My panels have been in continuous service outside for a year and a few days.
These items are the only sign of wear:
* The white vinyl wire insulators have turned from white to brown. (See photo) If the insulation falls off for becoming brittle it will not make any electrical difference. I suppose loose pieces of anything inside the panel would pose a potential threat to the delicate cells, but no sign of crumbling vinyl yet.
* As reported before, one of the cells has split up the middle. (See photo) It doesn't seem to effect the output of the panel. The split is near one end, and I believe the cell is still functioning normally.
* There's a little bit of discoloration on a few cells along the solder strips, possibly caused by old flux
* The glass exterior seems to be etched a bit from the elements. There is still no evidence of any moisture penetration.
I've also uploaded an overall photo, a pic of my now coveted Rogue MMPT charge controller and a screen shot.
Sorry for the late reply, I was going over some previous conversations and past projects this afternoon.
No real update, other than my two panels remain on their stand as previously pictured, both are still sealed and producing electricity. I have not made any measurements on them for a long time but I assume there's a bit of degradation, but nothing is noticeable.
We had a cold front move through last week and the power went out for a few hours. Again our back yard lights lit the neighborhood darkness and it was nice to run a few LED and CFL temporary indoor lighting.
I am still of the strong opinion that DIY solar panels can be a great project exclusively for the fun and experience of doing so, but you'll come out far ahead buying a good commercial panel.
Hi this is SteveFury, but really the original "Steve" of this thread. I could not get my old login to work.
Anyway I have an update.
My panels are still outside producing electricity and keeping my batteries charged. No evidence of water penetration at the collectors. The only failure I've had in the system was the 50 foot run of 12g wire between the collector and controller. I'm not sure why but the connection opened up.
Just thought I'd check in here and have another look around this most interesting community.
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