A week ago, I made a decision and ordered a Rich Solar 250-watt solar panel to hopefully address my insufficient charging issues. It arrived late Wednesday afternoon, right before Thanksgiving, and right before BCM Mail and Ship closed. I got there right at 4:00 pm and picked it up. Having already wired up my Renogy DCC50S charger to plug it right in, that’s exactly what I did as soon as I got back to camp to see how it worked. It didn’t.
Instead, I got an over voltage error. The charger will not accept more than 25 volts input. The website, as well as the label on the back of the panel itself, state that this panel has a maximum output voltage of 23.2 volts. However, the Renogy app showed that its actual output voltage was ranging from 26 to 26.7 volts, which was causing the over voltage error and subsequent shutdown. This panel wasn’t going to work for me after all.
Naturally, this happened immediately before many businesses shut down for four consecutive days over Thanksgiving and the following weekend. I’ve been continuing to run my generator for a couple of hours each day to make up for the lack of solar charging. I emailed Rich Solar on Friday, explained the situation, and told them I’d like to exchange the 250-watt panel for the 200-watt version — the same one I used for this purpose last year, and have three of on my roof. After poking them again today, they told me they would accept my return, to order the replacement panel, and they would refund me for the 250-watt panel upon receipt. That’s perfectly fair.
What isn’t fair is that they are requiring me to cover the cost of shipping the panel back. I objected to this, because the error is their fault, not mine, but they weren’t having it. I’m not happy about that, but at least I’ll get my money back for the panel I can’t use. If the stars align a certain way, I may end up passing through or near their office next month, which would enable me to return it in person and avoid the shipping cost. I won’t make the trip just for that, but other factors may send me to the Los Angeles area anyway. I may drag my heels a couple of days before shipping it back to see if the circumstances that might send me to LA actually happen.
I should’ve just gotten the 200-watt panel to begin with. It worked perfectly last year. This actual panel continues to work now on the roof of Smokey II. I got greedy for the extra 50 watts, and a Black Friday sale that made the 250-watt panel the same price as the 200-watt panel’s normal price. Oh well — hindsight is 20/20 and all that. The 200-watt panel will arrive in a few days. I’ll install the stand on it, just like I did on the old panel, and my charging problems should be solved. As a bonus, it will serve as a spare for my rooftop panels. It’s exactly the same type, so I can mix and match them at will. If one of my rooftop panels ever gets smashed, I can replace it with this one, then replace the portable panel whenever it’s convenient. I don’t expect my rooftop panels to fail or get smashed, but having a direct replacement anyway doesn’t hurt.
As far as Rich Solar is concerned… The panels are great. I’ve never had a problem with the hardware, the construction, or any of that. The customer service, however, leaves something to be desired. It’s not terrible — they allowed me to exchange the panel with no hassle — but I shouldn’t have to pay shipping for their error on their website.
Smokey Da Van 