Tie Inverter from the van (1 Viewer)

Snowbird

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This is a long shot and maybe a little crazy but I got to thinking that what with the solar panels and the wind charger on the van now and when the homebrew solar tracker is finished I will be producing mountains of power. The van is sitting outside the house and all this produced power is doing zilch. So I got to thinking, why not get a household tie inverter and flog what I don't use back to the electrikery company. Do any of you think this a problem or am I just daydreaming. The price of tie inverters is now much lower than they used to be.
 

Wildman

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prices are low and whilst I doubt you would have any power to sell back to the leccy company one assumes what you produce will be used by yourselves thus reducing your eventual bill.
 
Apr 27, 2008
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I seem to recall VWALAN running his home freezer etc from the vans solar panels.

I can't do this as my van is in store. When I was up there yesterday polishing it I made a coffee with the electric kettle. Batteries were back up to full charge in under 30min, so yes plenty to spare if I had a use for it.

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Snowbird

Snowbird

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Am thinking along the lines of an external plug on the van with a tie inverter in the garage. What I want is some sort of plug in and forget system whereby we can use whatever it produces and the overproduction will go back into the grid. I know we will never be self sufficient from it but it just seems a waste not to use what we already have in the van.
 
Jan 24, 2010
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now that sounds like a darned good idea:thumb:

be very interested in what comes of it
 

vwalan

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hi dave i tried going that out with my own panels .but they only let registered companies tir you in .they want you to buy their panels at humongus prices .
i now run an extension lead into the house
.been running house fridge since march .very often the house deep freeze. and other things . be better now its sunny .have had a few times where not enough sun.
my idea is always going to fridge so if lights out swap over back to mains .
been doing this every summer for about 5 years now .
saves a shilling and keeps things ticking over.
like you i park my trailer right by the house .so its easy to do.

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Snowbird

Snowbird

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hi dave i tried going that out with my own panels .but they only let registered companies tir you in .they want you to buy their panels at humongus prices .
i now run an extension lead into the house
.been running house fridge since march .very often the house deep freeze. and other things . be better now its sunny .have had a few times where not enough sun.
my idea is always going to fridge so if lights out swap over back to mains .
been doing this every summer for about 5 years now .
saves a shilling and keeps things ticking over.
like you i park my trailer right by the house .so its easy to do.
Hi Al, We live most of the time in the kitchen and have LED lights in there so I could definitely run those from this system. What would be ideal is to have the kitchen wired separably from the house with some sort of changeover switch for when the batteries went down in poor weather. Alternatively the freezer is in the garage along with the washing machine. I have a 3000 watt inverter on the van so could perhaps wire the garage up separately and run the freezer during the day on some sort of time switch. Switching back to the mains at night. Its all just an idea at the moment but it does seem feasible at the minute.
 
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Snowbird

Snowbird

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Just had another thought. We use the slowcooker a lot at home, we cook brisket in it for Sunday lunch most weeks and at this present moment in time I have 3 lamb shanks bubbling away nicely in red wine. The slowcooker is rated at 200/240 watts which my 500 watt built in inverter will run no problem. Since uprating the battery bank to 440 amps I should be able to cook Sunday lunch in the camper by FREE solar power. This would have to be done during the day so as to topup the batteries as they were being used.
 

vwalan

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thats the idea . i use vacum .computer lots things .just means trailing cables .
but the one from the trailer is out a window about 8 ft of cable then in the kitchen window .
suprised so many use slow cookers i use a pressure cooker fast efficent and no loss of flavour . gas only on for minutes . use mine home or away. have a great collection of them from 3 litres to 24 litres . get 6 chicken in the big one . ideal for kentucky fried chicken .almost cook them then cut them up dip in the sauce and bread crumbs then fry them . easy. thats why its always moist chicken .hee hee.

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Snowbird

Snowbird

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Ah but I like to brown the meat first in the frypan. Then in the slowcooker.
 

vwalan

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well i was in the catering corp .hee hee.
cant win em all.
do you like evaporated milk in tea ?
i dont huuu.
 

aba

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if you fit one of these between your inverter in the van and what ever you wish to power possibly using a hookup socket on the house then you could use a generator if wished through the winter power cuts.


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jhorsf

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You need it wired to the mains and sell them back their own electricity at more than it costs you:ROFLMAO:
 

vwalan

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years ago they paid you3 times the normal cost .
someone made a cock up as they only charged you normal.
after awhile they realised and changed it so only your surplus went back in the grid and every thing you used came off the total.
but it was you charged them 3 times they charged you the normal rate . thats when i wanted it .
dont actually think its worth it now they have reduced the rates .
 
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Snowbird

Snowbird

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Well so much for that idea............My bubble has been burst once more. My learned pal has just informed me that assuming I could produce 1kwh per day at 11.51p I would have to live to be 165 to get my money back. Thinking about that it doesn't seem like a bad idea :ROFLMAO:.
Having said that, just maybe his maths COULD be wrong............but somehow I doubt it :Sad:.

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makems

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Dave
I wasi nterested in that windmill thing you have on your van.What is it, where did you get it and does it actually produce much power?
Mike
 
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Snowbird

Snowbird

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Dave
I wasi nterested in that windmill thing you have on your van.What is it, where did you get it and does it actually produce much power?
Mike
Hi, As a backup to solar its very good for the price. On its own it would not produce enough for your needs. I got it from Maplins and if you go online they have some B grade deals on at the minute.
 

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