We finally put a mini-split unit in my home and liked the unit for cooling the lower level living area and occasional heat if needed.  So I was thinking about putting one in our NH lake house.  After seeing the hybrid solar units I wanted to try one out before ordering the 9k btu unit for NH.  The 9k DIY units were still just in promotion stage and not being sold yet so I purchased the standard 12k EG4 unit to test out in my back garage to see if it would even work well or be worth the expense.  The older units like mine you had to vacuum out the lines after connecting the lines to the system before you let out the freon from the outdoor unit.  The new 12k DIY units and the 9k DIY units do not need to have that done.  You will see in the pictures that I had purchased an inexpensive unit from Amazon and just did the process myself.  It wasn't difficult and honestly worth having the stuff around for future things.  

The mini-split itself was pretty easy to install and mount.  Lots of good video tutorials out there for anyone who wants to tackle it.  Just be sure you angle your drain line down and be very careful with moving or bending your copper lines.  Once it was mounted and I built a stand for the main outside unit all I had to do was run the solar power to it.  I purchased and installed a breaker box for the solar as you can see in the pictures.  I started with 6 24v 240w solar panels but ended up doing 8.  They are in a horrible spot and only temporary so they don't get the right amount of sun to run this unit fully on solar.  It also happens to be winter so sun is not as strong.  

Once I got the unit connected and left the vacuum pump and gauges for 24 hours with no movement I was comfortable the setup was all good.  I connected the solar to the unit and had a temporary AC power connected to the unit.  If I keep the setup permanently there I will have a permanent AC setup done.  I was able to fire up the unit with the remote given and test out all features for heat and cooling.  I then downloaded the app to my phone for the units and was now able to watch how much is being drawn from solar and compensated by AC power when not enough watts coming from solar.  If you see the photos below the first one is on cooling (which takes less watts to run than heat) and I had only 6 panels at that time hooked up and leaves still on trees.  Was getting almost no solar power to unit and barely hitting 100 watts.  The second one is from a cloudy day a few days ago with 8 panels and no leaves on tree but winter sun.  This is cold NE winters so solar isn't ideal.  As you can see it was ranging from 250 to 300 watts drawing from solar and the rest from AC power.  I would expect with proper placement of panels getting direct sunlight I should be able to run that unit during normal sun days from just 6 panels but would likely use 8 to be sure.  

I am actually pleased with the unit and may end up keeping it in its current location and ordering the 9k DIY unit for NH.  It is nice to be able to offset the normal power usage it would take from grid power and run solar panels.  If you have an off grid setup you would just tie your AC side into your battery bank inverter setup.  The unit has a built in inverter system for the solar DC side so it would run directly from panels for whatever draw you can get and then draw the rest from your battery bank setup.  It is actually a very nice setup.

The links below are for the new DIY 12k and 9k units that don't require you to do a vacuum of the lines:

EG4 Hybrid Solar Mini-Split Air Conditioner Heat Pump AC/DC | 12000 BTU

EG4 9K Mini-Split Air Conditioner Heat Pump | 9000 BTU |

When I was looking to install an EG4 Hybrid mini-split system I needed solar panels and some sort of mounting hardware for the panels.  I thought about making my own mounts but then came across this kit.  I ordered 2 kits and setup one temporarily since I need to move the panels to a new location before I mount both sets full of panels.  Each kit easily holds the four 24v solar panels I used with extra room on the rails.  I can have 5 panels on each with a little overhang on each end if I choose to.  My panels happen to be 39" wide.  I ended up setting an extra panel on the end and having 3 more standing up for 8 panels total while testing the mini-split.  What I really liked about this kit is I couldn't build this kit for what I paid for each one and they are easily customized and come with a ton of mounting hardware and hold down clamps for various size solar panels since some are thicker than others.  You can adjust your angles and even though it is a ground mount setup that you can put on various mounting surfaces (cement, 4x4s, 6x6s etc) you can also modify for angled roof mounting fairly easily.  The video below shows the setup and how easy it was and the few things you need to pay attention to while setting it up.  The best thing is if the mount holes they have don't work for your needs you can drill quickly whatever you want in the hardware.  The way it came worked out well for me though.  You can view the product with the link below.

EG4 BrightMount Solar Panel Ground Mount Rack Kit

I needed some sort of solution for having winter water at the lake to the kitchen sink during the winter for when we visit.  We normally draw water from lake with a jet pump (as others at the lake do) during most of the year.  I will be working on doing a well soon so we can have year round water and not have to deal with the lake water.  Luckily it is a spring fed lake with multiple springs and is also tested a few times a year for water quality.  We don't drink the water but use it for most other things.  This setup now gives me hot and cold water to the kitchen sink for dishes and whatever water supply we need.  

I use a 12v RV water pump and used water grade plastic hose wrapped in foam insulation and then buried that goes down into the water.  I am not sure how it will fair during dead of winter when lake gets frozen over but I will know very soon.  That RV pump then feeds a split valve that sends cold water directly to the faucet and then feeds the hot water tank under the sink.  That is a small electric one I purchased at Home Depot many years ago and ended up replacing it after the first test because it leaked a little around the pressure release valve.  The one in the video is the new one.  Normally you need a foot valve on you water supply from the lake to keep the water from going back into the lake and breaking the prime seal in the jet pump but with this setup the RV pump is self priming and holds pressure.  So the end of that hose has a filter on it instead of a foot valve making it easier to winterize that water line when leaving.  The setup works very well.  I have a couple of Lifep04 batteries there but also large lead acid ones for the boat trolling motors so I can use those under the sink for power.  

It is really a huge difference having that water supply instead of fancy camping in the winter.  

Well I had an extra hood ornament lying around for an old project car from years ago and got bored on day and decided to avoid real work and have some fun.  Some quick metal shaping of extra stuff I had lying around the garage and by the end of the day had a little boat.  Luckily my daughter is a graphic artist/artist so she was kind enough to do a quick silver pinstripe between the two colors because I am old and would have made a mess of it.  Not in the pictures but just the video.  

I was looking for an outdoor charging setup for my trolling batteries for my little bass boat and also to charge my power tool batteries.  I had extra lumber from projects and wanted a little extra covered storage under deck as well.  So I built this little enclosure and setup the solar station.  Below the pictures you will see the itemized list of things I purchased for this.  You can easily get the price down to $150 or so if you watch for sales or choose a different solar panel.  I just happened to be at a Harbor Freight store near the lake and just grabbed what they had.  I will also do a quick video later once things thaw out up there to show the exact setup.  I charge my Lifep04 batteries as well as big lead acid batteries and it only takes a minute or two to change the settings back and forth on the solar charge controller based on which battery type.  

 

I needed something to put over the holding tank cover at the lake and had a bunch of scrap wood lying around from projects.  I don't show any how to build info because it really was just a basic building project.  It worked perfectly, is functional and gave me something to tinker with.  Surprising results of the well at end of video. 

In addition to spending time at the range with friends we also decided to test out some rubber dummy grenades my buddy Rick found online from a vendor.  We both have Yugo SKS rifles with the grenade launchers built into the rifles.  The dummy grenades are pictured here and I will try to find out where we bought them: