Where to mount solar panels on roof?

Make sure to leave room around the skylights, A/C, and vents for shadows. It appears there are three areas -- the very front, an area between the first row of vents and the A/C, and an area in the back between the A/C and the rear.

Hi Muddy,

No meaningful answer can be given with out some measurements. Panel size? Distance between air conditioner and vent at front? Etc.

Possibly the best way is to use a piece of cardboard the same size as the panels and examine how they fit.

Hard to tell from the pic. Can you drive next to a parking structure or bridge and get a more aerial view? May still need some dimensions. Is there a ladder on the left rear? Is the fridge on a slide? Or do have any idea where the wire drop will be?

+1 for a couple life size cardboards up on the roof when you take the pic.

Is there any factory wiring that you can leverage? I chose to place all of mine near the front of my TT. I did that thinking at some campsites you tend to back into shaded areas. That was good in theory but it probably didn't make much difference. The other factor for staying near the front for me was I could leverage a cabinet in the front bedroom to get my wiring to to the roof and it was close to the batteries. I mounted my controller in the front storage. As mentioned try to stay clear of vents and the AC as much as possible.

No ladder on the trailer. The fridge vent is dead center in the trailer, 3rd vent from the right. My plan is to run the wires through the fridge vent to the trailer frame then up the frame to the front storage compartment and controller. Pic is not the best I will try to get some height but I do have a ton of room on top.

I was wondering if its best to mount them on the flatter part or the sloped front. I was thinking more towards the front as the AC sure could throw some shadows over the panels.

I did get an email from the manufacture informing me the roof is walk on, 16" cross beams and 3/8" OSB sheeting so I really don't have to worry about finding places to drive the screws in. From the local trailer supply place I picked up 2 tubes of dicor and some metal wire clamps so I think I have the supplies.

Mounting on both sides of the roof mounted fan vent would be a great spot. Far enough away from the air conditioner housing and maybe not be getting shadows from it...

You see alot of mounts like this one from google images showing two 100WATT Panels and the 30AMP controller mounted inside the trailer.



Roy Ken

Mounting on both sides of the roof mounted fan vent would be a great spot. Far enough away from the air conditioner housing and maybe not be getting shadows from it...

You see alot of mounts like this one from google images showing two 100WATT Panels and the 30AMP controller mounted inside the trailer.



Roy Ken

The "ideal" locations are where no roof shading occurs, as close as possible to controller with the least distance to battery bank. Choosing a location because of an easy entry point through the roof isn't one of my considerations since there are fittings and methods to lead any top-side wiring through the roof or along the TT's walls to accomplish connections.

IMO, it's s good exercise to plan with future expansion in mind and if the connection to modules will be totally parallel or a series-parallel configuration. If the latter, a roof combiner box makes a lot of sense. Also, depending on your module->controller connections, a combiner box may allow for the easiest spot for diagnosing a solar electric issue.

There are lots of ways to get this done and a good plan going forward will make the physical installation that much easier.

Edit: Also, will you have any of the panels tilted? I live in snow country where tilted panels make a lot of sense, particularly when in storage mode. A tilted panel allows any snow to melt off in a day. A flat panel may keep the snow on for weeks or months.

I even stayed away from the vents like in the pic. Opening the vent wide open can easily cause a shadow,...that even tho its small, can cut a panel's amps by 2/3. I also stayed away from the Batwing, and the Kingdome. My 4th panel (maybe one day) would be near a vent. I made mine to tilt,.....only for staying in one spot a week or more, and in the winter when the sun's arc is low.

If you do get a better pic open the vents and observe shadows at 10a or 3p.