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Old 12-21-2017, 07:59 AM   #41
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Two years ago I bought an X-Chock, only one. The first time I used it I left it behind at a commercial campground in Winthrop, Washington. When I pulled out from my campsite the X-Chock popped out from between the wheels; I didn't feel a thing. I drove fifty miles west on mountainous Route 20 before I realized what I had done, then I turned around and went back to retrieve it.

From that experience it's obvious the the X-Chock isn't really a theft deterrent. Now I only use it when I'm parked on a slope, at risk of rolling downhill. I put a long, bright-orange ribbon on it so I know it's there when I'm getting ready to leave.
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Old 12-21-2017, 10:31 AM   #42
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We both do the complete walk around, one of us clockwise and one counterclockwise (wife used it as training, so now she and a friend are taking the Escape out w/out me). Twice now the second one around has found the weather station's outside sensor still hanging. We also painted the outside edges of the chocks orange, so we don't miss them on final campground walk-through.
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Old 12-21-2017, 10:46 AM   #43
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Originally Posted by alanmalk View Post
You know, with a GPS add-on board and a couple of files with lat-long-calendar dates, you would not need the sensors, just use your location data and look up the absolute optimum angles and azimuths and point your panels. As Donna would say, "easy peasy". Well, maybe not so easy but what a challenge...
Alan
Good idea, Alan. After I posted that comment, I got to seriously considering it. If a pole mount is used, like Ron from BC's, you could just align a mark on the pole to south & power up. With the look-up tables there's no hunting for optimum sun. Just periodly advancing to the next position. And then, auto-park at days end. WooHoo, I'm on it. Now to devise a jackscrew servo. Thanks.
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Old 12-21-2017, 11:01 AM   #44
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Good idea, Alan. After I posted that comment, I got to seriously considering it. If a pole mount is used, like Ron from BC's, you could just align a mark on the pole to south & power up. With the look-up tables there's no hunting for optimum sun. Just periodly advancing to the next position. And then, auto-park at days end. WooHoo, I'm on it. Now to devise a jackscrew servo. Thanks.
When you get this done Don I want to have a look see ! Pat
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Old 12-21-2017, 11:04 AM   #45
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For anyone interested, Yesterday (the shortest, and lowest angle sun of the year) I put 55 amp hours back into the batteries by 2:15PM with just the tilted panels. That is better than I've been able to do with the roof panels flat & the portable 160 watt panel aimed at the sun. Looks like the portable can go back in the truck until I camp in the shade!
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Old 12-21-2017, 11:12 AM   #46
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For anyone interested, Yesterday (the shortest, and lowest angle sun of the year) I put 55 amp hours back into the batteries by 2:15PM with just the tilted panels. That is better than I've been able to do with the roof panels flat & the portable 160 watt panel aimed at the sun. Looks like the portable can go back in the truck until I camp in the shade!
nicely done! Congrats! Nice mod! :-)

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Old 12-21-2017, 11:30 AM   #47
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For anyone interested, Yesterday (the shortest, and lowest angle sun of the year) I put 55 amp hours back into the batteries by 2:15PM with just the tilted panels. That is better than I've been able to do with the roof panels flat & the portable 160 watt panel aimed at the sun. Looks like the portable can go back in the truck until I camp in the shade!
And that's at 33.66 N Latitude. If you're further north, tilt can make a bigger difference. Well, that project just got bumped to high on the list. Thanks, Jon.

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When you get this done Don I want to have a look see ! Pat
Pat,
Tilt should happen soon. Tracking, maybe not so soon. I'll let you know.
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Old 12-21-2017, 11:40 AM   #48
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Don- are you then going to start taking a ladder like Jon has? When contemplating AM Solar to do our panel anchor retrofit we were originally thinking of doing it like another forum member did, however in discussion with him he said he needed a ladder which was a deal killer for us. He also said he primarily uses the tilt for ease of wash/waxing. Am not minimizing the benefit, just pointing out the cost vs. benefit of this mod.
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Old 12-21-2017, 11:44 AM   #49
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Don- are you then going to start taking a ladder like Jon has? When contemplating AM Solar to do our panel anchor retrofit we were originally thinking of doing it like another forum member did, however in discussion with him he said he needed a ladder which was a deal killer for us. He also said he primarily uses the tilt for ease of wash/waxing. Am not minimizing the benefit, just pointing out the cost vs. benefit of this mod.
Ross,
Oh; Yeah; there is that! I must confess to thinking about this only while at the keyboard. So, I've haven't thought it though. Tilt is easy to solve. I'll have to ponder the ladder (or other access) issue.
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Old 12-21-2017, 12:30 PM   #50
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That is great info Jon. Definitely it's on the worksheet to get tilt figured out for our panel.

You wouldn't necessarily need a ladder to operate tilt if you use a pickup, although the ladder setup Jon has is nice. You can just pull the truck up alongside and step up on the tailgate or bed of truck to reach the panels.
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Old 12-21-2017, 12:35 PM   #51
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The folding ladder that stores in a 5" fence post is a must for me, tilting panels or not. There are just too many needs to reach higher than my arms will go standing on the ground to go without a ladder.
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Old 12-21-2017, 05:26 PM   #52
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We carried a 5 foot version of the folding ladder while on the road for a year in a 4x4 fencepost next to the sewer tube under our 17. Very handy for cleaning the solar panels. Dirt can cut panel performance quite a bit. Would like to get the 6 or 7 foot version for our 19 but haven’t yet.
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Old 12-21-2017, 08:44 PM   #53
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Originally Posted by Vermilye View Post
For anyone interested, Yesterday (the shortest, and lowest angle sun of the year) I put 55 amp hours back into the batteries by 2:15PM with just the tilted panels. That is better than I've been able to do with the roof panels flat & the portable 160 watt panel aimed at the sun. Looks like the portable can go back in the truck until I camp in the shade!
Great news Jon , the ability to tilt the panels seems to be the most bang for the buck. As soon as I finish up our trailer port, tilting will be next on the list. Although I must admit I have given up on any kind of electrical, mechanical or any other way of achieving a dual axis tilt just to complicated . But on the bright side manual tilting dual axis with the use of a ladder should work great.

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Old 12-21-2017, 10:03 PM   #54
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Gimbals etc

There's an outfit called SunWize that makes all kinds of solar panel mounts for big solar panels. Perhaps if they were contacted they would be interested in inventing and marketing something for campers. It's the future, we know.
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Old 12-21-2017, 11:16 PM   #55
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And that's at 33.66 N Latitude. If you're further north, tilt can make a bigger difference. Well, that project just got bumped to high on the list. Thanks, Jon.


Pat,
Tilt should happen soon. Tracking, maybe not so soon. I'll let you know.
Please would like to check out . Pat
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Old 12-22-2017, 09:54 AM   #56
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Someone needs to invent a tiltable rooftop solar panel mount that can be raised and retracted by someone standing on the ground. Does one exist?

For that matter-- someone should invent a squeegee that can clean flat-mounted rooftop solar panels while standing on the ground. That one should be simpler: a long handle with a joint in it so it can reach the panel. Anybody know of such a thing?
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Old 12-22-2017, 12:15 PM   #57
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......
For that matter-- someone should invent a squeegee that can clean flat-mounted rooftop solar panels while standing on the ground. That one should be simpler: a long handle with a joint in it so it can reach the panel. Anybody know of such a thing?
Voila!
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Old 12-22-2017, 02:02 PM   #58
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Cleaning

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Lewis View Post
Someone needs to invent a tiltable rooftop solar panel mount that can be raised and retracted by someone standing on the ground. Does one exist?

For that matter-- someone should invent a squeegee that can clean flat-mounted rooftop solar panels while standing on the ground. That one should be simpler: a long handle with a joint in it so it can reach the panel. Anybody know of such a thing?
Hi Mike:
After I retired I went to work for a company that sold mostly fertilizer and sports field supplies but we did have a janitorial segment of the business. We sold cleaning tools made by Etore. They were of good quality and well designed. There were several swivel head attachments. I’d check Etore cleaning supplies.
Dave
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Old 12-22-2017, 04:43 PM   #59
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Originally Posted by Vermilye View Post
For anyone interested, Yesterday (the shortest, and lowest angle sun of the year) I put 55 amp hours back into the batteries by 2:15PM with just the tilted panels. That is better than I've been able to do with the roof panels flat & the portable 160 watt panel aimed at the sun. Looks like the portable can go back in the truck until I camp in the shade!
Where you are now camping, I assume it is relatively easy to move your trailer so that the tilt works for you. But what do you do when you park in a campground, as we almost always do? It would require a lot more research and planning to reserve a spot with the right angle to the sun.
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Old 12-22-2017, 07:43 PM   #60
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Where you are now camping, I assume it is relatively easy to move your trailer so that the tilt works for you. But what do you do when you park in a campground, as we almost always do? It would require a lot more research and planning to reserve a spot with the right angle to the sun.
Since I rarely do reservations, for the campgrounds that let you choose your site and don't have hookups, I have always looked for sites with a view of the south sky. If the entrance staff chooses the site, I'll ask them for one that lets the rear of the trailer face south.

If I'm only staying for a day or two, I probably wouldn't tilt the panels, so the direction doesn't matter.

If I'm staying awhile, I'll look for a site that faces the right direction. One of the reasons I want to switch to tilting the panels perpendicular to the trailer length is the plan I have will let me tilt them either way, increasing the available sites.

If I can't find a site that lets me tilt them, I'll leave them flat, with ends up being the stock position, so nothing really lost by the modification.
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