If solar panel connections get wet?

[steve yates]

are they stuffed? Mine got ripped off the fore hatch ( from its Velcro) by a wave beating back over the Minch, and I never noticed. It's cable and some cord kept it on the boat but it was upside down. It was next morning I realised, and saw that the controller was showing no load coming from the panel to the battery.
When I opened the unit on the back of the panel, it was wet inside, it also seems to be filled with some silicone sealant stuff. Is that normal? To protect the wiring? Tried drying it in the sun and spraying with wd40 but no joy. I guess I should dig out all the sealant, cut the wires and reattach them? Then recover in sealant?
I would take the chanc e to just buy a new higher wattage one, but I'm in loch torridon tonight, and places to buy such things nearby are slim.
If that doesn't work and I replace it, what size should I get to keep a 125ahr battery topped up?
Thx.

 

[LadyInBed]

Solars will accept a short circuit but won't take kindly to salt water.
If you wash it thoroughly with fresh and dry it (face down) then it might recover, but the salt will take it in the end.
Probably best to bite the bullet and replace as soon as you can.
PS what size do you have, if it's doing the job then replace size for size. If it was struggling then buy the biggest you can afford or have room to accommodate.

 

[VicS]

are they stuffed? Mine got ripped off the fore hatch ( from its Velcro) by a wave beating back over the Minch, and I never noticed. It's cable and some cord kept it on the boat but it was upside down. It was next morning I realised, and saw that the controller was showing no load coming from the panel to the battery.
When I opened the unit on the back of the panel, it was wet inside, it also seems to be filled with some silicone sealant stuff. Is that normal? To protect the wiring? Tried drying it in the sun and spraying with wd40 but no joy. I guess I should dig out all the sealant, cut the wires and reattach them? Then recover in sealant?
I would take the chanc e to just buy a new higher wattage one, but I'm in loch torridon tonight, and places to buy such things nearby are slim.
If that doesn't work and I replace it, what size should I get to keep a 125ahr battery topped up?
Thx.

Corrosion of the connections by electrolysis and salt water will be your enemy unless you can thoroughly flush it away and then reseal.

As far as the size of a replacement is concerned it depends on how much electrical power you use and what proportion of that will be replaced by the solar panel.

A 10 watt panel, or even a 5 watt one, will be more than adequate if your power use is next to nothing or you have other effective charging systems

 

[steve yates]

Dug out the sealant and the wire to the connector had actually corroded and snapped. Have ordered a 20w similar set up, once I wire it in, is there a special sealant to use to cover the connections or will my standard marine silicone do?

 

[Yngmar]

Dug out the sealant and the wire to the connector had actually corroded and snapped. Have ordered a 20w similar set up, once I wire it in, is there a special sealant to use to cover the connections or will my standard marine silicone do?

Any gloop that cures without releasing acetic acid (vinegar smell) will do. If you ever want to access the connections again you can use a re-enterable potting compound, although that's probably a pointless expense for this case. If you do, the stuff comes in two parts, is mixed into a runny gel and then poured in, so whatever you seal must be able to hold the gel until it has cured into a jelly.

 

[steve yates]

Thank you. I notice the instructions say the battery must be emitting 6v or more before connecting the panel, as this is required to get the controller started.? That could be an issue as the battery is very low now, cabin lights dim, will run echo sounder but not the satnav, etc. As the boat is on a mooring, there is no way to get power to the battery, and as its bloody heavy ( a big 125a/her brand new one) I don't fancy trying a dinghy trip with it, unless there is really no other option.
Now the panel I ordered came complete with 2m cable, already wired to panel, and a new controller. Am I right in thinking I could just cut the old cable and wire it into the panel? or even just cut both sets of wires and join them together? So the original setup is all intact, just a different panel?
Would that start trickle charging the battery as the old controller has been working and doesn't need "started" so to speak?

Also, has anyone had any success mounting their panels onto the sliding hatch? Any tips for keeping the excess wire from being damaged or a trip hazard of so? Or is it just a crap idea?
Thanks.

 

[Yngmar]

Also, has anyone had any success mounting their panels onto the sliding hatch? Any tips for keeping the excess wire from being damaged or a trip hazard of so? Or is it just a crap idea?

There was a clever trick in the PBO magazine some time ago, with a piece of bungee cord that kept the wire under tension. Oh, here's the article: http://assets.bluesea.com/files/resources/press/2015.PracticalBoatOwner.pdf

 

[steve yates]

That was an interesting read, thx yngmar.