larry kidd

Quiet Echo wrote:I’ve seen a fair few people talking about DIY windows installs. Some say it’s straightforward, others say it’s a nightmare. If you’ve ever tried fitting your own windows, how did it go? Was it worth it, or would you call in a pro next time?

I've done it many times both in new and old construction. With the correct tools and supplies it's no big deal at all and it really doesn't take much. With basic hand tools including a level and square along with a few shims is about all that's needed. Make sure to use minimal expanding foam for sealing gaps and cracks. That super expanding stuff makes all kinds of problems and often leaves inoperable windows! They literally get so tight you can't fore them to move in any direction...

John Weiland wrote:

Eric Hanson wrote:

5) Lithium Ion:  that’s the stuff!! Its technical specs are hands down the best!  And the fire danger is mostly a thigh of the past if obtained from a reliable vendor and utilized properly.  But I also get your concerns and understand your reservations.  As a bit of a compromise though, I have found that third-party batteries for brand-name tools are both perfectly reliable, powerful and far, far more affordable than the name-branded ones.  I bought a pair of 18v, 6 AH batteries two years ago, used them literally every single day till empty and had my first one fail this summer which is exactly on the predicted lifespan.  I simply boiled another pair, but by now they were 7AH for the same price.  Perhaps an 80, 5+ AH battery (or two, just saying) could be worth something.  It’s just an idea, do with what you want.

I will try to post more as developments arise, but fall has arrived, we almost frosted last night, and now pre-winter chores are upon us.  Thanks for your interest, comments, and advice, Eric.  For sure the LiION angle is one that I had dismissed but I suspect that was done too early without propoer prior investigation.  Indeed, not sure why eBikes use LiION and not LiFePO4, but that implementation of LiION has sent me down a rabbit hole :-)    Using the chart below as an example, it appears that I might be able to use higher-power eBike LiION batteries to meet my needs, at least in a cost-effective experimental way..(??)  There appears to be pre-made 48V LiION packs for eBikes that can power up to a 1500W motor....exactly the rated power in my golf cart.  As these come in 30 Ah configurations and BMS upper limits of 50 A, then by itself it would be straining the system....but two or 3 of them in parallel should be able to serve my needs -AND- avoid the issues with series connection, something other cart owners have steadfastly advised against.  Hmmmm.... the plot thickens!  If I were to test a set of LiION batteries in my cart, would I use a LiFePO4 charging profile in my solar charge controller?  The batteries appear to come with a charger as you would expect for use in an eBike....but would I be able to charge 2-3 batteries wired in parallel with this charger or require a larger charger?....and would one of the many 48V LiFePO4 chargers out there sold for golf cart charging suffice for his purpose?  From what I can see from the specs, such a configuration of batteries would once again be even less weight than LiFePO4s for roughlly the same power capability, perhaps?  Much food for thought here.... Thanks!

E-bikes use L-ion instead of LifePO4 mostly because of weight and secondly so they can sell replacement batteries. L-ion lasts about 1/3-1/8 of the life of LifePO4. They (L-ion) also cost more per AH if I remember correctly.

Never ever give up. You have life by the balls if you want to look at it that way. You are old enough to know how and young enough to still be able so pick a direction and do something, anything you want as long as it doesn't harm others. . .  

Take myself for example I have a homestead in Va my kids call most everyday and I can do most anything I want as long as it's free or cheap. I am disabled thanks to health issues but there's plenty to do money or not.

 I recently got an E-bike now I want to build one of my own design with a camper trailer to go see the USA... Nearly free motivation and no license tags insurance. Light weight flexible solar panels for power and the world or at least whatever continent you're on is yours to explore.

All issues have solutions. Far as the cold goes you have many options. I used 12V silicone heat pads wired in series and hooked to a thermostat. Far as overheating goes this never really became a problem for me and isn't likely unless you are doing long distance high speed runs in high temps. Also simply keeping the cart or UTV in a heated building in winter then using it for an hour or so in below freezing is NOT going to cause the cells to freeze! Also simply using the cells makes some small amounts of heat.

My GC also has a 300 watt solar roof! The added weight has been an ongoing issue and I will likely switch to a light weight flexible 200w panel that weighs 45lbs. less!

I've been there and done this so let me offer some advice. First yes you can split the cells into groups. The key is keeping all the balancing wires the same length which means adding to them to reach all the cells. This is more important than you can imagine!

As far as size and ratings that depends on what you are after. But I need to put this in here prismatic cells have to be compressed or they will expand and be destroyed. Also LifePO4 can NOT be charged below freezing or bye bye battery! They can't be used / discharged much below freezing either and do not like temperatures above 100f at all. Now having said all that 100-105AH cells make pretty good golf cart batteries! The reduction in weight is huge and quite noticeable! You will need an oversize BMS to cover starting amps but they are short bursts. Mostly unless you are hot rodding like me then you might start pushing 105s farther than wise.

If  you do this DO NOT FLIP THE CART OVER the FIRST TIME YOU TAKE OFF!!! Mine stood straight up! Granted it's lifted with oversize tires...

A long wire antenna is the answer you're looking for. Get it as high up as reasonably possible and move it around until you find the best direction.

Rico Loma wrote:Certainly sounds like a winner. In your specific situation,  did you compile a direct cost comparison between the two battery types? I'd love to see the numbers if possible,  while still keeping the vast performance improvement in the back of my (rapidly shrinking) mind. Thanks for this post, it helps to shape  my decisions

No when I bought these last year my thinking was if I treat them right they would be the last batteries for home power I'll ever need to buy as they will in all likely hood out live me! They were rated for 8000 full cycles or roughly 22 years. Then after much research I had also determined that keeping the battery cells between 20 and 80 percent would double and maybe even triple the lifespan. So now we are talking 16,000-24,000 cycles or days. Well there are 365 days in a year and 16,000 divided by 365 that's roughly 43.5 years and I feel I'll be lucky if I live another 25-30 years....  These are Eve 280AH cells and I have 32 of them in a 16s2p arrangement. I also got them on sale with free shipping for under $4,000. To me that's a no brainer as $4,000 would barely pay a power bill for 3 years for a small extremely efficient house.

I purchased them from the 18650 battery store.

So I finally got around to replacing my ancient 35000 watt hours of LA batteries with about 30000 watt hours of LifePO4. What a major change this is! It over doubled my usable watt hours even though the total bank has less.  With LA cells I could only use about 25-30% with the new LifePo4 I can use 60%. Voltage sag is more or less a thing of the past. With a full system load the voltage only sagged 0.1 volt with my old bank under full load it was over 1.0 volt of sag.

Simply amazing!!!

Looks and taste are usually NOT both found in the same fruit or veggie give me taste!

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