VicHanson
Adventurer
On Monday I went to Ace Hardware and to Menards (a large home improvement store in the Midwest) and tried to get as much stuff as I could think of for the solar panel installation. Of course this was hard to do as I really didn't know what I needed, was just guessing and learning as I went, kind of like this whole camper build! Thankfully Menards has one of the largest selections of stainless steel hardware (nut, bolts, etc.) of anyplace I have been except for Ace, and their bulk packs are a lot cheaper than Ace. I also got a 4' piece of pipe and that was enough that I can loosen the nuts on the front wheels, those are the wheels with the new tires. I haven't tried the back wheels yet.
Yesterday I laid out one of the solar panels on the driveway and tried to work out the mounting for them. I want to be able to tilt the panels up as well, as this helps a lot to get maximum power out of them with the low angle of the sun in the winter time. To further complicate the issue is the lack of space on the roof for the large panels. I bought them at Sun Electronics in Miami (they also have stores in Arizona). Their higher watt panels are all the same size so I got the 210 watt ones, which were $385 each if I remember right. I just checked their website and the price has gone up a little, they are $403 now, still way cheaper than others. They are the same as the Evergreen panels, except that they are not U.L rated. The Evergreens are $480. I had also ordered a 45 amp Morningstar TriStar charge controller with the solar panels, but when I got there they didn't have one so they gave me the 60 amp one for the same price. It normally costs $30 more! That might be needed if I added another panel, but I don't have anymore room so probably won't be able to use the extra capacity.
Anyway the panels are 37 1/2" wide by 65" long. I have about a inch to spare total for each panel, between the roof vent and the edge of the camper! The third panel will go sideways at the back of the roof so the available space will almost all be used. The only problem with this is that the 2 front panels can tilt up on their sides, the 3rd one will have to tilt up on its end, so I won't be able to tilt it up as far with out having it stick way up in the air. The mount will still have to be stronger and use more of the expensive aluminum angle.
As you can see, the right panel tilts fine, and clears the roof vent but due to a design error in the mount the left one doesn't tilt at all (except the opposite way!) I ran out of 1" angle so had to use 3/4" and then had to set the feet in almost an inch due to a lip on the edge of the roof, and the combination doesn't leave room for it to hinge. I didn't realize this until I had them bolted down. The outside of the right panel is the same but that one tilts in to the middle so it isn't a problem. I think I have a solution figured out, just need some scraps of aluminum - unfortunately my source of aluminum scraps is in Florida!
I guess this is a good time to give public thanks to my cousin Jim, where I stayed for four months, Dana, who did all the aluminum work, and Adam who did the plumbing and other things. Without their help this project would never have turned out this nice, would have taken much longer, been a lot harder and cost a lot more! And thanks also to Janet for the good cooking and making the curtains.
Tomorrow I hope to get the material for the mounting of the third panel and get that installed. Getting the panels hooked up to the charge controller and the batteries will have to wait, maybe I can do it on the trip west.
Yesterday I laid out one of the solar panels on the driveway and tried to work out the mounting for them. I want to be able to tilt the panels up as well, as this helps a lot to get maximum power out of them with the low angle of the sun in the winter time. To further complicate the issue is the lack of space on the roof for the large panels. I bought them at Sun Electronics in Miami (they also have stores in Arizona). Their higher watt panels are all the same size so I got the 210 watt ones, which were $385 each if I remember right. I just checked their website and the price has gone up a little, they are $403 now, still way cheaper than others. They are the same as the Evergreen panels, except that they are not U.L rated. The Evergreens are $480. I had also ordered a 45 amp Morningstar TriStar charge controller with the solar panels, but when I got there they didn't have one so they gave me the 60 amp one for the same price. It normally costs $30 more! That might be needed if I added another panel, but I don't have anymore room so probably won't be able to use the extra capacity.
Anyway the panels are 37 1/2" wide by 65" long. I have about a inch to spare total for each panel, between the roof vent and the edge of the camper! The third panel will go sideways at the back of the roof so the available space will almost all be used. The only problem with this is that the 2 front panels can tilt up on their sides, the 3rd one will have to tilt up on its end, so I won't be able to tilt it up as far with out having it stick way up in the air. The mount will still have to be stronger and use more of the expensive aluminum angle.
As you can see, the right panel tilts fine, and clears the roof vent but due to a design error in the mount the left one doesn't tilt at all (except the opposite way!) I ran out of 1" angle so had to use 3/4" and then had to set the feet in almost an inch due to a lip on the edge of the roof, and the combination doesn't leave room for it to hinge. I didn't realize this until I had them bolted down. The outside of the right panel is the same but that one tilts in to the middle so it isn't a problem. I think I have a solution figured out, just need some scraps of aluminum - unfortunately my source of aluminum scraps is in Florida!
I guess this is a good time to give public thanks to my cousin Jim, where I stayed for four months, Dana, who did all the aluminum work, and Adam who did the plumbing and other things. Without their help this project would never have turned out this nice, would have taken much longer, been a lot harder and cost a lot more! And thanks also to Janet for the good cooking and making the curtains.
Tomorrow I hope to get the material for the mounting of the third panel and get that installed. Getting the panels hooked up to the charge controller and the batteries will have to wait, maybe I can do it on the trip west.
