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bluesboy I'm building unpermitted, no chance of tax benefits as far as I can tell. I've rented on this island for several years now,. I own my land now... I understand what you are trying to get at there, but I've spent enough 'rent' money. My savings well is drying up, I'd rather build small now and then invest that rent money on a monthly basis towards getting the creature comforts back, than keep tossing all that I have to someone else to let me use theirs.
I like what kalakoa is saying about having at least something as a backup. I'm sure I'll work that out. Good thing is that I already own a decent 3k inverter genset that can be used to charge the batteries when/if needed as well as provide additional load for the clothes washer, etc.
I suppose I really need to crack down and see exact what I will be using there immediately, and what I will likely max out using in the future. Then determine my exact finances for this part.
I do like the ideas I've gotten from here already.
Thanks
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no chance of tax benefits as far as I can tell
Feds take your word for it; State wants to know exactly what was installed, where, and by whom.
In any case, there are better tax strategies.
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I have a 48 vdc Dankoff vane pump wired directly off the batteries. It works great. I have the old APC SmartUPS 3000 as a back-up in case the Conext SW 4048 dies.
I got that Vissani fridge too. Decent size and doesn't use too much power. The only thing I really don't like is the power surge when it starts up. I wish there were more inverter fridges available.
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Can anyone recommend a "budget" 48v inverter they like? That's the main thing keeping me on 12/24 right now.
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randomq I'm not ure what your definition of 'budget' is, but I have found decent reviews on the Cotec SP series.
I think the SP1500 was about $480 or so.
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Re "budget" inverter. If not 100% Pure Sine wave, you're wasting money.
Ninole Resident
Please visit vacation.ninolehawaii.com
Ninole Resident
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This is the one I bought and I'm pretty happy with it. The only other one I found was an Outback and it was about the same price.
https://www.solar-electric.com/schneider...8-120.html
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Outback FP1 is also worth the expense. Note that the Outback stuff will automagically figure out whether the battery bank is 12V, 24V or 48V. (Maximum PV array size is "roughly" battery voltage * 100, so a 12V battery bank is somewhat limiting.)
Outback "nanocarbon" batteries: a little bit more expensive, but much better than flooded; maintenance-free, longer life.
Gexpro has the best prices on everything.
Yep... Also, get the l5 Eco Temp. I'm on private water, so, can't tell you what type of pump to get.
But, you should get a Solar Fridge (locally) it's worth it. Not just using less energy (not using the inverter) 12 volt or 24 volt fridge. But also the won't have to buy as many batteries.
Check out this guy.
http://stonecoldsolarrefrigeration.com/p...a44c9.html
good info here!
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Great topic here! I read the forum daily but never registered until reading this one#128558; I did the exact same thing your doing some where between pahoa and kea'au, started in an off grid shed to live in. All solar.. all cash as you go.. I'm a liscensed electrician, but the whole burning stuff for me to be cozy never sat right..
It sounds like we may have spent more than your looking to but I thought I would share our experience so you can get another example
. We have 4 people living on 1800watts of panel, 170ah at 24v and a 3kw inverter.. with this we easily enjoy refrigeration, dish and clothes washers, ceiling fans, corded tools etc.. we have no generator backup... we have never been at less than 70% charge on our battery bank, we don't have any timers on any loads.. we just wait for the sun and do one appliance and the fridge at a time.
For refrigeration we have a standup freezer that' has the simple $20 mod to act as a refrigerator. This gives us a huge refrigerator, free of condensation, but no way to make ice
might be able to do more than you expect
. Good luck!
