babweupatree Posted November 2, 2017 Share Posted November 2, 2017 Hi there, one of my panels shattered. It still works but am worried about water leaking through the cracks. Wondering if this is still safe to use and if not how would one fix something like this? The manufacturer says the panel warranty is void as I mounted it on top of my truck. Perhaps covering with some kind of scotchbrite material to keep the panel a bit more water resistant? Images attached! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilotfish Posted November 2, 2017 Share Posted November 2, 2017 My wife used a product to seal an outdoor mosaic table called Pratley-Glow, it is self levelling and looks like clear glass once set. If the panel is laid absolutely level for application then this product will self level to a very thin and waterproof layer. I dont know about UV properties - you would need to look that up. Chris Hobson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babweupatree Posted November 2, 2017 Author Share Posted November 2, 2017 Nice one pilotfish thank you very much! Will definitely check this one out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulF007 Posted November 2, 2017 Share Posted November 2, 2017 Genade did some one fall on it? Never knew that the glass is shatter proof. With all those little shards you may or may not even get be better yield . I dont think the epoxy will have an effect on the uv. But you already got no , you can only get yes!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babweupatree Posted November 3, 2017 Author Share Posted November 3, 2017 No, it just popped. I had two panels mounted on the top of my truck and was driving to the Richtersveld - in Springbok one of the panels popped - it was pretty loud! Anyway both panels went over plenty kilometers of some pretty bad corrugated gravel roads, over thick sand tracks and rocky tracks. Both worked perfectly - had them wired in parallel. Only problem is I don't think the shattered panel is waterproof anymore and not sure what kind of electrical hazard it poses now in wet weather? Tried to find the UV properties of the PratleyGlo but no luck yet! Seems like a nice solution! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roja Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Please check with your building insurance they pay for replacement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamegrilled Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Have you tried the guys that repair car windshields? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverNodashi Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 On 1/22/2018 at 3:17 PM, Roja said: Please check with your building insurance they pay for replacement Only if is was on a house / building, and stipulated as an insurable item. @babweupatree I doubt if the rain would cause any problems with the cells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coulomb Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 On 03/11/2017 at 5:07 PM, babweupatree said: I don't think the shattered panel is waterproof anymore and not sure what kind of electrical hazard it poses now in wet weather? It would not pose any electrical hazard, as far as I can tell. Certainly not any sort of shock hazard, as the highest voltage possible would be around 45 VDC, if it's a 24 V panel. Half that for a 12 V panel, obviously. The only possible problem could be heat from high resistance joints. You could get hot spots and possibly a very small fire. It sounds like it would be unlikely to spread to anything else on top of a truck, so I'd guess that the hazard is minuscule. It's still worth attempting to fix it, or of course replace the panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 I would not use it re. shoring the panel, causing heat = problems when you least expect it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverNodashi Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 On 2017/11/02 at 7:31 PM, PaulF007 said: Genade did some one fall on it? Never knew that the glass is shatter proof. With all those little shards you may or may not even get be better yield . I dont think the epoxy will have an effect on the uv. But you already got no , you can only get yes!! I often see panels like this at suppliers. Often happen on the ships at rought seas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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