Forum Discussion
Almot
Jan 04, 2016Explorer III
TV, USB charger and Blueray you can run off the battery with PSW inverter rated 150-200W.
Power-hogs like Toaster etc (anything that says more than 200W on the label) you will have to run off the generator. Consider switching from toasts to crackers and do your cooking/baking on propane stove, then you will only need a generator for Air Conditioner.
Propane heater: many people go with Camco Olympian Wave, model 3, or 6 or 9, and are mostly happy. Takes very little propane, much less than furnace or blue flame heater. Sells on Amazon for $200-300 depending on model. It's not vented and its catalytic element needs to be protected from dust when not in use. It is "safe", but it is not vented, which means that you need to crack the window open a little, or some vent in the wall or roof. CO sensor and smoke detector is a must, with any propane heater.
Don has recently found some vented blue flame heater in Home Depot for about the price of Wave 6, $280 or so, but you have to cut the hole in the wall to make it vented to the outside, and it will burn more propane than Olympian.
100W solar kit in your link $2/watt is slightly overpriced and slightly undersized. In winter 100W panel will collect very, very little. At the very least, I would get a single 250W*24V panel and some low-grade (but not total junk either) MPPT controller. Maybe Eco MPPT 20. Will cost you $300-320 together with panel, this is $1.20/watt. You will likely have to go to pick up 250W panel at some solar store in your area, shipping may cost a little fortune, nobody will ship big 40 lb panel for free.
100W panel with a single battery, even in places like AZ or NM, in winter will leave you in the dark half the time. So you will have to run a generator every day for a short while, to top the battery up (plus every time you use a toaster or other power-hungry devices).
With your modest energy needs (excluding toaster and ceramic heater), an off-grid cabin run entirely on solar in winter is possible - well, in most climate zones. But you will need more than 100W and probably one more battery.
Power-hogs like Toaster etc (anything that says more than 200W on the label) you will have to run off the generator. Consider switching from toasts to crackers and do your cooking/baking on propane stove, then you will only need a generator for Air Conditioner.
Propane heater: many people go with Camco Olympian Wave, model 3, or 6 or 9, and are mostly happy. Takes very little propane, much less than furnace or blue flame heater. Sells on Amazon for $200-300 depending on model. It's not vented and its catalytic element needs to be protected from dust when not in use. It is "safe", but it is not vented, which means that you need to crack the window open a little, or some vent in the wall or roof. CO sensor and smoke detector is a must, with any propane heater.
Don has recently found some vented blue flame heater in Home Depot for about the price of Wave 6, $280 or so, but you have to cut the hole in the wall to make it vented to the outside, and it will burn more propane than Olympian.
100W solar kit in your link $2/watt is slightly overpriced and slightly undersized. In winter 100W panel will collect very, very little. At the very least, I would get a single 250W*24V panel and some low-grade (but not total junk either) MPPT controller. Maybe Eco MPPT 20. Will cost you $300-320 together with panel, this is $1.20/watt. You will likely have to go to pick up 250W panel at some solar store in your area, shipping may cost a little fortune, nobody will ship big 40 lb panel for free.
100W panel with a single battery, even in places like AZ or NM, in winter will leave you in the dark half the time. So you will have to run a generator every day for a short while, to top the battery up (plus every time you use a toaster or other power-hungry devices).
With your modest energy needs (excluding toaster and ceramic heater), an off-grid cabin run entirely on solar in winter is possible - well, in most climate zones. But you will need more than 100W and probably one more battery.
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