Portable Solar vs Roof solar

I edited the original post as follows( SEE WORDS IN RED):

"150 watts" NOT AMPS"

"ZAMP CONTROLLER-MONITOR FEATURES"

Adding Solar
Have the factory or your dealer install the " ZAMP" i. Fairly simple as the wiring is in place. They bolt the panel on the roof. Connect cable it to the connector. Connect other end to the solar controller. Run wire from controller to the batteries and your done. In long run its cheaper to have the factory or FWC dealer do it as they do it all the time. Buy at least 150 watts for the roof. Monitor the amps in and out and percentage of full on Trimetric.

[SIZE=11pt]The Zamp controller displays the battery voltage, what the solar is producing, and what the draw is.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt] (fridge, lights on, fan on etc…). [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]It does NOT display alternator or 110 volt in. or percentage of full.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]I still believe that to really know what is going on with your battery(s) you need to be able to confirm that all sources are charging the battery and percentage of full. A volt meter won't tell you that.. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Update June 30th[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Then I edited it some more to clarify some of my observations.[/SIZE]
 
Thanks very much for that tip, Pollux. The wires from the roof connector aren't connected to anything yet, just hanging coiled up back in the cabinet, so I think I'll just need to make sure I hook the "correct" wires to the negative terminal on the SC2030 and the battery positive terminal.
 
As the components I ordered for my fixed roof panel installation start arriving, I find myself brought up short once again by the maxim my uncle Bob had posted in his office when he was an electrical engineer at GE in upstate NY back in the 1950's: "Don't embark on vast projects with half-vast ideas." The specific issue here is that I didn't think through exactly how I was going to mount the roughly 40” x 40” Renogy 150 watt panel I bought. I ordered a set of 4 "Z" brackets for it, but now I realize that they won't line up with the Finch roof frame members.

It occurs to me (duh!) that many others have probably needed to address this exact same issue with mounting solar panels on their 4WC campers, so I’m hoping someone can help me figure this out. I’d also like to ask whether people think I should I post this as a new topic on the general 4WC forum, or stick with this topic.
I guess one option would be to order a couple pieces of Renogy aluminum roof mounting rail, along with the “feet” to attach the rail to the closest roof frame members to either side of the panel location and the end clamps to secure the panel to the rails. I called Renogy tech support just now to see if they could help me figure out exactly what I need, but the guy I talked to told me to go directly to Unirac, where they get all their components. I went to the Unirac site, but couldn’t find anything that looked quite like Renogy’s aluminum rail. So much for that.

One thing I noticed about the panel end clamps Renogy has on its site for the aluminum rail is that the two sizes they show are 1.57” and 1.97”, but the frame for the panel I’m getting is 1.38” thick. I called Renogy again about this. They said neither end clamp is compatible with the panel (dunno why the tech guy didn’t tell me this in the first place), so they couldn’t recommend this system. I’m wondering (assuming this rail and clamp system is a viable approach at all), if there is some sort of spacer material I could use to take up the slightly more than 3/16” difference between the clamps and the panel. I was thinking maybe ¼” thick, high-density synthetic rubber, like the set blocks you put under “raw” double-pane glass units when you frame them into a window opening. I think I would put them between the panel frame and the aluminum mounting rail right at the place where the clamps will be and cautiously tighten the clamps.

Any thoughts on any of this?
 
I love it!!!! It is so true!!!!

Sedro F. Woolley said:
As the components I ordered for my fixed roof panel installation start arriving, I find myself brought up short once again by the maxim my uncle Bob had posted in his office when he was an electrical engineer at GE in upstate NY back in the 1950's: "Don't embark on vast projects with half-vast ideas." <<snip>>
Click to expand...
 
I am preparing to do my Solar install, also. My FWC (Swift) is scheduled for install on July 18th (yay!), and once I confirm measurements of available roof space, I'll order the Renogy panels. I have a Renogy suitcase, and will augment with roof panels.

I have to say that I will absolutely use the 3m VHB Tape for the roof top install. I am planning to attach aluminum L-brackets using VHB tape, then screwing the panels to the Z-brackets then the Z-brackets to the L-brackets. They will be plenty secure and yet the panels can still be removed. I looked at the nice brackets that AM Solar offers, but $80 for brackets per panel is too rich.

I'll post an update once my system is installed...have enjoyed this forum so much I hope I can give a teeny something back for all the great ideas I've gotten.
 
"Sedro and Four Wheel",

VHB tape has worked very well for me. Panel has been on the roof for over a year now. All pads are solid on the roof. If you don't want to glue it down purchase the Yakima tracks and use them as your foundation to mount the panel(s).

You might also consider changing out the roof connector as its a "friction" lock...not a solid "latch: connection. Mine loosened over time giving me intermittant charging. For pictures and materials click on the link reply numbers 111, 114, 115
 
Very helpful, Jim. Great pics. That 3M tape must be the bomb. After reading fourwheel's post, I was concerned that having the panel attached to the roof skin with only 4 brackets as spec'd by Renogy only could lead to a lot of movement from wind uplift on the panel going down the road, potentially damaging the panel and/or roof. I'm guessing you used the 8 Z brackets to spread that force and the weight of the panel, plus potential snow load, over a wider area. Is that correct? Also, did you use the VHB tape to attach the Z brackets to the panel as well, or did you drill additional holes in the panel frame and bolt it on?

I appreciate the tips on the wiring connections as well. For now, I have an MC4 to SAE adapter and will use the existing roof plug, but your system looks like a very skookum alternative if that proves unreliable down the road.

John
 
Jim, I recall now that in your build post, you recommended using six pads. From your experience to date, does that still seem adequate? If I went that route, I'd be able to use the four existing mount holes in the panel frame, plus drill out the two center ground holes on each side, reducing the number of holes I'd need to drill in the panel.

Another question just came up for me, which is, if the panel frame isn't connected directly to the camper aluminum frame by conductive metal parts, which I'm assuming it isn't when the brackets are taped to the roof skin, does it need to be separately grounded? Or is that a non-issue with a camper roof panel installation?
 
Sedro, you don't need to ground it.

I bought the "Z" pads from Renogy who recommended 6 pads glued on the roof. I used 8 and I glued a half inch diameter plastic sprinkler pipe in the front as I was concerned about wind getting under the panel and lifting it off the roof. I bolted the other side onto the panel. I wiped the "Z" pad with acetone but not the roof as the directions did not advise doing that .

If I did it again I would just use 6 pads. Use "Dicor" over the glued areas after it dries. I don't remember the reason to use Dicor to finish the job.

Maybe another reader will comment.
 
As I understand it, the Dicor seals the foot-to-VHB gap and the VHB-to-roof gap so that nothing tends to start any separation between VHB & parts to which it sticks. Sort of the belt & suspenders approach, I guess. :)

Paul
 
RC Pilot Jim said:
Sedro, you don't need to ground it.

I bought the "Z" pads from Renogy who recommended 6 pads glued on the roof. I used 8 and I glued a half inch diameter plastic sprinkler pipe in the front as I was concerned about wind getting under the panel and lifting it off the roof. I bolted the other side onto the panel. I wiped the "Z" pad with acetone but not the roof as the directions did not advise doing that .

If I did it again I would just use 6 pads. Use "Dicor" over the glued areas after it dries. I don't remember the reason to use Dicor to finish the job.

Maybe another reader will comment.
Click to expand...
Six "Z" pads sounds good to me, Jim, and so does the idea of gluing something along the front edge of the panel to prevent lift. Did you cut a narrow strip of the 3M tape to glue the bottom edge of the pipe to the roof and then seal all around it with Dicor? (I like the "belt and suspenders" analogy, Paul, makes sense for stuff on a roof that will be flying down the road at 70 mph in the rain.) And how did you bolt the pipe to the panel? Did you drill holes on the roof side of the pipe big enough to run sheet metal screws through the other side of the pipe into the bottom edge of the panel frame before you glued it to the roof?

John
 
Dicor is used when there has been roof penetration (i.e., for a screw-down installation). Dicor is a lap sealant strictly to prevent water infiltration. Don't screw holes? don't need Dicor.

I intend to bolt my panels to the VHB-attached rail in a raised position (i.e., off the roof) to ensure air *does* go under the panel to cool it. The VHB tape is more than up to the task.
 
fourwheeldrivekc said:
Dicor is used when there has been roof penetration (i.e., for a screw-down installation). Dicor is a lap sealant strictly to prevent water infiltration. Don't screw holes? don't need Dicor.

I intend to bolt my panels to the VHB-attached rail in a raised position (i.e., off the roof) to ensure air *does* go under the panel to cool it. The VHB tape is more than up to the task.
Click to expand...
If I remember correctly, AM Solar recommends putting a sealant over the top of the mounts.

Edit: http://amsolar.com/diy-rv-solar-instructions/edmounts/

image.png
 
My concern about wind under the panel isn't so much about the panel actually coming off (I get it, this vhb tape is bomb-proof), but about uplift on the camper's aluminum roof skin, which on mine (2011 Finch) is attached only around the edges, the vent fan cap, and, I guess, at the solar plug. Seems like if that relatively thin skin were getting "worked" a lot by the panel lifting up whenever the camper goes down the highway, that could stress the roof seals and fasteners, maybe cause leaks. (Does FWC now build the roofs differently? I seem to remember reading something about that somewhere.) Maybe I'll ask FWC what they recommend. Do they use VHB to fasten their factory-installed panels?
 
Sedro F. Woolley said:
Do they use VHB to fasten their factory-installed panels?
Click to expand...
Sedro, glad to hear that using the VHB to mount your panel has worked well, as I'm thinking about doing the same some time in the future.

According to this 2011 article, FWC started using VHB to attach the roof to the frame when they started making the one-piece roof: http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/news/four-wheel-campers-new-roof-and-big-move/

As far as lift on the solar panel, I'd guess that anything that makes it look like an airfoil (where the airflow over the top is faster than underneath) would increase the lift.
 
I used VHB with amsolar panels in 2007. Still going strong all these years later. Don't recall the sealant bit over top so I have never done that. But probably will now just for an added protection. Used the same tape and feet for my solar hot water panel too.
 
Hmm.... Thought I had the 150 watt Renogy panel "wired", so to speak, but I now I realize I had mis-identified the leads from the factory-installed SAE/ZAMP (they are the same, but ZAMP uses reverse polarity, correct?) roof connector. There are two sets of wires leading down from the roof behind the front lift panels, one red and black and the other yellow and black. I assume one set is to the vent fan and the other is to the solar connector. I was planning to install the SC2030 controller on the front wall inside the cabinet, close to where I have the TM2030, but it looks like I'll need to find and re-route those wires. Can anybody tell me which is which and, more importantly, where the solar connector wires terminate? I'll ask FourWH too, but they're probably pretty busy these days.

And thanks, NRV, for you response about VHB and the link. As you can see from the above, I haven't yet installed the panel (in fact, I'm waiting right now for "ONTRAC" to deliver it), but I'll post an update once I do.
 
Sedro F. Woolley said:
As you can see from the above, I haven't yet installed the panel (in fact, I'm waiting right now for "ONTRAC" to deliver it), but I'll post an update once I do.
Click to expand...
Got it; thanks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads - WTW

J
Circuit Protection in Typical Camper Power Systems
Jon R
J
Z
2006 FWC Electrical Issue
Wandering Sagebrush
Wandering Sagebrush
R
Rear solar SAE port
Deancamp
D
C
Requesting Hawk Shell Build Opinions re: Fridge and Lower Bed
Wandering Sagebrush
Wandering Sagebrush
D
2024 Improvements to 1966 8' NCO Alaskan
Denver Alaskan
D

New posts - WTW

Back
Top Bottom