MarkSolar
Solar Enthusiast
I've got 24 panels mounted like this:
I noticed the ends of all the panels have sagged about 1/8" compared to the middle. So if I lay a 6' straightedge on the long edge of the panel, there is ~1/8" gap at each end of the panel compared to the straightedge. You can see it a bit with your eye if the light is right and it reflects off the glass. Is this normal? I would have thought the aluminum frame would maintain the flatness of the panel even as the temperature changes, it's a lot colder now than when I installed them in the summer. The mounting points are right in the middle of the specification range given on the data sheet for the panels. I tried loosening both mounting clips at one end of the panel thinking this might be some kind of thermal differential expansion between the rack and the panel, but that made no difference and the panel stayed the same shape.
I noticed the ends of all the panels have sagged about 1/8" compared to the middle. So if I lay a 6' straightedge on the long edge of the panel, there is ~1/8" gap at each end of the panel compared to the straightedge. You can see it a bit with your eye if the light is right and it reflects off the glass. Is this normal? I would have thought the aluminum frame would maintain the flatness of the panel even as the temperature changes, it's a lot colder now than when I installed them in the summer. The mounting points are right in the middle of the specification range given on the data sheet for the panels. I tried loosening both mounting clips at one end of the panel thinking this might be some kind of thermal differential expansion between the rack and the panel, but that made no difference and the panel stayed the same shape.
