECAUSE it is built and maintained by the sort of manly men you claim to admire and lead. Your message can get lost in your privilege sometimes, but you’re still a solid go-to guy for useful advice and information. Peace.

Offgrid solar setups are what bind the nerds and preppers together. I just got my Anker SOLIX F3800 that will run my house.