Re: Wattsun trackers [RE-wrenches]
Todd and Fellow Wrenches,
I don't have any experience with Watsun but I have installed around 10 Zomeworks trackers which are still working fine. I have looked at the Watsuns several times but I am a little scared of adding additional complication to a PV System. In addition, I do mostly 48 volt systems and what little I have seen of Watsun their standard unit is either 12 or 24 volts. It is good to hear that Watsun stands behind the product.
As far as Zomeworks go I am pretty happy with them with one exception - they don't wake up as early as I (or my customers) think they should. It takes them around an hour to wake up and then they hang in the noon position for around another 30 minutes until they actually are pointing at the morning sun. This equates to about 9:30 to 10:00 am before some of them are actually "on track". After studying operation of the tracker it is understandable why it does this but none the less I sold my customer a tracker and they expect it to point at the sun. The addition of the optional Rapid Response Plates has helped only slightly. We have gone as far as taking them apart then reinstalling them with the utmost of care with no improvement in performance. Other than not waking up as early as I'd like them to we have had no other problems. I would be interested to hear of others experience wake up times. I just read Chuck Heath's message
and I have noticed that the UTR100's are sagging a little but none have sagged so much as to require repair (yet).
Travis Creswell, Ozark Solar
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From: Todd Cory <toddcory@jps.net>
To: Wrenches <RE-wrenches@topica.com>
Subject: Wattsun trackers [RE-wrenches]
Date: Tue, Jan 25, 2000, 4:12 PM
Hello fellow wrenches,
What is the deal with Watsun trackers? I am curious if anyone else has problems with these? I have two of the older style single axis units that have worked flawlessly once the out of balance sensor conditions got resolved.
I have a customer with a Wattsun model SX60-10 dual axis tracker. It was purchased in June of 1997. It is configured for 12 volt operation and run's off a cable fed from the battery bank, not array direct. The operation track record of this unit has been extremely poor. In the 2 ½ years since I installed this unit it has been out of service 6 times! This is embarrassing to me and the customer is very frustrated.
Here's a detail of this unit's repairs:
6-97 installed unit delivered with broken motor / drive mount, unit non functional
8-8-97 replaced drive motor assembly, unit operational
10-98 East limit switch failure, unit nonfunctional
11-24-98 limit switch replaced, unit operational
1-99 limit switch loose connection, re-soldered, unit operational
9-8-99 East limit switch failure, replaced with spare, unit functional
9-29-99 motor binding, unit nonfunctional
10-99 replacement motor and gear assembly installed, limit switch activating too
soon as gears incorrectly assembled at factory, repaired on site, unit operational
11-99 E / W sensors unbalanced, unit not tracking, noticed gear drive mentioned above has
bad gear that needs replacing due to incorrect assembly at factory, unit nonfunctional
12-13-99 sensors replaced, unit operational
and now 1-25-00, customer called to report unit non functional again... sigh
While replacement parts have always been provided at no cost, this situation has been
expensive and very frustrating for the customer. I am curious what "luck" others have had with these trackers, and what if anything other wrenches might suggest to get this unit working consistently without repair every few months. I know some dealers (photocomm, aka golden genesis, aka kyocera international) will not carry them due to these problems.
Help!
Todd Cory
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Todd Cory
KE6SXS
toddcory@jps.net
Bald Mountain Solar
P.O. Box 689
Mt. Shasta, Ca. 96067
(530) 926-1079
The privilege of a lifetime is to be yourself.
Joseph Campbell