Hidden power loss

[thirteen]

I am getting down to the final penciling list of my power needs. I am looking for unknown hidden power losses in a system. Some of my concerns are things that I do not find or realize that use power.  I plan on light switch power strips for things like my computer system, my hydrophonics room. It has a small light system that is on a timer and a small metering system for the water flow nutrants. There is no funace or electric stove, no air conditioner, no coffee pot, no electric water filter, no electric water heater, no water pump except for a 24v booster pump when I use the on demand water heater. I have a gravity flow domestic water system. I will end up with an electric fridge in 2yrs, no fish tank, no dishwasher, no microwave. The only fans I will have is a small one for my water line heating (a computer fan) system used when it get cold outside and one in my workshop when I need it.
Does an isolation transformer use power if it is not used? I want one for my computer system for I will need to make a booster station up the mountain 250-300 ft if I want internet.  I heat with wood and cook with wood.
For my battery bank system I will end up with three transformers that will take high voltage from my water turbine and take it down to the banks voltage. There will be voltage meter on each lead. The solar system will be control ed by a controller. There will be a read out in the house for the battery bank voltage.
With hidden ghost power thieves around I am concerned about things while I am gone for a couple of months at a time or during the winter months when power making is at my lowest. Just asking for a couple of things to look for. Thanks

[DamonHD]

There will be some losses in any transformer.

Rgds

Damon

[thirteen]

It will cost more but I am thinking about putting breakers on all of the leads to and from the battery bank. That way I can shut off everything. This is another reason I am looking at a 24 v nickle iron battery system for they seem to take abuse better. A lot of $$$ regardless.  I will be gone for a couple of months at a time and with no one around I do not need a melt down. It is an isolated property with no close neighbors to watch things.  I will have a micro hydro system and solar system.

[birdhouse]

thirteen-
my off grid place is my ranch.  i don't live there though.  there can be four plus foot of snow up there at times.  so i leave my system un-attended for months at a time. 

my solution is to flip off the inverter, and yank the fuse for the 24V loads.  i even short the wind turbine while away.  so  far, 390w of solar has kept a 480Ah 24v bank in good shape even with all the snow while i can't get up there.  i built an adjustable panel mount, so the panels are set very steep in the winter to help with shedding snow, and better align with the suns rays. 

so far (knocking on wood) i've never had an issue!

adam

[joestue]

 2 - 3 watts no load loss for a 300-500 watt transformer is possible, though expensive. (100 to 150$)

Not sure why you need one though, if you're concerned about wasting power, buy a laptop.
Also, you may not need one anyway because almost all computer power supplies (laptop or tower) allow for at least 200 volts ac or dc between the ac lines and ground.

make sure any wall wart power supplies are switchers. The heavy iron ones typically suck up 10 watts per kilogram no load, in addition to their low efficiency.

[thirteen]

My son just told me to get a laptop. But keep my older tower and strip everything out of it I do not need. I write stories and sometimes they get to over 60,000 words or more per story. That way I can use the older tower for storage and he is sending me an upgrade for it. He runs a computor store. But he also told me that I should get an inverter for a true sini wave for my lap top. They handle surges and low power but because my computor system will be at the end of the line it will provide better control power and eliminate problems that could accure. He has run across one such problem where they had their water pump on the same circut and toasted there HP Photo printer and screen. This was on an off grid / grid tied system. He is sending what i will need to me for my system next year when hopefully I go off grid and retire. 407 left?

[dnix71]

Using transformers to match impedance between the water turbine and your batteries doesn't sound right. How high is the turbine voltage? An MPPT that can handle wind should be able to handle water as long as the max voltage and current limits on the MPPT are respected and you would get more turbine output into your batteries.

[thirteen]

My turbine will be 750-775 ft from my battery bank so I'll use high voltage to the transformers then down  to my battery bank voltage thru a controller. I will have around 850 ft of penstock from where my water is gathered  to get 38 ft of fall I do have to go this far. I also do not have a large volume of water to play with.  During the late summer if I use the water to run the hydro then the eco system around the House will be destroyed. The creek runs 20 ft from the house. Thus I will have a duel solar / micro hydro system. Water in mid winter unless it freezes and solar during the late summer months when things are dry.  My bank then is 32 ft from the power box in the house. Half of my solar panels are 28 ft from the bank. Because of the terrain I may need to split my solar panels and put half on the other side of the road so they can get sun light during the winter months. These will be about 140 ft from the bank. The mountains I am in give me direct sunlight during the day in the winter months for only 1 1/2 hrs to 2hrs at best. During the summer, spring, and fall I get from 8-11 hrs a day. I do not have the ability to have wind power. The land is too steep and the trees are all over 100-130 ft tall and the land is to steep to run guy wires. They would have to be 300-400 ft long at the least and the closest I could get to the house would be about 700 to 900 ft plus up the mountain and I would have to cut all of the timber around the genny.
None of this is in place. It was to be dug last year but my nieghbor didn't take care of his culvert and washed the road out for about 3/8 of a mile. So it had to be rebuilt agian. He did this two years ago also. DAA lets put in a smaller culvert than what was there before its cheaper. So the water works was delayed until this fall. My solar or half will be installed this year around labor day. I am trying to get my bank down in size to around 800 ah from what I want which is 1200 ah. i do not have any large loads other than a washing machine and lights and a fridge. I heat with wood and cook with wood. I have an on demand water heater and my domestic water is gravity fed. I have no other big power items that I use. If I do then I have two generator to useMore ifor than needed but eliminates questions. Thanks

[AzSun]

This is on the low end of consumption but ground fault breakers and outlets are a continuous power drain.