Hawk Factory Solar...Adding a flex panel to roof?

[dasadab]

Hi,
I really appreciate reading the solar threads. Lots of great advice. There seem to be some 4th of July sales going on, and I was thinking of augmenting my 160 Watt factory solar option on my Hawk. We are planning a long trip this Summer/Fall to Alaska and with the DC refrig. and liberal use of the heater, I want to make sure we are good to go if camp sites end up being semi shady, etc.

One idea is to get a thin flexible 100 watt panel and just store it under the mattress until needed and plug it in the rear factory socket.

But, maybe just adding the same panel to the roof with and coupling it to the existing 2 panels would be sufficient without the complexity a portable panel--extra extension cable, storage, set up, etc.

1. What do you think?
2. Do I need any special connectors to tap into the two roof panels? I don't know much about this stuff so thanks a lot.

 

[PaulT]

There is a significant advantage to having a portable panel. If you have a shady campsite, you can lose most of your charging capacity. The portable panel with a 15-30 foot cable can be easily set up on a cheap folding table aimed at the sun and angled to be perpendicular to the sun's rays to maximize charging current. I find this very useful in the morning or evening to extend the time solar charging is available compared to just panels flat mounted on the roof.

Using the setup below, we were able to get up to 5 amps or more for as much as 4 hours while making breakfast or dinner when the roof top panel was producing less than 1 amp during the low angle light conditions at that time.

Paul

 

[dasadab]

Thanks. Good points. It looks like your flexible panel is aluminum backed? I am shopping and would appreciate your learning about your particular panel.

 

[Stalking Light]

I have a 60w foldable panel with a 20' cable and it is about the size of a 1" 3 ring binder when folder up. It's handy to have, but I don't spend a lot of daylight time in camp so I don't use it that much.

I just added a 100w flex panel to my roof in addition to the 100w factory Zamp and will be soon adding another. I do photo editing on my laptop and use a cell booster so my power requirements are more than many, and 300w on the roof is probably more than I need, but I do go out for 6-8 weeks at a time and don't often stay anywhere that has shore power so I want to be sure and be self contained.

 

[PaulT]

Thanks. Good points. It looks like your flexible panel is aluminum backed? I am shopping and would appreciate your learning about your particular panel.

I have one of the Renogy bendable panels. Mine is just as shipped from Renogy. No backing other than the white plastic. Only weighs 4 lbs and travels on the bed under the sleeping bag for protection. I never glued mine down and it has thus far worked.fine. Many have been recalled as indicated in various threads here. Today, it looks like one of the HQST, suitcase panels, or folding like Charlie's unit might be a better choice than the Renogy bendable unit.

I did add a second panel on a tilt-able roof mount and on the last several trips, I have not needed to use the portable to keep the batteries charged although we have not camped in full time inclement weather or in heavy shade. We occasionally stay at a commercial campground with electrical hookups on route to our destination and take advantage of the power to recharge everything with a rechargeable battery.

Paul

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Paul,
Would you post some pictures to your "tilt-table roof mount"? and How you assembled it?
I assume you tilt it before raising the roof.

We don't have the big amp draw of the Dometics, so we just use a 60 watt rigid (3.5 amps). I made some legs, see picture to support it, Legs fold under the aluminum edge when transporting it which we do in its original carry case. We carry the box in the back seat of the Tacoma Access cab,

In the desert I run rope over the top between two stakes to keep wind from blowing it over.

 

[Wallowa]

Hi,
I really appreciate reading the solar threads. Lots of great advice. There seem to be some 4th of July sales going on, and I was thinking of augmenting my 160 Watt factory solar option on my Hawk. We are planning a long trip this Summer/Fall to Alaska and with the DC refrig. and liberal use of the heater, I want to make sure we are good to go if camp sites end up being semi shady, etc.

One idea is to get a thin flexible 100 watt panel and just store it under the mattress until needed and plug it in the rear factory socket.

But, maybe just adding the same panel to the roof with and coupling it to the existing 2 panels would be sufficient without the complexity a portable panel--extra extension cable, storage, set up, etc.

1. What do you think?
2. Do I need any special connectors to tap into the two roof panels? I don't know much about this stuff so thanks a lot.

The "solar option" at FWC [for our '16 Hawk] was a single 160w mounted hard panel of the roof and a folding double 80w portable...both Zamps..

You mentioned two roof panels...and a 160w FWC roof panel...what are the two roof panels?

I concur that a portable panel to "follow the sun" or to "reach the sun [think shade in summer]" seems the most logical..

Lastly, just me, but I would not attach any panel to the roof sheet with an adhesive...but would use some form of a bracket [our FWC option was the Yakima tracks for mounting the 160w roof panel].

Enjoy!

Phil

 

[Yukon]

It's not a foldable solution, but I also wanted to have a 85 watt panel that could move around, and not be on the roof. I put a bracket under the cab-over per photo. It slides out and can be pad-locked. It also has a 15 ft cord. Just an idea.

 

[dasadab]

The "solar option" at FWC [for our '16 Hawk] was a single 160w mounted hard panel of the roof and a folding double 80w portable...both Zamps..

You mentioned two roof panels...and a 160w FWC roof panel...what are the two roof panels?

I concur that a portable panel to "follow the sun" or to "reach the sun [think shade in summer]" seems the most logical..

Lastly, just me, but I would not attach any panel to the roof sheet with an adhesive...but would use some form of a bracket [our FWC option was the Yakima tracks for mounting the 160w roof panel].

Enjoy!

Phil

My mistake. Its a factory single panel.

 

[PaulT]

Paul,
Would you post some pictures to your "tilt-table roof mount"? and How you assembled it?
I assume you tilt it before raising the roof.

Had to wait until daylight and honey do list pausing point.

While the rear of panel can be raised with some difficulty,after the top is up, it is better to do it prior to raising the roof. I believe that it will be of more value in winter and when one can plan orientation of the truck to the south or north.

Everything involves a trade-off. The portable panel allows periodic re-orientation to maximize solar collection but is at more risk when one is away from camper.

As someone said (in a cartoon, I think), "You pays your money and you takes your chances."

 

[DesertDave]

I guess I did both options. I glued a 50W flexible onto my roof, and I use a 100W flexible as a portable panel.

So far both flexible panels function, possibly because I park the truck/camper combo in the garage when not in use. My factory controller is maxed out at 250W, and I started with the 100W portable, thus I added the 50W to the roof to gain a bit more charging, and I placed it so it wouldn't be shaded by the kayaks that I often carry. The advantage of the flexible is the negligible weight, the downsides are many folks had theirs fail Had I known about the failures prior to purchase, I might have gone another direction. But so far they both work like new.

I am rarely at the camper during the prime charging hours to follow the sun with the portable, so I usually put the portable on the windshield and go do my activity.

 

[PaulT]

I have the factory aluminum roof rack. My solution required adding some 1/8" aluminum angle bars across the rack on which to mount the feet. I used the UHB tape supplied on the feet but added two bolts/foot for insurance. I could have gotten away with adding only one aluminum angle bar but felt that two were better.

I switched the gas lift struts from 20 lb to 30 lb to counter the extra weight of the solar panel.

Presently, I am plugging into the rear solar socket. I intend to splice into the factory panel wiring when I can reach its wiring or when I get the nerve to disturb that panel's mounting screws and sealant.

Paul