June 11 to July 5 More Solar Panels

A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.

William Arthur Ward

It has been a very long time since I wrote a post for this blog. I have no excuse. My health has suffered some. My eyesight too.

I will try not to go into the sabotage of my vehicle. Someone poured dirt in my gas tank. Yes I think it was the physcotic woman I was once married to.

Anyways, almost a year later I ordered two more bi-facial solar panels. A slight mixup in shipping caused them to be lost at a Fedex depot for 12 or 13 days. Some of my scorn for Fedex was forgiven when they brought the panels directly to my house, which is a 3 km off the pavement. I was happy to see the van travelling down my road.

Today I hope to add mounting brackets to the solar panels. Maybe by the weekend I might be able to install at least one. I am not in hurry as I wait for an anchor to secure the panels, in case of strong winds. BTW windy days forecast for the next week.

I ordered a large dog anchor from Amazon to attach the panels by wire. That should give me the ability to turn the panels winter and summer to better catch the sun. That’s a work in progress. I may need another anchor.

Due to health issues working more than ten minutes an hour is the most I can manage.

I am also a little concerned about lifting the panels into place, even more concerned about moving the heavy mounting system further out to catch more of the evening sun.

That really should be done before mounting all the panels. Before that I need to order extension cables for my Starlink and solar.

I probably need to order steel cable to attach to the anchors as well. I have some, safe somewhere in the house. Safe from me. I may be suffering from old timers.

I have two months before the first of the cold weather and snow arrives.

Just add two more, easey peasy. Huh!!!

The two panels were moved from garage to workshop. I am out of breath. Last night I hurt something in my spine. A deep breath causes extreme pain. After a rest next move is to open boxes.

I managed to get the mounting brackets done on one panel. I came to realization that I would be short a few bolts. Back to Amazon and another delay. I also ordered steel cable while I was there.

The framing square is there to protect the panels from the drill.

JUNE 29 UPDATE:

All the brackets are drilled and mounted on the solar panels. Now it’s time to carry one out , lift it into place, clamp it down, drill more holes, put bolts through.

Today is out, defeated by wishful thinking and poor eyesight. My nuts are (stop laughing) fine thread, my bolts are coarse thread. I am thankful that I discovered that before venturing under the tick filled trees and the clouds of vampires with wings.

Imagine this, I carry the panel out there, clamp it in place drill the holes only to discover no nuts. Unclamping and carry everything through the clouds of starving female mosquitos and risking lymes disease the second time.

The good news. More bolts are already on there way from Amazon. The bad news they are 12 days away.

UPDATE JULY 1:

Today I have extra energy, today after a two week delay I am ready to mount one of the new panels. I found four bolts and three nuts. It was enough to mount the panel. As I am getting ready to go I could hear wind. After checking the forecast I realized that the universe wants me to wait. Not only did I have gusty wind, but also a heavy smoke warning from a half dozen wildfires north of here.

Not only that but a lighting storm was also on its way. Yup just what I needed a chance to die of smoke inhalation, or be hit in the head by a flying 5 foot solar panel while hanging on to a steel pole during a lightning storm. I think I’ll wait.

Yes I put on the pouty face.

17:34 I just took a look outside, suddenly almost, there was no wind, no smoke, not even clouds. It was very deceptive. I knew if I dared try, billowing clouds of woodsmoke would appear, lightning would strike me , hail would plumment me. I can wait.

I just checked the weather radar, the storm was just a few miles away and there was lots of red and yellow in the picture. Red is very bad.

JULY 4 UPDATE:

It’s hot out here for a pimp. No I am not a pimp. I am outside in full summer heat mounting a solar panel. It was time, a friend needed me to look at her laptop. I wasn’t generating enough power.

First thing I did was step on a sheet of plastic hidden in the tall grass. It was full of water from the heavy rains of the last few days. When I tried to empty it, I stepped in more water this time with the other sandal.

In bare feet, I continued on. I had one bolt drilled and tightened 3 more to go on this panel . Four more to go on the second panel. If I make it that far. I am wearing black sweat pants and a black t . I needed water to drink but have none ready here in the workshop. I am filtering water four times proving I can make drinking water from my yellow scummy pond water.

I came in to rest and I needed a compression strap so I could line up the holes to be drilled on the panel and the panel stand.. A half hour of fiddling with the tangled strap, I was out drillilling holes.

I just got finished drilling hole #2, as I pulled out the drill, only half the bit came out. In my hurry to not die of heat stroke. I snapped the drill bit.

I retrieved the broken bit, pushed a bolt through and tightened it down. I had two bolts done out of four. Really thankful they were two opposite corners, that will hold until my next journey out there.

I packed my tools took note of the giant tree branch that had broken away from my favourite tree.

I went inside, I was too hot to continue. I would look for another bit another time.

I forgot pictures of my work. For now some pics of my tree branch.

Ya, you knew. I would go out there and finish the other two bolts on the first panel. The second panel nope. The chest pains convinced me that I had done enough for the day.

3 up 1 to go.

Now I need a home for the two panels on the ground. (Left Corner

JULY 5 UPDATE:

Got the last panel. No I didn’t get all the bolts done, 3 out of 4. It isway too hot out there. I went around back of the panel to have a look. It was upside down. The cables didnt reach.