Flexi panels-Any good?

[Flairy]

i couldn’t dance before so I couldn’t help myself now I can ,only jesting,by the way they were the most expensive panels I could buy ,now I have 3 basic one and they work perfect? who would believe it.

 

[TDub49]

So, someone out there in Funland will have put their moho in a wind tunnel and tested the drag coefficients of various rooftop fittings, no doubt including solar panels. I look forward to hearing the results.

These days of escalating fuel prices and all that suggest that the less wind resistance you can get, the better your fuel consumption (with the bonus of being better for the planet as well). Alternatively, you might argue that most mohos have the aerodynamic qualities of a house brick and a bit more drag on top won't matter, but just multiply that by the "fleet" of thousands of mohos beetling about the place and perhaps it makes a difference.

Oh, and whilst we are on the subject, am I the only funster to get frustrated by the posts that say things like "I had one (of whatever it is the OP wants advice about) and it ate my hamster so I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole" without ever mentioning what brand of widget he/she is talking about - as they say on the Beeb, other flexi panels are available . . . are they really all as bad as each other?

 

[jockaneezer]

Ok then, Biard flexible panels are $π1te. The original and the replacement both failed within 18months and are a bitch to remove.

 

[jp11]

Ok then, Biard flexible panels are $π1te. The original and the replacement both failed within 18months and are a bitch to remove.

Now we're getting somewhere. What had Biard Innovations to say about it? Were they under warranty?

 

[jockaneezer]

Now we're getting somewhere. What had Biard Innovations to say about it? Were they under warranty?

When the first one failed, they wanted me to send them video evidence of it not working which I did by attaching a multimeter to the panel's output wires where they went into the Schaudt controller so they could see it wasn't producing. They eventually sent a replacement 150W panel out.
Removing the old panel was a right pain and once it was off, I inspected all the tracks with a magnifying glass and dug out all the potting compound in the terminal box to see what was inside (I think it was just a big diode, which checked out ok ?) but I couldn't see anything glaringly obvious with anything.
The second panel failed in under 18 months too, but I was so annoyed with the situation that I never got back in touch with the supplier, I just take every opportunity to bad mouth them when people ask about flexi panels.

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[mitzimad]

judging by the post here i feel i was justified in calling them rubbish

 

[Flairy]

For Tdub49 my ist 3 panels were Reflex the 2nd 3panels wereNDS all were 100watt ,my 3rd set were basic old style and work perfect ,hope this helps as I said I would really like the stick on the roof type but I’ve given up.

 

[Russell's Dad]

I have 2 PV Logic 60w semi-flex panels One on the ribbed roof at the back of my PVC, where it fits nicely. I added another to the pop-top. No complaints after 18 months.

 

[cyberyacht]

That's what I had on my previous Marquis moho. Still going strong when I PX'd after three years

 

[Folkranger]

My van was kitted put by a yachting guy. The flexi panel is now 4 years old and is no problem. Its a delight to clean as opposed to the bracketed sort.

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