New year, new method

Out with the old

Up until today I'd been using two struts to tilt my solar panel. It worked fine, but it meant I had to go back and forth a couple of times whenever I raised or lowered the panel. After installing the new rack I started thinking about ways to make panel raising and lowering easier. The answer was a single center strut, of course. But how, exactly?

In with the new

Long winter nights are made for thinking. I wanted a strut that could pivot in just about any direction. And I wanted to be able to quickly anchor it at the bottom. The solution eventually came to me. I ran it past Lou for a second opinion. It sounded good to him. So off to Herb's Hardware for the bits and pieces.

A U-bolt and eye bolt at the panel, a threaded rod, another eye bolt at the other end of the rod, and an eye bolt through the two-by-four. Use a carabiner to hold the bottom pieces together. When the panel is down, the rod swings parallel to the panel and is held it place by a bungee.

Push, click, easy as pie (mmmmm, pie)

The old struts are still attached, just in case. Not all of my engineering ideas work out perfectly. But if there's a problem with this one, I can blame Lou for not seeing it beforehand. That's what friends are for.