Björn's RV Solar Project (plus other upgrades)

[Paul & Deb]

Real dumb question about mounting the panels. How did you attach the mounts to the roof? Did you just screw into the roof or into the cross beams? What sort of screws or bolts did ypu use?
TIA - Johm

Thans.
Did you screw them straight into the roof? I was wondering about the effect of the wind when on the road.

I understand your question but remember that the roof has a plywood layer across the "cross beams" so you don't need to be concerned about where you mount them. I used 1" screws and sealed them with self-leveling sealant. I have towed across country twice with the panels on without any issue.

[DaveMatthewsBand]

We have 7 165w panels mounted the same way, they still look good.





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[John612]

Thanks Poppy, I should have said sealant not eternabond. Used it to cover the cables.

[Joberlewis]

Thanks folks. I've been hauling up 5 40 & 1 100 watt panels onto the roof every time we dry camp and am finally getting fed up.

[jrb CO]

Battery compartment wiring, less final connections from roof and less inverter.





As some may have read, I've added battery charger in front compartment to make charging more efficient when I need a rapid generator charge. The OE converter/ charger isn't efficient due to wiring length / sizing (and voltages aren't set to charge Trojan T-105s at Trojan recommendation).

I did add a total battery cutoff that can be seen in far right side of first photo.

Looks like you bought a regular plastic bin to house your Trojan batteries and vented it. I am going to run the same 4 batteries in my 29RS and assume the front compartment is the same. Any tips or issues? Thanks.

[andrewssteve]

Thans.
Did you screw them straight into the roof? I was wondering about the effect of the wind when on the road.

I was concerned enough about wind and sailing panels that I cabled the panels into roof trusses:

[DaveMatthewsBand]

I’ve never heard of anyone ever losing a solar panel from wind. I’ve gone 70 mph into a 30 mph head wind so if a 100 mph wind hasn’t loosened them, I think they’ll be ok. Wife checks them a couple times a month.



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[DaveMatthewsBand]

I’ve never heard of anyone ever losing a solar panel from wind. I’ve gone 70 mph into a 30 mph head wind so if a 100 mph wind hasn’t loosened them, I think they’ll be ok. Wife checks them a couple times a month.



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[DaveMatthewsBand]

Thanks Poppy, I should have said sealant not eternabond. Used it to cover the cables.

If anyone is curious, Dicor is the product most people use to cover screws and brackets.
We keep a tube handy for touch ups.


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