Off The Grid Power Cabin of the Gods

This is a pretty intense and powerful off the grid power generator that uses solar, propane and a propane powered generator to keep the lights and utilities going...



I don't live there, but sometimes I wish I did!

 

Decent setup, but nothing to gush over....of course the guy making the video doesn't have much of a clue what he is looking at, as evidenced by numerous misstatements.

If that 100lb propane bottle is the feed for a 15kw generator, it's less than 24hrs run time at 1/2 load. System only has one charge controller, probably an FX80, max input 5,000w at 48v (and doesn't look like anywhere close to that in panels). I've got 2- 60's and 1-80 on mine, and I don't consider it all that big a system.

 

There's more panels off to the sides of the power cabin too.

I mention in the video about the tanks outside which are 300 gallon hoofus doofus things. More than 24 hrs from them I assure you.

Compared to nearly all the other off the grid power machines on YT, that example seems pretty bitchin' to me too.

 

BUT LPG STORES the best !! & gas cooking is more effective than electric in winter , come summer & lots of power harvest , electric/induction if the sun is out.
I see the Cabin has 240 Vac as the inverters were not in Search or at least the slave .what is requiring 240Vac or the panel is wire as a Grid house
Six strings of 3 in series as I guess (roof) but a combiner of 4 breakers .
I could smell something there one day Im sure.

Sloth

 

Yeah I've been talking to him for some time now and he is starting to come around to the idea of diesel as a primary generator type than propane.

It's easier to make diesel than propane that's for sure.

 

I'm pretty sure it's 110 VAC once it reaches the main mansion cabin, but I'd have to ask him.

Unfortunately the propane is really sucked up when the radiant floor heating is kept on during the cold winter we just had. He went through 300 gallons in about 1 and a half months! Getting the propane truck up to that place was and is tough when it's a bad snowfall.

 

Why radiant floors? Is there a benefit to them or are they a luxury. Sorry I have not watched the video yet, I am on limited internet currently.

 

I looked at the vid for a couple of minutes, then left. Meh, if he had a clue about what he was talking about...
I will have to say if I was the property owner, I would be pissed.

The owner has obviously put a lot of dough in the place only to have ...some doofus is the politest thing I can say, not only make an extensive video, but post it on the internet and then say the place is often empty with the owners out of the AO. That takes a special kind of stupid.

There was nothing on the vid that couldn't found many times elsewhere on the web, with much better explanation so the net of what little positive information given was wiped out by the loss of privacy.

Sadly, it's now on the web and can never be fully recovered.

It ain't Big Brother ya gotta worry about - it's dumb asses like this....

 

Two / three dogs is another nice woodstove for the price.

My neighbor is going to be expanding his propane gas storage soon all being well. He will be getting another propane tank of 200 - 300 gallons so he has a decent reserve. This will make it three big tanks altogether along with the smaller emergency tanks as well.

The reason for radiant floor heating isn't just the luxury factor. His cabin is so big that even the $4,000 huuuge woodstove will not quite heat the entire place. I asked him once why doesn't he just shut the damn heating off and stop it sucking the propane so fast during a cold winter. Let the cabin get a bit cooler but at least not have the propane conundrums during winter.

His answer was harrowing. If he did that the pipes at the extremities of the cabin would start to freeze, messing up his water intake from the subterranean well, plus the internal piping for the kitchen storage area.

 

You talk like a paranoid blow hard.

First off the owner knows and is fine with the video.

Second of all please show me where this is Mr paranoid? I would be astounded if anyone even could ascertain what area this is in, let alone the specifics.

Third of all we all keep an eye on each others properties, it's what we do. We catch someone like you sniffing around, you'll be lucky to get an appointment with the judge. You comprende?

 

No big @Brokor

Paranoid? I'll admit to it - I have a cabin in a 'decent' area of Utah. I learned the hard way "My good neighbors that will watch the place for me" really meant they were first in line to rip off everything that wasn't nailed down. The vultures came later - and my good neighbors? Not a peep.

So, yeah, based on hard experience and monetary loss, privacy is a big deal....

As for the rest, meh.

 

Given what he is running off propane (generator/heating/etc), he ought to be thinking in the 1,000-2,000 gal tank range. I only use mine for cooktop (wall oven is electric, and I have a wood cookstove as well), water heater, and some emergency backup heat in the form of one 15,000BTU wall heater....and I have 3 -- 500gal tanks, plus a dozen of the 100lb'ers in storage (those hold about 23 gals each). Propane IS nice in that it stores well....which is why I keep a bunch in storage....but it's not renewable...what you have is what you have unless the truck runs.

As for making diesel, unless you have a source of some kind of scrap oil, OR plenty of ground to grow an oil seed crop + a way to crush/extract the oil for bio-diesel, then making diesel isn't much of an option either. That means the real sustainable resource is wood....and I'd assume in that climate, LOTS of it.

As for 120/240 power, the setup shown could be either, but if 240, there will be a 4 or 10 port Outback "Hub" someplace in the mix to co-ordinate the master slave arrangement of the inverters.
Here is my setup, you can see the Hub, the black box (literally) mounted on the side of the AC out Flexware box. Without the Hub, he is running two parallel 120v AC inverters.

 

Looking at the LEDS that are on & the configure of the board , the hub is mounted on the AC side of the Flex/breaker box . so out of view Im sure. Seeing that the Guardian video maker is not sure of what is in view , Im going off leds & knowledge of the systems .
Both inverters are working & one should be in sleep / search mode . Hub is needed if you have 2 inverter or more & can configure them to piggyback (add wattage only ) or ( single split phase for 240Vac -6o hz in NA) Or three for 3 Phase 120Vdc@60~ , Six units & the big hub to get 240Vdc 3phase @60~ (now were getting NUTS !!
Here is a photo of the gents house that designed that system , it's now working on my ranch , while his new creation has been slated for install of the new Midnight Special . Robin is ONE of the Brains as his brother boB !


I also have his first creations of full sinewave Trace/ Xantrax & the co-coupling of Midnight &Schneider 240V 8K units.
Im saying the wiring of the house is way incorrect for having on two inverters for a place in shutdown & in resting !!!

THIS is a full working system (and not in sleep or ez mode) & very wasteful as I see it.

Sloth

 

Do you mean my neighbors house?

How should he have it then because it seems to be a bit splitting hairs now. Having to reconfigure wiring just because he leaves for a while is ludicrous. I leave me cabin for 6 months at a time and leave the system charging, it hardly lowers the battery levels at all.

Cheers.

 

@Tyler Danann
I fixed my spelling & updated the post to include three phase (way over the top for here)
Im saying that only one inverter is needed (master ) and that all loads that are used in a MT house that is shut down for storage (water drained & RV anti freeze poured in the crappers etc. ) just a few light circuits & they are off . When the heating system (got me why that is needed when you should drain all waters ) (In floor is propylene glycol ) and let the inverters ease up since you look your in Siberia now (Northern Hemisphere ) .

So that would mean changing the loads on the 240Vac panel so that Slave is one side (in search mode) & the MASTER is on the other always to be hot & one when the monkeys leave to warmer worlds !! I use one always as 120Vac & if i need my 220Vac saws , the slave jumps in

That is NOT done in a GRID tie panel due to an unbalanced pole transformer , the feed to it is just fine !
Someone wired as a grid tie transformer panel & since I don't see any way those inverters are GFX units , Ya are grid free !

All understand ?

The off grid big system needs only very small sleep mode when away & in the least harvest time of the year as shown here .
the panel legg needs a master & slave side if either a Piggyback or split neutral system .
That way the slave may sleep & use way less power in the time away the monkeys have !

Sloth

 

Hi Sloth, the people like to leave it running so watchers like me can home-visit and house-sit when needed.
Thanks for the detailed over-view.