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Morningstar RM-1 Remote Meter by Andrew Smart

Not bad
Works as expected, almost exactly what I want except for two issues with the SunSaver MPPT.

First would be that this meter does not display charging amps going into the battery. Since the controller does track this because you can see it using software, it makes no sense to me why this... (more)

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Morningstar PC MeterBus Adapter by Andrew Smart

Hit and Miss
While the hardware works as expected, frankly I expected more from the MSView software. Its terrible. It lacks any sort of user friendly features and should be modernized.

The main reason I bought this was to update my controllers firmware. I updated my SunSaver MPPT with no issues, s... (more)

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Xantrex C12 Solar Charge Controller 12A, 12 VDC by Joe Jarmoluk

Good controller, but much room for improvement.
When I first recieved this controller, I wanted to wire it up to run some outdoor lighting at night. I already had a Xantrex C35 charging my battery bank with a 100 watt panel. This controller would have a smaller 15 watt panel connected to it. Wiring the C12 was a pain. The small holes youre su... (more)

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DX Drainback Solar Water Heating Package w/ 80 Gal Tank & 64 SqFt. Collectors by tom fidrych

Solar hot water system review
Its been 3 years since I installed my drain back system and am satisfied with its performance. I live in California and the system provides all the hot water we need from mid-February to early November if it gets 3 hours of sunlight per day. The electrical usage is about 400 watts per day to ru... (more)

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Lorentz Solar Pool Pump with PS600 Controller by james waikulu

Lorentz Solar Pool Pump with PS600 Controller
I had no luck finding any reviews for this product prior to my purchasing the system...so I hope this helps anyone who might be searching:
The pump is strong enough to run my creepy crawly. this was my biggest concern.
As long as there is direct sunlight on the panels, the pump pushes ... (more)

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Midnite Solar MNBCM Battery Capacity Meter by Rick Brown

A Slightly More Objective Review
This review is iIn response to Travis As review of Midnight Solars MNBCM Batter Capacity Meter. I too have one of these meters and Im mostly happy with it. This particular meter is meant to monitor a battery at rest, i.e. not charging and not discharging. One might consider that a drawback, ... (more)

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Educational Video: Solar Air Heating Basics by Thomas Mayne

Just heard today!
I was introduced to these systems today! I was told about them at lunch and they seem to just make sense! I searched the web to find manufacturers and I stumbled upon this site! lots of great info here and the video was most informative without being loaded with technical specifications and the l... (more)

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Apollo Solar T80 MPPT Solar Charge Controller by Doug Ronald

Very Unimpressed with customer service
Unlike Mr. Parish, e-mails to customer service and telephone calls where they promised to call back in a couple hours have yielded exactly nothing. I have two T80s and simply want a firmware upgrade from my present 4.03 to something after 5.0. The two T80s are not in service at this date, so I ca... (more)

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Xantrex XW4548 Inverter/Charger 865-1005 by Richard Warner

Customer Service Was Great
We had an XW4548 Inverter/Charger for a year and then its ability to interface with our backup generator failed. Talked with customer service and they got a new unit (not a refurbished unit) sent out promptly. Down time without electricity was only two nights.

Good job Xantrex (Schnei... (more)

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Midnite Solar MNBCM Battery Capacity Meter by Travis Austin

Total 100% Junk
Do not buy this for a solar/renewable system. This thing is correct twice a day just like a dead clock.

It has no delay when discharging. It will fall like a rock and wont display anything even close to the truth.

When charging it is even more worthless if that is even poss... (more)

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Battery Desulphator BD-2 V2 (Increased pulse voltage for larger battery banks) by Egills Evalds

BD-2 V2 Works
My emergency set up - KYOCERA KD135 panel feeding 2 T105-RE batteries and a Power Bright inverter - was getting tired. The batteries, 2 years old, would not accept or deliver the current as before. My test is to run the washing machine once a month at 85A for ~ 1/2 hour and then measure the volta... (more)

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Conext MPPT 60A 150V Solar Charge Controller by Matthew Edelen

Malfunctioned but good support
Mine began malfunctioning after less than a year of use in my jungle location, but Xantrex (Shneider) replaced it under warranty. I really like the charge controller, and the menus and manual were helpful and not too difficult to figure out. Getting thick cables routed into the electrical connect... (more)

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Southwest Wind Power Air Breeze Wind Turbine Land 160W 48V by Graham Jensen

Southwest Air Breeze Wind Turbine 12v
I bought one of the southwest 12v wind turbines in 1988 for my off-grid solar cabin in the Sierra foothills where it produced reliable and trouble-free power for years before I upgraded to a larger 48v system. It worked extremely well for my site and application because it supplemented my solar i... (more)

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Sunlinq P3-62 62W 12V Portable Power Pack Black by JOHN ROBISON

Portable power when power is gone
Having a pair of these and P30s to charge a Xantrex 1500 battery has been great on sunny days when the power goes out. A mppt controller from Solar Converters, keeps the battery charged while powering a freezer. In 2008, Hurricane Ike rolled thru and knocked out power for 7 days. Nice to have a ... (more)

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PT 12/24-10TC,12/24V MPPT Charge Controller by JOHN ROBISON

Good controller for Global Solar products
This controller has been my test bed and workhorse with disaster events while working with Global Solar foldable solutions. While needing parity two panels, this controller has stood the test. At the present, it is used to charge a Xantrex 1500 paired with two banks of 62 & 30W panels. The fr... (more)

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Heliodyne VFS 5-100 LPM Vortex FlowSensor by Amy Beaudet

Great fr DTCs for larger systems
This sensor is used with many higher end DTCs to measure flow and temperature (with another temp sensor as well) to calculate BTUs generated. Im using mine with a Heliodyne DeltaT Pro for a small space heating system at my house. Its great to see how many BTUs are generated by the sun.
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Dometic Gas Refrigerator 8 Cu Feet White by PAUL KENT

RGE400 flawless since 2005
We decided to go with gas refrigeration here 25 miles from the Washington Monument after reviewing the power interruptions we experienced, culminated by Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Our two Servel units arrived in early 2005, and by late spring, they were running and the electric one they replaced w... (more)

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Hi-Efficiency MPPT Solar Charge Controller by Edward Dijeau

BZ500 works best at 48 Volts input.
The MPPT500 is a great charge contoler for a stand alone solar panel system. It is one of the few that not only boosts the current going into the batteries but also will fully top off the batteries without overcharging and boiling them off. Other charge controlers that have MPPT and Absolute floa... (more)

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EL SID Brushless DC Circuilating Pump for 30W - 40W Solar Panel by john madsen

They will leak and fry themselves.
I used two of the El Sid solar circulation pumps and both died after about 3 years. The o-ring starts leaking and then the electronics get wet and fry. If I were to ever get the El sid again (which I will not) I would put some RTV high temp silicon between the impeller housing and the stainless c... (more)

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Kyocera KC85TS 85W 12V Solar Panel with J-Box by Darren Murphy

Great Panel
I bought this panel for our RV. Like a lot of you I started with the Harbor Freight Junk that underperformed.

This panel was reaching its specs by 8:30 in the morning and putting out 5.6 amps by 11:00

I would buy it again. (more)

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