Credit Card Carnage

Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
Estimated Rolling Date: Feb. 12, 2012

As is a usual habit with me the solar controller was checked when my head hit the pillow.  What in the world???? 15.9 volts showing on the screen cannot be.  It was very dark outside so the switch to see what else was going on was flipped.  Ahh how nice the panels were putting out 101.3 amps in the dark.  Great and the MPPT part of the system had the system up to minus 23 amps.  This controller has been acting up in the past but still seemed to work.

 Now it is definitely broken.  At least the waiting is over.  The controller was turned off and the onboard charger supply was plugged in.

The website of Handy Bob was checked for his considerations on controllers.  It was already known that an MPPT controller did my system no good.  The MPPT concept works but is far from needed for my simple and slightly used system.  So some internet searching went on this morning and found that prices on the same piece of equipment vary wildly to say the least.  One controller and supplier was chosen and an order placed for a new much better rated controller.  The new controller will handle much more panel wattage than the old one in case more power is ever needed.

 When it comes in there will be work needing to be done to get the system back on line.  A goal is a lot more boondocking next year than in the past.  A good solar system is required for that goal to be attained.

After lunch the Team was out messing around and stopped at the pier just in time to record a fellow catching a nice speckled trout.  The fish flipped loose as it was being hauled onto the pier but got stuck in the rocks.  The fisherman clambered down on the rocks and recovered the fish.  This picture lets you see that it was a nice size for taking home for supper.

Now for the rest of the bad news for your enjoyment.  The Truck is leaking coolant from another place.  My favorite mechanics took about a half hour searching for the leak and found it was in an area they did not want to tangle with for repair.  The elaborate water pump area is the zone of the leak.  Now the Team has an appointment next Thursday at the GM dealer in Aransas Pass for repairs.  Likely it will not be a cheap repair.   There are still a few days before the 2-12-12 rolling date. Things have certainly been disruptive today.

For the next couple of days it seems wise to stick closer to home during my efforts at trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.