Here is a link to some photos of the progress of a Solar Panel install on the Boler.

Will complete a video once the project is complete.

http://flickr.com/photos/76boler/326376209...57613488933155/

They look pretty slick. How many watts? Do they stay flat all of the time?

Two 80 watt panels,approximately 42"X42" (together), wired in series. Should give me a Vmp of 33.4 volts, current of 4.8 amps.


The panels can stay flat, tilt towards door side, tilt towards drivers' side or be remotely mounted up to 35 feet away with the addition of a 12 AWG extension cord. I am thinking of adding a set of mounts to the cap of my truck. The trailer can then be parked in the shade and the panels can be secured to the truck which can be parked in the sun.

Also looking into a method to secure (lock) the panels to their mounts to help deter theft.

I'm pretty new to solar so it is taking me a while to get my head around the terminology and different wiring techniques.

A Morningstar MPPT charge controller should arrive for an install next weekend. Once I hook it up and run it through its' paces I will report back with the results.

I have a much smaller panel I used last summer while full timeing as camp host and it kept my battery charged for what I needed.
A few questions about your set up because I just moved mine around on its 15 foot lead to capture the max sun. Although it would work in ambiant sun I felt better when I saw ths sun right on it.
Do you plan to keep this panel on top of camper at all times even traveling down the road?
If so, did you build a cover to protect it? Does it need protection?
If not do you bring along a step-ladder so you can set it up?( do not think I would like this idea)
Even to get a cover off you would need to get up there.
Gerry

I will have mounts on my truck cap and have made a 50 ft extension from #10 AWG wire. (The length of the extension can vary for your installation depending how you have your panel or panels wired (series or parallel) and your particular charge controller.)

I will have the option of leaving the panels on the trailer or transferring them to the tow vehicle. It has been suggested by PeterH that the fibreglass roof may not be able to withstand the forces of the wind on the panels. I will not be doing a road test until April so won't be able to report back until I take it for a few runs. Chances are I will get better gas mileage with the panels mounted on the cap of my truck so the wind can travel over/under and around the panels. You will notice that the aluminum support brackets are broadside to the oncoming wind when the panels are on top of the trailer. The brackets on my truck cap will be turned 90 degrees to allow for better air flow.

Either way the panels will be plugged into the charging circuit so that the batteries are being charged while I am travelling.

The panels weight is only 35 lbs so it is just a matter of stepping up on a small stool to slide them on or off the trailer or truck. An easy one man operation.

There is no need to cover the panels. They are designed to withstand some punishment from the elements such as hail. As well if covered they will not be charging your batteries.

Once the project is complete and warmer weather comes back to Calgary then I will complete a video showing the setup in actual use.

Very good job.You should be proud.

One thing I have found to be helpful is to put a parallel connector from the panel and connect a Voltmeter there.

I have been able to use this to aim the panel for maximum output at any time.

I am always surprised that the angle I think is so different from the angle the meter will peak at.

I just have a cheap dedicated meter just for doing this.

On mine I use Anderson Power pole connectors to make it quick and simple to connect it all.

Ed

I am placing all the links to the videos of the solar installation here in my original posting to make it easier for those doing a search. (thank you peterh)

Mounting two solar panels together and wiring in series
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh5b0yYVuvU...feature=channel

NEW TODAY
Solar panel mounting system on top of a 1976 Boler trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akufm_DarLY

Installing wiring through roof of Boler trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5PyUbXvXRw

Installation of a Morningstar MPPT charge controller in a 1976 Boler trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP6pDkpe1-o


Initial testing of the solar installation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrjW8gnKSkY...re=channel_page

Still images

http://flickr.com/photos/76boler/326445047...57613488933155/

Kevin,
Your videos have been very educational, thanks for all your work in sharing them with all of us. You are one careful and meticulous guy! If/when I'm working on projects of my own down the road, you're one that I might bounce a few ideas off of, K? hehe

Happy Modding and keep up the good sharing!

Joe

Todays' project was to design a prototype for a rotating solar panel mount for the cap of my truck.

This short video clip demonstrates the time and effort involved to transfer the panels from truck to trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Cjrh-AydA

This is just an update of the solar installation with all the links located in one location.
The newest video is at the bottom.

Mounting two solar panels together
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh5b0yYVuvU...feature=channel
Solar panel mounting system
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akufm_DarLY
Installing wiring through the roof
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5PyUbXvXRw
Installing solar charge controller
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5PyUbXvXRw
Initial testing of the solar installation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrjW8gnKSkY...re=channel_page
Transferring panels from tow vehicle to trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Cjrh-AydA
Still Photos
http://flickr.com/photos/76boler/326445047...57613488933155/

NEW TODAY
Tilting and locking system for solar panels
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TDKyE6L1D4...re=channel_page

VERY IMPORTANT CHANGE TO SOLAR INSTALLATION

In my videos I show a MALE plug coming from my solar panels. This is incorrect and poses a serious SHOCK/SHORT HAZARD. With the panels in full sun the red and black prongs are HOT.
Click to view attachment


Mounting two solar panels together
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh5b0yYVuvU...feature=channel
Solar panel mounting system
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akufm_DarLY
Installing wiring through the roof
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5PyUbXvXRw
Installing solar charge controller
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5PyUbXvXRw
Initial testing of the solar installation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrjW8gnKSkY...re=channel_page
Transferring panels from tow vehicle to trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Cjrh-AydA
Still Photos
http://flickr.com/photos/76boler/326445047...57613488933155/
Tilting and locking system for solar panels
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TDKyE6L1D4...re=channel_pageClick to view attachment

I am heading to Langley on Thursday and this will be the "shake down" trip for the solar panel installation on the roof of the Boler.

I decided to follow through on a suggestion by Peterh and have installed a wind deflector in front of my panels to help direct air over the panels. The mounting brackets are broadside to the wind
and the concern was raised that this may cause excessive stress on the panel/roof connection.

I haven't done a wind tunnel test (although my neighbour did suggest a large fan and a 50 lb. bag of flour)I just guessed and "eyeballed" an angle. Hopefully it won't create a vortex and rip the panels off from the back!

Not sure if it will get painted in time for the journey but the trip should also expose any cracks that may occur in the fibreglass/bondo that may occur from the flexing of the roof.

Click to view attachment

Kevin, looking forward to seeing your setup on Friday.

Hi Jim,

If you happen to find a couple of solar panels between Calgary and Langley just give me a call.
See you this weekend.

An aquaintance of mine made a simple "air tunnel" setup for designing a new airplane: He mounted his model airplane mockup (a 6' long x 5' wide balsa wood and "doped" fabric mockup) on a pole on a utility trailer, loaded his propane barbeque in the back of his pickup, fired up the bbq, then had a friend drive along side of this rig filming the airplane at different speeds while dripping motor oil through a tube into the bbq. I've seen the video . . . the "wind tunnel" worked really well, but his next set of hamburgers sucked.

What did you make the dam from? Fiberglass over formed foam block?

Will do Kevin, though there is such a thing as salvage rights you know.

I will be leaving 5AM or earlier on Friday.

I went to the junkyard and pulled a spoiler off the back of a Saturn.

3 wood angles fibreglassed to roof of trailer and then screwed the spoiler onto the wood.

Drew a line around the shape and then ground the trailer down to fibreglass. I then wrapped fibrecloth over the spoiler and attached fibre cloth to fibreglass roof around the entire spoiler.

I am working on smoothing it out with Bondo. Will give it the road test to work the bugs out before completing it next weekend.

Click to view attachment

Probably won't get the video completed for a few weeks also.

Just completed a 1200 mile road test through the mountains and am happy to report that the panels and wind deflector are still on the trailer. Spent the first 90 minutes stopping and checking with my eye in the rearview mirrors expecting to see them fly off. Didn't happen. Traveled through heavy rain, sleet and snow and there were no leaks . Viewed a new Escape trailer that had one panel bolted to the top of its' roof. Spoke with Reace (the manufacturer) and they simply use four attach points and large washers. As usual I appear to have over-engineered my setup

As a side note I forgot to turn off my furnace and it stayed lit for an entire 12 hour leg of the trip. The flame on the fridge did not stay lit. The interior of the fridge was still cold though.

Just an update on the performance of the solar panels (160 watts) on the trailer in actual use. This is meant as a rough guide for anyone contemplating adding solar to their trailer and is not sure of the size of panel required.

While camping at the Langley meet last weekend with the trailer parked in a sunny location I found I would use about 4% of the battery capacity each night (240 amp/hour battery). (1% of this loss is from my "phantom" loads) The radio was on all night and I was using a few lights (Superbright LED's) for a few hours. Battery would be up to 100% by 11 am. It wasn't warm enough to use the fantastic fan.

While working on the trailer parked in my driveway yesterday (in full sun) I had the radio on, a few lights on and put the fantastic fan on the highest setting. The battery stayed at 100% Over the span of three hours. Based on the system performance so far I believe I could easily get enough re-charging capicity from a single 80 watt panel for single or double occupancy.

(today is rainy and solid overcast. At 7:30 pm the battery is sitting at 97%. The 5 LED's have been on since 11 am and the CD has been playing for the past 4 hours.

Will keep this post up-dated as my sister, her husband and two young girls will be taking the trailer for a "family of four" test. Using more running water, more lights, DVD players,video games, etc.

Hi Kevin I guess I should of looked at your BOLER a little more closely{At the Langley Egg Fest} as I see you have many new additions to the little BOLER ,they all look great especially the electrical as I am an Electrician you have done a great job keep it up I am now just installing puck lighting,stereo ,dvd,and the flat screen,I am also changing 120v wiring as to have one breaker for each receptacle and for the fridge and converter also installing outside receptacle as the BIGFOOT there is not much to do except small additions,anyway stay in touch...
Rick and THE BC BIGFOOT

Hi Kevin,
I've found your videos quite interesting because I'm in the process of adding a 115 Watt 24V panel to my trailer. Determining the size of panel and which components to use has been an interesting experience. I chose the 24V panel to keep wire size from the panel to charge controller at a minimum(even if I have to add a second panel I can maintain the same wire by wiring in series). I've ordered an MPPT controller(Blue Sky Solar Boost 2512ix from www.renewcanada.com) which I need to convert 24v to 12V for the battery(1 group 27 [at] 105 A/H). The MPPT controller is expensive but gives me the voltage conversion already mentioned, 4 stage charging(3 levels + equalize), and supposedly up to 30% more power out of the panel than non MPPT). The Xantrex monitor you have looks good but the company I bought from sell the TriMetric TM-2020 so I went with it. Still waiting on delivery of the controller and monitor. I havn't decided if I want to add adjustment to panels on the roof. I've come up with a design that I think would allow setting the panel to a compound angle in any direction but just fastening flat in one position would be much easier and less expensive, and possibly more robust.
So my question now is did you do your trial with the panels flat on the roof or aimed at the sun?
Bill

With 160 watts of panel and my limited consumption I find leaving the panels flat does the job. Probably the only time it will make a difference is if I am camping in the middle of winter.

I still have the option of easily moving the panels to my truck if I park the trailer in the shade.

I will do some testing with the panels flat on the trailer while camping in partial shade to get a feel for their performance under these conditions. If they keep up with my consumption there will be no need to move or adjust them.

Lynne and I found that we can do quite well with a single 50 watt panel fixed to our trailer roof as long as we limited our use of our fantastic fan and furnace. We found out in Yellowstone last year that 50 watts is a good start, but not quite enough to run the furnace heat when the outdoor temps are in the teens and twenties without pretty much running the battery down each night.

One of my (few remaining) "big" projects for our Scamp is to add a second roof panel so we can run the heater. It was a choice between that and swapping the furnace for a Wave 3 catalytic heater, and we decided to keep the furnace. 105 watts of solar is more than enough to keep the lights, furnace, and various 12v electrics running as long as sunlight makes its way down to our trailer.

Thanks Kevin and Peter,
Kevin, I did order the shunt and battery temp sensor. The shunt was necessary and I thought the temp sensor might help to get maximum charge level in cooler weather when we need the additional power for our furnace. We camp spring and fall here in Canada(furnace time) and we enjoyed Texas enough last winter that we will likely go again this coming winter(we use the furnace going to and coming from Texas as well). As soon as I get time I'll have a look at that website.

Peter, I know from our experience in Texas last winter and some calculations since that I probably need to get about 25-30 A/H charge daily. I figured an 80 watt panel at 6.5 amps X 6 hrs./ day at full power should give me a little more than I needed but thought if I went to 115 Watt I would be able to get that even in poor sunlight with the panel flat on the roof. Last winter I stayed at South Padre Island for 12 days and had to hook booster cables to the van for about 45 minutes each morning. It was during those days that I envied one of my neighbors with his 210 watts of solar panels. He had someone install the system for him but I didn't get the impression he knew much about it. He still had to run his Honda 2000W generator at night to watch his 30" TV. He also was very interested in my LED lights.
Bill

Just an update on the performance of the solar panels. Just completed another week long trip and found I had a heck of a time drawing the battery down to below 95%.

160 watt panel charging a 240 amp-hour battery.

Even parked in the tall pine forest with only 1 hour of direct sun for two days. Finally got it down to 93.9% by charging my laptop and cellphone. However I did not watch any TV/Video or DVD's.

I will try to use every available appliance next trip for extended periods to gauge the performance.

Hi,

My used Boler came with a 60 watt panel fixed on the roof, and that worked great for lights, etc. But when I added an electric fridge (danfrost low power compressor) I realized I needed more power. So I added a plug on my battery box and put my new 120 watt panel on a 15 ft cord that it plugs into it.

I did not like having to park in the sun on hot days so this way I can park the trailer in the shade and put the panel in the sun (usually on the roof rack of my tug).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh50CgEibSo

Here is the video of the air deflector installation