Two 50 watt Sunpower

jnfrombigt

jnfrombigt

Senior Member
RV LIFE Pro
Joined
Feb 2, 2019
Posts
712
Location
North Augusta
Finished this today. Have Andersen connectors for two additional portable panels that gives me 310 watts total. Head for southeast Utah in 12 days to see if all this stuff works. Can't wait!!!:)
 

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Nice neat install. Please update us on your results. Btw, what are those little doohickies that stick to the roof and hold the wires? I need to buy some but don’t know what to search for.
 
Thanks for the link. Have you had good luck with them staying stuck? I had some one time that came loose. Maybe I didn’t prep the surface properly.
 
GregWCIL said:
Thanks for the link. Have you had good luck with them staying stuck? I had some one time that came loose. Maybe I didn’t prep the surface properly.
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I was just providing an example of what they are. I haven’t used them in a trailer roof application yet myself but from my experience the type with regular backing will undoubtedly fail. If it were me I would find ones with VHB backing and bury them in Dicor sealant as AM Solar does.
https://amsolar.com/rv-mounting-accessories/92c-ratt
 
https://youtu.be/uJIEXhnF8MU

This is the install video that I used. Instead of the lattice caps for the leading and trailing edges, I used Eternabond. He tested it and it worked. I'm about to do a trip over 4,000 miles and I'll find out then for sure. Wish me luck:-[
 
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GregWCIL said:
Nice neat install. Please update us on your results. Btw, what are those little doohickies that stick to the roof and hold the wires? I need to buy some but don’t know what to search for.
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The "doohickies" I used seemed very secure but as "Rubicon327" pointed out, I have doubts about how they will hold up over time exposed to the elements. I did cover them with a product I've used before for additional security. My experience with VHB tape in a hot humid environment hasn't always been good. Bryan on YouTube "RV with Tito" placed small strips of Eternabond tape over the "doohickies" and that seemed to work. I think a coat of something like Dicor over the mount base would do fine. When I get back from this trip I'll know what works and what doesn't, hopefully.
 
rubicon327 said:
I was just providing an example of what they are. I haven’t used them in a trailer roof application yet myself but from my experience the type with regular backing will undoubtedly fail. If it were me I would find ones with VHB backing and bury them in Dicor sealant as AM Solar does.
https://amsolar.com/rv-mounting-accessories/92c-ratt
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I’m in total agreement. Doing extra work up front often pays.
 
jnfrombigt said:
The "doohickies" I used seemed very secure but as "Rubicon327" pointed out, I have doubts about how they will hold up over time exposed to the elements. I did cover them with a product I've used before for additional security. My experience with VHB tape in a hot humid environment hasn't always been good. Bryan on YouTube "RV with Tito" placed small strips of Eternabond tape over the "doohickies" and that seemed to work. I think a coat of something like Dicor over the mount base would do fine. When I get back from this trip I'll know what works and what doesn't, hopefully.
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I think your Dicor idea has merit. My experience has been on farm equipment in extreme dirt and vibration environments. In all cases the bond gradually loosened from the edge and dirt/dust worked its way in. Dicor might help prevent that and add a little adhesion of its own.
Do they sell that in small tubes you might easily apply before your big trip?
 
I used a similar product from Amazon but in white:
https://a.co/d/j1t5YXM

I did not use Dicor or anything else, as I prefer the cleaner look and easier access to the attachment points (e.g. for cleaning around them). I was just extra careful and thorough on the surface prep (like I was with my panel attachments), and thought I would see how they do. So far I have well over 10k miles in all kinds of weather and temperatures, including a winter uncovered in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Haven't had any fail yet...that said, I did just arrive in Florida and I haven't gone up there to check them since before I left on this trip...better add that to my to-do list for tomorrow!
 

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TahoeJoe said:
I used a similar product from Amazon but in white:
https://a.co/d/j1t5YXM

I did not use Dicor or anything else, as I prefer the cleaner look and easier access to the attachment points (e.g. for cleaning around them). I was just extra careful and thorough on the surface prep (like I was with my panel attachments), and thought I would see how they do. So far I have well over 10k miles in all kinds of weather and temperatures, including a winter uncovered in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Haven't had any fail yet...that said, I did just arrive in Florida and I haven't gone up there to check them since before I left on this trip...better add that to my to-do list for tomorrow!
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My father smoked cigarettes all his life and never died of cancer.

It's not "If" but "When". From all the reading I've done, unless you use Dicor your VHB tape will eventually fail. Water gets to the tape and slowly loosens the tape. There is a picture somewhere on the web showing the one side of VHB tape on the bracket and the other side of the tape on the roof. The bracket separated because the thin product between each glue side absorbed water, degraded, and let go. Lack of Dicor and improper prep are why so many taped panels fail.

Dicor is not a neat product to work with, but you can't see the Dicor when standing on the ground.

I installed our panels to last at least 10 years, not a year or two. However, after a few years I'll realistically fail to check them, but our's have so much more square inches than recommended and proper water protection I doubt they'll fail in that time.

Food for thought,

Perry
 
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Perry Butler said:
My father smoked cigarettes all his life and never died of cancer.

It's not "If" but "When". From all the reading I've done, unless you use Dicor your VHB tape will eventually fail. Water gets to the tape and slowly loosens the tape. There is a picture somewhere on the web showing the one side of VHB tape on the bracket and the other side of the tape on the roof. The bracket separated because the thin product between each glue side absorbed water, degraded, and let go. Lack of Dicor and improper prep are why so many taped panels fail.

Dicor is not a neat product to work with, but you can't see the Dicor when standing on the ground.

I installed our panels to last at least 10 years, not a year or two. However, after a few years I'll realistically fail to check them, but our's have so much more square inches than recommended and proper water protection I doubt they'll fail in that time.

Food for thought,

Perry
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We are not talking about the panel attachments, just the little doohickeys that help keep the wires neat. All of those could fail and my whole system would be fine. And since I got a hundred of them for 12 bucks, I can afford to replace a few in the future. My panel attachments are a whole 'nother story...
 
TahoeJoe said:
We are not talking about the panel attachments, just the little doohickeys that help keep the wires neat. All of those could fail and my whole system would be fine. And since I got a hundred of them for 12 bucks, I can afford to replace a few in the future. My panel attachments are a whole 'nother story...
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Sorry, what one writes and another reads can be different. My bad!

I got most of our cable tie holders from AM Solar, but found the few extras I needed at Lowes for about 1/3 the price. Cable ties, not cable tie holders, are known for UV degrading in the sun. I got UV resistent cable ties, but I'll let you know when mine fail.

I wish we weren't meeting Terry's son, GF and daughter in the next hour when you came over to talk at MRR. You were definitely one of those I wanted to talk to. Hopefully we can meet some time in the future.

Enjoy,

Perry
 
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Perry Butler said:
Sorry, what one writes and another reads can be different. My bad!

I got most of our cable tie holders from AM Solar, but found the few extras I needed at Lowes for about 1/3 the price. Cable ties, not cable tie holders, are known for UV degrading in the sun. I got UV resistent cable ties, but I'll let you know when mine fail.

I wish we weren't meeting Terry's son, GF and daughter in the next hour when you came over to talk at MRR. You were definitely one of those I wanted to talk to. Hopefully we can meet some time in the future.

Enjoy,

Perry
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No worries, and yes the rally was awesome but a bit of a whirlwind for me as I got there late Friday, next year I want to get there earlier to have more time!
 
Perry Butler said:
.... Cable ties, not cable tie holders, are known for UV degrading in the sun. I got UV resistent cable ties, but I'll let you know when mine fail....

Perry
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I searched and found your comment so thought I'd ask...

I was waxing the camper (ugghh) and found several zip-ties securing the solar panel cable bundles had broken, presumably from UV degradation. I went searching for "UV-resistant" replacements but am not finding any life guarantee nor other credible data beyond "UV-Resistant". My trailer is 4 yrs old and if that is the definition of "UV-resistant", I can stop searching and just use what I have!

Did you find a brand that indicated an expected life beyond 4 or 5 yrs? If so, please share.

Thanks,

Mike
 
A lot has changed in the past couple of years: pacemaker, ripped rotator cuff, getting older, etc. In between my last post in this thread the 5.0 was sold and we now have a Bigfoot 25RQ. Like the 5.0 install, I'm using 3M cable ties and non-3M ties from Lowes. Both are covered with self-leveling Dicor. None of the cable ties from AM Solar came loose in the >20,000 miles down the road with our 5.0, and all the 25RQ cable ties from Lowes are still attached (again covered with Dicor) after >14,000 miles.

I am expecting the zip ties to harden and break so I purchased the stainless steel zip ties when my current ties break. Thanks Donna!

The solar panels on the 25RQ are mounted with AM Solar's 3M VHB tape/Dicor, adjustable, solar panel mounts. Our 100 watt panels on the 5.0 were mounted east/west and were blasted with more wind, whereas the 200 watt panels on the 25RQ are mounted north/south, and only the front panel gets wind so the front mounts of that panel had a screw to help hold before adding the Dicor. Of the two remaining panels, one is behind the air conditioner, and the other behind the shower sunroof and then the bathroom vent cover, where they will get little wind, so no screws.

Food for thought,

Perry
 
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Bill and Earline said:
These look great, Donna.
I haven't been on the forum lately, but good ideas like this, will keep me coming back. Just bought a pack
Bill
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You and Perry are both welcome. They're so dang cheap, 100 for 10 bucks, you'd think you were shopping at Harbor Freight :laugh:
 
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