Worst solar production day so far.

[Carl_NH]

Biker,

Not a bad idea - another forum I follow with a ground mount system they essentially used a chaise lounge type ratchet setup on 4 panels at a time to adjust between seasons for optimum angle. Once in the spring to 25* and once in the fall to like 50*.

Bruce - what do you use to clean off the panels - blower or snow brush? We are getting ours installed next month on the garage roof, and snow will be a factor - even though we have a 35* angle snow should slide off unless its mushy then freezes like it did this last storm.

I intend to modify an aluminum house snow rake with rubber blade instead. Anyone else in the snow belt - how do you clean your panels off?

Carl

[bcroe]

Biker, Not a bad idea - another forum I follow with a ground mount
system they essentially used a chaise lounge type ratchet setup on 4 panels at a time to adjust
between seasons for optimum angle. Once in the spring to 25* and once in the fall to like 50*.

Bruce - what do you use to clean off the panels - blower or snow brush? We are getting ours
installed next month on the garage roof, and snow will be a factor - even though we have a 35*
angle snow should slide off unless its mushy then freezes like it did this last storm.

I intend to modify an aluminum house snow rake with rubber blade instead. Anyone else in
the snow belt - how do you clean your panels off? Carl

Carl, First one with a practical tilt scheme gets the big prize. I was thinking more like tilting
24 panels at a time. To solve the snow problem, you need to go vertical at least sometimes.

I have a 12' wooden pole with a plastic pusher somebody here recommended; has one lip facing
away for pushing, the other reversed for pulling. No metal poles for me, I don't wan't to be
directly connected to 420 VDC in case I poke a hole in a panel. I don't know how to use a blower,
esp when the far edge is 10' away.

One thing not done this summer, was some motion detector lights out there. Useful for clearing
snow and other things. Have these everywhere else. Bruce

[Bikerscum]

Bruce,

Some time when you have time to kill, go to bimba.com & play with their cylinder designer. It'll even give you CAD models of the design. A cheap air cylinder can generate an amazing amount of pressure, with little input pressure. Kinda like the brake system on a car. Their cylinders are good to -40f.

I can easily envision them raising 24 panels at a time.

But then, I don't have to build it

[bcroe]

Bruce,
Some time when you have time to kill, go to bimba.com & play with their cylinder designer. It'll even
give you CAD models of the design. A cheap air cylinder can generate an amazing amount of pressure,
with little input pressure. Kinda like the brake system on a car. Their cylinders are good to -40f.
I can easily envision them raising 24 panels at a time. But then, I don't have to build it

I see the main problem as how to mount and pivot the panels. In theory my current platforms
can change. But if pushed to vertical, the strut would be more than double length. Such a long
stroke is a problem. And how do I reach 10' in the air to connect/disconnect things. Trying to
push near the ground means the forces will be multiplied and break things. No place to lean a
ladder; slip and go right thru a panel.

Seems like the panels need to pivot near the center of gravity (some 8' above the ground). Then
the forces won't actually be lifting hundreds of lb., just swivel them. Something on the order of
a garage door opener is my speed. An air cylinder could build up pressure, then suddenly slam
things as they came loose. Bruce

[Mb190e]

Looks like it took 2 consecutive 40+ degree days to get the snow off the panels. 4 days with almost 0 production. I will be ordering a rubber snow rake hopefully today because I don't see 2 40° days being the norm for December, January and February after 14 inches of snow in upstate New York.

[Mike90250]

burning through diesel this last week and next, solid clouds, rain. not as fun as it could be.

[LucMan]

I use a plastic roof rake from home depot to clean off my panels. Yes it has metal poles, but if you can poke a hole through a panel with the plastic roof rake it would really surprise me.
I dropped my 30 foot fatmax tape measure onto a panel from 10 ft above and it didn't even scratch the glass. These BP sx 3200 panels are tough.

[DanS26]

I went a step further and bolted three snow rakes together...makes snow removal go twice as fast. Works well for snowfall up to 4", any deeper I go back to a single rake.

[bcroe]

Pushing Snow

I went a step further and bolted three snow rakes together...makes snow removal go twice as fast. Works well for snowfall up to 4", any deeper I go back to a single rake.

Should try that here. Since my panels are turned vertically, the max width ought to
to be what fits inside 1 panel frame the narrow way. Guess I'd also need a single
head for when its too deep.

As for the metal pole, these things are dangerous enough, without taking ANY
avoidable risk. There are deer repellers up, but I'm just waiting for the day a
deer chews a wire; we will be eating pre cooked deer meat. Bruce Roe

[DanS26]

Should try that here. Since my panels are turned vertically, the max width ought to
to be what fits inside 1 panel frame the narrow way. Guess I'd also need a single
head for when its too deep.

As for the metal pole, these things are dangerous enough, without taking ANY
avoidable risk. There are deer repellers up, but I'm just waiting for the day a
deer chews a wire; we will be eating pre cooked deer meat. Bruce Roe

Bruce, I can understand your concern with the metal pole touching the panel frames, but I do not consider that anymore dangerous than just touching the frames with your hand. Also if I'm removing snow I'm in heavy rubber boots and heavy leather gloves, both good insulators. I guess I could wrap the handle in heavy electrical tape to provide additional insulation.

I do not do any banging around with my rake on the panels and pretty much let the foam head ride at an angle. My method (after much trial and error) is to move across the top 3 feet of the array and push the snow off the back. Then I plow the middle in the second pass. Finally the lower third is removed in the third pass going back and forth.

The handle never touches the array in any manner with this method.

[Mb190e]

Just returned from Home Depot with one of the plastic blade snow rakes we will see how it goes.

http://t.homedepot.com/p/True-Temper-17-ft-Telescoping-Roof-Rake-193055510/202943651/

[Mb190e]

Is there really a concern with the metal pole touching the frame? The metal frame should not be electrically charged correct? Seems like if there was a dead short to the ground the system would blow a fuse, shut down or trip a breaker.

[bcroe]

Bruce, I can understand your concern with the metal pole touching the panel frames, but I do not consider that anymore dangerous than just touching the frames with your hand. Also if I'm removing snow I'm in heavy rubber boots and heavy leather gloves, both good insulators. I guess I could wrap the handle in heavy electrical tape to provide additional insulation.

I do not do any banging around with my rake on the panels and pretty much let the foam head ride at an angle. My method (after much trial and error) is to move across the top 3 feet of the array and push the snow off the back. Then I plow the middle in the second pass. Finally the lower third is removed in the third pass going back and forth.
The handle never touches the array in any manner with this method.

Agreed I don't have a problem leaning on the well grounded frame (on a nice warm,
dry day). However when everything is wet & cold, I'm standing in loose snow & ice
on top of 6" of packed snow, in hand & foot wear with no electrical rating, swinging
around something a dozen feet long, cleaning 1800 square feet of panels, I have no
confidence that I will never knock a hole in a panel. So to each his own.

As for the deer, there is a 1A fuse in the GFI circuit completing the loop to ground.
I'm guessing the deer (or anything else) will be dead by the time the current gets
high enough to blow it. MAYBE it would be safer to determine, just how small a
fuse would stand up to leakage. Another experiment.... Bruce

[DanS26]

Agreed I don't have a problem leaning on the well grounded frame (on a nice warm,
dry day). However when everything is wet & cold, I'm standing in loose snow & ice
on top of 6" of packed snow, in hand & foot wear with no electrical rating, swinging
around something a dozen feet long, cleaning 1800 square feet of panels, I have no
confidence that I will never knock a hole in a panel. So to each his own.

As for the deer, there is a 1A fuse in the GFI circuit completing the loop to ground.
I'm guessing the deer (or anything else) will be dead by the time the current gets
high enough to blow it. MAYBE it would be safer to determine, just how small a
fuse would stand up to leakage. Another experiment.... Bruce

Bruce, Just to ease your mind...snow and ice are very good insulators and unless very contaminated are not very good conductors.

[russ]

Bruce, Just to ease your mind...snow and ice are very good insulators and unless very contaminated are not very good conductors.

Where do you find snow or ice that is not contaminated?