Solar power off grid cabin -generator support

[Pilsner Man]

I need some help. I’m an electrical dummy.
I have an inherited off grid cabin that runs on 2 solar panels and 2 batteries. In the summer it has no issue keeping up with the led lights and water pump.
However in the fall there isn’t enough sun to keep up with the extended light use and shorter days.

I want to supplement the power with a Honda 3000 generator I have at the cabin without having extension cords all of the place.

What / how do I connect the generator into the system so I can run it to charge the batteries and run the lights?

Thanks for the help!

[Dean2]

Hook the generator to your batteries so it charges them using the correct charger for the batteries you have. You only need about 1000 watt inverter generator to keep the batteries charged. This way the batteries and your controller keep the led lights and pump safe and isolated.

The other choice would be to add a set of 110 volt led lights etc and run off the generator but the gen has to be running. With the batteries you can just add a couple more and only have to run the Genny occaisionally.

[Peace Meal Farm]

The LED lights and the water pump - are they 12v DC or 120v AC?

If the loads are 120v AC then my thought is to swap your current inverter to an inverter-charger. That way, when running the generator is automatically charging the 12v house batteries. Fancy enough components will have a function to remote start the generator when house battery voltage drops too low.

I run into similar issues at my place inthe Yukon come October when diminishing sun load renders my electrical setup not completely simple. I opted to run a simple set of 12v leads through the wall which connect directly to my house batteries. The 12v charge port on my generator tops things off at 10 amps pretty quickly.

[sirmike68]

At my cabin I use a Yamaha 1K genny to power everything during the day and have batteries to power everything at night. My power usage is mostly LED lights, TV, computer, and sleep machine. I use a Renogy 2000 Invertor/charger. When the genny is running its charging the batteries and powering the cabin. When I turn the genny off the invertor automatically switches to battery power instantly. I have used this system for years without issues. I am currently in the process of hooking up a couple of solar panels to keep the batteries fully charged when I leave. The 1K generator will run for 12-14 hours on a couple L of fuel in econo mode. 3K is overkill if all you a powering is lights and small small stuff.

[Immigrant]

I had the same problem till I upgraded my solar system. I used 100 feet metal clad cable from generator “enclosure” to the cabin. Squirrels and bears love to chew on regular extension cords. Then I wired it in to a wall socket where I plugged in my 10 amp Noco charger to charge the batteries. So I only had one cable going in to the cabin.

[ghfalls]

https://www.amazon.ca/PowerMax-PM4-3...s%2C117&sr=8-5

One of these will work good for charging the batteries. But adding more solar and a quality charge control like a Victron would help a lot. If it’s a fairly small overall draw, you don’t need a lot, but keeping the batteries above 50 percent charge always, makes them last a lot longer.

[ken1989]

I would look into checking status (condition) of existing batteries first. I would likely add more batteries and more solar panels. A small generator is definitely good backup.

[Big Grey Wolf]

My trapping partner is always farting around with solar panel and batteries in winter at his cabin. I use propane lights at mine and 20 Lb lasts for 2-3 years. PS he usually switches back to back up propane light!

[Pilsner Man]

Thanks for the ideas!
I’m certain that the existing panels are well past the best before date and I plan to get them updated but it’s low on the wife’s list of priority spending.

So the generator is the short term fix.
I’ll check out some of these ideas.