Okanogan 14x24 by a lurker :)

[OlJarhead]

I'd love lithium but the cost is so high!  Plus the need to keep them warm enough to accept a charge.

I am, however, contemplating AGM's for the maintenance free aspect.  I'm getting old LOL.  I'm also looking at 370AH batteries but I think they will be too heavy so may just have to find the highest AH GCB's I can and continue using those.

With the 24v bank I've got to have 3 strings to get enough power for the cabin and have some reserve and it's worked well for me but I'm struggling to find a reasonable alternative for $3k or less....GCB's have run me around $1200 a bank and even with inflation it wouldn't be much over that today vs. AGM's or bigger batteries all seem to run in the $3k plus range...and then I have think about weight since the batteries are in the porch which isn't as sturdy as I'd like if I had to go up in weight....heck, I might have to consider a box like you have and keep them down on the ground but then it will be hard to keep them warm which I prefer to do in the winter with my pop can solar heater and the insulation in the porch.

Options?  I'm open to anything at this point!

I'm also thinking of adding a 24vdc windmill if I can find a decent one that will trickly charge at 2 to 4mph 'breeze' as we don't get much wind but we do get a little.

Hope all is well?
Erik

[OlJarhead]

Meanwhile I finally got the jeep out for a little wheeling

[OlJarhead]

So I'm definitely looking at LiPo4 batteries now.  $3500 should get me into 360AH of LiPo battery bank and as these can be drawn down 80% without damaging them that means I can use as much as 288AH of power before worrying about it

That should mean I can set the generator to come on a LOT lower (about 22vdc under load I'm thinking) which means a LOT less genset runtime, less propane as well.

In fact, I'd say it's unlikely I'd need the genset 75% of the year.

The only think I have to consider now, I think, is how to make sure they don't get draw down 100% in the winter and held there for a week (which happened with my GCB's this winter)...however, they have a power shutoff to protect them so I may not have to worry.

I've also got a place to keep them WARM!  Woot!  The back room was originally intended to house batteries until I realized no amount of venting would make me happy.  With the LiPo's they will be in the back room, kept warm and hidden   

I'll have to put the Inverter back there too but should be able to leave the charge controllers where they are for now and run the inverter switch to the porch so I can turn it on upon arrival just like I do today.

This will also give me a LOT more useable space in the porch and solve another issue I had which was dealing with venting which is currently through the wall, when I build the addition.  Now I can make some changes without concern.

[OlJarhead]

And hey!  Here's my last cabin video!  We've Got Too Much Snow On The Roof! Off-G

rid Cabin In Winter. - YouTube

[OlJarhead]

Woo!  Just ordered 360AH of LiPo battery power!

Can't wait to install and gain space back on the porch, stop having to water and not worry about using too much power    

[OlJarhead]

The start of another cabin adventure!

[OlJarhead]

Woot!  Gotta love a good fire!

[OlJarhead]

The new batteries arrived!  Since I don't currently have a pic host (I am using Instagram now though so maybe I can share from there??) I can't share but they are impressive!  Not too big or two heavy and come with wheels on the bottom and a rope handle on top!  NICE!

I plan to do a review or three of them (I like to do a review of things early on and then later so you get a better idea of how well they perform over time) and think I can even help folks get a discount if they want some!  (I'm working on an affiliate link so you can get a discount but don't have enough details yet).

More to come!

[OlJarhead]

For those thinking about having a sawyer come out, here's one I did on whether or not to dry logs first

I started my sawmilling adventure for the cabin build and I keep thinking I need to revisit this thread and try to find a way to put pictures back in...would be a monumental task I think LOL but maybe possible.

[OlJarhead]

Planning on a week at the cabin at the end of April!  Can't wait!  Plans for that week are:

1. Install 12v RV water pump into system to boost the gravity pressure to 35psi (it's around 20psi now) to include installing a debris screen and small pressure tank.  With luck this will solve my shower issue (hot then cold, then hot, then cold!).
2.  Tear apart bathroom and kitchen faucets and unplug clogged valves.
3.  Fall at least 1 or 2 big pines and do some sawmilling
4.  Clear small trees per our DNR plan and burn as ,much slash as possible.

Oh and have FUN!

[jsahara24]

Sounds good, but I thought for sure you'd be installing your new batteries!  

[OlJarhead]

LOL I may....but I need to do some wiring changes to do that so I'm thinking I'll begin working on the back room (forgot to add that I think) and am planing some paneling for it now.

I need to finish the room with some new wiring to accommodate the change in battery location and I need to make something to put the batteries up on (just in case of a flood of some kind) and probably seal them inside of (bugs shouldn't hurt them but maybe they could and I want to be sure nothing gets at them!

So I have work to do but I'm stoked to get them installed!

[OlJarhead]

OK I decided to go ahead and hook up the new batteries next week in the same location as the old ones and will have to hope they don't grow legs   Truthfully I've always worried as remote cabins are just, well, remote and crack heads can find them.  But we'll risk it and get them installed.

I still plan to put in the back room which won't technically be more secure but it will be 'out of site, out of mind' so that might help   It will also be warmer year round which will be good but since I'm working a little longer now I don't have the time to get the room ready before the summer hits so we'll go with this and move on.

Here's hoping they work out great!

[jsahara24]

Makes sense to me, get them up and running and maybe you'll find you want to set something up differently anyway....

I had trouble with theft when I first bought my place, ended up catching the guy who stole my atv trailer and long story short he went to jail for 2 years (lots of priors).....After he got put in jail, and thankfully after he got out, i haven't had an issue since.....

Anyway, good luck....

[OlJarhead]

Glad you got it sorted!  I'm stoked to get them up there   Gotta put them back in the packing for safe travel (and they weight 80lbs ea) so that will be fun, and then I have to LIFT them onto the truck bed and back onto the pallet (at least I have a tractor up there to take them off with).

With luck I'll get everything up to the cabin safely and be able to get something done finally!  WOOT!  

We are planning almost an entire week up there (Sunday to...some day NLT Sunday) depending on how things go and what we get accomplished and if I can get the new pump installed in the water system so my wife is happier with the cabin water pressure (I'm putting in a Sureflow 12v RV pump inline with an expansion tank and a gravel filter).

I also need to blow out or somehow clean out the sink taps as two of them are plugged up.  

Good times!

[OlJarhead]

Awesome week at the cabin!  Got 7 trees felled, a log deck (for the sawmill) built and stacked, some logs milled, lots of slash burned and a lot of clean up done as well as the new batteries installed and charge controllers sorted out.

[OlJarhead]

[OlJarhead]

For those thinking about getting a grapple, here's my take on the LS grapple I bought and you get to see more cabin stuff

[OlJarhead]

[OlJarhead]

Well due to some health issues I haven't made it back to the cabin as planned but managed to get someone else to do some milling for me.  I am hoping to make it back to the cabin the weekend of June 30th/July 1st to at least check on the new batteries as it sounds like they didn't connect the way they should have and one is blocked out -- apparently the BMS of each batter will connect them all together but if it thinks one of them is not exactly the same voltage than it will block it out and not allow power draw from it so I'll have to see.

Also, I need to turn off the charger on the inverter as it does not have a setting for LiFePo4's and instead I will need to install a 110v charger that will run off the generator and provide a constant 29vdc to charge the batteries up.

That's the plan anyway, and maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll tow up a better running sawmill and cut a little lumber too!

[OlJarhead]

Made it back up, may have balanced the batteries, got some ground work done and enjoyed the visit!  Video coming!

[OlJarhead]

[OlJarhead]

[OlJarhead]

Whew!  It's been a while and I'm trying to catch up!

The 1st of those two videos was in July (mid) when we finally got back to the cabin and did some work to protect it from fires (not enough through really so I need to get back) and worked on the battery bank.

The 2nd video was of a fire, not very far from the cabin, that cut short our trip by a day and created a little 'excitement' (not of the good kind).  So far that fire is slowly increasing in size and is at 15,000 acres but it does appear they are working it well though it's only 10% contained.

Temps are in the upper 80's which is actually kinda cool for this time of year and there is a little rain possible at the end of the week (we can hope), otherwise, it might be a while before we get the kind of weather that will shut down a big fire (usually the rains start in September or October).

So, we'll keep and eye on things and hope and pray the work we did is enough and the fires stay away!
More to come!

[OlJarhead]

lots of rain in the forecast this week!