How to clean solar panels / repair the Al rails

[matrixanime]

Hello everyone. I have recently ran into so tough times so I am planing on selling my older panels on egay. (lol) anyways after taking a look at them I noticed that the Al rails where the screws go one it crushed. Don't ask me how. so I am planing on using some JB Weld to coer the scratches and pit and dents on the rails. Now my one other panel i have has some nice scratches on the glass. Is there any way to fix this?

Panels are simmens 75 watt panels.

[TomW]

How many panels? How much do you want each? What general area are you in? I might be interested in them as is. Depending on the shape they are in, of course

Personally, I think you will end up with a lot of hassle for little return and risk of destroying the functionality of the panels especially if you do not know working with metals bonded to glass.

Solar is absolutely insane on EbaY.

I would just go ahead and sell them as they are rather than risk an "oops" destroying their usefulness. A picture would be easier to understand than the words as far as whats wrong.

Tom

[Capt Slog]

*Solar is absolutely insane on EbaY. *

In what way Tom?  Certainly cheaper than anywhere else if that's what you meant.

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[TomW]

Slog;

Maybe I will pop in on gotwind and we can discuss it in detail there so it doesn't turn in to a slaughter house here?

Point is I have seen silly prices higher than new paid for old, damaged panels on EbaY more than once, since you asked.

But, then, you don't really care you just need to take the opposing view, I guess.

Tom

[matrixanime]

The one panel has about a 1/2 a foot surface scratch not deep. I was thinking there was some type of polishing compound to clean up the scratch. and for the rails ill dig out my camera. I need to get the most money possible for them to pay my lawyers. This happened right when I was going to redigin my system now that i knew what I was doing.

[gotwind2]

TomW.

My gotwind forum is not a 'slaughter house' off shoot to fieldlines.

At present, it is a friendly place to exchange ideas, maybe as fieldlines was in its infancy? - good times, thats what we all want I suspect.

I must be a closet hippy

Ben.

[richhagen]

I would tend to agree with TomW on this one.  It is probably just fine to post a picture of the damage and list your asking price.  Panels selling for $5 a Watt when you can get new for $4 and some change with a warranty and no worries about their origin seems ludicrous to me, but if you are selling, then it works to your advantage.  People are more likely to get upset with you if you hide the damage by attempting a 'repair'.  Rich

[TomW]

Ben;

Do you read your own forum?

I guess not very closely.

Just to clarify the slaughter house comment:

Several of your users have referred to Fieldlines as a slaughter house. I guess you only remove posts that make you look bad over there?

Don't waste time denying facts because I can read.

No need to respond.

Tom

[vawtman]

What happened Ray?

[TomW]

Ray;



The one panel has about a 1/2 a foot surface scratch not deep. I was thinking there was some type of polishing compound to clean up the scratch.

I have used both car and floor wax to fill scratches on both clear glass and CD scratches. Filling the uneven surface with a clear wax seems to kill the refraction of the rough edge or something. Good thing is it is reversible by simply scrubbing a few times and glass shouldn't be affected by a wax.

Just an idea thats cheap and easy if you were going to make it look better. I would be more concerned it would lead to a crack through the glass if it got handled rough. Once that kind of glass goes it probably will be junk because moisture would get in and cause troubles.

If its a scratch in the AL, it would just be cosmetic unless really deep so that would be a non issue in my opinion.

Good luck with it.

Tom

Tom

[matrixanime]

the panels were like that when i got them a while back. Just wanted to make them look better to get a higher price.

[matrixanime]

ok. well thanks for the help.

[Capt Slog]

I genuinely didn't know which way you meant about the Ebay, I wasn't sure whether you were saying that the the prices were silly high and that he'd get a lot for his panels or silly low and he wouldn't.

I agree that I can be a contrary bugger, but I don't take the oppsing view for the sake of it :-)

My own experience of looking for panels on ebay has only been for new and these certainly seem to be well under the prices (per watt) of most I've seen as mail order from other sources.

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