LIVING OFF GRID

This blog is about our travels in our solar powered "Airstream" and living off grid, in our passive solar home, near Bancroft, Ontario, Canada.

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Thursday 21 July 2011

The Man Stands Tall

Ever purchase something only to discover the service department didn't meet your expectations? I think it's happened to most of us.


Last winter we had our solar system installed in Texas. Paul went out of his way to do an excellent job both on the roof and inside our trailer. Wiring, location, equipment was all installed to maximize usage. We were delighted. No longer did we need our generator to have coffee or toast in the morning, watch a movie at night and keep the furnace running so we could be warm when it snowed in April.



But on June 23rd it stopped working. No longer were our batteries being re-filled each sunny day. What could have gone wrong? I sent an e-mail off to Paul explaining our problem and within an hour had a reply and what to do. I checked everything Paul listed including the fuses but they looked fine, no black spots on the glass and the metal strip look complete. What next? Off with more e-mails and more things to check. Paul even shipped a replacement solar charger just to make sure ours wasn't at fault.

Up on the roof I opened each panel box and tested for current.




Each box and connection was solid and each panel was putting out about 19.3 volts.

Back inside I checked the fuse again and this time discovered that it was the problem. No fuse, no current, no batteries being charged.

It was the first thing Paul had asked me to check and I had missed the right diagnosis. Paul was patient, understanding and persistent, knowing that the problem could be corrected and with his help I was able to do so.

If you are thinking of solar for your Airstream, Paul is the guy to call.


Thanks Paul. You Stand Tall in my books.



Safe travels

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