Reply To: off-grid in australia

[12vman]

Make a decision from the start on which way to go. I’ve been total 12 volt for over 15 yrs. and everything has been designed around it. It would be an expensive change for me at this point..

I knew from the beginning  that I was going to be a 12 volt system and I built everything practically by myself. (Light Fixtures, Audio/Video, Security, ect..) I use propane fridges but I could convert to d.c. units. It’s one of my goals in the future but at the time that I was building, propane was easier. I was limited by money and I already had the fridges. I don’t need to invest yet because everything is working just fine..

I like my D.C. system because it’s simple. (Charge Controller, Battery, Panels) Less to fail. If you become reliant on an inverter and it dies, it can upset your whole world. With a D.C. system, you’ll know if there are any issues long before a total loss of power happens. You have no need for an immediate back-up because you can still function as long as the battery holds out. If you have a back-up charging system for the battery, (Generator/Charger) you have more time to fix things with everything operating normally. If your battery goes down, well, you should have known that long before it actually happens..

I do use one inverter. It’s a 400 watt unit and I use it on a few things that I didn’t design for or can’t run directly from the battery. (Soldering Iron, Hot Glue Gun, Charger for my Hand Power Tools) Beyond those few things, everything else is direct to the battery..

I have the blessing of a technical background and my situation became a living experiment. I wanted to see what I could accomplish with a 12 v.d.c. system. I have everything I need, including a 74″ projection video system with surround sound. Had an issue with a ground loop problem between the DVD player (HDMI) and the projector operating from the same battery. I had to build a separate solar power system to operate the DVD/Sound System! It’s been a fun adventure..