Solar system: Setting up components

A lot of planning goes into a solar system.  I am very fortunate to have Husband who loves to tackle technical problems and who has spent many hours learning and planning our system with the help of the internet, YouTube and the good people at Northern AZ Wind and Sun!  As I mentioned in previous post we have been collecting all of our components over the past many weeks and are due to make our final trip to Flagstaff, AZ in the near future to obtain the final components which include the pole upon which the solar array will be mounted and the frame which will hold the panels and mount to the pole.  

However there are many small steps towards this large goal of having a self-sufficient home and figuring out how to organize and mount all of the components requires a good deal of work.  The batteries are the heaviest and most bulky component.  Batteries will store the energy from the solar panels so that we have electricity overnight and on cloudy days.  We ended up using Costco golf cart batteries.  They are very inexpensive and should last 5-7 years.  They are lead acid batteries so you have to check the fluid levels and keep them filled.  So, after figuring out where the batteries will be placed...

 

...we started to devise a system for mounting the components.  The largest and heaviest part is the inverter which weighs a whopping 42 pounds! An inverter is necessary because it inverts DC power (from batteries) to AC (standard plugs/outlets in the home). This inverter is a 3000 watt inverter that can be used as a charger (can charge batteries from a generator) as well.  This is a good feature in case we have a long streak of cloudy days.  

Wanting to utilize materials we have laying around, we decided to use scrap steel as the background for the components.  Pieces of wood and plywood will be bolted to the steel to create a sturdy area for everything to connect to.  Here is an early visualization of how things would be laid out on the surface.

And here are the steel pieces with wood for mounting the inverter, mounted to the back end wall (above the batteries -  though due to the weight of the inverter, it is recommended that it not be placed directly over the batteries).  

Next we mounted the inverter.

The next largest component is the charge controller.  The function of this machine is to take in the DC power from the panels (which is changing depending on the intensity of the sun) and adjust the power going into the batteries so that they receive consistent power and so that all batteries in the bank remain equalized in terms of how full they are.   I am sure there is much more to this - I am giving you my limited understanding of how this works!  

The charge controller is placed between the combiner box (which combines the power from all of the panels) and sends that energy to the batteries.  The combiner box is a component that mounts outside and receives the cords running from the solar panels.  The combiner box also has access to the inside to send the energy to the charge controller.  

These preliminary steps were taken prior to setting up the solar array (by mid July).  In my next post I will detail the process of setting up the array and connecting them to the combiner box and the rest of the components inside the garage.  Because we have been working every day I have not been able to write up our progress!  I am going to try to bring you up to date....

Demolishing a single-wide trailer: Part III (conclusion & cost)

Well folks, it happened. We are satisfied with the outcome though it took to the last possible moment to complete - creating unnecessary stress and worry about logistics - but it is done.  To see the land restored is immensely satisfying.  To be free of the eye sore is very welcome.  But the best part is to dispose of a rodent haborage which sat far too close to our new house and was a source of pollution as it deteriorated and parts blew about the landscape.  

  

When I envisioned the final product I expected the steel frame to remain as it was not something that would fit in the dumpsters....however, I was amazed to watch the skid driver smash it into a somewhat condensed size and maneuver it onto his trailer!  We were very pleased to "give" it to him to scrap.

Though this has been finished for a couple of weeks, I had to wait for the final bill from the landfill so as to share the details on cost.

• The two bins cost $500 to deliver and pick up after two weeks
• The demolition cost $1400 for around 10 hours of work (two guys)
• The weight of the content of the two bins was 11 tons and cost an additional $565 to dispose of in the landfill
• TOTAL: $2465 to demolish and dispose

I can't believe we didn't do this years ago!  Money well spent.  The picture below shows the truck in the distance driving away the second dumpster...bye bye mouse house!

A completed garage!

Prior to 2019 our tiny house looked like this....it was a garage with rough plumbing.

And inside looking towards the back, it looked like this (rough plumbing in along back wall):

At one time this was going to be our garage and we were going to build a different house.  However, we ended up changing our mind after living in a trailer and shifting our mentality about the things we own and what we "need" ...we decided to put everything we own to use and to build upon what we already had completed.  Hence the decision to convert this building into our new tiny house.  Last summer we hired a contractor to build out the bathroom, kitchen and first loft.  We have never done framing or drywall and I really didn't know how to build the loft.  I just had an idea and some dimensions which I shared with the contractor.  I was so pleased when I saw the result!

We were really happy with the work and so at the end of 2019 we asked the same contractor to finish the "second phase" of taking off the garage door, building the second loft, flooring, bedroom, and living room and putting up siding.  

Before:

After:

So that is how we began this summer....of course I detailed in my May 19 post about the new garage, but the thing that was lacking was the garage door!  Our same contractor did one last job for us this summer - he built out the front of the new garage to match the house and hung the garage door he removed from the first building!  It is so nice to put the garage door back to use (after it has been laying on the ground for six months).  

Having this additional space has been amazing.  Finally we are able to move all of the garage-type things from the house into the garage and now we can start putting together our plumbing and electrical systems (both housed in the new garage).  With all of the garage stuff out of the house we have also been able to clean and set up furniture that has been stored since our RV adventure began.  

uh...yeah - all that stuff was inside the house! Now that it is in the garage, where it belongs, we have SO much room in the house.  500 square feet, plus two lofts seems really huge these days!

We spent our first night in our house this 4th of July weekend and it was excellent.  It was the first monsoon rain of the season (you can see it coming and you can watch it move beyond). The air was fresh and crisp and the views amazing in every direction.

We went for a long walk around the property - something we haven't done for a while.  We walked through the wash and enjoyed the cool formations left by the rushing water over many years.

We noted pretty flowers growing that the kids have been watering.

We returned because we ran out of light, but we got to watch the sun go down and create another beautiful AZ sky.

So glad we can move forward with this project now that we have a completed garage!  Each small step we take helps me more fully imagine the life we will have in this beautiful place.  

Demolishing a single-wide trailer: Part II

Holy moly - the rural life has many pros, but it also has serious cons.  I tend to forget after living in the city, how inefficient, unorganized, unconcerned, and nonresponsive many of the service providers are in this neck of the woods.  Worst customer service skills, super difficult to make plans.....it's very frustrating.  We've spent a lot of time waiting for calls/texts back.  Asking if we could count on work happening on any particular day....we can't BTW.....it's stressful, especially when you are trying to coordinate multiple services (more on this later).  

With that said, some progress has been made on getting rid of the mouse house and we are two days away from our two week allowance of renting the large roll-off dumpsters.  It all comes down to tomorrow and whether our demolition guy will come and complete the work.

On the first day he worked, we were shocked that the machine he brought was just a bobcat - we thought there would be a backhoe or some other similar, larger machine for this job.  However when he got to the property he was very positive and said he could have it done in a day.  His first visit to the property was one full week after the dumpsters were placed, he did about an hour of work and then he had a mechanical problem with his bobcat and had to stop working for the day.  

Four days later he was back and he worked for four hours - the wind was crazy and the debris was blowing all over the place.  It looked like a very unpleasant job from a distance....around noon he was gone and he gave us a call on the way out saying the wind was terrible and that he would be back to finish the job.  Husband reminded him that the dumpsters were only there for two weeks and he said, "oh right, no problem, we will get it done."  No doubt the progress on day two was significant!

Speaking of trying to coordinate multiple services....In addition to the destruction of this trailer, we also wanted the guy to do some road work for us.  Rancho Status Quo is approx 5 miles off county maintained roads, and when the monsoons come the road are terrible.  We have a plan to improve two particularly bad parts of the road with a culvert and gravel.  The culvert was delivered shortly after the dumpsters and has been sitting by the road where we want it placed since the delivery driver dropped it.  The gravel was delivered today.  It too was dumped by the road where we want it spread.

The plan is for the bobcat guy to finish the mouse house, install the culvert, grate some road, and spread gravel.  Will that all happen tomorrow?  I do hope so!  About 10 years ago we installed a culvert in another troublesome spot and to this day it is always dry and easy to drive through (as opposed to being the place where we got our vehicle stuck in mud)  In the picture below the culvert is about half way down the road.

Anyhow, it will probably all come together exactly as it needs to - we probably spent time worrying over nothing and I look forward the mouse house being a memory!

Solar pump panels finally have a home

We have two solar panels that are supply power to our submersible DC pump.  It's a pretty cool system, when the sun is bright the flow from the pump is stronger and when the sun is behind clouds the flow is reduced.  Our well is very deep, ~500 feet and our static water level is around 150-170'.  We have the pump submersed at around 180-190 feet.  At peak flow I think we can get 3 gallons per minute.  We will show much more about the water system in future posts - this one is about the panels that have provided the pump with power for so many years!

For twenty years we have been hauling these panels around!  We used to store them at our house in the valley and bring them up whenever we went camping.  They've been at the land for many years now.  We bring them outside then put them back in the building when we leave.  When we use them they always have been placed on the ground.  

This might be the earliest picture I have of them (though they are covered by green blankets and leaning against a tree.  The electrical box is sitting on top of them.  This is from 1999 shortly after the well was dug!

Here is a picture from 2006 prior to our ill-fated shed being built and after the installation of the hand pump (Simple Pump).  

Oh!  Another from 2006 when the foundation of the first building was poured, you can see the solar panels in the background (to the right)!

Here's a 2020 picture of how we've been using them this summer.  

These two panels cost $750 for 150 watts (back in 1999)!  These days you can get one panel that puts out 350 watts for $200 - solar has become a lot more feasible and cost effective.  Nevertheless, these panels work great and we want to continue use them to power the submersible DC pump.  So our most recent project was mounting these to the roof of the garage.  We used some scrap steel to fashion a mounting system and I think it came together really well.  

To complete the project we had to use one of our coolest tools - metal shears - you can slice through steel!

We used some of the scrap steel to mount the rain tight box with the electrical components.  We decided not to drill any holes in the building to mount this - we just use the existing bolts and drilled holes in our scrap steel piece to match.  

Lastly we have to add some conduit below the box as that cord is not meant to be in the sun.  Though it took us some time to figure out all the parts we needed and find all of those parts from our collection of components - we did it!

Anyhow, it is amazing to consider the long journey these panels have been on!  It's rewarding to see them finally mounted in their permanent spot.  

Down with the mouse house: Demolishing a single-wide trailer - Part I

Rancho Status Quo is actually made up of two parcels.  The first we purchased in 1999, the second in 2007.  Each parcel is 36 acres and the second has an old single-wide manufactured home on it.  We think the manufactured home is useless, and an eye sore, and a harborage for rodents - hence it has acquired the name "mouse house."  

When we purchased it we always intended to dispose of it - but obviously it has taken us some time to figure out how to do this.  Today, after many phone calls and arranging, we had two large dumpsters delivered.  In the next week a man with a backhoe (or some sort of machine) will come and do the demolition!  Recently, my dad helped us take down quite a bit of the barbed wire fencing around it so that the trucks could get back to it. 

 

Unfortunately, when Husband was leading the trucks back to our land our truck got a flat tire.  As a result he had the adventure of riding in one of the big trucks today.  

Since this is the first and (hopefully) only time we will engage in this sort of demolition we had to ask a lot of questions - even now I hope that what we have will hold the remains of the house.  We have two "roll off" dumpsters which are each around 50' long.  We think this single-wide is 70' long and hope that when destroyed it will fit into these two.  We were charged $250 to bring the dumpsters to the property and we will be charged $60/ton to dispose of the remnants in the landfill.  We think it will cost around $1500 total in landfill charges.  The machine operator charges $95/hour and he said it should take about a day.  So we are hoping to get rid of this abomination for under $3000.  

So, it is ready for demolition and we look forward to seeing that happen this week!

Pandemic: For the love of god, please stay home!

I am not sure why a virus ended up being a political issue, but let's be clear - coronavirus does not care who you vote for. In fact, infections are reported in all age groups with the age groups 40-59 having the highest incidence (making up 34.8% of positive cases). Certainly deaths are most common in the oldest age groups, but they are occurring across all ages.

The safest things for you to do is remain socially isolated, wash your hands frequently, wear a mask in public if you have to go out, and practice social distancing (at least 6 feet between you and the next person).

In Arizona, "Since May 17, cases have increased 138% (3,061 to 7,286) while testing has increased by 17% (46,206 to 54,078) providing compelling evidence that increasing case counts largely reflect increased community transmission- not increased testing." -AZPHA Mass gatherings at protests, efforts to re-open the economy, and a general sense of it's over, have permeated the climate in AZ and it is all founded on wishful thinking. Nothing has changed. There is no vaccine.

In St. Johns, AZ one must have a PO Box to receive mail - visiting the post office with a mask we are met with disapproving looks, sighs, the shaking of heads - this is foolish and misguided. Small towns without hospitals should take this seriously. Let's also remember that hospitals are not allowing visitors to protect the health care workers and other patients - tens of thousands of Americans have died in hospitals alone without their loved ones near them over the past few months and many more will meet the same fate.

Our public health agencies should be stepping up. Testing should be followed by contract tracing, education, and quarantine for individuals testing positive. But our leaders are giving up. The state health director (a governor appointee), Dr. Cara Christ, said "we are not going to be able to stop the spread..." when clearly it is possible with proper political will and leadership.

Don't sacrifice your health or the health of your family members for the benefit of oligarchs who care about profit over humanity. The government is supposed to guarantee the right to life - but instead our policymakers are sacrificing the vulnerable, the poor, the elderly and making monetary justifications for it. We must save ourselves in the absence of sound leadership. We have to look to ourselves to protect our families. In this case we protect ourselves by staying home as much as possible, washing hands and surfaces often, and wearing masks when in public. Do that and you have taken as much precaution as you can during these difficult and uncertain times.

Small space living & entertainment

Like you, we have been in quarantine since April.  Because my expertise is in public health we have not participated in the re-opening of the state in any way - we still shop as infrequently as possible; we wear our masks in public; we avoid the city.  Thankfully we have Rancho Status Quo which gives us a large outdoor space to explore, but many days we find ourselves in and around the trailer.  This post will focus on how our family of four manages hanging out in just over 300 square feet of space!

In reality, the outdoor space next to the trailer is an important part of our existence.  In our current set up I am growing some vegetables in a container garden at the rear of the outdoor space.  Our trailer has an outdoor kitchen, grill, propane burners and extra fridge - we use that kitchen often.  I cook outside when possible (especially when the air conditioner is running) and we sit outside and enjoy the space.  I especially like to sit outside when using the solar oven so that I can ensure it is oriented towards the sun.  This is also where I hang out the laundry on our drying rack and where I fold clothes.  (BTW, I still love doing my laundry at a laundry mat - the facility here is small, reasonably priced, and convenient.) 

 

The rest of our outdoor space is multi-purpose.  We eat outside, the pad is used for chalk art, we paint rocks, Sister makes mud pies, bikes are parked here, toys are brought out, the kids can play in water from the hose...when it is not too windy the awning gives nice shade,  We are outdoors a fair amount - but there are days where we are not!  For those days, video games!!  The funny thing is that while in Zoom meetings over the past months I have heard various colleagues say something about never seeing their kids because they are off in their rooms playing video games - if our family were still in our 4000 sq ft house, we would have the same situation.  However, because the kids are so close to us while we are playing the games, we are all a part of what is going on with each other.  Often, if I am working and the kids are done with school, I am thankful for the games - especially when I have meetings or am working on a project that requires my concentration.  Other time when Husband and I are playing our game it is nice to be within earshot of what is going on in the kids' games.  

The kids have an Xbox in their room and they play online with their cousins as much as they are able.  Depending on our location we have had varying arrangements in terms of internet/data connection.  When in Mesa, we had Cox cable - which worked really well for the online play.  These days, in rural St. Johns, AZ we are using Verizon hotspots from our phones - so there is a constant conversation about how much data is left.  However, with that said, the kids are currently playing on throttled hotspot data until it resets in a week or so and they are still able to make it work.  The Xbox was their present for Christmas in 2018....for Christmas of 2019, after our second summer of travel, we bought them each a Nintendo Switch Lite.  Having something portable and battery powered is a wonderful improvement to our situation.   

Because Husband is a tech geek and retro gamer, we also have a number of other consoles.  Actually, he and I have enjoyed playing couch co-ops over the years (even before having kids).  We are currently playing Divinity Original Sin II on the PS4 - which is an absolutely amazing game!  "But where do you put all of these consoles/cords/controllers/games?" Great question!  Poorly managed cords/controllers are a pet peeve of mine.  Thankfully, Husband does a great job of managing it all - the system has developed over time, and is quite efficient.  We have three TVs in our rig - one in the kids' room, one in ours and one in the main living area.  The consoles are split between those three TVs, cords zip tied and neat, controllers put in their places.   I tried to take pictures, but I'm much better at taking pictures of sunsets.

Of course we also have our laptops for work/school/entertainment as well.  As long as everyone keeps track of charging their own devices, life is good - if not, well, drama.  Controller batteries are the worst - if left to me the kids wouldn't be able to play anything because I would've given up.  Husband fights the good fight and is constantly reminding and managing the kids' devices!  As you can imagine, charging devices is a necessity for us, and was certainly taken into consideration when designing our solar system at the homestead.  

Besides video games the kids each have a bin of toys (under the benches of the dinette in their room) and there are some favorites that get played with often (like the Magformers).  They both have quite a few books - currently Brother is really into reading manga and likes drawing characters, Sister enjoys looking through National Geographic books about animals (her "biology books" as she likes to refer to them).  A while ago I made a list of things the kids can do besides play video games.  I posted it in their room and I ask them to read it when they need to take a break.  They are both good about going out for a bike ride or walk periodically during the day.  It's been three years in this small space (and our smaller first trailer), though I will value having a bit more space in our tiny house at the homestead (500 sq ft + two lofts), I do feel content with this space and feel we are able to do the things we would do in a house.  We even have a piano and a guitar!

I guess the moral of the story is that when you live in a tiny space you appreciate the outdoors and you are very considerate about how you use the indoor space.  We set up the indoor space to support the things we do when indoors.  Our possessions are trimmed down to those things we use on a regular basis.  I remember the cupboards of kitchen stuff I used to have in my house and compare it to the comparatively fewer necessary items I have now as the most obvious example.  Clothing is another area where significant reductions in quantity were made.  In the end our small space is very comfortable and our things deliberately chosen.  Even during a quarantine we enjoy our tiny space!