Far from the power lines, what to do?

[twinfin]

I have a small garage I recently had built for a Sprinter van. It’s not even close to any source of power and I don‘t really need electricity for its intended purpose. On the other hand, the usability and enjoyment of the space would be greatly enhanced even with just a little bit of electrical capacity so this is the unique solution I came up with.



First, I figured out needs: Lift-master Garage door opener, two LED lights, occasional use of a shop-vac and maybe charge up a cordless tool battery from time to time. Something with 2,000 watts of inverter capacity should be sufficient based on these needs and the EcoFlow Delta 2 Max was on sale during Amazon Prime Week so I placed my order.



Next I placed conduit and outlets on the wall where power was needed for the garage door opener and two lights. I painted the conduit and outlets boxes with Plasti-dip. Why Plasti-dip? I dunno, it’s just what i had on hand and thought I’d give it a try.



The wall lights come on when the garage door is activated or can be switched on manually with the wall switch for the garage door opener. I built a pedestal for each light to angle them slightly downward to better throw light to where it’s needed.





The next project was to build a proper shelf for the EcoFlow on the wall and then to bring power to the conduit. For a shelf, I used some leftover butcher block from another project. I bought a 3 foot, heavy gauge extension cord from Amazon to link the EcoFlow to the conduit above.



And because we live in earthquake country, I secured the EcoFlow to the shelf with a custom earthquake strap made of 1” webbing and an adjustable buckle. A couple of 1/2 inch steel pipe and fittings (painted black of course) provide additional support to the shelf since the EcoFlow weighs about 50 pounds.

Fortunately, when I had the Sprinter garage built, I had the contractor bring in some 1.25” conduit through the slab just in case. I ended up using this to bring in power from a solar array to the back of the EcoFlow which is the red cord seen in the photo above.

Below, is a photo of the solar array I built just outside the garage. It’s only holding up two small 100 watt panels but is stout enough for future expansion.



I hope you enjoyed this rather unique solution to providing power to small space far from the electric grid.

Cheers.

 

[mike93lx]

Looks good!

 

[Chuckster in NJ]

I like it!…….. Nice write up.

 

[BurtEggley]

I see an underground trench in your future.

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

Cool solution for a really nice looking garage!

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[cvairwerks]

Nice little setup. I would move that door release cord and ziptie it up on the side of the opener so that it can't be reached with a hook if someone were to force the edge of the door back. 5 cents worth of extra security since it's out away from everything.

 

[dave*99]

I see an underground trench in your future.

Leading where?

 

[justsam]

Nicely done! Does the Liftmaster have it's own internal battery back up as well? Any RF interference from the inverter causing grief with the the Liftmaster remote receiver?

 

[Chuckster in NJ]

Nice little setup. I would move that door release cord and ziptie it up on the side of the opener so that it can't be reached with a hook if someone were to force the edge of the door back. 5 cents worth of extra security since it's out away from everything.

This ^ is good advice for anyone with a GDO 'release cord' hanging down HOWEVER folks that live "away from power lines" (rural areas) have guns and criminals know this so, no zip tie needed.

BTW! When the weather breaks (maybe July) my buddy wants me to "electrify" his 300sf shed with a set up like the OP has…….. This is a project I am looking forward to.

 

[cvairwerks]

This ^ is good advice for anyone with a GDO 'release cord' hanging down HOWEVER folks that live "away from power lines" (rural areas) have guns and criminals know this so, no zip tie needed.

Depends on if one lives on the remote property or somewhere else.... Single building on a remote site, without obvious activity a significant portion of the time, is a ripe spot for crackhead attack in some areas. Go to some place like Loving County, Texas, and 90% of the county will know a stranger is around before you get 2 miles into the county...only 48 residents in the entire county....

 

[twinfin]

Nice little setup. I would move that door release cord and ziptie it up on the side of the opener so that it can't be reached with a hook if someone were to force the edge of the door back...

This ^ is good advice for anyone with a GDO 'release cord' hanging down HOWEVER folks that live "away from power lines" (rural areas) have guns and criminals know this so, no zip tie needed.

Chuckster, you got it exactly right!

We were very strategic in selecting our rural land with security in mind. The remote nature and character of our area and the distance and visibility of our land to public roads were taken into careful consideration before selecting and purchasing. Let’s just say, criminal access to the pull cord on the opener is not a serious issue where we live.

I’ve lived in areas where such precautions were foolish to neglect so I appreciate the security tip from cvairwerks but thankfully, we live under different circumstances now.

 

[dave*99]

Hopefully any criminals will end up wearing the zip ties.

 

[mike93lx]

Depends on if one lives on the remote property or somewhere else.... Single building on a remote site, without obvious activity a significant portion of the time, is a ripe spot for crackhead attack in some areas. Go to some place like Loving County, Texas, and 90% of the county will know a stranger is around before you get 2 miles into the county...only 48 residents in the entire county....

The pull cord doesn't matter at all. Someone is getting in that building if they want

 

[twinfin]

…Does the Liftmaster have its own internal battery back up as well? Any RF interference from the inverter causing grief with the the Liftmaster remote receiver?

The Liftmaster does come with a backup battery but I did not install it since it made no sense to me to have one in this kind of application. I repurposed the little backup battery elsewhere.

I haven’t experienced any kind of RF interference issues between the EcoFlow and any other devices in use.

 

[FTG-05]

I have a small garage I recently had built for a Sprinter van. It’s not even close to any source of power and I don‘t really need electricity for its intended purpose. On the other hand, the usability and enjoyment of the space would be greatly enhanced even with just a little bit of electrical capacity so this is the unique solution I came up with.



First, I figured out needs: Lift-master Garage door opener, two LED lights, occasional use of a shop-vac and maybe charge up a cordless tool battery from time to time. Something with 2,000 watts of inverter capacity should be sufficient based on these needs and the EcoFlow Delta 2 Max was on sale during Amazon Prime Week so I placed my order.



Next I placed conduit and outlets on the wall where power was needed for the garage door opener and two lights. I painted the conduit and outlets boxes with Plasti-dip. Why Plasti-dip? I dunno, it’s just what i had on hand and thought I’d give it a try.



The wall lights come on when the garage door is activated or can be switched on manually with the wall switch for the garage door opener. I built a pedestal for each light to angle them slightly downward to better throw light to where it’s needed.





The next project was to build a proper shelf for the EcoFlow on the wall and then to bring power to the conduit. For a shelf, I used some leftover butcher block from another project. I bought a 3 foot, heavy gauge extension cord from Amazon to link the EcoFlow to the conduit above.



And because we live in earthquake country, I secured the EcoFlow to the shelf with a custom earthquake strap made of 1” webbing and an adjustable buckle. A couple of 1/2 inch steel pipe and fittings (painted black of course) provide additional support to the shelf since the EcoFlow weighs about 50 pounds.

Fortunately, when I had the Sprinter garage built, I had the contractor bring in some 1.25” conduit through the slab just in case. I ended up using this to bring in power from a solar array to the back of the EcoFlow which is the red cord seen in the photo above.

Below, is a photo of the solar array I built just outside the garage. It’s only holding up two small 100 watt panels but is stout enough for future expansion.



I hope you enjoyed this rather unique solution to providing power to small space far from the electric grid.

Cheers.

Third picture down: What's missing? Guys with lifts will almost probably notice it immediately.

Nice setup! Where did you get the solar panels?

Thanks for posting!

 

[lolaetype]

A tidy solution. Just curious, how far is it from an electricity source?

 

[twinfin]

Third picture down: What's missing? Guys with lifts will almost probably notice it immediately.

Nice setup! Where did you get the solar panels?

Thanks for posting!

OK, I give up; what did I miss?

Solar panels came from Amazon. They’re 100 watts each which is plenty to keep the EcoFlow topped off. I did built the pole-mount to hold a much larger array if I ever decide I need more solar production.

 

[twinfin]

…Just curious, how far is it from an electricity source?

It’s about 3/4 of a mile from our house which also happens to be off-grid.

 

[dave*99]

Third picture down: What's missing? Guys with lifts will almost probably notice it immediately.

Nice setup! Where did you get the solar panels?

Thanks for posting!

I noticed that as lift won't help much with that tall Sprinter.

 

[dave*99]

The Liftmaster does come with a backup battery but I did not install it since it made no sense to me to have one in this kind of application. I repurposed the little backup battery elsewhere.

I haven’t experienced any kind of RF interference issues between the EcoFlow and any other devices in use.

Do you have the electric deadbolt for the Liftmaster? Mine came with one.

 

[twinfin]

Do you have the electric deadbolt for the Liftmaster? Mine came with one.

No, I don‘t have this feature but I’ve seen these deadbolt add-ons and they look like a nice option where extra security is needed.

 

[dave*99]

No, I don‘t have this feature but I’ve seen these deadbolt add-ons and they look like a nice option where Extra security is needed.

Can the door be lifted manually? I know it would be heavy since the opener would prevent the springs from helping.

 

[twinfin]

Can the door be lifted manually? I know it would be heavy since the opener would prevent the springs from helping.

The way it works is that once you pull the disconnect cord, the motor is disconnected from the door and the springs are free to assist in moving the door up or down.

The door opener was installed when the sectional door was installed but that was before I had the electrical system worked out. So for a while, I left the motor disconnected and just opened the 9x11 door manually. It was no trouble at all.

Hey, that’s two questions in a row about getting in! You’re not casing my place are you?? (Just kidding)

 

[dave*99]

The way it works is that once you pull the disconnect cord, the motor is disconnected from the door and the springs are free to assist in moving the door up or down.

The door opener was installed when the sectional door was installed but that was before I had the electrical system worked out. So for a while, I left the motor disconnected and just opened the 9x11 door manually. It was no trouble at all.

Hey, that’s two questions in a row about getting in! You’re not casing my place are you?? (Just kidding)

I have 2 doors and openers like yours. I believe a strong person or two could lift my door with the opener still engaged if I did not have the dead bolt. They would be lifting the weight of the door without help from the springs. The cables would go slack etc. I realize this is unlikely, just pointing out that gravity is providing security without the deadbolt.

This may be of no concern in your neck of the woods, I'll let you know after I finish casing the place.

 

[BurtEggley]

Leading where?

To a utility source. A garage is where we end up doing lots of things that eat electrons. Best guess is that we are either looking at bringing in power someday, or adding more batteries, solar, power and propane to make those electrons. That system is more than adequate to go in and out of a garage, or turn a light on once in awhile, but it will not be enough when we spend a whole day out there working on projects day after day. Soon someone will want to condition the air too. That is just how life is where garages are involved.

 

[dave*99]

To a utility source. A garage is where we end up doing lots of things that eat electrons. Best guess is that we are either looking at bringing in power someday, or adding more batteries, solar, power and propane to make those electrons. That system is more than adequate to go in and out of a garage, or turn a light on once in awhile, but it will not be enough when we spend a whole day out there working on projects day after day. Soon someone will want to condition the air too. That is just how life is where garages are involved.

The OP’s house is off grid And 3/4 mile away. I suspect utility power is not a concern.

 

[twinfin]

To a utility source. A garage is where we end up doing lots of things that eat electrons. Best guess is that we are either looking at bringing in power someday, or adding more batteries, solar, power and propane to make those electrons. That system is more than adequate to go in and out of a garage, or turn a light on once in awhile, but it will not be enough when we spend a whole day out there working on projects day after day. Soon someone will want to condition the air too. That is just how life is where garages are involved.

All good and valid points.

I have a shop near the house with all the proper things one would expect so no need to build out this space beyond what it was intended for.

 

[BurtEggley]

so it is only a parking garage. Yes, you did a wonderful job and it will last about 8 - 10 years before needing an update. Good job.

 

[FTG-05]

OK, I give up; what did I miss?

Solar panels came from Amazon. They’re 100 watts each which is plenty to keep the EcoFlow topped off. I did built the pole-mount to hold a much larger array if I ever decide I need more solar production.

All the structure and equipment associated with a typical chain-drive door opener.

I just converted one of my shop doors to that same Liftmaster door sidewinder door opener. Now, when I use my lift, I don't have to worry about hitting the door opener with the vehicle I'm raising.

 

[zimman]

so it is only a parking garage. Yes, you did a wonderful job and it will last about 8 - 10 years before needing an update. Good job.

Update for what?
Zim

 

[bwringer]

It's only in the last few years that the components to easily stick together a system like this are easily available off the shelf. I suspect we'll start seeing a lot more of these off-grid sorts of solutions.

If you see recent videos from people traveling or living in parts of the world with less infrastructure, these solar + battery setups are rapidly popping up all over the place for just about everything: street lights, irrigation, computers/internet, household lighting & fans, charging everyone's cell phones at night, etc. It's similar to how a lot of places that never got wired telecom infrastructure skipped straight to wireless, which is far easier and cheaper to install, secure, and maintain.

As noted, the only thing missing is HVAC, but then again that's missing from most garages with electricity as well. It could power a fan easily enough all day, and/or a roof or gable vent fan.

 

[zimman]

Depends on if one lives on the remote property or somewhere else.... Single building on a remote site, without obvious activity a significant portion of the time, is a ripe spot for crackhead attack in some areas. Go to some place like Loving County, Texas, and 90% of the county will know a stranger is around before you get 2 miles into the county...only 48 residents in the entire county....

I think that's typical of anywhere in the Country. Out in the country is out in the country. Known fact is we have weapons and like to use them. Op has done really good job building and outfitting so constant monitoring is probably there or will be soon. LOL
Zim

 

[zimman]

I have a small garage I recently had built for a Sprinter van. It’s not even close to any source of power and I don‘t really need electricity for its intended purpose. On the other hand, the usability and enjoyment of the space would be greatly enhanced even with just a little bit of electrical capacity so this is the unique solution I came up with.



First, I figured out needs: Lift-master Garage door opener, two LED lights, occasional use of a shop-vac and maybe charge up a cordless tool battery from time to time. Something with 2,000 watts of inverter capacity should be sufficient based on these needs and the EcoFlow Delta 2 Max was on sale during Amazon Prime Week so I placed my order.



Next I placed conduit and outlets on the wall where power was needed for the garage door opener and two lights. I painted the conduit and outlets boxes with Plasti-dip. Why Plasti-dip? I dunno, it’s just what i had on hand and thought I’d give it a try.



The wall lights come on when the garage door is activated or can be switched on manually with the wall switch for the garage door opener. I built a pedestal for each light to angle them slightly downward to better throw light to where it’s needed.





The next project was to build a proper shelf for the EcoFlow on the wall and then to bring power to the conduit. For a shelf, I used some leftover butcher block from another project. I bought a 3 foot, heavy gauge extension cord from Amazon to link the EcoFlow to the conduit above.



And because we live in earthquake country, I secured the EcoFlow to the shelf with a custom earthquake strap made of 1” webbing and an adjustable buckle. A couple of 1/2 inch steel pipe and fittings (painted black of course) provide additional support to the shelf since the EcoFlow weighs about 50 pounds.

Fortunately, when I had the Sprinter garage built, I had the contractor bring in some 1.25” conduit through the slab just in case. I ended up using this to bring in power from a solar array to the back of the EcoFlow which is the red cord seen in the photo above.

Below, is a photo of the solar array I built just outside the garage. It’s only holding up two small 100 watt panels but is stout enough for future expansion.



I hope you enjoyed this rather unique solution to providing power to small space far from the electric grid.

Cheers.

This is an amazing overlanding hideout build. I can imaging a firepit and some hammocks. LOL
Nice work.
Zim

 

[twinfin]

It's only in the last few years that the components to easily stick together a system like this are easily available off the shelf. I suspect we'll start seeing a lot more of these off-grid sorts of solutions….

…As noted, the only thing missing is HVAC, but then again that's missing from most garages with electricity as well. It could power a fan easily enough all day, and/or a roof or gable vent fan.

You’ve got that right about where we are today with off the shelf solutions for power. When I first started looking into living off grid, solar panels cost about 20-30 dollars per watt! By the time I bought my off-grid property to build our (off-grid) home, it was down to about 1 dollar per what which has been a real game changer.

Since people have mentioned HVAC, I’ll add that it doesn’t get too hot or too cold here along the coastal Pacific Northwest. We may get occasional frost at the lower part of the property or a brief dusting of snow some winters. Summer tempts are usually in the 70’s.

The garage is fully insulated, 2x6 walls. The sectional door is also insulated so inside temps stay fairly reasonable. I may add a propane heat source down the road but could go either way at this point. This is only my second winter for this garage and I’m monitoring inside temps and humidity to see if any additional steps are needed.

 

[twinfin]

This is an amazing overlanding hideout build. I can imaging a firepit and some hammocks. LOL
Nice work.
Zim

That’s actually a very good idea, especially the hammock!

 

[zimman]

That’s actually a very good idea, especially the hammock!

Sometimes you don't have enough time to speed out of town, air down and explore. Now just take the golf cart or side by side out to the garage and have a hot dog and marshmallows. LOL
Zim

 

[justsam]

The Liftmaster does come with a backup battery but I did not install it since it made no sense to me to have one in this kind of application. I repurposed the little backup battery elsewhere.

I haven’t experienced any kind of RF interference issues between the EcoFlow and any other devices in use.

Not sure if there is an inspection involved, but make sure that GDO back up battery is in place as Senate Bill 969 has a $1000 fine for violation. I am assuming you are in California as I believe it is the only state that mandates GDO battery back up.

 

[twinfin]

Not sure if there is an inspection involved, but make sure that GDO back up battery is in place as Senate Bill 969 has a $1000 fine for violation. I am assuming you are in California as I believe it is the only state that mandates GDO battery back up.

Thank you for reminding me why I fled California 12 years ago. Life is MUCH better now.

 

[BurtEggley]

Update for what?
Zim

Update as in replace due to life expectancy. No battery lives forever. Here, most of the people I know who went solar are on their second or third array in 25 years. The life expectancy is 10 years +/-. Backup batteries are typically 4 to 10 years, unless they get recalled for risk of fire. And then there is temperature. As an example, there was an article in the news yesterday about an EV bus fleet on the east coast. The EV batteries were listed in that huge "fire hazard do not park in garage or near house / business structure" list that is being released. I don't remember whether the list was fully released or just partially. Eventually all those batteries will be recalled but for now letters are going out that say do not park... . Anyway, if a battery ends up on a list like that, the scooters that explode etc., then the lifespan is less than average. But there was also something else in the bus article. Now that those buses are parked outdoors, they are exposed to low temperatures. What no one paid attention to when they were purchased, is that the will not recharge once they get below 40F. So - one has a garage with a battery that has some cut off below a certain temperature. What happens if it is 40F like the buses and the garage gets down to 30F for a week? Adding an electric heater will only shorten the time between charges. My guess is someone would need to add like a heated well house for them to keep them warm at minimum use of power to heat the area. Also figured that in 10 years the present items will no longer be available but something newer and better designed will be. Hence - an upgrade.

 

[zimman]

Update as in replace due to life expectancy. No battery lives forever. Here, most of the people I know who went solar are on their second or third array in 25 years. The life expectancy is 10 years +/-. Backup batteries are typically 4 to 10 years, unless they get recalled for risk of fire. And then there is temperature. As an example, there was an article in the news yesterday about an EV bus fleet on the east coast. The EV batteries were listed in that huge "fire hazard do not park in garage or near house / business structure" list that is being released. I don't remember whether the list was fully released or just partially. Eventually all those batteries will be recalled but for now letters are going out that say do not park... . Anyway, if a battery ends up on a list like that, the scooters that explode etc., then the lifespan is less than average. But there was also something else in the bus article. Now that those buses are parked outdoors, they are exposed to low temperatures. What no one paid attention to when they were purchased, is that the will not recharge once they get below 40F. So - one has a garage with a battery that has some cut off below a certain temperature. What happens if it is 40F like the buses and the garage gets down to 30F for a week? Adding an electric heater will only shorten the time between charges. My guess is someone would need to add like a heated well house for them to keep them warm at minimum use of power to heat the area. Also figured that in 10 years the present items will no longer be available but something newer and better designed will be. Hence - an upgrade.

He's not living there. Weekends at best. I'd think at least 10 years or more.
It's a hideout from the hideout.
Zim