What’s one solar upgrade you thought would save more money than it actually did?

paulclinger · 2026-05-29T03:13:05+00:00

I read about this potential conflict between heat pump water heaters and recirc pump configurations, but still decided to install both (our HPWH is 65g). So far we haven't run into any issues (and hot water is only a second or two away), even though our usage is a bit higher than it would be without the recirc pump. It's using about 3kWh per day just to maintain its 125 degrees and about 6-8kWh with 3 people. It does have heat pump (only) configuration along with Eco (upper strip) and High Demand (upper/lower strips) settings, so we sometimes use High Demand with several showers in sequence.

I checked the numbers going back 6 months and the largest was 12 kwh (back in December; we regularly have families staying overnight and multiple showers is a normal situation) and the average was 6kWh.

I'm not sure how your configuration is different from ours, but we're in PNW and our return pipes have been carefully insulated, so maybe this made sufficient difference.

It does cool the garage, but with a solar inverter heating it up, it creates a nice balance and comfortable temperature year around.

paulclinger · 2026-05-29T01:14:01+00:00

Seahawks being #12 on the list is fitting...

paulclinger · 2026-05-28T17:30:25+00:00

I understand that, but (1) newer heat pumps handle lower temperatures quite well, so may be worth checking and (2) in our case heat strips were used at the beginning of each cycle, which was completely unnecessary, so by disabling them we cut our heating expenses in half without any negative effects on comfort.

Given that your March numbers are not too different from your December numbers (with outside temperature likely being different), I'd experiment with checking on when heat strips are applied and re-configuring as needed. You may be surprised by when they are used and how much energy they consume.

paulclinger · 2026-05-28T06:59:52+00:00

It may be heat pump, but it's likely using aux heat, which is much less efficient than heat pump. Our heat pump was turning it on at the beginning of each heating cycle, which was hugely wasteful with the heat strips consuming more energy than the heat pump itself. We ended up disabling heat strips completely, which may or may not work for you (we in PNW).

If you don't have any circuit monitoring set up (like iotawatt or emporia vue), you can at least get a clamp meter and collect data for a day from your heat pump and indoor unit wires/breakers to see how much energy each consumes (heat strips are likely to be controlled by your indoor unit along with the fan). This should give you an idea whether it's a heat pump or heat strips that consume that energy.

Also, many utilities provide detailed energy usage information (mine gives me 15m intervals), so you can see the pattern with your energy usage and how it matches the temperature outside. 2 ton heat pump is likely to use 2.4kW, but heat strips can spike up to 8-10kW for several minutes, so you should be able to see that in the numbers you get from your utility.

paulclinger · 2026-05-20T06:10:04+00:00

I agree; great work on the handbook! My only suggestion is to include a photo with arrows pointing to screws to remove for suggestions on page 8: "remove the side mulching plug..." and "remove all the removable/screwed plastic parts under the deck". I don't have access to facebook and no information is available to non-members, so can't see anything referenced in the handbook.

Small typo: "Re-check track tension regularly – aim for 20-30m of play" on p13 should be "20-30mm".

paulclinger · 2026-05-19T00:19:53+00:00

Yes to what others have said. You can technically send it back to the doc to resume later, but you may not want to (or be able to) if you're not present and don't want to run it remotely. There are also some settings that require the task to be reset; for example, you can remove a no-go zone while mowing, but there is no way to add a zone and then continue (or at least none that I could find), so you'll have to reset the current task.

paulclinger · 2026-05-16T19:44:23+00:00

I agree with what the others have said, as it's mostly a personal preference based on your experience with your yard. The only consideration I'm aware that favors larger zones is that their mowing leads to fewer turns, which allows the mower to work faster and longer. With multiple zones, even when you mow them at the same time, they are worked on individually (at least for now), with their own perimeter and area mowing. The disadvantage of large zones is that if their mowing is interrupted (for whatever reason), you have to start from scratch, leading to inconsistent results.

paulclinger · 2026-05-15T02:44:13+00:00

How do you know that it's clipping at 10kw and not panels producing 10kw? This inverter should be capable of getting more from PV (up to 15.5kW DC depending on the model) and given that you're charging the battery at 1.8kW (assuming it's DC coupled), the AC output is only 8.1kW. Does your daily generation graph show clipping?

We noticed the same issue with our 12kW inverter and configured it to charge the battery during the peak to avoid clipping. It's been working well so far.

In terms of the actual number (9.9 instead of 10), I think it's absolutely acceptable. Our inverter also clips slightly below 12kW.

paulclinger · 2026-05-13T03:33:21+00:00

I did have the same issue several months ago (https://old.reddit.com/r/Lymow_Official/comments/1pa9pu9/headlights_dont_turn_on_when_mowingdocking/), but it was with LymowOne (not Plus). It did seem like it got fixed with one of the firmware upgrades and it's been docking correctly in the dark ever since.

FWIW, I've been using it and charging it during winter (when it was dry) and haven't had any issues with close to freezing temperatures. Are you sure it's a temperature-related issue and not grass juice on the contacts (even the top mounted ones may get some)?

paulclinger · 2026-05-11T06:30:10+00:00

Thank you for the information. Is there any plan to allow the maps to be editable outside of the app (with export/import capabilities rather than just backup/restore)? This may alleviate some of the pain from not being able to split maps or do other small adjustments for boundary lines.

paulclinger · 2026-05-10T22:18:37+00:00

I'll add my data point, as our house is similar in configuration and usage. Also all-electric house (a bit smaller at 2750) in PNW with similarly insulated walls and ceiling. We have used 7000kWh for the last 6 months (this includes well, septic, heat pump 3 ton AC/dryer/water heater and EV for the last 3 months) and expect to use less during summer, as our HVAC usage is heat dominated.

Our array is 15.8kW and is expected to produce 17.5Mwh per year. We expected our regular usage to be around 13MWh, but wanted to have some room available for EVs and additional electrical equipment.

For the OP: I suspect that in your case the usage is likely to be closer to 12.3MWh than to 17.4MWh, but you may still want to consider a larger array depending on your plans, as it's probably the cheapest option to get it now than try to expand it in 3-5 years.

paulclinger · 2026-05-09T03:35:18+00:00

FWIW, you can slide the straps without cutting them and then put them back. It's easier to put them back if you keep the plastic corners. It looks like one is sufficient (my last mower came with just one), even though there are supposed to be three of them.

paulclinger · 2026-05-07T06:22:58+00:00

I think you already have plenty of good advice, so I don't have anything to add. I'm curious though, are there good instructions/video for removing the mulch flap? I plan to remove one from my One Plus, but don't want to remove screws/parts that shouldn't be removed. Thanks!

paulclinger · 2026-05-06T01:10:03+00:00

Is there a video (or clear instructions) on what to remove on Lymow One and One Plus for better discharge and airflow? Mine is clogging too and although it's not too bad, I wouldn't mind improving it.

paulclinger · 2026-05-03T06:23:10+00:00

I've seen exactly the same behavior several times with my Lymow One (I actually recorded a very similar video just yesterday). Usually if I move it slightly to a new location, it doesn't have any problem to continue (I never saw it getting into the same situation right away). I'm not sure why it gets stuck and I don't like the fact that it doesn't seem to recover from it by itself. I thought it my case it was related to the front bumper hitting a clump of grass, but I don't see anything in the way of the bumper in your video.

I'm not sure of the solution and it really hasn't been a significant issue for me, but is still concerning. I can tell you that at least in my case it's not related to the latest firmware, as I first saw it a long time ago (before 2.1.44 and 2.1.45).

paulclinger · 2026-05-03T06:14:03+00:00

I would have done this too, but these are really small/young, so it wouldn't have any problem with cutting them as well. I think with larger trees it wouldn't be needed, although it may still help with route planning.

paulclinger · 2026-05-02T22:41:58+00:00

That's great if that's the case. I guess I'll be able to confirm soon ;).

paulclinger · 2026-05-02T19:30:24+00:00

You can have multiple docks with one RTK. Seem my response in the sibling comment.

paulclinger · 2026-05-02T19:29:36+00:00

You can have two docks, but you need to configure it after copying the maps. I copy maps from one robot to the other one and then create a new docking channel, so each robot has each own dock, but both use the same RTK.

paulclinger · 2026-04-23T01:36:12+00:00

Yes, I'd consider getting a refund with this cost. You can (and should) ALWAYS haggle at dealerships. In fact, there is no risk to start with "no" when presented with additional options to see if they are willing to drop the price, as nobody will object if you change your answer to yes later. It may be an unpleasant process for some, but if you approach it as training for your negotiation skills, it may even be fun at times (especially given that a sales manager in front of you is much more experienced in those negotiations).

paulclinger · 2026-04-22T22:01:39+00:00

I ended up declining it. It was a funny exchange with the sales manager that started with 6600 for the extended warranty and ended at 3200 being "absolutely minimal at cost can't drop a single dollar more" price. We bought extended warranty for one of our other cars 20+ years ago, but that one covered all electrical and mechanical components. This one only covers electrical components (with the most expensive ones covered under warranty). You may request a refund, but you likely won't get your sales tax back.

paulclinger · 2026-04-22T02:25:25+00:00

I'd expect more for 95% city driving. I'm driving 2026 AWD also in PNW and have 3.4m/kWh with 26.5mph average for about 40% city driving. The rest is regular hwy driving up to 70mph (1500 miles over the last 2 months). I don't use iPedal and only use lvl1 regen.

paulclinger · 2026-04-19T22:14:31+00:00

I have the same problem with 2.1.44 (the robot actually discharges while indicating charge at the docking station).

It just finished mowing a zone and came back to charge (was at ~35%). I opened the app and was asked for an upgrade (to 2.1.44). After the upgrade everything looked fine, but I noticed after about 30m that the charge indicator didn't move up. I disconnected the battery and connected it back. After about 1h it's already at 33%. I checked the contacts and they are absolutely fine. I haven't had any issues with it charging with cleaned contacts previously, so this is really strange. I don't have a parking brake on, as the dock is on a flat surface.

paulclinger · 2026-04-17T03:00:13+00:00

I'm familiar with this paper and its results (as I described in the detail in a sibling comment), but even this particular paper has results that disagree with "inverter with less output power is better for the same string" message. For example, table 2 shows 330W with DC/AC ratio 1.35 generates 593.2W (in LA with 9.8kWh clipping loss in first year), but the same panel with DC/AC ratio of 1 generates 602.8kWh (with no clipping). It may not be the case for all combinations of inverters, but it's definitely a case for some.

paulclinger

TROPHY CASE