Off-Grid
Once I finished my project, it felt wonderful! After two weeks, there was power where there had been none. Turning on the lights for the first time was great, and sped finishing the cabin construction.
Check out Dan Rupert’s DIY solar installation in northern NY!:
“I’ve done numerous DIY projects, such as room additions, wiring, plumbing, etc. This project is an off-grid cabin – a combination hunting cabin and eventual retirement home for my brother.
The most challenging part of the installation was the power center and batteries. They were on the opposite side of the cabin from the panels. Running conduit under the cabin was challenging since there wasn’t much ground clearance (we trenched to the cabin, then popped up and ran along the bottom of the floor joists-cabin is on concrete piers). We made the process easier by running the wiring through the pre-glued conduit before pushing it under the cabin to avoid the need to crawl underneath.
Most of the project was two people (no hired help), but we had a family weekend where my dad, brother, uncle, and nephews all helped out. We made great progress in two days! Helpers also include the Unbound Staff, who answered my questions quickly. Special thanks to Noelle, who resolved a problem with damaged panels!
The entire project was two weeks long, including building the ground mount framing and a modified design (the cabin is pretty far North, and we wanted a tilting ground mount to improve solar collection in winter and enable easy snow clearing).
Once I finished my project, it felt wonderful! After two weeks, there was power where there had been none. Turning on the lights for the first time was great, and sped finishing the cabin construction.”