BajaNomad

Baja items needed. Who is your best supplier for:

Bob and Susan - 9-25-2005 at 06:21 AM

I know you will get a million answers...all will have someone.

Here is our source in Victorville CA...Solatron..
http://www.partsonsale.com/main.htm

I talked to them on Friday...I need a little larger inverter.
I'm getting a power panel next week.
They have it in stock but the shipping is $350..so im picking it up next friday.

Their prices won't be beat and they've been in the solar business many years so they will guarentee instalation.

They have a shop now that does solar and inverter repairs and instalation on your RV.

Trojan batteries are always sold by a dealer and are delivered to your location...they're are HEAVY!!!

[Edited on 9-25-2005 by Bob and Susan]

meme - 9-25-2005 at 08:21 AM

Good Choice Bob & Susan.
We have done quite a lot of business with the Victorville people and been very satisfied with products and services. Tho Jim does think thier batteries are too spendy so we do get them elsewhere. YES, Very Heavy!

Bob and Susan - 9-25-2005 at 11:03 AM

..where is MexRay when we NEED him????:lol::lol:

He stays right down the road from you Pompano

comitan - 9-25-2005 at 11:15 AM

Pompano

Just 3 of the large Surrette's and a forklift, and a strong pad!

Solar supplier

BajaRob - 9-25-2005 at 01:09 PM

We purchased most of our components @ Solar Electric Inc in San Diego. We bought 16 Kyocera 120s, RV 50 controller, Trace C-60 controller, 2 trace combiner boxes, 250 amp disconnect, 16 T-105s, and Trace 4000 sine wave inverter. The owner, Mike, passed away last year and Damian has taken over. He will beat or match any price on the internet. Rob

oladulce - 9-25-2005 at 01:29 PM

"Northern Arizona Wind & Sun "http://store.solar-electric.com
Best prices, no sales tax and good selection.

We have a big order arriving tomorrow in fact. We compared the cost of shipping with driving to Flagstaff and picking up the order ourselves, and discovered we would have spent nearly the same on diesel and lodging

We've been happy with the Concorde AGM batteries (12 volt)called "Sun Xtenders". They are designed for solar systems, do not suffer if not used for months at a time (good for vacation homes), and do not off-gas so they can be stored in a non-ventilated area. We ordered from Wind & Sun and the batteries are drop shipped from the manufacturer.

There is still a severe shortage on certain sizes of solar panels and many have been discontinued. Double check the availability of the panels you want because some websites don't even bother to stay updated anymore.

W & S does not do RV installation though.

egrpoet - 9-25-2005 at 05:02 PM

Pompano, I have some idems for sale all new. Here's the web page so you can check idems.

http://www.valleguadalupe.com/adds/adds.html

If interested you can email me egrpoet@hotmain.com

Tnx

Just got back from seeing the 'King Tut' exhibit down in LA...

Mexray - 9-26-2005 at 12:11 AM

...this weekend. Great time...power went out on us while we were inside the LA county Museum - and they ran us out of the place to stand around for a couple of hours till LA Power came back on line!

Anyway, Roger, I'll U2U some info on batteries...but,

IMHO, flooded-cell type deep cycle batteries are the best way to go for inverter use. They are far less money than their similar sized Gel or AGM (absorbed glass mat), have about 15% more amp hour capacity than gels, et al, last as long in their service life if maintained properly (kept charged and watered up - not a big deal), and are not as voltage sensitive when recharging...Gel's will be damaged if subjected to recharge voltage of over 14.2 volts - good regulators are a MUST, with gel types.

There's more stuff, but those are the highlights - the cost is the major barrier in my view - 2, 3 or 4 times the cost of flooded cell types, and not any real advantage in extended life - no matter what you might read - in the 'real battery' world I deal in, flooded cell batteries can live just as long as gel types, if not longer!

We don't handle the Trojan T-105 batts, we sell batt's made by US Battery out of Corona, CA...

http://usbattery.com/pages/6vgolf.htm

We've used them for 25+ years, and they make great quality batteries. They have several dealers in the So-Cal area.

Be aware that metals prices have taken big increases this past year, affecting batteries...I guess the war efforts have finally gotten around to our industry, along with delivery increases due to higher fuel prices...not good news for us all!

Try a Wal Mart or Sam's or Costco

neilmac - 9-26-2005 at 08:17 AM

for those T105s... especially in areas with lots of golf courses.. say, Palm Springs.

Neil

turtleandtoad - 9-26-2005 at 08:57 AM

You might want to try Sunbelt Batteries in Santee if you want to pick up Trojan batteries before crossing the border.

I bought my L16H (6 volt, 885 minutes @ 25 amps) batteries for my RV there before crossing at Tecate last year.

I also use the Solar Pro system and Xantrex inverter/charger. I'm happy with the whole setup

Sunbelt Battery, LLC (San Diego County)
Address 8646 Magnolia Avenue, Suite A Santee, CA, United States
Zip/Postal Code 92071
Telephone (619) 258-7050, (800) 351-1600
Fax (619) 258-7073
Email sbbsca@sbcglobal.net
Contact Cleto Flores
URL http://www.trojanbattery.com/sunbelt.htm

egrpoet - 9-26-2005 at 06:30 PM

For solar parts in the San Diego area this is a good store

http://www.discoverpower.com/

trojan batts 67.00@

oladulce - 9-26-2005 at 07:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mexray
IMHO, flooded-cell type deep cycle batteries are the best way to go for inverter use. They are far less money than their similar sized Gel or AGM (absorbed glass mat), have about 15% more amp hour capacity than gels, et al, last as long in their service life if maintained properly (kept charged and watered up - not a big deal),


The maintainence issue is the reason we chose the AGM (glass mat) batteries for Baja. We can be gone for 6 months at a time and just close the door behind us when we leave. There's nobody in our remote location that we could trust to be responsible for the maintainence of flooded cell batteries while we were away.

Our glass mats are on their 8th year without any problems. They were more pricey, but were our best option because they can tolerate the extended periods of absence. I'm sure we would've had to replace a few flooded cell batteries during this same time period.

[Edited on 9-27-2005 by oladulce]

Phil S - 9-27-2005 at 07:41 AM

Pompano. For my motorhome I'm using two 48 watt (older series of about ten years ago from RV Solar in Scottsdale advertised in Escapees magazine) Still in use today. I bought a Mark PV controller made by Specialty Concepts (might try google to learn more about them) last year. It is a solar converter moniter. Switchable LED screen for Battery voltage. Array Current. Charge Setpoint. And Battery Voltage. I run these into two Trojan 6 volt batteries & a 12volt RV battery. The solar panels are mounted together, and are set up on a camera tri pod so that I can move the panels as needed during the day for max. exposure. IN your case if you are on the move alot, this might not be very convenient. This set up has done us well. We are mizers when it comes to consumption. Though we run the 12/110 volt t.v/vcr daily when in use. When we occationally use the microwave or toaster, we start up the generator for maybe 2 minutes at the max. Haven't gotten to the point that I have hooked up my 2000 watt inverter bought at Costco couple years ago. Your project sounds interesting at your home.

Bob and Susan - 9-27-2005 at 03:23 PM

...atm card and BIG bank account:lol::lol: