<div dir="ltr">Ray,<div>I'm in the same situation. My strategic plan was to work into early old age ( in 20-25 years). But now, I spend half of my time troubleshooting and replacing equipment on my dime. Between that, competing with Grid-Tied guys, and having to justify my mark-up to clients comparing my pricing to NAZ's, It's just not worth it anymore. Where I'm at, there's little commercial or industrial electrical work to be had so it's likely my future is pulling rope through attics and crawl spaces.</div><div><br></div><div>Yes, the Magnum equipment produced for the first five or so years was extremely reliable. Same for the Outback, maybe less so. I was thinking that the only repairs I had to make on SWs was replacing transfer relays and that was only a few out of countless systems. I think it was Bob-O who many years ago introduced me to the saying "it's a race to the bottom" : )</div><div><br></div><div>I tried EG4's in my own system when at 15 years my Rolls reached the end. I also tried them in a customers system. Absolute nightmare. I don't know which is worse, the batteries or Signature Solar.</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Apr 25, 2024 at 10:36 AM Ray Walters via RE-wrenches <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><u></u>

  
    
  
  <div>
    <p>Hi Michael;</p>
    <p>I don't think its 12v, I have old Trace 48 v systems still
      humming along 24 years later, too. Some of it, is the customers. 
      The old school off grid folks knew how to conserve energy, watch
      the sun, and were not going to call unless they couldn't fix it
      themselves.   </p>
    <p>Also, the equipment was built much better back then for sure, I
      have a new Magnum install that is just a disaster, voltage dips
      below 100 vac, every time any larger load goes on (well pump,
      garbage disposal, fridge, coffee maker) and I've replaced 3 BMK
      battery monitors under warranty so far. Apparently you can NOT
      disconnect or connect the BMK with its built in 4 pin <b>connector</b>,
      or it will smoke the unit.  That is a new problem, they used to be
      robust.  I have many older Magnum systems that are great.  Magnum
      quality has taken a huge dive since being acquired by Sensata.<br>
    </p>
    <p>If it wasn't for Trace, old Outback, and old Magnum stuff being
      reliable, I would have gone out of business decades ago.  Now it
      looks like I need to find a new line of work, just a few years
      before retirement, because manufacturers no longer prioritize
      reliability.  Meanwhile Li+ is what new customers expect, yet its
      still not ready for prime time, either.  I have an installer buddy
      that is having all sorts of trouble with an EG4 battery setup, and
      the installation isn't even complete. He's already had to dark
      start them several times, and now they won't even stay operational
      for more than a few minutes.  The cheapo BMS lears its ugly head
      once again.  All we're doing lately is fixing stuff less than 5
      years old. <br>
    </p>
    <p>Ray Walters<br>
      Remote Solar<br>
    </p>
    <div>On 4/25/2024 9:52 AM, Michael
      Morningstar via RE-wrenches wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote type="cite">
      
      <div dir="ltr">Here's a different take. Just food for thought and
        not necessarily a suggestion. Those 1st or 2nd Gen 12V systems
        were/are for me the most reliable and trouble free systems. I'd
        install one and never hear back from my customer for a decade or
        more. I regularly see "rats nest" wired 12V/Trace DR/UX hybrid
        systems with Arco panels that still hum along. When I get asked
        to update these systems, assuming that the power needs haven't
        grown much, I usually keep the voltages the same (12VDC and
        120VAC), sanitize the wiring, add OCPDs, Victron smart
        shunt/Battery monitor, Victron CC and inverter, and Lead Acids
        or AGM's. Good for another 20 years with batteries being
        replaced in 10. With only a few exceptions, every ancient system
        that I have tried to bring into the 21st century for my low
        needs off-grid pioneers has been a flop. Inverters and Charge
        controllers that take a dump after a few years, TMI with new
        monitor/controllers, and lots of headaches with Lithium.
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>Now, if we're talking about a client who has just purchased
          a property with a legacy system and wants to live like they
          are still in the City, that's an entirely different
          conversation.</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>My own system for my full time off-grid home is 12V/120V,
          and I live Fat! Tiny array (700Ws 4 hours a day), tiny hydro
          (150Ws 7 months a year) 2 Rolls 21 CS-21Ps, Honda eu2000i,
          12VDC Sunfrost, 12VDC device charging station, 12VDC UV water
          disinfection (gravity spring water) on a 12VDC loadcenter (SQD
          QO), Morningstar 300W Suresine powers an AC loadcenter for
          lighting and most plugs) Magnum 2812 powers a loadcenter that
          feeds bathroom and kitchen plugs. It stays off to reduce idle
          consumption). I've never had a problem with this system in 15
          years. If I'm not around, or my financials are weak, replacing
          a piece of equipment won't hurt myself or my wife. If need be,
          I can charge from a vehicle or farm equipment. And I could
          pull a battery from something here on the ranch in a pinch.
          The wiring/installation is clear and I made a manual so that
          any decent electrician could troubleshoot and make repairs
          should Todd Cory not be around :)</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>Again, I say all this to provoke a thought experiment. I've
          installed and replaced hundreds upon hundreds of off-grid
          systems from pinky dinky to millions and the ones that have
          worked the best were/are either AC Hydro, old-school
          (pre-Xantrex) or Schneider/Discover and the latter have had
          their share of issues.</div>
      </div>
      <br>
      <div class="gmail_quote">
        <div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Apr 25, 2024 at
          7:34 AM Bradley Bassett via RE-wrenches <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" target="_blank">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>>
          wrote:<br>
        </div>
        <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
          <div dir="ltr">I had a lot of trouble keeping QO breakers
            functional on a 12VDC distribution system. I'd have to move
            them around every week or so to keep a good contact on the
            plug in contacts. They seem to work fine on a 24VDC system.
            I went to using MNPV or MNDC breakers instead in PV combiner
            or other MidNite boxes. QOU breakers are fine, but I don't
            know of any standard distribution box for them. 
            <div><br>
            </div>
            <div>Brad Bassett</div>
            <div>Application Engineer retired</div>
          </div>
          <br>
          <div class="gmail_quote">
            <div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Apr 24, 2024 at
              11:42 AM Jason Szumlanski via RE-wrenches <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" target="_blank">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>>
              wrote:<br>
            </div>
            <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
              <div dir="ltr">
                <div dir="ltr">
                  <div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Hi
                    Dave,</div>
                  <div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><br>
                  </div>
                  <div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">I
                    appreciate the concern. It's not one of those
                    situations. We have a couple of barrier islands
                    around here where people have set up what amounts to
                    little fish camps that are used infrequently. The
                    islands are also home to a few full-time/most-time
                    residents and state parks. Everyone knows everyone.
                    The clients are safe and reliable. These sites range
                    from places that people paid just tens of thousands
                    of dollars decades ago all the way up to
                    many-multi-million dollar strips of sand where very
                    wealthy people like to look out over Naples beach a
                    couple times of year from their off-grid mansions.
                    It's pretty interesting.</div>
                  <div>
                    <div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature">
                      <div dir="ltr"><br>
                      </div>
                      <div dir="ltr">
                        <div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">I
                          "get" why people who only take friends out a
                          few times a year on a fishing expedition want
                          a band-aid approach. There is no reason to
                          throw $100K at a situation like this. In this
                          case, I feel I can get creative to meet the
                          very limited 12V and 120V needs while
                          providing a reliable and long-lasting solution
                          for around $25K and pocket enough money that I
                          want to answer their call in the future. Right
                          now they are getting by with 4 x 100W
                          Solarland modules with a 9.6kWh battery bank
                          and a Honda EU2000. I'm certain they will be
                          blown away with the performance of whatever I
                          propose, and happy that it is installed in a
                          safe and professional manner.</div>
                        <div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><br>
                        </div>
                        <div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">The
                          current distribution systems look solid, each
                          protected by a Square D QO breaker panel and
                          professionally installed. The power production
                          and delivery system is a total kludge that I
                          feel I can fix without too much risk.</div>
                        <br>
                      </div>
                      <div dir="ltr"><br>
                        Jason Szumlanski
                        <div><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Principal
                            Solar Designer | Florida Solar Design Group</span><br style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
                          <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">NABCEP
                            Certified Solar Professional (PVIP)</span><br style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
                          <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Florida
                            State Certified Solar Contractor CVC56956</span></div>
                        <div><font face="Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" color="#333333">Florida
                            Certified Electrical Contractor EC13013208</font></div>
                      </div>
                    </div>
                  </div>
                  <br>
                </div>
                <br>
                <div class="gmail_quote">
                  <div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Apr 24, 2024
                    at 2:19 PM Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar via
                    RE-wrenches <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" target="_blank">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>>
                    wrote:<br>
                  </div>
                  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
                    <div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif">
                      <div id="m_9118707645547497100m_-3813749024681372575m_-856033681734538122m_-1262024515197069978signature">How
                        about just buy an RV?</div>
                      <div> </div>
                      <div>Seriously the reason Jason I am Leary is
                        because of the experiences I have had with what
                        I call Offgrid Squalor. </div>
                      <div> </div>
                      <div>Just have to be careful especially these days
                        of druggies, people in vans with no windows, ex
                        paramilitary that went bad, </div>
                      <div>and you get the picture.</div>
                      <div> </div>
                      <div>If you know the person that is the way to
                        keep you and your loved ones safe. Money does
                        talk sometimes and the lack can of it</div>
                      <div>can be a warning.</div>
                      <div> </div>
                      <div>Also as mentioned, these types of situations,
                        are what gets my accountant telling me if you do
                        not charge enough,</div>
                      <div>no one will listen to your advice.<br>
                        <pre> </pre>
                        <pre><strong><span style="font-size:small">Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
"we go where powerlines don't"
<a href="http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">  </a><a style="color:blue;font-size:11px;font-family:"Lucida Grande",Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:400;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" href="https://offgridsolar1.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12pt">https://offgridsolar1.com/</span></a><a href="http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"> </a>
e-mail  <a href="mailto:offgridsolar@sti.net" target="_blank">offgridsolar@sti.net</a>
text 209 813 0060</span></strong></pre>
                      </div>
                      <p><br>
                      </p>
                      <p id="m_9118707645547497100m_-3813749024681372575m_-856033681734538122m_-1262024515197069978reply-intro">On
                        2024-04-24 10:51 am, John Blittersdorf via
                        RE-wrenches wrote:</p>
                      <blockquote type="cite" style="padding:0px 0.4em;border-left:2px solid rgb(16,16,255);margin:0px">
                        <div id="m_9118707645547497100m_-3813749024681372575m_-856033681734538122m_-1262024515197069978replybody1">
                          <div dir="ltr">Jason,
                            <div>  Just using the converter works fine.
                              They are considered a battery charger or a
                              regulated power supply. I am
                              currently running that way now with the
                              battery cables going nowhere.  I was
                              thinking of putting the battery back in
                              the system just for triple redundancy when
                              my inverter hits low battery cutoff
                              voltage on a cold winter night and no fuel
                              for the generator (or it won't start).</div>
                            <div>My Iota DLS puts out a regulated 13.4
                              volts up to 30 amps. </div>
                            <div> </div>
                            <div>John</div>
                          </div>
                          <br>
                          <div>
                            <div dir="ltr">On Wed, Apr 24, 2024 at
                              8:25 AM Jason Szumlanski via RE-wrenches
                              <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>>
                              wrote:</div>
                            <blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
                              <div dir="ltr">
                                <div dir="ltr">
                                  <div style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Ah ha! I didn't consider
                                    using a small 12V battery with a
                                    charger. I was thinking of just
                                    using a 120V -> 12V converter to
                                    handle the DC loads. Is the 12V
                                    battery really necessary, or can I
                                    just power the DC loads directly
                                    with a converter? If I just have
                                    lights and fans on the DC system,
                                    the load should be pretty minimal. </div>
                                  <div style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> </div>
                                  <div style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">I could use a separate
                                    12V battery, but I would like to
                                    eliminate that cost and complexity
                                    if possible.</div>
                                  <div style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> </div>
                                  <div style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> </div>
                                  <div style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">And yeah, I am not
                                    considering this a money making
                                    opportunity. It's really just a
                                    challenge to ward off boredom from
                                    the daily grind.</div>
                                  <div>
                                    <div dir="ltr">
                                      <div dir="ltr"><br>
                                        Jason Szumlanski
                                        <div><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Principal
                                            Solar Designer | Florida
                                            Solar Design Group</span><br style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
                                          <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">NABCEP
                                            Certified Solar Professional
                                            (PVIP)</span><br style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
                                          <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Florida
                                            State Certified Solar
                                            Contractor CVC56956</span></div>
                                        <div><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Florida
                                            Certified Electrical
                                            Contractor EC13013208</span></div>
                                      </div>
                                    </div>
                                  </div>
                                </div>
                                <br>
                                <div>
                                  <div dir="ltr">On Wed, Apr 24, 2024 at
                                    8:01 AM John Blittersdorf via
                                    RE-wrenches <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>>
                                    wrote:</div>
                                  <blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
                                    <div dir="ltr">Jason,
                                      <div>  I have a customer with the
                                        same situation except he already
                                        has a 12 V VFX inverter,  He has
                                        a sunfrost fridge and other
                                        small loads with a very fancy
                                        custom control board</div>
                                      <div>originally set up to handle
                                        AC and DC systems.  We are
                                        adding a lot more solar and I
                                        was considering a dual battery
                                        system but the owner didn't like
                                        that idea.  We are going with
                                        and Iota 12v power supply (i use
                                        one at my house for my sunfrost)
                                        to power up all his DC loads and
                                        will be adding a large 48 V
                                        battery bank and over 4Kw of
                                        solar using a VFXR3648 directly
                                        in place of the 12V inverter. 
                                        He complained that the existing
                                        inverter would not handle all
                                        his current AC loads very well. 
                                        My own house is fully wired for
                                        12VDC as well as AC (lots of #10
                                        copper not being used) and I
                                        have been considering getting a
                                        small LFP 12V battery to put
                                        back on by DC System. Then use
                                        the Iota as a secondary charging
                                        method with some of my large
                                        stash of older modules hooked up
                                        for 12V direct with C40 charge
                                        controller to recreate my
                                        original system just for kicks.
                                        I'm only using DC for my
                                        Sunfrost and one "emergency
                                        light" in the livingroom right
                                        now.  For your customer, a small
                                        LFP 12v battery (approximately
                                        $500 or less) to replace his old
                                        battery bankm and more larger
                                        ones for the new AC side with
                                        48V inverter fed by his
                                        generator or through an Iota 48
                                        V charger ifusing a smaller non
                                        charging inverter. Unlike Dave,
                                        I like these challenges. Maybe
                                        thats why I never seem to make
                                        money.!!</div>
                                      <div> </div>
                                      <div>John Blittersdorf</div>
                                      <div><a href="http://offgridvermont.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">offgridvermont.com</a></div>
                                      <div> </div>
                                    </div>
                                    <br>
                                    <div>
                                      <div dir="ltr">On Wed, Apr 24,
                                        2024 at 7:22 AM Jason Szumlanski
                                        via RE-wrenches <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>>
                                        wrote:</div>
                                      <blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
                                        <div dir="ltr">
                                          <div dir="ltr">
                                            <div style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Fortunately, the owner is
                                              pretty handy and is
                                              willing to live with any
                                              negative consequences.
                                              That said, I want to offer
                                              him something as simple
                                              and bulletproof as
                                              possible. I am walking
                                              into this with eyes wide
                                              open, for sure.</div>
                                            <div>
                                              <div dir="ltr">
                                                <div dir="ltr"><br>
                                                  Jason Szumlanski
                                                  <div><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Principal
                                                      Solar Designer |
                                                      Florida Solar
                                                      Design Group</span><br style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
                                                    <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">NABCEP
                                                      Certified Solar
                                                      Professional
                                                      (PVIP)</span><br style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
                                                    <span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Florida
                                                      State Certified
                                                      Solar Contractor
                                                      CVC56956</span></div>
                                                  <div><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Roboto,RobotoDraft,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Florida
                                                      Certified
                                                      Electrical
                                                      Contractor
                                                      EC13013208</span></div>
                                                </div>
                                              </div>
                                            </div>
                                          </div>
                                          <br>
                                          <div>
                                            <div dir="ltr">On Tue, Apr
                                              23, 2024 at 5:47 PM Dave
                                              Angelini Offgrid Solar via
                                              RE-wrenches <<a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org</a>>
                                              wrote:</div>
                                            <blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
                                              <div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif">
                                                <div id="m_9118707645547497100m_-3813749024681372575m_-856033681734538122m_-1262024515197069978v1m_-3632450004042004009m_-1254246739971541766m_-8723228507450447887m_4357205162707039899m_-6943205250108927316signature">
                                                  <pre><span style="font-size:12pt">Not being helpful but I  walk away from these.  It will come back to you.</span> </pre>
                                                  <pre><strong><span style="font-size:small">Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
"we go where powerlines don't"
<a href="http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">  </a><a style="color:blue;font-size:11px;font-family:"Lucida Grande",Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:400;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" href="https://offgridsolar1.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12pt">https://offgridsolar1.com/</span></a><a href="http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a>
e-mail  <a href="mailto:offgridsolar@sti.net" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">offgridsolar@sti.net</a>
text 209 813 0060</span></strong></pre>
                                                </div>
                                                <p><br>
                                                </p>
                                                <p id="m_9118707645547497100m_-3813749024681372575m_-856033681734538122m_-1262024515197069978v1m_-3632450004042004009m_-1254246739971541766m_-8723228507450447887m_4357205162707039899m_-6943205250108927316reply-intro">On
                                                  2024-04-23 2:40 pm,
                                                  Jason Szumlanski via
                                                  RE-wrenches wrote:</p>
                                                <blockquote style="padding:0px 0.4em;border-left:2px solid rgb(16,16,255);margin:0px">
                                                  <div id="m_9118707645547497100m_-3813749024681372575m_-856033681734538122m_-1262024515197069978v1m_-3632450004042004009m_-1254246739971541766m_-8723228507450447887m_4357205162707039899m_-6943205250108927316replybody1">
                                                    <div dir="auto">I
                                                      have an off-grid
                                                      client who is
                                                      working on
                                                      replacing old
                                                      equipment at a
                                                      cabin. He has a
                                                      lot of 12 volt
                                                      distribution in
                                                      the house for
                                                      lighting, fans,
                                                      and a 12 volt
                                                      refrigerator. He
                                                      also has 120 volt
                                                      AC loads that run
                                                      through a separate
                                                      distribution panel
                                                      where the only
                                                      source is a 2000
                                                      Watt Honda
                                                      generator. There
                                                      is no inverter
                                                      present. The
                                                      batteries are
                                                      charged through a
                                                      Trace C40.
                                                      <div dir="auto"> </div>
                                                      <div dir="auto">He
                                                        currently has a
                                                        few ancient
                                                        solar panels and
                                                        a struggling
                                                        Bank of AGM
                                                        batteries. It's
                                                        time for an
                                                        upgrade. I can
                                                        easily supply
                                                        enough PV power
                                                        for what he
                                                        needs. He
                                                        currently has a
                                                        9 kilowatt hour
                                                        battery capacity
                                                        that he was
                                                        happy with when
                                                        the batteries
                                                        operated
                                                        optimally.
                                                        Nonetheless, I
                                                        would probably
                                                        future-proof him
                                                        with a 10 to 15
                                                        kilowatt hour
                                                        LiPo to double
                                                        or triple his
                                                        usable capacity.<br>
                                                        <div dir="auto"> </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto">For
                                                          convenience,
                                                          obviously it
                                                          would be nice
                                                          to have an
                                                          inverter to
                                                          eliminate or
                                                          reduce the
                                                          generator
                                                          requirement.
                                                          But he seems
                                                          committed to
                                                          keeping his 12
                                                          volt
                                                          distribution
                                                          because it
                                                          would be
                                                          costly to
                                                          replace
                                                          fixtures. I
                                                          think he would
                                                          consider
                                                          replacing the
                                                          12 volt
                                                          refrigerator
                                                          if he has an
                                                          inverter. </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto"> </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto">He
                                                          definitely
                                                          wants LiPo
                                                          batteries. </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto"> </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto">I
                                                          don't like the
                                                          idea of 12
                                                          volt direct
                                                          from a battery
                                                          plus
                                                          connecting an
                                                          inverter to
                                                          that same
                                                          battery. It is
                                                          going to be
                                                          hard to
                                                          measure and
                                                          monitor
                                                          things. </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto"> </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto">I
                                                          am thinking
                                                          about using a
                                                          48 volt
                                                          battery with a
                                                          single phase
                                                          120 volt
                                                          inverter,
                                                          getting him to
                                                          change to a
                                                          120 volt
                                                          refrigerator,
                                                          and using a DC
                                                          converter to
                                                          give him
                                                          somewhere in
                                                          the range of
                                                          100 amps at 12
                                                          volts for his
                                                          existing DC
                                                          lighting and
                                                          fan loads. Is
                                                          this a bad
                                                          idea? Should I
                                                          stick with a
                                                          12 volt
                                                          battery
                                                          system? He
                                                          does have a
                                                          tiny 12 volt
                                                          pressure pump
                                                          which might be
                                                          an issue for
                                                          the converter.
                                                          I'm not sure.
                                                          I am a bit
                                                          worried about
                                                          the efficiency
                                                          loss and
                                                          capacity of DC
                                                          converters and
                                                          not sure how
                                                          to size it.</div>
                                                        <div dir="auto"> </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto">Jason
                                                          Szumlanski </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto">Florida
                                                          Solar Design
                                                          Group </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto"> </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto"> </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto"> </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto"> </div>
                                                        <div dir="auto"> </div>
                                                      </div>
                                                    </div>
                                                  </div>
                                                  <br>
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          <p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica;min-height:22px"><span></span></p>
          <p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica">Michael Morningstar </p>
          <p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica"><br>
          </p>
          <p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica">Morningstar Electric
            Inc</p>
          <p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica">PO Box 1494</p>
          <p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica">Mount Shasta, CA
            96067</p>
          <p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica">530-921-0560</p>
          <p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica">CSLB 1116835</p>
          <p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica"><a href="mailto:mjmorningstar@gmail.com" target="_blank">mjmorningstar@gmail.com</a></p>
          <p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica"><br>
          </p>
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      <pre>_______________________________________________
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<p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica;min-height:22px"><span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica">Michael Morningstar </p><p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica">Morningstar Electric Inc</p><p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica">PO Box 1494</p><p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica">Mount Shasta, CA 96067</p><p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica">530-921-0560</p><p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica">CSLB 1116835</p><p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica"><a href="mailto:mjmorningstar@gmail.com" target="_blank">mjmorningstar@gmail.com</a></p><p style="margin:0px;font:18px Helvetica"><br></p></div></div>