The Solar Boler
The Yukon Ho has harnessed the power of the sun!!
Almost a month after of purchase, the solar setup is finally done. Or at least done enough to use. With a great deal of help from a friend, the panel has been mounted on the roof of the truck, and the rest of the bits and pieces have all been wired up.
The hardest part was drilling the first 3/8" hole in the shiny new truck canopy. Also, the second hole. And the third. And... well, all of them. Following the rule of "measure ten or so times, cut once", we managed to get the six holes aligned pretty much perfectly, and with a touch of silicone to seal the deal, the panel was battened down. It rained for four straight days after mounting it, so I can safely say that it doesn't leak.
Oddly, the typical RV mount for this type of panel relies on threaded rubber liners to put in the holes, but nothing on the inside to anchor the panel to whatever you've mounted it on. I kept having visions of the panel flying off while driving down the highway, so we ended up adding a bit more security by bolting a couple of large washers on the inside to guarantee that the panel isn't going anywhere.
Inside the truck, all the wires feed into a plastic box from Canadian Tire -- the idea being to keep everything neat and tidy. This is also where the voltage regulator and inverter are mounted. So far it's worked out beautifully. I even used solar power to drill the last two holes in the bucket. Very convenient.
I'd originally planned to set up a string of Christmas lights in the back of the truck, but unfortunately in our hurry to get rid of all our stuff, we mixed them in with a load of stuff we gave to charity. Oops... That'll learn me for giving.
Anyways, the past few days have been gorgeous and sunny (very strange for this time of year), so our battery is topped right up. I started out with a free battery, but it turned out to be beyond rescue. I saw a used car battery out back of Canadian Tire, so I asked the parts-dude if he would mind if I took it. He said "yes", which wasn't exactly what I'd expected... Apparently if someone brings in a battery to be recycled, they feel some kind of moral obligation to actually recycle it. Julie pointed out that #2 in the "three R's" is "Re-use", but alas, I didn't think of that argument at the time. The lesson here is: Don't ask. I ended up buying a new marine deep cycle battery instead, which should work a lot better than a car battery anyways.
I'm waiting on one more part from the solar supplier - a shore power transfer switch - and I have yet to install a mysterious button that came with the kit. I think it initiates the self-destruct sequence. Other than that, it's all done!
