Collection: Cabin, Shed & Workshop

The building was never wired, and the quote for trenching a line out to it made solar look cheap. That is the usual route into this page. It is not an emergency purchase, it is a permanent one, done once and then left alone for years.

Size on the hardest thing you own

Not the average draw, the worst single moment. A well pump, a compressor or a table saw asks for two to three times its running watts at startup, and that spike is what decides the inverter.

• Table saw or miter saw: 1,200 to 1,800W running, considerably more at start.
• Air compressor: 1,000 to 1,600W running, up to around 3,000W to start.
• Stick welder: 2,000W and up, in bursts.
• Shallow well pump: 700 to 1,000W running, roughly triple that at start.

One tool at a time runs on 2000W continuous. A pump plus a compressor plus lighting, or anything with a welder on the list, means 4000W on a 24V bank. For a fixed building 24V is the better choice anyway: the same power moves at half the amps, through thinner cable, with less voltage drop across a long run.

You are buying a system, not a box

Panels, controller, battery bank, inverter, cable, fuses. Controller amps times bank voltage gives your maximum array: 60A on 24V carries roughly 1,440W of panels, 100A on 48V roughly 4,800W. Check the PV window against a cold January morning, when panel voltage runs highest, not against today.

Specifications, and a person on the other end

Every page publishes continuous and surge power separately, the PV voltage range on controllers, and the weight, which is the figure that separates a real MPPT from a relabelled PWM. Where a manufacturer does not publish a number, we leave it blank. Send your tool list to support@prestonsupply.com, read by a person and answered within one business day, Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm ET and we will work through it before you order.

Stock sits in US warehouses. Orders leave in 1-2 business days and arrive in 3-7, free shipping inside the US, 30 days to return it.

Start with the sizing guide, then choose your MPPT charge controller.