yes, the DoHome info was good, thanks

With these big retail outlets starting to sell panels and inverters, you'd think something had changed regarding PEA? Are all these people getting the run-around and locked meters as well? Especially as these outlets are selling direct to the public, not necessarily to professional solar installers who know how to jump through the PEA hoops.

fhorst wrote: ↑

March 14, 2018, 8:38 am

The panels at DoHome are Schutten, good brand.

The two panels I had problems with were Schutten. The super cheap (five years ago) SunTech panels, possibly used (though Amorn insisted they were new... with paint and sticker material etc on them have been fine.

rjj04 wrote: ↑

March 28, 2018, 10:47 am

fhorst wrote: ↑

March 14, 2018, 8:38 am

The panels at DoHome are Schutten, good brand.

The two panels I had problems with were Schutten. The super cheap (five years ago) SunTech panels, possibly used (though Amorn insisted they were new... with paint and sticker material etc on them have been fine.

The SunTech panels are the only bargain I ever got from Amorn even though they looked second hand. I got two of them and have had no problems. I wish I had bought a couple more. That bunch of panels sold out quickly.

No, no, no.

You are not considering that stupid-[expletive] Trump slapped the tariffs on imported solar panels. That kills exports and the glut gets liquidated elsewhere. Then, ECON 101 kicks in = lower prices everywhere else. Especially Asia.

So, careful not to pontificate or infer about what is "cheap". Price means f-all when it comes to choosing quality. The various vendors and distributors often rebrand the exact same panel (and various other equipment) made by whatever manufacturer. Amorn does NOT manufacture solar panels, so there is no valid basis whatsoever to claim panels bought there are superior to any other bought in a big box store, online, or anywhere else.

As for returning to kjsolar, I imagine one would simply contact them about the specific problem and they would tell you their remedy. Some problems they might just ship a replacement and you hand the problem product over to the delivery people easy-peasy. Other problems, they may require you to ship first so they can inspect before sending a replacement or refund. Don't try to anticipate how they might behave when you really should just admit you have no idea because you have never been a customer. I bought a complete system, but my guy didn't order enough of something. KJ checked and found what we needed locally and arranged for my guy to just go get it from there (Udon) ON THE DAY! KJ then sent a replenishment shipment to that source.

I can count on one hand how many "without reservation" recommendations I've suggested during my 20 years in-country and it gets me heated when those who haven't a genuine clue chime in to the contrary.

Mini-rant over. Time to take my meds.

...and one more thing:

"When one of my panels failed after a month or so..."

So, why on earth would you recommend Amorn???

I've got 16 panels and a 5kw inverter from KJ. One year on, not a single problem.

I had problems with one panel I got from Amorn. It sometimes worked and then would stop working. Amorn wanted me to send it to Bangkok. I wasn't pleased with that at all. As it turned out, whoever put the cables into the junction box did a poor job. The cable simply needed to be loosened and pushed in further, After it was making a good contact, the panel has worked fine since then. That is the only 300 watt mono panel I have. The rest are poly.

ADDED - As a side note, That mono panel is connected in series with a 280 watt poly panel and together I am getting 70 volts from the pair. The amperage output is as good as the matched pairs of poly panels. None of my panels put out the advertised watts. The tilt and direction is nowhere near perfect but the main loss is because of dust and dirt. It is not worth the effort and hassle, not to mention the danger for this old man to go on the roof to clean them. If I ever move and build another system, it will be a ground array that will be easy to clean. As it is, I have about double the recommended panels. They put out enough to keep my battery banks fully charged on cloudy days. Since the panels have become much more economical to buy and since they have a long life, I recommend having more panels than recommended.

Ok, so I am thinking we can agree Amorn sells problem solar panels.

Personally, I only use Amorn for repairing small electronics, fans, and swapping UPS batteries. Sometimes I wander about and discover the odd useful knick-knack thingamajig. Most of their technology inventory is way outdated. I don't fool around trying to fix things myself, so I cannot comment about their parts inventory other than to acknowledge they've got quite a few.

Lazada is my goto for most other things. For solar, it would absolutely be KJ.

Regarding keeping the panels clean, the Mrs. has taken over that chore. I ran a PVC extension from our water pump and bought a better pressure nozzle for the garden hose. Now, she is able to squirt all the panels in the evening every few days as she waters the flowers and bushes. The runoff goes straight to the flowers on the side of the garage. Saves having our handyman do it monthly.

I tried tap water and they looked good until they dried. It took a lot of Bathroom Duck Cleaner and scrubbing to remove the water spots.

My inverter I bought at Aliexpress..

I am not easily impressed.. but this is really good. I got 2 x 6000 watts for 600 us $ each, including transport .

12 KW should be enough for our new to build home

Theise are really quality..
Did not expect..

A 6,000 watt inverter is not small but is a much better idea than having one very large inverter. I am of the opinion that you are better off to have several smaller solar systems. If one system fails for some reason, you still have some power. Smaller components are much cheaper to maintain than larger ones. Building a new house is also an advantage because you can divide circuits depending on how much power they need and what is most important to to keep powered up, for example, refrigerators and lighting.

Small inverters are basically throw away units. I made a stupid mistake and destroyed a 1,000 watt inverter. Amorn wanted 5,000 baht to repair it. That was more than it cost to start with. I keep a spare inverter and a spare charge controller.

I agree with the multi unit idea.
12kw seems way excessive though.
System I have in Aus is 5kw and on average pokes out 32kwh per day when my average use is 14kwh.
If you are running a lot of rac's perhaps the 12 would make sense. A lot of batteries to maintain though if off grid.
Of course no need to HAVE to have that many panels and still use your bargain inverters.

My new 1,500 watt 24 volt inverter was delivered. I had to hook my four 6 volt batteries in series to get the 24 volts. The MPPT charge controller automatically changes from 12 to 24 volts. The inverter ran fine for about 3 hours. I heard a pop, white smoke came out and it died. I am partial to GAIA inverters having two other ones that do a great job. I contacted GAIA and was told to remove the cover and take pictures. I was dreading sending it back for repair. I was told this was not a common problem for their inverters and to not worry about it. A large capacitor had failed. I asked them if I could change to a 12 volt unit and was told, no problem. They immediately shipped out a replacement. The new inverter is supposed to be delivered by the 6th. I was surprised that I didn't have to send the bad one back. I consider that great service.

It pays to keep a spare. I am using the spare now.

fhorst wrote: ↑

March 30, 2018, 7:36 pm

My inverter I bought at Aliexpress..

I am not easily impressed.. but this is really good.

I got 2 x 6000 watts for 600 us $ each, including transport .

12 KW should be enough for our new to build home

Theise are really quality..
Did not expect..

Was it just me, or did the URL that "fhorst" post not get through for others?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/6000W-P ... sstype=600

He asked about DoHome return policy. Anybody know about that?

rjj04 wrote: ↑

April 1, 2018, 4:12 pm

fhorst wrote: ↑

March 30, 2018, 7:36 pm

My inverter I bought at Aliexpress..

I am not easily impressed.. but this is really good.

I got 2 x 6000 watts for 600 us $ each, including transport .

12 KW should be enough for our new to build home

Theise are really quality..
Did not expect..

Was it just me, or did the URL that "fhorst" post not get through for others?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/6000W-P ... sstype=600

He asked about DoHome return policy. Anybody know about that?

Thank you for reposting the link .. I used the mapurl ...
Not the best choice.. as I to can't see the link

Do some of you know a good builder close to Phen? ( about 20 km towards the Laos border. Middle of nowhere)

I talked to some, seen some work, and had some work done for the father of my wife...

Crapo rice farmers...
It is not building something to last..a year...
With total no knowledge of the materials they use...

I hate to build a house by myself... takes long time..
But the crap I see mostly build, I am not going to waist my money on that!..

Alternatives are appreciated!!

glalt wrote: ↑

April 1, 2018, 11:57 am

My new 1,500 watt 24 volt inverter was delivered. I had to hook my four 6 volt batteries in series to get the 24 volts. The MPPT charge controller automatically changes from 12 to 24 volts. The inverter ran fine for about 3 hours. I heard a pop, white smoke came out and it died. I am partial to GAIA inverters having two other ones that do a great job. I contacted GAIA and was told to remove the cover and take pictures. I was dreading sending it back for repair. I was told this was not a common problem for their inverters and to not worry about it. A large capacitor had failed. I asked them if I could change to a 12 volt unit and was told, no problem. They immediately shipped out a replacement. The new inverter is supposed to be delivered by the 6th. I was surprised that I didn't have to send the bad one back. I consider that great service.

It pays to keep a spare. I am using the spare now.

My new replacement inverter came yesterday. It is connected and running exactly as it is supposed to. I was again surprised that they sent it UPS so it got here quickly.

My new replacement inverter came yesterday. It is connected and running exactly as it is supposed to. I was again surprised that they sent it UPS so it got here quickly.

Longer then 3 hours this time =D>
(Joke)

Regarding my wet dream a few posts back.

Your Future Home Might Be Powered By Car Batteries
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... might-work

I'll be an old geezer and likely won't care much by then, but I'm sure at least one of my kids will take our house and do this. I designed and oriented our home with solar panel roof shingles in mind before Tesla invented their product. It just seemed to make sense these things will eventually happen.

Dedicated car battery charging outlet already in place. Just waiting for electric car prices to come WAY down and Thailand to catch up.

No mention of what they intend to do with all those used up car batteries after maybe 7to 10 years.