Dont go down the battery rabbit hole. There is inly one battery type on current market for off grid and that is Lithium Iron Phosphate (LifePo4). In the end no matter what path you take you will end up here with LifePo4. Save your money and just get them in the first place. They are cheaper not more expensive as they will outlast any other technology by years to decades. They are well over 90% efficient, they are not subject to thermo run away either. That would be Lithium Ion chemistry not lithium iron phosphate.
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Perfect…thanks. thats the kind of advice/ been there done that guidence i was looking for.
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Probably should not have posted. As soon as I did, our latest battery through a fault and is now not functioning.
Im now awaiting email response from Signature Solar. 
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At least they have a warrenty for replacement, right?
Bob
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They better! I just spent over $5k on this system. They have a five year warranty with a year to get your products registered.
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Hmm. I was going to just PM you the info Tone to not distract from Kenneth’s information search. But now two others asking wanting to know now too.
My pictured-up Victory model hearth and hopper were the first of this series. An experimental model type Ben Peterson built up ~2010. Was much modified, changed, evolved over two years into the later production model units. It had been built of set aside scrapped out previous larger Offgrider and other early all-SS model units.
Mines five jets. Production were 20% enlarged with six jets. Mine has the hearth to hopper flange just above the jets line. Production this was moved up 100mm to not then need expensive die cut super heat resistant flange seals. Mine has multiple testing ports and input-output ports piercing through the double walled insulation jackets. Production units not having these heat loss energy bleeds; and potential temperature differential spanning, later welds cracking air leaks.
My on DOW picture are buried now back on previous pre-DruPal format topics. Or on my earlier Apple and Google/Chrome computers failed transferred to memory sticks.
For the actual dimensions and relative picture see on Dean Lasko’s topic:
Internally dimension out of BenP’s later evolved Woodgas Builders Bible book.
One hour searching back on the DOW topic for my old pre-2015 pictures I found these pictures;
A Hottwatt model ~1/3 the size and maximum callability of a standard sized Victory model hearth system. (Ha! Lots in this this picture. See the V-shaped swirl flare? My remote mounted mixer experiment? See its engine exhaust air preheating so the air temp matched the cooled woodgas Temp. And more. My own persoanla Shop-vac electrical generator system loaders. My own back-pac firing up quick NOW! torch set.)
Then the same mini-unit later sold and owned now by Paul O’Brien:
Ha! Ask him for internals pictures.
I am not “perrrr-fect” system chaser. Not in gasifiers, cars, chainsaws, or women. I am very much a can make work kinnda’ guy.
Now for bicycles, hand wood splitting mauls and wedges: I am very very picky. A Perfectionist chaser. Details there makes for significant performance changes.
Steve unruh
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I guess they were just out of balance. How they can detect that without a com cable I dont know. But shut off the battery and let the other one drain down seems to have resolved the issue for now. I do know that it can take some time before the batteries will become fully balanced.
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I was just going to ask for that info but the other guy beat me to it, thank you for all the info. I will definitely be using it all in my project. I will also make sure to document everything so i can share my progress with everyone, hopefully i dont look over anything and if i do, definitely point it out. I really appreciate the support and knowledge I’m getting here from everyone!
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You may have already seen this Matt. I know I posted it a while back when I first saw it. You will probably even know what they are talking about.
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Tone. I have two of the Ben Peterson books. The newer one has the automated carb build section. I’m never going to do that and you probably would. PM me your address and I’ll be happy to send it to you.
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Since you’re already working with dimensional lumber, you could build a setup like this:
He just has a circular saw bolted to a frame, and a hopper mounted to a drawer slide.
If you want really small pieces you could copy his idea entirely, or leave them as jenga block sizes. That really depends on the engine/gasifier size.
Just giving ideas, a blade type chunker works with no sawdust waste. But there’s tons of uses for sawdust. Matt Ryder uses it as a disposable filter media for one, or you could use it in a composting toilet, or getting up oil spills.
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Man i love this idea! Thank you so much!
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Definitely look at the different Chunker builds too. @Norman89 uses a chunker for lumber and limbs,
If you have a differential laying around you could utilize that, or an old square baler or some other gearbox.
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Currently yes, I completely agree.
I am keeping my eye on GM, they figured out something. They have only offered teasers though. The ultium pack can handle multiple types of cells. If it is a new chemistry, they don’t have to change anything else to upgrade
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Yeah in 5 to 10 years Lithium will be a thing of the past. There are many new chemistries close to market ready now.
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I’ve been hearing that kind of thing since I got interested in the GM SunRaycer back in 1987.
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Welcome, Ken,
We are not too far away, we are in western Pa outside of Meadville., I too am getting started with a charcoal gasifier to run a backup generator. Another alternative energy forum that may help your design is fieldlines.com. We have too many cloudy days for solar, and I long to build a wind turbine with charcoal gasification as backup and extra power for my shop. If I can help you, let me know I have steel fabrication and manual machining capabilities.
kent
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I don’t think Lithium is going away. It works well because it is higher density then a lot of the other technologies, which makes it good for space or weight restricted applications. I do think it will improve. But I do think other technologies especially for stationary storage will start to mature over the next 10 years, and we will move away from lithium.
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Lithium itself isn’t the issue, it’s the more dangerous metals like cobalt that need to be done away with.
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