hemsteadc Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 On 1/26/2018 at 3:03 PM, SWharton said: Why can't solar life be simple....... You'd be surprised how many RVers have little idea about how their solar systems operate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 26 minutes ago, hemsteadc said: You'd be surprised how many RVers have little idea about how their solar systems operate. Uhh... no we wouldn't. On the other hand.... it's none too surprising how many RV'ers could dance circles around "professional" solar installers with what they know in their little finger. Especially in a "community" like this where there is ready access to such a wide base of lifelong experiences and professionals to cover every aspect.... electrical, mechanical... even chemical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemsteadc Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 17 hours ago, Yarome said: it's none too surprising how many RV'ers could dance circles around "professional" solar installers with what they know in their little finger. If you've installed your own solar system you BET you know every little nuance of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitty77_7 Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 Good point about the knowledge trust available here on this forum, as well as 'hand's on' DIY install owner's usually having a good grasp on what they have for solar. (I said usually, as I've seen several DIY installs that provided 'opportunities for improvement':)!). And for those that are not DIY, the importance of finding a good installer/company can definitely pay dividends in the end. Companies like Starlight in Yuma, AM Solar in Oregon, are two examples of companies that very seldom get bad reviews from owners. And of course, others too. For those that want to do DIY, working with these companies to provide total packaged kits, is another way to go. But yes, not just in solar, I find that many times I know more about a product then the 'expert's' I'm dealing with... And reading this forum as I do, know that many of you have much higher knowledge and experience then I do... Best to all, Smitty Be safe, have fun, Smitty 04 CC Allure "RooII" - Our "E" ride for life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al F Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 I have said for many years: "The difference between a professional and an amateur is, an amateur does a better job for less money." There are lots of exceptions of course, brain surgeons, is one that comes to mind. But for lots of things I do, that I could pay a professional to do, I take more time and care in doing the work. If what I do is not quite perfect, at least I know the short comings and how to compensate for them. When a professional does the work, and something is not quite right, I may not have any knowledge of the short comings. Al & Sharon 2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 2020 Chevy Colorado Toad San Antonio, TX http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWharton Posted January 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 I tried to post this yesterday but had the Cloudfront problem on all my browsers. Pricing we are getting for both systems looks like they are in the ballpark. 2 panels $700; Controller $130(on Amazon) rest is misc. I haven't specked out the single system but I would assume it is a reasonable price based on the one system we have priced out. We are going to go with the dual system, if it doesn't work out we can upgrade to the other system (which we can probably do on our own). All the panels are the same brand and size. If it does work out, we save $400. We do have the Magnum ME-RC50 battery monitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 31 minutes ago, SWharton said: 2 panels $700 $350 for a 160watt panel? (640w / 4 = 160watt(?)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Heiser Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 13 minutes ago, Yarome said: $350 for a 160watt panel? (640w / 4 = 160watt(?)) Yikes. It had better have gold plated mounting hardware at that price. 2000 Kenworth T2000 w/ Cummins N14 and autoshift 2017 DRV Mobile Suite 40KSSB4 with factory mods, dealer mods and personal mods - now in the RV graveyard 2022 DRV Full House MX450 with customized floor plan 2018 Polaris RZR Turbo S (fits in the garage) 2016 Smart Car (fits in the garage or gets flat towed behind the DRV when the RZR is in the garage)My First Solar Install ThreadMy Second Solar Install Thread & Photos and Documents Related to the buildMy MX450's solar, battery and inverter system - my biggest system yet! chadheiser.com West Coast HDT Rally Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWharton Posted February 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 I checked around and that is the going rate(many are a lot higher). Do a google and take a look.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 1 hour ago, SWharton said: I checked around and that is the going rate(many are a lot higher) In the 160-180watt panels.. for the "nice ones" (high efficiency mono's) the going rates are more in the $225-$275 range. If you're buying a "kit" (mounts and wiring) I might expect to see more in the range you're talking about. A point to ponder. If you are going with 2 tandem systems then you are not constrained to have matching panels in separate/stand-alone arrays. Without even doing any "hard-core" shopping around, what do you think of these? 180w mono's 19.25v Vmpp 9.35A Impp 60"x27" 24.5lb.... $275.00 x 2 = $550 + $12.00 shipping. Save $138 and pick up 40watts in the process. Like I said though... that's not really "shopping around"... that's just hitting one (1) place that's known for better than average panels at "fair" market prices (no "steals", but on the upper side of "fair market" pricing). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWharton Posted February 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 We want the same panels in case we decide to change to a single system in the future. Tradeoffs........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 It's not for me to understand all the math... it's your dime... but I kinda don't get it. The panels are the panels (single or dual controller) and you're picking up another single controller for $130. If you were going with a single controller system then it would be $170~ish for the controller (vs. $130.. and could likely get some money back out of your existing controller), but would cost $400 more in gear? It's none of my businesses, but from an outside perspective it "might" appear that your installer is taking you for a ride. The only variable between the two should be the wiring size. If you're using the existing cables down from the combiner box to the controller and installing another light-weight set for the second controller the cost would very negligible to simply run a single heavier cable to handle the full production capability of all 4 panels. Likely.. not more than $1-$1.50/ft. Also considering that, if that is in fact the case, and you eventually choose to go to a single controller system then you'll be running either dual conductors to the controller (doable, but not ideal) or rewiring yet again. I fail to see what is constituting a $400 difference, but like I said... it's none of my business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al F Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 It could very well be the price for panels, mounting hardware, cabling to the combiner box, new combiner box and wire to the new controller and labor. I believe the $1200 figure also includes a new controller at 60-80 amps, since it could be expanded beyond 4 panels. I also tend to look at these things in comparison to going to a auto repair shop, or in my sticks & bricks and working my air conditioner. Yes I can buy the water pump at the local parts store for some lower cost, such as $50 and the shop will charge me $80 or $90 for the same part. That is part of the mark up and profit for the shop/installer. I don't expect anyone to not make a reasonable income/profit for doing things I don't want to do, or can't do for various reasons. I do try to educate myself to the point I can know if I am getting a quality product. Such as in a solar system, the ability to request or demand wiring large enough to provide no more than a 1% to1.5% loss, instead of maybe a 5%-10% loss. Al & Sharon 2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 2020 Chevy Colorado Toad San Antonio, TX http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWharton Posted February 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 The $1200 system does include a new monitor, combiner, controller and #4 wire(#10 comes with it). We also have no shipping charges since this is a local supplier and installer. We priced this out at several solar sites and the pricing is all in the same ball park. You obviously shop at different installers than what we found. We also don't want to chase all over the country for the purchase and installation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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