Going off grid

[MattyF]

An off grid setup if set up properly should only need the batteries topping up monthly and a quick check over everything, everything else should be automatically done, and that with auto top up is a 5 minute job.
Probably like a lot of things the technology has advanced and newer kit is capable of doing most of it.

On paper or salesmen tell you that ?

[trigger_andy]

Just now, scraggs said:

An off grid setup if set up properly should only need the batteries topping up monthly and a quick check over everything, everything else should be automatically done, and that with auto top up is a 5 minute job.
Probably like a lot of things the technology has advanced and newer kit is capable of doing most of it.

I’d hope so. To not be able to use two appliances at the same time would drive me mad. It simply would not be possible for us. Or at least not worth it for the lifestyle we like. Dishwasher, Tumble dryer, Washing machine on at the same time the time of year. We do need to reduce our consumption though. I’m seriously looking at getting Solar Panels and a battery but fag packet maths still does not really add up. 

[MattyF]

That just sounds like far more hassle than its even remotely worth. 

160k to get put on mains ... one alcoholic fuc wit engineer that can not even program an inverter properly it's a bit frustrating.... no one knows what they are doing up here and charge the earth for it.

[trigger_andy]

Just now, MattyF said:

160k to get put on mains ... one alcoholic fuc wit engineer that can not even program an inverter properly it's a bit frustrating.... no one knows what they are doing up here and charge the earth for it.

£160k? Bloody hell! That’s madness. Cheaper buying a Turbine 

[john paget]

interested to know why you have had so many problems, do you have to rely on the gennies for when it's dark ?

Mostly washing machine/tumble dryer/winter really.
Ours is a bit of a bodge as hopefully not permanent,

[scraggs]

16 minutes ago, MattyF said:

On paper or salesmen tell you that ?

Never trust a salesman
Paper based and also from experience with other Victron kit.
The only thing I have ever had to do with my boat setup is check batteries, although a lot smaller system it's just scaled up here.

[Watercourse management]

This all started when I read an article in the farmers weekly about a system by Powerguard which apparently should be fully automatic, the only big power load we have is my workshop hence three phase 30kva genni. If everything with the green power goes tits up I can run the farm on this.

All our heating is from woodchip which I produce myself and we cook on gas.

We live atop an ww2 air field so it’s always windy and have plenty of shed roofs for solar

So I suppose the big question is do these systems like Powerguard advertise work.

[MattyF]

9 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

£160k? Bloody hell! That’s madness. Cheaper buying a Turbine 

Even if we did get put on mains I could guarantee it would be one week before either a logging truck ,harvester/forwarder or wind blow spruce took it down again too... to me it's worth the hassle , you can't use certain appliances but it does 5 bedrooms 6 out buildings and barns , two big chest freezers and water pumps for boreholes, heating and biomass boilers , so it's a lot to ask but not having any one around you for miles is worth it.. after the recent storm I was great full too , no one had power for weeks up here. 

[scraggs]

19 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

I’d hope so. To not be able to use two appliances at the same time would drive me mad. It simply would not be possible for us. Or at least not worth it for the lifestyle we like. Dishwasher, Tumble dryer, Washing machine on at the same time the time of year. We do need to reduce our consumption though. I’m seriously looking at getting Solar Panels and a battery but fag packet maths still does not really add up. 

Couldn't agree more, obviously we have to make some changes, simple things like washing machine on during the day if it's a nice day, but we have used meters of varying types to work out the night and day time inverter size we need, 8kva more than covers us, the battery inverter has a surge of 15kva, beyond that the genny will fire up automatically.
I expect quite a few blackouts until it's all running properly

[scraggs]

23 minutes ago, MattyF said:

160k to get put on mains ... one alcoholic fuc wit engineer that can not even program an inverter properly it's a bit frustrating.... no one knows what they are doing up here and charge the earth for it.

That is a mad price.
Someone who understands Victron kit properly is a problem I have had, you can do their online courses for free if you want to learn how to set them up properly yourself.