OverTheTopCargoTrailer 7 x 16

[bdosborn]

I've never heard of it but that doesn't mean much, there are lots of controllers out there. However, there's not much info out there on the web and no mention of it at the NAWS forum so caveat emptor...

If you're not in a hurry, I'd wait for the overdue new Rogue to come out:
MPT-3048 MPPT PV Charge Controller 30A

The now discontinued 3034 was $299 and it was very well received over at NAWS

Long and Technical Rogue Thread

Bruce

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Hey Bruce

It's MADE IN ALAMANIA
Aka GERMANY ......
I always love sh** from there , those crazy krauts over engineer everything
( I'm a little crazy kraut too ) The US just does not sell small German solar stuff much over here.

I read the specs & it's simple & easy .... Fool proof.
It has tons of German approval ratings ... Better then our UL

It actually costs 45% more in Europe then here. l may give it a spin ...
Your units look good too.

Thanks for the once over , will report how it works if I order it

Jerry

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Bruce


Check out this company & products - also German


http://www.steca.com/frontend/standard/popup_download.php?datei=http://www.steca.com/data/media/30/3064_0x0_Steca_PV_off_grid_EN.pdf

[bdosborn]

Shadow Catcher has a Steca, I think he's pretty happy with it.

Bruce

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

I'm still thinking about charge controllers , leaning toward German models

My interior ceiling hit a new high of 143 deg F today. Exterior temp was 85+ deg F

One thing that is strange however is that at night time I appear to pick up an extra -10 deg

For example exterior low was 52 - but under the insulation it reads 42 deg ?
Anybody have any theories as to why ??

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

You guys gotta check this out



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-2AYJwKedo&feature=youtube_gdata_player




And if you wanna add a little BBQ try this


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LucgDHXRQis&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Today I scored some bargains on new style electric switches
some stuff 80-90% off designer switches , outlets , USB & GFCI's etc

Here is the brand that I will be using


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzmKtQI7tFU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Hey guys

I scored some designer electric outlet & switches on the cheap....80% off at Lowes
here you can see my selection


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzmKtQI7tFU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Redgloves]

[quote=
And if you wanna add a little BBQ try this


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LucgDHXRQis&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/quote]


I saw one going down the road Sunday, Lucky's Q, from Iowa.
Followed him for miles, finally passed, strange looking rig, realized it was a BBQ, just didn't realize for competition.

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Well I have asked this question before , can you cool your trailer down by spraying cold water on the roof?

This would be common sense to me, however someone said it did not work too well
That the water evaporated very fast !!

photo 2.JPG (124.78 KiB) Viewed 2372 times

Guess what, I tried it and just as I assumed it works great, it dropped my attic temp probe from 138 down to 90
in a matter of 30 - 45 minutes and it is still dropping. I would guess at this point the effect will last at least 1-2 hours,
I say this because my roof has a fair amount of standing water to help keep it cool.
Now this is with the silver roof. This would work much better if you had a white roof & maybe even better if
Your parked in the shade. If your camping maybe water is cheap , give it a try if you hot - why not try cooling your trailer.

photo 3.JPG (99.89 KiB) Viewed 2372 times

This will also help for your solar panels to get cooler - BUT BE CAREFUL THERE !!

Try it out and let us know how it works out for you ??
The outside temperature today was 88 degrees F



Jerry

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

The news is even better, the second time around watering the roof the temp dropped down to 82 deg
That's actually better then expected !!

This even surprises me at how well this works


Jerry

[roadinspector]

It was I who said that it would not work well. I was speaking from experience in West Texas. Location does make a difference. Glad it worked for you.

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Actually it's working better then I hoped, due mostly due to the standing water between the ribs , were it not for that, you would have been 100% correct.
Good thing I have a 100% seamless roof - ZERO HOLES !! & ZERO LEAKS

Right now it's 70 outside and the roof reads 64 degrees -
That's really strange - 6 deg below due to evaporation

Maybe I discovered a new feature for Car Mate trailers

Jerry

[Rainier70]

Besides the short initial cooling from the lower temp of the water, most of the residual cooling effect is from evaporation. In very humid climates there isn't much evaporation so it doesn't cool as much there as it does in drier areas.

[A Plus MM]

I wonder if you could put a couple low flow misters up there to do the job? If not pre-manufactured misters you could make your own with PVC and a very small drill bit. Maybe even a temperature differential (between outside temp and roof temp) valve to turn it on and off automatically. I could see this making for a wet camp site though.