Securing Solar Panel Wires

[Jon R]

I’m finishing the solar installation on my new Grandby. It has two Renogy rigid panels on the roof wired in parallel, so I have wires and some fairly large wye connectors under one the panels. I can zip tie the wires to the panel frames to some extent, but I can’t eliminate all contact of the wires and connectors with the roof. Is there some kind of Weather proof tape anyone can recommend to attach wires to the back of the panels? They are less than an inch above the roof so the wind velocity while driving probably won’t get very high.

 

[Vic Harder]

Amazon.com: EternaBond RoofSeal White 4" x50' MicroSealant UV Stable Seam Repair Tape | 35 mil Total Thickness EB-RW040-50R - One-Step Durable, Waterproof and Airtight Repair: Industrial & Scientific

 

[Wallowa]

I used these when adding second panel...so far they are working great and really cleaned up the installation..

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JMSWNC8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Used 3M adhesive side not screws...

 

[ckent323]

I presently have two 100w solar panels on my camper roof (soon to be replaced with a single LG 360 w panel I bought a week ago). The panels are mounted to 1" high x 1-1/2" wide aluminum square tubing which is in turn attached to the yakima racks on my roof. This puts the panels high enough to avoid any shading from the roof vents as well as create air space under the panels for heat dissipation.

My solar cable entry gland is under the front solar panel. It is a SunPower gland that has retention clips for the connectors. However, the wye cable and cables from the second panel are laying on the roof in an open area between the two panels. I did not tie them down and they are not tied to each other with cable ties. As far as I can tell they have not moved in three years of use.

 

[Jon R]

Thanks for the suggestions. That tape suggested by Vic is impressive, but I’m a bit intimidated by its permanence because, being new to this, I may change things in the future.

 

[Jon R]

Here’s how the two 200 watt Renogy panels fit on the Grandby.

 

[JaSAn]

I just used Dicor Caulk (same stuff I used over the screw heads and around the vent) in a couple of places to 'glue' the solar wires down to the roof.

 

[ckent323]

ramblinChet,

I bought a single LG NEON 360 watt panel from CED Greentech in Ventura, CA (they have many other locations - click on the contact location tab top right of the web page)).

https://www.cedgreentech.com/

I called and told them I wanted a single residential size panel between 350 and 400 Watts for a camper. They gave me several options with the LG panel being the most expensive but is higher rated for quality and has lower degradation rate than the Q-cell panel. Available panels will vary by warehouse location. The Panasonic panel had less power than I wanted. These panels all have the 40" - 41" wide x 67" long configuration.

Here are the choices I was offered:
QCELL Q.PEAKDUOMLBLKG9+380 380W DUO BOB MODULE $220.12
LG LG360N1C-N5.AUS 360W BOW MONO MODULE $309.88
PANISONIC VBHN330SA17 330W MONO BLK/WHT $281.71

380 watt to 405+ watt panels are available in the 41" wide by 80" long configuration.

Raven, Hawk, Grandby and Keystone roofs are 80" wide. The other FWC campers are only 75" wide.

Panels up to 450 watts are available in the 41" wide by 83" long configuration. (these dimensions vary by manufacturer). These panels are wider than the camper roof and would probably need to be mounted along the length of the roof but roof vents might be an issue due to the width of these larger panels.

I am sure there are other Solar Panel distributors out there. If none close by try calling installers to see if they will sell you a panel. Maybe they can add a panel to one of their orders for larger quanty.

Shipping cost of a panel would drive the cost of a single panel too high I think.

For reference I did a comparison of multiple single panels vs a single large panel vs weight. A single large panel is the way to go.

Here is a link to the spreadsheet I posted:

https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/21016-what-are-the-measurements-of-the-roof-vent-locations-on-your-camper/#entry245183


Good luck.

 

[Big Al]

If you decide to use Eternabond for this, or any application, I suggest that after you're done with it, that you run a bead of clear silicone around all the edges. If you don't, the edge of the adhesive will be exposed and after awhile it will show up as an unsightly black crud around the exposed edges of the tape.