Solar Problems...........

A new month is upon us, and as it starts, new problems with the solar power setup on the STEALTH camper linger on....the new 100 watt panels from AM Solar in Oregon have arrived.....careful measuring on the roof of the STEALTH camper before ordering insured they would indeed fit. However, I now need to invest a few hundred bucks more on a good MPPT solar charge controller! For the uninitiated, a charge controller CONTROLS the power from the panels going to the batteries to keep from burning them up! When the batts get full, the controller stops sending power.....sort of reducing to a trickle if you will. My existing 80 watt panels have the charge controller built in, so one less thing I had to worry about. These new panels do not have that option, however, and I must buy the separate controller. And they can get expensive!! But on the flip side, the AGM batts I have are nearly $300 EACH!! And AGM batts love power!! They seem content only when they are each holding a charge of something like 14.7 volts.....so the controller is a MUST!! The good news is we got notified yesterday that we are going back to work on the Ace Hardware projects as of 6/18!! AND WE HAVE ENOUGH WORK SCHEDULED TO TAKE US TO THE END OF THE YEAR!! AWESOME!! If all goes well, should be able to take off 3 months at start of 2013, and hang out in Florida, in the Ocala/Silver Springs area. Will still be living simple/cheaply, and solar techs abound down there that will be able to get the power situation resolved and all hooked up correctly. One thing about solar power setups, you don't want some yoyo self proclaimed electrician doing the wiring hook up on that!! You hook up 1 wire in the wrong place and you can kiss that equipment goodbye, and all the money you spent buying it!! This is not the time to get cheap and let an inexperienced person do the work! And I'm the 1st to admit, I AM NOT HANDY with electrical wiring! If I go west instead, I know where to take it to get it done right! But the plan is to go to Florida! I have friends in Cedar Key that I want to go spend time with.....and just set at their tiki bar on the gulf and watch some really amazing sunsets! And do absolutely nothing......