Expected Solar Yield, Key West

Thanks for the PICS Joel. I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on solar.

Jim,

Thanks for the lead on that panel.

I got it all hooked up about 9am. The most I've seen was about 8.5 amps about noon. Still in bulk. Raining now.

My 2 6v batteries were at 12.4 before I turned the panel on.

Won't really know how it's doing until I get the new batteries and start dry camping this winter.

Cool that everything worked right off the bat. Got it all hooked up, took cardboard off, checked voltage polarity, turned on battery and got the expected indications, then turned the panel and was off and charging.

Nice simple setup.

Joel

Soooooo How many amps?

I can pull down between 16 and 17 amps at peak with a 245w/ Eco-w combo but usually only with a load.

I guess we need to start handing our membership cards to the Eco-worthy fan club. :)

Set it to 14.8 instead of 15. At 15 your inverter alarms off.
My Eco-W takes #8 ok.

Mr. Sun is charging my batteries!

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Lessons learned:

1. I used 4" and 1" aluminum angle, 3" and 1&1/2" would be better.

2. 8 gauge solar wire is STIFF. 10/2 marine wire would have been a better choice.

3. I couldn't push the wire down the vent pipe. Couldn't push a fish tape up. Fishing weight on light line went down, pulled up heavy line, pulled wire down.

4. 8 gauge is a bear to terminate on the Eco-Worthy.

Gotta run out and see how many amps now!

Defaults on the Eco-Worthy are 14.4 volts and 13.7. Think I'll use that for storage, camping with hookups. I'll set it to something like 15 and 14.4 for dry camping.

Thank you again rv.net solar puppies for all the advise & assistance.

Joel

Well I did it - got the rear of the luggage rack off. Easier than anticipated.

Once installed, we can join the tours, my solar makes more amps than yours.

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Watching a solar charger display is surprisingly entertaining. Also, keep a ladder handy so friends can climb up and witness the power being made. Maybe have some welder's goggles handy for those who insist on seeing where all the power's coming from.

Life and weather are keeping me off the roof.

I ordered 4x4x5 and 1x1x1 Aluminum angle so everything is inbound except the nuts, bolts screws and I can pick those up locally.

What is the "best" height for the panel? I will put holes at 3&1/2 inches in the 4x4 so I can either go above the rail or tilt. If I get the rail off then I could mount lower.

The controller will be mounted on a swing out panel so friends and I can watch the display at happy hour. Maybe I'll put Anderson Power Poles in the panel and battery leads so we can insert the watt meter and add that to the entertainment menu.

Joel

Yes, rear roof - usually - slopes to the back. Equal height brackets will result in the needed panel slope. BUT, 2 L-brackets near the rear side parallel to the rear side will not be plumb, they will be tilted back - because of this slope. The other 2 L-brackets parallel to the rear side, will be plumb, because the roof has no back-facing slope there. As a result, you will have the vertical walls of the rear pair of brackets not parallel to the vertical walls of the front pair of brackets. It will still work.

Mounting order - suggested by others - was as follows:

Install 1/4" stainless rivet nuts. Darn expensive $4 a piece at McMaster. With 4x4 angle you can probably use a lock-nut on that 1/4" bolt, much cheaper. If you remove one rail, you can use lower brackets, but then lock-nut will be difficult to attach.

- Drill holes in vertical legs of L-brackets about 3/4" from the top. Attach brackets to riv nuts, slightly loose. Put the panel on all 4 feet, mark the footprints of the brackets.
- Clean the roof rubber within the marked 4 footprints, soapy water and denaturated alcohol. Not just "wash" - rub it thoroughly, until you don't see whitish powder coming off the EPDM roof anymore.
- Mark location of anchor holes in brackets feet, making sure the holes are not next to some screw in the roof. Drill 3/16" holes in brackets.
- Attach brackets again, place them on the marked and cleaned footprints, mark and drill pilot holes in the roof.
- Put one end of panel on a big piece of lumber, spread roof sealant over one footprint. Dicor, Geocel EPDM, or at least Urethane outdoor sealant. Don't procrastinate, Dicor and Geocel will "skin" quickly. Lower the foot onto the roof, lubricate #10 screws with roof sealant, drive them into the foot, cover their heads with sealant too. Repeat on other 3 corners.

Some brackets might have anchor screws in different location. I marked the brackets to know which one is rear left, rear right, front left, front right.

There are other ways to skin this cat. You might consider 2-piece Z-brackets instead of 1-piece L-brackets. 2x2 angle on the roof, another 2x2 angle attached upside down back-to-back, with 2 screws joining both angles, to make a Z-profile. Then you can use the holes in the panel bottom lip, maybe drill some more. Easy.

Also, I would be tempted to mount the panel on the roof rack rails, drilling through the rail and using machine screws and lock-nuts into the holes in the panel bottom lip.

Hardware:
It should better be stainless. I could not find stainless #10 "deck screws" with dome or hex head, they probably don't exist. So I used #10 sheet metal screws on some brackets, and some serrated thread screws that are supposedly better for plywood.

Cable from panel:
I hope you ordered MC4 extension cable AWG 10, as you don't need any other kind of cable, and that it is DOUBLE length.

Switches:
Don't know what Bluesea "switches" you bought and what for. Their big battery switches are for battery select/disconnect, you might not even need those. What you need, is a controller fuse or breaker, and some panel switch (doesn't need to be a fuse).

Controller location:
I would mount it in some storage where you could barely see the display when you open the hatch. Otherwise you'll be tempted to check on it several times a day, and there isn't much need.

245w poly and a Eco-worthy, nice simple set up.