How are your solar panels mounted?

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.

I opted to lay them flat. Went to hardware store and bought a 4 foot piece of angle aluminum. Used the chop saw to make uniform size brackets about 2 inches each. I screwed them into side of panel careful not to screw into the panel only the frame. Applied a generous amount of Dicor roof sealant flipped it over and placed on roof where i wanted it. Once screwed in I covered the screwed head and around he outside of the bracket with more Dicor. Never a leak mounted 6 panels that way. Highway speeds no problem. Charging no problem.

PS attach your wire or at least a long enough pig tail to make the electrical connections.

Considering mounting a panel to my existing roof rack (nervous about drilling into roof).

Anyone seen this done? Good idea? The only con I see is possibly aerodynamic as it will be riding 6-8" above the roof.

AJ, I love VHB tape. I can see it working on hard surface roofs. Still wouldn't be my first choice.

But you're in a travel trailer forum. Other than the Airstream and a few others, not many have solid rigid roofs. We just need to be clear about where it is appropriate. In my opinion your concern over roof penetrations is a little overblown. I doubt if Airstream uses VHB to secure anything to their roof. And doing so would be a real money saver. I suppose they've never heard of it, right? LOL.

"I might see using tape if you've got a solid material roof, like sheet metal or fiberglass."

yes, might? no. 100% the VHB tape is effective on a fiberglass or metal roof. rubber roof, then you have to use other methods. The tape may or may not stick to rubber, but issues arise as to how well the rubber is stuck to the roof. I have not used any method on a rubber roof and don't claim anything about rubber roofs, just fiberglass and metal, nothing more.
Clean the surface before applying. It will take up to 24 hours for the bond to reach full strength.

If someone has not used VHB tape and just has opinion, then take it at that.

Having used VHB tape for a lot of applications, I can attest that it is quite adequate. I have removed it many times also; it takes a lot of force to pull it free. I bet you could hold the panels on with as little as two thumb size pieces. I have always had to use a 1500 degree heat gun to melt the chemical bond to remove pieces, and then it takes a scraper or a lot of pulling.
If you drove down the road at 110 mpg with a person hanging on the panel for dear life it would probably still hold just fine. I think the roof would rip off before that tape let go.
I'm not sure why there is opinions of its strength, but I just wanted to clear it up, as it is a great resource for RVers. Tuck it away in your bag of tricks.

Of course, other times might call for screwing things in, and many here seem to be big fans of screws into fiberglass or metal, and that is fine. Each has his preference.

Used the Renogy mounting kit along with well nuts and some rv sealant.

bpounds wrote:

here it is.

Thanks this is the panel,
I uploaded with your Imgur link!


It's not the best way to put them.. it isn't aerodynamic but neighbors are always friends!

Twistedlarch wrote:
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?

The panels are screwed to my roof with Dicor sealant under and over the feet (mounts)

I'm running panels and mounts from a company in Oregon: www.amsolar.com

They have the best mounting system I have seen, and they have stuck with that mounting system for many years. I had them install my panels in 2011. This video shows my system.

Thanks! I've got lots of ideas to work with! :)

I think I'm going to mount them flat with the ability to easily remove them in case I'm in a situation where the sun won't hit the trailer.

Most of my camping is done in Oregon's High Desert, so the tree canopy's usually allow for plenty sunlight.

ajriding wrote:
Yes, all those holes. All roof penetration points are potential leak points.

The tape, if applied correctly, will not fly off.

I am guessing you never did this on a rubber roof have you?