I have a Dream 2

[giantkiller]

I posted the system because I was amazed at how fast it made a difference. And it really is way better than a salt system. Simplicity, ease of installation.  No hauling salt. No electrical/water usage. And I have always hated the slimy feeling of salt in the shower.

So I thought people might want to know about it.

[Pat Conlon]

Thanks Dan!

[giantkiller]

About 2 more weeks and  it's pretty much cleaned up.

[giantkiller]

So I have another crazy idea for my house.

(In case you haven't read through this. My house is super insulated, geothermal heating and cooling, solar hydronic heated driveway, and solar electric power.) And no I'm not a tree hugger. I will have no bills and no payments. Except for sewer water and taxes. So I can maybe retire some day. And have more money to play with from here on out. I. Personally. Living in Wisconsin. Kinda like global warming.

I haven't purchased the battery backup for the house yet. Batteries have been continuously  improving and getting cheaper.  Plus they are actually the most expensive part of going solar. And don't last as long as the rest of the system.

I'm going to buy an Aptera car for my house battery backup system. I'm going to buy (already pre-ordered $100 down) the 600 mile range, 60 kilowatt battery. Three motor. 0-60 in 3.5sec. Top speed 110mph. Solar powered 25 miles of range a day in Wisconsin. I commute 19 miles total to work and back. For $39,400. The battery in this car would run my entire house. For 4 days without solar.
To get a 60 kilowatt-hour battery for the house would be probably $40--50,000. So getting a bigger battery than I would ever get. Cheaper than I could get it.  With a solar powered car for free.

[Pat Conlon]

Dan, I hope Aptera makes it to market, but I've seen enough smoke and mirrors to be doubtful.
I remain skeptical on these start ups that are soliciting investors.
The Ford F-150 Lightening looks more like a sure bet. Don't know the kWh on the Ford but I've read that you can energize your house system off the Ford.
Unless your utility has some punitive costs like crazy "time of use" rates, or they are subject to frequent power interruptions, there is no reason you need to design an $$$ off grid system.
A net metered system is more cost effective. You have the power there on site, might as well take advantage of it.

I have been tracking that LiFePO4 batteries are coming down in cost. Not including your a/c loads I bet you could get by with a 10kWh system, but batteries are a PIA, another thing to worry about....and you gotta keep them warm in the winter.

[giantkiller]

Yah I  know they may not  make it.  Nothing is  guaranteed. The thing  that made. Me go ahead. Was that  they had  Sandy Munro. Help them with Planning and  design.  And then  he invested in the  company. Something he said he never does. They have 4 functional  prototypes. And have said the production ready prototype will be out in 3 or 4 weeks. Plus they already have contracts with very large  suppliers. I know nothing is  guaranteed in this day and  age.  I  have to have a backup battery system. To even Have my Solar come on in a power outage. Several days with  snow. And 10k wouldn't cut it. Even just running necessities. Plus the utilities are trying to get rid of net metering. They have tried 2 times. Since I started my house. And the MREA. Midwest Renewable Energy Association. Has been successful in fighting them off so far. I will stay on the grid as long as they still have net metering.
The f150 lightning has 98k standard. And 131k extended range.

[Pat Conlon]

Ouch, I didn't know the Fords were so expensive....that's just stupid pricing.
How many hours do you need to run your house on batteries?
How about a smaller system for say 24-48 hours then a generator for backup? Perhaps natural gas?

[giantkiller]

Ouch, I didn't know the Fords were so expensive....that's just stupid pricing.
How many hours do you need to run your house on batteries?
How about a smaller system for say 24-48 hours then a generator for backup? Perhaps natural gas?

Sorry Pat. That was the battery sizes. I should have put kwh.  Pricing for the lightning is  $40,000 for the absolute base model. Which you can't even get. To $95,000. For fully loaded extended range  versions.  That only have 280 mile range.

With the Aptera. You can look at it as getting a bigger battery than I would need. At a way better price than I could get a house battery. With a free self charging. Really kool and fast (0-60 3.5 seconds.) Electric car. For free.  Or a really kool self charging, fast, 600 mile range electric car cheap.  With a huge battery to run my house for free.

[racerrad8]

Dan,

I had a thought to check on a couple of times this winter to see how the heating system and the heated driveway performed.

Today, after watching the Daytona 500, I came across a home improvement show and they were pouring a driveway in the snowy weather.

That finally made me inquire.

Also, how the water filter performance? Have you seen constant improvement? Have you had to change out the filters yet?

Your project has always held my interest.

Randy - RPM

[giantkiller]

I haven't posted here in awhile. Thought I would start with pictures of the oak workbench/kitchen island I made.

[giantkiller]

Dan,

I had a thought to check on a couple of times this winter to see how the heating system and the heated driveway performed.

Today, after watching the Daytona 500, I came across a home improvement show and they were pouring a driveway in the snowy weather.

That finally made me inquire.

Also, how the water filter performance? Have you seen constant improvement? Have you had to change out the filters yet?

Your project has always held my interest.

Randy - RPM

Hey Randy thanks for the inquiry. I've been working for the world's largest printing company. For the last 37 years. I've never worked less than 2800hrs a year. Had a few over 3400hrs. Until last year. I had 3 1/2 months of only 36hr weeks...so I couldn't afford the panels again. This year they said that it could be 5-6 months of 36hr weeks. So I started a new job 2weeks ago. Hopefully I will be able to afford the solar panels this year.  Last year I built the structure for the hydronic solar panels atleast.
Built each section on the ground. And had to lift them up and balance them on the pointy ends. And walk around to the underside while balancing them. And then lift them up by myself. Lol. I used the same steel roofing panels as I used on the house. They were 400% more expensive than when I built the house. Because of that. It cost me over $5,000 just for the structure. Even though I built it myself. I used leftover siding on the ends. The end by the meters is where the manifolds for the pex loops in the concrete are. And that is where the big buffer tank for the antifreeze and all the controls and pumps will be. It will be insulated. And a wall and door inside to keep the heat in. As much as possible. The rest will be storage. A wall and door on the other end. The doors have to be unusually small. Due to the angle. Looked into having them made. $1,400 apiece for Plain door. Found mobile home exterior doors that that will work still cost $800 for the 2 of them. Took 8 weeks to get them. And they only come white. Had to spray paint the one for the exterior satin black.

[giantkiller]

If you look closely at one of the pictures you can see the house numbers I made. They are 10" brushed aluminum. I cut 1/2" thick plexiglass to the shape of the numbers. Routered a channel down the center and stuffed LEDS in there. So the  plexiglass backlights the numbers. If you look really closely. At the corner of the railing for the balcony by the downspout. You can see the solar panel. I made out of the little round panels from those yard lights. It takes 4 of them to charge the 3 aa rechargeable batteries per number. But  I  screwed up. The dusk to dawn. Circuit boards I used don't have low voltage disconnect. For when there isn't enough sun to fully charge the batteries. To keep them from fully discharging. Something to fix in the future.

[giantkiller]

Dan,

I had a thought to check on a couple of times this winter to see how the heating system and the heated driveway performed.

Today, after watching the Daytona 500, I came across a home improvement show and they were pouring a driveway in the snowy weather.

That finally made me inquire.

Also, how the water filter performance? Have you seen constant improvement? Have you had to change out the filters yet?

Your project has always held my interest.

Randy - RPM

Hey  Randy. I forgot about the water filter/softener.
They ship you new cartridges every six months. If you sign up you get a  discount. Can't remember 20%? I was trying to see if I could make it a year. But I've noticed calcium build up starting again. Looks like 8 months is my limit. Worked great. Pretty much eliminated the build up. I mostly got it. Because of calcium. And I hate the slimy feeling of showering in salt water.