So much more fun

Will be enjoying the fruit of my labors soon as I finish up the electrical wiring and lighting.

Trenching in the 3/4" PVC  from the PV to the bridge.

The 14 gauge wire carrying the 120 volt AC from the 600 watt inverter will flow through a 15 amp fuse, shut-off switch and to three different, individually controlled light strings. One string of four 60 watt CFL's indirectly lighting the outside of one truss. A second string of four more 60 watt CFL's down the center of the bridge on the inside of the bridge. Third, six strings of LED lights covering the gable ends and back top chord inside.

The pictures with my digital camera don't do justice to the lighting but you can get the idea.

Until you come and see for yourself the 4 timber framed covered bridges in Lafayette county, Wisconsin you'll just have to take my word for it they are pretty cool!

On the solar PV system electrical technical side:
- Input
Six individual photovoltaic (PV) panel for a total of 350 watts, 12 Vdc, of PV capable of generating 11 amps of current input to two 6 volt deep cycle batteries.  In there present location by the bridge on a sunny day they are capable of supplying the batteries with 25 amp hours (Ah) of energy from the sun.

- Demand (DC to AC includes inverter)
Four 60 watt CFL's draw 6.2 amps for a load on the batteries of 6.2 amps per hour (Ah).
Six strings of LED lights draw 4.8 amps for a load on the batteries of 4.8 Ah.

The challenge over the next year will be to determine the lights to be used and the time to program the 12 volt dc timer to turn the system on and off so as not to drain the batteries. Should be a fun and educational experience.

Now on to the next project. A nice oak bench for my old neighbor Bink.