No. of Solar Panels.

[shonky]

Hi, all.

Graynomad - keeping one panel loose to catch the early rays and allow parking in the shade?

[shonky]

Hi, all.

T.I.Terry - saw a nice install at Miva where the bloke set up all his panels to one Anderson plug and to one rectangular frame then fixed the lot onto his roof in one hit. Very strong structure and his wiring was correct as well. Wish I had met him a while ago.

Just thinking about your panels extending outwards - some drunken nomad is sure to walk into them, and driving fast with a strong wind abeam will give you a big surprise. Ask any yachtie about apparent wind.

[T1 Terry]

Hi, all.

Just thinking about your panels extending outwards - some drunken nomad is sure to walk into them, and driving fast with a strong wind abeam will give you a big surprise. Ask any yachtie about apparent wind.

They'd need to be fairly tall to walk into them, Mazda's roof is 2.6mtr off the ground, and as for apparent wind, apparently Chuck has a contender now I also own a '74 Kombi, that's a yacht with wheels on the bottom

[T1 Terry]

Hi, all.

Graynomad - keeping one panel loose to catch the early rays and allow parking in the shade?

Also more than doubles the effective sun hrs in mid winter having and using portable panels effectively, great for catching up after a period of crap weather as the lithium batteries can be pulled down a long way and recharged with everything you can throw at it when it becomes available.

[shonky]

Hi, all.

T.I.Terry -"some drunken nomad" should have read "some drunken nomadic Masai warrior", Steffie's been playing with the delete button again.

[graynomad]

I've done the "removable panel" thing before and it works well, just can be a pain to do it at times but then it can really extend your stay in a nice place. We are normally happy to camp in the sun, however often that's not an option but there can be a sunny place just 20m away.

The 4 panels on the roof will not be removable I think as it's too much frigging around to get even one of a high(ish) roof, especially as they are 20kgs each. They can all be raised on a frame, this is because the roof tilts up (hinged at the front) so if we were facing south we'd hardly get any solar at all. So being able to make them at least level is required I think.

I may add a 5th panel on the back of the rig where it's easy to remove, this would be used as a remote in-the-sun panel.

_____
Rob

[Chuck]

Hi, all.

Just thinking about your panels extending outwards - some drunken nomad is sure to walk into them, and driving fast with a strong wind abeam will give you a big surprise. Ask any yachtie about apparent wind.

They'd need to be fairly tall to walk into them, Mazda's roof is 2.6mtr off the ground, and as for apparent wind, apparently Chuck has a contender now I also own a '74 Kombi, that's a yacht with wheels on the bottom

Mine may start off as 'apparent' but soon become obvious... well, so Dot says!

[Craig]

I can't see the sense in a portable panel if you have the real estate on the roof for additional panels. Mucking around with a portable panel is a pain in the butt and I have better things to do than chase the sun all day.

[T1 Terry]

If the location is poor, like tree shade in the perfect or only available positions and you are in an area where generators are not permited, the portable panels come into their own. You only need to shift them around if you want the optimum input, they will still work lying flat, just not as well. A 10mtr cord and chucked onto of a roof like a picnic shelter or the toad gives you an option to stay a while longer, without it you are forced to move on when the battery requires charging.

[Craig]

I suppose you are right but I haven't had that problem in the last 6 years. If this lifestyle for you means that you like watching gauges and adjusting bits and pieces then by all means go for it. For me, I like to set and forget. I give the battery monitor a passing glance morning and night. If parking under trees limits your daily requirements then find a better area to park up. If it is overcast and you're not putting enough solar in, don't panic because everyone else is in the same boat so just flash the genny for a few hours.