Quote:
Originally Posted by ShrimpBurrito
Wayne,
If you follow the attachment procedure spelled out by forum member RockyMtnRay, I seriously doubt anyone would be able to steal the solar panels without a power saw. And if they are willing to use a saw, there's alot more they can steal.....
Of course, a major benefit of having them exposed while the TM is closed is you get charging current while underway, sitting in a parking lot while at a restaurant, visitor's center, etc. In my view, those benefits would far outweigh the risk of theft. But I've never had solar panels, so I don't really know how attractive they are to thieves....but I think they'd be far more difficult to steal than a car stereo.
Dave
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I have a rather unique parking situation for my TM. I park in an apartment complex garage along with 80 other people. I also manage the apt building.
My concern is not so much the tenants. My concern is vandals that sneak into the gated garage on occasion. These vandals can see inside the garage from outdoors. If there is anything left in plain site, that becomes an enticement to them. I want no part of that. My intention is to leave the solar panels out-of-site while in storage. Even if the panels are impossible to get off, the vandal might then turn his attention to what he can find in the tenants cars. This is an afluent part of town and we have a lot of nice cars in the garage but not everyone remembers to lock their doors and set their alarm. Every once in awhile, someone gets things stolen out of their (unlocked) cars.
Heck, vandals steal solar panels off of the freeway emergency phones and other equipment, all the time. Stealing a much larger array in a garage, with little chance of detection (at 3:AM) would be quite enticing.