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offgrid 
Senior Member 
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
 Topic: Electric Cordless Lawn MowerPosted: 23 Aug 2020 at 1:28pm |
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You want to be on the SW facing roof sounds like. If that has some plumbing vents and there is an attic its not that bad to move them to the other side. They're just plumbing vents after all, as long as they stick out above the roof somewhere its OK. If there are flues its more difficult to relocate them, we always left those alone and set the solar array around them.
You can get a rough idea of tree shading impacts from Google Earth if you live in an urban area with detailed elevation data.
You can I'm sure get a couple local solar companies to come out and do a site survey and give you a performance estimate. A professional one will be done including shading analysis from the roof or, as is getting more common these days, using a drone. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6288 |
Posted: 23 Aug 2020 at 12:54pm |
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If I am reading my compass app (and if it is accurate), the ridge line of my main roof runs NW to SE, so there is a bit more sun on the one side. That is the side with the vent stacks though. It also has an uneven roof line due to both a kitchen bay window and the utility room with the water heater that make for an uneven roof. On the other side, there is the porch roof and the section over the bedroom that has a cathedral ceiling so that side of the house is essentially not usable. With the trees we have recently had trimmed or removed, we now get more sunlight than before, but there is a large oak tree that is shading the roof during the day. With the pine and maple we just had removed, we now have more light on the roof than we had before. I might have to reevaluate and see if it is feasible.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 23 Aug 2020 at 12:03pm |
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I should have said its a no brainer if you have a site for it.
I ran a residential solar company for many years. The two worst things we dealt with were (1) trees and (2) architects. Trees are really pretty easy, do a survey and the either cut down the offending ones or don't do solar. The architects were harder. They insisted in putting useless bric a brac like attic dormers and false gable ends on otherwise perfectly good south facing roofs. And they insist of putting plumbing vents and flues on the back roof even if that is south facing. Orientation isn't really the issue folks think it is. Generally, east or west facing arrays produce only about 20% less than south facing. We can almost always find a roof face that will work if its unshaded and doesn't have architectural junk all over it. Personally, I prefer ground mounted solar. I don't like ladders, and the electric code requirements are simpler for ground mounts.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6288 |
Posted: 23 Aug 2020 at 10:55am |
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Solar might be a "no-brainer" if the orientation of the house and shading from trees allow for adequate sunshine on panels. In my case, neither is suitable due to the orientation of the house and that we live in an area with large trees. I can't pick the house up and rotate it for better orientation, but I have had a few trees cut. Neighbors have tall trees too that make solar unfeasible for us.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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john in idaho
Senior Member
Joined: 04 Nov 2014 Location: Eagle Idaho Online Status: Offline Posts: 611 |
Posted: 23 Aug 2020 at 10:24am |
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check out the Stihl self propelled electric mower. Runs about an hour, even with bagging the clippings for garden mulch. Then it is time for coffeee while the battery recharges.
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 7:29pm |
'Cause when you're on a 30 degree plus slope you don't want to be sitting on something that can roll over on you. Better to be walking behind or even better standing 50 feet away and running it by remote control. Ideal would be an autonomous mower that you just let run by itself. I agree as for mowing pastures, plowing, etc. Electric isn't there yet as I said. As for solar, its pretty much no brainer these days to put in a grid tied system for your residence especially if you can do it DIY and are in a net metering location. You get a 26% federal tax credit and the utility company is your battery. Investment payback is a few years at most. What's not to like? |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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Olddawgsrule
Senior Member
Joined: 20 Sep 2017 Location: New Hampshire Online Status: Offline Posts: 1014 |
Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 4:15pm |
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Sorry.. You guys are killing' me.. Why walk when you can ride?
When electric hits the point that I can pull that stump or split all that wood.. and still mow/plow, I'm interested. Well, cost comes into mind... I'm at a kilowatt of solar and will not move further till it makes sense...
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podwerkz
Senior Member
Joined: 11 Mar 2019 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 966 |
Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 3:01pm |
Next up: Julie Andrews in, 'The Sound of Mowing'... I bet my local John Deere stealership has several on the showroom floor. I'll head that way next week.  |
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r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten!
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GlueGuy
Senior Member
Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2629 |
Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 2:21pm |
The slope to the south of our house is roughly 2-1/2 acres with a 45 degree slope (100% grade). It is approximately 24 hours of labor for someone in extremely good shape using one (or both) of our Stihl brush cutters. It is largely grass, but there are significant portions with Yellow Star Thistle, Italian Thistle, Bull Thistle, and Mustard. None of those can be cut with wimpy string trimmers. We use a heavy duty cord that is 0.155" diameter. We have to change line about once per tank load. A tank load will last between an hour and 90 minutes. The good news is it just needs to be done once per year if you time it correctly.
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 1:53pm |
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You need one of these. Plus you can put on your lederhosen and yodel while running it by remote control....
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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Electric Cordless Lawn Mower