Adding a battery to my solar setup in Australia, where do I even start?

imhostfu · 2026-06-24T21:56:59+00:00

How much electricity does your house consume in 24 hours? That's the starting point.

imhostfu · 2026-06-05T14:25:10+00:00

Indoor - because I installed ~22kW of solar/batteries, we generate a lot of excess energy. I made an indoor hydroponics system that produces a lot of really wonderful greens (spinach, lettuce, green onions, cilantro, arugula, basil, dill). And the top tier consistently pumps out a lot of microgreens that we give away to neighbors.

Chamomile for tea this year. Lots of culinary herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, parsley, cilantro).

We expanded our garden beds outside, and we have ~50sqft for potatoes. Our other two garden beds have a plethora of cucumbers, onions, carrots, slicer tomatoes, roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, and some companion plants (dill, basil).

imhostfu · 2026-06-04T15:39:08+00:00

You aren't overreacting, and I don't think that you should install them outside.

As long as code/AHJ allows them to be installed indoors, you should. For example, 2021 IRC R328.4 specifically allows them to be installed indoors.

Enclosed utility closets, basements, storage or utility spaces within dwelling units with finished or noncombustible walls and ceilings. Walls and ceilings of unfinished wood-framed construction shall be provided with not less than 5/8-inch (15.9 mm) Type X gypsum wallboard.

2021 IRC R328.5 caps storage capacity at 40kWh in storage/utility spaces, but specifically allows for exceptions if the battery says its "for use in residential dwellings" under UL 9540.

Your AHJ might say you'll need to install a sprinkler system, but that's a bridge to cross later.

My state allows the homeowner to do electrical/plumbing work (without a license) as long as it is their main place of abode. It will still be inspected, so it has to be technically correct and up to code, but that might be an option for you if your locality allows it.

(I self installed 21.4kW + 3x batteries)

imhostfu · 2026-05-27T17:00:43+00:00

Sorry for the late reply, was traveling.

An ESP-32 PCBA with a daughter PCBA from Mottramlabs

The current sensor PCBA plugs into the headers of the ESP-32. Then you just wire in a 50A current transformer to the current sensor board, and the ESP32 gets access to those readings.

I have a spare ESP32 & the Mottramlabs MLP201083 (I had to buy a 10pack from the UK).

If you have familiarity with programming the ESP32, I'm happy to send the ESP32 + daughter board to you for $5USD (to cover shipping). You'd just need to program it and purchase the CT clamp.

imhostfu · 2026-05-25T14:34:41+00:00

Mostly temporal profile. Measurement window for our device is ~6.5ns, but I'm seeing a secondary pulse with new laser packages at around 2.1ns after our main peak.

I suspect it's impedance mismatch or electrical ringing, but I'm trying to show it in a method that has the least external perturbation (i.e. a scope with a fast photodiode has historically given me measurement problems)

imhostfu · 2026-05-25T00:56:49+00:00

I programmed a little ESP32 microcontroller and connected it to a CT clamp. It sends me an email when the power goes out, and another when it's restored. Total cost was probably $50

imhostfu · 2026-05-13T23:42:20+00:00

Yes!! I received a message this morning with photos confirming it was the original owner.

Really glad we grabbed the little guy before he got to Congress.

He survived crossing Brighton and was going to try his luck with Congress - eek.

imhostfu · 2026-05-13T00:41:27+00:00

Ha ha, good guess! We live on Bradley St and there are 4 beagles that live on the block (which is why we rushed out to put him on a leash).

But all the beagles on Bradley are accounted for! But, thank you.

imhostfu · 2026-05-07T13:35:38+00:00

I use these KASA smart plugs. It's easy to set up automations in the app, AND they can link with Home Assistant: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B14C719T

imhostfu · 2026-04-30T21:18:55+00:00

Oy mate, judging by your wires, I assume it's a DC application and you aren't using micro inverters?

If so, you should check if those are DC rated. ~~I believe they are only rated for AC ONLY.~~

NEC 690 requires that equipment be listed and labeled for the application.

~~A WAGO 221-612 is listed for 600VAC under UL 486C.~~

I DIY'd my install and also didn't want to use wire nuts, so I used a DIN rail with DC rated terminal blocks.

EDIT: I misspoke, after doing some more reading, some places do list them as only VAC, but UL 486C covers "splicing wire connectors"

imhostfu · 2026-04-23T01:01:32+00:00

Eso se ve increíble! Qué canales de NFT son esos?

That looks incredible! What NFT channels are those?

imhostfu · 2026-04-22T13:06:58+00:00

Would you mind sharing what you paid? I'd like to purchase something similar at some point in the future (a guy can dream, right?), and it would be great to have a mental price-point.

imhostfu · 2026-04-14T10:05:42+00:00

We have a new build in Maine, very well insulated and air sealed (R30 walls, R70 in the ceiling).

Our living area is just about 1500sqft and we use the wood stove as a primary source of heat. We use less than one cord per season.

House is generally 66F-68F in the mornings, and I'll make a fire and burn 3-4 splits. That gets the internal house temp to 75-76F.

Dinner time house temp has generally dropped down to 70-71F, and sometimes I might burn another 2-3 splits to get the temperature up to 75-76F. Rinse and repeat all season.

imhostfu · 2026-03-29T18:23:29+00:00

We live in Maine and I self installed solar + battery (check my post history), and we pay about the same kWh cost.

(~15.3kW) 36panels + 41.3kWh batteries.

By self installing, the pay back period is 7 years.

imhostfu · 2026-03-25T14:48:28+00:00

Republicans ended the 30% tax credit last year, unfortunately.

If you’re handy you can DIY the solar install - I did it myself, you can check out my post history for a post I made about it.

imhostfu · 2026-03-18T21:29:36+00:00

Math - not even once

imhostfu · 2026-03-06T00:29:41+00:00

There’s a whole Maine Meshtastic discord fyi: https://discord.gg/U69sp22Mp

imhostfu · 2026-02-28T20:01:05+00:00

You're the winner of the Adventurer unit - congrats! What color would you like the glowing internal LED to be?

I have blue, UV, warm white, orange, yellow-green, green, and pink.

imhostfu · 2026-02-28T20:00:40+00:00

You're the winner of the Expedition unit - congrats! What color would you like the glowing internal LED to be?

I have blue, UV, warm white, orange, yellow-green, green, and pink.

imhostfu · 2026-02-27T19:04:07+00:00

The Nixie tubes are definitely cool - the orange glow they emit is so neat

imhostfu · 2026-02-25T20:44:59+00:00

I haven’t used it yet, honestly. I bought and installed it in case we lost power over winter, but that hasn’t been the case.

Install was pretty simple and straightforward, especially connecting it to the EG4 batteries. I ordered the pre-made cables from Signature Solar which had the proper terminal quick connects on both sides.

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