Princeton

There is no right answer and I believe that done right you can charge a battery bank reliably with a generator or other power source. I have been running 12v solar exclusively for 6 years now and have never had an issue. It all about design and not overloading your circuits and using the proper wire size.

Awesome Work!!

Awesome work!!

They are Gel Cells. The long one is used for telecom backup power supplies. I picked them up at Millaca Unclaimed Freight, they get random batteries once in a while.

Thanks, I am a homebrewer as well and going to add a nitro tap serving stout on the wall and put the keg in the closet at some point..

Here are the original pictures. Let me know if you have any questions.

The tv I have uses 3 amps at 12 VDC, so it uses very little power. Here is the model I bought on Amazon. There are others like it.

2018 update. Solar panels and charge controlers still going strong on the house. Was able to just pull it out and had full charge on batteries. Was fishing in 20 mins from the time I started pulling it out of the field. Upgraded my wheeler to a Polaris Ranger with a cab and chains, makes pulling the house around the lake alot more comfortable.

The calculations sound about right. What are you using for a heater? You surely could put a disconnect on the outside of the house that you could plug the solar panel into, then you would have the freedom to orient the panel which ever way. I would put it on a corner so you have more options for placement. One caution is that the panels are glass and they are really meant for permanent mounting. I could see them getting cracked. I have seen some RV mounts that have adjustability built into them but they can get spendy. So far I have not had any issues with my door facing north. I really like my permanent mounted panels as you don't need to mess around with them and I always have power. Even if they are not exactly south they still make a good amount of energy. After 4 years I have yet to run out of power.

I would suggest that you run through the calculator above. We sat down and listed all the power requirements when we designed ours. I also agree with the solar panel recommendation. There are a number of kits available on amazon. Here is one with a panel and and a charge controller that you can add panels to it latter and it only weighs 25 lbs. https://www.amazon.com/WindyNation-Off-Grid-Controller-Connectors-Mounting/dp/B00JML23X0/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1486925146&sr=8-15&keywords=solar+panel+with+charge+controller

I use a 1992 Yamaha 350. Diamond studed chains on the back. Agree that going down ramps can be hairy!! Then there was a time two years ago where we needed to get the heavy equipment out. 2 feet of snow on top of 6 inches of slush.

Nice Job!! Now we need good ice!!! Enjoy the house.

That really depends on the snow. It will ride up on top of harder snow and generally plows more through the lighter snow. All depends on the snow.

I have not weighed it. I tried to keep it as light as possible and it pulls well by my wheeler. I am sure it is well under 2,000 fully loaded.

2017 update.. Solar panels are still working great. I think if I would do it again I would not put the solar panels on the roof I would mount them all on the side. It is a cleaner look having them on the roof but with heavy snow it's a bit of a pain to get the snow off the solar panels.