Thank you for sharing more details of your solar panel installation. I look forward to watching more. You cracked me up with throwing a bag of concrete on the barbie. 😂
I llke your wooden structure for the panels. Very simple design (which is in my book a good thing), solid materials, looking good. However, not sure what will happen under a big wind load. Your posts in the ground will have to take all the horizontal forces. But there is an easy fix, add some solid straps (dimension of your rafters) from the top of your shorter posts in the back to the bottom of your posts in front. Suddenly you will get two triangles instead of that weird four corner design. That's why roof-trusses are always made up of triangles. For aesthetics and strength you could double those added straps.
You’re definitely right! The one I built in this video actually got enclosed (not on video) so the sheathing took that bending moment and turned it to a shear into the base of the post. The other one has tension wires between opposite corners top to bottom for the reasons you brought up. Having said that, it withstood a 95mph wind storm before I added the wires!
I built two arrays for 40 of these San Tan panels last April to May when a 2x4 was $48. The project cost me $970 for the wood alone which is about what I paid for two pallets of solar panels.
First and every time I do solar panel Stand's when there's snow on the ground I won't even touch one that's kind of why I'm waiting till April 12th before I dig a hole in the ground which I still ain't going to do until April 13th but I got busy that day even though my vacation starts on April 12th so April 13th I'm going to dig 6 holes and get all the beans at the right size since the ground soft already and there's no snow on the ground anywhere's for the last week. But I'm also going to be redoing two other solar Stands. And on the small solar stand which would be the fourth solar stand I'm going to change the size of solar panels on putting on it ones that will fit better I'm not sure what solar panels are going to put on it but it only go up so high because the solar stand right behind it, I like where they're stationed at and they don't block the Sun from each other. Of course the fourth sand is the oldest stand I have it is made all out of wood like all the other stands I have and all the other stands I have and all of the newsstand I put up to. My oldest stand I have is like 27 years old and is still a really good condition it'll last me another 30 years so I'm just going to put new solar panels on it instead of scrapping it out, and and for the solar panels going to take it off there since they're still really good still give me the same wattage as they did when I got those new ever so many years ago I'm going to use them just not on that stand anymore.
Hello, looks like we are building almost the systems. I ended up getting two ex6500's. Same San tan solar panels also. Same solar angle also (Wichita, Kansas.) Where we differ is I'm stringing 14 panels in series for each pv input. (2 inputs per ex6500 and 2 ex6500's) Which yields 30volts X 14 panels X 7 amps = around 2940 watts per input. And yours 30 volts X 7 panels X 14 amps = 2940 watts.
Very cool! I’d have preferred that configuration but went with the 2x7 because my panels have a Voc of 37.2V, so 14 in series would give 520V and exceed the EG4’s spec of max 500Voc. The 30Vmpp of the panels (x14=420V) works with the 450V MPP limit of the EG4 though. I think there’s a few different batches of the Santan panels in circulation so maybe your open circuit voltages are better suited to the series configuration. I’d love to hear it worked for you though and I might do the same on my next one! Let me know!
@@RidgyDidgeRanch We have the same panels but the ones I've checked do not reach the 37.2 ocv even in the winter (they are used like yours). Worst case scenario I'll unplug two from each pv input during the winter and just run with 12 in series.
HOWdy R-D-R, ... Seems as if we have the same PHILOSOPHY ... inexpensive "USED" Solar Panels ( mine were 208 watt / 39" X 64.5" X 2" = POWERLIGHT brand = so old they came with MC3 connectors 🙂 ) Ground mounted on Pressure Treated 2" X 6" Ground Contact WOOD + Stainless-Steel 4" X 5/16" Lag Bolts + 1 5/8" diameter 5/16" Fender Washers & some 2" slugs of 3/4" PEX water Pipe utilized as SPACERS on the outer-most attachment points ... Thanks COOP the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA ...
I'm building something similar. Are you not concerned about racking? Not panel racking but side to side movement leading to a collapse of the structure. Is the assumption that the concreted posts are good enough to prevent racking?
I’ve had my concerns but so far it’s faced a 90mph wind and is still standing! I believe the stiffness of the vertical post with sufficient burial depth is what makes it resistant to racking. Same concept as post framing vs platform framing, the old pole barn can take a fair side load whereas the joints on a platform frame can act as pins and allow rotation without sufficient bracing. Hope this helps!
Hey, G'day mate...nice vid. One question....why only mounted at 30 degree angle, I thought the rule of thumb was same angle as latitude. Prepared to be schooled, cheers. Oi Oi Oi
Hey mate! Did 30 out of convenience and because I wanted the space under to be a little more usable. I’m at 38°N so it wasn’t far off. Winter angle is 55 and summer is 15, but my energy demands will be higher in winter, so I’ll build two more at 45° (with no expectation to use the space under) and when it all is done they’ll average 37.5°. To summarize, you are correct about latitude vs solar angle!
I am looking for about your product place lace me a message. When I post this , I am looking for more information on this. I'd like to know where you bought your solar panels at and 1 if I can get a good deal on building off grid cabin and I need to get to soda penis up where I can have power out there cuz I want to run to I buy stocks and a greenhouse and other thing other projects I had and I got to have some way to start my batteries and trust my Friday's to my equipment and stuff I'm using to built plus lights and everything else can you get back to me soon as possible for any more information do you have to help me out preciate it take care of yourself and be safe out there whatever you doing
I don't know I think my solar panel survive lightning does one time we have enlightening IV few inches apart it's so bad one time the radio warned us about it be warned us about everything wonders about it and said do not go outside you can get what I do no matter what lightnings going to hit everywhere's and I just watched the lighting it every few inches apart all the way around my house almost hit my car and truck so many other times I don't know I don't know if it hit my solar panel but solar panels we're right out there making power off the bright lightning at midnight or else the sky was black as could be except for all the lightning I do believe my lights flicker a little bit they're running off the batteries.
Surprised you didn't get a bigger solar panel from santan solar they're all pretty much junk anyways but it might as get bigger ones and hopefully get none with scratches or kinks or whatever aristos are ones I would not be using I just give those ones away to somebody could you pay using but just ain't going to give them much chance to say their last that long. One that has no scuffs and marks on it is the ones I'd be using.
@@larrybell4599 I'll let you know when I'm done installing solar panels don't worry about that but I really don't have videos to make because I never made a TH-cam channel but it just kind of sound interesting. And it also let you know what I'd gone with as well. But for having solar panels for the last 25 years and never enough to really power my house but to keep me aware of the powers using. I'm right now I kind of have solar panels mounted on the ground but it was I'm going to keep while pie change those solar panels eventually but I will be putting solar panels on my roof and I will let you know what I have done. And thank you for your TH-cam video.
“Chucking another bag of concrete on the barbie” has to be one of the best phrases in TH-cam history. Lol😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Thank you for sharing more details of your solar panel installation. I look forward to watching more. You cracked me up with throwing a bag of concrete on the barbie. 😂
This looks awesome!! Great job! 🤩
I llke your wooden structure for the panels. Very simple design (which is in my book a good thing), solid materials, looking good.
However, not sure what will happen under a big wind load. Your posts in the ground will have to take all the horizontal forces.
But there is an easy fix, add some solid straps (dimension of your rafters) from the top of your shorter posts in the back to the bottom of your posts in front. Suddenly you will get two triangles instead of that weird four corner design. That's why roof-trusses are always made up of triangles.
For aesthetics and strength you could double those added straps.
You’re definitely right! The one I built in this video actually got enclosed (not on video) so the sheathing took that bending moment and turned it to a shear into the base of the post. The other one has tension wires between opposite corners top to bottom for the reasons you brought up. Having said that, it withstood a 95mph wind storm before I added the wires!
Thanks for the update
love the george forman repurpose
I built two arrays for 40 of these San Tan panels last April to May when a 2x4 was $48. The project cost me $970 for the wood alone which is about what I paid for two pallets of solar panels.
About the same time I built my shed. It would have been cheaper to use the solar panels as sheathing than buy 3/8” OSB!
thank you
Excellent job...would love to see how Bi-Facial Panels would perform in the winter with the white snow???
I imagine the gains would be considerable, especially for the array adjacent to the a frame as a lot of light bounces off that steel roof!
Keep in mind he could buy 5-10 of these panels for one of those at the current pricing.
First and every time I do solar panel Stand's when there's snow on the ground I won't even touch one that's kind of why I'm waiting till April 12th before I dig a hole in the ground which I still ain't going to do until April 13th but I got busy that day even though my vacation starts on April 12th so April 13th I'm going to dig 6 holes and get all the beans at the right size since the ground soft already and there's no snow on the ground anywhere's for the last week. But I'm also going to be redoing two other solar Stands. And on the small solar stand which would be the fourth solar stand I'm going to change the size of solar panels on putting on it ones that will fit better I'm not sure what solar panels are going to put on it but it only go up so high because the solar stand right behind it, I like where they're stationed at and they don't block the Sun from each other. Of course the fourth sand is the oldest stand I have it is made all out of wood like all the other stands I have and all the other stands I have and all of the newsstand I put up to. My oldest stand I have is like 27 years old and is still a really good condition it'll last me another 30 years so I'm just going to put new solar panels on it instead of scrapping it out, and and for the solar panels going to take it off there since they're still really good still give me the same wattage as they did when I got those new ever so many years ago I'm going to use them just not on that stand anymore.
I have over 34kWp new panels on wood. Post hole diggers.
Hello, looks like we are building almost the systems. I ended up getting two ex6500's. Same San tan solar panels also. Same solar angle also (Wichita, Kansas.) Where we differ is I'm stringing 14 panels in series for each pv input. (2 inputs per ex6500 and 2 ex6500's) Which yields 30volts X 14 panels X 7 amps = around 2940 watts per input. And yours 30 volts X 7 panels X 14 amps = 2940 watts.
Very cool! I’d have preferred that configuration but went with the 2x7 because my panels have a Voc of 37.2V, so 14 in series would give 520V and exceed the EG4’s spec of max 500Voc. The 30Vmpp of the panels (x14=420V) works with the 450V MPP limit of the EG4 though. I think there’s a few different batches of the Santan panels in circulation so maybe your open circuit voltages are better suited to the series configuration. I’d love to hear it worked for you though and I might do the same on my next one! Let me know!
@@RidgyDidgeRanch We have the same panels but the ones I've checked do not reach the 37.2 ocv even in the winter (they are used like yours). Worst case scenario I'll unplug two from each pv input during the winter and just run with 12 in series.
y u no put on roof?
HOWdy R-D-R, ...
Seems as if we have the same PHILOSOPHY ...
inexpensive "USED" Solar Panels ( mine were 208 watt / 39" X 64.5" X 2" = POWERLIGHT brand = so old they came with MC3 connectors 🙂 )
Ground mounted on Pressure Treated 2" X 6" Ground Contact WOOD
+ Stainless-Steel 4" X 5/16" Lag Bolts
+ 1 5/8" diameter 5/16" Fender Washers
& some 2" slugs of 3/4" PEX water Pipe utilized as SPACERS on the outer-most attachment points ...
Thanks
COOP
the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA
...
Definitely a similar approach!
I'm building something similar. Are you not concerned about racking? Not panel racking but side to side movement leading to a collapse of the structure. Is the assumption that the concreted posts are good enough to prevent racking?
I’ve had my concerns but so far it’s faced a 90mph wind and is still standing! I believe the stiffness of the vertical post with sufficient burial depth is what makes it resistant to racking. Same concept as post framing vs platform framing, the old pole barn can take a fair side load whereas the joints on a platform frame can act as pins and allow rotation without sufficient bracing. Hope this helps!
Hey, G'day mate...nice vid.
One question....why only mounted at 30 degree angle, I thought the rule of thumb was same angle as latitude.
Prepared to be schooled, cheers.
Oi Oi Oi
Hey mate! Did 30 out of convenience and because I wanted the space under to be a little more usable. I’m at 38°N so it wasn’t far off. Winter angle is 55 and summer is 15, but my energy demands will be higher in winter, so I’ll build two more at 45° (with no expectation to use the space under) and when it all is done they’ll average 37.5°. To summarize, you are correct about latitude vs solar angle!
I am looking for about your product place lace me a message. When I post this , I am looking for more information on this. I'd like to know where you bought your solar panels at and 1 if I can get a good deal on building off grid cabin and I need to get to soda penis up where I can have power out there cuz I want to run to I buy stocks and a greenhouse and other thing other projects I had and I got to have some way to start my batteries and trust my Friday's to my equipment and stuff I'm using to built plus lights and everything else can you get back to me soon as possible for any more information do you have to help me out preciate it take care of yourself and be safe out there whatever you doing
I don't know I think my solar panel survive lightning does one time we have enlightening IV few inches apart it's so bad one time the radio warned us about it be warned us about everything wonders about it and said do not go outside you can get what I do no matter what lightnings going to hit everywhere's and I just watched the lighting it every few inches apart all the way around my house almost hit my car and truck so many other times I don't know I don't know if it hit my solar panel but solar panels we're right out there making power off the bright lightning at midnight or else the sky was black as could be except for all the lightning I do believe my lights flicker a little bit they're running off the batteries.
Surprised you didn't get a bigger solar panel from santan solar they're all pretty much junk anyways but it might as get bigger ones and hopefully get none with scratches or kinks or whatever aristos are ones I would not be using I just give those ones away to somebody could you pay using but just ain't going to give them much chance to say their last that long. One that has no scuffs and marks on it is the ones I'd be using.
Ace Fire, Let me know when your install is done and your video is up.
@@larrybell4599 I'll let you know when I'm done installing solar panels don't worry about that but I really don't have videos to make because I never made a TH-cam channel but it just kind of sound interesting. And it also let you know what I'd gone with as well. But for having solar panels for the last 25 years and never enough to really power my house but to keep me aware of the powers using. I'm right now I kind of have solar panels mounted on the ground but it was I'm going to keep while pie change those solar panels eventually but I will be putting solar panels on my roof and I will let you know what I have done. And thank you for your TH-cam video.
Punctuation is your friend...