Ah yes Hasbeen, I am well aware of the problems associated with off
the grid systems. Approaching as a hobby of course makes it a bit
different.I think batteries would be the biggest maintenance problem.

That is why I brought up the idea of NIFE batteries.
They are available and have suggested lifetimes of 35 plus years.
I think they are larger than lithium or lead acid batteries, but not a
great problem for a backyard shed.
They appear to be very robust and cells can be rebuilt and put back in service easily.
They can be left uncharged or unused for years and then just switch
them on and away they go.
The cost I thought was reasonable for that sort of service.

"FRAUD, BIAS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS: The 97% ‘consensus’ and its critics"
http://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2014/09/Warming-consensus-and-it-critics.pdf

If what this paper says is basically correct, it demonstrates the sort of cr@p the climate cultists have been swallowing for over two decades – including President Obama, his chief adviser John Holdren, and Labor and Green cultists like Bob Brown, Christine Milne, Rudd, Gillard, Wong, Combet and the rest of the loony left.

I reckon it’s all over bar the shouting, the moaning and winging about “Deniers and Skeptics” and then moving on to whatever is to become the next loony Leftist’s cult.

What say you?

Bazz I wish you luck. I used to supply the plastic raw materials for Telecom batteries. They were huge 2 volt units for solar charged instillations, used in multiples. May be they had a long life, but they never stopped buying replacements.

I ran my boat on 4 large very heavy plate deep cycle 6 volt led acid batteries, made for me by the bloke building the Telecom batteries. When used permanently for lighting, connected to a trickle charger, connected to mains power they lasted for 6 years. When cruising, charged by a mixture of solar cell, wind generator, & the only reliable power, & Honda S800 generator, & kept up near fully charged, they lasted a little over 3. They were rebuildable, but only by top battery makers.

Warmair where do you get this stuff? During our last flood, 5 days without power, my near new 2.5 KVA gen set could not start my fridge freezer. It tripped out or stalled every time I tried. It could just manage the little beer fridge. It also tripped out every time a water pressure pump started, if we didn't turn everything else off first.

I now have a new 10 KVA diesel gen set. It will run the fridge freezer, but can't handle water & a washing machine, unless the fridge is disconnected.

Yes you can buy "special" very expensive gear, but to run a normal suburban home, it would have no chance.

Hasbeen, I was surprised that your 2.5kva generator could not start
the frig. What was the size of the frig ?
Was the engine throttle speed control acting fast enough ?
Normally the flywheel should keep it going long enough until the
frig motor got up some speed and the control opened the throttle.
It did have one did it ?

Bazz, it was a fridge freezer, with 2 separate compressors. To start with I did not realise it had 2 compressors. Together they drew more than the safety cut out on the 2.5 with both starting together.

To me it was just the fridge, & of no interest, until it wouldn't start. When I looked & found the 2 compressors, one for each function. I disconnected the fridge, & got the freezer going, trying to use it, & the bar fridge,

Of course murphy's law meant both of them would try to start at once, or a pressure pump of some other thing would require starting power. I suppose there are more frustrating things than trying to run a house on chicken power, but not many. I lost about 40 kilo of beef in the chest freezer too.

The 10 KVA is 3 phase, as I can't get 3 phase here from mains, & this helped justify buying the thing. This makes it frustrating as it has only 3 point something on each 240 phase, & can't be plugged into the house without some expensive stuff. My son reckons he'll make me something to do the job when he's home next.

Providing your own power has hair on it as far as I am concerned.

Yes understand Hasbeen, a simple timer wired between the two compressors would have ensured they never both start at the same time.
It could even be wired so no matter which one was turned on the time would delay the other.

There is web site, which I did not keep, of an Australian company that
makes NIFE batteries and they make them up to 50 amp hr if I remember.
I am looking into using them for a radio site.

BTW, on a web site of a club that Belly belongs to I have seen a
reference to him, so he is still around.