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13
Batteries and management systems / Re: Clear LiFePo battery
Last post by Bruce S -
It is a neat battery to say the least.
Yes , there is a BMS mounted onto the top of the battery .
The plastic makes getting decent pics and challenge.
I have an opaque light that I'm going to try and backlight it for better pics this coming week.
I put a little 17W 12Vdc panel on it yesterday, just to see how it's going to workout.
 It ran right up to 13.75 and just seemed to stay there.
I know the smallish panel will take a month to even get close to charging it up and believe once the battery got up to 13.75 I was at the panels best output.
I had veggies to get out in the raised beds and covered before the overnight chill came whistling in.
More to follow.

Cheers
Bruce S
15
Batteries and management systems / Clear LiFePo battery
Last post by Bruce S -
I'm turning to the learned community people here for some informed decision making.
I was given this cool looking CLEAR (see-thru) 12Vdc 100Ah LiFePo Battery and I'm trying to decide which way to go with it.
 
I've certainly tested the charging with a proper LiPo solar charger from my current controller and 1/2dozen panels & I've tested it
with a 900W 12Vdc inverter, It did just fine.
Here's a nice view of the bolt holes for mounting proper connections to the top.
My current solar set up is nice and balanced.
I do have one of Glen's diversion controllers that'd I'd like to get back to using.

My quandary: Do I redesign my other little setup that has a cute little 12V 30W portable panel and use the diversion controller OR go with a new  proper charger and use the diversion to charge down stream batteries?
My Veggie grow light don't have any problems with running off a MSW inverter and this would free up the ProSine inverter.

 Whatcha think?

Kind Regards
Bruce S
Clear_LiFePo 100Ah Battery.jpg
16
General Discussion / Re: Weather!
Last post by Bruce S -
Walked out with the dog at 03:40 with 25mph winds and 18F.
By Friday it'll be near 80s ,,, go figure

However on a good note: this has been a very good test of a diesel heater I picked up a year back!!
I also was wise enough to purchase diesel at <3.50/gal. That along with waste oil is working out very well.

Only issue is the noisy pump, but since I have it running outside (not the best idea, but,,,) and hooked up to a 3gal pale. It's doing nicely.
FYI: I only run the waste oil at 1/3 instead of 1/2 like most others do.
Happy St. Patty's DAY!!
Cheers
Bruce
17
General Discussion / Re: Weather!
Last post by MaryB -
-1f this morning! luckily not much wind... shoveled out to my mailbox yesterday, snow was like concrete, I could have walked on top of it!
18
Soil and Growing / Re: 2026 garden season, what are you growing?
Last post by Bruce S -
We do leaf lettuce in containers now , can't keep up with the rabbits! freezers currently full.

We found out the hard way , our resident marsupial (Marsha) likes young spinach leaves.
 Don' t mind too much as she hates squirrels and runs them off, right up a tree and out of the area if she sees them, but those leave looked so good,,, right up till she ate them.

We've done spinach in our cool basement in different years, always does really well, but the local Farmers were all but giving it away so we stopped. We're now back doing it since prices are going nuts for this stuff.
19
General Discussion / Re: Weather!
Last post by Bruce S -
First came the wind, then came the high winds that knocked all the tree buds off the limbs onto my car.
Rain followed by sleet followed by 30+mph winds.
Was a perfect day to work on getting lazy inside  :)) .

St. louis, MO went from a great Saturday in the mid 60s to 25 went our coffee pot started up this Monday morning.
Winds cranking up to 40+ on the drive in this AM was a whole lot of fun!!
Cheers
Bruce S
20
General Discussion / Weather!
Last post by MaryB -
MN just got smacked by a huge winter storm. I only got ~2 inches of snow but 45mph winds have it a total whiteout/all the roads in my part of the state are closed until they can clear cars/semi trucks that are stuck/in the ditch.

SE MN got 19 inches of snow in less than 24 hours! I am SW/West Central area(~60ish miles form South Dakota) so opposite side of the state.