I love labels   In my business wiring/cabling without some form of identifying the cable is a no-no!

Very nice work (not like my shabby install that I have yet to go back and clean up!) 

Ended up with a Midnight Solar Classic 150 charge controller and 4 245 watt  Canadian Solar panels...still need more widgets to actually install but the big $'s are done and gone. Excited? Yup.  Then saw it posted somewhere that the panels were made in China irrespective of the brand name. Havent verified that yet but $ .80/watt was just so attractive!

Quote from: considerations on June 17, 2013, 03:25:55 PM
Ended up with a Midnight Solar Classic 150 charge controller and 4 245 watt  Canadian Solar panels...still need more widgets to actually install but the big $'s are done and gone. Excited? Yup.  Then saw it posted somewhere that the panels were made in China irrespective of the brand name. Havent verified that yet but $ .80/watt was just so attractive!

80c a watt and I'll buy panels made on Mars! lol -- after all, it's about saving money isn't it?

Yes, I don't post as much as i used to...just seem to be so busy. Finally negotiated myself out of a job..sounds funny but the whole goal was to sell the company for the best net benefit to stockholders...and we did, i think. The chosen suitor was a challenge, hundreds of times larger with a legal team to match. Anyhow, it is done except for storing records in an organized fashion when the tendency is to just have a big bonfire.

That being said..i got more solar panels and a charge controller to match..so now have started the install. Trying to think ahead got me doing a little geriactric engineering. The slope on the power shed is about 27 degrees and the first panels up were a scary project. 8 years later I have been staring at that slippery slope with a jaundiced eye...things are not getting easier...and they take longer.  So I decided to build a stairway from the ground right up the center to the roof...putting me between solar arrays on a level footing. Lots of benefits, handle the awkward stuff with a "ramp" (the top of the stringers) , and  ease of panel cleaning and maintenance later.

I got risers to make the top of the panels virtually flush with the top of the stringers to avoid shadows. I think its going to turn out OK even though it is a fairly tight fit all around.

One other thing. I bought a kindle fire hd about 6 months ago. For almost all internet needs it is an equal replacement for my laptop...which means, in my currently marginal power world, that my electrical demand is even smaller. Just thought i would mention that for some who are looking to start up solar on a shoestring like i did. I can even store movies and audio books on it.  Interesting technology, just thought i would be using it to check out ebooks from the library. Found a lot more capability than i ever imagined. Except for graphic art and consulting work, I use the Kindle instead.

The stairs to the sun! Ok, half of them....more to follow. 

Watch

Hmm, if I'd known that.....

to your credit, it wasn't an article about a bridge to nowhere!

An alternative might be something like I did at Dogtrot. 

Redover, can you describe what you used and how the steps are attached?

Quote from: considerations on August 11, 2013, 09:12:12 AM
Redover, can you describe what you used and how the steps are attached?

It is an ice bar.  Commonly know here as "witches hat". Most metal roofing companys have it or can get it in about any color or galvanized.  I cut it to a uniform length to reach from peak to peak on the roofing.  It is attached via regular roofing screws on the flange at the bottom and top.  In short lengths it is pretty stout but I doubled the thickness to give a little more weight load.  A some later time the person that is climbing might weigh more than me.  . 

Here is a profile picture.  The 90 deg is the ridge side and the sloped is the eve side. 



Without the porch I was able to lay a ladder on the cabin roof to gain access to the flue area but once the porch was added this wasn't possible.  The porch is about 3/12 so essentially I can put a ladder to it walk safely to the house roof and then accend the stairs to the flue. 

Wow thanks! The guy who cleans my chimney hates my roof...this may be the beginning of a reasonable solution.

Quote from: considerations on August 11, 2013, 10:03:16 AM
Wow thanks! The guy who cleans my chimney hates my roof...this may be the beginning of a reasonable solution.

Glad I could help.

Well Considerations, just got finished reading through your entire thread.  You are my third major thread, OlJarhead, Redover's Dogtrot, and now yours.  I have learned a lot from all of you and appreciate you putting your experiences on here.  Glenn, I am trying to get through your's, but it might take a few months/years to catch up!

Congrats, the house is looking great and I look forward to following all of your progress in the future.   

Jeff

Whoops, almost forgot Mountain Don's thread as well!   Sorry about that, you are my fourth major thread! 

Jeff

Drum roll !!!!!!!!!!!!!  I have upgraded my power.




The stairs are done, the solar panels in place, the wiring done and the sun is shining!



Getting 5x what I was with just the 2 original panels..Whoopee!...I have extra. 



Flipping on the breakers and powering up the first time was, well, tense...but it is working!   

Congrats.  All the comforts of home and more.   

Awesome!

Thanks guys...there is plenty that doesn't go as smoothly...just felt good to crow a little.

Welcome rugger8. I am the Queen of tarps and bungies, so to tackle something like electrical, which requires following the directions EXACTLY, is a rather big deal for me.

There are lots of other folks on this forum who have met their goals faster and better than me....but their moral support, advise, and sometimes chiding has gotten me this far.

read most pages of this build , im very impressed that you have done 99% of the build yourself . i have no excuses when the 24x36 1 1/2 time comes . im also impressed with the quality people in here , very impressed .

Finally-a solution!



This is the perfect solution for dealing with the new and totally weird fuel can spouts.
1 Open Gas Tank
2 Insert Funnel
3 Remove fuel can spout
4 Pour fuel into funnel, and therefore, into fuel tank.

The new fuel can spouts make transferring 5 gallons a 4 minute yoga exercise using a 40 pound weight.
That is, IF you can apply pressure to the spring loaded thingy in the spout.
and IF you don't care about not being able to drain the fuel can completely.
The above instructions cut the time to less than a minute.
No muss, no fuss...for 5 bucks.

Quote from: considerations on October 01, 2013, 07:03:03 PM
Finally-a solution!



This is the perfect solution for dealing with the new and totally weird fuel can spouts.
1 Open Gas Tank
2 Insert Funnel
3 Remove fuel can spout
4 Pour fuel into funnel, and therefore, into fuel tank.

The new fuel can spouts make transferring 5 gallons a 4 minute yoga exercise using a 40 pound weight.
That is, IF you can apply pressure to the spring loaded thingy in the spout.
and IF you don't care about not being able to drain the fuel can completely.
The above instructions cut the time to less than a minute.
No muss, no fuss...for 5 bucks.

Whew!  At first I thought that was one of those *ahem!* "female" urinals. . .   

Well, female urine devices are almost as much trouble as the latest EPA approved fuel cans.      But not quite.

I love my old Gott and Rubbermaid fuel containers. I treasure and treat each like gold.

I am nice to my fuel cans. It is the spouts that wear out. Then, what to do?  Replacement spouts are all these ridiculous contraptions. I still have one good can with a worn out spout. There must be a way to fabricate a simple pour spout. These new ones are obviously a product of politicians who never pick up a fuel can.

When I recently bought the 12 gallon extended run tank it was insanely expensive...why? New double walls..growl.

We have a law now in this state requiring us to buy new license plates every 7 years. Why?...supposedly because the reflective paint wears out....right. I smell the hand of lobbyists in all of these developments.

Don keep them in good shape.  I have been looking for a couple of good cans but most of which I have seen I haven't liked.  I still have a couple of old ones which I baby the flexible rubber spout when using.  I know they are on their last leg but I will hold out as long as they don't spill toooo much.  Wish I could just find a spout to fit them but my search has been to no avail.  They were manufactured by Eagle right here in WV.  I contacted them and they said they are no longer in the residential container buisness and had no replacement parts.  I would imagine that is because it would not meet OSHA requirments. 

CF we have to keep the inmates busy.  Ours are made by prison employees and the plates seem to last for ever.  In fact we just keep transfering them from car to car for years and years.

Do they still sell the old style fuel containers in Canada or Mexico?  Busted smuggling in new old style gas cans.  WOW!!!  These new ones that I have are a joke and a safety hazard.  I never spilled this much fuel with my old Gott 'cans'.  My not favorite thing now is filling the chain saw with one.  Even a small container is a real pain in the rear.