My intention with this site is to take the reader step by step, behind the scenes of this project - turning what was once a porch into a tiny home. This is a project that I've been planning for 20 years and now that I'm retired, I'm tackling.
We don't really intend to live at the Shack full time at this point. The Shack is off the grid and we bring our own water - digging a well with the permits and everything is pretty expensive and for a week at a time there's no reason for a well.
Maintaining the Generator
Our Ryobi 1800 watt inverter generator has over 800 hours on the engine at this point. It's supposed to have the valves adjusted and the plug replaced every few hundred hours.
I've never done that. Don't fix it if it ain't broken.
But with this many hours on it, despite running synthetic Royal Purple oil, I thought I'd do the maintainence work on it.
It's very, very, very hard to find the specifications and service manual for these engines, made by Ducar. What I've found out is that Ducar makes the exact same motor for every inverter generator out there. Only the case and electronics are different from one brand to another. Here's the video about how to do the work.
The Ducar engine is very common, however, the service information is very hard to come by - apparently Ducar either doesn't want anyone to work on their motors or they think they'll never need servicing.
Protip: Batteries don't produce elecricty. They store the chemical potential for producing elecricity. Until you understand that, you won't be able to manage an off grid system.
History
Back when I started, I had a Xantrex jump starter that had a inverter built into it. It had something like a 20 amp hour battery in it. I loved that inverter because the fan wouldn't come unless the inverter was warm enough. What I learned is that when a battery is fully charged, the fan stayed off. At about a 70% charge on the battery, the fan came on. Obviously, the lower the charge, the harder the inverter needs to work, which produces more heat which needs cooling.
After a while, I opened up the back of the Xantrex and thought to myself that you could, if you wanted to, connect bigger batteries to it. So I bought a couple of WalMart trolling batteries and hooked them up. And that's how I started out in alternative energy.
Those trolling batteries weren't very good. Nor did they last long. However, I still have one of those batteries from 2006 that still works quite well. The secret is an additive that you add to the liquid in the battery.
At the time I had the Xantrex, I also started buying Harbor Freight solar panel kits, hooked them at the Shack and discovered that for my application, they were useless. That's because our property only gets 4 hours of sunlight. It charged the batteries buy not very much. So I switched to generators for charging and daytime use.
Today's system
The system as it sits right now consists of (4) 6 volt Duracell 218 amp hour golf cart batteries connected in series to increase the voltage to 12 volts. So I have 2 at 12 volts, another 2 at 12 volts and connected the two sets together in parallel for a total of 436 amp hours. When the inverter is hooked up and all the night time devices are running (USB smart charger, laptop, 2 fans, LED lights) we use about 50 watts of electricity. Take that 50 watts and multiply it by the 8 hours the inverter is supplying power and you get 33 amp hours used or about 8 percent of the charge of the battery bank. Then it's always a good rule of thumb to add 20% onto that for your true discharge. The inverter has a volt meter on it and it reports every single day that afte 8 hours, the battery bank voltage is 12.5 volts which is nearly 100% of the charge. In fact, the automatic charger that is used to charge the battery bank almost never comes on. Instead, I use a 6 amp trickle charger.
Battery Connections
Your average deep cycle wet cell battery, especially the style that Duracell produces has both a post and a screw fitting on the postitive and negative sides of the battery. To get a series connection to make them 12 volts, I use 2 gauge battery cable.
To distribute the power from the battery bank to the 12 volt appliances and the inverter, I use Deka East Penn 08864 Quick Connect Battery Harness conectors which clamp to the positive and negative posts and have two large brass connectors.
These connectors are great because there's no chance to get any sort of corrosion on the posts because of the design.
I use 5 gauge wire with solder tinned ends to connect the devices to the battery bank.
6-5-21 Update
The new battery bank - two series/parallel sets of Duracell 215 amp hour deep cycle batteries for a totoal of 430 amp hours - is working better than expected!
Sometimes, even though I've designed and built off grid systems for 20 years now, I am surprised at how well one of my systems work. This particular setup is the most robust ones I've built. Combined with the new pure sine inverter, the system is now at the point where I can charge the batteries during the day, run 2 fans, my multi port USB charger, laptop and several LED lights overnight and not draw the battery below 95% of charge. Which means when I run the chargers the next day, they don't even trigger the full charge cycle on the chargers. What I do instead is a 6 amp trickle charge during the day.
It's also important to note that I use a chemical product called "Battery Equaliser" that prevents outgassing of the water in the batteries (hydrogen and oxygen) as the battery reaches full charge and the electrolyte starts to bubble, it prevents what is called "mossing" of the negative plates, prevents sediment buildup (when charged improperly), and the biggest thing Battery Equaliser does is prevent heating of the batteries during the charging process. I've been using this product for the past 10 years.
The Ryobi generator with it's bluetooth app shows the number of watts that it's supplying. I know that with what I run at night during the day (really the only thing that's run during the day on the generator is the air conditioner) the constant draw is 130 watts.
The cellular amplifier is connected directly to the battery bank with a 12 volt power outlet extension cord and stays on 24/7. Even with that at night, the discharge on the battery bank keeps it's charge like a champ.
5-10-21 Update
So if you have an off grid system to supply power, there are things you need to do and have on hand to keep everything running - after all, you are the power company and it's up to you to keep it running. There ain't nobody to call to report a power failure after all!
Because the solar panel solution has been an exercise in futility (not enough sun because of the trees that you need a permit and study done before removing them because we live on a lake), the battery bank and generator are the suppliers of energy.
The generator, while it is a very quiet Ryobi inverter generator, sits in it's own generator shed with soundproofing which makes it very quiet.
Left: Sta-bil Ethanol treatment (marine formula) and Lucas fuel system cleaner.
Generators have small engines in them which need care just like any other motor driven device. When the generator is first started, the rule of thumb is that you first run it with non-synthetic oil to break it in for 30 minutes or so and then drain the oil and VERY IMPORTANT: Use a magnet tool to fish out any metal shavings from the production process.
After break in, use a synthetic oil to take the engine wear to 0. My last generator, a 5 HP 100 pound monster ran for many thousands of hours without any engine wear.
The next thing that is most important is the fuel supply. The fuel supply and how you treat it is a make or break part of the generator. If fuel sits, it can gum up the carb or fuel injection, gunk up the spark plug and cause piston sleeve wear.
What I use is the trifecta of prevention. With EVERY single tank of fuel, I use Stabil Ethanol treatment. In fact Ryobi instructs that you do this.
The next bit is fuel system cleaner once in a while. My generator currently has just over 500 hours on it so it's due for a fuel system cleaning.
Cell Signals and Broadband
I'm not afraid to admit that I'm an online addict. I've built so many websites I've lost track. At the Shack, there ain't no decent signal. At most you can get 1 bar and that's usually ATT so you're roaming. We have the T-Mobile 55 plan (flat rate, unlimited everything for over 55 years old).
When we're at the shack it's just like at home - with the plandemic still dogging us, I almost always order everything online and either go to the store for pickup or have it delivered. Being at the Shack is no different. If I need something, I'm going to shop online for it and go and pick it up. Being online is important.
Just because we're off grid doesn't mean we're using stone tools.
Many years ago, when 3G was the king of the land, I had a Wilson Electronics 10 watt signal booster with a fine truckers antenna that got me 4 bars with no problems. But 3G has gone away and everything is 4G LTE (forget about 5G where we are). So a few years ago I bought a Weboost Drive 4G-M. This runs off of 12 volts in as it's for in vehicle use.
Well, I set the thing up the exact same way as the old 3G booster and the problems began. Switching bands (that's cellular channels/frequencies) and providers. One minute you're on T-Moble, the next it's ATT and roaming.
So I call Wilson and they recommend that I get a directional antenna for only a couple of hundred dollars. So I get it, install it on the 20 foot tower I use for cell signals and.........nothing. No change. Signal sucks.
So earlier this month, I finally get fed right the hell up with the stupid supposed to work antenna and just shove the magnetic antenna that came with the amplifier on a piece of PVC pipe stuck in the ground. 4 bars instantly, T-Mobile.
What the hell. I put the magnetic antenna on the same 20 foot mast, no signal again. On the 6 foot tall PVC, rocking 4 bars.
I'm not toally sure what's going on but I suspect that it's something to do with the fact that the metal pole is doing something that messes with the signal. The magnetic antenna is designed so that the roof of the vehicle acts as what is called a ground plane to improve the signal. I mount the magnetic antenna on a sheet of steel so mimic the roof of a vehicle.
So the only thing I can come up with is that the metal pole is somehow attenuate (weakens) the signal that the antenna sees. I'm tempted to take that same super special directional antenna that I thought was a POS and put it on the PVC pole and see what happens but if the magnetic on the pole works, I'm thinking leave well enough alone.
Generating Power
4/19/21 update: More exciting news about the off grid system! We've just purchased an additional pair of Duracell 6 volt deep cycle batteries, bringing our total reserves to 450 amp hours. At the rate we use the power from the inverter, after an overnight use with the 219 amp hour system, we are able to charge the bank (with a 10 amp automatic charger) in less than a half hour.
This system will be what's called a series/parallel system where there will be two sets of 6 volt deep cycle batteries. Each set of two will be connected in series to make the system 12 volts and then connected in parallel so there will be two sets of 12 volts batteries. This is slightly complicated but will work well.
The goal is to have to run the generator every other day or as needed for higher power devices like the fridge.
Inverter Update: The new inverter has tested and appears to be able to do supply overnight power that we need. While it's only 600 watts, we never get anywhere near that at night. Since all the lights are LED and the most energy used is the cellular amplifier, I expect it to work out well.
One thing I'll mention is attention to detail. Our automatic chargers will charge either 6 volt or 12 volt. During the first test, I had the charger set to 6 volts which doesn't do a very good job of charging a 12 volt battery bank.
Things to know about off grid power:
- The difference between parallel and series connections
- Amp hours and how to determine amp hours needed
- Power generation: Wind, solar, hydro, generator or combination
- Inverter to convert low voltage DC to 110 volts AC
Now we're getting into one of my favorite topics. The physics of power production has to do with changing something into something else. Keep in mind that there is nothing that is 100% efficient. There is always a loss of something, some certain percentage of production that is lost.
The new inverter has been hooked to the battery bank for testing purposes. The first test has been completed and the system has passed with flying colors.
The second test is underway which will stress the inverter and bank more, this time using a box fan.
Results of first test:
Battery bank: 219 amp hours
Inverter: 85% efficiency
Load (LED bulb): .14 Amp
Start voltage (state of charge): 12.7 volts (not measured with hydrometer)
End voltage (state of charge): 12.5 volts
I'll explain what you're seeing above. The inverter has an advertised efficiency of 85% which means right off the bat, you're losing 15% of your capacity. So, accounting for the efficiency of the inverter and the draw of the bulb, the dischage of the batteries is appropriate.
Here's a final report on the testing of the new inverter. As I've mentioned before as soon as I buy new batteries I put a product called "Battery Equaliser" which is a chemical that prevent for the most part any sulfates from building up in the battery - I have one 12 volt deep cycle that I've had in service since 2006.
I'll break this down some more. A 12 volt battey at full charge will be closer to 12.5 - 12.7 volts. A 6 volt deep cycle battery will have a full charge voltage of 6.6 volts. When you connect two in series to create a 12 volt bank, the full charge of the batteries will be around 13 volts. Our bank at full charge is 13.07 volts which it will hold for weeks at a time.
So, using 6 volt batteries for your bank will produce more power over the charge/discharge cycle than a 12 volt deep cycle of the same size.
So the inverter when turned on (remember, I use a switch in the postive cable to eliminate any parasitic drain) it will provide power for our needs for up to 20 hours without discharging the batteries below 40%.
Power at the Shack
This is the only photo I have handy of the generator shed. It's 10 ft x 10 ft and the exhause faces away from the Shack.
The power generation at the Shack is a hybrid system. Yes, we have solar panels but because of all the tree cover, they're pretty useless - I don't want to cut down a bunch of old growth Oak trees, PLUS there are regulations about removing trees from around a lake in the county that we're in.
What I always liked about using the solar panels that we have is that they will blow out 12 amps of charging power. But the issue was and is that there is direct sun on the panels for 3 hours in the summer. In the winter of course with not leaves on the trees, we get 6 hours of direct sun.
The other issue is that while I could relocate the panels onto the hill that leads down to the lake and get 6 to 7 hours of sun, the distance means that I'd be using 0 gauge wire (like car battery cables) for over 60 feet which would cause a loss of amperage because of the resistance in the cables.
Likewise I could set up 2 sets of panels because we could get another 3 hours of sun in another area but now we're dedicating a lot of ground to solar panels and doubling the cost of the system.
I am an "expert" with Home Depot where I provide potential customers with accurate information about these generators.
So, most of the battery bank charging comes from our generator, a Ryobi Bluetooth enabled super quiet inverter generator. The generator itself is very quiet - less than 55 decibels. The generator is parked in a all wood storage shed and has an acoustic tile box around it with a 12 volt radiator fan to vent the heat and fumes. This makes the noise from the generator fall below 20 decibels which is astounding.
The nice thing about the Ryobi is that I don't have to run out at night or in bad weather - the thing works over Bluetooth so you can see how much fuel is left, you can turn off the idle feature, view how much power you're using and it can be networked with another Ryobi to double the power output.
The battery bank (right now, to be expanded) is (update: four) Duracell 6 volt 219 amp hour batteries connected in serial for an output of 12 volts. The inverter then powers the cabin when the generator isn't running.
The inverter is being replaced with a new model this year when I'll update this page with that.
Speaking of batteries, I have a Wal-Mart trolling motor battery - not really a true deep cycle battery - that I've used since 2006. You might be asking yourself, "Self, how the hell did this clown get a battery to last for 15 years?"
Simple. I add this to all of my deep cycle batteries when they are NEW. It's called "Battery Equaliser."
Turning 12 volts DC into 110 volts AC
You can use the power generated through the chemical reaction in your battery bank one of two ways. First you can use low voltage appliances, lights, and fixtures. Second, you can use an inverter that takes that 12 volts and makes it 110 AC. There's two flavors of inverter, modified and pure sine. What comes out of the wall from the grid is pure sine. What comes out of less expensive inverters is called modified sine which will use more energy to run stuff, cause buzzing in speakers, make fan motors not run right.
Here is the inverter we're using starting this year. It's only 600 watts but I don't need much at night - maybe a fan and some USB chargers. They're fairly popular but with the microchip shortage, I'm suspecting prices and availability with both increase.
This brand seems to have a pretty good record with their products but as always, we'll see.
The generation of power is done through many different processes. The big grid ones that you're used to all make power in one of four ways. Running water through a spinning turbine called "hydro-power", the burning of fuel to heat water into steam to turn a turbine, whether through burning coal or another substance, gaseous fuel like natural gas or gas produced by a land fill, through atomic energy where a radioactive source heats water through it's natural decay which produces heat which produces steam by heating water which spins the 'ol turbine. And of course "renewable" energy which takes either wind or sunlight and converts it to electricity. But there is the physics of the natural world to consider: Remember, you can't destroy matter but you can change it's form) which turns to steam which powers a turbine.
One important thing to remember is that it takes energy to make energy. The power to build the power plant, turbine, solar panels and wind turbines all take energy to make them. Your grandfather was right - there ain't nothing in this world for free. If it sounds to good to be true, it is. Virtually nothing in the universe is 100% effecient so you will never get 100% of the power you use to charge a battery bank back out.
In the past 20 years or so, there's two new big players in the energy production field. Wind turbines and solar. Wind turbines you probably know about in that they've been in the news because they kinda don't like to be out of their comfort zone, i.e. cold, freezing and super high winds. There's a lot of designs for them but you're probably used to the super giant three bladed monsters that require either a lot of land, clear cutting hills and of course plenty of birds to make bird salad. There are smaller turbines for homes. Those require power sinks that bleed off the extra energy that's not used, lightning arrestors and other bits that make them fairly expensive to be done correctly.
The other is solar power. Solar comes in a couple of different flavors, a deal that uses mirrors to shine light on a assembly that pumps water, heats it and then the steam spins the turbines, producing power.
So, what sort of power can you yourself make to use for our creature comforts and survival? There's more than you think! Actually the only two that aren't used in home are the coal and nuclear generators. Whole house "standby" generators use natural gas.
But, going off grid is where, for me, the excitement starts. You can have wind, solar or fuel generators. Batteries store the chemical potential to make electricity that your wind turbine, solar panel or generator produces. If you have a stream or river, you can also get small hydro power turbines to make your power.
I'll focus on the three things I know about the most. Solar, fossil generators and battery banks. You can read about batteries here. Solar panels are great because in recent years they've become affordable and more efficient. They do need something however and that is direct sunlight. At the shack, we have a lot of old growth oak and pine trees. In our area, on the shore of a lake, cutting down trees is frowned on. Not only that, using solar panels by cutting down a bunch of trees is just plain stupid. Because of the trees, using a wind turbine isn't a real viable thing either. Our trees are over 50 feet high. Putting up a 100 foot tower for a turbine would be expensive. Plus we have two other issues.
One is that we're on a higher elevation as well as on a shale deposit (the Antrim Shale Deposit). Those two, in my experience, attract a certain thing called uncontrolled natural energy production, aka lightning. I had a television antenna at the shack years ago that was high by lightning on several occasions. I've shot a lot of video of lightning at the shack including a lightning strike on our dock. While I was standing on it, two feet away from me! Didn't even know it until I reviewed the tape.
So, I use a battery bank and a super quiet Ryobi inverter generator for power. The generator is great because I can control it from my phone, it will run 16 hours on 1.5 gallons of fuel.
The battery bank consists (right now) of two Duracell 6 volt 210 amp hour deep cycle batteries (golf car batteries) connected to a Black and Decker inverter for overnight use. I could actually use the battery bank for two days without the generator but I don't like the batteries to go below 70% of their charge. Remember, the more you discharge a deep cycle battery, the more two things happen: you lose lifespan and you create sulfates on the plates that reduces their capacity.
