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Have you dabbled in solar energy and power systems, have previous technical sales experience, and want to couple the two interests together? We tripled our sales in year two (2023) and we're going to at least double it again in 2024. We are distributors for multiple Tier 1 product lines and...

It's aesthetic. Add two more panels to overcome the loss in efficiency.

Even in our conservative state of Ohio we have a law that says HOAs can't prevent a reasonable solar panel installation. The HOA I live in has essentially totally rolled over and don't even bother to require a review. I've looked into these panels along with our GAF roofing partner and I can't...

Ah, apologies. We use a two-pole disconnect between each solar panel string and the input to the MPPT. Usually those are two-pole DC circuit breakers for small systems and two-pole high-voltage fuse blocks for larger systems. In our system turn on/off documentation for stationary systems we'll...

Victron's MPPTs are inherently current-limiting devices so turn the MPPT on before you turn your batteries on. Let the MPPT pre-charge the caps. Of course, you need to have panels connected and power coming in for this to work. Try not to commission your system after dark :cool:

I use an LG 12k BTU 120V mini-split. Above 12k they move to 230-240V units. Power usage is in the neighborhood of 200-600W depending on the temp differential I'm trying to maintain inside vs outside. I have not measured daily consumed energy since I don't really care. The way we use our RV is...

Low-profile aluminum strut channel with stainless steel hardware is my hardware of choice for solar panel mounting. It won't rust and leave rust stains on the roof or down the side of your vehicle. Good luck with your project!

OMG. Are you business spirit animal?! ? I need to create a video I can give to each and call it "What to Do Now Because You Weren't Paying Attention the First Time"

I use VHB tape often in our shop, just not for holding down tracks for solar panels on the roof of a moving vehicle. One use for this tape is to hold glass panels onto skyscrapers, so I don't doubt its adhesive properties. I would even grudgingly accept the notion of using fewer fasteners with...

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The radios inside the Cerbo GX are just terrible. Victron knows it. You may need to install a decent USB WiFi dongle if you need better reception. Every Cerbo we install leaves with at least a USB Bluetooth dongle if the customer wants to use RuuviTags or Mopeka sensors.

Find someone who has an EG4 inverter and ask them if you can look through the programming interface. Or, just pick one up. I can't imagine anyone switching TO an EG4 inverter from Victron.

I don't have much time to get on the forum these days so I miss a lot. I have comments for some of the discussion items: VHB tape to hold racking or ridgid glass panels - just f'n stupid. don't do it. pull your panties up and mount them properly with fasteners or.... Check out Merlin Solar...

Yes, well, mostly :-) I had my guys install two Merlin Solar TBS180L on my slide's roof, but we haven't had time to wire them up inside. I'm hoping we get some spare time in July to hook them up. We have retracted and extended the slide multiple times since we installed the panels with no...

Put out another 400W of portable ground solar panels. That's all the difference on the really hot days. I have 1600 on the roof, 400 on the ground (only occasionally), and am about to put 360W on the roof of my slideout. Get creative!

Well, it depends on the size of the vehicle, location and time of travel, and whether or not the owner wants to invest in energy efficient appliances. In a commercial mobile setting it is more challenging. Solar can reduce the size and use of a generator and/or supplement energy created by a...

Which CIGS panels did you use and what results do you get relative to STC? In absolute best conditions with panels (glass or Merlin Solar) mounted flat on the roof we get 70% of STC when the sun is directly overhead. On a typical sunny day we get about 50% of STC over the course of the day. I'm...

You've made incorrect assumptions, particularly the size of the roof. The entire vehicle is 40' long, not the roof. And these are medical clinics. They don't want them to look like they have an erector set on the roof. There is a huge difference in what corporate customers accept vs recreational...

What constitutes a "business license"? A vendor's license as issued by the state (or regulatory agency)? A Federal EIN number? An electrical contractor license? Is the record of "articles of incorporation" as issued by the state? We have all of these; which should I post? Is "offgrid system...

Neither of those are really any different than 6/4 SOOW cord except the one from general cable appears to be tinned. When we do 30A work we can use 8/3 boat cable. It's very flexible and easier to work with than 8/3 SOOW. For 50A service we generally use 6/4 SOOW or run individual 6AWG welding...

Where do you get 6/4 marine cable? I have searched and searched for it. I can find 6/3 boat cable all day long. Please tell me where :-)

Here is a picture of what they look like installed. I'm still working to convince this customer to eliminate all roof-top vents and A/C so we can fit more solar on the roof. This is one of our commercial customers using 40' long Freightliner chassis. Hopefully the next build they will let me fit...

Low-profile aluminum unistrut, aluminum tilt brackets, and Z-brackets are one tried-and-true way to do it. But more and more we've been installing Merlin Solar panels directly the roof. They don't suffer the hot spot and burning problems that most other (non-CIGS) flexible panels suffer from...

I'm fairly certain Tiny Watts is using Merlin Solar flexible panels. Merlin only warranties the panels for 3 years and they do NOT warranty the panels as walkable. I am a Merlin Solar distributor and I've asked these warranty questions. My guess - just a guess - is Tiny Watts is providing the...

I have a 28' TT (2018 Imagine 2800BH). The only available wall space that wasn't on a slide-out was in the front bedroom. Two years ago I installed a 12k BTU LG mini-split. It cools and heats the interior pretty well, but as others have suggested you need lots of air movement to circulate the...

No, they sell silicon PERC cell modules. Developed for the military but they also sell commercially.

Even the Merlin Solar panels require seam sealing tape around the edge and they are advertised as fully waterproof. I would most definitely use Eternabond around all the edges at time of installation and you likely won't have any delamination issues.

I've researched and tested quite a few and found the Bluetti PV200 panels to work well. They have better kickstands than most of the ones I've tried. The PV350 is quite large and heavy so generally we suggest the PV200 panels instead. Merlin Solar also sells portable, folding panels. While their...

Check out Sol-Ark inverters. You can message me privately if you would like to discuss. These are very simple to install for a DIYer with some electrical knowledge.

In my experience, Victron inverters and DC-DC chargers don't cause me any EMI/RFI grief. Their MPPTs, however, are noisy. I have 2000 watts of solar on my RV going through two different Victron MPPTs and depending on the band and amount of sun, they can pretty much wipe out HF during the day...

Its been challenging sourcing 300-400A Class-T fuses for at least the last year. I haven't checked in the last month, but I don't think the shortage has eased much yet. In our shop, we've decided to use MRBF fuses on each battery for 12v and 24v systems coupled with main "system" fuses using...

It's probably too late for the OP, but I can answer this for the historical record :) It works fine, but make note of the low PV input maximum voltage. It's only 30Voc, so make sure your solar panel(s) don't exceed this voltage. You'll likely only want to use multiple panels that are wired in...

I think the panel-level monitoring and rapid shutdown (RSD) capabilities would be a bigger benefit from installing the Tigo optimizers than any optimizing they provide. You will need a signal injector, which are also inexpensive, to make the system work. I'm a bit surprised your installer...

Theoretically, you will degrade your LFP battery if you leave it sit at 100% for long periods of time. However, I think practically it doesn't matter much so long as you don't keep it at 14 plus volts constantly. I'm fairly conservative with my charging profile for LFP batteries. I set a...

You might also look at the Trailblazer series by Merlin Solar. They are PERC cells, not CIGS. They are also expensive, but less so than CIGS panels. I've only installed them once so I don't have any long-term recommendations for you. Just something else to consider.