Prepping One Thing, Tasty Meals, Charge Controller Wired and We Have Power.

Our Location today is Quartzsite, Arizona, U.S.A. 

As mentioned yesterday my Raynaud’s was acting up so when it was time to go to bed last night I took the precaution to add another blanket on my side of the bed to help keep me warm. If I had put it on both sides of the bed Kathy would have been too warm at which time she would have tossed all the blankets off not only from herself but all the blankets leaving me worse for wear. This morning, we both woke up feeling refreshed and rested, myself feeling warm and Kathy feeling comfortable. 

When I got up shortly after 7:30 MST I went about opening blinds to let the rising sun shine in and getting things ready for breakfast. After checking The Weather Network and seeing the outside temperature was only sitting at 41 F (5 C) I wasn’t in much of a hurry to get outside. By the time I’d finished reading my second morning blog Kathy came down for breakfast.  

As we were eating and talking about our plans for the day but Kathy seemed distracted. She didn’t know what she was seeing move but it seemed to be under the edge of a travel trailer. Standing to look at what she was watching I recognized it as a man doing Abdominal Crunches (a form of sit up exercises) on his patio in workout clothes. I double checked the temperature on the computer and it was still the same as before. Thinking back many years ago, that would have been me but not now. We finished our coffees at the computers before I did my inside morning chores. Since I needed to go to Discount Solar Kathy said she’d stay behind.  

Installing the Cable Clamps into the bottom
of the Charge Controller.

At Discount Solar, the place was packed with customers but they had all been served and were just waiting for their orders to be filled. As soon as Mike was done with his last customer it was my turn. As I mentioned on Friday’s blog that after reading the Owners Instruction Manual I’d forgotten to allow a Safety from the Solar Panels. We forget that our Solar Panels on our roofs can be hit by Lightning so a way to protect the Charge Controllers and Batteries is to simply add a slightly higher Amperage Fuse in the line than what the Charge Controller will handle. A Twenty-Five Dollar investment that could save us a lot of grief and more money. 

Cleaning the Cable ends.

Back Home I noted the temperature was up to 50 f (10 C) but with the cold North wind I added my sweater under my coveralls in an attempt to keep comfortable. Since I have so many electrical jobs to do I started wiring the E.M.S. (Electrical Management System) with the Six Gauge Wiring we’d gotten for it. By working on the tailgate of the truck that meant the Basement Doors were being kept closed so that Kathy wouldn’t be freezing in the trailer. Only one side could be wired until the rear wall of the basement is removed where I will connect all the other wires that I need to run at the same time. Kathy called me in for lunch just as I finished that chore. 

Feeding the final Cable into the Charge Controller.

Kathy knew how cold I was feeling and had made hot Beef and Barley Soup to go with the Grilled Cheese, Tomato and Bacon Sandwich she was grilling. Then she topped it off with a nice hot cup of Coffee. It almost warmed me up. 

Since she was planning on reading I invited her outside so we could talk and she could read while sitting in the sun. I even left my sweater off when I went back outside. Kathy did enjoy the fresh air and the warmth of the sun on her dark coloured clothes. 

Closing the Charge Controller

The first thing I needed to determine was where the Charge Controller would actually be mounted in the basement and how the Cables would be connected. Back on the Tailgate I had to remove the Knockout Ports and then install the Cable Clamps. It took a little adjusting but everything fit perfectly. Next, I had to remove the Power Distribution Block that would have been used if a different style of Charge Controller had been chosen. With that removed I installed the Fuse Block then began the process of wiring the Charge Controller. Using my old Voltage Meter, I was happy to see a reading of nearly Twenty Volts coming into the Controller.  

Nice, Neat and Working.

The temperature hit a high of 59 F (15 C) this afternoon but with the North Wind it didn’t feel like it. Working in the shade of the basement by the time the Controller was functioning it was getting chilly again so Kathy told me it was time to close up for the day. 

Spanish Rice, Bean Salad, Breaded Pork Chop
and French Toasted English Muffins.

After I was washed up Kathy had me helping her to fix supper. While she heated up the Bean Salad and Spanish Rice she had me crushing some crackers that she used to bread a couple of Boneless Pork Chops. The leftover egg was used to fry some English Muffins similar to French Toast. Everything tasted great, it warmed us without being overfilling. 

There are lots of things still to do before we go Off the Grid in January but with the Holidays coming up we might be doing a few other things in between. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy! 

It’s about time.

Pictures by Kathy

Krackers 

Joke of the Day 

Q: Where do you find a dog with no legs? 

A: Right where you left him.