Born2Explore
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So as some of you know my wife and I recently upgraded to our wonderful Savana Van. Well the van came pretty much completely built out. Part of that build included a 200W 11.2A solar set up on the hi-top.
And by that I mean...
(2) Two 100 Watt Go Power! Flexible Mono Crystalline Solar Panels (rated to draw a max of 11.2 Amps I think)
(2) Two Basic Deep Cycle Batteries from Napa Auto Parts (w/ 175 minute reserve capacity; sorry don't know the AH rating)
(1) One 30 Amp Go Power! PWM Solar Controller
Everything electrically was working amazing in the van UNTIL I really started checking into the incoming charge from the Solar Panels. In Florida, on a perfectly clear day, from 11:30am - 2:30pm the highest incoming Amps I was receiving from the panels was 1.4 Amps. I tried everything to check why this was happening... I drained the batteries to 50%, parked in direct sunlight, cleaned the panels TWICE on two separate days with warm soapy water... I opened up the charge controller and checked the incoming Volts and Amps from the panel directly with a multi-meter. After trouble shooting everything I could think of for about a week, I realized that my panels were actually starting to delaminate, they had gotten a haze to them and the top layer was actually flaking off. The previous owner of the van had parked it stationary under a bunch of trees... when we bought it, there was a mess of black, soggy, gunk all over the roof from stuff that fell from the trees in the rain and then just sat on the panels.... for MONTHS!
So anyway, I eventually came to the conclusion that the solar panels themselves were the problem... I was beginning to talk my wife into letting me spend another couple of hundred dollars on replacement solar panels, and I figured I should probably buy the same ones that were originally up there just so I wouldn't have to adjust anything else in the system. So I was checking out the Go Power! website, and saw that the panels had a 5 year warranty. Our van was converted in 2014, so the panels were 3 years old.
I sent an email to their customer service department explaining the issue, and received a reply from an actual person 2 hours later. I sent them detailed pictures of each panel, and by 5pm that SAME DAY I had confirmation that they were shipping me two brand new panels! That was on a Friday, the following Monday I had a tracking number for the shipment. My next thought, however, was how in the world am I going to return the old panels! They are literally adhered directly to the hi-top, how am I going to rip those things off... So I reached back out to the customer service staff, and they informed that they do NOT need the old panels to be returned, and even gave a few tips on how to mount the new panels once they arrived. As of yesterday, the new panels are mounted and reconnected. After checking them in PARTIAL/CLOUDY sunlight around noon today, they are bringing in 7 Amps. I will check them again on a clear day in full sunlight and reply with an updated reading.
All of the interaction I had with the company was though email, I never spoke with anyone on the phone. But I can imagine they are just as nice and helpful!
Go Power! is a company that stands behind their product! (I have no affiliation/sponsorship with Go Power!, in fact, they don't even know I am writing this review)
I am sure some of you are thinking (I would be thinking the same thing), "well, if the panels were any good, they wouldn't have stopped working in the first place!" Well I think that is hard to say, but my input would be this; in the 3 years the panels were on the roof, they were never cleaned, and in fact, sat parked under a tree and were coated with soggy debris. I personally believe this is what caused the delamination, and I am sure the new panels I received will last MUCH longer as I will personally be making sure they are free and clear of debris.
For those interested, I will post an Amazon link to the panels and controller that I have. Please note, this link is NOT an affiliate link. I gain NOTHING if you click the link or buy the panel.
https://www.amazon.com/Go-Power-GP-...243&sr=8-2&keywords=go+power+solar+panel+100w
And by that I mean...
(2) Two 100 Watt Go Power! Flexible Mono Crystalline Solar Panels (rated to draw a max of 11.2 Amps I think)
(2) Two Basic Deep Cycle Batteries from Napa Auto Parts (w/ 175 minute reserve capacity; sorry don't know the AH rating)
(1) One 30 Amp Go Power! PWM Solar Controller
Everything electrically was working amazing in the van UNTIL I really started checking into the incoming charge from the Solar Panels. In Florida, on a perfectly clear day, from 11:30am - 2:30pm the highest incoming Amps I was receiving from the panels was 1.4 Amps. I tried everything to check why this was happening... I drained the batteries to 50%, parked in direct sunlight, cleaned the panels TWICE on two separate days with warm soapy water... I opened up the charge controller and checked the incoming Volts and Amps from the panel directly with a multi-meter. After trouble shooting everything I could think of for about a week, I realized that my panels were actually starting to delaminate, they had gotten a haze to them and the top layer was actually flaking off. The previous owner of the van had parked it stationary under a bunch of trees... when we bought it, there was a mess of black, soggy, gunk all over the roof from stuff that fell from the trees in the rain and then just sat on the panels.... for MONTHS!
So anyway, I eventually came to the conclusion that the solar panels themselves were the problem... I was beginning to talk my wife into letting me spend another couple of hundred dollars on replacement solar panels, and I figured I should probably buy the same ones that were originally up there just so I wouldn't have to adjust anything else in the system. So I was checking out the Go Power! website, and saw that the panels had a 5 year warranty. Our van was converted in 2014, so the panels were 3 years old.
I sent an email to their customer service department explaining the issue, and received a reply from an actual person 2 hours later. I sent them detailed pictures of each panel, and by 5pm that SAME DAY I had confirmation that they were shipping me two brand new panels! That was on a Friday, the following Monday I had a tracking number for the shipment. My next thought, however, was how in the world am I going to return the old panels! They are literally adhered directly to the hi-top, how am I going to rip those things off... So I reached back out to the customer service staff, and they informed that they do NOT need the old panels to be returned, and even gave a few tips on how to mount the new panels once they arrived. As of yesterday, the new panels are mounted and reconnected. After checking them in PARTIAL/CLOUDY sunlight around noon today, they are bringing in 7 Amps. I will check them again on a clear day in full sunlight and reply with an updated reading.
All of the interaction I had with the company was though email, I never spoke with anyone on the phone. But I can imagine they are just as nice and helpful!
Go Power! is a company that stands behind their product! (I have no affiliation/sponsorship with Go Power!, in fact, they don't even know I am writing this review)
I am sure some of you are thinking (I would be thinking the same thing), "well, if the panels were any good, they wouldn't have stopped working in the first place!" Well I think that is hard to say, but my input would be this; in the 3 years the panels were on the roof, they were never cleaned, and in fact, sat parked under a tree and were coated with soggy debris. I personally believe this is what caused the delamination, and I am sure the new panels I received will last MUCH longer as I will personally be making sure they are free and clear of debris.
For those interested, I will post an Amazon link to the panels and controller that I have. Please note, this link is NOT an affiliate link. I gain NOTHING if you click the link or buy the panel.
https://www.amazon.com/Go-Power-GP-...243&sr=8-2&keywords=go+power+solar+panel+100w