Homestead mailing list

["Lynda" <lurine AT com-pair.net>]

Hopefully they have improved the ability of solar/battery chargers.  There 
was no way they put out anywhere near the "zap" the wired in chargers did. 
My horses could have cared less about the electric fence with the battery 
charged unit and it was supposed to be good enough to keep bulls in!  I had 
to go back to the wired in units.

The difference with the batteries is that regular batteries is that regular 
batteries are made to give you a whole bunch of juice for a short period of 
time and the deep cycle batteries are made to give you a surge when you need 
it but give you a steady current over a long period of time.  They are also 
designed to "survive" repeated drawn downs and what is called "deep" 
recharging.  That will kill a regular car type battery.

If you take the two batteries apart, the marine batteries have 
bigger/thicker plates in them.

Lynda

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "EarthNSky" <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>

> I've been out working on the fence today in preparation for renting the
> pasture-gotta have some kind of income, you know?
> When we first moved here, we bought a fence charger, the Cyclops Brute,
> that was simply awesome.  It was better than any charger I've seen.
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~dtaylor409/order.htm
>
> 8 Joules, low impedance.  (I can never think or write Joules without
> recalling the lady at the farm store who sold it to me-she appropriately
> called it "Jolts". <g>)  It took a severe lightning strike and was a
> goner, and even though we have bought other chargers, none were as
> powerful as the Cyclops.  I was working near the end of the line one day
> and got zapped.  The damn thing knocked me back 10 feet and I 'came to'
> on my hands and knees facing the opposite direction.  That will get your
> attention.  It certainly got the goats attention, too.  Now, I want/need
> another one as I am hoping that it will keep the horses from trying to
> lean over the fence.
> As you can see, they are pricey.  I'll charge the expense-pun intended
> because it is worth every penny of $250.  My question though is about
> solar..
>
> If you notice on the above page they also sell the Brute Battery/Solar
> for $535 that includes a 50 watt solar panel.  The way I am looking at
> this is that for $285 more, I can off the grid with this.  If that is an
> incorrect assumption, please advise me.
>
> I had no idea of how large a 50 watt panel was so I searched around and
> I see this page:
> http://www.affordable-solar.com/bp.solar-350J-50watt-solar-panel.htm
> where the panel is $300.
>
> So here is my thinking...If I go solar, then perhaps I can use the saved
> energy battery power for not only the charger, but for other things if I
> don't have animals in the pasture.  If I bought the package from Taylor,
> do you think there would be some limiting factor(output or whatever)
> that would make the panel useful only with the Cyclops? or do you think
> I would be able to use the solar derived energy to run something else-a
> telescope perhaps, or run heat lamps for brooding chicks?
>
> I always hear people talk about deep cycle marine batteries when talking
> about wind or solar energy.  Practically, what is the difference between
> a regular 12 volt battery and a marine battery?
>
> Now for the really stupid questions...electricity is not my thing..
> If I have the charger run from the battery, and the battery is low or
> not fully charged(say it has been cloudy and raining all week), the
> horse won't get 8 Joules, right?  Will it be close or will it vary?  If
> he touches the fence and then a minute later does it again, will the
> second shock be as strong as the first one?
>
> I never underestimate an animal's intelligence.  I know they will test
> and try to find a weak spot in a fence.  If the charger is losing
> strength with every discharge, and the battery is not being recharged by
> the panel, then a horse or a goat will eventually win the game.  I don't
> want that.  I want every shock to be the same.  Do I have to go with AC
> power in order to guarantee that?
>
> Are all solar panels created equal-would these work?  Is one type better
> than another?  Is any one brand of cell better?
>
> http://www.amazon.com/50-Watt-Solar-Panel-Crystalline/dp/B000NPM64U
> http://www.affordable-solar.com/bp.solar-350J-50watt-solar-panel.htm
> http://www.infinigi.com/sunwize-sw50-50-watt-solar-module-12v-p-2291.html?ref=100
> http://store.sundancesolar.com/50wasopa.html?productid=50wasopa&channelid=FROOG
> http://www.altersystems.com/catalog/ge-50-watt-solar-panel-p-96.html
>
>
> Aside: It may mean nothing, but notice how many companies are sold out
> or have no panels to sell.  IMO, that is scarier than a low day on Wall
> Street.
>
> Other than purchasing some type of battery for the system, what other
> hidden costs are there with going solar for fence charging (or whatever)
>
> And finally, what else could I reasonably do with a 50 watt solar panel
> and a battery or two?  I guess I would need an inverter for powering a
> computer or something, right? Maybe something like this?
> http://www.earthtechproducts.com/inverter-sw600.html Is one panel and
> one battery enough to power a desktop computer for an hour?
>
>
> I don't know why, but I have some kind of mental block when it comes to
> understanding solar power and electrical stuff in general.  IIRC, the
> previous fence charger (AC) cost about $10-$15 a month to run.  That was
> 10 years ago. Even with those prices, the panel should pay for itself in
> about two years.  What is the life of a solar cell/panel?
>
> Thanks for taking the time to read and think about this.
>
> Bev
> --
> I am having an out-of-money experience.
> http://erthnsky.blogspot.com/
> EarthNSky Farm, Northwest Georgia, USA
>
> _______________________________________________
> Homestead list and subscription:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead
> Change your homestead list member options:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/homestead/lurine%40com-pair.net
> View the archives at:
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/homestead