Renogy Solar

The solar panel arrived Wednesday afternoon, and the MPPT Controller that evening. (The UPS driver filled his truck with bigger items for his first run, then the smaller boxes for his second run. UPS delivers a lot to our Beaches!) So Thursday morning I drove over to my friend Stephen's house, and we proceeded to Get Solar!


The first step was to look at all the new equipment. The panel was bigger, the controller was bigger and the wires were bigger. Bigger is Better? In this case, I believe so. The old controller was tiny, befitting the little wires in and out of it. The new controller had a heat sink base with instructions to leave several inches above and below for air flow. And the bigger panel befits a 160W output versus the old one's 100W nominal.

The old non-functional panel

A gloppy mess of sealant over the wire hole

The old panel on top of the new Renogy panel

Taking off the old panel took some time to scrape off the sealant covering its wiring. It was coated with a thick gloppy pile of sealant that was a bear to get off. But underneath it was a nice plate that would accommodate the larger wires of the new panel, though we needed to expand the hole in the roof to get them through. Stephen's Dremel with the diamond bit cut through the roof like soft butter, the hard part was controlling it. We unscrewed the four screws holding the old panel on, and Voila! Ernie was solar free.

After we cleaned the roof and let it dry we sealed all of the screw holes, and then placed the new panel on the roof. Instead of new screws, we laid EternaBond tape on all four edges. The tapes sticks impressively well, and we both are confident that the panel won't be going anywhere. The tape will likely be more difficult to remove if we ever need to replace the panel than the sealant of the old one. We threaded the wires though the roof, and then sealed the hole bracket with sealant, and then more of the tape.

The new panel stretches all the way from the AC to the back

All taped down and ready to go

Next up was putting in the new Controller. It's bigger and requires the Inverter to move to make enough room, easily accomplished. Then connecting the wires, and we start charging the house battery! It works efficiently, and it's easily measurable. I bought the Bluetooth module so I can monitor the solar output and battery charge level from my phone.

The new controller passing on the power

My phone monitoring the panel and battery

We spent the weekend in White Springs and powered the refrigerator with just the panel, and everything worked beautifully. Renogy's warranties the panel for 95% efficiency for the first 5 years or so, and 85% after 20 years, so I'm hopeful that we won't have any issues with this setup for quite a while. Being able to monitor it's status from my phone is a delight – metrics make things more real.

Courtney Campbell Trail

Last Friday we took a leisurely drive up the coast from Ft. DeSoto Park, through the beach communities of St. Pete Beach, Madeira Beach, Redington Beach, Indian Shores, Belleaire Beach, Clearwater Beach, and then into Clearwater. We wanted to ride our bikes on the Courtney Campbell Trail, which runs parallel to the causeway across the bay separating Clearwater and Tampa.

We hoped to find a parking lot at the Clearwater start of the trail, but no such luck. There is beach parking a few hundred yards in, but I wasn't comfortable driving Ernie and a trailer of yaks on the narrow beach, so we continued on. About halfway along is the bridge over the boat channel, and we saw another parking lot. So we stopped and I took up a second space for the trailer. We unloaded bikes, and rode the 16 mile trail.

Parking the trailer beside Ernie

Sharon crossing the channel bridge

Sharon nearing Tampa

Bikes get a separate bridge from motorized traffic

Boats get one shot past the causeway

By the time we finished riding first to Tampa, then back to Clearwater, and then back again to the parking lot we were happy to stop. We put the bikes back in Ernie, backed Ernie out of the parking space, hooked up the trailer and drove on to continue under the highway and return to Clearwater. As we made the turn to dip under the highway it became quickly obvious that Ernie was taller than the underpass! Oops!

A bridge way too low

Fortunately there was room for the trailer beside the exit ramp

Not designed for tall vehicles

There was no clearance sign, but there was less than 10 feet of clearance, maybe only 8 or 9 feet? So we disconnected the trailer and got it back in a parking space, and then backed Ernie into another space. A pickup driver was quite understanding about letting me back up and delay his exit of the lot, not that I was giving him any choice. Once out of the way, we planned our exit.

We ended up rolling the trailer back up the exit ramp from the highway in the breakdown lane beside the exit lane, and then backed Ernie up the trailer. All the time we were watching out for traffic exiting for the lot, which fortunately was only one car during the process. Backing up on a highway is just not fun, even if it is on the edge of an exit ramp. Even re-connecting the trailer was a process I completed as quickly as I ever have. A break in the traffic allowed me to merge safely, and we proceeded to Tampa, safe and sound.

Arriving at the Tampa end of the causeway, we needed to make a U-turn to return to Clearwater, so we took the first right turn to find a place to turn around out of traffic. Unfortunately, the narrow road led us to a resort with no space for turning Ernie and trailer, and we quickly met up with a friendly security guard in his golf cart. Explaining our situation, he led us on a circuitous route around the resort's buildings and pools and eventually returning to the entrance. Finally we were able to return back to FL 60 and the causeway.

A Week with Family and Friends

We left Saturday for St Pete, Sharon's hometown, and still home to her youngest sister Susie, and her two daughters Marielle and Merideth and their families. And lots of friends.

Driving to St Pete was pleasant, taking back roads to Ocala before succumbing to Interstate traffic. With a trailer toting two yaks and a SUP, changing lanes was a well considered process. Fortunately there were no issues, and we appreciated Mercedes' stabilization software in the strong winds, as we rode smoothly down the roads.

After a great lunch at Red Mesa Mercado in St Pete, we headed over to Matt & Marielle's for a couple nights. They are the most gracious hosts with two adorable boys. William is 4 years, and Christian is 6 months, and both are charming. I don't know what age kids can do what, but Will seemed fascinated by a book Sharon brought, while Christian was happy (oh, so happy!) reaching and watching and grabbing and letting you know what he wants.

Sunday started with a family brunch. Merideth & Ryan came over with their son Kai and newborn Adyline, as did Susie, for a delicious shrimp&grits and collards and baked ham and salad feast. Then we put the SUPs in the water by their dock and manatees were kind enough to entertain the paddlers. Later Sharon and Susie caught up with girlfriends while I hung out with M&M.

Ernie curbside  

Matt and Kai on the SUPs

Monday morning we packed everything we remembered, and continued on to Fort De Soto Park. A county park, it is on an island with water access from most sites. Our site, like many, had a beach access between mangroves, and enough privacy to forget there are 200+ other sites.

We plugged in, set up the screen room and rear screen on the van, then explored some of the park on our bikes. Where the wind was strongest a half dozen kite surfers plied the water with the Skyway Bridge in the background.

Ryan & Merideth came over with their kids Monday evening, as did Sharon's childhood friend Kathy. Kai took out the SUP and learned that paddling into the wind is hard! After everyone left we watched a beautiful sunset.

The radar showed rain was coming, so we got on our bikes for a morning ride. It got threatening enough that we skipped exploring the fort, and spent the day enjoying quiet tasks in Ernie. The rain didn't get in and it was fun to enjoy the winds and thunder from a safe vantage.

Wednesday arose and we rode more around the park. After a quick trip to the St Pete Beach Publix, we put our yaks in the water for a delightful paddle. A few cormorants learned that fishing under our boats can be lucrative. They would land ever closer in an ungainly splash, give us one eye to make sure it's ok, then dive under our boats in the shallow water. Three times a cormorant returned to the surface successful, with a fat little fish in his mouth, and  would fly away, followed by the other two. While they often seem to run across the water before getting airborne, these individuals would never be caught traveling, they were off in just one or two steps.

Wednesday night we celebrated Matt's birthday! Matt & Marielle, kidless, came out to our site, along with Mike & Barbie, and we also had over our friends Richard & Laurissa. Everyone got to know everyone, and a fun time ensued.

Richard & Laurissa join Sharon for apps by our latest table

Matt's birthday feast in process

sunset from our campsite

Thursday was a very pleasant repeat. Bike in the morning, paddle in the afternoon, and Sharon's friend Susan joined us for dinner. 

Friday we left Fort De Soto for New Port Richey to meet up with Muna. Mitch was out of town, but it was a joy to catch up with her. On the way we meandered up the beach communities to Clearwater, and then we rode our bikes on the Courtney Campbell Trail, which runs parallel to FL-60 across Tampa Bay. A fun time, with a heady wind in one direction and a great tail in the other. Riding across the bay is pretty cool.

We picked blueberries with Muna Friday afternoon and rode the Pinellas Trail on Saturday from Tarpon Springs. Riding a trail separate from cars is a delight, far more enjoyable than a narrow strip beside them.

Sharon and Muna off trail

Pinellas Trail

Google Maps' option to avoid highways allowed for a pleasant return to Neptune Beach, only recognizing the route as we approached Gainesville. Ernie served us we'll, delivering a smooth ride and comfortable accommodations.

Solar, Version 2, The Plan

Last September we had a solar panel and controller installed along with an inverter, a gel house battery, and some wiring. The 100w panel was able to power our ARB freezer for weeks, so we were quite happy.

Until it didn't. We noticed that the ARB wasn't staying as cool as we wanted, and it seemed that the battery wasn't staying charged. After some testing, we determined that the panel had failed (thank you, Stephen). We also confirmed our belief that Camping World of St. Augustine is surprisingly ill-equipped to deal with correcting their installs. A bit of research also revealed that the panel they installed is well known for failing within the first year, and the eventual replacement often failing even sooner.

Rather than continuing with Nature Power, we decided to go with a Renogy 160W flexible panel, and a Renogy Solar Charge Controller. The beauty of flexible panels is that you don't have to drill holes into our fiberglass roof, and it lies flat on the roof with no airflow issues. Renogy's panel is just over 60" long, 26" wide, and just 0.08" high. With a 15.75% efficiency, it isn't the most efficient unit available, but with a 25 year power output warranty at 80% (and 95% for 5 yrs, 90% for 10), they clearly stand behind their product.

I spent way too much time on YouTube seeing if a retired software geek was up to the task. RVwithTito proved to be my final source that this was doable. If you want to see where I'm coming from, you might want to watch

• Flexible Solar Panels - What to Look For
• How to Install a Flexible Solar Panel on an RV
• Install Flexible Solar Panel on RV with No Drilling
• One Year After my DIY Flexible Solar Panel Installation

The install will consist of:

1. Renogy 160 Watt 12 Volt Flexible Monocrystalline Solar Panel
2. Renogy Rover 20 Amp MPPT Solar Charge Controller
3. Renogy Solar Adapter Kit
4. EternaBond RoofSeal White 3" x 50'
5. Dicor 501LSV1 Ivory Lap Sealant

The plan was straightforward:

1. Remove old panel.
2. Seal up any holes in the roof from the old panel except where the wires go in.
3. Position the new panel. 
4. Apply the tape and sealant carefully on all edges.
5. Run wiring down through hole in roof.
6. Seal that hole.
7. Replace the old controller with the new one.
8. Connect the wires, and chill!

What could go wrong?

A Silly Table

So as we get ready for our final shake-down trip, we're putting the last touches on Ernie T. The counter tops made it too easy for things to roll off between the cabinet and the wall so we added a little barrier to stop things from escaping. The two slides in the back turned out so nicely that we put the foot locker on a pair, too, so now it is so easy to move it back and forth. I am happy to report that the 400 pound weight capability is at least in the ballpark, since when I stand on the box to get up to bed there's likely over 300 pounds being held by the slides, and they seem to handle it with aplomb. I don't plan to put any lead weights in the locker, but even the stuff we have in there already adds up to over 70 pounds.

We thought we were done, but then we saw a YouTube video and got one more idea. Sharon really wants to be able to enjoy sitting outside and enjoy the shade Ernie will provide. So we added a piece of plywood on a piano hinge to the back of the cabinet in the doorway. We now have a table that extends out the side! Most of the work was by Sharon, giving it multiple coats of paint. All I did was find a scrap and cut it to size, and buy the hinge. I found the chain in my workbench, and we had the velcro lying around. A test drive suggested that the chain doesn't make any noise, so we aren't going to cover it in plastic for now.

Velcro at the top holds it securely for travel

The chain keeps it level for appetizers and beverages