Anyone else get Building Permit BS ??

[BonzaiDuck]

For solar I wonder if you could get away with making a "solar trailer". Basically a trailer that has a retractable solar array on it. Register it as a trailer and have proper plate and documentation for it. I heard of ham radio operators using a truck to mount a 100ft easily retractable antenna in the box and the HOA can't do F all. Great little trick to get around the ridiculous rules. Or you can go all out and buy a used tank from government auctions and watch them try to tow it when you leave it parked at the end of your driveway.

Interesting.

Our unit has a two-car garage, and with an SUV and a hard-body truck, it's a snug fit. If we had a third car, we might be able to park it in "visitors" spaces along the street, but it would need to be moved every three days. The only exception might be my brother's "disabled" license plates. A disability plate allows you to park almost anywhere, or without the application of the rule I mentioned. So -- no "solar trailer" possibilities. If we wanted to keep a camper-trailer or RV for regular use, we'd have to rent space in a storage facility. Not a big problem with that, but I couldn't keep it at home. Not unless we give up a vehicle and park it in the garage. That would totally defeat the usefulness of a solar array on a trailer!

As we're discussing solar panels, and as I mentioned my 13'x13' Coleman canopy, I wanted LED lighting for it, and they make LED kits precisely for such canopies. The kits have a little plastic box holding 8x AA batteries in series, giving 12V, and they're supposed to last 24 hours. Bullsh*t!! The batteries would be dead in just a few hours of use. So I had more ambitious plans.

I purchased a Westinghouse iGen600S "Lithium-Ion Power Generator". it can be charged up from the AC wall socket, from the cigar-lighter 12V in the car, or with a solar panel. Since these devices appeal to outdoor use for camping and RV experiences, there are plenty of "portable" solar panel kits with charging controllers, or the controllers can be had separately. I'm still in the process of choosing a 100W portable "briefcase" or folding solar panel to use with the Westinghouse. But one thing is certain . . .

I can simply hang it on the side of the house facing the inner patio, and it will get full sun for at least 12 hours daily. Even as it's not visible from the street or even the front gate, I could simply show that it can be taken off a pair of hooks for removal, and that it's a "mobile device" and "temporary".

In the meantime, I discovered that the 600 Wh generator still shows a full charge after a few weeks' use, flipping the switch on it when I go out there to enjoy the night air. Overkill? Maybe. But I can do many things with this portable "generator", like running my tablet and bluetooth speaker, keeping them charged up with the generator. I could watch TV on the patio day and night, without any connection to an exterior wall-socket. Rain or shine. And for an extra few hundred Franklins, I can buy a portable "ice-chest" refrigerator for the SUV, and run it off the generator on shopping trips for ice-cream and frozen food. Then, no strain on my Trooper's alternator and battery, and the ice-cream is rock-solid on the return home.

No permits or regulations for any of it.

 

[herm0016]

For solar I wonder if you could get away with making a "solar trailer". Basically a trailer that has a retractable solar array on it. Register it as a trailer and have proper plate and documentation for it. I heard of ham radio operators using a truck to mount a 100ft easily retractable antenna in the box and the HOA can't do F all. Great little trick to get around the ridiculous rules. Or you can go all out and buy a used tank from government auctions and watch them try to tow it when you leave it parked at the end of THE HOA PRESIDENTS DRIVEWAY

FIFY

 

[Greenman]

For solar I wonder if you could get away with making a "solar trailer". Basically a trailer that has a retractable solar array on it. Register it as a trailer and have proper plate and documentation for it. I heard of ham radio operators using a truck to mount a 100ft easily retractable antenna in the box and the HOA can't do F all. Great little trick to get around the ridiculous rules. Or you can go all out and buy a used tank from government auctions and watch them try to tow it when you leave it parked at the end of your driveway.

I've seen those in use on construction sites. Solar panels, batteries, and a generator all on one trailer.