Electrical Work

Our power system here is in dire need of some changes. We still haven't gotten much of the interior hard-wiring done, and a lot of the DC loads are connected with alligator clips.  We're going to need to build a solar rack for our panels (our new panel is still probably a month away from arrival) but we're very close to getting our wind turbine up.  Below is a photo of our jin/gin pole, which provides stability and strength to the tower, which hinges up from the ground. 

We have connected our chest freezer, and are surprised how efficiently it operates. It seems to lose only 1-3 degrees per hour when off, depending on the contents and temperature differential. We have been manually cycling the compressor to use it as a refrigerator, but eventually we will replace the thermostat with one that will adjust automatically.

We have located most of the steel needed to build a pole-mounted solar rack.  I performed our first service call for someone with an RV that seems to have a faulty inverter.  We hope to be getting more service calls, as we have shared our contact info with Alpine Solar company and will be listed with them as installers for southern Brewster County.

Our satellite internet and phone has been both a blessing and a curse. When we found out after it was installed that it used 80 watts continuous and could not be shut down, we were ready to cancel. But we did figure out that it could be turned off (with difficulty) and that it may even be possible to update the power supply to a more efficient set up that can be remotely turned off.