4 way solar panel tilting
- Thread starter mikerosenkids
- Start date
All the adjustments are done before I pop the roof using a step ladder
Thanks
"is it hard to lift the roof ?"
There is about 60 kg of panels and accessories so it is a bit harder but my wife has popped the lid she struggled but got there
I prefer to do the lowering as I use one hand to slow down the process instead of just dropping it
Cheers Michael
"is it hard to lift the roof ?"
There is about 60 kg of panels and accessories so it is a bit harder but my wife has popped the lid she struggled but got there
I prefer to do the lowering as I use one hand to slow down the process instead of just dropping it
Cheers Michael
Are you getting her a gym membership for Christmas?
(Toss in a self-defence course for yourself if you do.)
(Toss in a self-defence course for yourself if you do.)
Lets not talk about Gyms at the moment the good little woman under guidance from her trainer was incline leg pressing 200kg and tore a ligament in her hip the healing progress has been slow and she's frustrated about the injury
Thanks hamish at the last minute during construction I increased the height of the the doorways (front and back) to fit the van in with panels on roof to 2.5m high the plan is to remote (caravan mover) the van all the way out into the back yard and let the kids have a games room.
Ill have to build a pergola just to cover the van and were on a small block so maybe just a cover for now
Cheers Michael
Just got back from 3 weeks at Jervis bay NSW with a bit of overcast weather and parked under a heap of gum trees I come up short of Amps
It didn't help that I normally purchase enough meat for a week for the family of 5 before leaving Sydney and have it frozen but as we shopped on arrival and almost drained both the van batteries in the first few days I was playing catch up for the next week
The Fridge has a 140l capacity approx. 40l freezer space
We never had spoilt food but I like to prepare all these things before a trip
The only things I like to worry about while on Holidays is what time of the day should I crack the first cold one
Next year Ill be taken the Yammy Generator and advising my neighbours that it will run for a couple of hours daily maybe between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm and they are quite welcome to plug in to it
@mikerosenkids,
Did you run your fridge on gas at all, or are you referring to another external 12v fridge?
Looking at the pics of the panels (great job by the way) - they appear to be attached by key locked deadbolts. If you are marking under cover of trees, have you though about taking one or two of the panels off and using them as portable panels on the ground with a lead back to the solar regulator? As you already have the panels, why also take a genny.
We use a portable 200W solar panel with 6B&S cable back to the CTEK regulator and this powers everything except the AirCon unit via dual 100AH batteries and 2500W inverter. Did 9 days with just the panel out in the sun (moved twice daily for best result) while the van was in the shade - never ran out of juice. Also ran things like toaster, expresso machine and hair dryer!
Did you run your fridge on gas at all, or are you referring to another external 12v fridge?
Looking at the pics of the panels (great job by the way) - they appear to be attached by key locked deadbolts. If you are marking under cover of trees, have you though about taking one or two of the panels off and using them as portable panels on the ground with a lead back to the solar regulator? As you already have the panels, why also take a genny.
We use a portable 200W solar panel with 6B&S cable back to the CTEK regulator and this powers everything except the AirCon unit via dual 100AH batteries and 2500W inverter. Did 9 days with just the panel out in the sun (moved twice daily for best result) while the van was in the shade - never ran out of juice. Also ran things like toaster, expresso machine and hair dryer!
Hi Ro Sorry External 12v fridge we have the 90l three way in the van as well.
Before the Expanda we had a Trak Shak and had two x 64w panels and would chase the sun and we had good results so I purchased another two panels and thought my sun chasing days were over just bad timing and over use of 12 volt gear?
I also didn't adjust my panels either just left them flat
The very last panel on the van still has a 10m lead on it ready to take off and move around I was being lazy
Cheers Michael
G’day @Iyohmamma and welcome to the forum. I am afraid most of the members who contributed to that post no longer appear on the forum and are not liable to reply to you. The date on the last post is Jan 13 2014, more than 9 years ago. (The forum has been running since 2010j
Possibly some current members may be able to help but we would all be interested in how you go about your modification and how successful it is.
Possibly some current members may be able to help but we would all be interested in how you go about your modification and how successful it is.
I remember looking at this many, many moons ago as I thought similar as a set up but did some experiments and found that no real gain unless like portable panel you moved it a couple of times a day, not changing the angle of the dangle means they just get the same amount of high sun as if flat........ unless you motorised it all to follow the Orb, of course that means more weight and storage to cover the power use with the added complication of positioning the vehicle in the right spot to begin with............... I have seen a large Motorhome bus with it on top, the owners comment was works brilliantly and breaks spectacularly, a ladder is a must and some knowledge..
and the thing is 200w on the ground moved 3 times a day would probably exceed whats generated by 600w on the roof which is only optimal for a few hours... but if you had a tracking panel on roof you would probably only need 30% of what you would have fixed....
Soon we will have a portable hydrogen plant for when you park by a creek you can refuel tug, cooking appliances, steam generator for power ............ end with a few camp grounds burnt out I reckon.........