Best Solar Panel - Harbor Freight 100 Watt Solar VS Renogy Eclipse Solar
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- This short video is a comparison of Harbor freights 100 Thunderbolt solar panels verses Renogy's Eclipse 200 watt solar suit case. 200 watt verses 200 watts and watch how impressive the HF panels get when hooked up to a MPPT charge controller mounted in my trailer and also using a Eco flow power station. Be sure to like subscribe and leave a comment if you have questions or if you have information you would like to share. “CORRECTION” . I also mistakenly said Andersen connector Which the one cut off was a SAE connector. Was playing with battery connectors earlier…😂🤷♂️ #solar#Renogy#HarborFreight
LINKS BELOW.......
In this video
MPPT solar controller Beleeb :
amzn.to/3JsEHkC
Bouge RV MC4 Kit : amzn.to/33lTSgk
Compact Newpowa 100 watt: amzn.to/3rMgX5h
MPPT BLUETOOTH Victron: amzn.to/3oNUeUp
Ask me direct for fast response asqme.com/@joh...
Be sure to Subscribe 👍🏼 : / @johnnysweekends
Have a question you want answered fast: asqme.com/@joh...
SAVE BIG ON NEW SOLAR PANELS HERE: signaturesolar...
DISCOUNT CODE: JOHNNYWKND
BEST PRICING ON- ECOFLOW - BLUETTI- ANKER- Solar sytems, Solar panels and more!! shopsolarkits....
Discount Code: JOHNNYWKND
CHEAP USED CERTIFIED SOLAR PANELS HERE: www.santansola...
MC4 All in one Kit : amzn.to/37jwLVb
CHECK OUT MY AMAZON STORE:
www.amazon.com...
If you feel I helped you out..Consider Buying me a Coffee 👍🏼🙌🏼👊🏼😀
www.buymeacoff...
TopTes Gas Detector PEN!!: www.amazon.com...
Trailer and vehicle accessories
www.etrailer.c...
Level your trailer FAST & EASY!!!!
Level mate pro2 : amzn.to/3Xp5VkL
BEST GAS CAN!! Surecan Gas can : amzn.to/3Kf5rqn
Protect Everything!! 303 Aero space Protectant: amzn.to/329dkM7
BEST FIRE PIT!! Outland Propane fire pit!! : amzn.to/3rKIkwZ
Generator tent amzn.to/3ddd3ds
Lucas fuel treatment: amzn.to/3IfxQv8
Check out my other channel!! / @poweredwithjohnny
Videos are for entertainment purposes only. Do your own research when it comes to using these products shown in any Johnny's Weekends videos.
Thanks for watching. Above links are part of a affiliate program. I earn a small commission if you buy through the link but charges nothing extra. Thank you so much as it helps creators like me to continue to bring content for viewers.👍👊😊
I've got "200 watts" worth of harbor freight flat mounted on my roof. 2 years later I can say. The charge controller in their Kit SUCKS. But...they are damn useful. I have lights, device charging and super important.. FANS. I had to replace charge controller. But the actual panels have proven to be super useful and durable, despite a couple of brutal hail storms.
Nice thanks for the feed back ..👍🏼
Do u even need a charge controller if u plug them directly like into an ecoflow delta? New to solar thanks
No you do not, as most power stations if not all have a built in charge controller to charge at the correct rate. So all you need is a solar panel and the right connection for your charging station. 👍🏼
@@johnnysweekends ok great thanks
@@troyyarbrough I'm no solar expert by any means...I travel full time in a 1987 decommissioned ambulance, the harbor freight kit was super useful...all plug and play, can't screw it up. But yeah, fried change controller in just 3 months!
I bought four of these today, 4/10/22. They are on sale yesterday and today for $89 per panel. Not bad. I figure these, along with a Bluetti AC200MAX, will give me a good start on emergency power for the house to keep food frozen. Additionally, it will pair nicely with the solar setup I have in my camping rig.
Nice that is a good deal. I bet they stocked up…
@metaglypto Yeah, I saw that they were on the sale the other day, and now this video popped up :) They extended the sale, so I picked up a pair of them ;)
LOL fail. Wait to go solar.
My first renogy 100w panel was $130 later prices went down to $67 per panel on ebay.
I have one of the Newair portable fridge and it’s been great so far. I did a review on it. And have a promo I think for a little longer if it’s something you wanna look at..👍🏼
I started buying H-F panels when they came in packs of 3 for 90 watts total for about $99 and added a total of 18 panels (I think the last set cost $139). All the sets come with their own controller. I live off grid and feed the panels into a bank of 6 each 80 amp NiCad batteries and run a 5000W/10000 surge inverter. I feed the battery bank with a Champion 3500 W gen powering a 100 amp battery charger as a back up but rarely use it.
I also put in a 500 wat wind generator but have found the money would have been better spent with more solar panels. This is a poor mans set up but it works great and I can't complain about the cost (less than $2000). The H-F solar panels have held up great in spite of hail, freezing, hot 100* and snow.
Wow awesome, where about are you living off grid, seems like more and more people with minimal living costs.
@@johnnysweekends Up in the Rockies. 9000' so it's just seasonal but a nice getaway for the summer. I got my off grid ideas from my wife's friend (a retired Fisheries Biologist) in Michigan. He bought a pretty elaborate system with auto starting generator, wind generator, solar and lead acid battery bank. I just built on that concept to see how it would work taking
the cheap route. So far so good.
I don't think the wind turbine was a mistake, you have to have a backup for when the sun isn't shining, don't you?
uh, 80 amp NiCad battery? I didn't know such a thing existed.
@@nullsmack Surplus aircraft batteries. They weigh about 80# as well but last forever with proper maintenance.
I’m glad people test harbor freight stuff for us. Thanks!!!
Some of their stuff is worth the price and some isn’t.
Agree, everyone always says that stuff is from China. Well 90% of what you own is. Wether it’s from HF or not…. Just what it is..🤷♂️
@@johnnysweekends yep, China does make some good stuff, as well as crap they get bashed for. Thanks
Lol yup..👍🏼
@@Lokahi-fo-life They make it to the specifications the American company asks for. Ask for good, get good. Ask for crap...
Where you will see the difference between these two panels is in conversion efficiency. Renogy uses monocrystalline cells and HF uses a cheaper polycrystalline technology. The monocrystalline cell will produce more energy in less than ideal conditions such as cloudy days and or orientation of the panel. It's still a cost vs benefit decision, for me, if I had $500- $600 to spend on solar I would go for twice the capacity with HF panels.
These are actually Monocrystalline panels. It’s a newer line they have now and if you get a good coupon instead of the $119 price you can sometimes snag for about $95 if they have them.
@@johnnysweekends If that's the case, it's a no brainer.
Right ..!! 👍🏼
I can't speak for Harbor Freight, but Renogy has the absolute WORST customer service in the world.
I have heard the same. HF if you buy the warranty you swap and go..👍🏼
you never stopped talking throughout this whole video... amazing
It amazing right? Tell ya , it’s not easy. Glad that one is over..😂👍🏼
Really great to see decent solar panels coming from Harbor Freight, thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome 👍🏼😀
Thank you I've used Harbour freight Panels for years...Happy with Solar..they also have 500watt portable wind Generators...
I have a lot of people saying they are still doing good after several years..👍🏼
I bought 3 of the Harbor Freight ones.
Along with a low cost 30 amp PWM charge controller and 3 deep cycle sealed lead acid batteries.
That system runs a 12 volt Freezer/Fridge.
I live in Texas and having the ability to make ice if the grid goes down is a necessity.
I use the ice to keep food cold and add a couple of blocks to the water cooler.
Saves a bit on buying ice every day for work.
Nice!!! Love it. Thanks god the feed back. 👍🏼
I bought 2 Renogy Eclipse panels 5 years ago. They died within 2 years. It took forever to replace them and I needed new ones on the camper so I replaced them with 2-100 watt Rich poly panels. When I finally got the Renogy panels, I decided to make a suitcase setup with them. I drilled 6-1/8" holes in the frames for hinges. The panels died within two years again. When I returned them they voided the warranty and never returned the panels. Had they been prompt in returning the first panels, I wouldn't have bought the Rich Solar panels. I will never do business with Renogy again. BTW: The Rich poly panels are still cranking out great power.
I have not great things about renogy customer service but again maybe it’s the upset people but I have not heard any positive so…🤷♂️
When it all comes from China you just need to find what’s the better of the bunch for the price 👍🏼
The Rich solar are $89 on amazon
Yeah, A few years back, i bought some renogy panel set ups for my bosses farm. it was supposed to have two panels an some other hook ups but all we got were panels. we reported that to them and just asked them to send a controller and something else but they wanted the 2 panels back as well since they didnt have independent parts. we tried again, and then we were missing one of the panels so we bought two more sets until we had all the parts we needed and then sent the rest back for refunds. seemed like they had already robbed parts outta the boxes for other RMA's or something. it was kind of a shit show.
Weird, yea again I just don’t hear good things about the customer service.
And for the price it’s just seems a lot higher.
@@xspence2404 🤣😝
I have two harbor freight 100 watt panels mounted flat on my travel trailer for 3 years now. I use a Chinese charge controller and a single marine lead acid battery. I run a 12 volt roof mount evaporative cooler, an auto style radio/CD player and 6 led lights and charge my phone and at night run a small USB style fan. I use an inverter to use the toaster,(450 watt), and an 800 watt microwave occasionally.
While in az last year, I experienced a hailstorm that shattered my plastic vent in the bathroom and put a thousand good dents in my aluminum exterior.
My harbor freight solar panels suffered no damage.
Cheers!
Wow cool that held up.
And sounds like you are doing just fine with your set up..👍🏼
Thanks for the feedback
For a mobile setup (camping and such) I would buy the Harbor Freight panels. If I'm going for a more permanent stationary setup, I want whichever panels will stand up to the elements on a 24/7 basis.
I agree. I would go with more of a residential panel. Normally you get more watts per dollar anyway. Always good to have a little mobile set up though for when under the shade. You can walk some panels around
My trailer mounted old Harbor Freight panels have been out 24/7 for 11 years.
After a few hailstorms, one panel has a tiny star crack/ chip. Largest hail was appx ping pong ball size.
(Got missed by the TX largest hailstone ever by about 10 miles)
Wow 11 years is a while and those are probably not mono panels either.
Crazy still holding that well. Awesome, thanks for the feed back.
😀👍🏼
Ouch we even had a decent hail storm here two years ago but everything was a quarter size hail. Some a little bigger but most about that or less. But it did enough damage to replace roofs and damage cars.
But not as big as what it gets back there.
I like that your videos are fast paced you move at my brain speed haha
Thank you. Most I guess say it’s to fast so trying to meet the middle. Lol
Got 2 of the HF panels on my camper wired to 24 volt going into a MPPT controller in my camper setup for 12 volts. I love them. They made all 200 watts. Batts are full every time i go up there.
Agree I think for the price and quality they are a decent option.👍🏼
@@johnnysweekends nice job being thorough by the way. Lots of meters and live readings. Its hard to find good content on off grid equipment. I've been 100% off grid for 7 years now in WI. Made a few videos decribing my journey.....take a gander if your bored. I over explain everything.
Thanks, I think some people think I blew a little fast through the video.
Which honestly this one I just made on a whim and threw it together. I saw the panels at harbor freight grabbed them to see if they were any better.
Missed the cloudy day test though lol.
I didn’t think this video would have been this popular.
Thank You for this video, it was a very good Explanation of the higher voltage in the optimization appreciate it thanks again
You’re welcome and thanks for watching..👍🏼😀
I bought 2xrenogy 100w non eclipse panels for $199 ,(in a set of 2) and 2xrenogy 100w eclipse for $340 ($170 each) and compared them planning to return one set. In the full sun, they performed about the same, but on a cloudy day and in the mornings, the eclipse performed way better in my tests so I kept those.
Nice, interesting info…👍🏼
Was the difference 30% better? If not, then you could have bought another renogy and still had the $40 left over.
It’s a review to see the difference and is it worth the money to the buyer if they wanna spend more or less.
It’s not for me.
Good to see some reviews on these 2 products! I'm about to compare some panels myself and thought I'd drop a like and let people know.
no brainer > for around the price of 1 Renogy , you can get 2 harbor freights
Thank you, Johnny!
I've had doubts about the Harbor's solar stuff.
I wanted to try some of their cheaper solar stuff for cell charging.
I'm more inclined towards it now I've seen your video.
Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!
I’ll be doing a 6 month review as well after they have been in the weather to check for loss and how well they have held up.
15 years ago for my Birthday I got a HarborFreight solar system. Still using the panels to charge my battery powered yard tools charging my boat batteries and my motorcycle battery.
Those kits are pretty bullet proof from what people report. I guess the charge controllers are not great but even a cheaper decent pwm controller can be for a good price. Like $25 bucks
@@johnnysweekends for the $$$ the harbor freight is tough to beat. Besides if you are just starting out blow up cheap stuff, less regrets. The charge controller lasts a while . Don’t buy your charge controller or batteries there.
Oh yea the batteries and controllers are as cheap as you get.
Some stuff you buy at harbor freight and some stuff you don’t.
Yes, please on a video on how to change the connectors over.
Thanks for all your hard work!
MC4 Install Crimping Easy DIY
ua-cam.com/video/CFgRCBzquz4/v-deo.html
Here ya go
@@johnnysweekends Thank you!
👊🏼👍🏼
Harbor Freight for me, thanks for the real world comparison
Your welcome, and yea these new panels are doing well according to many users
I own two Renogy 100w solar suitcase portable panels with those Sun (type) mono cells. They are beasts for power AFTER you replace the cheap diodes in them. Excellent in lower light levels, but pricey. The hardware also needed replaced and rivits needed corrosion control (sanding and painted) after light use outside. They rusted out. Higher MPPT panel volts always makes more juice...but, for small(ish) set ups, PWM is fine. Renogy DOES make a very good PWM lithium battery solar charge controller.
I often wondered if I changed out the diodes if that would have made any difference.
With so much product on the market it’s hard to justify renogy pricing now.
Had a Renogy Adventurer PWM charge controller, died just after the warranty. No more Renogy for me, high priced Junque.
Years ago I had pulse width modulation charge controller and 8 ) 250 watt panels. Then I got a MPPT charge controller it was like I had nine panels.
Forget all about PWN get MPPT, you will not regret it .
Agree it’s worth it. It makes the most out of every volt!
There's a youtuber who buys up commercial grade used and changes out the diodes... Guess what! (too slow) That's the only thing wrong with them 90% of the time. Someone local to me is selling a transport load of retired PV, building being demolished. He's marketing them as working, so there's not much to be saved.
The Harbor freight panels are gonna be on sale this weekend for $89.99
That’s a deal!!
@@johnnysweekends I bought two for up north they kick but
Nice, how old are they now?
@@johnnysweekendsabout 3 months give or take
Nice I’m going to do a 6 month or maybe a year review as they sit in the weather right now. Let them bake in the sun 😂
Nice and to the point and clear. I used two 100W in series to get the same factors you mentioned. I use a Victron 100/15 but plan more later... thanks. going to subscribe to see if interesting topics come to surface. later.
Thanks for the feed back, and subscribing. And yes more stuff coming but have a few other vids coming as well.
I’m glad that your Renogy kit is working for you. I bought one three years ago and wow what a piece of shit. The damn wires won’t even stay in the charge control panel and the battery loses most of its power the second something is plugged into the inverter.
Hmm well your not the first person to have issues with there kits. Not that I have heard a lot but like anything it can have issues.
I was excited when I saw this video and clicked on it expecting a layman's video on how long it powers the fridge or a fan or something.. Instead I got lost with all the fancy numbers & charge controller stuff.. It Would be nice for you to run this test again by using a modern day appliance for the test.. Thanks and God Bless!!
This is more about how quickly it can charge a storage unit… “batteries “
Which if you have a small battery bank you need a big solar system to keep up. Verses a big battery bank with have plenty of storage to power a item even if the power coming in isn’t much the storage bank will be ok as long as you don’t plan to run a certain item for hours.
Imagine a lake….a dam… and rain…
Water in = solar
Water out = power draw
Size of lake is size of batteries
If you understand all that mess..😂👍🏼
But I could make a more simple video down the way. ..👍🏼 blessings as well on this Sunday…🙌🏼
@@johnnysweekends- Thanks Johnny.. Enjoy and God Bless bro!! 😀
🙌🏼👊🏼👍🏼
Please make that video to switch out the connector. Thank you.
👍🏼😀
It's just crimping and I'm sure there are videos on it already
@@james10739 then you make one
I have made several
I made a video ..🤷♂️
I highly recommend HarborFreight panels. I have 400 watts worth hooked up to 4 100ah of batteries connected together and hooked to a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter. Each 100 watt panel goes through it’s own controller. Mostly because I’m cheap and lazy
So far they seem decent. Much better then the older models they carried. But everything is getting better fast.
@@johnnysweekends They really are. Makes me wish me wish I was younger so I could see what will be available in 30 or 40 years. People will probably be charging their sex robots with solar panels on their camping trips
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 ya never know, I guess anything could happen…
I got 2 of the cheapest on Amazon on my van powering 2 200ah agm batteries. They work and charge faster than the old renogy panels. I use my gaming laptop all night long, and run a split air conditioner 5 or 6 hours a night while I sleep, barely any power in the morning but it charges while I'm at work. I park where I work in Detroit. Last year I saved 63000 in cash. Every Friday I remove my money from the card and bury it in special made money container u can buy on Amazon, they are made to store cash underground. Screw banks, they will limit the amount you can spend if the gov is worried about a run on banks. Like a few countries did last year limited people to 100 dollars or whatever a day. Or if you owe bills and they sue you they will close your bank account
Haha That’s comical. Sex robots, sounds about right!
Great info, I was curious about the harbor freight system. Definitely more in my price range.
Yea if they hold up and definitely worth it.
And if you find a sale coupon definitely worth it even more.
@@johnnysweekends They are having a Spring Black Friday Sale now (NC), bought 3 today for $89.99. Got 2 then went back and only had 1 left so I grabbed that one else I would have grabbed 2 more.
Nice grab!!
@@johnnysweekends , I have Harbor Freight panels that are at least 15 years old and still putting out power.
That’s awesome. I mean a lot of this stuff is made in a lot of the same places but if a big name puts there names on it you will pay for that.
Thanks for the feed back..👍🏼😀
For $500 I purchased 5 used 350 watt panels in good condition.
Reuse is the second leg of the green triangle for a reason. :)
Nice but. A lot of watts for a decent price.
If you can use the big ones go for it.
instead of making my own Anderson connectors i bought them already made easy peasy. Harbor Freight used to sell this main hub thing where you can hook up multi H.F. soloar panels to it. If you wanted to buy 2 more Harbor Freight panels us can use the (THUNDERBOLT SOLAR 400 Watt Universal Solar Connector) to connect all the panels and have one main out to the Ecoflow.
I remember seeing that but was only available for like a year or less.
@@johnnysweekends i looked last night on their web page they still have it displayed, maybe you can order one?
@@johnnysweekends it was like 17 dollars and change cheep cheep
Maybe I’ll take a look and play with it lol 👍🏼
@@johnnysweekends hahahaha roger that
I bought 4 100 watt monocrystalline panels for about $90 each new on Amazon. I made portable adjustable mound of PVC pipe for a few dollars. You can make a 200 watt system for a little over $200.
Some of the panels have really dropped on Amazon over the last of 6 months. Kinda nice.
New sub! Yes on the vid on changing the terminals, and a vid on making a power station on a workshop please?
Are you trying to power a shed. So simple if grid or shed build? Or portable power station. Kinda different but the same. One just a little more work lol.
Here is the video link to mc4 change out.
MC4 Install Crimping Easy DIY
ua-cam.com/video/CFgRCBzquz4/v-deo.html
I bought 2 Renogy MONO 50 watt Panels for a total of 100 watts. Cost me $100.00 Then I bought 2 hinges to make a suitcase style setup. Works Great and It's cheap. Works for me!!
Never buy poly type solar panels. Always buy MONO SOLAR PANELS ONLY!!!
Agree poly is old tech and not even worth it now. Unless free even then lol
I love my two harbor freight panels
They work great for. For the price hard to beat..👍🏼
@@johnnysweekends very hard to beat I need more LoL live on a fixed income so when I can afford and save up enough I buy a panel this month I'm going to try to buy one more panel so I'll finally have three it takes a little bit for me to save up enough I'm allowed 400 watts of power so I can have four panels to this one little system and then I'll have to buy another system or a bigger MPP controller
I went with the Zamp solar Obsidian 100 watt (plug and play…) for my Intech Rover
That's very interesting! I thinknid buy 4 harbor freight panels and use them with a large battery pack.
Thanks for the info, I'd go with the $220 myself, spend that savings on something else. 👍👍
Power per square inch would be an excellent metric to see. I may be helping with an install on a sailboat, and surface area is pretty limited. If you can fit the same amount of power in less space, it may be worth the extra cash in some situations.
I have a couple others I’ll be doing soon.
Very informative video Thank you for your time
You’re welcome ..👍🏼👊🏼
Thanks for making the video
You’re welcome 👍🏼😀
Thank you so great review ‼️
Your welcome and thanks for watching…😀👍🏼
I live on a farm and have friends who own a solar company. On my chicken house are 2 cracked 320 watt polycrystalene panels and they do not perform at cloudy weather. On my bedroom roof are 2 cracked 320 watt monocrystalene panels and they do very well on cloudy weather.
Mono is always the way to go nowadays 👍🏼
@@johnnysweekends have to collect a cracked 400 watt monocrystalene today. Just got a call to collect it. It was struck by a falling tree I put a video up
Great reviews always 👌
Thank you…😀👍🏼 and thanks for watching 👊🏼
The solar suitcase is a classic case of "nearly free" design adding value.
You really need to set the height and then see how much they generate during an entire day. The instantaneous power when perfectly adjusted isn't as realistic as a whole day test. I'd be interested in how much capacity of a standard battery they filled over the course of a full day (or even a set of a few days). (It's early in the video so now that I see the delta, maybe you are going to do that.)
Also... you can "adjust" the harbor freight by a few degrees plus or minus by putting a tile or brick under the legs or under the base of the panel.
I have though about this but would be hard to measure the amount from two different set ups as the controller would also have to work relatively the same and also loading what ever storage unit you wanna put the power in. So those as well would have to be as close to a certain discharge level so each unit could charge at the same rates where the controller optimization feeds each battery or power station the same.
I think
@@johnnysweekends Ah, yup- I see that. You'd need duplicate setups side by side under the same conditions and that would be more expensive to test.
Yea I can hear the critics now lol.
We’re both panels exactly the same angle, was one 6 months old and broke in and the other new ? We’re both batteries exactly same depth of discharge, what type of wire what size and on and on.
The questions you get asked can go for ever lol.
I'd go for the Harbour freight its a no brainer at half the price and better ouput.:)
These newer models are pretty impressive 👍🏼
I have 6 of the harbor freight 100 watt solar panels. I have them hooked up in series with mc4 connectors and going to my mppt solar controller. Then I have 4, 6v golf cart batteries 230 ah batteries there also hooked up in series. I have it hooked up to my rv and never have had low power. The solar panels are worth the money. the battery bank is the way too go hands down. Home made system
Good video, would suggest a simple chart, would be easier for slow people like me to make the comparison without keeping a bunch of numbers in my head. good work
Thank you and I’ll work on that. Overall though if you have higher numbers or watts coming in over a sustained time, that is what will charge your batteries faster.
Thanks again..👍🏼
It looks like the Renogy's panels are connected in parallel configuration and the Harborfreight's are connected in series. If the Harborfreight's panels are in parallel then the voltage would be roughly the same voltage +17.5 Vdc with higher current!
I had them both in series. If I did parallel I would need a adapter.
Was the Renogy disconnected from the onboard MPPT?
The on board charger is a pwm. Lol they won’t sell you a Mppt unless they wanna charge you a big difference as the price for a pwm is cheap like $25. Almost all mppt chargers are about $80 on up. Name brand even more like double.
But yes I bypassed the charger, I never used it as I have a Mppt on board my trailer.
@@johnnysweekends odd the voltage was so low. I have a 40amp and the 100 amp Renogy MPPT. I like their products. They tend to use high end cells for their panels.
Normally the renogy stuff is good but tons of players on the market honestly getting the same stuff. Hard to pay for the name.
Thanks for the excellent video.
You’re welcome 👍🏼😀
I just bought a converted camper van for $800 off fb marketplace. It came with two 100w renogy panels, a nice 12v 200Ah battery, and a 200w inverter (2000w surge).
It also has a small kitchenette with a sink, micro fridge and microwave. The back of the van houses a queen sized bed frame with a brand new memory foam mattress, and the floors inside were redone with hardwood.
Literally felt like I was robbing the seller. But... I didn't pay cash. I acquired the van through trade.
A friend of mine was on hard times in 2020, and they decided to sell their car. They were so strapped for cash they were selling the car for nearly scrap price - so I bought it for $800. The intention was to hold on to it and sell it back to them once they stabilized.
That never happened, they spiraled out of control. We are no longer friends, and there's nothing I can do for them. So the car just sat in my driveway unused.
Talking to the person selling the van, I found out they dropped the price so low just so they could put a down payment on a used car at a lot. This seller had moved to my state with a partner who then abandoned them.
I was really interested in the van already, so I asked if they would take a trade. My unused sedan for their camper van.
It was a perfect match.
I didn't need a third "family car," and the seller didn't need a converted camper van. We met at my place, traded titles, then got our vehicles inspected and registered together.
I feel like I won because I got a cool van I can take camping. The seller feels like they won because they got a whole car for the price of a down payment. And neither of us have any payments. I got rid of this car that's been sitting in my driveway, and the seller has something reliable they can use for work every day. The exchange was perfect.
Awesome!!! I love deals and sounds like both sides came out good!!
Congrats 😀👍🏼
I have one of the 100W harbor freight panels mounted on my van, it's been there a year. The insulation on the cable is getting some UV damage. It's still working but I don't think more than 2 years of continuous outdoor use is likely.
Now if you replaced the entire cable , maybe then I could see it lasting longer.
Yea the wiring doesn’t seem like the best for constant sun exposure and should probably have some wire wrap on it to help it last a little longer.
Awesome video! Just goes to show if you are innovative, you can find a way to make things work better!
Yup, just like to play with stuff..
Thanks for watching and for the comment 👍🏼😀
Wow, all that on one breath.
Darn right !!! Wanna know my secret 😂😂
Good info! A summary with some numbers or a graph would be nice tho 😁
Got ya could work on that for future vids..👍🏼
very informative ! love your vid ! Frank
Thank you and thanks for watching 👍🏼😀
Thank you.
👍🏼😀
Ham radio operators are seeing a lot of RF interference in some solar installations. Sometimes it is the panel itself but mostly the controller is the culprit. They are supposed to be RF checked and approved but....we all know how that goes. So if your wifi or TV is acting funny have somebody check the neighbors new solar installation. Good video by the way.
Interesting info did not know. I’ll keep that in mind for future reference..👍🏼👊🏼
Ohh and thank you..👍🏼😀
is that for regular MPPT controllers or the microinverters where you have one on each panel?
Hmmm… my neighbor across the street recently had solar panels installed on his roof (very steep and faces my house), and my wifi has been pretty crappy since around the same time. Anyone know of a fix for that?
@@chriscappuccio You know as much as I do.
Renogy is a great product but like most well known or popular solar companies they inflate the hell out of the price!
Yes a lot of times like most things, you are paying for the name.
I have 20 year old Renogy and seem to work great. Also have renogy charge controllers work great
The only think I buy from Harbor Freight is toilet paper, and it works great
Lol that’s great…😂👍🏼👊🏼
Those connectors you clipped-off are "2-pin SAE" connectors. Anderson connecters are totally different.
Yes correct. I stated that in my description in the video of the correction.
I was playing with Anderson connectors earlier and just never caught it in editing ..
Hey what do ya do 🤷♂️lol
I don't even want to spend 250$ 😂
Thanks for the video amigo
Lol I hear ya…! 👍🏼 no problem thanks for watching
The connector you cut off was an SAE connector
Yea I know, I messed that up. I was playing with a couple battery connectors earlier for a removable wench I’m thinking of using and the quick connect and Andersen style are popular for that. So mistakenly said Anderson and didn’t even catch it in editing …🤷♂️
I did make a note in the video description but not a lot of people read those lol.
Not easy to edit a video one released. 🙄
@@johnnysweekends but we just read it here. You did a great job on this video , thank you for the comparing the Solars. what i've been looking for.
Thank you so much…👍🏼😀
I Like the bargain basement prices of HFT products. They have improved their product quality over the past 20 years.
I have tinkered with a few brands of panels...and I must say, Harbor Freight has some good panels....everyones...brands are chinese so yeah. 3 years old 4panel 100 watt system..still goes 14.5 v wattage around 78 watts. ( powers shed) The Renegy panels do have a quality feel to them
Exactly all made in China so it’s finding the most watts and best deal and likely that panel will probably work just fine
After studying solar panels for some time I
made a couple of discoveries you might find
of interest.
1-The most popular solar panels are the 100 watt
-due to their affordability. HO|W|EVER, after studying
all different size panels I discovered that the bigger
panels generate more watt per square inch than the
100s. SO, dollar for dollar altho the 100s are affordable
the bigger panels give you more bang for your buck.
I'm talking the 320 -350 watt panels.
Just a Thought...
!
Thanks , yea I always recommend to people if you can and if it will work, use residential panels because yes, you get more watts per dollar. Only problem in a Rv set up is sometimes the weight or size can be a factor.
Two 365 watt panels with mounts is getting close to almost 100 lbs.
I have the 15w solar panel from Harbor Freight. It's really not bad and 5 years later still works just fine. I just erected it on an 11 foot high pole in my back yard having had it on my RV for 5 years. I replaced it on the RV with 60w of panels from eBay. The Harbor Freight charge controllers are horribly overpriced and underpowered. IMO the Harbor Freight panels are expensive. If you want cheaper then look at panels on eBay, Walmart and Home Depot. One of those will come up cheapest. Beware the flexible panels - they're never as powerful as they claim. I have two 10W flexible panels sold as 30W and 20W.
Yes the flexible ones have horrible ratings. I Kinda wanna get some to play with lol.
@@johnnysweekends Order one with a ludicrous power rating from eBay. Use a wattmeter to make a video proving that it does not produce the stated wattage and go for a refund. Et Voila - a free flexible low-wattage panel to test :p
All over it ..😂
The problem with flexible panels is that there is no air space under then when mounted. We all know that your efficiency goes down the hotter they get, sooo.....
@@maven2k The flexible panels I have are impossible to mount flat. The connector bulge is inexplicably mounted on the back.
I have heard from several sources that high dollars does not always mean high quality in solar panels.
This is true especially when so many are made in the same areas. Different name, different frame and maybe a couple different things to change it but the cells and glass are the same.
Add wind power vertical and directional and it’s a win win charges at night always on..
This video is great for people that are a bit savvy around electrical things. I need more basic, practical info because I am not mechanical at all and I hate electricity. I bought 2 HF 100w panels about 2 years ago. Never took them out of the box. Also bought a controller. Didn’t buy a battery because I knew I wouldn’t be using it for a while. At some point I need to test this thing. Still don’t know what I could use it for except to charge phones. Will it keep my freezer cold also? I see a couple meters being use to gauge output. Honestly, I wouldn’t know how to use one. So you can see the need for very remedial videos.
I’ll have to work on a basic how to some time on solar and basic power set up..
I believe the differences between those two panels goes deeper than just amps and voltage . The way the cells are wired is the biggest difference I know of , if a shadow were to hit one side of the panel the harbor freight panels would stop producing power if one cell in the series get shaded where the Renogy panels can get shaded on one side and still produce charge mainly because of the way the cells are wired together .
They still produce if shaded just not as much obviously. Same with the renogy.
i have never had any solar and have an opertunity to buy an echo flow from an accountant and looking for a solar panel Sounds like the hf should work thanks for the info
They will work for a lot of stuff. And solar panels of all brands have been coming down.
Depending what you wanna do or need look into residential used solar panels. You can get a lot more watts for way cheaper then a renogy or Hf panel. These are good if you need portable stuff. But 100 or even 200 watts is not enough. 200 is bare minimum because after the cells settle you will only get about 180ish watts on the best days.
Amazing video
Thank you…👍🏼😀
And thanks for watching
I can't do solar at my property, but I do have a water wheel generating power. I'm currently using a 30A PWM controller hooked up to 4 deep cycle marine batteries. I've been looking at upgrading to an MPPT controller and the one you are using might fit the bill.
So far it’s doing great it does what it needs and no issues good deal for the price!
i got this in my suggestions idk y but i was curious so i clicked
Cool 😎 thanks for clicking 👍🏼
I believe those renogy 200w suitcase panels on sale right now at $329 - today is 4/12/23
That’s not a bad price considering it’s ready to go with a case and all.
👍🏼
Skip all of the 100-200w panels. Residential panels are available new on marketplace near me for
Totally agree, especially for off grid or sheds and more. For Rv or recreational use these smaller panels are more for portability and weight. The residential panels at 335 or 355 or up to 400 watts can weigh more then two 200 watt panels. So that’s the only reason I would recommend a smaller portable over just getting residential type panels.
They are typically heavier to withstand harsh weather for years including hail.
@@johnnysweekends I also agree there are space concerns especially with RV's that have a lot of obstacles poking through the roof. I don't think weight is too big of a concern especially if the trade off is a much more durable panel. I managed to squeeze (5) 400w panels onto the roof of my tool truck conversion with 17' of available roof. I was able to design what pokes through the roof where so I could make optimum use of the real estate.
Nice. With a Rv though which I guess people don’t care about cargo capacity because I see them over loaded all the time, but a few solar panels at 60lbs each takes away from over all items you get to bring. So 4 panels plus mounts and racking, wiring, batteries inverters and more, you could burn 350-600 lbs from say a 2250 lb capacity. But it’s not my trailer, I can only tell people what the item is and it’s up to them to make the safe choice.
Solar panels are just like everything else. The price you pay is for the name that's glued on them. Watts are watts. Maybe you get a little better build quality but if you don't abuse the cheap ones they'll last just as long. If you have a bad storm it will destroy both of them. I didn't buy harbor freight panels, I got mine on amazon for about .70 a watt. And you have the solar charge controller I do. It's worked perfect.
You have the Beleeb ..?
Interesting.
Please make the video on switching to the kit.
Thanks!
Here ya go…
MC4 Install Crimping Easy DIY
ua-cam.com/video/CFgRCBzquz4/v-deo.html
@@johnnysweekends thank you!😊
I found the Harbor Freight solar panels on sale for $99.99.
Nice 👍🏼 with a coupon I bet you could break into the $80s 😀
I liked the video and gave it a TU. Just curious about why you chose to cut off the Anderson connectors so short. If you had left an inch or two of wire you may have saved yourself a few bucks down the road if you needed an Anderson connector for another application. As you become handier you will learn to watch for things like that.
Thanks for TU.
About the connector…..
Over the year I have done so many projects if I kept everything like that I would have so much stuff I wouldn’t know where to put it. A couple bucks isn’t worth the space in my garage or my wife’s sanity 😂👍🏼
@@johnnysweekends That's really funny to me because I meant that last comment as a "tongue in cheek" barb. I was baiting you a bit and you parried me with grace, well done. I don't throw anything away and it is one of the little known modern miracles that my wife has stayed with me for 42 years, in spite of that. So peace, brother, and score me "properly chastised". LOL
lol love it.
Although yea hard to read or judge comments sometimes 👍🏼😂
@@johnnysweekends Ya did good!
NO!!! Wrong!!!
Amps alone do NOT make more power.
You want the most WATTS period.
As long as your wires are large enough the voltage does not matter. Higher voltage does have the advantage of using smaller wire for the same load in watts.
So, which ever panel is delivering the most watts is the better panel.
So watts is equal to amps times volts (P = I x V) so for the same amount of watts increasing the voltage will decrease the amperage and vice versa. So, yes, everything you said is correct.
Good vid👍🏽
Thank you…and thanks for watching 👍🏼😀
Prefer spend 4 panels at 4$400 for 400 watts of power per hour and replace later if not good. But at leasr you can use ist for maybe few years
These panels for many have been holding up so far really well. I think they will do great.
Strongly suggest that you present a summary of the data with a chart.
I thought about doing a chart for a full day of each panel but the variables could really skew the test unless everything is almost exactly identical.
Time of sun, temp, no clouds or haze and more.
Sometimes big names provide quality. Very often in Solar Big names just mean BIG margins not quality.
Kinda like sun power products. They love to charge more for there panels verses a couple other brands that do just as good or even a pinch better and cheaper.
Looks like the HF panels are polycrystalline vs the renogy with monocrystalline cells, very good comparison
They are labeled as mono and for the most part look like it. And I guess there is a sale for them..$89.99…👍🏼
lol there's differences in amps from the meter thats closer to the solar panels getting energy right there, the extech meter was on the ground had all that wire with resistance so of course its going to be less
They both were connected the same with the same cables when plugged into the ECOFLOW solar station and then to the trailer.
I’ve been trying to understand powering a house with solar …. I understand wiring and electrical to a decent degree but I want to figure out how to power everything in my home even if it’s turning things off to use like the water heater…. Basically just survival and using amenities for my family of 6
Yea you need a decent setup of running high power items like heaters or dryer or microwave and AC units. Those are big draw items. Heaters and microwaves and hair dryers all draw about 1500-1700 watts which over a hour is a lot of power.
So Solar provides DC power. We use micro inverters to flip the power or invert it to Ac. It’s power goes to your panel or a sun panel and to the grid. So if the grid shuts off your solar is still making power but no we’re to properly store it or run anything. In simple terms anyway.
Hence you need batteries to store the extra power so at night or power outages the batteries are ready to go.
If needing a decent amount of power then residential panels are the way to go.. and not these little panels that are meant for light weight stuff and being portable.
At a dollar a watt it’s not very price savvy as buying something for .50 cents a watt or even less
@@johnnysweekends where can I look to buy bigger panels that I’m not paying for a name but decent quality ….
Check out Facebook market place and clist there are always good used one for cheap. Some are close to new.
Higher volts.......higher amps............????
ALL THAT MATTERS IS WATTS.........as long as whatever is converting gets you to 12v.
EXACTLY ¡!!!!!!!!!!!!, I made a similar reply here somewhere. Asinine.
why try to teach what you don't know?
Very surprised,$230.00 sounds about right 👍
The Hf has gone up a little …$129 is regular price now.
This guy sounds like Jimmy from better call Saul.
Lol your like the 3rd person to say that..
😂👍🏼
In my race car trailer I have a 75ah battery or so and am going to add 200w solar for charging the battery for the lights/radio/winch/car while at the track or while stored. My trailer has power from tow vehicle also. I am thinking about a DC to DC charger with MTTP. 20 or 30 amp in case of adding another panel. Should I do it that way or just rely on the solar and unhook charge wire from tow vehicle and use stand alone controller? The battery should always be charged before a trip if solar is active or trailer hooked is up to shore power and solar is off, so charging on the road really is not needed. I really am studying your videos, great content. Thanks,
I would just use the solar. You could leave tow vehicle charge wire there as it will still provide Dc current to the battery at the proper battery voltage for lead acid but not Lithium. So it would only charge to about 85-90%. But could help it out.
But 200 watts of solar will do fine keeping it charge and then maybe just carry a really small generator in case you need a pinch of power. Or a bigger one if you need it for race items. Air compressor and more for race days.
Finally it comes down to cost/watt. I tested clearance Canadian Solar 390W Bifacial solar panels with a long term test in multiple weather conditions and got fantastic results. They have glass on both sides that would allow some light through to the plants below. If you have time, check out the results and let me know what you think. Here is the video with the data: ua-cam.com/video/1SXNjsSsmq0/v-deo.html
Yea the bifacial looks like they will provide great results especially in the long run as long as they hold up. I assume they will. Still a little spendy but they will come down in price eventually.
Guy behind Harbor Freight became a billionaire selling cheap tools to cheap people
Lol well some off the tools are not bad for the price. Some are definitely disposable lol
I'm clearly in over my head!
Might as well been speaking Swahili.🥴😄🤷🏻♀️
But I am going to a solar panel seminar at a local college tomorrow, so hopefully my understanding will improve.🙂👍🏻
Everyone starts somewhere 👍🏼
You can also get 2 standard Renogy 100 watt monocrystalline panels for less than $100 each shipped. Higher quality and cheaper than HF which has notoriously low quality.
The only downside of the harborfreight units is the weight. But very sturdy.
They don’t seem to heavy for the size maybe a pinch more then some others…
You can put the two renogy panels in series and get 38.5V out of the pair and get about 16-17.5A out of those Eclipse panels at 12V with a good MPPT charge controller and peak sun. I have the same ones hooked to a 30A Rich Solar MPPT feeding (4) 100AH AGMs in the radio shack. When it's cold out in the winter,below 40 degrees, I've seen up to 244W at 38.96V and, with cable losses was basically 20A at 12V. The downfall of monocrystaline panels, especially in series, is that clouds and shade are your enemy. Tje polys do better in some situations, but the monos are WAY more efficient. We're talking 16% for the HF polys vs 22% for the Eclipse monos.
Yea both of these were in series and both are mono, but for some reason I could never get more then about 180w out of the renogy even on the best days changing either a power station or batteries..🤷♂️
@@johnnysweekends If the Renogies were in series, you should definitely see more voltage. I'd check the MC4s and see what the panel voltages are individually on those panels and what the waytage output is per panel. You might have some shot cells. That EcoFlow Delta should also have an MPPT in it. My Mini takes up to 75V at 10A, so either the HFs in series or the Eclipses in series will be fine.
Yes ECOFLOW and other power station units have mppt built in.
But yea I could have had a dead cell unfortunately no longer have the renogy setup. But it was weird I never got great numbers with that setup. Which I thought it would have done better.