What To Expect When Buying Broken Solar Panels
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- I have recently purchased a pallet of 20 broken glass solar panels and would like to share my experience with you.
Normally when you buy newly broken solar panels you should expect to see about 80 - 95% of their rated capacity. But the solar cells and tabbing wire will start to degrade with time due to the elements. If you have broken solar panels you will have to coat them in epoxy or something to waterproof them again.
I have a broken solar panel that has been in service for at least 4 years now with no protection and it is still working very well. I have another broken folding solar panel which still works although it was never protected.
Again, you should protect the solar cells or they will degrade over time.
If you buy broken solar panels make sure you talk to the seller and get as many details and photos as you can. I bought these broken solar panels without asking too much because it was a very large solar panel company that I know. This was a mistake and they burnt me.
I am working with the ebay customer support with my problem.
Buying broken solar panels could be profitable if you are careful and know what you are getting.
Thanks for watching. Please Subscribe & follow my daily videos.
Troy
www.thedoityour...
www.theoffgridp...
The Do It Yourself World and The Off Grid Project are trademarks under The Do It Yourself World LLC
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER CHANNELS:
Off Grid Homesteading With Melanie: / @indaybadidayvlog8443
The Do It Yourself World Electronics: www.diytube.vi...
TR Tech Tactical & Survival: / @trtechtactical
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join our Patreon account for special videos and footage, prizes, gifts and more: / thedoityourselfworld
Join DIY Tube Video Community and get paid for just about everything you do on there.
www.diytube.video
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Copying this video, in part or in full, is a violation of copyright unless the user has express permission from the owner. Violation of this copyright will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law.
If you make a purchase of a product through a link that I provide I may earn a small commission on that purchase. Thank you.
I do not get paid to endorse products although I may, at times, review a product given to me for free. I am not paid for my reviews. If I purchase a product myself for review I will disclose that in the video.
no offense troy, but most people when they decide to buy broken junk, they expect to receive broken junk, your expectations I presume were a tad too high! sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose!
If you buy freshly broken solar panels you can expect to get 80 - 95% of the output of the solar panels - which the ebay listing actually claimed. But if you leave broken solar panels outside to rot for years they break down and become useless. BIG difference. Fresh. Old. Usable. Rotten. The listing on ebay was false and misleading.
Look, if you buy a car which was in a fender bender but claims to be otherwise fine then get home and find there is no engine, you would be upset yes?
@@TheDoItYourselfWorld Well I would definately make sure the thing has a engine before I hand over my hard earned cash!
@@TheDoItYourselfWorld If the listing stated they were broken, then how is that misleading? you assumed they were in usable condition
Let me try again. Newly broken = still useful. Ancient broken and rotting in the weather = garbage. Newly broken still work. Rotting outside for years = garbage. Its a big difference. The difference between working and junk.
Excuse me if im wrong but wasnt the listing for BROKEN solar panels? Just because you had ONE that was broken an worked doesnt mean the others would be the same. Im sorry but im not sure im with ya on this one. Fortunately for you however ebay almost ALWAYS sides with the buyer as long as your claim is item not as described. I sell sports cards an have been burnt by that broad excuse numerous times. Ebay doesnt give a shit about the seller, they makes their money from people buying. Seems to me this is just a case of buyers remorse.
you clearly misunderstand the incorrect description!!! these are old panels that sat in service for years and not as new, unused panels damaged in transit!!! PID damage is evident!!! Listing is fraudulent!
Great solar video. I have bought used solar panels that are good. I have never bought broken solar panels yet.
Thanks. Generally you can buy good broken solar panels and repair them with epoxy. These were sadly abused and left out to rot for years.
lets see. broken panels. some cells will produce very little power others more with in the same panel. and if they are in a large string of sells and were broker and used then the cells that are broken will take a full brunt of power will burn like that. That's what happens when you want to cheap out and buy broken crap, and think you should have new broken panels. Man you new you buying broken panels you got broken panels. no one did you wrong your just cheap man. Man up buy good panels and not the junk.
@doug out no and if I had crap broken Panels I toss them not sell them anyhow. The prices they want for broken junk, is like unbroken new prices. for what he gave for 20 broken junk could have got 10 good new panels from any one that are much better he could have gotten 165 watt panels for 150 each. I have 150 watt panels I bought 4 for 600. and they put out over what they are ratted for about 155 watts. I now have 12 of them when I bought the other 8 they were then 165 watts for 600 and they put out out about 175 watts each. So what he paid for that junk I could have got new.
Ok, lets look at how the panels were listed and what I got. If panels are freshly broken, all you have to do is put solar panel epoxy on them and use them. Not much loss in the panels. But if panels were left out to rot for years they are useless garbage. Now if you sell rotted degraded panels as "freshly broken" then the listing is a lie. I bought broken solar panels intentionally planning to get freshly broken panels to repair for a video series. What I received is panels that were broken YEARS ago. If you cant see the difference then I cant help you.
And it sure is hard to make a video series on repairing freshly broken solar panels when you receive years old rotted garbage. See the problem?
When this is all over I will show the original listing and then my complaints. It will all be clear then.
It just hit me something you wrote. Yes if the panels were broken and used then some cells could burn out. So you do admit these panels were left outside in the elements long after being broken. This is my main point. The difference between freshly broken panels or rotted junk left in the elements for an extended amount of time. Big difference.
I've been offered brand new 400w solar panels for £40 each but we're damaged in transit, just cracks in the glass. I've thought of putting a film over them or some kind of epoxy. Good deal or should I stay away?
good deal. There is epoxy for repairing panels
Thanks for this I've been thinking about buying some damaged panels for a while now.
No problem
FYI- filing a INAD (Item not as described) may lead to a request for returning panels before a refund is issued. That is at the descretion of the seller. If they do not get them back in same condtion due to buyer modifying anything. You have the possibiity of not only not having the panels but also no return. So don't make ANY changes to them until you have a decision.
Yes, and that is why my project is on hold at this time.
They ran three panels in a series and burnt the tabbing wires. I only run two in a series. Some panels can be run three panels in a row in series but those are not that kind.
Looks to me like they were burnt out, then smashed and left outside for years.
If they were not guaranteed, and were sold as is, I don't think there is anything you can do about it. It's sad, but it's just money lost. It's happened to most of us that we've bought things that didn't work out.
Ebay has a strong buyer protection policy. If the listing says 80% capacity and these have less than 20% then its false. If the listing says broken in return shipping and these were broken and left to rot for years then the listing is false. During the dispute process the seller admitted that they were sitting outside for "a longer time" which is a very important thing to state in the original listing. Its everything. It means the difference between repairable and junk.
Plus the pallet was not labeled or marked as "fragile" "glass" or "do not stack", any two or three of which should have been on a fragile pallet shipped in freight. Plus I talked to the company on the phone beforehand trying to ensure the pallet was protected well during shipping. Yet these were tossed around like the garbage they were because the seller knew they were garbage. They did not care.
@@TheDoItYourselfWorld There's no way that you can fix them? I guess I don't understand how broken panels can get worse just by sitting around. Maybe you can still fix them if you try, since you're good with electronic things. (I'm sure not! I do plants.)
The solar cells are sensitive to moisture and break down. The connecting wires in side rust through. A newly broken panel can be sealed with epoxy and used. Leave it outside too long and it breaks down into useless junk. Maybe you can help me with plants and I can teach you solar. lol
@@TheDoItYourselfWorld lol Now there's a plan! I'd like to understand solar eventually before I get too old. I have a bit of a mental block when it comes to electronics. It doesn't come naturally and I have to work to stay focused.
so have you had any luck just repairing broken glass panels? im tryng with some, used epoxy on one and it has not lost it power more than 3 % , but epoxy is alot of work, i can do 1 panel in 2 days pretty much. Maybe theres another way?
also i live in estonia, the climate is pretty different. Im not sure my panels would work 4 years without using anything to protect them
I could not afford to finish them myself. Things went a bit bad on me. Hope to get working on them this summer. There is an epoxy to fix these.
Epoxy isnt UV resistant
What is solar panel epoxy?
What was your outcome with ebay?
I got a refund and kept the solar panels. The seller did not want them back. Still have them. One day I want to cut into the back side and see if I can solder them.
I just came across 10 solar panels I pay $150 a piece no damage they were installed on a building and they got repossessed because I'm like a payment how are 235 Watt each panel I think I got good deal it's so terrible to hear how about your purchase and I would like to see how you repair solar panels
That's not going to make Troy feel any better...
Legend.. its fine. People buy solar panels all the time. There are so many deals out there. I wanted to buy freshly broken solar panels to make a video series comparing the various types of repairs over long term on them. But what I got was long ago and neglected panels which are useless.
@@TheDoItYourselfWorld Yes, you're right. A long time ago, when solar panels were INSANELY expensive, I used to buy broken solar cells and try to match up groups of them that put out similar current to connect them in series to make panels. Talk about a pain in the a@@. I'm glad those days are gone and panels are so cheap.
haha. me too. I plan to one day make some more panels on video just to do it. Long ago I wrote a book on making solar panels yourself for $1 per watt. That is when panels cost $1,000 each.
I am curious if you have seen nomadic fanatics video he recently got a fairly new rv an he boondocks a lot he had a TH-cam friend put solar panels on the roof an got fancy batteries he can run 1 air conditioner an many appliances an barley put a dent in battery loss if you search nomadic fanatic hookink up Miranda for solar I believe you would enjoy it he went all out. He lives in a rv an has around 180k subs. Check it out
I used to watch him back when I had a bit more time. He went through a lot of the troubles I have in the past.
@@TheDoItYourselfWorld shouldnt it be "it's a small world after all !"
what was the power you get from those degraded solar panels?
If I had not been burnt on the deal, you would expect 80% or more from newly broken glass solar panels. But these had clearly been sitting outside for years and degraded badly. I got my money back by the way. But most of these produce about 10 volts out of a rated 37 volts. I am going to test the diodes and cut into some of them to see if I can solder the tabbing wire where they corroded.
@@TheDoItYourselfWorld i wonder if it would be fixed by cutting out the 1/3 of the panel which was damaged. I saw a video of guy skipping part of the panel like this by smoldering links inside the box with the diodes. That would be still usable to have 60% power. Anyway I will try to make whole power plant with compromised gear like this. So far broken glass seems the best deal, because people are giving it for free :D
If you can get them for free, go for it.
How much were they
Now, I dont remember. Cheap. But I got burnt so ebay gave most of my money back. I hope to one day try to repair some.
One of my panels was damaged in shipping, they stacked the rails on top and shattered the panel on top of the stack in several places. It looks like that's exactly what happened to yours, I don't know why you keep insisting they couldn't have been damaged in transit just because the frames are all intact
Actually, I dont remember what video it was, but some of mine were demolished in transit. I think I meant that in general, if packed correctly, they wont fall apart any worse. Key is "if packed correctly".
i dont like e bay a lot of bad things happen with them.
the panels you bought are old as the hills. Not recent returns. They were broken about 6 or 7 years ago and have been sitting outside for years and years and years. Snow has sat on those panels for years. Ask for a reading next time. Next time buy some on sight used on Craigs list. They were scraping the bottom of the barrel when they sold those panels.
Yes I think you are correct. These have been badly abused.
Bruh I got a solar panel ad on this video. Edit: auto correct corrected ad to and.
You got what you paid for, you didn't get beat. Stop trying to explain to everyone who clearly knows you're the only one to blame, take responsibility.
Hehehe this is like tornado siren madness
I wouldn't buy broken solar panels for exactly the reasons you mentioned. Unless they were extremely cheap and I was physically there to inspect them before purchase. I hope that at some point you reveal the name of unethical dishonest company that sold you the junk panels. Wish you the best in being able to recover your money.
Once the ebay process is finished, which should be in the next 24 hours I will reveal the details of the transaction and what happened. Thank you.
I was planning to make a video series on repairing broken solar panels but that would only work with freshly broken panels, which I was led to believe these were. If the panels are long ago broken and left to rot outside the degrade more and more to uselessness. Lesson learned. Dont trust someone just because they have a big name.
Did you test the diodes?
Hi David Bad idea to reveal the name of the company... he might end up with a law suit for slander. If he can't proof 100% it's their fault. How does Troy know panels been outside broken sitting around for years outside? And pls don't tell me because of the rust. Greets
Hi Shadowman, I'm thinking along the lines of consumer protection. It would be helpful for others to know the name of the company so they can decide for themselves if they want to do business with them. So, what if Troy simply posted a copy of the ad, showing in their own words what they promised... And then people can see for themselves what was delivered?
That is why I only buy from Ebay only if I can't find it any place else. You have a 50/50 chance to get your money back. And PayPal will not help.
Yes true. Ebay guaranty is good. I think I have a 100% chance of full return because the listing lied in two points and the pallet was not packed safely for shipping and three were demolished in shipping. There was no marking on the pallet of any kind to warn of glass, fragile or do not stack. Thats 3 points they messed up on.
Troy, I see there's a troll that calls himself "Dave Johnson".
Yeah, I will block him when I get the chance.
Love your videos I haven’t commented for a bit. I learn so much from you for that I thank you. I like the way you explain what your doing on what ever project is. Thank you kindly for sharing your knowledge on so many different topics.
Thank you for the comment :)
TIME SUCKS BUT THE cells good if so take them apart and re-frame them you can fix them
After ebay makes their decision I will proceed with attempts at getting some power out of these in some way. All on video of course.
Why not stand panels vertically and use light reflective 'mirror' type panels focused onto solar cells?
I have heard that often before but the mirrors would cost as much as solar panels is the problem.
it raises the cell temperature excessively, hence reducing output and shortening the cell life. Reflectors are great if one adds water or air cooling, however the more components added certainly add complexity and costs.
All good troy as long as they charge up the battery banks good for you u
*Man!! that sucks!!*
_I bet you... They where up there for 10+ years to get that bad!_
And that is my point exactly.
Hope you get your money back. Blessings to all!
Great video Troy, I hope you get a total refund.... have a blessed day
😊🌻🙏🏻🌻😊
Thank you.
First?
Yup!!