I tend not to hang out in places with really bad weather that produces hail stones but yes, they can happen anywhere really. I am currently in south west gippsland for winter and got thinking about hail stones hitting the solar panels on the roof of the aluminium teepee, after a big storm went through yesterday and worse expected very very soon. Yes I know they hit the ones on house roof and no one is climbing up there to cover so,
Does anyone cover their solar panels on top of the van? and how do they do it?
Aus-Kiwi said
01:40 PM May 4, 2018
I have seen fine wire netting above solar panels on fixed locations . About 14mm squares . ? Figure that is the size big enough to filter the larger hail . Yet still lets sun light through .
Bill B said
03:05 PM May 4, 2018
How many smashed solar panels have you seen on houses after hail storms ?
Not too many I would think.
dabbler said
04:12 PM May 4, 2018
You have a point Bill B, but I reckon they are mostly two different products. Only a few will have house panels mounted, most will opt to the lower voltage panels and cheap ones at that.
rockylizard said
07:39 PM May 4, 2018
Gday...
I have had my solar panels on the roof of the van for six years now.
I travel full-time, and the van is never under any cover. I have been through a number of hail storms in that time.
One such hail storm damaged the awning fabric, filling it full of holes, requiring replacement under an insurance claim - not a mark on the solar panels.
The panels show not a skerrick of marks let alone any damage.
Jest sayin'
Cheers - John
fwdoz said
07:46 PM May 4, 2018
I have had solar panels on my house (and lots of them) for close to 9 years. Also solar on the van for 2 years. Both have been through hail storms & not any marks on them. All are still working perfectly.
Aus-Kiwi said
07:48 PM May 4, 2018
When have we had hail large enough ?
fwdoz said
07:54 PM May 4, 2018
NSW seems to be the one place that has the huge hail Aus-Kiwi. Had them here as big as Tom Bowler marbles but that is nothing like NSW gets
Aus-Kiwi said
10:00 PM May 4, 2018
I am in NSW . Just under the Blue Mountains . Wind and fallen trees do more damage to roofs , solar . I was lineworker in Sydney for 34 years .
Dougwe said
02:51 PM May 5, 2018
Thanks for your input everyone. I will think about this a little longer. The biggest problem for me will be getting up to cover them anyway.
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
aussie_paul said
06:32 PM May 5, 2018
Dougwe wrote:
Thanks for your input everyone. I will think about this a little longer. The biggest problem for me will be getting up to cover them anyway.
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
Not on your own there Doug.
Aussie Paul.
IAN zzz said
09:29 PM May 5, 2018
I also lay awake for hours every night like Dougwe. Worrying about the effect of hail on my solar panels.
I have NO viable protection plan yet.
Wire netting is a possible I guess, but PLZ keep the ideas coming!
Stay safe
Aus-Kiwi said
09:34 PM May 5, 2018
Sleep on them ? Lol
rockylizard said
09:38 PM May 5, 2018
Gday...
what might help is if some forum member who reads this thread can let us know they had hail damage to their solar panels.
It seems no-one has yet come forward with a tale of damage as yet.
cheers - John
Dougwe said
08:14 AM May 6, 2018
That in it self might have answered my question Rocky
Jaahn said
11:09 AM May 6, 2018
Dougwe wrote:
That in it self might have answered my question Rocky
Hi Dougwe
I thought you were jesting from the subject heading But I see it has a serious purpose. I live in Newcastle in the insurance area with major claims on hail damage Some insurance companies issue hail warning to our mobiles !! I have had panels on the roof for a long time and on the current MH which sits outside, for some years. No damage in that time and I have not seen any around. Plenty of cars though.
I got caught out last year in my new car when hail hit. It took me 10 minutes to find a tree to park under due to the traffic and chaos at peak hour. I was horrified and thought from the noise inside the car, that it would be ruined, but on examination there were no dints It must have been just under the size need for damage. Hail smashing on the screen in front of me. So it may not be as serious as you fear. I would not be casual about hail but having first hand experience in it, literally, I am a bit happier. I would not have been on the road if I knew it would hail but it came very quickly and no time to react.
Jaahn
Dougwe said
07:49 PM May 6, 2018
Yep. I was serious Jaahn. I have often thought of hail damaging solar panels and did a search on thje forum first but found nothing of help so thought why not ask my fellow forumites. Solar Panels are obviuosly much stronger than I think they are.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Monday 7th of May 2018 09:14:32 AM
Aus-Kiwi said
08:10 PM May 6, 2018
Been out in hail storms . It gets down to being in the wrong place at the right or wrong time . Thereâs not much you can do other than turn the panels horizontal or park under cover . Then you have to think about the replacement V making then hail proof ? The cost may be similar ?
Ron-D said
08:18 AM May 7, 2018
If the wheather looks like its going to damage the panels I can just put them back in the car within in minutes
Dickodownunder said
08:39 AM May 7, 2018
Hi Doug
Three or four years ago there was a large hailstorm in Whyalla and my neighbour has an array of solar on his roof facing WNW.
The storm came from that direction and hit us full on with hail the size of somewhere between a golf ball and a cricket ball.
Our front yards were white with ice after the event and there was damage to our roller doors and verandah roofing but no damage to his solar panels.
I concluded at the time that those panels are tough "sons a' guns"
Why not talk to a solar panel installation company or an insurance company and ask them of the incidence of replacing panels after a hailstorm.
This may not remove the worry but if by chance they are damaged then insurance would cover it in most cases I would imagine, rather than climbing up there to fix a cover.
You may not even get time to cover them as some storms can hit pretty quickly.
In any case, if you are climbing up there then take it easy. No panel is worth an injury or worse.
Dougwe said
09:25 AM May 7, 2018
Ron-D wrote:
If the wheather looks like its going to damage the panels I can just put them back in the car within in minutes
Agree Ron, portable are great and I have a 120w flexable portable and can connect to a separate controller at the batteries via Anderson Plug for if ever needed. However, in my case I have 450w of panels on the roof of the aluminium teepee and use those when driving and to run fridge on 12v at same time, the tug is also wired up for that to give me a choice. I also have as an option to run fridge from teepee batteries during sunny days. So I find the roof panels great also.
Thanks for your input Ron.
Dougwe said
09:29 AM May 7, 2018
Dickodownunder wrote:
Hi Doug
Three or four years ago there was a large hailstorm in Whyalla and my neighbour has an array of solar on his roof facing WNW. The storm came from that direction and hit us full on with hail the size of somewhere between a golf ball and a cricket ball. Our front yards were white with ice after the event and there was damage to our roller doors and verandah roofing but no damage to his solar panels. I concluded at the time that those panels are tough "sons a' guns"
Why not talk to a solar panel installation company or an insurance company and ask them of the incidence of replacing panels after a hailstorm. This may not remove the worry but if by chance they are damaged then insurance would cover it in most cases I would imagine, rather than climbing up there to fix a cover. You may not even get time to cover them as some storms can hit pretty quickly.
In any case, if you are climbing up there then take it easy. No panel is worth an injury or worse.
Thanks Geoff. It looks more in favour of not to worry too much about a cover up job. It's not so much the insurance, it's the inconvenience.
Aus-Kiwi said
09:59 AM May 7, 2018
Donât worry !! Thereâs always the generator to full back on ! Ahaha Spoon in hand .
brickies said
11:41 AM May 7, 2018
Would Solar panel on your caravan be covered by insurance ,They are on your home insurance some times we have too much time on our hands and use it to worry
Dickodownunder said
12:13 PM May 7, 2018
I would imagine that if the aluminium teepee was in a hailstorm then the roof and side panelling may suffer damage that in most cases be covered by insurance.
One would hope that the solar panels are covered as well but I do relate to Doug's concern regarding the inconvenience
Aus-Kiwi said
03:58 PM May 7, 2018
The fire in Tee Pee is ok . Just the floors suffer ..
Tony Bev said
02:29 PM May 10, 2018
Below is a pic of semi flexible solar panels from EBay, with someone walking on them I wonder if they would be tough enough to withstand hailstones
I am led to believe that you can not join this type of panel, either series or parallel, due to having not enough non return diodes in them
If the semi flexible panels are tough enough to withstand hailstones It makes me wonder if the techies on the forum, could come up with some sort of magic box, between each panel
kesa32 said
10:32 AM May 11, 2018
Dickodownunder wrote:
I would imagine that if the aluminium teepee was in a hailstorm then the roof and side panelling may suffer damage that in most cases be covered by insurance. One would hope that the solar panels are covered as well but I do relate to Doug's concern regarding the inconvenience
+1 , Doug the teepee will cop it badly too if the hailstones are that big that they smash the panel glass , we had a car written off in a bad hailstorm back in 1990? , we were having dinner at a hotel at the time and all we could do was watch as all the cars outside were destroyed, then the hotel ceiling starting leaking water everywhere as its roof had got smashed .... what a night !
Warren-Pat_01 said
09:25 PM May 30, 2018
My reply is possibly a bit late but in 2016 we had a fire on our house roof caused by a faulty solar panel installation. Two panels & 2.5 square metres of metal roof tiles were damaged & so the roof & all panels were replaced by the insurance company.
When I was cutting the burnt panels to dispose of them, I noticed that they were made of a plastic material - with a very thin glass-like seal on the upper surface. Perhaps that explains why they are "hail resistant".
Warren-Pat_01 said
09:26 PM May 30, 2018
My reply is possibly a bit late but in 2016 we had a fire on our house roof caused by a faulty solar panel installation. Two panels & 2.5 square metres of metal roof tiles were damaged & so the roof & all panels were replaced by the insurance company.
When I was cutting the burnt panels to dispose of them, I noticed that they were made of a plastic material - with a very thin glass-like seal on the upper surface. Perhaps that explains why they are "hail resistant".
Morning all,
I tend not to hang out in places with really bad weather that produces hail stones but yes, they can happen anywhere really. I am currently in south west gippsland for winter and got thinking about hail stones hitting the solar panels on the roof of the aluminium teepee, after a big storm went through yesterday and worse expected very very soon. Yes I know they hit the ones on house roof and no one is climbing up there to cover so,
Does anyone cover their solar panels on top of the van? and how do they do it?
Not too many I would think.
Gday...
I have had my solar panels on the roof of the van for six years now.
I travel full-time, and the van is never under any cover. I have been through a number of hail storms in that time.
One such hail storm damaged the awning fabric, filling it full of holes, requiring replacement under an insurance claim - not a mark on the solar panels.
The panels show not a skerrick of marks let alone any damage.
Jest sayin'
Cheers - John
I have had solar panels on my house (and lots of them) for close to 9 years. Also solar on the van for 2 years. Both have been through hail storms & not any marks on them. All are still working perfectly.
NSW seems to be the one place that has the huge hail Aus-Kiwi. Had them here as big as Tom Bowler marbles but that is nothing like NSW gets
Keep Safe on the roads and out there.
Not on your own there Doug.
Aussie Paul.
I have NO viable protection plan yet.
Wire netting is a possible I guess, but PLZ keep the ideas coming!
Stay safe
Gday...
what might help is if some forum member who reads this thread can let us know they had hail damage to their solar panels.
It seems no-one has yet come forward with a tale of damage as yet.
cheers - John
That in it self might have answered my question Rocky
Hi Dougwe
I thought you were jesting from the subject heading
But I see it has a serious purpose. I live in Newcastle in the insurance area with major claims on hail damage 
Some insurance companies issue hail warning to our mobiles !! I have had panels on the roof for a long time and on the current MH which sits outside, for some years. No damage in that time and I have not seen any around. Plenty of cars though.
I got caught out last year in my new car when hail hit. It took me 10 minutes to find a tree to park under due to the traffic and chaos at peak hour. I was horrified and thought from the noise inside the car, that it would be ruined, but on examination there were no dints
It must have been just under the size need for damage. Hail smashing on the screen in front of me. So it may not be as serious as you fear. I would not be casual about hail but having first hand experience in it, literally, I am a bit happier. I would not have been on the road if I knew it would hail but it came very quickly and no time to react.
Jaahn
Yep. I was serious Jaahn. I have often thought of hail damaging solar panels and did a search on thje forum first but found nothing of help so thought why not ask my fellow forumites. Solar Panels are obviuosly much stronger than I think they are.
-- Edited by Dougwe on Monday 7th of May 2018 09:14:32 AM
If the wheather looks like its going to damage the panels I can just put them back in the car within in minutes
Three or four years ago there was a large hailstorm in Whyalla and my neighbour has an array of solar on his roof facing WNW.
The storm came from that direction and hit us full on with hail the size of somewhere between a golf ball and a cricket ball.
Our front yards were white with ice after the event and there was damage to our roller doors and verandah roofing but no damage to his solar panels.
I concluded at the time that those panels are tough "sons a' guns"
Why not talk to a solar panel installation company or an insurance company and ask them of the incidence of replacing panels after a hailstorm.
This may not remove the worry but if by chance they are damaged then insurance would cover it in most cases I would imagine, rather than climbing up there to fix a cover.
You may not even get time to cover them as some storms can hit pretty quickly.
In any case, if you are climbing up there then take it easy. No panel is worth an injury or worse.
Agree Ron, portable are great and I have a 120w flexable portable and can connect to a separate controller at the batteries via Anderson Plug for if ever needed. However, in my case I have 450w of panels on the roof of the aluminium teepee and use those when driving and to run fridge on 12v at same time, the tug is also wired up for that to give me a choice. I also have as an option to run fridge from teepee batteries during sunny days. So I find the roof panels great also.
Thanks for your input Ron.
Thanks Geoff. It looks more in favour of not to worry too much about a cover up job. It's not so much the insurance, it's the inconvenience.
One would hope that the solar panels are covered as well but I do relate to Doug's concern regarding the inconvenience
Below is a pic of semi flexible solar panels from EBay, with someone walking on them
I wonder if they would be tough enough to withstand hailstones
I am led to believe that you can not join this type of panel, either series or parallel, due to having not enough non return diodes in them
If the semi flexible panels are tough enough to withstand hailstones
It makes me wonder if the techies on the forum, could come up with some sort of magic box, between each panel
+1 , Doug the teepee will cop it badly too if the hailstones are that big that they smash the panel glass , we had a car written off in a bad hailstorm back in 1990? , we were having dinner at a hotel at the time and all we could do was watch as all the cars outside were destroyed, then the hotel ceiling starting leaking water everywhere as its roof had got smashed .... what a night !
When I was cutting the burnt panels to dispose of them, I noticed that they were made of a plastic material - with a very thin glass-like seal on the upper surface. Perhaps that explains why they are "hail resistant".
When I was cutting the burnt panels to dispose of them, I noticed that they were made of a plastic material - with a very thin glass-like seal on the upper surface. Perhaps that explains why they are "hail resistant".