Height of solar panel above Bimini

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Guy

That is pretty funny. Why is does 6" make sense? Why not 12"?

Well because 12 inches would simply be ridiculous! No one has a thumb that big.

Actually for a 12v system you need 12 inches. 6V you need 6 inches.

Now ask me about 240AC...

Originally Posted by Guy

I have well over 6 feet and the volts still drop when they get hot.

It sounds like there is something seriously wrong with your solar panels. what kind of anchor are you using -

BTW - I agree with you. There is no wrong answer here - just improbable ones...

[Ocean Diamond 2]

Hi All,

I havent any gap between my 200 watt panel and the canvas.
I bolted the panels directly to the stainless bar and had leather patches placed where the holes for the bolts went through.
Its been on 2 years now with no problems and I cant see how the canvas could get damaged as it wont flap around as the canvas is tight.

Derek

[chuckr]

I am not a techie just a simple user -- we put 3 130w panels above our bimini about 8 years ago -- we used 2 1" tubes and reinforced the structure of the bimini to hold them. With an homeport of Florida and sometimes a bit of wind we wanted them to have a bit of air flow around them but not so much as to put undo stress on the structure that holds them - our fear was big winds would get under them and funnel and try to lift them

so we put them a few inches above the bimini and a bit higher in the back - we have been in winds over 50k with them and no issues with the panels -

before we left miami we take them off when a hurricane approached as we did with all the canvas on the boat

[macbeth]

W


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[macbeth]

Went sailing today. Noticed at one stage the canvas top of the Bimini blew up like mushroom. Temporarily installed one of the rails the solar panel will be attached to. Noticed the canvas occasionally touching the underneath of the rail. Good enough for me, I'll keep the side "legs" of the rail the length they are. Thanks for all the "discussions" !!


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[jbk9255152]

As we can tell, there are many counter working factors. I've wondered about rotating the panel to get a better sun angle during a winter in Virginia. Is that necessary if you just want to make sure you have bilge pump power reserve. How much of a problem will an increased angle be when a storm hits? What are other structural concerns? There must be a book (or not).
My panel is on my dingy davit. For the future I am thinking about a hard bimini if I want more power.
ben