Solar panel placement

Nutinelse2do wrote:
Are we going to cause a problem for ourself if we place a solar panel raised up over the toilet vent? Should a couple inches of clearance be enough?

No problems on mine. Couple of inches would be an overkill, 1 inch or 3/4 inch will be enough. I would say "1/8" but big panels could flex in the middle under their own weight, so it might end up resting lightly on the vent (not really rubbing, just resting). Not that rubbing against the vent would cause much damage. The bottom laminate of the panel looks to me more durable than PVC material of the vent cap.

My panels were installed in such a way that could be tilted to the sides, so access to the vent is not an issue. Majority of people here use two-piece Z-brackets or rails anyway, so removing the panel in (unlikely) event of servicing the vent is still possible.

My raised panel choice was determined by:

1. The best panel location involved one panel over a vent. That dictated that the immediate adjacent panel be at the same level. It then made sense to also raise the rear panel.
2. Removing a few bolts would allow the panel over the fan to swing up for vent service. Or just remove all the bolts. Not intolerable to me.
3. Less A/C shadows was a benefit. Essentially rig orientation is not a factor. This is not a major factor as early morning/late afternoon sun is limited anyway for flat panels.
4. Air flow for raised panels when driving and/or storms was not a factor. 20K miles and 2+ years with no issues. Plus air flow when stopped is a benefit for hot temperatures.

Of course I could run the fan to cool the panels - Oh wait! That would take more power than saved. :h

There are many different choices with solar to improve our camping experience.

I personally would avoid it, especially if the solar panel ends up being the highest point on the roof. That's more just my preference than anything; the panel should not cause any problems from the point of view of having functional plumbing. On the off chance that you need to clean a blockage out of the vent pipe, you obviously would need to temporarily move the solar panel for access.

I'm not a fan of solar panels much more than a couple of inches above the roof.

Click for a list of member solar installs.

Thanks for the link CA Traveler. Great set up!

Mine is higher for the vent and to reduce A/C shadows.

See the 4th picture. Click.

It will be fine as long as it's not rubbing.

Bill