Poor fit by new Solar Panel

Hi those who have been around since the early version of the pole mount,

I would like to know which of the two pole mounts in this picture is the current version?
IMG_2480

cheers Ian :slight_smile:

The one with the left looks like the newer one. I think the different gasket had a couple of purposes but mainly to deal with vibration dampening. I tested a couple of different ones, each with a different stiffness. I did have a gasket twist on the original mount like on the right in your picture which allowed water into the base and rust one of the case screws.

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Hi @gizmoev,

Thank you. I was thinking it might be the newer design but I’m still not certain. It would be nice if Weatherflow printed version numbers on all their items. Weatherflow are sending me some new replacements to be sure. I am considering how to improve the water tightness as it did let water into the bottom side of the SPA and then also without the SPA while using batteries. It appears to me that the water flowed from one side through and out the other side. (there are no water marks above in the battery compartment or below inside the mount) I need to be sure it will last before I install it in a difficult to access public location. When the wind and rain is over 40 knots it probably leans over a little and the rain is forced in. See the photo below with just a little pressure applied. I had silicone tape around the seam but with the flat surfaces it must let water under the tape which then flows along the join to the weakness in the sealing rubber. I might try gasket silicone and/or perhaps some eternabond tape: EternaBond Leak Repair Installation Instructions
This was the mount after a few months on top of a hill near the coast.


And the Sky:

And with a little pressure pushing it over:

cheers Ian :slight_smile:

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It does look like water went both over and possibly under the gasket. You can see where there isn’t a completely clean gasket edge all the way around, especially the side by the arrow. You can see in this picture of the original mount that came with the Indiegogo campaign where the gasket rolled over.


In my case, because it is my mobile unit, it gets taken down every time I move. Furthermore, I’m not on the coast so don’t have much salt in the air. I’m wondering if in your case you would be better off with the old mount with a gasket thick enough to handle the tilting in the strong wind without compromising the seal.

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Hi @dsj

From now on to improve reliability I intend to use some contactor grease on the gold contacts. This article explains some of the issues: Gold plated contacts can also need a connector grease

And choices of grease: Choosing an electrical connector grease | A product selection guide
cheers Ian :slight_smile:

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I use Dow Corning 4, no idea if WeatherFlow endorses such use of a dielectric grease (very light, clear). (FWIW, I’m an EE too, electronics, instrumentation, probably there are many electronics persons here)

I had similar problems with fit - New Station (fantastic), Minor Assembly Problems

Also, sadly my sky just stopped working - I think my Station may have just failed (doubt that is has anything to do with tiny amount of Dow Corning 4 that I used).

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