Preventing Portable Solar Kit from growing legs

Fishbreath wrote:
I used a cable lock alarm for years. I just tried to post a URL, but it is not working.

Google search Cable Lock Alarm. Look for the 50 foot version. If cut, it will sound a very loud alarm. It runs on a 9 volt battery.

(I searched for the 50 foot version and had no luck, but they do make one.)

30 or 60 foot cable alarm
Here

You can temporarily roof mount your portable by using a tray that itself is held to your cargo rails if you have them, and the A/C shroud's metal base. Bungee cords work for that.

In the photo here, that's the way it stays driving down the road at highway speeds, no problems at all. Wires go down the fridge vent same as for a nailed down type installation, except to have disconnects at the roof for when the panel is elsewhere (like in a stand on the ground)



You can also use ski-racks like for your car that go to the rain gutters each side, except you have to use two to reach across the wider RV.

With a truck camper, you can put the tray up front on the roof and pass ratchet straps around the whole front end of the camper to hold the tray in place on the roof.

From the OP, this topic is growing legs!

FWIW, this is a quote -

"What are the main misconceptions about tapes and adhesives?

Even now, 30 years after 3M’s very high bond (VHB) tapes were introduced (see this Tomorrow’s World video from 1985), people still don’t believe the performance levels that can be achieved, not only against mechanical fasteners but also against welding. The fact that we are ‘sticking’ panels on buses, roofs on lorries, windows into buildings, heads onto golf clubs, is still a surprise to many people. There are also misconceptions about the performance of mechanical fasteners given the effect that long term flexing can have on their integrity, let alone the risk of corrosion, nor are the design benefits of smooth, unblemished surfaces, tapes and adhesives provide, immediately recognised."

from this Website:

https://www.vikingtapes.co.uk/blog/category/construction/

This was claimed in a description of industrial double-backed tapes I'd read years ago.

I believe it was one of the many 3M Very High Bond tapes being talked about. One of their tapes is what I would most likely use for permanently fastening solar panel mounting brackets to a smooth (fiberglass or aluminum) RV roof:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RTUo9AtIq0&feature=youtu.be

There are also Ultra High Bond tapes that are available ... but I don't know if 3M offers UHB tapes:

http://www.indasol.co.uk/#/uhb-structural-tape/4523846617

"the same material that they use to glue windows onto high rise buildings)."

In my over 34 years of commercial/industrial construction, I have yet to see windows taped/glued to a highrise???

I bought the suitcase a week ago, this is the one I got. Renogy 100 watt suitcase
Of course they dropped the price $20 today.
I don't have room for additional panels as I have no storage space, and my roof has no space either. My MH is only 22 feet. However, I can buy an additional 50 watt panel like those in my suitcase kit and store it under the dinette with the suitcase.
For now, I will probably just use a 2 of 1/2" aircraft cable 5 foot bike locks to secure the panels. Probably put an alarm on it.

My plan is to use flexible panels due to their inherent light weight, but still attach them slightly up off the roof's surface to keep heat build-up in the panel to a minimum.

Here's how:

- Use aluminum or stainless steel brackets that I glue onto the roof's fiberglass surface using 3M's super strong double backed tape (the same material that they use to glue windows onto high rise buildings).

- Stretch tight and screw (using stainless steel screws) onto the brackets a metal mesh (made of aluminum or stainless steel).

- Screw the flexible solar panel down to this metal mesh (using stainless steel screws/washers spaced about 10" apart all over) - being of course very careful to only put the screws through areas in the solar panel material where there are no circuit components.

This approach will keep an air space under the panel for cooling and keep the whole assembly light weight and with a low wind profile for minimum wind stress on the double-backed tape while going down the road and in high winds when camping.

Maybe a crazy idea to keep from putting holes in our roof while at the same time keeping overall solar panel assembly weight and wind resistance very low??

I believe the flexible panels can be "mounted" without screw holes...

wbwood wrote:
I like both the mounted and portables. I like the mounted for the simple part that they are always out there. I don't like them that you do not get the maximum use of them. You can't park under a tree and get the effectiveness as you would in full sun. I like the portable because you can put them and point them directly to the sun. I also like the fact that I can get a couple of batteries and keep in my garage and pull out the solar panels to use at home during times that our power may go out. Of course the fact that they are more easy to steal and you will have to constantly move them around during the day for optimal performance, is a pain. Do like technomadia does...800 watts on the roof and 600 watts portable. But then you will also want the lithium battery bank they have...lol

That's definitely the way to go - both permament solar on the RV roof and a portable solar setup ... so that you have the best solar arrangement to deal with all situations. We drycamp in both the shade and the sun, and we find that most of our shade camping is done where noise is a big deal, so then solar is often preferred over use of even our very small and very quiet generator

However, regarding roof solar ... I'll never install it on our RV if holes must be put into the roof. I've thought out an approach for permanent roof solar on our rig that does not require holes in the roof for mounting and will most likely use it in the future.

I'll most likely put together myself a portable solar system so as to get a setup with an MPPT controller instead of a PWM controller, and then install the MPPT controller back at the RV next to the batteries instead of hanging it out on the panel.