hi all its been a bit quiet lately. i have a 200watt solar blanket which compilements my tug mounted solar panels, the blanket (atem) is starting to delaminate ,looks like varnish starting to flake off and become opeque probably cutting the sun to the blanket , are these blankets worth trying to save or just bite the bullet and get a replacement,these days the price of hard panels has come down,so about the only thing going for the blanket concept is storage when not in use,its been a quite sunday aftenoon so i have been trying to remove the varnish but me thinks i am probably wasting my time any comments will be appreciated ,unless you call me a cheap old p:;k
solar blanket delaminating
- Thread starter poor but proud
- Start date
I personally think they are like cheap solar lights, I bought some solar lights that fit into the pool fence posts and for the side fence, the pool fence ones are still going the side fence ones lasted a couple of weeks!! I have an Aldi fold up panel that’s been good for a couple of years now but I don’t expect longevity from it. What p!sses me off the most they are not cheap anymore. So to answer your question I’d be looking for a replacement.
I haven't come across any tricks to fix them nor had one in hand to contemplate how myself but I imagine its not a lacquer or anything, be just part of the polymer layers that make the thing up .............
My son has had one for many years, I told him to sling it up like a tent fly when he's using it and don't just lay it over bonnet/roof/ground etc, its rolled up when not in use, its a good few years old now, gets a fair bit of use and shows no signs of stress, a mate at my club uses okky straps to sling his across his roof rack when out bush, no damage and plenty of air flow, so I can only surmise my thought of years ago that getting cooked on bonnets etc is probably whats causing the failures, getting around the 60c plus mark doesn't do anything much good ......... I've always thought that slung over a bonnet wouldn't be much good for the panel or the paint ...
My son has had one for many years, I told him to sling it up like a tent fly when he's using it and don't just lay it over bonnet/roof/ground etc, its rolled up when not in use, its a good few years old now, gets a fair bit of use and shows no signs of stress, a mate at my club uses okky straps to sling his across his roof rack when out bush, no damage and plenty of air flow, so I can only surmise my thought of years ago that getting cooked on bonnets etc is probably whats causing the failures, getting around the 60c plus mark doesn't do anything much good ......... I've always thought that slung over a bonnet wouldn't be much good for the panel or the paint ...
did some research,To fix up the clear coat on a solar blanket there is actually a procedure, brush away any loose flakes from the panel, wipe isopropyl alcohol (covid handcleaner) all over the panels put paper towel or an old towel so that it does not evaporate too quick then scrape off with a stiff backed razor blade , taking care not to dig into the solar cell or joints (i used the one the cook uses on the kitchen hot plate)it comes away looking like old time schellac,, inspect every cell connection for any corrosion if there is corrosion in the joints give up and bin it, to recoat the cells use clear urethane seal coat CRC has it in a spray can , you cant use normal varnish as it will go yellow ,,,( the sort of job you do when you are really bored) with the old top coat off the blanket came back to peak output ,but time will tell if its worth the effort
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I look forward to you review later on ........................ I think if using clear urethane to recoat it spray may be the way to go but at a guess a couple of coats to make sure no holidays in coat or ideally stretch it out over a board at about a 45deg angle and pour the urethane over it so it evenly flows over the surface and ends up in a tray below, if done right you end up with no bubbles, no ripples and a very even glossy surface, far superior to spray jobs but needs to be dust free and thinned just right .... Don't look at Kings as you will binn it .... I have no drama like some to Kings gear either, never had any fails.
PS: you have to trim the edges before it all sets ...................
PS: you have to trim the edges before it all sets ...................