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Aluminium and glass from a discarded aluminium door

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  • Aluminium and glass from a discarded aluminium door

    Hello to the group from not-so-sunny Eastern Canada.

    Just to share my experiences in trying to obtain local products to use while building a solar panel in an effort to cut down on the up-front costs.

    I obtained several aluminium doors for free- they were a wealth of useful material I used to build a typical 36 cell panel using 3x6 inch cells. The frame easily builds 1 panel and with 2 doors there's enough to build 3 panels. The glass is tempered (although you should check it to be sure) unless it was replaced with ordinary windows glass at some time in the past.

    To cut the frame, I replaced the wood cutting blade with a metal cutting blade and easily made the mitered corners on my miter saw. The glass measures 28x31 inches and the cells fit nicely on the glass and into the reconstructed frame. The old door has 4-90 degree angle supports that can be used again for the new frame.

    The re-built frame also has the added advantage of having a nice outside nailing flange that would fit into some form of supporting framework for additional panels.

    I ran an ad on the local internet swap shop for free doors and was quite successful in finding some.

  • #2
    Some guys have had good prices for aluminum by going to the wholesaler-
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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    • #3
      And then all this nice aluminum and glass get wrapped around 4th rate solar cells and incorrect sealant..

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Sunny Solar View Post
        And then all this nice aluminum and glass get wrapped around 4th rate solar cells and incorrect sealant..
        No actually, as it turns out, the cells are quite well sealed with Sylgard. As for the cells themselves, one does what one can. If in a few years, more effecient cells become available to the home brew enthusiast, the old cells can be stripped off the glass and then rebuilt with the new generation cells. Think of it as a form of re-cycling...

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        • #5
          Originally posted by labtek View Post
          No actually, as it turns out, the cells are quite well sealed with Sylgard. As for the cells themselves, one does what one can. If in a few years, more effecient cells become available to the home brew enthusiast, the old cells can be stripped off the glass and then rebuilt with the new generation cells. Think of it as a form of re-cycling...
          True DIYer... admirable.
          [CENTER]SunLight @ Night[/CENTER]

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          • #6
            Originally posted by labtek View Post
            Think of it as a form of re-cycling...
            As long as you take into consideration the amount of your labor that is getting recycled too, or are deriving enough enjoyment from the process to cover that!
            SunnyBoy 3000 US, 18 BP Solar 175B panels.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by inetdog View Post
              As long as you take into consideration the amount of your labor that is getting recycled too, or are deriving enough enjoyment from the process to cover that!
              Yes, I quite enjoy the entire exercise...soldering is a precise art but definitely not rocket science. It also keeps me away from the tavern where naysayers exist (especially after a few beers) and also the sense of achievement can also reach (or exceed) toxic levels!

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              • #8
                Originally posted by labtek View Post
                It also keeps me away from the tavern where naysayers exist (especially after a few beers) ....
                "Religion and Politics", Scott Beach?
                SunnyBoy 3000 US, 18 BP Solar 175B panels.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by inetdog View Post
                  Yes, indeed...religion and politics- lose/lose situation. Best avoided if at all possible...Thanks for the post.

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by labtek
                    Just to share my experiences in trying to obtain local products to use while
                    building a solar panel in an effort to cut down on the up-front costs.

                    I obtained several aluminium doors for free- they were a wealth of useful material I used to build a typical 36 cell panel using 3x6 inch cells. The frame easily builds 1 panel and with 2 doors there's enough to build 3 panels. The glass is tempered (although you should check it to be sure) unless it was replaced with ordinary windows glass at some time in the past.

                    Several years ago I made one of my first panels from storm door glass; it was pretty thin. It ended up
                    against an out building, in my "GALLERY OF DEFECTIVE SOLAR PANELS". Some of these panels might yet
                    find a limited power ap, others just display. My early one is the small one on the left. It ended here because
                    second rate sealant refused to set up. Lots of snow on the roof 5 yards up, and it eventually slid off. it
                    managed to shatter the door glass; the commercial panels next to it did fine. Its OK, just shows another
                    weakness. Bruce Roe
                    Attached Files

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by bcroe View Post
                      Several years ago I made one of my first panels from storm door glass; it was pretty thin. It ended up
                      against an out building, in my "GALLERY OF DEFECTIVE SOLAR PANELS". Some of these panels might yet
                      find a limited power ap, others just display. My early one is the small one on the left. It ended here because
                      second rate sealant refused to set up. Lots of snow on the roof 5 yards up, and it eventually slid off. it
                      managed to shatter the door glass; the commercial panels next to it did fine. Its OK, just shows another
                      weakness. Bruce Roe
                      The door glass you used might have been regular window glass. If it was tempered glass, it would say so. I've found door glass that was not tempered due to the cost of replacing it once broken at some point in it's previous life. I personally do not see the day anytime soon that DIY can match commercial panels for efficiency, durability and cost. The best I can do with DIY is around $1.00 Canadian per watt. Commercial panels come in less than that depending on where you live.

                      Having said that, I think that there is a usefullness in better understanding the technology by going through a DIY phase or if you live in some remote location where it's DIY or nothing.

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