Happy New year to all.

Got my battery box built today before the storm rolled in. Supposed to get 6"-8"of snow tonight and maybe another 2"-4" tomorrow.



Reflectix on the bottom and casters that support 900lbs each.



Lined with reflectix for insulation in cold weather.



Batteries all snug in their new home.



Battery box and power center ready to be connected to the rest of the system.

Another great update!

Please make sure that your connections are all exactly the same length, unless of course you have already thoroughly read the Handy Bob blog site

quote:

Originally posted by ersatzknarf:
Another great update!

Please make sure that your connections are all exactly the same length, unless of course you have already thoroughly read the Handy Bob blog site

Thumbs up!

I started reading the Handy Bob site about 5 years ago when I started thinking about solar on my RV. As soon as we complete the initial phase of the ranch and get moved in, next fall I think i'll try my luck at wiring in solar for the RV.

I have 14 12" 2/0awg connector cables for the batteries. 2 banks of 8 each (6v) in series, 48v total. 4 10' 2/0awg cables to connect each bank to the power wall. The power wall has 2 80a charge controllers feeding one 175a inverter. There will also be two seperate solar arrays feeding each charge controller. This is so I can take one array and one bank of batteries offline to do maintenance while the other keeps the system running.

So glad to know that you've been reading that site and for some time now

Kinda had a feeling you knew it.

That's a great idea about being able to do maintenance without having to take the whole system down. Brilliant!

quote:

Originally posted by Sigolicious:
Batteries all snug in their new home.

How much does each one of those monster batteries weigh?

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigolicious:
Batteries all snug in their new home.

How much does each one of those monster batteries weigh?

123lbs! That 1 ton of batteries is much easier to move around on wheels

Congratulations on retirement and actually moving to your Arizona home. I’m guessing from the pictures and the elevation you provided, that you’re somewhere up around Valle. Next New Years Eve, you and your wife should make reservations for the El Tovar.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigolicious:

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigolicious:
Batteries all snug in their new home.

How much does each one of those monster batteries weigh?

123lbs! That 1 ton of batteries is much easier to move around on wheels

Man that's heavy. How long is the whole box? What kind of wood did you use?

I think I would have built it with 2 more casters in the middle. The 2 extra casters, along with more wood support in the middle, would have given me more peace of mind. You've got literally a ton of weight on wood.

It's a little late now to undo and remove the batteries, so I suggest you might consider constructing a little platform on 4 casters that is just tall enough to slide under the middle and support it.

Good luck to you.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
Congratulations on retirement and actually moving to your Arizona home. I’m guessing from the pictures and the elevation you provided, that you’re somewhere up around Valle. Next New Years Eve, you and your wife should make reservations for the El Tovar.

We are near St johns Az. East/Southeast of Flagstaff. I'll still check out El Tovar. Only about 3.5 hours from us.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigolicious:

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigolicious:
Batteries all snug in their new home.

How much does each one of those monster batteries weigh?

123lbs! That 1 ton of batteries is much easier to move around on wheels

Man that's heavy. How long is the whole box? What kind of wood did you use?

I think I would have built it with 2 more casters in the middle. The 2 extra casters, along with more wood support in the middle, would have given me more peace of mind. You've got literally a ton of weight on wood.

It's a little late now to undo and remove the batteries, so I suggest you might consider constructing a little platform on 4 casters that is just tall enough to slide under the middle and support it.

Good luck to you.

Box is 68"L x 30"W x 30"H. I used 23/32" douglas fir plywood for the floor and the 4x4 and 2x4 are the "top choice" rather than common. sides and top are 11/32" douglas fir plywood. I'll take your advice and measure the ends and middle to see if there is any sagging and shore up as needed.

Cold as.....and 14" of snow in the last three days.

One of my great joys in life is burning firewood. cut and Gathering is also a joy. Not sure if and how that works or doesn't for you as it does not look like you have access to wood. Or at least much wood there. But a wood burning device is a must for me.
I have a couple wood stoves and a pellet stove as well.

This year I was unable to get enough wood put up as I would need. So I bought a pallet of presto type logs from a retailer friend. Overall the combo is working out great and not bad on the budget either.

Are you doing anything for wheeled or tracked diesel equipment?

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
One of my great joys in life is burning firewood. cut and Gathering is also a joy. Not sure if and how that works or doesn't for you as it does not look like you have access to wood. Or at least much wood there. But a wood burning device is a must for me.
I have a couple wood stoves and a pellet stove as well.

This year I was unable to get enough wood put up as I would need. So I bought a pallet of presto type logs from a retailer friend. Overall the combo is working out great and not bad on the budget either.

Are you doing anything for wheeled or tracked diesel equipment?

Our property is not as wooded as my inlaws. However; we do have permission to harvest wood as necessary. Only thing out here is juniper tree. Will be starting with a wood stove in the building. When we build a cabin, there will be a wood stove for that too.

I will be getting a tractor with backhoe, gannon, and whatever else I may need in the future, just need to spend some time figuring out my needs so I get enough tractor.

Haven't accomplished to much the past couple weeks. Hanging out with the grandkids and taking them sledding. Lots of snow a couple weeks ago. Been a mess of mud for the last 8 days.

After the grandkids go back home we have a contractor coming on the 30th to do some earth moving and auger some 4'x12" holes for the posts that are the base of the solar array. That's when the big work will star. Get the posts set and while the cement is curing for a couple days we will be doing about 1200 foot of fencing with three gates.

Best pictures of the week........

Although the Tacoma TRD Off Road was a great truck, it wasn't cutting it for hauling 2 grandkids and 2 dogs. So this happened. 2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro.......



Piece of petrified wood we have on the property, biggest one we have found. Glock 17 for size reference.



Inside of my connex. Soon to be my ultimate Man Cave! Right now just storage for gun stuff. I'll be putting in reloading benches and shelving once I have satisfied all the day to day needs of the ranch and some projects the wife has for me. So, probably around the end of april or beginning of may.





Went to Lyman Lake State PArk yesterday with the grandkids. Did a little bit of hiking and played at the playground. Pretty cool place with lots of primitive camping, RV spots, and cabins.

OP, aren't you concerned about flammable gas coming out of those batteries?

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
OP, aren't you concerned about flammable gas coming out of those batteries?

Yes, but I have not finished the box. Currently the box is mostly just to insulate the batteries a bit till I get the system up and running sometime around the first week of March. I will be running vents from the box to outside and use some kind of rigid piping I can insulate. I'll make/fab QD connections to the wall behind the power system to allow the box to be moved as needed for battery maintenance and such. I also still need to cut opening for the power conductors and temp monitor.

Looks great to me. You had better change your location in your profile.

quote:

Originally posted by maxwayne:
Looks great to me. You had better change your location in your profile.

Funny you should say that. I changed one part but forgot the displayed location. Thanks!

Congratulations on your next chapter. Love the pics and I am enjoying your post. We can feel the excitement and content you are experiencing and the preparations needed to live off grid.

Beautiful St Johns! Six churches, one bar. I came through in March 2018 with a full pickup of grapefruit, fresh off a Tempe tree.

Gave some to a parking lot vendor then took a break out by "The East Side" Catholic cemetery. If I'm not getting my towns confused, I found a church thrift store north of town on the east side of the highway, on 61 . 191 and gave the nuns/laypeople some grapefruit (it is not coming up on a map).

Definitely my kind of living. Beautiful country.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigolicious:
Sunset from a couple nights ago......

Yep, plenty of sky in those parts, and all of it perfect. Here's a June shot about 120 miles due east. I had planned on sleeping in the truck bed under the stars but shuffling freight along the nearby Scholle Siding, sounding like God's own metal dominos, changed my plans.

Congrats on the new Toyota. She'll get dirty and dusty out there.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigolicious:

Is that one of those big feral hogs we've heard so much about? Given the size of those tusks growing out of its head I can see why a 7.62×51 is recommended.

Where is the 1500m rifle range going?

Actually, I'm just jealous. That's a beautiful spread.