Living offgrid with small solar system(s)

[TheCruncher]

RO filters.jpg

Crossy. Is this really an RO filter?

Yup, looks like it

The important bit (the RO membrane) is the horizontal cylinder on the top.

When I saw these filters in the past I always thought that the horizontal cylinder was a UV lamp.

[George Harmony]

Does such RO filtering system gives automaticly a warning when to replace the filters?? Or automaticly shut e.g. a valve??

@naam, are you a friend of the dutchman mr. Van Laarhoven?? ??

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/745440-dutch-man-arrested-for-drugs-and-money-laundering-in-pattaya/

[Naam]

@naam, are you a friend of the dutchman mr. Van Laarhoven?? ??

we have friends in Pattaya Ge@rge. a Dutch lady of semi-Indonesian descent and her German husband. they are not drug dealers but retirees living like us a rather modest and withdrawn lifestyle.

we have many things in common such as no USB-fans, a preference for icecold drinks, airconditioned homes but unfortunately too poor to afford sophisticated PV systems to drive pumps with a "bormachine" (sic) and charging power banks.

p.s. to the best of my knowledge they don't use supercapacitors to boil rice... but i'm not sure

[Naam]

RO filters.jpg

Crossy. Is this really an RO filter?

Yup, looks like it

The important bit (the RO membrane) is the horizontal cylinder on the top.

When I saw these filters in the past I always thought that the horizontal cylinder was a UV lamp.

they look like UV-lamps!

[Muhendis]

RO filters.jpg

Crossy. Is this really an RO filter?

Yup, looks like it

The important bit (the RO membrane) is the horizontal cylinder on the top.

When I saw these filters in the past I always thought that the horizontal cylinder was a UV lamp.

There are two horizontal cylinders on the top. I'm pretty sure one of them is the UV which would make it a 7 stage filter. There is no automatic warning to tell you to change the filters however the vertical filter hidden behind the pressure tank has a glass cover through which you can see how muddy the element looks and judge for yourself when to change them.

[Muhendis]

A further word about the WHO concerns regarding the removal of minerals from water. We get all the minerals we need when we eat. Plants absorb minerals fro the soil. If we eat a balanced diet we will get all the minerals we need. Drinking rain water is mineral free and very good for you although there may be varying quantities of dust particles and additional gas molecules in it to say nothing of bacteria picked up on the way down.

[IMHO]

There is no automatic warning to tell you to change the filters however the vertical filter hidden behind the pressure tank has a glass cover through which you can see how muddy the element looks and judge for yourself when to change them.

That will be the first filter in the set - usually ceramic. When it gets fouled, you clean it, not replace

After about 4 cleans, it's time to replace..

[George Harmony]

I must admit that most germans strive to perfection and quality.

we have many things in common such as no USB-fans,

??

[George Harmony]

About filtering well water to drinkable water:

Why is there no commercial version of such kind of filtering with limited number of liters and automatic shut down when the limit is reach??

Perhaps its still too expensive to develop such a product for home use with a larger capabilty (liters)

[George Harmony]

Just wanna share this. In 1989 the fist solar house was installed in Holland and at the official ceremony the husband of the queen was present.

The owner says that the panels are perhaps still in good shape but he will replace them. This proof that panels last at least 25 years

At that time the panels were pricy , 60000 dutch guilders.

Link in dutch: http://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/binnenland/evert-heeft-al-26-jaar-zonnepanelen-er-ligt-voor-60000-gulden-op-mijn-dak

[Muhendis]

Thats an interesting snippet of information George.

For those of us that are interested in historical thingies to do with solar power you might like to look at this. It's a bit American and I'm sure there were other things going on around the world.

https://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/solar_timeline.pdf

And for others who, like me, are more interested in the storage of power for fuel cells you might like to look at this which for me is the future once we can get over a few inhibitions.

http://ecowatch.com/2015/12/23/solar-hydrogen-homes/

[Naam]

The process is 100 percent clean as its only byproducts are oxygen gas and water, the company said.

a bit sad to read that from an "EcoWatch" journalist because oxygen is not a byproduct but the other active fuel ingredient which produces energy when combined with hydrogen.

the byproduct is H²O (water) in Thailand called "naam".

[IMHO]

The process is 100 percent clean as its only byproducts are oxygen gas and water, the company said.

a bit sad to read that from an "EcoWatch" journalist because oxygen is not a byproduct but the other active fuel ingredient which produces energy when combined with hydrogen.

the byproduct is H²O (water) in Thailand called "naam".

.... which quite ironically, you don't drink

[Naam]

The process is 100 percent clean as its only byproducts are oxygen gas and water, the company said.

a bit sad to read that from an "EcoWatch" journalist because oxygen is not a byproduct but the other active fuel ingredient which produces energy when combined with hydrogen.

the byproduct is H²O (water) in Thailand called "naam".

.... which quite ironically, you don't drink

actually i do. just sipping apple juice over crushed ice. please don't tell anybody!

[Muhendis]

The process is 100 percent clean as its only byproducts are oxygen gas and water, the company said.

a bit sad to read that from an "EcoWatch" journalist because oxygen is not a byproduct but the other active fuel ingredient which produces energy when combined with hydrogen.

the byproduct is H²O (water) in Thailand called "naam".

.... which quite ironically, you don't drink

actually i do. just sipping apple juice over crushed ice. please don't tell anybody!

Secrets almost safe with me naam.

[George Harmony]

Perhaps is formid acid a great solution for the near future

By using formic acid as a fuel, Team FAST hopes to combine the strengths of electric and hydrogen powered cars without any of the drawbacks. Electric cars depend on batteries and thus have a limited range. An electric car can go further using hydrogen but the drawback here is that hydrogen is expensive to transport and store, and it also has to be transported under high pressure.

...

Team FAST sees possibilities for these reactions to take place in a car, whereby hydrogen is used to power an electric engine. For the consumer using formic acid will be like using gasoline. This similarity will also ensure that formic acid can easily be incorporated into the existing fuel infrastructure, Next to that, formic acid can be much more widely applied as an energy carrier; solar and wind energy can also be stored in formic acid, and then used when required.

https://www.tue.nl/en/university/news-and-press/news/14-01-2016-team-fast-presents-scale-model-of-car-powered-by-formic-acid/#top

[tracker]

Ofcourse we could also use water and split it "onboard". But hey, then we do not need a pump (and taxes) anymore....

[Crossy]

Ofcourse we could also use water and split it "onboard". But hey, then we do not need a pump (and taxes) anymore....

What energy source do you propose to split the water?

[Naam]

Ofcourse we could also use water and split it "onboard". But hey, then we do not need a pump (and taxes) anymore....

What energy source do you propose to split the water?

perhaps crystallised Trilithium and a small warpcore might result in a feasible solution?

joke aside, fuel cells are fascinating. easy dense storage and releasing of energy. that the required energy input exceeds output is an unfortunate fact.

[tracker]

There are some interesting developments in the boat racing world, whereby a gentleman called bob boyce developed a water fuelcell with some electronics to do just that: braking the water onboard and using the now called hho gas as fuel.

Ofcourse there is never more energy out than in. But the simple DC of 1.7volts breaking water down to H2 and O is the most wastful way to do it. For instance by using pwm (pulse with modulation) and the hystereris of the cracking of water into hydrogen and oxygen you can reach a much better conversion factor.

Bringing this to the topic of this thread, it might be interesting to split the water with solar panel power and store the gasses for times when the sun is not shining....

Edited March 21, 2016 by tracker

[George Harmony]

What do you think of this non solar advice??

Non solar advice:

The power outage in my city is lately horrible. Few x per day and yesterday also as from 11 evening till " i dont know" cause i slept at 2 and it was still dark outside.

This morning a friend called and asked for the cheapest way to use a pump like mine with solar in case of power outage. He returned yesterday from a party with his wife and child(student) and they were not able to flush the toilet and not able to shower. They have a 220v (well)pump directly connected to their cranes.

They shower the asian way, also flushing their toilet. Up till now they have i think a 50-60 liter bucket in their bathroom. Each time after shower they fill it again.

Only for emergency i said to him that he can start his motorbyke or car and connect a dc 12v pump like mine the battery

connect a permanent cigarette plug/socket under the seat of your motorbyke to the battery (fuse it) and make the connection to the dc pump. Also you can connect some 12v lamps with it. Your motorbyke is your genset. But it cost you a bit fuel.

I also advised him to think about a watertank placed above the highest crane big enough for e.g. 2 days water supply.

[tracker]

Giving advice in this nature is a bit risky. You have to know the pump current during operation to know which wire diameter to use. Having too thin wire might be a fire hazard... but if you know what you are doing. Go ahead.

Then there is the issue of what the motorcycle battery and the charge system (dynamo) on the bike can deliver. These batteries are very easy destroyed once you go under 80% of their capacity.

But... the most lessons are learned in emergencies anyway...

[George Harmony]

Indeed , "advice" is a strong word. I better have said the possibility of using his motorbyke as a genset for using a dc 2.1 amp 12volt pump.

[Muhendis]

A further point is that the "genset" on a motor bike is rated for charging a small battery and running a few watts of lights. They don't half smell if you try to take out too much for too long............

[Crossy]

Some good stuff here along with some not so good stuff of course.

One thing to remember is that if you have mains power and the discipline to do it all the energy saving advice in this thread works just fine. In Thailand that could equate to a zero bill (usage less than a specific amount is free).

Being off-grid on solar forces that discipline.

[Muhendis]

A minor but for me, quite important point to add to Crossy's comment. If you have a temporary/construction supply then there is no "usage less than a specific amount is free" and you pay double the normal tariff. I am a high power user and, if the weather is not so good for a few days, I occasionally get a bill of around 300 Baht for a month. I'm happy with that. To increase capacity of my system simply to get rid of the occasional tiny bill would be most uneconomical.

[IMHO]

What do you think of this non solar advice??

Non solar advice:

The power outage in my city is lately horrible. Few x per day and yesterday also as from 11 evening till " i dont know" cause i slept at 2 and it was still dark outside.

This morning a friend called and asked for the cheapest way to use a pump like mine with solar in case of power outage. He returned yesterday from a party with his wife and child(student) and they were not able to flush the toilet and not able to shower. They have a 220v (well)pump directly connected to their cranes.

They shower the asian way, also flushing their toilet. Up till now they have i think a 50-60 liter bucket in their bathroom. Each time after shower they fill it again.

Only for emergency i said to him that he can start his motorbyke or car and connect a dc 12v pump like mine the battery

connect a permanent cigarette plug/socket under the seat of your motorbyke to the battery (fuse it) and make the connection to the dc pump. Also you can connect some 12v lamps with it. Your motorbyke is your genset. But it cost you a bit fuel.

I also advised him to think about a watertank placed above the highest crane big enough for e.g. 2 days water supply.

The solution to this one is cheap and very simple: a bigger bucket.

[Naam]

for me this thread was evidence to back the claim "Lo and behold! The LORD works in mysterious ways."

[George Harmony]

About using a motorbyke as a genset for small 12v appliances im then wondering how they do it with such speakers... Ive even seen street musicians giving a concert powered by a motorbyke with very loud speakers.

Many people have a small genset. So, i thought why not using a motorbyke. My 12v pump is only 2.1amp.

But anyway, cheapest way is indeed store more water. Watertank was also mentioned.

[George Harmony]

Question:

If i connect panels paralel can i put the diode of each panel inside the house before the fusebox?? I always see examples whereby the diode is placed behind the panel (in the waterproof connector box).