SanTan Solar 5% off discount code: offgrid_life Links to the parts & pieces in the video (affiliate links) ------------------------------------ - Santan Solar Pallet of 250W Used Panels - www.santansolar.com/product/used-ssg-240w-solar-panels-cracked-vinyl-pallet-of-25/?campaign=SolarRoofProject&ref=adamgog - Flex Seal, 1 Gal White - amzn.to/3WSlXEZ Supporting the Channel -------------------------------------------------- There are several ways that you can help support this channel. - Affiliate links help the channel by providing me with a small commission of the sale. It does not change the cost for you at all. - The 'Buy me a Coffee' - link is here (on the bottom, right corner of the website): going-off-grid.com - You can also click on the "Thanks" button under the video to support the channel. - You can become a channel member and receive additional perks: bit.ly/3Wdufqv Thank you for your support! For more information, please check out my website with links to all the components, materials and products I have used in developing my off-grid solar system: going-off-grid.com
Great work. You, your wife, your son are all hard workers --- loving seeing that USA spirit in action and working as a unit! You guys rock! Keep up the great work and thank you for inspiring us.
They sell "rubber" T type sealing strips precisely for this use case so you don't have to install the panels touching each other which is against all glass panel installations instructions. It would allow expansion and contraction while still keeping a seal and you wouldn't have to use any caulking.
I was thinking the exact same thing about a T-strip. With rain running down you would probably still need to silicone it. I would have treated the roof lumber or just used treated. I can't imagine it won't leak, but I hope it does stay dry. Maybe the layer or sealant on the top will do the trick for a while.
Good stuff, my knowledge of solar panels is when cleaning them don't use any detergent at all - it leave a film which reduces their performance 😊 Cheers from Australia
Thanks. If I didn't use dish soap on these panels, I would have more of an issue with them not producing at all because of how dirty they were. Whatever was on them was thicker than dirt.
Nice to see the wifey high up on the very top of the ladder and then standing on the rafters with no hands at the ridge beam of the roof. That is always an indispensable criteria to use when considering marriage. She is a keeper!
@@richardbizon8620 thanks. I have a patio that I would love to put a “solar awning” over but I can’t see that happening anytime soon… I also haven’t ran that idea by my wife yet…😁
Thanks Bob! Yeah the ducks don't care (in fact they would probably prefer it). It just makes a mess when trying to clean out that space and when we get chickens in the near future, they wouldn't like it very much.
@@AdamDeLay07sending ducks to freezer camp? You might consider Coturnix quail instead of chickens. Had chickens before, won't again. Quail are much more productive and tasty and you can easily build hutches or make that an aviary but I don't recommend that unless you like an Easter egg hunt every day! My quail start laying eggs or are ready for freezer camp at 8 weeks! And the hens give eggs well over 300 days a year!
@@bobcole3852 not the ducks. My wife loves her ducks...don't know why. We do get eggs from them and she uses them for baking. We typically do meat birds a few times a year and then we're gonna start doing egg laying hens next spring.
With those 2nd hand panels it probably wouldn't hurt to do an insulation resistance test to see if they have gone leaky. There's quite a few consequences of that which a web search will find lots of information on.
thats the spirit// i try to make some sun cover with my used panel to my non insulated roof.. and eneded up with some victron stuff. top deck isnt ready yet but system gives some wattage already with some spare ground abandoned almost 12 years old 240s btw i tested some panels the way you installed em and they lose almost 5% when flat... next time try em vertical installed .. it might has to do with light catching inside the cells.... BUT i bet you dont care so much about that tiny loss
@@rodneyhunt thanks Rodney! So the “run” section of the coop is sitting on blocks so it’s not a “permanent structure”. The coop had its own foundation that we rebuilt on. We may add some ground screws and fix them to the walls for added security but we’ve never had any issues in the past. Over time the ground tends to bury the lower plates with all the dirt and…stuff that gets left behind in the run. Once we finish with the coop portion, I’ll probably throw something together for that build. I haven’t been filming the entire thing because that would take way too long, but I’ve been doing short updates each night with daily progress.
Excellent timing on this video. I had just recently heard that panels that were new are cracking. I was wondering how you would deal with this or just throw them away, as they could become a fire hazard. 🤙
@@simon359 glad to be able to help. If it’s a small amount of cracking in would just get the spray can. If it’s a lot, might be worth looking at a larger can.
Great job. Why not put up some sort of tubing or indoor gutter to catch the water that is leaking between that one area, and then direct that water to your ducks and chickens? Sort of self watering perhaps? Take care!
@@donaldreynolds4003 thanks! Actually I’m thinking of doing something like that at the bottom of the panels to catch more volume and then put a few rain barrels to catch the water. Would be cool to make a “self-watering system” though.
Personally, I would have purchased a piece of box or right- angled aluminium to sit between the top panels as a ridge. This would have saved messing around with wooden shims. Other than that, the roof is a great idea.
SanTan Solar 5% off discount code: offgrid_life
Links to the parts & pieces in the video (affiliate links)
------------------------------------
- Santan Solar Pallet of 250W Used Panels - www.santansolar.com/product/used-ssg-240w-solar-panels-cracked-vinyl-pallet-of-25/?campaign=SolarRoofProject&ref=adamgog
- Flex Seal, 1 Gal White - amzn.to/3WSlXEZ
Supporting the Channel
--------------------------------------------------
There are several ways that you can help support this channel.
- Affiliate links help the channel by providing me with a small commission of the sale. It does not change the cost for you at all.
- The 'Buy me a Coffee' - link is here (on the bottom, right corner of the website): going-off-grid.com
- You can also click on the "Thanks" button under the video to support the channel.
- You can become a channel member and receive additional perks: bit.ly/3Wdufqv
Thank you for your support!
For more information, please check out my website with links to all the components, materials and products I have used in developing my off-grid solar system: going-off-grid.com
Might as well get an affiliate code for the 1 gallon of flex seal for $100 too lol.
@@benjaminquinones1890 haha! I actually picked up from my local Menards, but here it is on Amazon for anyone interested: amzn.to/46uCUZf
Great work. You, your wife, your son are all hard workers --- loving seeing that USA spirit in action and working as a unit! You guys rock! Keep up the great work and thank you for inspiring us.
@@tlteal thanks a lot! It’s fun working together on projects.
That coop looks better structurally than some houses.
@@retrozmachine1189 haha, yeah I’ve seen some doozies. Got tired of what it used to be…
Interesting, the thermal expansion and contraction will be interesting to track.
Your Wifey is AWESOME by the way. Really got in there and got her hands dirty. Kudos to Wifey!
@@sNEAKYnIGHTmUPPET Thanks! Yeah she’s the best! I can’t think of any project around the house that she’s not willing to dig in and work on.
They sell "rubber" T type sealing strips precisely for this use case so you don't have to install the panels touching each other which is against all glass panel installations instructions. It would allow expansion and contraction while still keeping a seal and you wouldn't have to use any caulking.
I was thinking the exact same thing about a T-strip. With rain running down you would probably still need to silicone it. I would have treated the roof lumber or just used treated. I can't imagine it won't leak, but I hope it does stay dry. Maybe the layer or sealant on the top will do the trick for a while.
@@davidb.5544 yeah I’ve seen those before and considered it. If I only had seams running in a single direction, I probably would have gone that route.
That’s awesome! The ducks and chickens are going to love it.
@@GavinStoneDIY I’ll be happy just to not have to mess with tarps anymore on the run!
Ha! Very cool idea. :) Glad to see the concept to work out. I look forward to seeing how you setup the power side of things.
Thanks! Yeah, so am I. I've just gotta get the last few pieces connected together to bring that power into the house.
Great place to hang panels its a perfect place to re coup your cost and re build your coup. Heehaw
@@colormaker5070 haha! Love it! Thanks!
Good stuff, my knowledge of solar panels is when cleaning them don't use any detergent at all - it leave a film which reduces their performance 😊 Cheers from Australia
Thanks. If I didn't use dish soap on these panels, I would have more of an issue with them not producing at all because of how dirty they were. Whatever was on them was thicker than dirt.
Nice to see the wifey high up on the very top of the ladder and then standing on the rafters with no hands at the ridge beam of the roof. That is always an indispensable criteria to use when considering marriage.
She is a keeper!
@@rs1961 definitely a keeper! She’s done almost as much crazy stuff as I have!
great job
@@norsk54472 thanks!
The ducks probably think that if you have so much power, you'll come up with the idea of frying them 😂. Good work
@@RichardSteigmann haha, thanks!
Always wanted to have solar panels for a roof. Great job now it will be easier for me to do it. Got to do a solar pergola first.
@@richardbizon8620 thanks. I have a patio that I would love to put a “solar awning” over but I can’t see that happening anytime soon… I also haven’t ran that idea by my wife yet…😁
Turned out great! It's okxwith a little leakage, da duckies are waterproof!
Thanks Bob! Yeah the ducks don't care (in fact they would probably prefer it). It just makes a mess when trying to clean out that space and when we get chickens in the near future, they wouldn't like it very much.
@@AdamDeLay07sending ducks to freezer camp? You might consider Coturnix quail instead of chickens. Had chickens before, won't again. Quail are much more productive and tasty and you can easily build hutches or make that an aviary but I don't recommend that unless you like an Easter egg hunt every day! My quail start laying eggs or are ready for freezer camp at 8 weeks! And the hens give eggs well over 300 days a year!
@@bobcole3852 not the ducks. My wife loves her ducks...don't know why. We do get eggs from them and she uses them for baking.
We typically do meat birds a few times a year and then we're gonna start doing egg laying hens next spring.
I am only slightly jealous of the space and availability to do this haha - don't buy in an HOA kids :P
@@JMS7410- haha, yeah I’ll never buy in an HOA. Would love more property even further out in the boonies!
Fun project, thanks for sharing
@@tjmooney4181 thanks TJ
way cool brother, thanks for sharing the build
@@stevenfrazier8939 thanks a lot!
Nice.......
@@rodssolarworld thanks!
Love the hat :-)
@@Mkiepert thanks, so do I. Really helps keep my head cooler. Unfortunately we picked a SUPER hot week to work on this project…
Awesome, love the idea.
@@agtcovert thanks!
That coop is so much beefier than my tractor supply one.
Hehe. Definitely an improvement from what we had. I'll probably do some little update video on the coop once we get closer to full completion.
Is this pressure treated wood? Otherwize it should be primed or use some lasur or similar.
@@bloodcarver913 all the wood that has potential for water or ground contact is all treated.
Wait til the ducks fly up on the roof and leave little packages. Better get a long pole squeegee.
@@rocktech7144 luckily for us, none of our birds fly. I’ll still need something for the undomesticated birds though…
With those 2nd hand panels it probably wouldn't hurt to do an insulation resistance test to see if they have gone leaky. There's quite a few consequences of that which a web search will find lots of information on.
@@retrozmachine1189 thanks for the suggestion!
Lol..love the kid....hahaha
@@jojoowumanmensah1733 haha, yeah he’s a character…
FIRST!!!
thats the spirit// i try to make some sun cover with my used panel to my non insulated roof.. and eneded up with some victron stuff. top deck isnt ready yet but system gives some wattage already with some spare ground abandoned almost 12 years old 240s
btw i tested some panels the way you installed em and they lose almost 5% when flat... next time try em vertical installed .. it might has to do with light catching inside the cells.... BUT i bet you dont care so much about that tiny loss
that's great! Nah, a little loss is ok.
Nice work! So your 2x4 are all in the ground? Just trying to see how you started at the ground with this build. Looking good
@@rodneyhunt thanks Rodney! So the “run” section of the coop is sitting on blocks so it’s not a “permanent structure”. The coop had its own foundation that we rebuilt on. We may add some ground screws and fix them to the walls for added security but we’ve never had any issues in the past. Over time the ground tends to bury the lower plates with all the dirt and…stuff that gets left behind in the run.
Once we finish with the coop portion, I’ll probably throw something together for that build. I haven’t been filming the entire thing because that would take way too long, but I’ve been doing short updates each night with daily progress.
@@AdamDeLay07 nice! I just like to ideas for myself lol.
Excellent timing on this video. I had just recently heard that panels that were new are cracking. I was wondering how you would deal with this or just throw them away, as they could become a fire hazard. 🤙
@@simon359 glad to be able to help. If it’s a small amount of cracking in would just get the spray can. If it’s a lot, might be worth looking at a larger can.
Great job. Why not put up some sort of tubing or indoor gutter to catch the water that is leaking between that one area, and then direct that water to your ducks and chickens? Sort of self watering perhaps? Take care!
@@donaldreynolds4003 thanks!
Actually I’m thinking of doing something like that at the bottom of the panels to catch more volume and then put a few rain barrels to catch the water. Would be cool to make a “self-watering system” though.
Personally, I would have purchased a piece of box or right- angled aluminium to sit between the top panels as a ridge. This would have saved messing around with wooden shims.
Other than that, the roof is a great idea.
@@videogenie1236 not a bad idea. Thanks!
Or pipe no matter the angle of the roof pipe will align with the two mating surfaces.
use silicone on panels
You did not consider thermal expansion. You need spacing between the modules.
Thanks
You don't. The expansion is not that big. Already done by some people. You can lookup the expansion numbers for aluminum.
Nice! Just picked up a pallet of new panels near me (freight wasn't crazy) and might do a similar thing.
Gotta beef up the watts before winter.
@@DavidGetchel yep, gotta find more ways for more power!