SCAMS to Avoid With An Off Grid Solar Power System - 2 year update 

This video has been very informative for me. I really know very little about electrical systems but I am learning. At my age, 72, I have relied on others to take care of this part of my home. Now I have to step up to the plate and learn. Never too old to teach an old woman new things!!

17:12 he makes the best Point. " Buy and extra battery, buy and extra solar panel to make up for the losses."

A really good and smart idea is to put a huge plastic or glass cover piece over all the solar panels to keep them dry and clean and to extend the life of the panel. All you have to do is clean the plastic or glass cover to keep the efficiency as high as possible. Propane fridges still need power connected to them to ignite the flame so really propane fridges are a bad idea also if you get new laptops with Oled screens you will use less power charging them, idk how much less but probably not much.

Fuses only required once you go to three strings. You found out what we did at 38 deg latitude, south of you. MORE PV! Like twice as much to get through winter. 32kWpv.

Great updated video and amazing what two like minded people can accomplish. I just bought 12 acres with a natural spring. I can't wait to start this journey with the only person I trust my older brother.

You guys are off grid, with all the conforts of the grid, that is awesome!

Congrats to both of you being off grid with such a minimalist system. I can say you and your family are extremely power frugal which is inspiring. More power to you and your family 👍

Suggestions use 300 to 400 watt panels and run a heated system that heats rocks from a garden store. In the summer. When you expand your solar system you repurpoise the panels.

I could not agree more on the fridge and "off grid" appliances in general, they are truly a scam! Modern fridges are so energy efficient, and battery ignition propane stoves cost so much less than the off grid specific ones. Even modern chest freezers are super energy efficient! Great video Jay!

Great work explaining your system, Jay! I’m sure you’ve helped a whole bunch of people with this video!!

This is one of your best videos that you have put out! You explained everything so well, that even I could understand! I see what you mean with the refrigerator, they just want your money! Anyways, y'all have a great day! 🐕🐕🍁🎃 JB

We Texans (and Southerners in general) really suffer if there's no AC (or more specifically no dehumidifying which makes heat more bearable). Solar is a bigger deal here but for sure works for focused emergency situations. Your setup and location is heaven!

If you put glass it the south facing, for your battery shed would heat it during the day. Also you could build a solar water heater to heat it at night. I have a 3000w array, using golf cart batteries 48v system

Looks good Jay! I just replaced my Vmax Tank AGMS this year after 10 years of use with a single 400Ah LIFEPO4 stored in the cabin. After 20 years off grid with just a small 400 watt system I finally upgraded and now my system is 800 watts Renogy and two 200 watt recharging stations with 800Ah of LFP battery storage and some power stations. You learn as you go what your power needs are and you can always add batteries and panels if your needs increase.

I just found your channel. I think it’ fantastic that you show everyone how to save money by not listening to salespeople trying to push overpriced gimmicks. That coffee maker is great too as it makes it so you don’t have to turn off off to conserve energy. Thank you! I am educating myself on these matters of off grid solar

As a firefighter, please get rid of that water extinguisher in your solar house. lol That will cause more issues. Get a CO2 extinguisher or a Dry Chemical extinguisher.....Great video as always Jay!

what you have proven is it doesn't take all that much solar to power your needs if you are willing to make some compromises and adapt to the limited power. Also, going propane for things like cooking or a clothes dryer are the way to go. Matter of fact, I discovered I can dry clothes in just a few hours (rainy day or winter) by hanging everything in my garage and using a 20" window fan to move the air. Yeah, jeans take more time, but the rest is just an afternoon. BTW, a ladder hanging on the ceiling makes a great place to hold coat hangers just for that purpose. Oh, and modern front-loading washers only pull maybe 200 watts. That's a piece of cake on solar or gen set.

Agree with you that the solar fridges are WAY over priced. We just got lucky and it was already in the cabin when we bought the place. Thanks for the schooling on solar! Definitely a lot of help we can use when we setup a bigger solar system. I did try to email you again and I know you're super busy! But it was about the other sponsor you had VTOMAN and I was hoping you could help! Thanks guys, as always you are so helpful!

Thanks for the update! You've managed to get a robust system for your needs and does the job awesomely. I guess the one question I'd ask, and that I've seen other channels answer is: what would you have done differently? Solar is a learning process but by sharing our experiences and mistakes it helps everyone. There were a couple simple tips you shared when setting up your tracking array that saved me an immense amount of work during my set up. Keep at it & stay warm!

Glad to see someone with a reasonable pocket book doing off grid. I didn't see a connection to the company that makes the tracker for your second PV array. My proposed location is wide open to the south so could benefit from a tracker. My property has the water table fairly close to the surface. I have a sandpoint well. Have you considered if one would work at your location? Water was one of the first things I wanted at the off grid property. I fill 20 pound propane tanks from my 250 gallon tank. In late July I paid $1.50 a gallon for propane and they delivered. Costs about $5 to fill a 20 pound tank.

I have a 1k 48v system. Single axis rotating east to west. Adding anther 4500w of panels now just not connected yet. So the 1k of panels currently runs my double door house fridge with icemaker and all that. No problems with it in South TX. U have a nice setup. I started out going small n cheap also. Now I look back n think I could have saved $$ by not buying twice, but it was a good learning experience. I started out 12 volt then upgraded my inverter to 48v. Wish u the best

I watched 2 of your videos. Simple straightforward and easy to understand. The biggest takeaway for me was simplify! Just use 120 v ac, don’t worry about having several systems to save a few watts!

Thank you Jay for speaking and demonstrating the way you have your solar set up . I am a beginner myself your video will help me set up my basic solar system. Keep the videos coming!!

GREAT video! You have been a huge help to me setting up my system. I have a similar set up in Southeast Ohio and have been running the same 800 watt Renogy system. I have thought about expanding for the same reason you did but I only had to run my generator once last winter when we had no sun for five days. Only ran it for a couple of hours and was back to 100%. My wife and I watch all your videos. I was in the Air Force way back when Wurtsmith Air Force Base was active (Oscoda). Stationed there for almost 7 years. My son was born in Tawas. We loved Michigan. Another reason why we love your channel so much. Keep up the great work.

Thanks for sharing your system.

Guys thank you so much for this video !! It really helps

Great job Jay and jen 🙏🏼💙🌿🍁🍂

I think you guys did very well. I bought 2 pecron solar generators 2000 watts each 855 each on their prime sales. We rent so had to go that route. I bought the pecrons very budget friendly and can take 1200 watts of solar each. I have been 6 months into this and love it. I use them everyday might as well get some money back. Lol

Very informative episode. Thank you. 😊

Great video Jay and Jen.

Thank you. You made it so I can understand. Answered questions I had seams like I had forever.

Great video solve my future cost and set up questions thx

Great video ! Our solar systems and cabins are very alike. I used Lifepo4 batteries because they're inside. Same wiring in cabin, I used a energy star fridge too. This winter will be my long stay in it, and those week long Grey periods are my concern. I will put up with hearing a generator, rather than a 50 to 60 k solar layout ! Keep up the good work !

If you want to run anything off 12 volts, or 115 volts, a power station can make it happen; they will charge from solar or 115 volts. When we camp or travel, we keep a 12/115 refrigerator which can also cool to become a freezer in our truck. We are in our 70s but don't use propane lanterns or buy ice anymore unless for drinks for a lot of people.

Thank you, this is EXACTLY the kind of video I wA looking for. Subscribed

you done a good job i started out small making my own solar generators a dollar down and on my way, buying panels when i could afford it you made it simple and easy from fl

Awesome video. We are about to take the plunge , so this really helped... subbed

Love to have more info on the Tracker !

Real good explanation for yore sett upp. And i can andurstand that.😊❤ Great video sir ....😊

Love your videos and enjoy watching. May the lord bless and protect you and Jen and working on the solar system

I struggle to survive with my 35kwh system. Idk if 26 is enough. This is the perfect system for a backup situation, it just needs more battery storage potential. Great Product!

Thanks for suggestions, I was convinced I needed a propane frig. - not now😊

That's your best video to date! Cheers!

Thanks Jay for the solar info. I live in town. But I'm considering getting one of those Anker power banks.for when the regular power goes out. When you were talking about how much power was used for the lights the song 🎶 You Light Up My Life 🎶 popped into my head and I can get it out. Usually when that happens it lasts three or four days. Glad you have a system that's working for you.

Awesome guys 👍 thank you for the update and the confidence boost. We’ve been contemplating on solar for the past 2 years now, but watching your videos makes me feel at ease with giving it a go 👍

offgrider from Denmark here i belive we are near the same amount of time without any sensible sunlight have so had to start ye 0ld millitary 12/24v generator a few times

Really goid tips Jay & Jen, what about the washing machine?

Hi Jay Ernie from NYS. Thank you Jay for the excellent video describing your solar panel system.

Thank you! I am trying to get my solar system set up I had to get my garden going and canning and dehydrating and that wasn’t cheap along with my meat chicken leanto and auto plucker, now I am getting my power system back up for fridge and freezer, I have oil lamps for lights and because I live in Texas I need a system that can run fans, wish I lived in a 4 season state instead of hotter than Hell’s Kitchen in summer lol thank you for showing what I need so I can start getting it.

Totally agree with comments on off grid appliances. we have 1000 watts of solar and started off with a Danby fridge 10 cu ft. Found it too small when entertaining so upgraded to an 18 cu ft Samsung with a digital inverter. The 10 cu fit Danby was rated at 297 kw/hr per year. The 18 cu ft digital inverter is rated at 325 kw/hrs per year. Almost twice the size with a small increase in power usage. Good alternative i think.

That was very helpful, thanks guys. We’ll be setting up similar system down here in Australia in next 12 months and your experience will help us. May reach out to you for tips and insights in the future

great video .. great minds think alike ... I have been experimenting with solar for the last year ... ran the numbers, and like you went with a 10 cubic foot fridge from Menards .. no regrets at all... running Ecoflow pro, with extra battery, and 1600 watts of panels... powers everything in my old 1902 house, but with North Dakota winters, I haven't totally pulled off the grid

Just a suggestion to protect your solar system from lightning or emp, cme. I did to give me more protection.

Super wie du das Erklären tust denn wie viele kaufen und ärger sich ach her schönes Wochenende ich liege noch im Hospitel

Thank you for this. Like you said in the beginning,I have watched numerous videos of people explaining it all in a studio. Seeing your real world set up makes soooo much more sense. Quick question about your water source. I am assuming that you are on a well. Did you have to do anything special in that aspect?

This video is awesome! I love the emphasis on the refrigerator. I know you tested a window a/c, did you find it was too big of a pull to use ? Also, if you were to start today and you didn't have those batteries, what would you get?

I shared this on Facebook have a great weekend and week ahead here from Ontario Canada ❤️❤️❤️❤️🇨🇦🇨🇦😎

Love your setup and im attempting to build my own solar system for a remote farm use, we purchased 14 acres and planning on building a shop with a resting quarters would like to consider what u have plus maybe adding a few extra panels with micro inverters to assist with ac power to the main inverter. What are your thoughts on that? My thoughts are it would balance the ac and well uses without drainage to the batteries bank. Thanks Nate

Ok Mr. Professional [Pick!! Pick!! - LOL :-) ] I see you did not not go with the warmer pads for the AGM battery bank. - Mine cabin is 28 x 16 and my operating temps in cabin are 14F to 120F - yet my solar equipment is 32F to 104F - going to be a challenge for me - I hope I don't have a major fail. Need 15 to 20 years service if I can with what I have now. The AGM route maybe what I need to look at longer term. I use 800 watts total of solar panels (4). I am doing lights only right now with a Ryobi Inverter - 4 lights 120 watt max, more like 90 watts continuous. But once I complete the solar, I think I might look at something between the size fridge you have and the cube type - I don't need anything too big for daily use. I still have to go "Home" - said with sarcasm, aka the "gridded place". But I will be drifting further from that place as I can. Which propane stove is that? I need one that is for indoors, but uses like a 9v battery to ignite. Lower the propane use the better, I use outdoor fire pit and small Lodge Grill for my cooking right now. But in bad weather, need to be able to cook in the cabin. I am sure I have room for improvements, but like you I am trying to do this one on the cheap and simple, (but not be cheap with the long term) you get with what you pay for. Water is my next bigger challenge, trying to go the dry cabin route, and I am working on that. Winter is challenge like you and water freezes. I would suggest a future - "Sit down" video, both your wife and yourself, and address "Cabin Life" - I see you have a water filter system on the counter, propane stove, solar, garden, etc... but what is it really like in reality for you two??? What are the challenges??? What wisdom do you have??? Mainly in daily cabin living. Thanks for the latest video - that is very helpful information - but I am going to have to find some quiet time, and go back and watch all these videos again, and make some notes, and see what I can implement going forward. Thank you.

Thank you for all the information my wife and I are moving into our off grid cabin full time. I purchased the Ecoflo Delta Pro and 1 extra battery and also bought the same solar sun tracker system that you have. I think I'm going to have to add some more storage and solar to the system but I have no idea what to do so that I an us both or how to hook up a solar system.

Excellent review! Very smart and affordable build. I’d like to know how many amps draw from the inverter output when everything is running including frig. How close to 3000w are you pulling?

Try a french press for coffee. All you need is hot water uou can heat on your stove or a hot water pot that heats really fast.

This has been a very informative video, im watching it from south Africa, im planning to buy a 5kva hybrid inverter with 4 200ah batteries in 2 months as i will be moving to a new place that doesn't haven't electricity. I was very sceptical about this, but this video provided more insight than the office or warehouse calculations. I basically need to run a frezer and a TV, the stove is gas. With 90% sunshine this side, im confident that my set-up will work. Thanks for sharing this insightful information 🎉🎉

Great looking place there, Michigander! Our off-grid place is way up in Michigan too and are planning on retiring there so I sprang for a bit more to really do it up. We did a 48v system and I built an 8 x 8 area for housing everything - batteries, inverter & charge controller. Built what we call "the powerhouse" up on 4x6 "stilts" so it's not so easily buried in deep snow. 2x6 walls with R19 and R30 in the floor and ceiling with a propane wall heater on a thermostat. Even if it's -20 outside, it maintains 58-60 inside. Have 24/235ah 6v batteries - 3 'strings' of 8 batteries. We've got 18/250w panels in a fixed 45 degree position since we're closest to the 45th parallel. I need to add distilled water about every 3-4 months but no big deal. That might change to every other month when we live there full time. We'll see. The system runs 24/7 and there's a 10cf freezer and a 7-ish cf fridge running right now. It will run a window shaker in our bedroom all night long no problem in the heat of summer and all the lights, TV, phone and laptop chargers, & power tools we need at all times of year. The powerhouse is actually 8x12 with 8x8 dedicated to the insulated area and then we've got a 10kw hybrid gennie (propane or petrol) in an uninsulated, separate room at the back of the building. I've never had to run it in 4 years. Also have a fairly beefy exhaust fan in the wall that's on a programmable "thermo plug". That automatically kicks on at 80 degrees to help cool the battery/electronics room/building. The 48v system is very efficient and with the array we've got, it's collecting juice with simple daylight, even on cloudy days. They will even collect some in daytime with up to an inch of snow on the panels from the light coming thru. Have a normal electrical panel in the house that the ac circuits come off of. I picked up the 18 panels for about $1,900 in 2017. Got an excellent price on a bundle of 27 on Ebay by going in with a buddy. He took 9. I put about $17k into the whole dealio including the building, generator, wall heater, etc but when we got serious about making it a full time capable residence with modern conveniences, it was time to get serious. I had to tap a little off a 401k, take a 4 year loan against one of our vehicles that was paid off and saved some cash over 6 or 7 months but made it happen. A little of this, little of that lol.

Great video! I have been putting together plans to build a small camper, and I was wondering if the cost of a larger dorm refrigerator for $150.00 was a better option than one of those 12volt frig/freezers for $1000.00 was worth it! I am planning on either building or buying a 200 amp-hour system with 400 watts of solar to run the camper along with a 2000-watt gas generator as needed.

How do you run the power to the cabin? Just the inverter and a power cord or is there a line into a power breaker box for the house? Washer Dryer?

What do you do about, air conditioner, heating, water heater, and washing clothes, great video, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the help you don’t have a heater or ac tv I have to have a ac in Texas

I find the Frigidaire seems to be the best for off grid use. The walls are thick around 3 to 4 inches also the door. Also mine only uses around 90 watts unless on defrost mode it runs around 130 watts.

Hi Guys, Hey Jen how long does your coffee stay hot in that carafe? How much does it hold? Did Jay make your kitchen cabinets? Holy cow there’s a lot of blades on that ceiling fan.

i still belive one day a good self heating server rack battery will make your day .. i live in a lot warmer place and i think i will go lithium !!!! i know that you could do it if less freezing situations happen !

your K Guard A and K Fire Extinguisher will freeze. Antifreeze can not be added to a K guard

Thanks for the walkthrough of your system. I’m finding that it’s much easier to build your house/cabin to the power than it is to convert a house that was built for grid power to off grid. Unless you have a pile of cash. I’m assuming you don’t have a well pump or freezer for food. That’s where I’m running into issues.

How much land do you have. I see you guys cut trees and made siding for your cabin. That's pretty cool.

I bought a 5 cu ft chest freezer and converted in to a fridge, uses 30 watts when it runs. Also have a 7 cu ft chest freezer that uses 60 watts when it runs.

In the winter months, how big of generator does it take to get you charged back up. And what are the rough fuel volumes you go through.

Good video...😀

I appreciate all your videos. Planning my off grid, electric is one area I dont understand well. So you are saying that you CAN run a home off all AC current? Every other youtuber seems to use AC & DC with solar and it confuses me even more!

I have the same fridge. Your right about falling into those expensive off grid fridge traps. My off grid neighbors have the Unique propane/electric fridge and he refuses to use the electric even though he has plenty of solar power. Also been trying to convince him to get a freezer but I think he’d rather have propane one. I don’t get it?

Believe it or not those 12v coolers arnt that efficient. Also to get around a tracking system you just add more pannels. Pannels are very cheap. 30-40c a watt on marketplace for full sized pannels. Theres lots of people pulling them off there roofs

How much time do you guys spend at your cabin in the summer time?

Do you use a hot water heater? And if you do, is it a tankless on demand one?

The generator charger does that affect your controller in anyway? Does it back feed or do you run it through the charge controller?

Quick question, say I want to keep a fridge and chest freezer running all the time, would I have to worry about having more batteries and power, figured it’d be like a weekend get away cabin

Curious about your generator setup? How long does it take your generator to charge you up?

Hi there from Brighton Michigan grade video

Just built a system for my off-grid location. Used traction batteries the one I'm using is from a forklift you can run them down voltage Wise way lower without hurting tham. the amp hours are ridiculous the one I'm using 1100ah at c6 48 volt battery reworked to 24. Thanksgiving ran a slow cooker for about 6 hours with a ceiling fan that ran constantly electric fridge and the typical other consumptions with two kids. no sun rain for 3 days and only dropped it to 11.3 volt. 2.2k in panels my Outback inverters were expensive but the rest of the system was fairly cheap all of it used. oversized the battery the most important. 3800 Canadian without the inverter.

Hey Jay, where is your cabin located we have cabin in West Branch/ Rose City area. I was wondering if we could use the solar to power our cabin

How did you run your power into the cabin what type of wire was it

Jay, do you guys live off grid as a permanent resident or is this just an off grid cabin that you visit on weekends?

So far what's the AGM Vs LiPo opinion? I have (6) 200ah Renogy AGMs & I am not happy with their performance over the past 20months. I hate to spend energy to keep the LiPos warm enough to operate but the difference in battery performance seems enough to justify. What's your experience been so far?

do you run a well pump?

For the small investment in lithium iron phosphate over lead acid is huge. While more expensive, the overall power density and life cycle capacity is going to for sure be WAYYYY cheaper in long run. Ohh. And keeping a small heater in a shed takes very little power especially if you insulate it. I honestly don’t know why people still use anything other than LiFePO. Waste of money.

So what is your total cost of this system ? I did not hear it in your video .

What is the model of the refrigerator?

What class does Jen teach?

Have you ever thought about building a wood gasifier to run a generator.

are running 24 volts or 12 volts ?

Are you guys in the UP?

Do you have any problem with people. Stealing from your cabin?