SOLAR ATTACHMENT SURPRISE--NEED SUGGESTIONS
All set to attach the 1st of 2 solar panels. Aluminum roof. Very sturdy. At a vent opening, looked like about 1 1/2 inch plywood. Put a lag screw in and it spun and spun and spun, etc. No grab. Knock...
Forum Discussion
I am going to do much like TECHWRITER reported. Use the edge of the roof where I can see metal supports and attach aluminum UNISTRUT type mounts across the trailer roof. It is also not out of the question of using the sides of the roof for mounting frames to attack my unistrut sections going across the roof. I can do this with ease on the back side of the trailer roof but the front side has the awning attached which may cause some problems. Then I can slide the solar panels across any portion of the roof where the two unistrut rail mounts are located. The unistrut also will raise the panels up off the roof as well.
In my OFF-ROAD POPUP case I will also have a weight problem with my roof electric raise motor with all the extra weight being added by the panels.
The quick mounts using the unistrut will allow me to mount a couple of my panels with ease to the roof after I have raised it. I will make these specific panels my so called portable one where i can move to the ground and keep in the high sun as required during the day if needed.
I am thinking of two 140WATT Panels on the front portion of the roof and one larger 240WATT PANEL across the rear portion of the roof. This will give me around 480WATTS of solar panels to use. Hopefully my solar controllers will give me 14.4VDC at around 20AMPS of DC Current to help charge my 300AH Battery setup during the high sun days. My primary charging method will remain being my 2KW Generator providing power to the 30AMP Shore Power Cable using a RV30A-15A adapter which will use my on-board smart mode converter/charger to re-charge my batteries in as quick of a generator run time as possible... This works no matter what the weather elements are.
Just some of my solar panel install thinking here...
Roy Ken
In my OFF-ROAD POPUP case I will also have a weight problem with my roof electric raise motor with all the extra weight being added by the panels.
The quick mounts using the unistrut will allow me to mount a couple of my panels with ease to the roof after I have raised it. I will make these specific panels my so called portable one where i can move to the ground and keep in the high sun as required during the day if needed.
I am thinking of two 140WATT Panels on the front portion of the roof and one larger 240WATT PANEL across the rear portion of the roof. This will give me around 480WATTS of solar panels to use. Hopefully my solar controllers will give me 14.4VDC at around 20AMPS of DC Current to help charge my 300AH Battery setup during the high sun days. My primary charging method will remain being my 2KW Generator providing power to the 30AMP Shore Power Cable using a RV30A-15A adapter which will use my on-board smart mode converter/charger to re-charge my batteries in as quick of a generator run time as possible... This works no matter what the weather elements are.
Just some of my solar panel install thinking here...
Roy Ken
