Chicken Coop Solar Panel Install (2023)

Introduction

Finally I got the solar panels installed next to the chicken coop. The process it went fairly smoothly. But I think there will be changes soon! We also had some moose visit!

Video

All right guys.

So this is the gonna be the second video of the solar preparation.

Um, I couldn't find my uh intro and exit videos.

So I have to re record them.

So few of me you'll see that I have more of a beard in this video and stuff.

But uh, I couldn't find them.

I don't know where they went so sorry about that guys.

But uh, anyway, so you'll see, uh, me finishing the rest of the preparations, uh, I'm gonna be installing the solar panels, not the wiring, but this the panels and the frame and in this video.

So anyway, hopefully enjoy and uh, keep watching though because I got some uh, cool footage of uh, some moose and stuff in the in the video as well, I'm, not sure exactly where it is yet, but it'll be in there.

So, uh, make sure you keep watching for that and uh, I'll see you in a bit all right? So I've taken out the panel out of the box to get the proper dimensions.

Yeah, I know you can get them online, but I'd rather just do them in person.

Uh measure them in person, because you never know if the dimensions on the website are accurate or not this glue.

And uh, these panels here are different than the ones I have in my rv.

The rv ones are not the eclipse version.

I got those about four years ago, uh that worked really well.

But these ones have been rated for the price.

I've seen reviews and to be honest with youtube reviews.

I use some of them to base my uh purchasing habits on.

But a lot of them are just paid adverts.

So, uh, you never tell because I've bought a lot of things that some big people have recommended and uh, they're crap.

So anyway, from my experience, uh, renegy panels are good.

I know that there's other people out there that have tested these, uh against some cheaper options and found that these pr underperform a little bit or are about the same.

So you know, you might be smart to, uh, just buy the cheaper versions.

But I I trust the renergie product so far, and like I said, I'm, not sponsored so just my own views on this and uh, I've trusted them.

So they and they've done really really well for me we like I said in a previous video, I think we've driven across, uh, all the way from canada, all the way down to texas and all around that area for multiple times.

Now for a couple months at a time because before the current situation, um and uh, we we stayed for entire almost two months on.

I think it was almost two months more than half or something anyway on solar without uh, charging up so or generators or anything.

So I know they work and they're pretty good quality.

So I stuck with them anyway.

So these are eclipse panels.

My rv had the regular older panels on it for just regular solar panels.

These also have the black around it, which I find nice and that's the back all right.

Let me just measure these I'm going to actually flip it around this.

I don't scratch any of the front make sure I don't hit the front of the other one either.

Okay.

So it is 21 basically inches by say, 41., 21 by 41 and the depth.

I don't think really matters, but I'll, take it anyway, 21 by 41.

And what is that one and three each or something? Yeah, uh, if you guys notice I'm in canada and I use inches, but I also use centimeters.

I also use miles I'll also use kilometers.

I use feet, and I never use meters unless it's in meters already, uh, just how we do it up here.

Most of us.

I mean, some of us are strictly meters and strictly meters and centimeters and a lot of stuff millimeters and a lot.

But not typically you'll find most canadians use a mixture of everything and ounces and grams all that stuff.

So milliliters to liters all all that stuff, uh, it's kind of a mixed bag up here.

So I came back.

I had to go grab these from the house, the uh brackets for the solar panel.

If I recall correctly they go like this, I believe you bolt them on any one of these spots here, I'll probably put mine like that.

And then, uh, you can obviously screw them into whatever you're mounting them to there.

Bolt them on there.

They come with all the stuff you need for that in the package.

Now I do have a bit of a problem though I totally forgot about the brackets for these.

And I ordered the extra panel without them.

So I think I anyway, I think that probably is probably a good thing.

I'll order some more anyway, but I think I'm going to hook up four panels first to see what kind of juice is pulling in here because different part of the world than I was before.

So I have no idea what the sun's like it feels more powerful here, but oh, whatever right, whatever that means so I'm gonna build the uh stand for them all and put them where I'm gonna put them, but then I'm gonna leave one spot open at the end for the fifth panel if I need it.

And then by then I'll have the brackets if that's the case.

So, but I definitely want to test this first to see if I'm going to need a fifth panel, because I can always use that panel somewhere else in the future right? Because I do have more plans for more solar.

All right.

So I got four of the five panels done with the brackets on them.

Yeah, we're.

Not pretty easy.

Okay.

So I'm gonna check the watches and stuff to make sure that everything's.

Okay, with just the four panels at first, because if you read the wattages, I don't know, if you guys can see the reflections and stuff, hopefully you can.

This is the one.

I think short circuit optimum optimum.

This is the one I'm a little concerned with the 21.2 volts here because the uh mppt charge controller.

I think has a maximum of a hundred volts if I'm not mistaken and uh, like I said, if it changes I'll, if it's different, I will mention that later.

So anyway, I put four panels in there, and it gets the perfect sunlight and perfect everything.

And I hit that hundred volts, uh limit or the 21 points, two volts per panel.

Five panels that's over 100 volts, right? So I'll, see, I don't think it'll ever hit max.

I don't think my ones in the trailer ever hit max even in texas and arizona and a lot.

So it's the wrong time of year, though it's winter time technically.

So anyway, we'll see how it goes with four.

And then if I notice like his summer comes and stuff it's nowhere near or well, it should be near that.

But uh, if it's in the 18s, the highest kind of thing then I'll, throw another panel on anyway.

So that's them now time to build the uh stand for them, I'm still debating where I'm going to put them.

And I want to build a stand and then realize I don't want it there so kind of uh stressed me a little bit anyway.

Okay.

So what I've done is just temporarily, put that post up there, well, not temporarily, but that one's temporary possibly temporary, and then I'll put another one at the right height to match the solar panel where the brackets and solar panels are.

So the top bracket will go along those boards.

I'm gonna put probably uh, two by fours down this way, actually and then, uh, one down there a board across there firm that up, and then eventually I'll reinforce the back and all that stuff before I put the panels on.

But I just want to see get the right angles for the panels and stuff.

Anyway, it says that that was level, uh, it's slightly off.

Now I put a little higher than it should be only because there's some snow down there.

So I'm, hoping when everything melts, the thing is going to lower a little bit so I'm, thinking, it'll, just level itself off a little.

These are four foot each better all right.

Let's, put this up here, hi slide.

Buddy.

What are you doing going to check out what's going on? Oh, yeah, it has to go that way.

Look at this, my thoughts are obviously I'm going to use a shorter post for this.

But I want to get an angle.

I want from the ground.

So then I can measure off that back post and make a board to come out and screw it in and keep that angle all the way down for each each post, let's cut the boards, the same length, and it should be should be pretty close now it's really hard to tell on camera.

But the sun comes up over there, and it arches and gets up there somewhere and then comes back down the summer.

It may be higher.

I haven't looked into all that stuff.

But worst case scenario I can make these longer or shorter, maybe I'll eventually put a little lever system in here for different times of the year.

So I can push the panels out and bring them back anyway, that's another whole different thing.

So my theory is, I don't want them completely flat here, because that would be the easiest to screw the post up and put the panels on right, definitely the easiest idea to do easiest way to go.

But I don't think, even though the sun is on a good angle there, I don't think that's the best idea I I still think they should have slight angle.

Uh, I could be wrong with that.

But I'm gonna go for a slight angle like I said, worst case, scenario, let's, remove the post later and see so it's, cut 19, uh, centimeters off of this told you back and forth it's, funny between inches centimeters, canadian american way of doing things funniest.

Okay, apparently, I have to pre-drill this for some unknown reason doesn't make sense to me, but why you have to pre-drill two by fours? I am using pretty big screws.

Okay, all, uh.

So let's, see how this looks now let's.

See? Right? There? See there? I think that's, good that's, actually a better way of doing it.

I like that a little bit of an accident.

My camera fell sorry.

I got one screw up here, uh on the post here and I'm gonna put one I'm gonna put one down here.

I don't know what they're squawking about there.

They've had their eggs today as far as I know, 12 eggs today.

Guys crazy good stuff, though, not complaining we're, getting too many a day though so we might have to start selling some.

I'd give them away, but we don't know anybody here yet that we would want to give them to.

So I don't think homeless shelters or anything like that take them because they're, not like professionally done or whatever so I'm gonna check around for that, though that'd be a good idea.

There we go.

Okay.

I think the battery might be getting a bit low in this saw here.

We'll see, 19.

Okay, yeah.

I think the batter is getting low that's.

Okay, almost done for the day.

Anyway, all right, that's.

Good, still.

Okay.

All right.

Amazing.

How many screws you go through in doing this kind of stuff? I can bolt and nails and things.

Okay, one for now.

Okay, it's getting dark.

I thought I wasn't gonna be able to finish anything else.

But I think I figured out a good temporary solution, I'll test it through some wind.

When some wind starts, but uh.

Anyway, this is what I've done so far, uh, it's just about to get dark.

So I wanted to squeeze this last bit of video in here before I start again tomorrow.

So I don't know what I told you before, but I got them on an angle here.

The solar panels will share each two by four so that's, one, two, three, four, two, uh panels room for a fifth anyway.

And then I went through and uh, fastened another, screw on the top of each one of those.

And then underneath here into there, just to give something some extra strength, because this is where the brunt of the wind's gonna hit.

Then I put these up, uh to sturdy.

The whole thing like it's, pretty strong that up there in the corner.

Here is not the strongest in the world, um the situation.

So I'm gonna pop this off tomorrow, put some screws in.

And I could I might even take it off and cut an angle.

My my skill saw has run out of power here so batteries.

I've been using those batteries for days.

Yeah, seriously.

Amazing anyway, um.

And then I put this one down here on here.

And then I screwed it from underneath in two.

And then I put some extra screws in this to fasten it on a little bit better.

So if it gets pulled at all by the wind now, another slight, uh issue possible issue is that now this kind of gives animals a clear path to the roof.

So I'm, not sure what I want to do about that.

I may put spikes along the top that might be a good idea.

Actually get those bird spikes.

Yeah.

I can even actually do that because the panels come out here.

I can put spikes along there as well.

That'll be a good idea.

It's, the little animals that are most dangerous here, besides a bear, uh, bear could get in there.

So besides the bear there's, nothing else other than that, the like minks or all right trying to find this places garbage.

I think they're, uh, minks, mink, a few things here that uh, weasels and all those martens and all the small little creatures they're.

The ones that cause the problem nothing is getting in this like a coyote or nothing fox unless I had like days and days to work at it they're, not getting in so I'm, not worried about them, it's the little guys.

So if I put spikes up there, the bird spikes, I think that'll help that'll prevent those little guys crawling all over it there's a or just, uh, puts, uh, nails through myself.

Actually anyway, I figured that out so that's, the only drawback I can see with this situation and possibly it, not being strong enough that would hold the wind right against the wind.

But I can also put more here and then, uh, uh, rebar them into the ground as well to post there.

But we'll see like I think this is gonna be it's gonna take quite a windstorm to.

I mean, that's pretty strong.

I mean, it is possible though so anyway, that's, what I've done today I'll be back tomorrow with uh, more updates of my progress here and some more building probably and the last look at the ladies bye.

Ladies nice, lie buddy.

Okay.

It's morning.

I look like crap, but I got up and uh, jamie took the dogs out, and they started barking and freaking out and right in front of us.

Okay, the house is there.

The truck is right here you look here and the door is really slippery right now you see little lick marks right.

Okay? And then over here, oh, wow.

Hopefully you guys can get that do you see all those marks it's? Those lick marks they were here for a while.

So two moose are standing out the mom and her young it's, not a baby anymore.

But you know her kid, whatever, uh, we're out here, licking the truck about 50 feet away.

Yeah, 50 feet.

Yeah, anyway, that was entertaining they.

They tend to lick the trucks in that for the salt.

We found that out in jasper national park.

One year when one of the moose came up to my car as I was watching her, I started licking the salt off of it.

So that's where they come to like your car for if you're ever curious wherever see that happen that's, what they're doing they're getting salt from the roads off your car, which is I'm, not sure if that's great for them.

But anyway, they went off that way somewhere.

So hopefully they're not over there, still at least close to where we're going.

Oh, I think there's poop over there.

Yeah, they're poop.

Anyway.

So I thought that show that I got a little bit of video on my phone, uh, as they were leaving, but I didn't really have it on me at times.

So, uh, they're a distance away, but it's good I'll include it in the the front video, it's.

Okay, it's.

Okay.

I got your blood going didn't it.

Well, do you blame? Her that's? The baby moves right there that we can still see she's, no longer really a baby.

Hey, james leave him alone.

It's.

Okay.

Look at how they casually just walk away.

Yeah, they even walked here, really casually.

Yeah, they're heading over to the back area there.

Okay, I don't know if you guys can see it, but the moose is still actually we're heading to the chicken coop.

And she is right there.

I think that's, the mom, I hope it's, the mom because I don't know where the baby is don't worry, sweetheart, we're, not going to hurt.

You we're just going to the chicken coop.

Yeah, she's gone.

I don't know where mom must be further in her baby, huh, where? Oh the dark spot.

Yeah, yeah.

The camera can't really see him.

He looks so angry from the front.

I told you that's, what he was gonna do, oh, the moose is there.

Jamie where the moose are back? Oh, my goodness, what amazing place? Oh, both of them are there.

I can see the shadow of the other one I'll, zoom into this.

If it's not close the best I can through the mesh, he can see them.

Man are you warning the girls? Oh, where is he? Oh, no, he's still on the ground.

Oh, no, he's heading back that way.

Yeah.

Now, he's chasing the girls he's, not worried about the moose.

Anyway.

This is what we deal with here.

Yeah, crazy chickens and don't, give a flying rat's poopy that we're here and they'll keep their distance a little bit, which is good.

But uh, yeah, they don't care.

There's, queenie today, queenie's back out.

Yeah, notice back in because the other ones are all crowding her again, everybody, yeah, all right.

So it's.

The next day, uh, you might have seen a little clip of the moose this morning.

So pretty funny, uh, amazing.

Anyway, let's get on with this.

What we have to do today here, because I got tons to do, you might not see all of it in this video, but I got other tons of other stuff as well.

So anyway, I guess I was saying that this is what we finished.

What I finished yesterday, um, I have the panels now as you've seen we'll, put them in truck, probably, uh, there's tape and stuff.

All right? I got the panel so I'm gonna mount them with the screws that came with them with my little rusty drill bit.

Put one in okay, all right.

Let's, put another one here.

So okay, so here's.

The first two they're, looking pretty good, yeah, looks pretty nice.

And I think the angle, I know, it's probably really hard to tell on camera.

But I think the angle is okay for this position like yeah, I think it's pretty good the sun's normally like if it wasn't cloudy, it would be right there and they're kind of angled up a little bit.

So I think that's a decent angle, but like I said, I can always mess with that later, it'll definitely be good enough for now that'll definitely prevent most of snow from covering them or not too, which is great, huh, that's a little off.

So all four in pretty well aligned.

I mean, this last one here is a little off, but I can see it going that way on those seems a little off there, but no big deal I'm.

Not worried about it holds them up nice.

I think they're fairly sturdy.

So and then, uh, what I did here and you'll see me in the next video hooking, all these up all the cords at the top.

And then I can ride them through and up there and into the coop.

So I think that's gonna be pretty nice.

I said, not like super fancy, but I'm, not that type of guy.

So I just get stuff done the best I can with what I got, especially with prices and stuff.

Nowadays, I just don't want to spend the money on metal and a lot.

So although it's not cheap either all right as I said in the beginning, I've lost my beginning and my exit footage.

So, uh, yeah, we have to have to do it again.

But anyway, uh, yeah.

So hopefully you guys enjoyed that I'll have the uh solar panel actual solar panel, install that actually may be a two video, uh, series as well, uh, because there's so much so much more to it than I was, uh thinking for in terms of video footage.

So and there's a lot of things that I've changed like, I said, I lost my exit footage.

So I can discuss more now than I could have when I originally recorded, it there's a lot more to the solar stuff here because it's cold and it's, not installed in a warm place, um in the solar videos.

I will go over some of that, but I'll have another future.

Video, where I'll talk about more about what I've done because of the temperature and it messes with the batteries and a lot of stuff.

Sorry, I'll discuss that a little more in a future video.

But uh.

Anyway.

So those two videos one or two videos, possibly two will come up shortly and uh, hopefully you enjoyed this one and uh, I'll, see you soon please like subscribe share and comment below and I'll, see you next one guys.

Thank you.