Warning: Don't try to solar panel your porch during a heatwave like I did

Last July in Phoenix I spent a whole Saturday installing a DIY solar setup on my back porch, but by noon the panels were so hot I couldn't touch them without gloves... and the adhesive melted off the brackets. The whole thing collapsed into a heap of glass and wires. Has anyone else had their renewable energy projects totally backfire in extreme weather?

3 comments

3 Comments

simonk982d ago

Phoenix in July is about as brutal as it gets for any outdoor project. I lived in Tucson for a few years and learned the hard way that standard mounting adhesives just won't hold up when it's 115 degrees. You really need mechanical fasteners into the structure for a permanent install out here. The panels themselves can actually lose efficiency when they get that hot too, so you are fighting a double battle. I hope you didn't get hurt when it came down, that sounds like a dangerous mess.

thea6022d ago

Oh man, @simonk98 a friend of mine had a whole shelf of succulents melt off her balcony in a Tucson July, it was so sad.

paul_ramirez2d ago

Most of those adhesives have a temperature rating right on the tube, so if you used something rated for 100 degrees in 115 degree heat that's kind of on you. A little common sense goes a long way with this stuff - wait for a cooler day or use proper bolts like the other guy said. Seems more like a planning mistake than some kind of cautionary tale about solar panels.

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