Removing Yakima tracks and current solar panel from one piece roof

[DonC]

I have a 2012 Fleet with one piece roof. I'm looking to remove the factory installed Yakima tracks, which I've never used, and the current 80w factory solar panel which is mounted on an aluminum rack. All this stuff is screwed into the roof.

Has anyone removed these things, or other stuff from their one piece roof? If I do this what is the best way to seal the resulting screw holes? I live in southern Calif and spend most of my time in the desert, so I don't deal with a lot of rain, but am I asking for trouble by doing this?

I need to make room for much more solar - probably the flexible Renology panels. I'd like to get 200w on my roof.

 

[DonC]

I just had a thought. Would it be possible to mount the renology flexible panels to piece of aluminum (or some other material) that has a bunch of holes drilled in it for air circulation, and then mount that to the Yakima tracks with an L bracket or something? That way I only have to remove the current solar panel which is just a few screws. This would be much lower profile than the current factory installed solar panel and might have an advantage of giving some air circulation under the flexible panels rather than glueing directly to the roof - the Yakima track would keep them a half inch or so off the roof.

 

[BFH4N]

Hi DonC,

What you propose in your second post is pretty much what I am planning to do on my Fleet, which came with the Yakima tracks. I was thinking of a sheet of something - aluminum, PVC or even thin plywood - with the solar collector glued (or whatever) to it and attached to the tracks. If the substrate could be a little bigger than the collector, then it could just be bolted right through to the nuts in the tracks, elliminating the need for brackets. Your idea of holes in the substrate is a good one. It would reduce the weight and maybe improve the heat transfer. The rest of this theory is that the solar collector could be removed from the roof and propped up on the ground if the camper is parked in the shade. There might be room for two collectors: one behind the rear vent and one in the middle, between the vents. The forward panel would have to be raised a little, because the connector would be beneath it.

I haven't done this, mind you - it's just a fantasy - but it's good to hear someone else thinking along the same lines. I hope to get around to this in the Spring. Let us know what you do.

- Bernard

 

[deethe]

do the panels your talking about doing this with have junction boxes on the front or back of the panels?

flexible panels installed directly on the roof would seal the holes from the racks and be more secure aerodynamicaly

 

[longhorn1]

Why not change the 80 watt to 100 watt panel and get another 80 or 100 solar in a bag? Do you have the solar plug? I came so close to getting the tracks and I realized I would never be putting anything on the roof and pulled them just days before I placed the order. I have 100 watt on the roof and the solar plug. I was considering the wind generator, but since we don't usually stay more than a couple of days in one place, I would have to disassemble the threaded pole and storing the unit with the large fins looks to be more of a pain in a__. Now I'm planning on getting the 80 watt solar in a bag, so I can angle the panel, and periodically charge the camper while it is store for the winter. JD

 

[Hodakaguy]

I just had a thought. Would it be possible to mount the renology flexible panels to piece of aluminum (or some other material) that has a bunch of holes drilled in it for air circulation, and then mount that to the Yakima tracks with an L bracket or something? That way I only have to remove the current solar panel which is just a few screws. This would be much lower profile than the current factory installed solar panel and might have an advantage of giving some air circulation under the flexible panels rather than glueing directly to the roof - the Yakima track would keep them a half inch or so off the roof.

This is the approach we took with our VW Van, we used aluminum which has cooling cutouts removed from under the panels as the panel support. I'm running 330W of flex solar (three 110W flex panels) with the setup. Not only does this setup provide cooling to the panels it also provides shade to the van itself, Once the panel setup was installed the inside of the van is noticeably cooler when parked in the sun. Although this setup has worked perfectly on the van I'm thinking it might be a little heavy on the roof of the FWC, maybe you could use a different lighter material or just run higher pressure pop shocks?

Here's a couple pics of our setup, the design could be modified to mount to the Yakima channels.

Hodakaguy

 

[DonC]

Why not change the 80 watt to 100 watt panel and get another 80 or 100 solar in a bag? Do you have the solar plug?

Switching my current panel to a larger one is an option but the thing is placed right in the middle of the area between two vents. I may need to remove it to get room to put two. Solar in a bag? I did get the extra plug, just in case, and I have thought about it. But I'm not sure how that would work for me. I'm often gone during the day sunrise to sunset and parking at trailheads during the day where it could potentially get stolen if I set it up - I guess I could just lay it on the roof. Plus I lose all the solar time while driving. Also the issue of where to store it.

 

[DonC]

This is the approach we took with our VW Van, we used aluminum which has cooling cutouts removed from under the panels as the panel support. I'm running 330W of flex solar (three 110W flex panels) with the setup.

Very cool! How did you attached the solar panels to the aluminum?

 

[Hodakaguy]

Very cool! How did you attached the solar panels to the aluminum?

The panels are screwed down to the aluminum with small self tapping screws and washers around the edges of the panel. I pre drilled the holes in the panels and then made a small starter hole in the aluminum, then just screwed them down. This makes for a nice secure mount and the panels can be easily removed if needed.

Here's a picture during installation that shows the mounting screws.

 

[DonC]

thanks!

 

[photohc]

Hodkaguy, who fabricated the aluminum mount for you? Very nice job on the fit and finish!

 

[Hodakaguy]

Hodkaguy, who fabricated the aluminum mount for you? Very nice job on the fit and finish!

A local fab shop with a water jet cutter fabricated the aluminum backing panel as well as cutting/bending the brackets to the proper angles. Any shop that is local and has a water jet cutter should be able to fabricate something similar.

Here's a link to my build thread with more info on the solar setup: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=802924&page=47

Hodakaguy

 

[photohc]

A local fab shop with a water jet cutter fabricated the aluminum backing panel as well as cutting/bending the brackets to the proper angles. Any shop that is local and has a water jet cutter should be able to fabricate something similar.

Here's a link to my build thread with more info on the solar setup: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=802924&page=47

Hodakaguy

Thank you for the build thread. Amazing job on the install! I can imagine a nice panel on my Hawk.

 

[DonC]

Hodaguy - what thickness of aluminum did you use?