cracked glass on solar panel is that hurting performance?

[duner bill]

i have a section out of the glass on 1 of 2 of the roof solar panels

cant tell if still working
can i patch it does water hurt panel?
i know they r costly, but at this time dont use them alot

[duner bill]

i have a section out of the glass on 1 of 2 of the roof solar panels

cant tell if still working
can i patch it does water hurt panel?
i know they r costly, but at this time dont use them alot

[NeilV]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by duner bill:
i have a section out of the glass on 1 of 2 of the roof solar panels

cant tell if still working
can i patch it does water hurt panel?
i know they r costly, but at this time dont use them alot </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Bill,

From what I was able to pick out after a five minute search on "solar panel glass repair", is that you should be able to fill the crack using a glass repair kit (basically non-conductive epoxy) as long as it is not too big a piece of glass that is missing. You may be able to replace the broken piece of glass using non-conductive epoxy and a scab of glass to help fill the void. If the cells themself are cracked all the way through some seem to have had success putting them back together using a conductive epoxy.

Water getting in may lead to further glass loss and not being familiar how your panel is made or mounted I can only guess that there could be a chance of it leaking into the roof of your coach. I would seal it up in short order myself.

You may be using them more than you know if they are quietly behing the scenes keeping your batteries charge up for you.

Regards,

Neil

[duner bill]

ill check it out may check voltage and amps

i feel its worth a try to fix it

[Tincup]

I was told by a reputable Solar guy at Qzite that provided the solder is not broken the only thing you should do is first clean the entire serface with a dry lint free cloth. Then, get some clear polyurathane and give it a coat. It should work like new. Then put a volt meter on it and see what you get. If it's busted beyond repair you're only out a can of polyurathane.