water/solar panels

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richardg
richardg Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
i had a catastropee this week at my cabin.... my lake rose to flood stage before the ice on it broke up and the ice moved and took out my solar pole and my panels are submerged. No damage to panels however they are completely under water.....
i did manage to unhook all electrical conections before they went under water but does any body here no what happens to a solar panel when put under water ? PS kyocera 130's x 4.
Thanx in advance Richard
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  • PhilS
    PhilS Solar Expert Posts: 370 ✭✭✭
    #2
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    Re: water/solar panels

    I'm not trying to be a wisea**, but YOU are sure to be the new expert on submerged panels.

    I'm guessing however that once you open and drain the junction boxes you'll have no problems. Please post the actual results.

    Phil
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
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    Re: water/solar panels

    barring any defects on the pvs that would allow the water to enter the cell area it should be ok as rain is also water. true this is alot more of it with pressure so i too would like to hear how they did. do open up the junction boxes after the floods recede to allow them to dry out thoroughly and visually inspect them before attempting power generation.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #4
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    Re: water/solar panels

    Might be a real good idea to cover them with a black tarp or something similar as soon as possible. This will prevent electrolysis problems caused by the generated electricity before they get dried out.
    Often, if electronics are submerged in water, no damage will result if all power sources have been removed and the device is allowed to completely dry out before firing it up again. Also the black should help to dry them out faster due to the solar heating.
    I agree, if there are no defects, or ice broken seals, you shouldn't have any damage.
    We're hoping for you.
    Wayne
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  • richardg
    richardg Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭
    #5
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    Re: water/solar panels

    just what i needed HOPE.....
    Thanx Rich
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #6
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    Re: water/solar panels

    How "clean" is the lake water ? Often, if you rinse electronics off with distilled or deionized water (MrClean spot free carwash hose end gadget) that makes it non-conductive and you don't get too much electrolysis happening. Top side is likely sealed well, it's the back side where water could get in.

    Set backside facing the sun to dry out, sun will heat the panels, but not enough light to energize them.

    Assume your copper wire got water in it, it will last for about a year, and then die, so plan how you will replace the wire, but don't do it till it actually goes.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

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  • richardg
    richardg Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭
    #7
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    Re: water/solar panels

    Good news......
    My sons came home this weekend .... so in the lake we went (my god was it cold as ice went off 4 days earlier) pulled them out of the lake and walla they work like a charm......
    The contacts have been corroding but each panel is charging fine.
    Probably would have made a great Kyocera comercial.....i know I will only by these panels in the future because it is truly amazing how tough they are.
    Thanks for all the input
    Richard
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #8
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    Re: water/solar panels

    thank you for letting us know about this and glad to hear they are fine.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #9
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    Re: water/solar panels

    :-) Glad everything is turning out OK!
    Yeah, it would have made a wonderful commercial. LOL
    Seem to remember as a kid, seeing a Volkswagen commercial where one was found, mostly buried in desert sand. They shoveled it out, turned the key and guess what - - after being there for years, it started right up. It must have been true - - it had to be, it was on TV. LOL
    In the old days, batteries were made much better. LOL
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