John Weiland

Although it's rather the wrong time of year for the following suggestion, are you using the roof rack of your minivan while traveling?  In a pinch, would strapping down two of your solar panels on that roof supplement in any significant way the trickle charging from your vehicle alternator....during mid-summer of course with the longer days?  I realize this could cause too much drag on the car, but perhaps with some sort of roof spoiler to reduce friction? So nice to see the utility of even these small battery set-ups, the recharging diversity that one can implement, and the utility of the bluetooth monitoring of it all.

Edit for additional tangential question:  Will sodium ion battery cells require a BMS purchase specific for that chemistry or will the same BMS's sold for LiFePO4 be usable for sodium ion?  I could see where it might just be a matter of tweaking the parameters controlled by the BMS to allow its use with that chemistry, due to the different discharge curve and perhaps other idiosyncracies of those cells but don't know for sure.  Just looking ahead to potential future builds.....  Thanks!

Sam Potter wrote: Plus winter is coming......

The first most accessible stress buster I feel is humor... and relevant to the clipped phrase, the following is offered:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZTjcxjz_8U

Sam Potter wrote:
So what ways do you and your people relive stress so we can keep doing our thing instead of being mad at the bad guys?

Being mad at the bad guys is acceptable as a short realization of fear that their actions invoke.  Then time to move on.  Meditation comes in many forms,....have you tried any of them?  I used to think "But which meditation is the *right* one...?", then came to realize you need to find what's right for *you*.  A more classical 'sitting' meditation was what helped me get started, but I find now that attending to detail and sequence in tasks or even pleasant walks can help in this regard.  As an example, washing the dishes once was a task I despised and my mind could churn up all sorts of resentments and regrets while blindly immersed in the procedure.  Now, it's more about carefully observing and cleaning each utensil and tableware item with purpose. Same with walks....rather than have the mind spinning away on that road rager you experienced an hour earlier.....that ridiculous sneer they wore and self-riteousness they exuded....engage with the immediacy of the leaves falling around you or the feel of the northern breeze on your brow.  When the mind starts to drift, kindly tell it like a child "no...right now I'm engaging with *this*....." and bring your focus back to the observed entity at hand.  It seems simplistic and silly, but with repeated practice can have a remarkably powerful effect. Good luck!

Allen Jackson wrote:....

At least for a 12 Vdc LiFePO4 system, the stock alternator output voltage is high enough to charge the batteries, so as long as the BMS is configured for such, it will charge without blowing a fuse or tripping a breaker.

Out of curiosity, how does that work with respect to surges in either amps or voltage with variable engine speed.  I realize that there are voltage regulators in car electronics, but if, say, the amperage is beyond what the BMS 'recommends' for the cells being managed, does it simply shut off the ability for the battery to accept charge and then recover once the amps are back in range?  If so, I could see where a separate charger is less of a concern....the BMS essentially serving the same function.  Or?.....

Thanks!

That sounds like a fun and educational trip, Allen....thanks for posting this.

I think one example of the charger that M. Pearson was referring to is demonstrated here, although it comes as part of an add-on to a portable power unit:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r29jk4OyOJs    

Victron's version is shown here....and I'm immediately intrigued!  
https://www.amazon.com/Victron-Energy-24-Volt-Battery-Charger/dp/B0F43Z9R53/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11SA759Q2P2XE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wQqVjiogszb9YmxEDHxJJwNXheb2W-VzltHjPLEfihAKoiCWMBX_uaHc41TB59AqGrAGhQDWFVvLJZNT3wDa3MnfCIsKDtgycSW5tZDG3Y21bE_kwl00Gs03KbbalLlIA8ZnTPmLRv8QHgjVTfrjQpJaFdaMG_KF1RXGHp4P-HSfDqyq_BpSAdB-aO5lnDQFgczMpo_TLrs1aGn8TBu4RdKQB8Kd6fPSkGPOr2d0u4yhrGBDPkatCJEA5_96gJoNT3q0z5AmSCMgUWIBsWRYhRJ2hnCjkJcnm5cYhGzVLAY.XQScvxBCHoLmgauk0P9b5OBMI5Ds775aYcXGT9a6qj8&dib_tag=se&keywords=alternator+charger+dc+to+dc+bluetooth&qid=1792060582&sprefix=Alternator+charger%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-1

I had not heard of these until now and they look like a more simple, albeit lower power alternative to adding a generator to your engine serpentine belt that I'd also seen advertised.   The alternator charges would make sense for most individuals it seems.

Pearl Sutton wrote:...

My death plans are to die suddenly down in my pasture and no one find my body till the buzzards are done.  That's my ideal death :D  

Yup....we have a 'deep enough' river by our house.  I'll have the log raft ready and will tell wife or other close friends to lay me on it, put match to the kindling and push it from shore.

Thekla McDaniels wrote:.....But in a good Halley’s comet year, it lights up half the night sky.  In a dark sky place it will be spectacular.  In a light washed out city, I  think it will still be prominent, not something you have to “know where to look for “ to behold.

As I said, nothing pressing here with me.  Plenty of time to consider it.

Couldn't help myself:        

But yes, good to think about these things just so people know.  For a site like Permies.com, I likely would tell a family member or friend just to hit the "Contact" page and leave the information there.

Almost every October I tempt fate and start a construction project.  Our region typically has a beautiful fall season that arrives after the bugs and humidity of summer....and the mud and flooding of spring....are getting smaller in the rearview mirror.  This year I hope it to be an addition onto a 30 X 40 ft outbuilding with the new construction being only ~11 X 9 floor plan.  But family matters will take me out of town until the middle of next week and I haven't even started, so I'm hoping the rest of the month will be kind.  Actually, if the El Nino predictions hold, we may have unseasonably warm weather through the entire winter, so if I get the framing and west + south sides closed up (along with roof) I can leave open the east for access while finishing up the interior.  After that, the plan would be to install some version of a rocket mass heater which, along with passive solar, would easily heat the small addition while pushing extra heat into the larger building.  Most other winterizing near done, but still need to ensure that snowblowers are working and the main garage is cleared for these items before (and if!) the snow flies.

Oooops...just realized this was a "Top 10" list:

Winterize summer vehicles
Caulk gaps everywhere....you know they are hiding!
Change back to flannel sheets
Rearrange chest freezer contents(
Make sure garage ready for tractor use on snow
Clean out and prep woodstove for the season
Finally wash that pile of long underwear that's been waiting all summer by the hamper... (!!!)
Envision all of the sticks and stones that likely will be buried by snow and sucked up by the snowblowr....and REMOVE them!
Start dealing with the mice and rats that have arrived with their extended families and suitcases... :-(

Donna Lynn wrote:

David Baillie wrote:....hi donna, what is the model of the electric side by side?

It's a Hisun Motors Sector E1.  We had to drive several hours to pick it up because not many places were selling them.  Ours is a 2022.  My guy is partially disabled, and the Hisun made it possible for him to help with some homestead chores he just couldn't walk enough to do before.  He learned all about the batteries and how best to make them last, and that's how we use and charge it.  We also got the optional snow plow, and now that we've moved it's saved us a lot of money plowing our long hilly driveway.  I can't say it's paid for itself yet, but for our situation it's made a world of difference as far as "aging in place,"

Just to add a more legacy side-by-side that pops up on the used market occasionally-- The Polaris Ranger is a popular gas side-by-side but had a 48V electic version for many years as well.  I found a 2012 model a few years back priced around $5000 USD.  There are a few active and very helpful internet groups to assist for any troubleshooting and for lead-acid to lithium battery conversions.  Although we still use lead acid batteries in the machine and the stock 120V charger in mid-winter, a single 300W+ solar panel does fine for charging in appropriate months....for that, just wired in a port on the cart to accept the 50VDC+ output from the solar charge controller.  Some light particulars on the legacy units here:   https://www.polaris.com/en-ca/off-road/owner-resources/help-center/article/KA-01703/    but they are really pushing their new electic Polaris Kinetic ... which in Canada is likely to be more expensive than many of the coming import electric cars you might soon be seeing!  Hence the robust used market for the older Ranger EV.  As noted by Donna L. these vehicles can be a game-changer for homesteads....my wife just loves the thing for feeding animals and maintaining fences on the property.

Thanks, David!   Can you tell me why this is not done routinely for LiFePO4 batteries?  Granted, a bluetooth version would be able to give you an estimate based on the battery management system display, but wouldn't one want to be able to 'real-world' test that capacity.  And even if the discharge curve for Li is flatter than that for legacy lead-acid tech, if one was detecting a 'fully discharged' status well before the amp-hour rating on the battery, this would indicate where power deficiencies may be located.  Finally, it seems from some videos out there that comparing LiFePO4 battery specs often involves validating the advertised Ah rating and so this often is done, albeit with shop electrical control units that appear more expensive and sophisticated than I wanted to deal with. Thanks for insights here....

For those that use battery storage for home power generation or even powered small electric vehicles or appliances, do you check the capacity of your batteries annually or every few years?  I have a battery load tester to examine general battery health, but for deep cycle batteries that are rated in amp-hours, how to you test for how far off of the original "100%" that your battery capacity has declined?  General internet searches have revealed some rather sophisticated devices for which load, discharge rate, etc. can be programmed, but I was wondering if I was missing something that would be more low tech, but still give a duration measurement on when the battery was depleted.  Thoughts?  Thanks!.....

Joao Winckler wrote:........The day length point is a fair one, it catches people out more than temperatures sometimes, especially anyone used to using zone maps from further south.

Thanks for the note above about the "About" tab at that excellent website introduce by the OP.   And yes, so many factors other than daylength and temperature swings.  Part of the reason we look to Manitoba so much in our region is because we are in the northern Red River Valley...and the river is what remains of a glacial lake bed.  The lake bed is very heavy in clay and has a high water table....so there are many trees that dislike that combination of wet feet and poorly draining soil.  The Valley actually widens as you follow the river north, first to Lake Winnipeg, then onward eventually to Hudson's Bay.  But the expanded Valley in southern Manitoba, flat and heavy-soiled, means that tree, shrub, and other plant varieties that can grow in it and that far north likely will do pretty well in our area as well.    Most of the local apple orchards here are found starting about 20 miles to the east of us:  That is where the old "lakeshore" of glacial Lake Agassiz begins and the soil is sandier and less heavy.