Solar panel supplier

[David Floyd]

Hi

I am looking for a solar panel supplier, most of the canal boat suppliers are very expensive, I have found two companies that seem to have what I want.

 

https://www.solartradesales.co.uk & https://www.cityplumbing.co.uk

 

just wanted to know what other people use.

 

thanks

 

David

 

[Bargebuilder]

Bimble solar are reliable and good value.

[GUMPY]

Bought the system on Loddon as parts off eBay

It was way cheaper than elsewhere but you have to be able to design your own system

[blackrose]

I designed me own system and bought the panels and controller from Bimble which I couldn't find cheaper anywhere else including eBay. Then I bought all the ancillaries from eBay which definitely was cheaper.

[LadyG]

20 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I designed me own system and bought the panels and controller from Bimble which I couldn't find cheaper anywhere else including eBay. Then I bought all the ancillaries from eBay which definitely was cheaper.

All the ancillaries being a few cables and connectors? Seems like a package deal is the way to go, or maybe you are meaning the mounting fixtures, are you paying much less for the same quality, after all these things are expected to live outside in all weathers for maybe twenty years.

Edited July 28, 2023 by LadyG

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Watch out with MC4 connectors though. Good quality ones from reputable suppliers like 12Volt Planet and Bimble are worth the extra. The cheaper ones from the likes of EBay and Amazon can be impossible to make a reliable crimp connection too, due to the rubbish metal.

[jonathanA]

Bimble expensive and over rated IMHO. But great for people  who just want some one to do all the thinking for them.

Look at runbythesun.co.uk for a different perspective and sensible advice. 

[Quattrodave]

10 minutes ago, jonathanA said:

Look at runbythesun.co.uk for a different perspective and sensible advice. 

 

Hmmm I don't remember them having an online shop, if that's still the case then it's a bit difficult to compare prices...

 

For me Bimble are pretty damn good, yes you can buy slightly cheaper but you won't get a warranty...

[blackrose]

2 hours ago, LadyG said:

All the ancillaries being a few cables and connectors? Seems like a package deal is the way to go, or maybe you are meaning the mounting fixtures, are you paying much less for the same quality, after all these things are expected to live outside in all weathers for maybe twenty years.

 

No there are more ancillaries in my system. Including a proper 12v panel isolator. I made the panel brackets myself from aluminium angle and they'll last as long as the boat. I also made a system to angle my panels.

 

The Bimble kits are the way to go if you don't know how to design your own system but the kits work out more expensive than buying all the components separately. I only bought panels and controller from them because they had a deal on at the time.

 

1 hour ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Watch out with MC4 connectors though. Good quality ones from reputable suppliers like 12Volt Planet and Bimble are worth the extra. The cheaper ones from the likes of EBay and Amazon can be impossible to make a reliable crimp connection too, due to the rubbish metal.

 

I bought pre-crimped MC4 connector cables. It was no more expensive than doing it myself.

42 minutes ago, jonathanA said:

Bimble expensive and over rated IMHO. But great for people  who just want some one to do all the thinking for them.

 

You don't have to buy kits from Bimble. Sometimes they sell panels and controllers cheaper than competitors. 

Edited July 28, 2023 by blackrose

[LadyG]

7 hours ago, jonathanA said:

Bimble expensive and over rated IMHO. But great for people  who just want some one to do all the thinking for them.

Look at runbythesun.co.uk for a different perspective and sensible advice. 

I'm only too glad to find a company who specialise in such a niche product and provide good quality components. The alternative is to research all the requirements possibly from dubious sources such as the Internet, then research all the individual components having identified all the necessary ISOs. That's not going to work for most people.

 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

7 hours ago, blackrose said:

You don't have to buy kits from Bimble. Sometimes they sell panels and controllers cheaper than competitors. 

They do seem to be able to regularly pick up job lots of second hand panels that have been replaced on commercial solar farms, or buildings. These look very good value and will still have decades of useful life in them.

[Sea Dog]

Consider the width before you go firm on your panel selection. Personally, I wanted to be able to walk along my roof (how else are you going to get to that central lock ladder in an emergency?) so full size domestic panels were a no-no for me. 

 

[GUMPY]

10 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Watch out with MC4 connectors though. Good quality ones from reputable suppliers like 12Volt Planet and Bimble are worth the extra. The cheaper ones from the likes of EBay and Amazon can be impossible to make a reliable crimp connection too, due to the rubbish metal.

I didn't have to crimp any connectors. Panels came fitted with them and I bought an MC4 to MC4 cable twice the length I needed then cut it in half. 🤔

[Rob-M]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

Consider the width before you go firm on your panel selection. Personally, I wanted to be able to walk along my roof (how else are you going to get to that central lock ladder in an emergency?) so full size domestic panels were a no-no for me. 

 

Put the panels on the front half of the roof, that is what I did so I can safely walk along the rear half of the roof to get to the lock ladder.

[DaveP]

If you can design your own system, I'd also recommend craigsolar.co.uk - I've bought two sets of panels from him, both with personal canal-side delivery.

[Bargebuilder]

2 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

They do seem to be able to regularly pick up job lots of second hand panels that have been replaced on commercial solar farms, or buildings. These look very good value and will still have decades of useful life in them.

I bought from Bimble 4 such used panels and they were in immaculate condition and have worked faultlessly  and to specification for the last 9 years. I also bought from them the charge controller, but bought the cable, MC4s, isolators etc from eBay. It's a simple diy electrical job, but worth the few pounds to buy the correct MC4 cable crimpers.

[GUMPY]

1 hour ago, Rob-M said:

Put the panels on the front half of the roof, that is what I did so I can safely walk along the rear half of the roof to get to the lock ladder.

It also means the panels are out of the way of any rope working.

If you wire the panels in series then that negates any voltage drop over the longer cables.

[Sea Dog]

10 hours ago, Rob-M said:

Put the panels on the front half of the roof, that is what I did so I can safely walk along the rear half of the roof to get to the lock ladder.

That's also a sensible option, of course, but the shorter the cables the better which tends to favour aft. Still doable though - if the voltage is high enough and cables are appropriately sized you won't suffer unmanageable voltage drop.

[robtheplod]

I used Craig Solar for my panels.... wide variety of shape/size - perfect to fit onto a tight roof.... got everything else off Amazon.