Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
Have you considered the effect of raising can have on the panels being more apt to become airborne? I'm just playing devils advocate here, they work at one height, will they continue at another height. Another thought is how much gain is achieved due to the change. You can purchase a smoke lens for the MaxxAir that is less opaque to handle any shade problems. How much loss did you calculate for the shade from the fan?
One more question, what is your tongue weight? Mine is 350# with one battery, yours will probably exceed 500 lbs?
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Jim, good questions. I raised them because they do not work at the delivered height if the Maxi-Fan lid is raised much. Very little shadowing effectively kills the efficiency of the panel. You should know this because you have the same panel mounting as I did. As little as a 2" shadow on the edge of the panel will shut it down. Since I live in a warm/hot climate I want to be able to use that fan in any position with no concerns regarding solar charging efficiency.
I did some research on RV solar system mountings and found that many, many panels are incorrectly installed (bad mounting or location) and in many cases the owners don't know about it. I raised the existing panel to eliminate any possible shading problem and it is now gone. Additionally, I can park my trailer in any attitude and have full sun on both panels. Most owners can't. I will also have a great charge rate on overcast days.
As far as potential "sail" effect of the raised panels, I believe it is negligible and the mounting adhesives will rip off the gel-coat before separating from the bond but my fellow members of this forum could do 250 posts on the related science...
If I ever lose it on a turn and go over the edge I will probably have a terrific glide ratio.
My tongue weight is around 500 lbs, around 13% of the total....just perfect for me.
Another project this week is to install a 6 pole manual transfer switch I just received. This will bring my 2500 watt inverter on-line from the batteries with the whole trailer while boon-docking allowing me to run the microwave and power all outlets for my blender, toaster, computers, stereo system, electric griddle, etc. What will be disconnected are the air conditioner and converter (battery charger) and possibly the hot water heater from power. I need to check the draw of a few items before I decide. I probably have enough capacity now for a portable Jacuzzi and since I already make margaritas in the desert that's next.
Steve