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  1. jimindenver

    Running Water heater on inverter

    400 watts even flat mounted should be able to provide at least half the power needed to run the Hott Rod during the peak of the day. 300 Ah of Lithium fully charged should easily be able to cover what the panels can't cover for the duration of time needed. What we don't know is at what time...
  2. jimindenver

    Running Water heater on inverter

    Every time I discuss what I can do with my solar system I hear that I spent a lot of money just to be able to save a few bucks in gas or propane. While I did design the original system of 750 watts to provide enough power to run a 5000 Btu window shaker during the peak of the day without...
  3. jimindenver

    Running Water heater on inverter

    I used a Hott rod in my 6 gal water heater since 2016. I had enough solar to run it during the day without draining my battery. It took two hours to heat cold water up to the 140 degrees I had it set to and about a hour to be warm enough to shower. I was not able to leave it on 24/7 until I got...
  4. jimindenver

    adding panels

    As long as you remain within the controller limits on Voc you are good. I would normally only suggest running 2 panels in series but you can’t do that with 5 panels so either run them all together in series or all in parallel.
  5. jimindenver

    Anyone familiar with using Renogy Solar Kits?

    Hmmmm Spare batteries have to be recharged at some point in time and 100 watts of solar isn’t a lot of power. In any event multiple controllers can be run as long as it was put above they are set the same and they see the same battery voltage. That last part is important for even single...
  6. jimindenver

    power Tools and Invertors

    I run all of the things you are talking about on a 1250 watt MSW inverter with a 10 minute 2500 watt peak. It will easily run a circular saw that will knock out a Honda 2000. That’s not to say just any inverter will do it. I have had a 5000 Btu air conditioner trash a 3000 watt inverter after...
  7. jimindenver

    Warning about Induction Cooktops EMF Radiation

    We live in and in fact are only alive because the earth itself is one giant electromagnetic field.
  8. jimindenver

    Self Heating, Renogy 12v Smart 100ah Lithium Batteries

    LifeBlue has offered this option for at least three years and they were the second company to offer it.
  9. jimindenver

    Knowledge is power, sharing the wealth.

    Almost every thread on this forum is a teaching thread. Ask nearly any question and you will get multiple teachers with real life experiences showing you how to solve the issue in a variety of ways. It's not just what to do or buy but also why. Often there are multiple solutions and the...
  10. jimindenver

    Eastbound to Florida

    You ain't seen the covid belly yet
  11. jimindenver

    Can I run a 24V / 3.75A CPAP off my 75A/hr AGM?

    Ignoring the conversion losses 3.75 amps at 24 volts is 7.5 amps at 12 volts. That's 60 amps in 8 hours out of 37 usable amp hours of battery.
  12. jimindenver

    the tyranny of rent

    Thank you i just think that we do a disservice by not preparing people for the reality out here by focusing only on the money not spent in rent and not discussing the true cost and sacrifices. The closer you get to living a normal life the more it cost. A example is water. Want even a...
  13. jimindenver

    Eastbound to Florida

    The ETQ is not that bad to start. Gas it up, turn it on and set the choke, pull the cord out slowly until you feel the compression stroke, let the cord back in and pull it out slightly until you feel the compression again and give it a quick short rip. Starts up every time. Just giving it a yank...
  14. jimindenver

    the tyranny of rent

    You think it sucks to work all day and come home to chores? You should have tried my life. I owed a residential property management service. All day I cleaned, shopped, did maintenance, yard work, pools, cars, bills...everything it took to take care of a home. Every night I came home and had to...
  15. jimindenver

    Eastbound to Florida

    Looks like I will be heading down to quartzsite in a week or so. Lows will be in the mid 30’s this week in Williams.
  16. jimindenver

    Eastbound to Florida

    Which Champion did you get? They actually have had a good reputation for a long time. I just sold the Yamaha I bought used earlier this year. Much easier to pull the start cord which is a good thing because it is a cold blooded beast if you run it dry. The little 2000 watt off brand generator...
  17. jimindenver

    RIP highdesertranger

    It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you all that highsesertranger, aka HDR or simply my friend Mike passed away today from Lou Gehrig's disease. I met Mike at the 2017 RTR and was lucky enough to spend the next three with him. To know him here you would think that he was gruff. He...
  18. jimindenver

    Invertor and charger recommendations

    A 700 watt microwave uses 1070 watts running. So at least a 1200 watt inverter. B&C was right about the 2 6 volt battery bank. They will not support a heavy draw.
  19. jimindenver

    How few Watts of solar to charge a 55 Amp/Hr AGM in 5 days?

    2 to one is the bare minimum. Some things to consider Lead acid batteries self discharge. It takes a certain amount of current at a sufficient voltage to keep this from happening. It's called float and while it can be done with a trickle charger on a fully charged battery, most people buy to...
  20. jimindenver

    Specific questions about LTVA and The Magic Circle

    Any road/trail that you can legally drive on you can make it in 2wd. You will see giant motor homes, fifth wheels and trailers all the way back as far as they are allowed. When it rains wait for it to dry up a bit before driving. Don’t park in a wash, even a mini wash. Pea sized gravel means...
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