When a solar panel blows off - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Problem Solving | Owners helping each other
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 10-17-2015, 01:47 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Ruthe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Highland Park, New Jersey
Trailer: Escape 19 February 2014
Posts: 975
When a solar panel blows off

I know there have only been a few solar pnels that have blown off. Does anyone know whether these were fairly new solar installations or if they'd been on the trailers for awhile.
Ruthe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2015, 04:52 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
FMLNM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Trailer: none
Posts: 737
There is a lengthy thread discussing this:
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f3...-off-5742.html

Ours was the incident that started the thread I referenced. We have a 2008 5.0 Classic. We bought it used in 2013 and had the solar panel installed by ETI when we purchased the trailer. The panel had been on for almost 2 years when we lost it in a wind storm.

I think an earlier incident involved a fairly new trailer on which the panels were secured with tape...not epoxy, likes ours was. Now ETI is bolting them on as the standard installation.
__________________
Fran & Dave Albuquerque, NM
2013 to 2022 had a 2008 Escape 5.0 Classic
2011 Frontier Crew Cab Short Bed Pro4x
Sold both 7/22
FMLNM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2015, 05:27 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia
Trailer: 2008 Escape 17b
Posts: 1,868
I'll never understand why anyone would install a solar panel using just 'double back tape'.
J Mac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2015, 06:14 PM   #4
Commercial Member
 
tractors1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 - "Felicity"
Posts: 2,945
Quote:
Originally Posted by J Mac View Post
I'll never understand why anyone would install a solar panel using just 'double back tape'.
Because it's easy! It's backing up to find it on the roadway that's difficult.....
__________________
Charlie Y

Need custom storage to your design? Don't drill holes!
www.RVWidgetWorks.com
tractors1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2015, 07:57 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Ruthe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Highland Park, New Jersey
Trailer: Escape 19 February 2014
Posts: 975
Fran & Dave -- thanks for the reminder. Terry and I were talking and he was wondering whether the solar panel problem was one that would show up immediately. Obviously that is not the case, so we'll have to get serious about fixing it.
Ruthe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2015, 08:15 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
FMLNM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Trailer: none
Posts: 737
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthe View Post
Fran & Dave -- thanks for the reminder. Terry and I were talking and he was wondering whether the solar panel problem was one that would show up immediately. Obviously that is not the case, so we'll have to get serious about fixing it.
And some trailers may NEVER have a problem - there are many Escapes on the road for years now that have had no problem. Like I said, we found ourselves in a severe windstorm. We had been in storms before and we live in an area where we have strong winds right here at the house.. sometimes more than 80 mph. There is always strong wind when driving but this time it just was the right combination of circumstances (wind direction, wind speed, epoxy fatigue, etc) and off it went. The bottom line is that the bolt-on solution is supposed to be more a more secure method of keeping the panel on the roof and it is certainly worth checking your panel regularly (along with A/C shroud and other stuff on the roof) to be sure everything is still ok.
__________________
Fran & Dave Albuquerque, NM
2013 to 2022 had a 2008 Escape 5.0 Classic
2011 Frontier Crew Cab Short Bed Pro4x
Sold both 7/22
FMLNM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2015, 08:43 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Greg A's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19 "Seventy Degrees"
Posts: 3,495
Good advice Fran n Dave. Not only checking stuff on the roof, but walking the entire trailer every time you stop and checking for anything out of whack. Propane tank covers blow off, steps get left extended, retractable roof antennas get left up, 7 pin connectors get drug down the road, not too mention all the things inside the trailer that don't get secured properly. How do I know?
Greg A is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2015, 09:11 PM   #8
Commercial Member
 
tractors1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 - "Felicity"
Posts: 2,945
My understand from corresponding with ETI is that the blow-offs were primarily 19s under strong cross-wind conditions.
__________________
Charlie Y

Need custom storage to your design? Don't drill holes!
www.RVWidgetWorks.com
tractors1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2015, 07:32 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Ruthe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Highland Park, New Jersey
Trailer: Escape 19 February 2014
Posts: 975
Unfortunately we can't predict when we'll be in a cross wind situation -- although we have been in some pretty strong winds. I think our hesitation with having it done is needing to find someone we can trust. This is when it's hard to be so far from Chilliwack.
Ruthe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2015, 06:29 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
C&G in FL's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthe View Post
Unfortunately we can't predict when we'll be in a cross wind situation -- although we have been in some pretty strong winds. I think our hesitation with having it done is needing to find someone we can trust. This is when it's hard to be so far from Chilliwack.
Rutherford, are you regarding finding someone trustworthy to install the ETI "fix?" It really isn't hard to do, I did mine in an hour. If you are not comfortable doing it, I think I would find a local RV repair SMALL business. Not someplace like CW.
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
C&G in FL is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2015, 07:01 PM   #11
Site Team
 
Donna D.'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Portland, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 11,023
Quote:
Originally Posted by J Mac View Post
I'll never understand why anyone would install a solar panel using just 'double back tape'.
One of the best parts of following ALL the all-molded-forums is reading the good parts and the horror stories. There's a number of people on FiberglassRV that have installed everything from solar panels to awnings using nothing but GOOD double-sided tape on the exterior of the trailers with zero issues.

As far as I can tell 2-4 failures is an anomaly (unless that's ME).

But you know what... tires fail too, even the kind everyone says is the best.
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward
2014 Escape 5.0TA
Donna D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2015, 07:27 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Ruthe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Highland Park, New Jersey
Trailer: Escape 19 February 2014
Posts: 975
Carl, glad you mentioned that because we had thought about taking the Escape to Camper World, and weren't really excited about that. So I'll look around for someone local.
Ruthe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2015, 09:09 PM   #13
Commercial Member
 
tractors1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 - "Felicity"
Posts: 2,945
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthe View Post
Carl, glad you mentioned that because we had thought about taking the Escape to Camper World, and weren't really excited about that. So I'll look around for someone local.
Camping World I use has always been reasonable in cost (often the lowest bid of 3 local places) and done good work, and I'm a picky retired engineer.

Probably depends on the service supervisor at each one. I'd take a copy of the kit instructions from ETI over and get bids on the work, then attach the copy to the work order before you sign the paperwork. Then they have specific instructions to do the job right.
__________________
Charlie Y

Need custom storage to your design? Don't drill holes!
www.RVWidgetWorks.com
tractors1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2015, 05:49 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
C&G in FL's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthe View Post
Carl, glad you mentioned that because we had thought about taking the Escape to Camper World, and weren't really excited about that. So I'll look around for someone local.
Ruthe, also sorry about my post. Didn't notice that auto correct had changed Ruthe to Rutheford. Sometimes I hate that auto correct feature.
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
C&G in FL is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2015, 08:03 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
cpaharley2008's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
Before my last trip, I washed the trailer and inspected my solar panels. The curb side was tight but I could see day light coming under the street side, not good. I found my ETI kit and followed their instructions. I marked the bracket a,d drilled my first hole. You can feel it go thru the fiberglass and then wood. Inside was a tiny hole. I inserted the bolt and had someone hold the nut on inside as I tighten down the bolt ( I applied a lot of the sealant around the hole on the outside in a continuos loop) when I tighten down, the excess was squeezed out. I then attached the bracket to the panel and it is solid. Did the other three, attached the interior caps and went off camping. Took about an hour.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
cpaharley2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2015, 08:16 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
kstock11's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 895
My kit came with the rivets (not bolts). What have been others experience with setting the rivet with a hammer? According to instructions, it will take a fair amount of force. My fear is using too much force and breaking through the fiberglass.
__________________
Kevin
Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything - Charles Kuralt
kstock11 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2015, 08:28 AM   #17
Senior Member
 
cpaharley2008's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
Quote:
Originally Posted by kstock11 View Post
My kit came with the rivets (not bolts). What have been others experience with setting the rivet with a hammer? According to instructions, it will take a fair amount of force. My fear is using too much force and breaking through the fiberglass.
Maybe Escape can provide you with the bolts in lieu of using rivets. I agree, the bolt system is easier to maintain the right amount of force.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
cpaharley2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2015, 09:11 AM   #18
Senior Member
 
Ruthe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Highland Park, New Jersey
Trailer: Escape 19 February 2014
Posts: 975
Thanks for these details on dealing with the solar panel -- I'm sure not all Camping Worlds are the same. And probably we could (at least Terry could ) do it ourselves with some help from our carpenter friend. And don't worry about my name getting changed -- I figured it was something like that.
Ruthe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2015, 10:01 AM   #19
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia
Trailer: 2008 Escape 17b
Posts: 1,868
Quote:
Originally Posted by Donna D. View Post
There's a number of people on FiberglassRV that have installed everything from solar panels to awnings using nothing but GOOD double-sided tape on the exterior of the trailers with zero issues.
Zero issues so far but they will one day because 'double back foam tape' dries out. And when it dries out, it releases. It's not like butyl tape. Mounting a solar panel with 2 strips of double back foam tape then subjecting it to exterior weather conditions at 60 mph (should) seem wrong at the get go.
I'd be interested to hear a follow up on anyone that installed an awning with double back tape.
J Mac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2015, 10:07 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
kstock11's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 895
I would expect that the "awnings" mentioned are the small ones that owners place over windows as opposed to our "full awnings" that we would definitely not attache with double back tape. (Just my thoughts)
__________________
Kevin
Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything - Charles Kuralt
kstock11 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:45 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.