Uh-Oh -- My Solar System Had a Power Failure

My mobile knife sharpening business is solar powered.

I have portable solar panels, a 12 volt deep cycle storage battery, and a power inverter. 

I have the battery and the power inverter installed into a rolling Stanley tool box. This setup works quite well -- everything is self contained, and I can roll the package where I need. The exception is that it is crowded in the tool box, so it is difficult to access to check and service the equipment inside. 

Solar Power System Troubleshooting

The other day I clicked on the inverter to start up the knife sharpening, and nothing. The power inverter would not turn on. 

I took the power inverter out, hooked it up to my spare battery and got to work sharpening knives. Later I troubleshot the system, discovering that a cable had come loose. 

I fixed everything and re-assembled the tool box. 

I need to redesign the setup -- get it so the cables and connections are accessible.

The weather up in San Bruno was not the ideal solar collector weather — and most definitely not the best 'working outside' weather. Looking at the photo above you can see how wet it was.

Lunardi's San Bruno Weather Out the Window

And look at this picture! This is inside Lunardi's San Bruno looking outside at my knife sharpening booth. Look at the weather, look at the weather blowing around my banners. It was brutal outside that day!

I am proud that my system worked the entire day. It was a bit slow, and a bit of sun peeked out now and then — so everything worked fine.

Zanotto's Willow Glen Mobile Knife Sharpening

Fortunately my next mobile knife sharpening stop was sunny San Jose! This is at Zanotto's Willow Glen today, Friday. It was a good day, busy, but not so busy that the battery ran down. It was sunny enough that I gain battery charge. I don't think the battery was filled to capacity — but close. If tomorrow is average in knife sharpening customers — and sunny — I should be just fine!

Well, Saturday was NOT sunny! The day was average busy — so I used my backup battery, kept aiming the solar panels towards where I THINK the sun was — and squeaked through another day.

I am writing this on Saturday night, and tomorrow — Sunday — I am going to Gene's Fine Foods in Pleasanton. Gene's is often busy, and the beginning of the day is shaded by the building... I have the two batteries at home on a battery charger, topping them off.

This is probably the third time I had failed to operate 'Off the Grid' and charge up the batteries at home. Running this system since March of last year, using house power three times is OK in my book.