Randyretired

As you may already know most panels have the numbers on them to calculate the voltage at a given temperature. Most panels start at around 75C and add or subtract voltage by whatever the temperature diffence is. The cooler the panel runs the higher the voltage.

RV parks have a few that are new or maybe not as good at backing as others but what I have seen at boat ramps will stick with me for a long time. Seems there are a lot of inexperienced backers there. Many are new at boating also. The combination is ripe for a bad day. One time I watched 2 men trying to back a boat and neither seemed to have a clue. There conversation went like turn that way a see what happens. After an hour or so they left. I have seen a truck in the water, deep in the water. I have seen motor homes launching boats and when they pulled out the storage compartments were draining. An argument between boaters at the ramp was also pretty common.

I have back problems so lifting panels was not going to happen. I used a backhoe. Hopefully with your knees you have a plan.

I used aluminum angle to mount my panels. Aluminum angle flat on the roof, aluminum angle to reach the height and bolted directly to the panels. Required drilling the side of the panel. I used stainless bolts to put everything together. The slope of the roof was easier to meet that way. On bigger panels I used 3 or 4 risers on each side down to the roof. Before each piece was placed on the roof I put a generous amount of Dicor then covered the bolt heads with Dicor. Teton roofs have 1/2" panel beneath the rubber roof so that helps with bolting down the supports. For a time I used hinges for the riser so the panels could be tilted but I don't do that anymore. That is just my backyard method that I came up with several years ago there may be better methods.

John, staying off grid is my goal also. I am trying to build a place with off grid solar, well and septic in the middle of 140 acres. Star Link will be our worldly contact. It is in the high country of Colorado so we may leave for the winter. It is going slow though and getting contractors and supplies isn't going well. Inflation in the building industry is alive and well. My budget not so much.

One 30 amp RV I worked on that was tripping a GFCI, would trip on any load from any breaker. It turned out to be the water heater element. The only way to isolate the problem was to disconnect the nuetrals in the breaker box and reconnect them one at a time with a small load on a circuit that didn't trip. The common nuetral was feeding back to the ground just enough to trip the GFCI.

There is most likely a problem in an RV that trips a GFCI but it may be very minor. To give an example I had a GFCI 50amp that would periodically trip. I finally found a spider web in the receptacle box. Once I removed it it hasn't tripped since. With all of the circuits in an RV it can be a nightmare to find. I plug our 5er into a 50amp GFCI at home and it finally operates after a lot of work. That is until the mini split compressor kicks on. Something in the inverter circuitry trips it immediately. GFCI are a great safety feature but when there is a problem it can be difficult to locate. The code now requires all outdoor residential circuits to have GFCI. Even 30 and 50amp receptacles so more of us may run into this when we plug our rigs in at home.

GFCI will trip whenever a 5ma imbalance between the nuetral and nongrounded line exists. Multiple GFCI protection will not by itself cause tripping. With such small imbalance many things can cause the problem and RV's don't play well with GFCI power. RV parks are exempt from GFCI for power receptacles but all outside residential circuits now require GFCI. By spending many hours I have found and cured RV GFCI tripping but it often isn't easy.

When we see a bill the original bill is for the providers normal retail amount. It is then readjusted to Medicare rates which are significantly less. The copay probably is all that is due. Before Medicare we saw the same kind of scheme to make us feel like we got a good deal.

Sounds as if many of the Advantage plans are really good. When my DW went for cancer treatment they asked what insurance she had. When she told them Medicare Advantage there was an immediate look of concern. Seems some bare bones plans can leave a patient with a large bill. When we told about her plan and it would pay 100% of Medicare approved billing all was good. Careful shopping is the key. Not all plans are the same!

Our plan pays Medicare Rates and it pays anywhere Medicare is accepted. I believe if they accept Medicare then they agree to accept Medicare Advantage at Medicare rates. We go out of network a lot and never a problem. Of course they can network and accept lower rates. I've been told by reps. from the Advantage plan that we can go to facilities that don't accept Medicare and they will pay Medicare rates. We would then be responsible for the remainder. Probably pay upfront then be reimbursed. I haven't tried that.

Not all Medicare Advantage plans are the same. While Medicare Advantage plans are often cheaper than supplements some are bare bones and some are quite good. As I stated before our plan provided by my DW's former employer at no cost to us is virtually the same as Medicare with a top supplement. It is good anywhere Medicare is accepted and has saved us a lot. We are not limited to certain docs and hospitals and it doesn't restrict medical care while traveling. In fact they said we can get care at facilities that do not accept Medicare but they will only pay Medicare rates. Leaving the remainder for us.

Our Medicare Advantage pays Medicare rates the same as Medicare. It is a PPO that pays anywhere Medicare is accepted. Just the same as Medicare. In nearly every case if it is Medicare approved it pays 100%. However, there have been billing errors. When we had Medicare and a supplement we also encountered billing errors.

We have a Medicare Advantage plan that covers most everything but every so often we get a bill. Unfortunately we use it a lot. Always it is a billing mistake. One call to UHC and they will follow up and get the problem rectified. We can go in network or out but the local hospitals are in network. Still one had technical problems billing and just sent the bill to me, demanding payment. Nice to have that service.

We had neighbors that were both nurses at the largest hospital. When needed we asked them who were the good doctors. Years ago I went to the ER for a severe stomach pains. The ER doc said it was bug that blocked movement and the next day I felt better. Still he brought in a specialist and he was talking surgery. I asked the neighbor and she said no no no. He always wants to cut and problems follow his patients. She said he is probably the worst doctor at the hospital.

The existing vaccines have not been very effective at stopping people from getting covid and spreading covid. Rather than worry if anyone else is vaccinated I wear an N95 mask when in public and limit my time in crowds. It may not keep me from getting covid but it is the best defense we have. My choice to be vaccinated may help if, maybe when, I get sick but I don't count on it to keep me from getting sick. There are uncertainties with these vaccines and each of us should determine our own approach.

I just read a report that 2/3 of US people report they will delay or not receive the new vaccine. I don't think that many belong to any one political party.

I had 25 panels from Santan delivered. The pallet was beat up pretty bad and broken but the panels survived. Look the panels over carefully before accepting. My panels were delivered to a hub and I picked them up there. They loaded them on a trailer for me after I looked them over.

I think it is corrected now. Thanks for the note.

I think this will work. There are 2 ramps on each side going to the ground. The first connects to the stationary ramps and continues past the truck bed. The 2nd connects to and is supported by the first ramp. Started carrying a Blazer about 15 years ago. Since then I had a Forester and now the Crosstek. The bed is heavy and I wanted that for added traction while boondocking. Both rear axles are also air lockers. The Teton has a heavy pin weight 6,000 lbs + but the truck handles great.

I carry a car length wise and extended the frame 5'. The truck is tandem and handles fine. The front of the car extends a little over the cab which is 42". The shorter wheel base is handy in tight situations. In Colorado we can just declare a truck as a recreational truck without having to make it a MH.

I have installed a few solar systems in RV's and assisted on a few others. In virtually every case peoples needs evolved. As they had power they thought of new uses for that power. I suggest that people install at least a little more than needed and think about expanding in the future. We have 1400ah @ 12v and use around 80% or more daily this time of year in the mountains heating with our mini split. Our 3,700 watts of solar need a clear sky all day to recharge. Charging with the generator at 100amps our inverter/charger takes forever. That is probably extreme for most but you get the idea. Watching the solar generate 200amps is impressive

We have been boondocking sort of on our mountain property all summer. We installed a septic system a couple of years ago and a well but we are off grid. Solar for power.

If all else fails there is Hughesnet and Viasat? sp. We currently have Hughesnet but hope to switch to Starlink. Hughesnet works but is slow and the delay is a pain. Just about every year the dish needs to be readjusted. $175

Solar and batteries are great but China is making the money. China makes around 80% of the solar panels. The US contributes around 3%. I love the technology but I hate sending money to China.