Solar Install on Roo 23SS roof

phoneguy1212 wrote:
I have given this a lot of thought and came up with the idea of putting my panels on top of my TV which has a topper and ladder rack so I can lock them down.
...

I do that. Look at my profile pic and you will see the frames of the solar panels on the van.

Also, the panel on the ground is now on the TT.

HTH;
John

I have given this a lot of thought and came up with the idea of putting my panels on top of my TV which has a topper and ladder rack so I can lock them down. I think they would wonder off if I just had them on the ground. When I park I want my trailer in the shade always,so no reason to mount on top of the trailer. In the back of my truck would be my battery bank and inverter and I plan on a heavy 100 feet cord to plug into the shore power. Just in case I have to park the truck away from the trailer for sunlight. I'm not trying to run the microwave or air with this setup hence always park in the shade. The least solar watts will be 400 watts and 12vdc. At least that's the plan in my head. I may be dreaming here but if the shore power is on isn't it charging the house battery anyway. If so I could always jump the house battery to my bank as an added charge source. Oh and I dream in color also. Welcome all thoughts.

I would recommend the rails along the edge of the roof. I installed my solar panel with just 4 z brackets and lag bolts directly into the roof. No leaks, and I was careful with dicor and eternabond to seal it. But I always thought proper rails would have been a cleaner install.

an quick update. I did call forest river today, and as Chuck thought, the roof is constructed of laminated foam- no joist. There is an exception, if it has AC (which mine and most do), there are 2 aluminum joist that run across the roof- one just in front of the unit, and one just behind.

His suggestion for mounting solar is to install rails on the roof directly over the walls, and run beams across- this was somewhat my plan anyway, although was going to mount uni-strut directly to the roof. If I take their suggested approach, I won't be able to achieve 5 degree slope (this will only be a problem when camping- in storage the nose sits high).

I'll take a look this weekend to see if I can use the joist for the AC- but I believe the AC unit itself will cause to much shadowing.

I'll be sure to take pics once the install process begins.

Marc

There are no joists in the Roo roof that I'm aware of. The roof, like the walls is foam core construction. The walls are all one piece, the roof is a series of panels with a membrane sealing the top. Pull the trim off the ceiling vent in the main cabin to see the construction. All the wiring runs within the laminate so any fasteners need to not hit the wiring.

Anything on the roof will eventually cause the roof to leak at the fasteners unless you can bond it flush and flat on the roof. Sticking up 15° will just cause it to buffet in the wind when driving and cause problems. And you have to run the wiring someplace too.

Stuff to keep in mind.

-- Chuck

Hi marc,

Adding new jars to old may almost certainly require bank switching to isolate one set from the other. Otherwise the old ones will become parasites to the new ones. That is not a bad thing, but it does complicate your life.

I'd use expanding "blind" hollow wall type fixtures. What is under the "skin" on your Roo?

I have six screws on each of my four panels.

Thanks Don, you are 2 steps ahead of me, I was considering buying a cheaper PWM controller until I could get what I wanted, so you answered that before I had to ask (any MFG recommendations?). I'll give the 12V some thought, I have been happy with my Trojan's, and would ideally like to just add vs replacing...

Back to my OP- any ideas on roof construction for the 23SS? Or should I not bother looking for a joist, and just screw directly into the roof?

Marc

Hi Marc,

Another thought. Instead of 4 sixes consider two AGM? My personal preference would be for 12 volt jars. The AGM would do well with a 2k inverter. You would not have as many amp-hours of storage, but a 200 amp load on four sixes is going to eat their capacity up fast.

Hi Marc,

I'd buy an elcheapo pwm controller that will tolerate the 24 volt input. Then you can save for the Rogue in the future--and use that money earmarked for a controller to buy the extra panel!

Once you have the Rogue the pwm can be kept as a back up--or sold on ebay.

The other alternative is to go for the Morningstar MPPT 60 amp unit--that would allow for future expansion up to 800 watts. It is more fully features than the 45 amp unit--and is more efficient. Yes, it is a few bucks more, but it also allows for more expansion.

One other alternative is to buy my Blue Sky 3024di. I'm going to have to upgrade when I add the additional panels.

My own panels (4) are in series/parallel. Some folks do go all series, but the "conventional" wisdom is that parallel is a better choice.

If you plan on a combiner box get one big enough to allow you to switch from parallel to series?

Thanks Don, I just might have to put a financial proposal to my CFO..... lol

I have been waiting on Rogue to release their new controller as I have read good reviews on their 3024, I was planning to wire the 2 panels in series (so I can use 10AWG wire or so).

Is series a good plan, or do I loose power if one panel is in shade? It wasn't clear to me from the other posts.

I spoke briefly with Mark at Rogue yesterday, sounds like the new controller is another month or 2 away, not sure I can wait that long. any other recommendations? My long term plan is 2x 235W sharp panels, 2000W inverter, and 4 T-105 6V batteries (currently have 2 6V).

thanks again
Marc