Tools mentioned in the video (affiliate links): Best Value Torque Screwdriver: amzn.to/3DEMqwb Torque Wrench: amzn.to/3sEpuH8 (there is an insulated torque wrench out there, but it costs 20X as much (not joking). The options above are great for the price) Basic Electrical Tools that I recommend: www.mobile-solarpower.com/tools.html 0:00 Intro 0:14 #10 1:21 #9 2:53 #8 3:56 #7 5:36 #6 6:54 #5 8:51 #4 9:49 #3 12:15 #2 14:29 #1 *Does off-grid solar confuse you?* Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system packages and product recommendations, and so much more! www.mobile-solarpower.com *Join our DIY solar community* #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com *Check out my Book* Best-selling and beginner-friendly guide to 12V off-grid solar! amzn.to/2Aj4dX4 If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out Tesla Energy! They will price out a system and get your house offgrid: ts.la/william57509 *My DIY Solar Equipment Recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first):* 12V/48V Lithium Solar Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html Complete Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html Plug-N-Play System Recommendations: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html Complete "Add to Cart" 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html *My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar Products:* *Signature Solar* Offgrid One-Stop-Shop. Best Value 48V LiFePO4, Victron and Offgrid Specific Heat Pumps: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Current Connected* SOK, Victron, Mr.Cool Heatpumps and High Quality Components. Fantastic customer support: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp *Litime* My favorite 12V budget battery!: www.litime.com/?ref=XBIA62RFcalHns *Epoch Batteries* My favorite high-quality 12V battery: www.epochbatteries.com/products/12v-460ah-lifepo4-battery-ip67-heated-bluetooth-victron-comms?rfsn=7352625.50494d *Renogy* A classic 12V solar store that has been around for ages! DC to DC Chargers and more! renogy.sjv.io/n1VjXx *Rich Solar* Renogy's biggest competitor! Similar products, but at a better price: richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Battery Hookup* Cheap cell deals bit.ly/2mIxSqt 5% off code: diysolar *Contact Information:* I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar *FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers:* Every video includes some form of paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :) DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

@ThePracticalProgressive

Жыл бұрын

Also if you’ve got links to the torque wrench and screwdriver that would be awesome!

@WillProwse

Жыл бұрын

Just added some links above for those tools. Good idea

@LordSlag

Жыл бұрын

"..titan it properly..." I only joke in a good-natured fashion. You're videos are GREAT for people like me not electrically inclined. Because of you, my system is the envy of the community.

@mikefranks4528

Жыл бұрын

@@LordSlag I say it the same way and I get friendly teased about it. LOL

@LordSlag

Жыл бұрын

@@mikefranks4528 😋😋🤗

I'm a retired electrician and can say that this was an excellent video. You don't just say what to DO or NOT DO, but, most importantly, you explain WHY. You are also teaching "good practices". I am subscribing just because this video was so good that it will help me explain things to others properly, including being more concise. Thank you for exceptional work. 🙂👍

@MaritimeUnprepared

Ай бұрын

I'm also a retired tradesman and this kid is #1. I love his work ethic and his positive attitude. He's probably the nicest guy I've ever met on the KZread

@adelaidemarie

Ай бұрын

Caused to to buy his kindle book

As a controls engineer - Almost EVERY time I go in the field for construction inspections, the #1 problem is improperly seated and torqued cables. Will hit the nail on the head there. We formally call the pulling a "tug test". Do one after terminating anything - making sure everything is de-energized.

@Chris_at_Home

Жыл бұрын

I worked in telecom as a tech and we used insulated tools and did annual torque checks of all the hardware. The last place I worked before retirement had 7 48v battery banks. Our load was about 1400 amperes. I have a small system at our remote cabin where I run a 48v battery bank with solar and inverter. I also have a 12v system for lights. I torque my stuff out there also. I also use the same method for preparing the connectors that we used at work.

@W-4-Z-D

Жыл бұрын

One has to wonder why they give torque values for rotational terminators but do not give lateral separation limit tolerances for inline junctions.. after all, a "tug test" is much more likely to fail when preformed by the Hulk (or Arnold Schwarzenegger) than if done by my 5 year old niece ;)

@Knight805

Жыл бұрын

I do controls too. I have found factory landed wires on a big chiller landed on insulation. Wires inserted too deep and tightened on insulation and system wouldn’t run. That was fun to find.

@Blazer-fp8fo

Жыл бұрын

@@Knight805 I thought I was the only one. New battery cables for a car. Direct from Ford OEM. They didn't strip the insulation at all, just crimped the connector on. Also made me wonder if they were using a correctly sized lug since it fit over the insulation? Mine never have enough room for that.

@rogergregory5981

Жыл бұрын

I've come across cables just falling out of terminals aswell , just people being lazy and in a rush some just don't tighten down very much ,technical term is limpwristted

You forgot the two most important ones A) get reacquainted with the basics of (solar) electricity before a project B) find or make a cheat sheet with checklist to keep handy when doing a project. C) start with smaller project that don’t hurt as much financially in case of mistakes. People, including myself need these refresher videos frequently

@orionred2489

Жыл бұрын

agreed! I'd add to make sure that you are watching very recent videos. It seems like the tech is changing so fast that a 5 year old video is outdated. It's like cell phones.

My first DIY system is working great. I over built everything especially the wire size. I built my system at about 50% of the capacity of my inverters. As a beginner I am one of the old school guys that soldered my battery cables. Used to do that as a heavy equipment mechanic 30 years ago. I never had one failure, but will probably invest in a crimping tool. It took me 18 months to save money and then install my ground mounted system. It was a big investment, but has been working flawlessly for 4 months now. It saves us about 40 % on our electric bill. I am only using about 50% of my battery each day, and in an emergency could probably get about 30 hours out of my small system. Definitely adding more battery backup as soon as funds are available. Since we're retired and with limited income, it's difficult to have enough funds for large projects. Adding 10kw battery backup would be extremely beneficial to our system. At least we have a small emergency backup that we use everyday. I know that if I had the funds I would go completely off grid. This solar power energy is addictive! YOU JUST WANT MORE POWER. Everyone I watch on KZread has increased their systems at least twice. Will, I appreciate your videos and applicable information on solar system and products. I used several valuable resources and information that you provided in the past 3 years. Even at 71 I'm still learning and exploring new opportunities to be more self reliant and independent Thanks

@andrew_koala2974

Жыл бұрын

Reasonable writing ability - Your score 7/10 -- I use KZread comments for my Students to correct. I now reach English and History - following a 30 year Military Career - AIR FORCE -- Your text corrected and edited" and formatted paragraph text applied My first DIY system is working great. I over built everything especially the wire size. I built my system at about 50% of the capacity of my inverters. As a beginner I am one of the old school guys who soldered battery cables. Used to do that as a heavy equipment mechanic 30 years ago. I never had one failure - and will probably invest in a crimping tool. It took me 18 months to save enough money to install my ground mounted system. It was a big investment - and has been working flawlessly for 4 months now. It saves us about 40% on our electricity bill. I am only using about 50% of the battery capacity each day and in an emergency - could probably get about 30 hours out of my small system. Definitely adding more battery backup as soon as funds are available. Since we're retired and with limited income - it's difficult to have enough funds for large projects. Adding 10kw battery backup would be extremely beneficial to our system. At least we have a small emergency backup that we use everyday. I know that if I had the funds I would go completely OFF grid. This solar power energy is addictive! ONE JUST WANTS MORE POWER. Everyone I watch on KZread has increased their systems at least twice. Will, I appreciate your videos and applicable information on solar system and products. I used several valuable resources and information that you provided in the past 3 years. Even at 71 I'm still learning and exploring new opportunities to be more self reliant and independent. Thanks TIPS: Use and instead of but - unless describing a NEGATIVE aspect. Learn to use paragraphs - and not continuous lines of text Other wise not too bad -- Also note that there is a difference in meaning between ON OFF and on off They are used in entirely different contexts. ON OFF is used in relation to switching -- That is why you see it written in the ALL CAPS iteration on switches. -- The history of it is too lengthy to describe here. and beyond the scope of this comment. Good luck and good bye

@twilburn10

Жыл бұрын

@@andrew_koala2974 Maybe you should correct and edit your own post before attempting to improve others. :)

@andyball2911

Жыл бұрын

@Andrew_Koala Perhaps you could ask your students to find the 5 errors you made in your short intoductory paragraph (below)........There are further various errors that you have made in your purported correction of the original post but I don't have the time or inclination to correct you as a reacher (sic). As much as I am tempted I will refrain from scoring your 'Reasonable writing ability', maybe you could let your students do so. Reasonable writing ability - Your score 7/10 -- I use KZread comments for my Students to correct. I now reach English and History - following a 30 year Military Career - AIR FORCE -- Your text corrected and edited" and formatted paragraph text applied

@mark98115

Жыл бұрын

I agree completely. I see really many examples of horrendous English on the internet but this particular post was not one of them. Maybe all the "low hanging fruit" has made me more tolerant. LOL. I will opine on the fact that the corrector's writing style was rather awkward.

@robertsmith2956

Жыл бұрын

@@andrew_koala2974 So how many students failed your teach line? As for History.... What did the founders do with the Declaration of Independence after they signed it? Did they send it to George by courier? Did they give it to the first brit they saw? Did they just start shooting brits till George figured sumthin be up? That is the problem with school, you don't know the questions to ask till you are out.

I retired from large power plant power generation. There has been more than one transformer fire due to terminals loosening over time due to the thermal cycling. All of Will’s points in this video are worth watching periodically.

I wonder how many times I'm going to be pausing the video and running out to see if I made any of these mistakes lol Thanks for sharing and as always keep building 👍

From what I've seen in my 15 years in solar, #1 should be "Under Sized Cables"

*_Top 10 Mistakes Summary:_* 14:29 1 - Loose terminals 12:15 2 - Using the incorrect tools (emphasis on wire-strippers, crimpers, insulated tools) 9:49 03 - Improper Wire-Sizing 8:51 04 - Messy, unorganized Wiring 6:54 05 - Solder large lugs (use only mechanical connections) 5:36 06 - Using CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum) cables; Use only pure Copper 3:56 07 - Using low qaulity circuit breakers 2:53 08 - Building a System that cannot be Scaled 1:21 09 - Not enough batteries or solar panels 0:14 10 - Connecting a solar string to a device without checking the voltage

@tex24

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@lua-nya

Жыл бұрын

Some of these, while disadvantageous, I wouldn't always count as mistakes. But then I notice the word beginner and checks out.

@tanioraaura1274

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your time and effort to display Time stamps.

@VinceBadovinatz88

Жыл бұрын

@@tex24 I know right man there's so much stuff to know. It's so difficult to put together a system.

@ratonjj

11 ай бұрын

Thank you - saved me 17 minutes :)

I've been doing marine wiring for over 25 years and off grid solar for about 15 years, and when I started solar wiring, I used all of my marine wiring experience to do proper jobs. I've seen so many DIY off grid solar installs that are cobbled together and basically fail on every point your made in your video! Honestly, your video is 100% accurate on all points. I can't find a single thing to dispute. You just got another subscriber - me! because we are always learning. Some of my biggest pet peeves - soldering of any kind, on boat or solar wiring. And buying cheap off-brand crap, like breakers, bus bars, fuse panels, wiring. When someone asks me to "redo" their solar setup, or install new, I often will send them an exact list of all the major parts needed, like breakers, bus, fuses panels, cables, cable ends, crimp heat shrink marine connectors, charge controller, etc, and let them review it online and even but it themselves. If they balk at the price and/or look to use cheap alternatives, I may refuse to do the job and I tell them they can find someone else.

@46bredo

Жыл бұрын

Fine some one else ,,agree

@vaughanlancellas495

Жыл бұрын

Could not agree more, when you do a project on the cheap it will ALWAYS comes back and bites you in the rear, ALWAYS!!!!! Wait till you have enough funds to do the project correctly with the correct parts or it will end up costing you double if not more!!!!!!

please continue these instructional videos....you have helped so many folks and I have no doubt you have save saved many lives .your knowledge &your ability as a instructor a blessing to all of us " newbies " thank you!

@TheRadconranger

Жыл бұрын

I usually do

@ronmiskin1194

Жыл бұрын

I agree completely. About to start my first system, and have learned so much from Will. The channel is awesome and so much information.

Also: dubble check polarity.. At work a contractor got the polarity mixed when parallel connecting two 400V battery bank, short-circuit the now 800V battery.. The connectionbox exploded throwing the contractor across the rom, and started a fire. The incident took down the server room, effecting the work of 15-20 thousand people.... Due to the safety equipment, the contractor escaped relatively unharmed...

@leonardkellum6984

3 ай бұрын

Plumber disconnected a pipe without turning off upstream, janitors mopped but women's bathroom was flushed.

As an advanced electronics technician, I don't normally comment on other techs videos. But in this case, I really appreciate how well thought out your production was. Your audience was for the startup crowd, but sage advice for the advance installer also. You use that crimp tool every day? Makes me think you do installations for more than friends. -earned my subscription. Looking forward to viewing more of your videos.

I am educating myself in solar and off grid living and I'm sure you've heard but just in case I will reiterate the fact that your presentations to me are the pinnacle of educational videos that I have viewed! Very in depth, easy to follow and comprehend as well as confidence building. Thanks for the education!

No. 5: As an electrician I totally agree with you! In school they warned us about another point: solder gets soft over time and starts crawling and the contacts get loose and corrosion appears within. So, never solder when you can crimp!

@jeffwhite3021

Жыл бұрын

Trojan recommends soldering battery cables.

@john_in_phoenix

Жыл бұрын

Totally accurate.

@john_in_phoenix

Жыл бұрын

@@jeffwhite3021 Trojan is wrong. I live in Phoenix and it will easily exceed 150 degrees under the hood of my car during the summer. Many types of solder melt as low as 165 degrees. In particular avoid any solder with bismuth as part of the alloy.

@ewe2b

Жыл бұрын

I agree. I once did pull out tests of both molex crimp connections and soldered connections and the pull out force of the (properly) crimped connections were greater every time.

@jeffwhite3021

Жыл бұрын

@@ewe2b It's about maximizing conductor contact area in the connector. They are suggesting and providing evidence that crimping and then flooding the joint with solder is best.

I totally agree with you on the comments about soldering. For many years , I lived on a boat and did all my maintenance myself. To do things right and stay safe I took a course on marine electrical systems, taught by a professor from the University of Washington, who also taught the Coast Guard, the guys who are inspecting the boats. he said that in a marine environment that soldered connections are extremely subject to mechanical failure from all the motion. The only place for the soldered connection was one that was totally and safely secured against any type of movement. Now that I’m retired and live in a “land boat” (RV) I follow the same practices, thinking that the vibrations from the vehicle can probably do similar damage is the vibrations on the boat. I realize that many of your viewers are thinking of a fixed base, home installation where the only movement may be earthquakes, and I am honestly not knowledgeable about that, so I’m mostly talking to those installing into vehicles of some sort. Regardless, your explanation says why not to use solder are very convincing.

@orionred2489

Жыл бұрын

Just the mild heating of a wire from current can cause expansion/contraction. Or even day/night temp changes.

I always use a conductive grease in my crimps, it doesn't take much don't over do it, but it adds a corrosion protection to the joint. I even use it on small stuff, it really helps on outdoor or buried connections.

A common one I've seen helping friends is not carefully labeling both ends of wire runs. Color coded wires are always best, but a lot of purchases just go with the straight black or grey. The red, white and black should be applied to both ends. Best with shrink tubing.

@wallacegrommet9343

Жыл бұрын

I’ve made that mistake and regretted it to great expense

@Roy-ij1wq

Жыл бұрын

I do the same thing. I slip a piece of colored heat shrink tubing on the ends of my wire runs to keep things straight since the only spooled wire I have is black. On rare occasions I've used more than one color primarily to identify switch feeds to different lights.

@brandontanner97

11 ай бұрын

Colored electrical tape would also work for identification.

Make sure the system is de-energized before yanking to check for loose terminals!

I crimped several cables 10 years ago in both 4 gauge and 1/0 gauge. I used a hammer crimp and always was concerned about the quality of the crimp as well as the longevity of them. Earlier this year I decided to cut one of those old cables apart to inspect the cable and crimp. I made a video on it and found after cutting the cable and terminal apart that it was an amazing crimp! The heat shrink also held up great with only minor surface corrosion of the copper wire(yes, this was OFC copper cable). Before I destroyed the wire, I checked the resistance of the wire with my Fluke multimeter and resistance was VERY low! One other thing I like to do after I build a system is check the resistance (ohms) in the cabling and connections with my Fluke. This helps to find problems before they rear their ugly head.

Great video! I would only add to the torque point this: Tighten to rated torque, then loosen a bit, then retorque to spec. You'll be surprised how often the connection "snuggles down" a bit more at the same torque once you do this. The screw or nut will often (more often than not) rotate a bit more to reach the same torque than it did during the initial tightening-to-torque. Such double-tightening makes the connection a lot more reliable over time!

@dbf1dware

Жыл бұрын

That is a great tip. Thank you.

@colemcleod941

Жыл бұрын

That is old school Wisdom you're sharing, I've forgotten that one. That tip alone will save so many people the headache of Loose connections down the road. Please comment some more - I know you got some more old school wisdom to share with us.

@fu4616

11 ай бұрын

@Marco Polo Adding any lubrication will alter the torque.

@genespell4340

10 ай бұрын

​@@MarcoPolo1776this is news to me and I don't recall any mechanic that I have worked with doing that. I will definitely give it a try.

@lunatik9696

9 ай бұрын

Over torque is an issue also. One worker used to super torque everything. Soon after equipment connections started failing b/c the connection was cracked/ broken. When wiring a service panel, it is recommended to recheck the connections 2 weeks after the initial install. Very few do this, but when I do, there is always at least 1 or more connections that need retightening. One time in particular, I averted an almost fire from a loose connection. I smelled something like plastic melting but could not find it. When I checked the service panel, one of the wires was a smidgen loose. I suspect when it heated up the looseness became more apparent. Easy fix, once you know what is wrong.

I'm familiar with the torque wrenches that use sockets, but did not know they had torque screw drivers. Your videos are always interesting. Thanks.

@iqvoice

Жыл бұрын

Wiha makes an insulated torque drive/bit-set specifically for working with electricity

Once you start generating your own power the first thing you will notice is how much each device uses. I replaced several older devices just for the reduced wattage. A watt meter is your best cheap investment and you will be surprised what your use is. If you can conserve it you don’t need to generate it , I’ve been watching the evolution of solar equipment for years and it is amazing how the price and availability make it easier and affordable for you to set up a system. I always research your videos before even considering purchasing any solar equipment . Thank you for the video.

@bitworkx6028

Жыл бұрын

Im wanting to do things correctly in the future Where are the torque values located on switches, outlets, etc? Could I use values for what a particular bolt size and grade is rated at or is there a torque chart for electrical connections out there somewhere?

@jbennett3578

Жыл бұрын

I love my watt meter. Especially for my computer, it helps figure out how much power I'm using with different settings. It doesn't matter much in summer, but in winter I need to keep the power consumption low.

@chrismullin8304

Жыл бұрын

No more toast for you! 😅

@patrickbuick5459

Жыл бұрын

I recently bought a wattmeter to do just that. My consumption wasn't high, but higher than I thought it should be. I'm still making the list of what uses what. Too many plugs, so little time!

Will... YOU ROCK! Thanks for just keeping it real and teaching us all, sometimes we need a little extra info and you provide it.

I'm a beginner for sure, researching all this stuff for an off grid setup. Thanks for all your help!

Awesome! More videos like this please aimed at beginners. I already rewatched and liked your beginner videos 20 times

1989 - 1998, USN, ET1 SS, and 5 years building emergency vehicles, communication centers, radio tower work. Will is 💯 %correct !!!

@Merlinsluck

Жыл бұрын

1980-1990 PH2 - USS Jason AR-8. Learning tons from Will.

@mrf5347

Жыл бұрын

@@Merlinsluck Thank you, and all those who stood watch, so our land of freedom would continue, until I could relieve the watch. Now many young stand the watch. I pray for them all, and my Daughter, stationed in Germany, and her husband (i now have a son) in the 82nd Airborne. God Bless America

@Huskyresqr

Жыл бұрын

'65 - '69 AT2 PATRON 10 HUNTED RUSKIE BALLISTIC SUBS..The kid knows what he's talking about...

@jbennett3578

Жыл бұрын

UHF radio repairman in the Marines, '77 to '81. To be honest, the gear I worked on was so old it was more steampunk than electronics, but I picked up a bit of useful information.

abolutely love having the technical reasons why for each mistake. Learning many new bits from your videos, thank you.

Absolutely correct on the no soldering of lugs for #5!!! Well said Will!

Remodeling my first Rv and your videos were very helpful! Thank you!

Glad to see more new videos from you. I work on telecom power systems with large battery strings (48V with 5,000A+ discharge capability) and I agree with all your points, especially proper torquing of terminals, thermal inspections, using insulated tools, and having the proper tool and knowing how to use it! I'm hoping to see new buyer's guide/showdown videos from you for MPPT's, panels, and batteries. I've watched all your old ones, but there's so many new devices out there now. I'm building an off-grid system for my RV and your channel has been a great guide!

Every subject could use a top 10 and I believe everyone can benefit from this video. Thank again for useful illustrations and direct to the point comments that are easy for beginners to understand.👍👊

Thanks Will, I have learned so much from your videos. Completely rebuilt my 1978 18’ fifth wheel electrical system, your insight was so helpful and reassuring.

Perfect timing Will! Thank you as always

Awesome your revisiting some beginner things. I bought the book from Amazon last year and highly recommend it to everyone young and old.

I have that same Blue Sea fusebox. I love it. I bought it during an "over-engineering" phase for my motorcycle (pre-RV). But I loved it and hung onto it; and it found a great life during a big DC wiring project in the rig.

Very good advice will. I just built my first system this year and watching your channel is what gave me the confidence to do it

Will, thank you so much for all your thoughtful consideration regarding beginner mistakes. (Doing everything right the first time eliminates worry and feeling like you have to constantly focus on and reconsider "shortcuts" that will inevitably cause problems.)

Will, this is one of your very best, if not the best. Thank You!!

I have been looking at your videos for a long time and I appreciate them all and like that you have gone through all the testing you have done

I know you have helped me build my first solar system. I was considering soldering some large conductors until I saw this video. Thanks for all the great tips.

Right on man! I’ve done all those things at one time or another and now always double check everything I’m doing great video thanks

Great to get back to basics Will, I found this very helpful. Greetings from UK.

Thanks Will, I am about to start my solar build for my 5th wheel. Nothing fancy but I am using your book and this was a good refresher.

I regarded myself as intermediate now after watching your video I feel like a beginner. There’s so many things that you have packaged into this video. Really appreciate it the revision.

Great job on the video Will! Thanks for making it.

Thank you Will. You're timing (for me anyway) couldn't have been better. I'm sure you just saved me a few blunders. My two (of course way more than that) biggest weaknesses are sizing charge controllers and breakers/fuses. I appreciate you spending some cycles on those topics. It was helpful. P.S. The wire strippers were new to me too.

Exceptionaly helpful. I lived ogf grid for 8 years and am currently building my new location's off grid system. I made 4 of the 10 mistakes the first time around.

72 years young grandma here enjoying your videos. Especially love the rant one. I'm from Pittsburgh pa and have a jackery explorer 300 and a 100 watt solar panel (my toy). We don't get half as much sunshine now that it is fall but that explorer fully charges in 3 hours under full sunshine. I am pleasantly amazed at the sunshine power. I use my power supply to plug in a lamp where we have no grid wiring and a few other things. Waiting until I understand a lot more of this stuff before moving on to something more challenging.

100% correct on each item. Used to solder till I saw a crimped terminal cut in two. Bought a hydraulic crimper. Have never been sorry.

As someone who's built and operated a series of tiny off-grid solar systems for my cabin's stereo and phone charger over 20 years, my biggest difficulty has been getting good crimps and screw connections. I've recently upgraded crimp tools and will never solder a connector again.

One of the top 5 videos you've ever done Will! Thanks.

Thanks for taking the time to do this video, learning a lot

Thanks for explaining about loose terminals. I've been building my own systems for years, and thought that the loose terminals were caused by vibrations and movement. My system moves five times a year. My Victron CC recently had an overheat warning, and it was partially due to loose terminal connection. Keep up the great work. Some of your newer builds are far beyond anything I will build in the near future. Don't forget about the smaller systems! 1kW pv, 2 kW inverter, 14 kWh LiFePo4, off-grid yurt.

It got a lot of this from Will's other videos while I was researching my first system. My 4 x EG4-ll 48v batteries are connected to the rack bus bars with 1/0 cables. From the positive bus bar to the T Class fuse is 4/0. From the negative bus bar to the Victron shunt is 4/0. From the shunt and the T Class fuse, to the 250V DC rated Fuji breaker, 4/0. From the Fuji breaker to the positive and negative battery terminals on the MPP Solar LV 6048 also 4/0. Thanks for the great info Will.

I am currently a beginner,but thanks to your videos it became much clearer to me how solar systems work.I have completed my small load solar project for example outdoor light and garden fountains without a problem.

I am so glad I have been going to your KZread university for the last 3 years. Education and great criticism. Aloha from Sunny Hawaii.

Great video! I'll second the use of Blue Sea marine-grade components. I've been a marine electrician for 25+ years and use their products exclusively - never seen one fail. They're expensive, but when you buy quality, you only cry once.

@CharlesLeaverSouthAfrica

Жыл бұрын

"when you buy quality, you only cry once" -- I love this :)

@jeffnelson8285

Жыл бұрын

100% agree...buy nice or buy twice

@PackBjammin

12 күн бұрын

Comment of the day 😂

Thanks Will, you do a great service to the people!😜🖖

Fantastic knowledge, shared without fuzz. Who wouldn't want that? Keep it coming Will.

Thanks for sharing Will. I purchased your book as well. Your knowledge allowed me to accomplish my goal.

Excellent ! There is always something to be learned from your videos.

This is one of the most important videos you've done

Thank you for being so competent and clear - Great Work as usual!

Always nice to have a Refresher, Thanks Will.

Your the man WILL keep the great informative videos coming dude 👍🏼❕

I know many of us use XT60 connectors for solar panel hookup (Will uses those on some of his panel arrays) and they need to be soldered. There are also better options for solar panel connectors than XT60. Soldering takes too much time anyway since those XT60 plugs are so freaking small, a good crimping tool makes the job extremely easy for the crimp-type connectors. I'd also have added another common mistake beginners make: Always follow diagrams to the letter! Excellent video once again with lots of useful info to ponder! Thanks Will!

Well said Will!! 30 plus years in Aerospace industry working with US Navy, Boeing and NASA - everything you say in this video is spot on - especially the part about NOT soldering large lugs.

I am putting together my first system and this is fantastic! Great info and superb presentation!

Your point about crimping instead of soldering is well taken. I was one of those people who wanted to solder everything whether it was appropriate or not. I had a car that I repaired the battery cable with a lug which I soldered on. It kept failing (mechanically). Eventually I realized, hey dummy, it's because you used a soldered connection for a giant lug (especially in a vibration environment).

The concept of a scaleable solar system is important. A video that would expand on this would probably be helpful, especially if you are patching together different sets of panels that aren't perfectly matched. Trying to match up balanced batches of panels is probably the way to go. I did see the video where you chain together a bunch of varied server rack batteries. (I probably should watch that again.).

Kapegede and comments (replays). It is 2am ,Sunday morning and refuse to fall sleep ,till I read all this interesting thoughts regarding crimping, soldering, and the like . I’m a Colombian hillbilly that enjoy this sort of agreements disagreements for the good of us all. Learning is living.

Great video, the attention to detail and level of explanation are greatly appreciated. Keep up the good work!

Yep, all good advice. Good tools, do it right, minimizes problems. Power electricity is different than signal electricity. And all of you physics explanations are correct. Thanks.

To anyone questioning a crimp connection, I’m a substation electrician and the transmission line feeding your town right now has countless crimps on it.

Your guys' forum community is awesome, thank you.

You have given me the information and the confidence to build my own system. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Good tips Will! People need to build small systems first and get some experience if they want to DIY. Going to make a lot of costly mistakes if you try to learn everything on a single large project.

I've definitely had connections loosen on my solar disconnect. I do check them when I remember, but probably go longer than i should. This is great info will!

@mrf5347

Жыл бұрын

I use my smart phone calendar as a preventative maintenance log, setting recurring notifications as a reminder.

Another great video and teaching! I REALLY appreciate that you explained WHY it is to important to keep it TIGHT!!

Great information, Will. It’s videos like this that keep me referring people to your channel. Thanks for the useful content!

Interesting. I revamped my friend's solar panel and upgrade from a 40ah lead acid to a 100ah LiFePo4 with a great Renogy MPPT and added a small inverter to run small lights and fans. The loosening on cables(And other hardware) is definitely something I've experienced. Especially hardware on wood.

Great video Will. Thanks so much for sticking to your guns on not soldering large lug connections. I get comments on my connection video from people that try to sound like they are professionals and they recommend soldering and it makes me worried that someone will believe them and create a problem for themselves. Keep up the good work.

@BusDriverRFI

Жыл бұрын

To solder or not to solder is not something I will argue. However the logic behind it does not work for me. He says it's because of "dissimilar metals" and calls these silver lugs "copper" when in fact they are tin plated copper. That is what I call "dissimilar metals" without soldering. The high temp solder is mostly tin so if you have tin plated lugs, it's not really dissimilar at that point. I would like to see some data showing a resistance comparison between the resistances of the soldered lug and the non soldered lug over time. It seems the soldered lug would keep oxygen out of the connection better than non solder; keeping the connection from oxidizing. But I'm just trying to learn here.

This channel is gold.

Great summary. I'm an electrical engineer, but I still had to figure out some of this stuff when I installed my solar setup a few years ago. I'm definitely happy that I over-engineered everything. 2/0 gauge copper wires on the batteries and 4-gauge (vs the recommended 6 or 8-gauge) from the solar panels and no issues. It's hard to find MC4 connectors for 4-gauge wire, though, as it's thicker than most folks use.

Great Video, you nailed all major issues but one missed. When using stranded copper to an SCC or other device, using Ferrules (Crimp Barrel) is Very Important to prevent the wire starnd from squishing & spreading which results in a poor connection, regardless if the proper torque is applied.

@gregnewberry4813

Жыл бұрын

This interests me. Please explain. Thanks

Hi Will...I'm heavily invested in you as an intelligent well informed teacher...thank you for helping me learn something new at 80:) We're on Social Security and saving money via Solar is so very important to my family. Have you considered a series aimed at overhead reduction instead of equipment cost, anything to get the electric bill down? I'm a Amateur Extra Class so tech is not a problem. Thanks again my friend:)

The heat cam idea is excellent.

As a licensed handyman with my educational background in industrial mechanics and heating, air. And refrigeration I've had a lot of electrical training, I'm going to install solar on my house watching your videos are priceless I've learned sooo much from sizing my system to all the many options options available what's important for r off grid or s combination on and off grid keep up these fantastic tutorials they help folks then you can believe.

I totally did #1. Didn't believe the Panasonic panels were actually 70V, everyone told me they had to be 35V. Trust the label... #7 is why I hate lithium and nickel iron is way better.

great beginner vid for sure. any update on the sol ark system your friend was going to install?? been super excited to see it come up.

Best solar videos online. Love your wisdom

thanks for the reminder! I will be inspecting my wiring tomorrow

Another important thing to do with a system is to DOCUMENT IT! It may all seem logical and meeting your needs when you install it, but six months or two years down the road you have to repair something, or want to upgrade, and you won't remember why you did things, or how they are routed, or what they worked around. And unless you think that you will own the set up for the rest of your life, some day you will sell it, and being able to give the next owner the documentation might make the difference between a sale or no sale.

One thing to point out about multimeters. There are meters for electricians and meters for electronics work. Many times both will work equally but there are situations where one type can fail. The Fluke 325 for electricians can only measure resistance to 40k ohms. Not good for electronic work (I have lots of resistors over 50K ohms that the Fluke 325 can't measure). However meters for electronics work sometimes are only rated for CAT 1 environments. Not good for high voltage and power electrician work. A CAT 1 meter could literally catch on fire or explode if there is an issue in a CAT 3 high voltage, high current environment. For this kind of work you should have and understand the different CAT environment levels and when to use both types of meters. Another thing to point out to beginners is the differences between fixed range and auto ranging meters. There are times when one or the other is nicer to use. Depends on what you are doing and your personal preference. Yes, it is possible to fix the range on an auto-ranging meter but it is not as intuitive as using a straight fixed range meter. About soldering, I know Hams (I'm one) that insist on soldering everything but they are wrong. For small signal applications soldering is a good thing since small mechanical connections can get dirty and create signal noise. For high power connections mechanical connects are strongly recommended, especially in ground straps and lightning rods. The only thing close to soldering that is good to use is an exothermic weld which literally bonds the two metal pieces into one. Solder in a high power connection can end up melting at exactly the wrong time causing the connection to come apart and can even literally explode.

Such a great video. Thanks for “heading me off at the pass”. So kindly and helpfully stated.

I have checked my (Chinese) cables which came with the inverter right away and you are so right! These are CCA cables. Thank you for the heads up!

Oh boy as a part-time marine and automotive mechanic I have seen all those mistakes many times done by some hotshot. Why? They are in a hurry to get the job done or they don't pay attention to the details. Doing the job right the first time, is all about the details! My boss grumbles about jobs taking longer than he thinks they should... many times it's because I'm fixing someone else's mess. The little things matter just as much as the big things, sometimes even more!

@rebus570

Жыл бұрын

Hacks make me stacks, that's Mikey Pipes favorite saying.

Thank you Will for making the education series. You have done a great job than some professors in the college of engineering. This old woman has learned a lot through your KZread series. God Bless!

@valeriemckay7064

Жыл бұрын

I am old also and will have to build a system, fun to still be learning but I am sure I will want a helper that knows more than me (and is stronger) and then I can "help".

Thanks Will I really appreciate your channel. Getting ready to start my first solar panel home project.