Helena Green

Rj Howell wrote:So far the least expensive I've researched is ~$10K, but that my area in the Nor'east US and for my requirements. It's also me doing all the setup/install. Without personal involvement I'd expect $25K and upwards for my basic system. All I require is 220v for my well.

Would my hopeful system work for you? Doubt it as none us know you solar possibilities, your current usage or what usage you wish to have when the grid goes down. You have many steps ahead of you starting with knowing your usage now and your realistic goals.

So:
Current usage:
Hopeful Grid down usage:
Period of time you wish to sustain power level:
Voltages of appliance of which you wish to run:
Overall wattage of said appliances:
Average days (and hours per) of sunshine:
  Note: few to no clouds as production is reduced

Reducing the requirements for grid power is an important step. My lighting is LED lighting my means of 18650 batteries that I can recharge by driving to the store (plugged into the 12v socket) or solar, same for our phones & computers.. Heat is my wood stove. Cooking is on the gas stove.  For us the only power requirement is the water well. Add freezer to that if grid goes down in warmer weather (which is rare).

Ok, let's see... (and don't forget that you're talking to a solar-idiot at this point, my apologies. I'm learning, though LOL)
Current usage: this generator powers up everything we need for about 6 hours:
https://www.duromaxpower.com/products/13000-watt-18-hp-portable-gas-electric-start-generator-with-co-alert?variant=41452691882161¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=4&gclid=Cj0KCQiAy9msBhD0ARIsANbk0A8y63JKxKNg51txHMAbIq7idlEJOuuXDfSy0s6ojAebq5iWvMeXn-UaArdHEALw_wcB

Hopeful Grid down usage: Would be the same as above
Period of time you wish to sustain power level: forever? 😂 (If the grid goes down... Anyway: researching solar batteries, I understand that they run for only so long, until the battery runs out. But don't they recharge during the day?)

Voltages of appliance of which you wish to run: well, freezer and water heater are the main ones. Then, there are regular lights, etc. That do not take much. How would you calculate the wattage? Shouldn't this be per-hour energy consumption? Because, for example, the well will not run all the time.
Overall wattage of said appliances:
Average days (and hours per) of sunshine: we are in Washington, so 2 per week on average!

Found this article on my own website (shared with a couple colleagues -- one of them must have posted it).
I think it's very fitting here and sums up the topic well:
https://triumphovergray.com/blogs/blog/positive-mindset-is-for-idiots-and-could-be-standing-in-the-way-of-demystifying-good-luck

David Baillie wrote:

Helena Green wrote:I'd like to get a solar generator, but I don't know much about them. I've researched the basics of voltages, watts, etc. - but that's about it.

Our house is wired for a generator, so all I do right now is plug in the house into the generator as you would plug in an appliance into the wall outlet -- and I like that convenience. (We use a gas powered generator when the power goes out. It powers up the whole house, except for the heat furnace, which is not a problem because we have a wood stove.)

I'd like to replace it with a solar unit, so that we are not dependent on gas.
I have found this one: https://amzn.to/3NI89b7
Is this a good unit? Will it power up the house? Will it last? What will I do when the battery wears out in case the grid has went at that point? Is there a less expensive way to do it (as I suspect there should be?)

Maybe someone can recommend a good book on "generators for dummies"? Or a place to buy a good one? Maybe there is an artesian who makes them?
I found what looks like the same thing as wha

I found this video here that goes over the units you quoted capacities. Its a lot of backup and comes with  a hefty pricetag. For similar money you could install a permanent option including batteries and inverters and a solar option wired to power critical loads in the house permanently. These are really first and foremost a portable solutions for outages that do not exceed their battery capacity. You have to charge them and if the outage goes longer then your reserve they will require you to fire up your generator. Not a bad product but expensive and more made for portability then durability.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MVJP7MV?coliid=I1Z8UYBDF4KODL&colid=1ZMXT11LQPUA7&psc=0&linkCode=sl1&tag=triumphover01-20&linkId=773a3372b26d6b9e33dce6561d44348a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

cheers,  David

That would be super! But where and how do I find the permanent solution?

John F Dean wrote:Given your approach, you might want to contact Missouri Wind and Solar ….MWANDS.   Tell them what you are after.   I have done business with them for many years. You will talk to a human, and they will hold your hand through the process.

...And charge me $100K 😂😂 Already explored similar, and it's a rip off in Washington where I live. Missouri might be different. Thanks for the input, though :) ☺️

Thank you all: this is very helpful!

So, nix the Amazon unit - I had my suspicions!

But I guess I'm not ready to give up on store bought units quite yet😂😂

What about this one:
https://x.alibaba.com/AvNcKN?ck=pdp

I'd like to get a solar generator, but I don't know much about them. I've researched the basics of voltages, watts, etc. - but that's about it.

Our house is wired for a generator, so all I do right now is plug in the house into the generator as you would plug in an appliance into the wall outlet -- and I like that convenience. (We use a gas powered generator when the power goes out. It powers up the whole house, except for the heat furnace, which is not a problem because we have a wood stove.)

I'd like to replace it with a solar unit, so that we are not dependent on gas.
I have found this one: https://amzn.to/3NI89b7
Is this a good unit? Will it power up the house? Will it last? What will I do when the battery wears out in case the grid has went at that point? Is there a less expensive way to do it (as I suspect there should be?)

Maybe someone can recommend a good book on "generators for dummies"? Or a place to buy a good one? Maybe there is an artesian who makes them?
I found what looks like the same thing as what's on Amazon on AliExpress, but I'm a bit paranoid about buying straight from China. Am I overthinking -- I'm pretty sure that's what Amazon does anyway?

Your help and advice will be greatly appreciated!

Anne Miller wrote:Helena, welcome to the forum!

You have brought up some really good points.

I quit using salt years ago so I have not paid a lot of attention to salt.

I recently added salt back into my diet because salt makes the food taste much more interesting.

We have both sea salt and pink salt.

Is one better than the other?

For anyone that might be interested in harvesting their own salt this thread is for you:

https://permies.com/t/85170/Waynes-solar-salt-factory

Thanks a bunch for sharing this! In fact, I was literally thinking as I was making this post: "That's all good, but what would we do if the grid went down? I wonder if I should be stocking up on a lot of salt".

Your post has answered my question -- what an excellent idea! Everything genius is simple!
I'm not very versed in solar, though (in fact, going to make a post in that forum - please weight in if you can)... I wonder if simply drying it out will work?

As for sea salt vs. himalayan - no significant difference, but I just don't trust the store-bought sea -salt: I picture a sea salt plant sitting in an industrial area, with water intake right from that bay as all the barges are coming in a dropping diesel... This is my only reasoning -- I think himalayan salt is ecologically cleaner.

Eino Kenttä wrote:My mother had a stroke a bunch of years back. After surgery, she was prescribed salt pills (yes, just plain salt in pill form). Apparently, that's standard practice after any damage involving the brain, as more salt is needed during healing. Also, after the stroke, she started craving salt, which she never did before, so I suppose her body proved the doctors right in this case. Interestingly, young kids often love salt. I wonder if it's because they need it to develop their brain?

Wow! This is fascinating! What a great insight! You're absolutely right: our bodies crave what we need, and I bet this is the case with both your mom and the kids. You were lucky to happen upon doctors like these -- it's the first time I hear about a medical doctor recommending salt. This is truly amazing!

Jordan Holland wrote: I would point out that I also feel the official position on blood pressure is just as erroneous as the official position on reducing salt as much as possible. !

... As well as the other 90% of mainstream medical advice, IMHO.
It is interesting to note, that the percentage of when they actually CURE something is very low: for the most part, people stay on  medication for the rest of their life, and keep adding more and more as they go along.
The picture was holistic advice is the opposite, and we still have a bad rap!

First of all, thank you all for posting these recipes here! I'm eating them up (with my eyes, so far, but give me time! 😂): these are just up my alley! I'm the kind of person who incorporates what many people consider "weird stuff" into my cooking -- and then I make "normal-looking meals"... and (as opposed to being a lonely health nut, chewing on "tiger's milk" as everyone is eating chocolate cake)...feed them to my family AND to company. Interestingly enough, 99% of the time I get raving reviews, and everyone thinks I'm the best cook. I credit this to the power of nature: the taste of real is what our bodies secretly crave!

But anyway -- salt. I think this would be an interesting subject to discuss.

It looks like many people here try to avoid salt in general. In my training and experience, however, cutting out salt altogether can create health problems of its own. Instead, I'm a strong believer that when REAL SALT was created, no mistakes were made. It is only when the "big food", in an attempt to make fast profits, manufactures a chemical that tastes close enough and calls it "salt", THEN it becomes a problem.

I personally avoid regular salt like a plague. I read all the labels, and even many organic products contain regular salt, unfortunately. I use ONLY the products that specifically state "sea salt" (since it is the best version you can get in store-bought products), but in my home cooking even that is not welcome. I cook only with either himalayan salt, rock salt or celtic salt.

It is interesting to note, that on several occasions people with heart disease who have eaten dinner at my house, asked me later what I use instead of salt. I said I just used salt -- and their reply was (almost identically, with some minor variations): "Odd. Usually when I eat salty foods like these, my blood pressure shoots up. I'm used to that, and simply prepare to take a higher dose of meds... but after I ate at your house, this didn't happen". So this is not just theory or research that I read somewhere else -- this is something confirmed by personal experience.

In a nutshell, the picture that I'm attaching here, sums up my take on salt: real salt contains many trace minerals, which effect how the sodium in it is processed by our bodies -- which the "store salt" is straight up sodium chloride, and thus it has an entirely different effect. Not to mention that they use cyanide (yes, the poison) as anti-caking ingredient in regular salt -- that's so "when it rains it pours": a "genius idea" that Morton came up with about 50 years ago. to keep salt from clumping up when the humidity is high. (Don't believe me? Go to Wikipedia. look up "cyanide" - and you will see "table salt" under the "Where it is used" heading).

I have this video on YouTube where I go into all the details of explaining this -- with my point being that avoiding salt may not be the way to go, its avoiding REGULAR SALT that is healthy:


I know that many people feel that "Sodium is sodium" -- and this video is (kind of) my answer to that.

But I'd like to hear from you guys as well (especially if you avoid ALL salt): what's your take on my interpretation of "sodium is [not] sodium"?  Are there any important or interesting points that I'm missing? I think this would be fun to talk about