Off grid living 3. – Installing an off grid cabin solar power set up.

Watch the video of Lindsay telling you all about the solar set up for our off grid shed.

off grid solar power set up for a cabin or shed

 

This chap gives you a very good explanation of how a basic solar power electric supply set up is configured.The basic off grid solar power set up.

It also shows you how much power things like a toaster and drill use when hooked up to a solar system. This video is a good place to start to try and get your head around how a solar system works.

We have gone for a kit from windandsun.co.uk

The solar kit we have chosen gives us the level of power we require without breaking the bank.

http://www.windandsun.co.uk/products/Kits/EasySolar-Off-Grid-Kits#11672

The size of this kit reflected our minimal off grid power needs;

We wanted to run the following items without being compromised,

off grid solar power set up for a cabin or shed

Lights, laptop, Bose speaker, TV, Fridge, Toaster, Microwave, a few small kitchen appliances, washing machine

The solar panels for this kit are 3 x 250W solar panels.

The batteries that store the electricity produced by the solar panels are two

of the Rolls AGM2 series and in the kit there are 2 x 220AH cells which retail on the W&S website @ £344.48 + VAT each.

off grid solar power set up for a cabin or shed

The inverter, the brains of the kit is a unit made by Victron

Because of their large size the delivery charge for this kit is quite high, Lindsey drove the 2 hours up the M5 to the Wind & Sun HQ in Herefordshire to collect the solar panels in person. This also gave him the chance to discuss the whole setting up of the kit in a little more detail than you can just over the phone.

After a good discussion about how the solar system went together, a few additional optional extras were added to the kit list for our particular set up, including a battery isolator switch, and then Lindsey headed for home. The W&S HQ is an impressive set up and the staff were both helpful, informative and generous with their time.

One thing Lindsay did fail to mention however, was the distance that the solar panels would be from the inverter unit. . The kit comes with 6 leads but they are only 2m long so are only suitable if you are installing the panels on the roof of right next to your cabin or shed. We required 6 additional 12m cables to be sent down due to the location of our panels and they could have been included with the rest of the kit had he remembered this detail. No harm done. The leads can be ordered to exactly the specification your system requires and the easy fit connectors are then already attached making connection a piece of cake. They arrived within 24hours so another Brownie point for the W&S customer service.

Ask them a question about solar power set up and your particular off grid or back up plan set up. The inverter and battery charging unit from VICTRON ENERGY

The Victron Energy (Blue power) unit is an impressive unit and it performs all of the clever electrical based tasks as well as keeping you safe.

The unit is finished in a bright blue powder coating which looks very durable and the build quality of the switches etc. itself overall looks very good.

We have housed our unit in an old metal locker to keep all of the wiring tucked away neatly and also whilst the box is an attractive bit of kit it did not really suit the look we were after for our off grid cabin.

The batteries similarly have been hidden away in an old wooden box. The whole kit will soon work in conjunction with the new salamander tiny wood cooking range to supply the cabin with all the heating, cooking and hot water requirements for the cabin.

off grid hot water system

How to work out how much solar power you will need.

Important information about what not to do when installing a solar system.

How to install an off grid cabin solar system.

 

Small Stove Review 9

Our Hobbit Stove Has Been Fitted!

"We had a Hobbit stove fitted this week by Alex Reay from Flues and Fires, and I just wanted to get in touch to say it is AMAZING and we love it! We have a lovely cast iron tiled fireplace which I was desperate not to lose when we installed a small wood burning stove, but until I found the Hobbit on Google, everyone told me it would be impossible to keep the fire surround. The Hobbit is perfect - not only does it fit very snugly, but it looks fantastic and the blue door complements the tiles very nicely. We are sitting enjoying a fire now and absolutely loving it! Thanks for creating such an amazing product."

Nicola Williams

Small Stove Review 10

The Best Stove Ever!

"It’s the best stove ever! It’s easy to light, very efficient, burns anthracite and stays in overnight (ours has been in for three weeks now). It even keeps a kettle of water at the ready for a cuppa! What more can I say, we love it! Just the thing to make our Yorkshire home cosy, and the cat loves it too!"

Lynn and Andrew, West Yorkshire

small stove review 16

First Small Stove Installation

Was looking for a small stove for my first self-install. Found Mark very helpful. Knowledgeable, friendly service. Stove burns well and generates lots more heat than the previous open fire. What is not to like?

Sam

Small Stove Review 15

A Huge Thank You!

"Dear Mark and Gill, a huge thank you for designing and making the Hobbit stove! We had two different London-based fireplace companies tell us that we simply had to knock out the old cast iron and tile fireplace to fit in a woodburning stove, and that there was no other option! Then we found you online. We are delighted with our little Hobbit, which swallows up logs and kicks out a good amount of heat. Perfect for the winter! I will also be writing to the London-based fireplace companies to put the Hobbit on their radar. Best wishes."

Nat

Small Stove Review 14

Delighted With Our Hobbit Stove!

"Mark, Gill, thank you for your assistance, we are delighted with our Hobbit! I fired it up this evening after taking all afternoon making a register plate to fit the opening."

Alan

Small Stove Review 5

It's Brilliant!

"Hi Mark, here's a photo of the Hobbit installed in my Yorkist grate. It’s brilliant! It also throws out a lot more heat than the grate did."

Roger T

Small Stove Review 3

Just to Say Thank You!

"I just had a chat with Gill saying how delighted we are with our little Hobbit stove, and to also thank you both for your attention to detail and excellent customer service!"

Derrick

Small Stove Review 4

The Little Hobbit Has Stepped Up To The Challenge!

"We just wanted to say how impressed and how much of a life saver our little Hobbit has been! It was fitted a few months ago in our holiday home in Rhu, Scotland, which is a large open plan conversion in a Victorian house. This weekend our boiler decided it was not going to play ball. The little Hobbit has stepped up to the challenge, providing heat to a very large area, about twenty eight foot by twenty four foot with a high ceiling of about eighteen foot, keeping the room reasonably warm, warm enough for us not to use cardigans!”

Alan W

Small Stove Review 8

Very Pleased With Our Hobbit!

"We are very pleased with the stove and think it looks great! We restored our fireplace (it was hidden under plaster!) and the whole look is better than we hoped!"

Neil

Small Stove Review 2

Absolutely Delighted!

"Just had our Hobbit SE installed in our Victorian fireplace and we are absolutely delighted with the end result. We felt passionate about preserving our lovely fireplace!"

Andy

Small Stove Review 13

Our Pride And Joy!

"What a fantastic fireplace with the beautiful Hobbit stove. It fits perfectly into the small space and throws out a lot of heat. Here's a photo of our little stove, now our pride and joy and much admired by all who see and feel the warmth."

Chris and C

Small Stove Review 11

Fantastic!

"Just to bid you all a Happy New Year and to say how much we’re enjoying having our Hobbit stove! It was easy to fit with the help of your excellent ‘how to’ videos and we’re just awaiting our inspection by building control for the certification. The Hobbit has fitted neatly into the hearth vacated by the old gas back boiler (with a little cosmetic rendering) and never ceases to surprise us how much heat it can deliver to the point that the new condenser boiler is having an easy life, thereby saving us on gas bills too! Everyone loves having a ‘real fire’ in the living room."

Philip Baird

Small Stove Review 6

A Brilliant Little Wood Burner!

"The stove we bought from you is really starting to come into its own as the weather cools down. Here is a photo showing how much one of our dogs is enjoying it!"

Small Stove Review 1

Brilliant Product!

"Just wanted to share a picture of our newly installed Hobbit. Absolutely delighted with it, and so pleased we were able to retain our existing fireplace as well. Brilliant product, thank you!"

Marion

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