Installing solar on roof??

[philip47]

I was wondering if anyone has installed solar panels on the roof and how they went about it?  Did you drill or glue the panel down and how do you find the trusses with out the roof looking like Swiss cheese?  I would like to install several panels if it is feasible.
thanks for any help in this manner.

[tinkeringtechie]

My stud finder seems to work just fine on the aluminum studs. If you don't have one, the "condensation test" seems to work just fine: on a cool evening look for condensation differences and mark the trusses/studs with a sharpie. Have you considered keeping the panels detached though? Most of the sites I stay in try to keep the pad itself shaded even though there may be a sunny spot nearby.

[david]

If I were to use solar panels on my LL, I would definitely make them portable with a long power lead and not permanently installed on the roof.

Fifteen or so years ago, we dry camped for 2-3 months in the western states in a small fifth wheel trailer. I had on board three flexible panels (the now discontinued UniSolar panels) that I had used on a sailboat previously. I used them once or twice- both because we usually didn't need any charging and if we did we were camped in shade. The only time I remember putting them out, I placed them in a sunny spot about 50' from the trailer.

If you do mount them on the roof, use L-shaped brackets to hold them off of the roof for ventilation. I have just glued the brackets to the roof of a boat. The same should work fine on the LL- no holes or potential leaks. I would route the wiring across the roof and down the side to a clam shell type fitting on the outside and then inside to a controller mounted in one of the overhead cabinets and then to the converter or battery terminal.

For a portable solution, I used a MinnKota trolling motor connector on the side of the trailer that was wired to the batteries inside. That connector was good for 30 amps. See http://www.amazon.com/MinnKota-MKR-18-12V-Plug-Receptacle/dp/B001PTHKRQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1460387090&sr=8-2&keywords=trolling+motor+plug.

David

[mitch]

I'm with them on this one, solar panels won't do much in the shade and there are easy ways to do the movable solar panel without much hassle at all.

[whoofit]

Roof mount for me with 4-way tilt. It is easy to find the rafters. You will see impressions of them when you go up there. Measure back and square up. You can also find the rafters easily because that is where the roof vents screw into. I spanned four rafters, attached with SS screws and thick butyl. Sealed with Dicor lap sealant.

I did not use those L brackets. Instead I used 2"x.125" Aluminum angle for the entire distance across the rafters. SS hinges to achieve the tilt.

I was going to post this video of the 3M tape stuff. Yes, there are people taping their panels to the roof. I don't suggest this. Glue might work well for a couple years but will let go eventually most likely at 65mph.

Why roof mount? Well, there is very little shade on the road, there are very few places you can stretch out a solar panel many meters away and be sure it will be there when you get back to camp, it is hard to access a roof with no ladder mounted and you can always string out a smaller panel with ease it required. The roof mount is less trouble once you get it installed.

[video src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZERE9T5vol0"][/video]

[whoofit]

And here it is. Collecting 6A on a terribly cloudy day... 180W 36V to a Rogue MPT-3024. Plenty of room for expansion except real estate on the roof.

Oh, the Camplite is the only trailer out there that I feel good about drilling holes in the roof. What kind of water damage could happen?

With all those ancient oaks and maples around you would think poor performance but I can harvest 40-50 Amp/hrs regularly there.


[img style="" style="max-width:100%;" src="http://i1312.photobucket.com/albums/t521/minuteman1965/IMAG0187%201_zpspn51irvo.jpg"]

[lhunter59]

Whoofit,
How did you route the cables?
Where did you install your regulator?

Larry

[whoofit]

Whoofit,
How did you route the cables?
Where did you install your regulator?

Larry

I don't use a regulator I use a proper charge controller for thorough charging. MPT-3024 by Rogue.

Wiring goes: Panel to roof mounted box (that resides under the panel in stowed position) with breaker, then rigid conduit over the roof to the gray water vent bonnet, through the bonnet base into flex conduit down hollow shower wall to disconnect, through the floor then up into converter compartment box terminating at fuse block, then finally into charge controller.

Very simple to do with a fish and the most basic of tools.

This power junkie, at least by this forum's standards, has been happily and entirely off-grid since the addition of this system even while spending weeks at a time heating at night and remote camping. Save a couple times where the genny brought us AC in unobnoxious situations.