Last week I finally finished with the heater connection, installed most of the solar equipment, and added interior trim on the downstairs windows and doors.

The heater seems to work well and the location near the stairs keeps the loft very close to the same temperature as the first floor. It’s a 20,000 BTU heater and it does take a couple of hours to raise the inside temperature to a comfortable level when it’s cold outside but once reaching the desired point, it doesn’t run much, hopefully indicating the effectiveness of the insulation.

It took most of three days to install the solar equipment and two panels but everything is installed and working. I have four 145W panels but only installed two for now since I’ll only be at the cabin on weekends. I’m currently using three 12V 115Ah marine deep cycle batteries which are not very good for this application but I actually already had them laying around the house unused (left over from a diy ups project) so I’m using them temporarily.

Finally, I did some trim work on the downstairs windows and doors.

Check the annotations on the photos for more details.

Dual 40lb propane tanks for heater Both tanks feed into a single regulator 15 ft. flex hose connects regulator to iron pipe Heater flame doesn't photograph well but it's on Thermometer showing difference between indoor and outdoor temp. Wiring up the solar equipment Utility room outlet and light included Morningstar 300W PSW inverter plugs into socket to also allow generator hookup Disconnect box provides breakers/disconnects for inverter, PV in and PV out PV input/output and battery temp. sensor wired into charge controller MidNite Solar Classic 150A MPPT charge controller Disconnect switches for inverter, PV in and PV out Conduit into battery box for cable and temp. sensor Batteries wired in parallel Homemade copper bus bars connect batteries. 2 AWG cable to disconnect box Wiring diagram for disconnect box Disconnect box w/ cover on Charge controller w/ cover on Warning sign Everything hooked up Complete install Complete install Complete install Utility room light turned on One of the 145W panels unboxed Two panels installed on roof The two panels are wired in series Panel Panel strings can be disconnected here individually Panels mounted high on roof to negate shading from trees. Batteries charging a bit from panels It was late afternoon when these were taken so not much current Downstairs window casing and trim installed Bathroom door trim Still need to paint the bathroom door and install knob Front door trim Downstairs kitchen and LR lights turned on