Stolen solar panels?

[Mike Jordan]

Has anyone had their ground panels or solar suit case stolen from their RV site?

Maybe more importantly, does anyone have a good way to secure the panels that are just propped up on the ground? I'm looking for some good ideas to keep them from walking off, when I'm gone for a period of time. Even if it just something to help keep the honest, honest

 

[Goodoz]

Have you had an incident?

Securing? Only thing I can think of would be to use the holes (or drill some) through the framing and string a cable thru...Or, something like this might be useful if your were at your campsite...It looks like you could stick them onto the back of a panel...or set them up with velcro stickies...

https://www.amazon.com/CATSONIC-Premium-Window-Alarm-Device/dp/B07B2Q65DJ/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&hvadid=12097310068&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=c&hvqmt=p&keywords=vibration+sensors&qid=1611286565&sr=8-6&tag=mh0b-20

 

[iamrich]

You could probably drill a small hole through the frame and use a cable and pad lock. Not sure how effective that would be, but maybe better than nothing.

 

[Luthj]

The most common method is a steel cable swaged/crimped into a loop through the panel frame. The other end can be attached to a plate, which you park your RV wheel on, or to your hitch.

 

[MichaelK]

What I did for my remote system is set up a cellular game camera that instantly sends me pics to my phone. I did see one mountain lion that shows an interest in solar technology, but it wasn't a thief. If you can, position a camera where it can not only see the thief, but also catch the license plate of what they drove up in.

 

[HRTKD]

I made a frame for my panels so I could tilt them and secure them to the ground. I drilled holes in the frame and through those holes I use 10" lag screws. With the right tool, or enough effort, someone could steal my panels and the frames.

My panels are never close enough to my trailer to secure them to the trailer.

 

[Keith C]

What I did for my remote system is set up a cellular game camera that instantly sends me pics to my phone. I did see one mountain lion that shows an interest in solar technology, but it wasn't a thief. If you can, position a camera where it can not only see the thief, but also catch the license plate of what they drove up in.

Silly! Mountain Lions don't drive.



Pretty cool you got one in frame.

 

[ArthurEld]

You could lock them all together with cable locks for luggage.

Nothing is going to secure your stuff if someone can get away with hammering or lighting a torch.

 

[Dzl]

It would do nothing to secure them but it might dissuade people:

 

[curiouscarbon]

well, with a couple panels in series, such a sign might be in good faith anyways

 

[BiduleOhm]

It would do nothing to secure them but it might dissuade people:

If you want to make that legit then connect the panel negative to a ground rod you put in the soil, and the positive to the panel frame... ?

 

[RickP]

Yes, anything of value left unattended long enough will grow legs and walk to someone else’s house. I used to work for a city that lost multiple panels, multiple times from a city welcome sign. They eventually had to put some line power in there.

A cable and lock to something immobile, such as your RV or a tree or tall power post is a decent stopgap, realizing that a small set of shears will cut the aluminum frame quickly... but it’s a good way to keep honest people honest. Putting the panels up on top of your RV, if possible, would help. In the end, the best thing would be to secure them out of sight when you’re away. While they can’t charge a battery that way, you certainly aren’t charging anything if they get stolen!

Thiefs suck.

 

[Delmar]

That oughta do it

 

[HRTKD]

I might set my range target outside the RV as a "warning".

 

[rhino]

The sticker may actually work.. I know someone about 10 years ago who cutout some ad from a newspaper for a security company and they taped that to their front door window which made it look like the house had a security system. I talked to someone who I know was pretty shady in the area and they commented "oh, they have a security system"... a camper and mobile home have been burglarized on the same road at least twice and the house with the fake sticker has never been touched.

 

[rhino]

Can't find an image of it but on my panel combiner box from Midnite Solar they include a "high voltage" sticker in black and red with a skull and crossbones. That looks pretty ominous..

 

[Bob B]

That oughta do it

I like that idea .... Electric fence voltage actually IS high voltage .... low current.

 

[ArthurEld]

Infrared vision and a shotgun.
Stop stealing my panels!

 

[Bob B]

Infrared vision and a shotgun.
Stop stealing my panels!

When I was growing up, it was kinda common for farmers to load up some shotgun shells with rock salt.
Shooting a thief with one of those now days would probably get you thrown in jail for life .... and the thief would be pictured as some kind of victim who was just trying to feed his family.

 

[Mike Jordan]

It would do nothing to secure them but it might dissuade people:

This may be the best idea yet. I might step that up a notch. I saw this a little while back. I'll have to get a graphics guy to make me some up