Mr. Long Arm 1008 Review – Solar Panel Cleaning Kit
If you are using a home solar power system, how often do you clean the Photovoltaic (PV) panels? Solar panels seldom work at its maximum efficiency due to several factors such as cloud covers, angle of the panel to the sun, shadow overcast, haze, dust etc. Most of these factors, there is nothing much you can do other than cleaning the solar panel.
Since most residential solar panels are installed on the roof, cleaning them can be a major chore. To make the washing and cleaning of the PV panels easier, Mr. Long Arm has introduced its 1008 Pro Curve solar panel cleaning kit.
One of the key features of Mr. Long Arm 1008 is its extension pole. The pole can be extended from 5 to 8 feet length. If you are 6 feet tall and with your arm extended, using the 1008 you can reach a maximum of approximately 16 feet all the way to the side of your roof.
The 1008 Pro Curve comes with a 12 inches and 18 inches channel squeegee rubber. It also has the 18 inches and 22 inches wash bar and wash sleeve attachments.
With this tool, cleaning your solar panels shouldn’t be much of an issue. All you have to do is get yourself out into your yard and do the cleaning. If you rather have someone else do the cleaning for your, pay one of the neighborhood kid to do it instead.
Since you’ve invested a large amount of money installing your home solar power system, you might as well extract the most power out of it. The heart of the system, the solar array has to be cleaned a couple of times a year in order for it to function properly. With Mr. Long Arm 1008 PV panel cleaning kit, getting the job done will be a bit easier for you.
Homemade Solar Power System
Are you planning to use solar power to supplement your home energy consumption? If you are, download the free copy of 30 Solar and Wind Power For Homes Videos e-book. The e-book will show you videos of different parts and components needed to build your own home solar and wind power system. Click on the link below for free instant download.
==> Click here to download free video e-book now!
How To Check A Damaged Solar Panel – Does It Still Work?
When you are doing your own Do It Yourself (DIY) home solar power system, there are a lot of challenges you have to face. One particular problem is damaged solar panel.
If you are using new solar panel, a damaged panel is covered by the warranty. You can simply send it back to the manufacturer and get a new one. What if you want to use a damaged Photovoltaic (PV) panel?
But why would anyone want to use damaged solar components? Reason being, damaged goods are cheaper. Some faulty solar panels can still be used but the power output may be lesser. The tricky part is to test the solar panel to make sure it is within its working capacity.
To check the solar panel, begin by having a quick look at the specification of the module. Next, get a multi-meter ready.
Position the panel in such a way so that the sun light is shining on the PV cells. The first process is to test the voltage.
Inside the junction box of the PV panel, you will see a “+” and a “-” sign. But be careful when you are doing this. Some PV modules are live and there is a risk of you being electrocuted. Use caution and make sure you do things appropriately.
Get your multi-meter set to DC volt at the 200 volts marking. Make sure you switch the leads from amps to volt. This is a very common mistake people do and that will give you incorrect readings.
Now, stick the positive lead on the positive terminal and then do the same with the negative leads. Looking at the specs, you will expect to see about 22 volts. If you were to change the angle of the solar panel towards the sun, you may see some increase or decrease of the readings.
The next thing you have to do is test the amperage readings. Set your multi-meter to read current and place the leads on the positive and negative terminals respectively. If the readings are within the factory specification, the solar panel is good to go.
Homemade Solar Power Guide
Do you need help to make your own DIY home solar power system? If you do, check out John Russel’s Power4Home guide. The manual comes with pdf files and step by step High Definition (HD) instructional videos. For more information, click on the link below.
==> Click here to visit Power4Home now!
Performing a Charging Test On A Home Solar Power System
When you have all the solar components such as the solar panel, meter gauges, charge controller, battery bank and power inverter all connected, the next step is to do a charging test to make sure everything is working fine.
First, get your multi-meter and set it on DC amperage. Clamp it on the live wire coming out from the charge controller going right to the battery. See what kind of juice you are getting. You should see a DC amperage figure on the multi-meter.
Since the battery is running on 12 volts, you can calculate how much power is going into the battery by multiplying the amperage (I) with the voltage (V). That will determine how much power in watts you can withdraw from the batteries.
When you want to find out how long the battery will last, it actually depends on what kind of load is consuming the power. If you are trying to run a 150 watt flood lights on the outside of your house at night, the deep cycle batteries of your solar system will only last for a couple of hours.
Therefore, when using renewable energy such as solar, it is best to go for economical lighting fixtures such as using compact florescent bulbs that draws only 800 milliamps. Such energy efficient light bulbs will run for weeks by using power from the battery.
If you don’t want to use the power inverter, you can even use a 12 volt marine activated light and it will work directly with the 12 volt battery. You don’t need to use the inverter at all thus extending the battery output.
Depending on what you actually want to run, you choose your lightings and your loads and that will determine how much run time you will get out of your home solar system battery bank.
DIY Home Solar Power System Manual
Do you want to know how to use solar power at home to reduce your electricity bill? If you do, check out the Earth4Energy e-book by Michael Harvey.
The manual will show you to build a low cost solar panel and the procedure to setup the charge controller, battery bank, power inverter etc.
Check out the Earth 4 Energy information post on this blog to find out how the e-book can benefit you.
