How are your solar panels mounted?
How do you all have your panels mounted on your roof? Does anyone have a set up that allows you to angle in any direction to maximize sun exposure? Thanks Brian
Forum Discussion
6-8 inches is high. Is this at the front or the rear of the roof?
It still might be protected somewhat by the roof turbulence.
Look up some photos or videos of how air flows over a vehicle roof of a trailer. The air will hit the front, then make a high arch over the first 5-6 feet (who knows...) of the roof then descend back down closer. The air next to the roof will always be turbulent, so your panels, if in the turbulent air, will not be hit with highway speed forces.
An aero camper roof would have a large bubble on top of the front half or third of the roof to match this air flow shape, not flat all the way. You see some class-c campers like this.
I would never drill holes into my roof unless I had to, but that's me, but as other mention, you can do so and never have leaks. It just requires attention to monitor the state of your sealant, and re-application of Lap sealant as needed. If you need to drill then do what you need to do.
On a note about the wires.
I used little plastic wire holders from Radio Shack. These are 1.5 inch square plastic pieces with a wire hold on top where you can zip tie a wire to, and pre-installed foam tape under. Meant for stereo systems in your house probably, but works on the roof. This keeps the wires from moving, and is a little neater than using Lap sealant to spot weld it down.
Important also: I then cover all the wires with wire loom. This protects the wires from the UV light. I used white to stay cooler, but black will work too. Cover anything that is exposed to the sun. This will keep wires from cracking over the years since the panels are supposed to last up to 20 years.
It still might be protected somewhat by the roof turbulence.
Look up some photos or videos of how air flows over a vehicle roof of a trailer. The air will hit the front, then make a high arch over the first 5-6 feet (who knows...) of the roof then descend back down closer. The air next to the roof will always be turbulent, so your panels, if in the turbulent air, will not be hit with highway speed forces.
An aero camper roof would have a large bubble on top of the front half or third of the roof to match this air flow shape, not flat all the way. You see some class-c campers like this.
I would never drill holes into my roof unless I had to, but that's me, but as other mention, you can do so and never have leaks. It just requires attention to monitor the state of your sealant, and re-application of Lap sealant as needed. If you need to drill then do what you need to do.
On a note about the wires.
I used little plastic wire holders from Radio Shack. These are 1.5 inch square plastic pieces with a wire hold on top where you can zip tie a wire to, and pre-installed foam tape under. Meant for stereo systems in your house probably, but works on the roof. This keeps the wires from moving, and is a little neater than using Lap sealant to spot weld it down.
Important also: I then cover all the wires with wire loom. This protects the wires from the UV light. I used white to stay cooler, but black will work too. Cover anything that is exposed to the sun. This will keep wires from cracking over the years since the panels are supposed to last up to 20 years.
