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How I've built the Off-Grid Garage. Whole system installation and design explained.
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 20. 08. 2022
- Here is a snapshot of my current installation in the Off-Grid Garage.
I explain all components of my installation and run you through my thought process behind the design.
We start at the top with the solar panels, go through the MPPT chargers and main bus bar system until we reach the battery system, inverters and AC distribution.
This is the current state of my installation and how everything connects and works together.
Before you ask, I made this drawing using www.diagrams.net/
Some of my solar panels have cracked backsidesđ€Šââïž
âą SEPLOS MASON temperatu...
1000A Bus bar installation for our battery banks
âą 1000A Bus bar installa...
Overkill, JK-BMS and Heltec in parallel. Top balancing of 3 battery banks!
âą Overkill, JK-BMS and H...
Connect the Multiplus to any other inverter in SERIES. Here's the comprehensive test and set up!
âą Connect any Inverter t...
For more information, please check out my website with links to all the batteries, materials, devices and products I have used in my installation: off-grid-garag...
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Take a live sneak peak at the Off-Grid-Garage in the Victron VRM World (link at top of the page):
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Please don't leave any nasty words or links in your reply. CZcams will not publish your comment in this case.
Isn't this the best way to explain a solar setup? Give Andy props for knowing how to truly explain stuff.
This is all a freaking work of art: the design, the execution, and the video presentation. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks a lot for your kind comment!
This is one of your best videos ever. Great job creating the diagram and then the clear concise walk-through of the entire system. I especially liked that you showed the actual equipment after going over that area on the diagram. Outstanding presentation and a great reference down the road whenever anyone asks about your system (though it will be outdated in a matter of weeks but it was accurate at the time). 5/5 Stars!
Andy, I totally appreciate your comprehensive design and intention to share. It's very helpful.
Even though I have been watching your videos regularly, this overview wasch good summary and very helpful!
Thank you, Philip.
I can't find these products you are talking about in your videos here in Yemen.
But I can't stop watching them.
Brilliant.
Thanks, Ali. You probably have to source them locally in your area and get whatever is available đ
Great summary Andy. You have a Rolls Royce (battery system) in your garage as well as the Tesla.
Fantastic video Andy. I often come to your videos to learn from your journey as I will be doing all this ion the next few weeks. I really appreciate your summary of the system. Very neat build also! Thank you!
Thanks a lot for your kind words, Scott. It took us a while to set this all up in the last few months but it is nice to just look at it. I sometimes do that and cannot believe that we built this all ourselves and it works so well. Mind-blowing.
Thanks for all the work you put into your videos, Andy. I have learned a lot from you over the last 12 months. I have seen all your videos. Keeps me off the streets. Have a great day.
Thanks a lot. Wow, all videos... I haven't even seen all my videos đ
Nice explanation, the electrician which will check your system will be glad you explained all! You see, working all this time on this long project make a beautiful system!
Yes, the electrician was very impressed about my system (and also the drawing). He will be back soon start to work on the system and solar upgrades.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia great to hear, hope you find a quick and cheap solution for the cracked panels. Maybe some glue sprayed on the back can prolong their life, otherwise find another batch of pre-owned cells for cheap. You have a lot of potential space for placing them đ€ keep up the good work đȘđ»
Thanks Andy, on. Telegraph as you suggest. K
Outstanding briefing and system Andy, thanks! Perhaps a cost breakdown episode with tips for cost and time effective design, purchasing and construction would be a nice follow up.
Yeah, I thought about that but prices are soooo different depending on region, source and time of purchase. What I paid for the material 1.5 years ago is not so relevant any more.
I'll see what I can do...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Oh yea, good point. Well Perhaps sticking to general insights with mention of challenges and cost difference associated to region. I was doing a bit of a more in-depth dive into how much real-estate would be needed to go off grid here in the Northwest of the U.S. (Similar solar footprint and energy profile to Germany), and it seems to be I would need 3 to 4 times the PV you need in the Sunshine State.
Andy, I thank you so much what an awesome outcome. All the power suppliers across the country could learn so much from you. I was one of those that asked you for the summary, enjoy the spats. Kel
Thank you explaining your entire powerwall + battery box setup. Even I have spend last week to watch all your Battery 2.0, powerWall, Solar Stage 3, Battery 3.0 and Solar Stage 4 playlists in recorded order. You are explaining all Stepa so well that all the basics (and advanced) things can understood - Thank you and you will receive some s.p.a.t balacing
Youâre a wild man Andy >>>>>>>>>Love ur work dude đ€đŒ
Thanks Andy, very informative and easy to understand!
Thank you! Appreciate the overview! Awesome job- most of us can only dream of such a system. A lot of work went into this.
A great recap for all your viewers - and I'm sure it will be helpful to you as time goes by!
Many thanks Andy.
To have this overview is a really great help.
Avoids any confusion.
Greetings from Ireland.
Mark K.
Just wanted to say thank you for this video. Iâve been watching many of your videos over the last couple of months on programming and your testing. But this is the first time I have seen how your entire system is constructed. I just built my first solar system in an RV so I am still in the learning stage but Iâm having a lot of fun with it I have a playlist with a few videos posted already on my CZcams channel as well.
Thank you for your feedback and great to hear you got inspired and started your own project. đŸ
Brilliant, I must say I completely appreciate the fact you are 100% honest, you cut through all the BS and just tell the truth. With that I consider you a man among men. That my friend, is extremely rare these days! I know we have never met, but the way you present, causes me to see you as a friend. Honest, up front, and funny! Clearly you are not deterred by money motivation.. As so many others , that produce videos on CZcams!
MY SINCERE THANK YOU! CHEERS!!! đșđșđș
Thanks so much for your very kind words, I really appreciate your feedback.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I appreciate you as well, thanks Andy!
Amazing summary and explanations! Andy for prime minister of Solar! You are the best. Cheers
Thank you, John, much appreciated.
This is gold! Clear and very good explained!
Thanks a lot. I thought it is time for an overview. You can get lost in all these very detailed videos.
That rack of battery is wonderfol ... congratulations :-)
Thanks for the video
Morning Andy. Silent watcher of your channel for a while now. This overview is a nice summary. Many thanks for it from bottom of the world New Zealand.
Thanks a lot and hello to NZ đ
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Andy I really appreciate your designe. Being a marketing person living offgrid for 7 years now, I am a self learned diy person in many things. Your detailed video is super helpful for a person like me. Regards
Cher ANDY, c'Ă©tait un grand challenge de faire cette synthĂšse sachant qu'il faut absolument regarder les +300 superbes vidĂ©os pour comprendre la philosophie de l'installation depuis le debut de la chaĂźne . đ đ
This was an amazing overview!
The choice for the dual solar charge controllers and dual inverters was interesting to me and I decided to go a different route.
I am trying to simplify setup, reduce components, drive down idle consumption, reduce cost, plus run A/C from my panels to the house instead of higher current D/C.
I decided to go with ~34 kWh of Li-Ion automobile battery modules, so as not to worry about bus bars, compression, and where to recycle in the future.
I picked up a single discontinued Delta H6 6 KWh grid tie inverter for panels, to avoid solar charge controllers. (The power will directly run my household needs.)
My single Genetry Solar 12 KWh whole house inverter (on order) will charge batteries from excess power on the outputs (generated by my solar panels through H6 grid tie inverter), throttle the H6 grid tie when there is excess power & batteries are full, and enable the mains from the electric company when batteries are too low.
I plan on picking up 5 KWh of used panels this upcoming weekend.
I love the way you did your batteries!
You definitely sold me on the JK BMS!
Getting ready to order that, to add to my existing battery bank.
Why didnât you just parallel an East Roof strings with a West Roof string?
Just curious since I would think as the sun moved from East to West that the parallel strings would help give longer consistent power on the same wires, albeit with a higher peak at high noon?
I did not know if this was a no-no with panels or just a choice on your side for isolation purposes?
You have been an amazing help, thank you for what you do for the DIY community!
this is excellent. I have always wanted to go completely off grid, and this explains it very well. I am totally blind, so Iâm not able to see diagrams and pictures, etc. You have explained this very well, so that even I can get an idea of your system set up. Well done. 26:15
Andy, thank you very much for this. This is very useful information.
Thank youđ
Thank you I am just updating my system as I have been off grid for 8 years now are now getting problems with my inverter and battery and you have given me good advice đđđ
Great schematics ! Canât wait for the next update ! Iâll send a pic of both my houses solar set up using Darfon H5001 ! All in one hybrid inverters with batteries ;) keep well Andy
Thanks, Sebastien.
Super video, you've really made this setup simple to understand
Thank you very much.
This is a great video! The walk-thru was excellently delivered and the way you have put the system together is heroic if I may say. Awesome job!!! It is interesting to know that Multiplus II and Phoenix victron inverters of different capacities can work in sync as you explained. I would like to know more about this particular set-up, if you can elaborate more on it in a future video. Thank you again for making a very high-skilled complex work look so easy....
Thank you Andy. You are very much a "focused" individual. I enjoy your work. Having worked in the AT&T Telco environment, I can tell you fusing both Ground and Positive are essential, as is gauging the correct wire size. Very well done!
Never thought I would say this, but, I like your battery busbars.
They look nice. Even the electrician was impressed.
Now I understand the reasoning for the two MPPT charge controllers.
Excellent work Andy, thanks for this lovely, graphical schematic & explanation of ur beautiful system, I think I have seen most, (hmm???) Of ur videos now, but this really puts it all into a really nice clear explanation and perspective of the whole system and layout. The last full system shot makes it so easy for me to plan a system out fairly completely and to be able to easily create a smaller system just by using the main basic corresponding sections from this layout, it makes it easy to adjust a few variables if necessary, to scale for pretty much any system. I like how u have simply segregated the different sections & areas of ur system into ac, dc, batteries, inverters & comms, conduited nicely with no crossing of AC/DC, full isolation of any or all components & plenty of redundancy & future proofing features built in as well. Ur âthe Guruâ when it comes to this tech Andy. Congratulations on a exemplary build & look forward to ur coming upgrades & what ur Sparky has to say, I would be surprised if he is less than impressed. cheers
This is very helpful Andy. I need to tidy mine up. Got the Muliplus inveter through. Need to properly fuse and terminate my DC side and make it look like I did a "proper job" before I invite the spark in to wire the island plug socket.
Yes, get some ducting, makes a huge difference already.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I'm a while from there. Wish a could post a pic. "Janky" is the word. Shopping list...
Solar CU with 16A in 40A out. MCBs (DC rated)
MPPT battery isolation 40A
Inverter battery isolation 100A
Battery master isolation 100A
4 point, dual, fully covered 300A bus bar.
8AWG wire for 100A side.
10AWG for 40A side.
All the correct crimps, etc.
ÂŁ250. Ouch. Just the DC side.
Oh, and, MDF board and strip wood to wall mount.
I produced 0.17kWh today.
That was captivating till the end. Wooooow!!! Wish to have such a set up. Thanks Andy
Fantastic. Thank you Andy. I am working my way through all your videos, learning a lot and enjoying them along the way. It's great to get a peek into (my) CZcams future to see how far your journey has got. I've learned so much from you and will, I'm sure, be building a home battery if my own. Thank you.
Over all a nice set up Andy. I love that you used panduit to keep things looking clean around the inverters.
Great overview, great presentation, great entertainment! Congrats and many, many thanks from gold old DE.
Thank you for sharing this information in a logical way. I have just discovered your channel and am building a house in the lower Hunter region of NSW. I am currently doing research as I also have a 14m x 8m shed which currently has no connection to the grid whatsoever so I am thinking about using it as a project and going offgrid rather than pulling cable. Then in the future I may consider back feeding to the house, at which time we will only utilise the grid for the FIT. Power in this area is unreliable at best.
Thank you again and I am going to now dedicate time to learning more about your system.
Thanks Graham and welcome to the channel. Sounds like a great project you're going to work on... that's a lot of roof space. Nice...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Thanks Andy, and it all points North too so very happy.
Legendary system.
Awesome video, love the setup and the attention to detail.
Thanks!
Thanks Andy
Vielen lieben Dank fĂŒr die ausfĂŒhrlichen und gut nachvollziehbaren Videos, helfen mir sehr gut weiter
From all the other videos i thougt your fusegame is way overkill. But see it all together in this video it makes totally sense. I would build it exactly like that. Good work. đ
Excellent overview! Puts all the pieces together nicely.
U R the best online teacher Andy. Next step could be automations? Are u going to install Home Assistant to a Rasp!@*ii, integrate Venus OS, divert surplus PV energy to charge the EV, heat/cool water, etc?
Thank you.
I had a look at Home Assist, it seems to be a pain the a**. It's not intuitive and the setup đ€Šââïž
The EV is usually not at home during the day and has to charge from the battery. Also, the battery is now so large that I don't have any surplus of energy đ
But we will look into some automation soon.
Thanks for the info and video.
Thank you.
Cool!!!! So now you need to add as much as possible solar panel to your system and double your battery bank!!
Yes, solar first. Working on it...
That is fantastic gives us a great overview.
wow !! fantastic video
Thank you.
Nice work.
Your perfection is impressive!
Thank you.
It all takes very long though. Nothing is done in a day...
Heya,very nice big detailed explanation of you hole system this is very us full
Thanks Andy! I dream with your system but I learn it's possible to start small and upgrade when the $time$ is appropriate.
cool stuff bud. keep the good work
011623/0307h PST đșđž 011623/2107h đŠđș Thank you once again for taking time to describe, educate and instruct how your setup runs well and smoothly. I can understand the time and energy that was put in for this segment, for which I can only say, Danke schoen , with much courtesy to Bert Kaempfert, 1963. Dedicated to Herr Andy. Effort is very much appreciated.
73sâŠ
Well done Andy. Sehr Schön, Vielen danke đ»đ
Thank You! Nice run down on your system.
Thank you.
Nice job, Andi, well done!
Excellent video
Thanks very informative
Thank you a fantastic set up you are the master
Nice.. I would like to see you replace the smaller victron inverter with a hybrid all in one inverter (ie eg4 3000 , growatt 3000, etc). Also to disconnect the victron mppt to see if the new all in one inverter would be appropriate
Wow. Amazing Andy. I can only dream of one day having this. No idea how raspberry and all this business works. I was bullied at school and true tee as a result so left with no educational qualifications. Worked since age 16. 52 now. How can I have this systemđ€·ââïžđą
Well explained. I like it. The explanation and the setup. Danke schön.
Amazon mate, top channel for solar and beer :)
thanks !
Thanks!
great video and a nice job on the whole setup, and no frog's
A W E S O M E đ± . . . Congrats and big huggs from Argentina!!
Wow! Really appreciate this video .
Chreers!
You inspire me to be better and thrive to do it the right way . Thank you Andy
Fantasticđ
Wonderful stuffđ
Excellent work on this video, Andy, just like all the others. This explanation clears up many doubts on an important topic: safety!
I have another important doubt regarding the dimension of wiring (AWG or mm2). Would it be possible, please, to make a list of the wire gauge used in the following points:
- Each Solar String -> Fuses 16A -> Busbar = 4mm2 ?? AWG ??
- Busbar(common to the 5 strings) -> DC Breaker 63A(MCB1) -> Solar Charger(MPPT1) = 6mm2 ?? AWG ??
- Solar Charger -> DC Breaker 63A -> Busbar(common to batteries and inverter) = ??
- Busbar(common to batteries and inverter) -> Battery Main Switch(EG Battery1) -> Smart Shunt -> Busbar(common to all batteries) = ??
- Busbar(common to batteries and inverter) -> Fuse1 -> CuttOff Switch1 -> Multiplus II = ??
- Busbar(common to all batteries) -> Battery Switch(Battery1) -> BMS(Battery1) -> Battery(Battery1) = ??
- Busbar(common to batteries and inverter) -> DC Breaker 10A(MCB5) -> DC/DC Converters(12v and 5v) = ??
- Multiplus II -> AC1 = ??
Keep up the good work, many thanks.
Stay charged!
Thanks for your request. Most of these questions have been answered in the detailed videos when we built the system. If time permits, I'll put these information together at some stage...
I'm sure you did mate, already answered all these questions, i have been watching all your videos trying to figure it out and gathering very usefull information in the way.
I think i have found another one: Solar charger to Bus bar - 25mm2 cabling
Thanks once again Andy
Really thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! Thanks a lot!
For this video the world is waiting for, but - and there is always a but - please update the pictures at the vrm portal. đđđ I prefer to add the pictures of the new system to show the start of the system. đ
Yes, you're right. New pictures are coming soon!
Very nice
Thank you
Thanx, great video, very nice system overview provided. However in case of emergency, I would rather consider to trigger a system switch off 1) automatically or/and 2) by an external command. You might not be available if something starts going wrong, for example the batteries getting very high temperatures, something did fell down on the roof, etc.
Amazing!
Thanks
Current regs need all your panels to be earthed and earths elsewhere. What is your earth bonding strategy ?
Do you need lightning protection ?Great video.
Thanks Andy for all the great videos! I have been following you before you had 10K subscribers. Your info has helped me build my own 10KWh battery that runs my house. The only thing missing is some stats for us data junkies. How much power have you generated since you started, what is money value of the power and how long do you think it would take before you would break even on cost for your whole investment? I have resorted to HomeAssistant and Node red to automate and optimise my solar power. I also realised that I will have to measure more things to calculate an effective return on investment. With current prices I am looking at about 9-10 years before the sun would have paid for everything.
Nice video and it is versatile system đ
I understand every part right up until the inverters to AC units. I have watched all your videos and they are great. I have seen how the second inverter jumps in to take some load but I don't fully understand AC1 unit and AC2 unit wiring. I believe that the communication system kicks in the second inverter unit, is that correct? So does the second inverter have a standalone isolation switch in AC1? Then it is wired into AC2? I think I may have missed a video. Thank you for all your videos, I have loved that at one point you were a man with a plan and now you are a CZcams God to mere mortals like myself.
Thanks for sharing. Can you make a list of the breaker and other components with the names and codes? Thanks
I have to update this video anyway with all the new solar installed bow and may add more info in terms of what material has been used.
yayyy! more videos from andy :D
Always. probably for the next 20 years đ
What a fantastic run through your system both on paper but also on your system lay out......
God Id love be to have your battery bank......it's so well laid out and bloody perfect.
Nice to see you did run round with your label machine and marked everything up.
All in all bloody nice lay out.
Quick question, can them victron moot chargers take a MT50, instead of Bluetooth/computers??
Verry good
Superb walk through many thanks, interesting to see the mix 215 and 250w panels in 3S5P and 3S3P configurations, I need to better understand the slight differences there though note you said theyâre all 60cell panels so does that mean theyâll all play well together? Assume the Voc and Vmax must be slightly different
Thanks đ
As a beginner I found this video exactly what I needed to feel more confident.
Iâm going totally off grid soon (as there is no power available for 1.5k), because I need to get power quickly I will get a generator, 20, 350w panels, Iâm thinking a set of 6 lifepo server rack 48v 100amp lithium batteries to power the cabin as we run a small business that needs a dehumidifier and small air-conditioner.
I was thinking of the Growatt 5kw off grid hybrid 48v.
By thoughts?
I will add 6 x 250w and 8 x 190w panels from a friends house that he upgraded also as we are in a high wind area a 48v AC 1.5kw (max) wind turbine with two battery packs like yours as we draw 20+ kw a day when in full production.
Again, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated so we donât waste money.
Cheers Mike
Another great video Andy.
So for clarity you only have the phoenix to assist the load of the multiplus. It doesn't increase the the multiplus above its 5k, it just assists it up to its 5k taking away some of the strain/load from the multiplus?
Keep up the excellent work
Thank you.
that's correct the Multi still outputs max 5kVA on top the max 3kVA the Phoenix delivers. So all in all the Multi outputs 8kVA on one phase (but delivers only 5kVA itself). You need to be aware of that and have the right cable size connected to the Multi.
It's a load sharing set up right now. I can charge the vehicle with up to 4.1kW with the connector I have for it. So in theory the Multi would be at its limit with that alone. If some other load would turn on, it would be overloaded. With the Power Assist feature, the Multi delivers only 2.1kW for that exact load and uses the help of the Phoenix for the other 2kW.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Thanks for the clarification Andy.
Thats interesting the way that works as opposed to a paralleled two inverter system.
I have based my small off grid system on your design. I have also over rated the the cables just in case I upgrade.
Again great videos with very detailed content.
I haven't clicked it but is the "buy you a Spat" the official donation link on your website and is it a monthly option or is there another, i would like to donate monthly?
Regards
Tony
@@technretro7115 Thanks Tony. The inverters work really well like this, no issues. It's an undocumented feature and Victron won't support this officially but I was to curious and had to find out đ
The donation link is just a one off, no subscription. Same as the Thanks button under the videos. Wow, that is very generous of you. Once you have donated, you have the Paypal address and can set something up with a recurring schedule I believe. Thanks a lot. That is a fantastic support! đ
@@OffGridGarageAustralia This is the genius of the system. André in Sydney
Thank you Andy brilliant work, can you give me some pointers on the software you used for the wiring diagram - this would be handy for site overview documentation đđđ
Nice setup
a super neat and tidy, and logical setup you have there Andy, the only thing you missed off which would have been nice to see was the EV charger what type it is and its fused rating ??, apart from that wowzers :) :) i want one :) :)
I was basically about the write the same comment verbatim until I saw yours đ
Thanks Kevin. I use the Tesla Mobile Connector which came with the vehicle. Never bothered to install a wall box as I don't have the need to charge that fast.
I have a 16A tail for it which plugs into a blue 'Commando' plug . This is a separate circuit with a 20A RCBO connected to the Multi. I can charge with 4kW single phase and this gives my 25km per hour charging. My commute is only 30km per day, so... I keep the vehicle at 60% SOC and charge to 70% or 80% when we go on a trip. Charged it to 100% only once since I got it in 2019.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Wise move Andy! Yeah- mine has never been above around 95%, and even that is VERY rare.
(TBH I am not even really comfortable with it sitting at around 90% more than just briefly.)
Thanks, Andy, very informative. I have just got my first 2 panels ( I know... Ireland, why botherđ ). I have one fundamental question... When you switch off the panels, do you dump the load somewhere. I see my victron MPPT has load terminals, but what type of load?