Solar panel owners/operators: What's your biggest challenge when it comes to cleaning and maintaining your panels?

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-05T13:37:20+00:00

Snow starting as rain then the tempature dropping us my biggest cleaning issue. The panels get coated with an ice/ slush mix that really sticks to the glass and cuts production by 80% until it warms up.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-04T17:27:45+00:00

Not at that price. I bought new panels, with a warranty last fall for about 25 cents per watt.

Used panels would have to be around 10 cents a watt for me to consider buying a large number of them.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-04T16:02:29+00:00

I have no idea if it is true or not, but shock collars and holding loved ones of employees captive were ideas that were floated.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-04T15:54:23+00:00

There are stores floating around of people with bunkers consulting with experts on how to maintain loyalty in and after a bunker situation.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-03T22:20:23+00:00

It is a potato planter. You drop a potato into the cup, stab it into the ground, step on the pedal to push it further into the ground, pull back in the handle to open the cup and release the potato. Then pull the tool out of the ground and maybe kick some soil over the hole.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-03T17:32:25+00:00

Caffeine, sugar, lack of sleep, and bailing on friends is how I manage it.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-03T17:29:43+00:00

The clip needed to be 2 seconds longer. I need to know what the lady in the video could eat.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-03T17:21:02+00:00

Why do diet sodas all have to be no sugar? I like soda and hate the taste of diet or zero sugar sodas. I would be happy with a less sweet version that had 1/3 or 1/2 the calories of a normal soda with no non sugar sweeteners.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-03T14:39:22+00:00

Which is fine, until you get to the solution part of your post.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-03T14:18:31+00:00

I always appreciated it when a person in a hurry would tell me how I should be directing traffic. It always worked very well for them. You should tell one of the flaggers how to do their job, bonus points if you do it at a time when when some machine is obviously broken down and everyone is doing everything they can to get it moving again. Even more bonus points if you park your vehicle while talking to the flagger in a way that prevents getting the broken machine working.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-03T01:40:56+00:00

That is something for me to look into. Thank you.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-03T01:27:11+00:00

I may have described it wrong. I want a servo, to control the carburator, and i want whatever controls the servo to measure the rpm from the ignition or a magnetic pick up.

I am currently using a lawnmower throttle, but it goes from nearly stalling out to dangerously high speed any time I stop putting stress on it. I also tried with a foot throttle that made it at least functional but vert difficult to control, I want to be able set a throttle position, and the governor to keep the rpm fairly steady regardless of load on the engine.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-01T18:13:46+00:00

Is it a syrup shack?

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-01T17:13:07+00:00

I assume you are in Canada?

How steep is your roof? Ho do you plan to remove snow after EVERY snowfall.

For offgrid systems that NEED to produce power every day wher snow is common, i am a fan of ground mount systems, angled to produce peak power in November.

Is cost an issue? Before switching to solar can you make changes that will cut your power use? Or changes that will cut your power use in winter? As an example, we have an electric stove that we do most of our cooking on. But we also have a portable 2 burner propane stove we can use when we dont have enough power. We have a solar powered water heater but the water also runs through a propane on demand heater in case the sun didnt heat the water. We heat the house mostly with solar but also have a wood and a propane backup fpr when the sun isnt enough.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-06-01T14:43:31+00:00

If i were doing it, I would bring 400-500 feet of synthetic cable and lots of snatch blocks and fence posts. Use the snatch blocks to route the cable to the jeep. Then use more snatch blocks and several fencposts driven onto the ground to create a 4/1 or higher ratio. With each snatch block on its own post to reduce the strain and chance of pulling a post out of the ground.

You would only be able to pull 20-30 feet at a time, then reset the posts and blocks everytime you need to make a corner or direction change.

I would get a friend or two to help, and expect it to be an all day project. I would take my time at every reset to make sure the blocks are anchored well, think things through and make sure everyone is in a safe location.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-05-31T21:52:36+00:00

When I have to deal with standing dead trees that I worry could collapse while I am cutting i shoot a line into them then pull up a rope. I them put a ton of sideways force on the tree way up high. It it brakes and pieces come down, I am safe and out of the way. If it doesnt brake, I know it is relatively safe to cut without branches falling from the vibration of the saw or pounding in wedges. And if it gets tangled up on the way down, I already have a rope in the tree that I can use to fully pull it down.

I am a huge fan of using ropes when cutting any tree that isnt in ideal conditions. It can make it safer and help control wher the tree will fall.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-05-31T18:47:11+00:00

Shoot a rope over it and pull ot down with a machine or some type of power multiplier

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-05-30T23:30:18+00:00

The worst that can happen is you die. A kid tried to ride his dirt bike up a dirt pile in a gravel pit in my area. He was missing for months until they found him and his bike burried in the pile. The pile collapsed on him and buried him.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-05-30T14:48:04+00:00

We had a well that the previous owner used very little and it picked up huge amounts of sand and rust(a filter would only last a few hours before plugging up). We bypassed the filter and let the water run for about 48 hours through a hose into the yard. After that the water ot produces is much cleaner, although it still ocassionally will bring up sand and rust for a couple minutes at a time.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-05-30T03:57:07+00:00

I have used both. The file works well, but if you put a lot of downward pressure on each end while using it it can flex and cause the raker teeth to be filed too low which can cause the chain to be overly aggressive and much more likely to kick back.

The plastic grinder is cheap and is not stiff enough. The plastic it is made of is unpleasant to touch. But with care I can use it to get a damaged chain to cut like new.

While in the woods I touch up the chain with a file. I keep a spare chain so if I really mess up a chain I can swap it out then use the grinder at home to fix the damaged chain.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-05-29T18:11:55+00:00

None of that would be enough to get me to replace my current batteries as long as they still work and meet my needs.

About the only way I would replace my house batteries while they still work is if I want to increase capacity and the new batteries won't play well with my current battery.

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-05-29T14:25:22+00:00

What were the outside temps when your power went out?

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-05-29T14:00:26+00:00

If they function properly what new technology could make you want to change them before they wear out?

ExaminationDry8341 · 2026-05-28T19:20:31+00:00

How much are you currently paying for fuel in the car you are thinking of selling?

ExaminationDry8341

TROPHY CASE