About to drill through the roof to mount solar panels- tips?

Plenum cable is designed to not put out harmful smoke IF it burns. Seeing as this is in a camper, it probably won't matter as a fire is going to be right there, not 3 or 4 floors away with the smoke moving throughout the building via the ducting.

For people who use the fridge vent, would I have to use plenum rated cable because it is being routed what is pretty much a chimney flue?

Unisolar is no longer in business and there is no warrantee. They are amorphous Si cells and not as efficient in watts/sq ft by about half. They are however, more resistant to shading and lay right on the roof.

My only other comment is not to use Dicor sealant. I personally wouldn't use it for anything on anything. If you want a permanent seal, use 3M 5200 or the Sikaflex equivalent. If you want a bit less bond strength and UV resistance (to keep the sealant from yellowing in the sun) use 3M 4000 UV. Or you could use Dicor, then do it again next year, and again the following year....

I used the Unisolar 68-watt ones for my TT and they were OK but if I had to put additional panels on my TC I wouldn't get them again. They are really big for the amount of power they produce, and are difficult to handle when you are trying to stick them on. Because they are so big, they were usually partially shaded and that really affects the power output. They have also gotten a lot more expensive in the past 2 years for some reason.

Make sure when you drill through the roof that there are no wires underneath. I found out the hard way. My TC does not have a fridge vent so had to find an alternate location for the combiner box I found a spot above the plumbing chase to drill through except that I was unlucky enough to hit a pack of about a dozen wires. Knocked out my AC the speakers and cable lead. Wasted about 4 hours splicing the wires back together again. It has been over a year and there have been no leaks.

This is why I purchased uni-solar flexible solar panels that stick to the roof. I was able to position one 68 watt panel down each side for 136 watts total with no holes through the one piece aluminum roof on my Lance Squire Lite. No worry about leaks or flying solar panels going down the road.

805gregg wrote:
You have a Lance get in touch with the factory and they can send you a roof framing plan so you can hit structural members

Good plan- I could use a wiring diagram as well. I've postponed my install until later this week anyhow- dang allergies.

Great ideas in here, folks- duly noted and many thanks!

Golden_HVAC wrote:

Nice to see someone else that uses security bolts, like I do. With my remote boondocking and leaving my truck and camper for 10 to 12 hours, at times, I like creating more problems for people taking off with my things that are left out in the open. Solar panels are very popular and might prove tempting for some.

b

MontanaCamper wrote:


am looking into solar panels, I really don't want to void my warranty, this seems less voidable....but I guess anything you do is voidable...

thanks for the pics and link

You are welcome! It just seems to make sense; if there is a way to mount solar panels to a roof without punching holes in a membrane that the manufacturer took great pains to keep from punching holes in, then that would be the way to go. Mine have been installed for over a year now and do not seem to have any problems with the adhesive holding this down.

You have a Lance get in touch with the factory and they can send you a roof framing plan so you can hit structural members