14 Solar Installation Questions!

[Otter]

Originally Posted by Mark B1

Thanks. I am deciding if I will leave a gap or seal it tight. I notice on 3Ms site there were examples of the tape used on trailer and building panels providing both a bond and a seal. My background is Aeronautical Engineering and we used VHB in structural applications including some external installations for things like vortex generators where we did not want to install fasteners. It is definitely strong enough but surface preparation is key. I think it will be easier to remove than Eternabond if panel replacement is ever required.

I almost used Eternabond because of Jim's install on 5.0TA, but thought this looked a little cleaner. You are correct in that prep is key. We have camped off grid up to ten days and our old 100 watt portable kept us going even with running heater so this should work fine. I believe this the same way NuCamp does installs on T@B's, and it does look good.

Good luck
Bill

[ColoradoSwany]

Bill & Mark: What width VHB tape did you get? And BTW, I hope I will be able to find isopropyl alcohol for my project given the COVID-19 hoarding!

[Otter]

Originally Posted by ColoradoSwany

Bill & Mark: What width VHB tape did you get? And BTW, I hope I will be able to find isopropyl alcohol for my project given the COVID-19 hoarding!

One inch, and good luck with the alcohol. I retired from the grocery business and talking to friends I'm glad I am.

[Mark B1]

Originally Posted by ColoradoSwany

Bill & Mark: What width VHB tape did you get? And BTW, I hope I will be able to find isopropyl alcohol for my project given the COVID-19 hoarding!

I am using 3/4 inch which is more than strong enough based on 3M data, and I plan to go around the perimeter. I am also going to put a few pieces in the middle to help keep the panel flat. Going wider will give you an even a higher margin of safety but it will be more work to remove if you ever have to change the panel. Note that VHB 5952 and 4950 are 1.1 mm (.o45 in) thick which helps compensate for any variances between the two surfaces. I would not recommend a thinner tape.

I don't know about down there but in Calgary Costco had IPA this week.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by ColoradoSwany

Bill & Mark: What width VHB tape did you get? And BTW, I hope I will be able to find isopropyl alcohol for my project given the COVID-19 hoarding!

One place worth looking that the hoarders may have passed up is on the paint thinner shelves at your hardware store. They sell 100% alcohol; you should cut it 50% with water.

[gbaglo]

Maybe you could just attach a new panel on top of the old one, instead of removing the old one.

[ColoradoSwany]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

On the Lensun panels and accumulator tank installs ! We were at Quartzite too and the 3 60 watts were all we needed and solar had us back up before noon each day with needing to use heater to keep us warm and showers every night . The accumulator tank really is also a great improvement especially for quiet running . Pat

Pat, I am trying to decide if I want to engineer some air flow under my panels. It gets pretty hot here, with intense sun, but I see your record highs in Ventura County are within one degree of ours. I don’t think you have any air gap, correct? Do you store your camper outside and uncovered? We cover only in the winter. If you store outside and uncovered and are still doing fine, then I will keep it simple and seal up without gap.

[RJV]

I finally did my solar install last year after trying to answer every question known to man about solar installations in RV's . I'm not sure I ended up much smarter than I started.
Anyway.. this is what I ended up with and and I've been very happy with the result so far. I used Eternabond and indeed wondered what I'd do should I ever have to replace a panel but I decided i couldn't solve that problem before it arose. I cleaned and dried the roof and left no gaps for "airflow" thinking that in our northern climate they'd be gaps for water to enter instead.

[ColoradoSwany]

Originally Posted by RJV

I finally did my solar install last year after trying to answer every question known to man about solar installations in RV's . I'm not sure I ended up much smarter than I started.
Anyway.. this is what I ended up with and and I've been very happy with the result so far. I used Eternabond and indeed wondered what I'd do should I ever have to replace a panel but I decided i couldn't solve that problem before it arose. I cleaned and dried the roof and left no gaps for "airflow" thinking that in our northern climate they'd be gaps for water to enter instead.

Looks good, Roger! 80 watt panels? What charge controller?

[RJV]

Originally Posted by ColoradoSwany

Looks good, Roger! 80 watt panels? What charge controller?

I used an EPSolar Tracer3215 BN charge controller. The Panels are Lensun's and are 65 watt. I had wanted to install the 80's but fortunately just before ordering them I crawled up on the roof to confirm the amount of real estate I had to work with and found out that I couldn't accommodate them. (Do yourself a favour and confirm that minor detail)!


R

[Mark B1]

Originally Posted by RJV

I used an EPSolar Tracer3215 BN charge controller. The Panels are Lensun's and are 65 watt. I had wanted to install the 80's but fortunately just before ordering them I crawled up on the roof to confirm the amount of real estate I had to work with and found out that I couldn't accommodate them. (Do yourself a favour and confirm that minor detail)!


R

I have my 80W Lensun panels waiting to install, but I have put them in place on my 19 and they are going to fit in 3 places. They come close the the radius on the roof but not too it and lay flat.

[RJV]

Another detail pops to mind as I recall my research. I had selected a bunch of cable tiedowns and zapstraps (the white ones) only to learn that the ones I chose would not stand up to Ultraviolet. I had no idea these things were made in a version that are designed for exterior applications (the black ones).

[ColoradoSwany]

Originally Posted by RJV

Another detail pops to mind as I recall my research. I had selected a bunch of cable tiedowns and zapstraps (the white ones) only to learn that the ones I chose would not stand up to Ultraviolet. I had no idea these things were made in a version that are designed for exterior applications (the black ones).

Good tip! I had bookmarked white ones that were not rated for exterior use. Found proper black ones now. This forum is great!

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by ColoradoSwany

Pat, I am trying to decide if I want to engineer some air flow under my panels. It gets pretty hot here, with intense sun, but I see your record highs in Ventura County are within one degree of ours. I don’t think you have any air gap, correct? Do you store your camper outside and uncovered? We cover only in the winter. If you store outside and uncovered and are still doing fine, then I will keep it simple and seal up without gap.

Hi Ray ! Yes our trailer is stored outside and it can get pretty hot here sometimes .last week for a few days even now we were almost at 100 .we are now back in comfortable 70 ‘s .
No no air gap and I did seal the whole perimeter. I was concerned if I left corner open water getting underneath . We bought the Lensun panels with the fiberglass backing which for us looked to be a good 1/4 in in thickness .
I just replaced our 6 volts this year getting almost 7 years out of originals . We do have a Calmark cover but haven’t put it on and like that the solar charges the batteries all the time .
We have Victron solar charger for solar . We also have a folding portable but since adding the Lensun bring it along but haven’t needed at all . We were at Quartzite and especially the nights got pretty cold , windy ,and needed the heater . and we both shower and the solar worked great . We also brought our Honda generator just in case and never needed it . We were boondocking in the desert from 5 days . So far very happy with the Lensun . And such a simple install with the tape ! We have 3 60 watts panels . Hope this helps . Pat

[ColoradoSwany]

Thanks, Pat! Makes me feel much more comfortable about completely sealing the panels.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by ColoradoSwany

Thanks, Pat! Makes me feel much more comfortable about completely sealing the panels.

Your Welcome Ray !Pat

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by ColoradoSwany

Thanks, Pat! Makes me feel much more comfortable about completely sealing the panels.

Ray yes used the black connectors. Also cut a square from the tape and fold in half , cut a enough center out to push the middle connector through . I didn’t trust the tape alone on the connectors to hold . Pat

[ColoradoSwany]

I finally got up the courage to install three Lensun 80w panels and a Victron controller last month! The system seems to be working well. I will post pictures soon, but thought I would reply to my own 14 questions to assist anyone else who may wish to install their own system.

Originally Posted by ColoradoSwany

Semi flexible panel installation questions

I had planned to take a camping trip to Chilliwack next week to have ETI install solar. Border is closed, so now with nowhere to go, I am just sitting here working up the courage to follow others’ (e.g., Jim Bennett and brother) examples and install semi-flexible panels myself. Probably three Lensun 80 Watt panels (37”x21”, black with fiberglass backing) wired in parallel with a Victron SmartSolar 20a controller.

We have a 2017 Escape 19 with the solar pre-wire option, so should not be a big challenge, but I have several questions for those of you that have already done this. Some questions may sound a bit dumb, but bear in mind that I was a professional desk jockey and only a minor shade tree mechanic with no solar or electrical experience and I prefer not to reinvent the wheel.

1. What gauge does Escape use for the solar wiring? I know it is under our driver side dinette. Looks like the cap they have on the wire end reads 10awg, but it sure looks bigger than that to me and I did not have a tool with me to measure when I was out to storage yard. TEN GAUGE WIRE IN THE SOLAR PREP PACKAGE.
2. Did you install a cutoff switch (and/or a fuse) between the panels and controller? If so, please share info or link to buy. INSTALLED RENOGY 20A FUSE BOXES ON BOTH SIDES OF CONTROLLER https://www.renogy.com/20a-30a-40a-6...se-set-w-fuse/
3. Did you install a fuse between the controller and the batteries? If so, what size, type, etc. SEE #2
4. What did you use to secure your panels? VHB tape? Eternabond tape? Both? Something different? Why did you choose your particular securing product? (One concern I have is getting the adhesive cleaned off, should I need to replace a panel. Looks like they are all a PIA to remove.) USED VHB TAPE (5952-1/2”) TO SECURE PLASKOLITE SHEETS TO ROOF AND PANELS TO PLASKOLITE WITH 6”-8” SECTIONS OF ETERNABOND (3”) ON PERIMETER FOR EXTRA SECURITY.FOUND YOUTUBE VIDEOS ON REMOVAL OF EACH ADHESIVE. SHOULDN’T BE AWFUL, SHOULD REMOVAL BE NEEDED.
5. Did you leave any gaps for air (and water?) to get under panels for cooling? Why or why not? USED PLASKOLITE CORRUGATED PANELS BETWEEN SOLAR PANELS AND ROOF WITH SOME GAPS ON EDGES FOR AIR CIRCULATION
6. How did you secure your solar cables to the roof? USED BLACK 1”SQUARE ZIP TIE MOUNTS WITH 8” BLACK ZIP TIES
7. What special electrical tools were required? I am thinking that this set looks pretty good: https://www.amazon.com/IWISS-Crimpin.../dp/B07BFT3B4V USED KLEIN TOOLS WIRE STRIPPER (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-To...063W/204660476) AND BOUGE CRIMPING TOOL (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1) AND SOLAR CONNECTOR SPANNERS (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
8. Did you order longer than required connection cables and cut to custom length, or just secure the excess on roof? (I know if cutting cable, I will need custom tools like those linked above, to install new MC4 connectors.) ORDERED 20’ LENSUN 10 GAUGE CABLE (RED & BLACK) AND CUSTOM CUT LENGTH. ONLY NEEDED 10’. CABLES ATTACHED TO PANELS ARE 32 INCHES LONG.
9. What supplies did you buy/order? (I will try to get everything online and avoid in-person shopping.) BLACK 8” ZIP TIES, BLACK 1” SQUARE ZIP TIE MOUNTS, 5 PAIRS MC-4 CONNECTORS, ONE PAIR 1F2M & ONE PAIR 1M2F ADAPTER CONNECTORS AND RING CONNECTORS FOR FUSE BLOCKS (FROM LOCAL ACE)
10. What did you forget to buy initially? FORGOT NOTHING, BUT DID NEED TO REPLACE ITEMS. HAD TO REPLACE CHEAP STRIPPERS WITH KLEIN TOOL. BOUGHT MILITARY GRADE COPPER RING CONNECTORS THAT WILL NOT WORK WITH HAND CRIMPERS. WENT TO ACE TO GET WORKABLE CONNECTORS.
11. Did you buy anything you did not need? SEE #10
12. Given the option of a do-over, what would you do differently? ONLY GET 10’ OF TEN GAUGE CABLE (10’ EACH, POSITIVE & NEGATIVE CABLES AND CORRECT STRIPPER AND RING CONNECTORS.
13. Any special comments/considerations. NOTHING TO ADD.
14. And lastly, what the heck are the two silver & black doohickeys with the wires attached, also under my driver side dinette seat? Picture attached. 30A BREAKER.

[ColoradoSwany]

Some pictures.

[ColoradoSwany]

BTW, I really love the Victron smartphone app! This is a stealth system as nothing shows from the exterior (at ground level) and there are no additional gauges showing in the interior. All I need to know and more, are right on my Bluetooth app.

And a side note on the installation: I do not like being on a ladder, so I bought a 13’ long aluminum scaffold, each end of which sits on ladders. That 14” wide scaffold made the roof work much more tolerable for me and it will come in useful for waxing the roof. Additional good news is that I now have less roof to wax.