Solar Panel Repair: Sealing Tempered Glass
Вставка
- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- Do you have solar panels with broken glass? Do you know how to test and determine your panels are still functional? Check out how I test and fix my panels.
Please subscribe. I will be posting videos for homemade batteries, solar charge system configuration as well as my other channel videos. I focus on Gold Recovery, Metal Casting, and Tool Reviews. We have fun :)
Disclaimer: I am not a power or solar expert. I am a self proclaimed DIY-er. Feel free to check out this video and others like it.
And as always,
Please Like and Subscribe. This hobby is not free for me. Propane, crucibles, rigidizer and other consumable resources are going to cost me a bit each month. Please help me out so I can keep providing videos. - Навчання та стиль
You should also check the short circuit current with a clamp meter. UNI-T make a cheap one with a 2A and 20A DC scale.
Agreed… Voltage is not the measure you want, you want to know how many watts you can get. Voltage can remain constant across a wide range of efficiency, and you’d need a before and after calculation of watts on the seal to really tell if it degraded performance.
Would you be able to apply this with the panel still mounted at an angle on the roof, or does it need to be flat?
Great question! It depends how thick the applications are. If it runs a little, you may get an uneven coat, but to be honest, if you are trying to fix cracks, sealed glass is better then broken. I would rather have the glass sealed if it means I would have drips or an uneven coat myself. That said, if you can apply the coats in thin sheets, you won’t have an issue.
@@badideametals Thanks!
Hi.
Great work, great video.
Question: Aceylic paint, transparent, UV resistant and: matt or gloss?
Thanks!
Cheers!
I am using this:
www.walmart.com/ip/Clear-Rust-Oleum-American-Accents-2X-Ultra-Cover-Matte-Spray-Paint-12-oz/965292579?athbdg=L1600&from=/search
It is a Clear Coat - Matte (UV Resistant / Anit-Yellowing) spray paint. I am not sure if I remember if it is Acrylic or Polypropylene ... the product does not say. It claims to be a clear coat / hardened shield against damage. That sounds like acrylic to me. But I just don't remember what the can said. The current online product information is not very helpful.
I hope that answers your questions. Thank you for watching, and commenting :)
Many thanks!
What kind of paint /brand did you use for the repair?Thank you for reply
Rustoleum clear coat. I got it at Walmart. About $5 per can.
Nice , can you please let me know how your panels are doing? I trying to fix a single panel came with a shaded glass
It got too cold to put them up. I am putting them up in the next month. I have not seen warm weather in 4 months… but I have a plan to get them up and a battery too. Good luck with your glass on the panel.
Do not examine the tablet while standing in front of it in the face of the sun, O pure one 😂
Lol, true. I was not too concerned about max voltage as they were broken. I just wanted to be sure I got relatively the same voltage as I would expect for 3 diodes, pointed at the ground, with a fool standing right in front of it :)
I got a decent voltage.
@@badideametals
You can't be so kind to know anything Because the number resulting from the voltage is related to the shadow that you are obscuring while you are in front of it
How are they doing 1 year later, specifically with regards to waterproofing?
I should do a follow up video. I had to detach them from the charge controller as the controller and battery were not compatible with each other (no fault to the panels) ... I have the panels mounted, have had them up over the winter... I will do a quick update and check the voltage range to see how they have held up. But the quick answer, they were holding up just fine since I last checked.
Will this coating get uv damage (yellowing) over time and reduce the panel efficiency? Does it withstand elements without peeling?
Both good questions. The cans say they are good against UV… but I have tested them out long term. The coating is like patch work on your car’s clear coat. But I will do a follow up after it has been out in the summer heat and sun.
@@badideametals Thank you, I will try finding a similar product here locally (Uk) as this method is pretty straight forwad. I got a 200w panel that was used as a football by the delivery company, the seller honoured the trade by sending a replacement and let me keep the cracked one as well so I figured I might as well put it to good use. Will be waiting to see your update and future videos ,subscribed. Cheers!
:) Sweet! Thanks ... Have you checked the open voltage of the panel? Good luck treating the panel and getting it running. My battery is almost ready for re-assembly and the panels are not yet up due to the amount of snow around my shed. I will be putting up the frame just after the channel anniversary in April. I have a few videos coming focusing on the panels and batteries. Thanks again for checking this video out.
@@user-nd4oq4fx9v u can get the same cans in the uk, amazon and ebay sell them
@@badideametals I finally managed to put up the panel after following this method. I went with a product called Pastikote, matt finish as well. Panel is rated at 27VOC, I got a 25.89V reading before and stayed within 24V range (variable decimals) after. This was on a clear sunny day,however the sun is still sort of on the low angle at this time of the year so hopefully it will hold till June and if possible fingers crossed perform better. Thank you once again.
I see there hasn't been an update to this in months. How are the panels doing. I have a chance to buy some in the same condition, but I am looking at 6kw worth so I don't want to mess this up if it didn't work for you.
I am putting them up in the next week. I got held up with weather in the spring and I have been working on a side project not related to the channel. They are going up this week, the battery for them will be built the week or two following, and last touches will be done last. There will be a video series for all of this.
Sorry for the delay.
@badideametals any updates?
Is it only glass over the pv cells or is it likely that it's laminated with plastic somehow?
That may come down to the manufacturer’s specifications. Most panels that I have seen have a sort of tempered glass directly over the pv cells.
I've seen a lot, and most monofacial panels are glass on front, plastic laminate on back. On bifacial panels it's tempered glass on glass with PV cells sandwiched between them.
Also did it make the solar panel any sturdier? I've found that after the solar panel glass breaks, it loses a lot of it's structural integrity, and starts to bend and warp a bit. Also moving the panels makes them sound like rice crispies. I'm curious if this works, but is not strong enough to hold up when moved or flexed at all. Let me know what you think!
I just put some panels on my garage roof and knowing the little DARLINGS around me will see them as a target,,Would it be ok to put clear perspex sheet over them ?
I don’t see why not. Sun angle is very important for panel efficiency. If putting a coating over the panel causes light to get diverted or refract, it could lower your efficiency. But to help protect the glass, … I would consider doing it too.
Do you have a link to the product you used?
I could not find the exact one. I went to Walmart and got a standard clear coat that would not yellow in UV. That same one is not available to me locally now… sorry, I will try to find something similar.
You should try before you paint them. Buy one of those spider repair kits for wind shields see if it can fix the spider cracks like it does for car's and than coat them with a sealer.
The damage was deep in some places. With the amount of dirt and broken glass on the surface of these, small repairs or over the top film would be difficult to verify a successful repair. I learned this trick from a solar installer. They had a specific sealing solution that they mixed themselves… they would not share the ingredient list with me yeas back… so I tried these clear coats spray one and it works for me. At the end of the day, if there is a crack in the tempered glass, seal it how you can. You are just trying to keep water out of the electronics so you don’t see an electrical short on the diodes…
HOWdy B-I-M,
Thanks for your video
I had great success with a quart can of:
" SPAR URETHANE " Gloss Exterior MARINE Grade coating
available at MENARD's & LOWE's big box stores
It has held up remarkably well on the plastic instrument panel gauges
on my 1995 Harley-Davidson DYNA Tank as well - for over 5 years with NO "clouding"
COOP
...
Great to know! I just did the next video to this (which you may have already found) ... and I have a crack in these panels that I will need to do a reseal. But now they are on the roof of my shed, so I will have to get up there and get the work done :)
Thanks! Just bought a can of helmsman to try! Sure hope it's good stuff as I live right under the sun!
Any update to the panel?
Sigh: not ready for publishing yet. I have the panels up (there is a video for that) ... but they are not hooked to a battery yet. I have a fun plan, but other projects got in the way. I will try to get this finished this week or next and post that video ASAP. Sorry.
How many years do you expect to get out of the repair?
If sealed, the glass will last for a long time. The clear coat can yellow or cloud up and that will cause the panel to lower in efficiency. I expect the panel to work for 20 years, but I don’t expect it to keep the voltage for very long.
please tell me the name of the spray
It is Rustoliun clear coat
Checking panel voltage makes no sense. The voltage will be up there as soon as there is daylight. You should check the current they are producing.
I am checking the voltage to see if any of the 3 diodes shorted out due to damage. The current could also be affected, but I don’t mind on these panels as they are used/damaged. I will get a feel for how much current they can push another day.
What was amp output?
My meter does not output amps. And I did not have the rig in a state to pull that on that day. Sorry. I don't have that data. As for the cells themselves, it fluctuates on the day. And I don't have them on a full load. I have them mounted, but not in real use case situation. I can get that information for you someday :). Sorry, not the most useful answer.
@@badideametals Thanks for the reply and I live totally off grid and got couple cracked panels free to coat glass on.
What is the name of the material my friend
It is a clear coat Rust-oleum paint from what the company site says ... I don't have a can in front of me and their site is poor at giving the active ingredients. Next time I go there, I will look and respond again here. I thought it was a UV safe Polyurethane ... but now I can't remember. I will look. Give me a few days.
@@badideametals Surely if the paint is UV resistant it will block UV and therefore reduce the output from the solar panel, and if it is not UV resistant it will become opaque and again reduce the output from the panel?
Ah,?
what's the point posting that video until you know it works for at least a year?
Good news… it still works today. Does this update help?
Dear my friend,I am now working for a new company, Haitai, a large corporation with good reputation listed in China.Which is specialized in the design,manufacturing and sells of solar mounting systems.The attachment is our catalog for your reference,If any inquiries please feel free to contact me.Thank you for your support.