Building Reserve and Using KWH

[bcroe]

Another solar year, the PoCo reset date was reached 30 March. I gave them my surplus of 4,240 KWH.
That is a surplus of around 18% over usage. No propane heat was used in keeping 2 buildings in a
very comfy temp range. The winter might be summarized as having relatively cold fall and spring, but
relatively warmer winter. No resistive or propane backup heat was used, the heat pumps did it all. It is
easy to imagine a much more severe winter using up all my energy reserve and more.

The heat pumps have reduced to a NEW LOW, my labors and attention to managing energy. Things
pretty much run themselves, with some snow removal required by me, just a part of the cleanup of drives
and walkways here. Sort of like those Medallion Homes after the war, but I have even more stuff and do
not pay for energy. A few problems not originally anticipated have been solved, some using technology
not originally anticipated.

Future improvements anticipated include recovering close to 800 KWH annually lost in transmission
between buildings, by burying much larger aluminum wire. The prep work is in place at both
ends, on site are the 24 inch deep trencher, and the 300 lb of wire on this cart to avoid much manhandling.

RelCrt1Ma20.JPG

Also possibly install an electric water heater, with a propane unit remaining as power outage
backup. 5 rooms are prewired to get ceiling fans, or at least high efficiency overheat lighting.

I am waiting to see if a certain tree is dead, before making a final revision of best array placement.
Foundations can be worked on half the year, above ground stuff longer. This is not high priority,
but each section completed will give an incremental decrease in snow removal efforts and some
additional energy. In one case I just drove the snow blower by the newest array with
blown snow hitting the top, and the little snow just fell off without manual effort.

I am thinking of no longer making daily performance log entries, perhaps
just record about the time of the monthly meter reading by the PoCo.

Bruce Roe

[Ampster]

Thanks for the updates and demonstrating that we can all have different goals. The important issue is to have a well though out process to accomplish our goals.

[bcroe]

First time this winter the temp got down to minus 10F. The 4 heat pumps managed to keep
the house in the 70s without any action from me. The out building (1 big heat pump) also
managed to stay 55 degrees warmer than outside. The next big test is - 20F. Bruce Roe

[bcroe]

Overnight was a serious test of the car shop heat pump. With an output of up to 24,000 btu
it has been set for 60F in the 1080 sq ft, modestly insulated building. This had been
maintained in warmer weather. With 3F this morning the interior was 53F, so a 50F differential
may be maintainable. It may do less well if we see Neg 25F outside, the pump effective
limit, but any of these are way better than no heat. A propane furnace stands by to make
up the difference if ever needed, but has not been used this winter. Bruce Roe

[bcroe]

With favorable weather (no snow), the adventure continues to install a heavy wire run out to
the shed with the inverters. Already running out there Is a triple 4 ga, a phone style cable, a
water line, and a cat 5E to the tower. So lets find existing cables with a cable tracer/wire
locator and mark them with flags. Have a Tempo 508S and a Kolsol F02 which seem to have
identical specs at 447KHZ. The former Ebay cripple had a bad transmitter, and the latter new
unit had a bad receiver. I got results with the 508 receiver and the F02 transmitter.

The breakers at both ends of the 4 ga were opened, and the tracer signal applied to one
end of a de-enerized 240V wire. Return was to electrical box ground.

Seems like you cannot have too many flags. Red is my 4 ga pwr, a couple feet down. Also
detected, white flags, is my Cat 5E from the dish on my tower, barely below the surface. Not
detected farther west, are the phone cables I buried in 2004 and a water line. I do believe I
can detect a slight depression running along the ground from the original 4 ga trench. Think
that sudden jog is a big rock?

The plan is, start by trying to get a trench under a huge root for a big tree without actually
cutting it, go from there to house wall. Unroll 4/0 triplex cable under the root and into the
house, then work the other way to the shed. The current cat 5E will try to lift up and work
under it, will also lay a new one half way down to the 4/0. Measure exact distance from
buildings for future reference.

I do have another tracer that operates at 125KHZ. Completely different ant, will see if it is
useful in this situation. Need to build some kind of dolly for that very heavy reel of 4/0 triplex.

Bruce Roe

Cable6Jan1.JPG

Cable6Jan3.JPG

[bcroe]

They make "buried cable locators" that will send a signal down a buried cable that can be "sensed"
by a receiver and avoided. Maybe you can rent one.

Yes I have a couple different ones, but so far have not been able to follow the signal. I
might set up lights for night operation, open all breakers at both ends of the run, and
see if that helps. Bruce

[SunEagle]

I believe another challenge for the direct burial heavy feed has been solved.
The digger on my 18 inch deep trencher has been lengthened enough to
reach 24 inches. Will not push it too hard.

I still need to locate the original buried power cable, to avoid hitting it. Bruce Roe

trencher243.JPGtrencher245.JPG

They make "buried cable locators" that will send a signal down a buried cable that can be "sensed" by a receiver and avoided. Maybe you can rent one.

[bcroe]

I believe another challenge for the direct burial heavy feed has been solved.
The digger on my 18 inch deep trencher has been lengthened enough to
reach 24 inches. Will not push it too hard.

I still need to locate the original buried power cable, to avoid hitting it. Bruce Roe

trencher243.JPGtrencher245.JPG

[bcroe]

The aluminum direct burial wire arrived, 288 lb for 300 foot Triplex. Looks like
most of the connections can go straight into my box terminals, 2 of the 6 will
need to be reduced to 2 gauge copper to go into a 100A breaker.

Think I solved the transition of 4/0 AL to 1/0 CU house end of my triplex AL
buried cable. These terminals are designed for AL or CU 200A circuit, mounted
on half inch bakelite. They came from my 200A meter boxes, in the center to
splice the neutral wires together. I removed them (as many probably do)
because that wire runs straight thru, no connection. No bucks spent. The
house end distribution box already has a suitable N terminal for that wire.

Here the 1/0 is already wired to the (4 position) 100A breaker, 4/0 AL will come in
on the right. Until the project completes next spring, the 80A breaker just above
will continue to feed through adequate but less efficient 4 gauge.

Oh I discovered a RANDOM blower operation mode for my electronic
thermostat. I still would not use it, my unit is not random, can set and modified
times as I decide

Bruce Roe

4010trans.JPG4010cover.JPG

[Ampster]

That was a simple solution for the inverter side. It also reduced the number of connections.

[bcroe]

I would use a split bolt because I wouldn't trust a wedge to stay under various temperature changes. . If the copper and aluminum are fresh just cover them with antioxident. I use a product called NoAlox. Often available at Home Centers under Ideal or Gardner Bender brands. Electrical supply houses carry it too.

The NoAlox is here. I solved the 4/0 4/0 2/0 termination problem at the inverter end by
upgrading the inverter sub panel from a 100A to a 200A. This panel takes those wires
directly, and will become the main feed at the inverter shed when the big wire is in place.

Cannot do this at the other end, the 4/0 pair must be reduced enough into a 100A breaker.
Bruce Roe

S225boxDone.JPG

[bcroe]

Wow.....
I would inspect every inch of the length of that wire.
Make sure there are no cuts in the insulation, no spots where it's been smashed, no kinks, etc.
Make sure there's nothing else to make you think that the wire has been mistreated.

Will do that inspection. Perhaps initially, and after a year, will do a leakage test to ground at
operating voltage. Expectation is something like 10 micro amps, at 250V that amounts to
0.022 KWH per year loss. Something entirely different would be bad.

Will also check for warm connections, as before. And voltage drop. Bruce Roe

[foo1bar]

It came with some so called lugs on the end, but they are useless.

Wow.....

I would inspect every inch of the length of that wire.
Make sure there are no cuts in the insulation, no spots where it's been smashed, no kinks, etc.
Make sure there's nothing else to make you think that the wire has been mistreated.

[Mike90250]

Those lugs are unbelievable. Someone should go to jail for that. Pure and simple arson.

[bcroe]

There are - I'm just not seeing that they're any cheaper than the screw-down splices like
IT-250. (which are IMO easier to use - don't need to put layers of tape on them afterward).

https://www.ecmweb.com/content/elect...kills-lost-art recommends
2 layers of cambric tape (sticky side out on first layer so can easily remove tape without
residue later if needed), 4 layers of rubber tape, and 2 layers of vinyl tape on split bolts.

The aluminum direct burial wire arrived, 288 lb for 300 foot Triplex. Looks like
most of the connections can go straight into my box terminals, 2 of the 6 will
need to be reduced to 2 gauge copper to go into a 100A breaker. It came with
some so called lugs on the end, but they are useless. I put some 4 Ga they are
replacing in the pic for comparison.

Probably a spring project, should get me 700 KWH a year that now burn up in
adequate but inefficient, small wire. And avoid inverter HV trip. Bruce Roe

Triplex1.JPGTriplex2.JPG