RV and Trailer owners will love this! So easy to install!

DuraVolt Solar Chargers

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[joshreed]

I once fell off a 50 ft ladder... good thing I was on the first step lol.

[ThunderCatD]

Every time I hear someone else say ... It's italian " fragile " it makes me smile

[stevenmorris]

With a 7-0 trailer you can bring a rack up from the frame and install the real thing with no roof or wall penetration. All wires travel inside the rack and penetrate the floor. Doing it now.

[ropetrick]

I fell off the 3 step of the ladder doing work my my fifth wheel and broke my heel off. It went back into the right place but I had to be non weight bearing for 3 months to my left foot. I believe in good ladder placement now.

[Tsiri]

That 50 watt panel isn't shown on Amazon any more, but they do have many other duravolt products. 50 watts can be used for so many things!

[dgc]

I'm an Occupational Health & Safety Officer in BC, Canada, and although your friend is right about the ladder, here in British Columbia, he has to be higher than 10ft. or higher before Fall Protection is required.

[Loxodrom]

dude... I broke my leg from a seven foot fall. Thank you for doing it the right way ;-)

[todddunn]

I have several comments. First, wiring the panel directly to the battery will pull the panel operating voltage down to the battery voltage. A 50 watt nominal 12 volt panel actually operates at at about 18.5 volts in full sun where it will produce 2.7 amps. Connecting it directly to the battery will pull the voltage down to around 13 volts max, so the power you will get out will never be more than 13v x 2.7a = 35 watts.

Second, a 50 watt panel is too big to directly connect to a less than 100 amp-hr battery like you have (looks like a GRP 24). The panel will NOT self regulate no matter what the manufacturer says. In a sunny place like Texas that panel WILL overcharge your battery in the summer. The only possible saving grace is that applying the panel directly to the roof like that will cause the panel to run very hot. That will decrease its output dramatically AND will greatly reduce the panel's life relative to a mount with air flow under the panel to keep it cool.

You made a big deal about preventing leaks, but didn't use any sealant on the wire mounting screws you put into the side of the trailer.

You could have bought a high quality monocrystalline rigid 50 watt panel, an MPPT controller, mounting brackets and some 3M VHB tape or eternabond tape and made a much better install for under $200.

[lorddraguil]

first time I've seen a reservoir constructed with a solar panel and silicone

[thecat]

It's not the falling, it's the landing...

[loganp]

Absolutely love all of my Dewalt tools I was thinking about getting that Dewalt fan

[ek]

“...drip loop.” Amazing how many people skip this one.

A quick, clean, and hopefully long lasting installation using a minimum of parts and tools.

[jamestherealsirfishalotbuc]

someone give this man a Klondike bar, and perhaps some real tips on solar as well...

[charlieporch]

All flat panels need to be cooled. You should have it mount on brackets.
All can be installed with 3M products.

[herb]

GREAT idea on the drip loop. This is not meant as a backhanded compliment or snide remarks; but I spent 2 years on & off researching Solar prior to the installation on my tt last year. I was going to go the flexible panel route (and not the cheap ones) until almost everyone who had a year prior had major failures. A lot of them documented on You Tube. This was regardless of supplier. A local solar supplier quit stocking them about a month prior to me trying to place an order from him. He had had too many customers return them with failures. I ended with a small (glass) system to tide me over hoping quality & technology will catch up. I’ll be real curious to see a follow up in about 6-12 months on yours. I wonder if the price of these is representative of a “cure” with the problems they use to have ? And no charge controller ? Although you’ll be lucky to average more than about 1-2 amps per hour, how do you prevent over charging?

[ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt]

...or, for less than half the cost ($159 all-in), you can get a comparable solar panel (12VDC, 50W, flexible) and a capable MPPT charge controller (lead acid chemistry). The wiring is just as simple, yet you have so many additional options for expansion, etc.

As for this installation, a) a waterproof entry gland is cheap insurance against leaks, b) the Dicor lap sealant is way over kill, and c) the efficiency of these cells will be comprised as they heat up for to lack of air flow underneath them.

Still not requiring roof penetrations, I'd affix low profile aluminum channel to the roof, then mount flexible panels to a thin rigid plastic substrate and the substrate to the channel; all with VHB tape.

The channel allows air flow under panel(s), minimizing efficiency reductions from panel heating. A length-wise orientation would minimize wind resistance, but could induce some lift during transit, while a width-wise orientation would result in slightly more wind resistance without lift.

In short, affixing any solar panel directly to a structure without adequate air flow will reduce their efficiency while simultaneously shortening their life.

[rrf]

Well here is the million dollar is it performing after over a year??

[ricwestdoesitwork]

Great video of solar panel install. Thanks for sharing JD.

[ilyamitrofanov]

Such a big roof can potentially produce so much energy! The question is where to store and use it not to mention the price. Just a thought)) Maybe trailers will have electric motor-generators in the future with the function of recuperative braking...

[liers]

This particular panel is no longer available. They still offer a panel with the same performance but doesn’t have the 3m backing. It mounts with screws