Jayco X19H Roof does not support weight of solar cells?

[f150camper]

Hi all!
I am planning on installing a solar system on my 2012 Jayco X19H. In the process, I asked Jayco customer service for roof / wiring plans. Here is their response:

response 1:
"Thank you for contacting Jayco. My records indicate that your trailer did not come pre-wired for any solar panels. At this time, I cannot make any recommendations or provide any prints because the trailer cannot support any solar panels. I’m sorry for the inconvenience."

After asking for more details, I got response 2:
"What I mean by that statement is the trailer is not wired for any solar panels nor can the roof support the weight of the solar panels. Please see the attached roof print."

Has anybody heard something like that before? Are they saying this to avoid liability issues, or is this real?
Wondering if anybody has installed solar panels here on a Jayco Hybrid TT.
Thanks for any responses!

[CincyGus]

Sounds CYA to me. If you have 1/2" Plywood laminated to foam, the screws should hold. If you have Wood trusses in some sections, that would be the ideal mounting point obviously. You're not risking warranty and I'm confident you will be fine in either situation as far as roof structure. If you don't have trusses to screw into and will just be going into the 1/2" plywood, buy some extra mounts and put 8 on each panel to add some additional strength instead of just 4 if that makes you feel better.

[allen8106]

The roof support a heavy a$$ air conditioner, I assure you it will support the panels. It's a liability issue for Jayco.

[opnspaces]

keeping the panel on the roof is not a weight issue but an attachment issue for wind getting underneath.

Change it up and open a new ticket and ask Jayco if there are wood trusses or what is under the roof deck allowing you to walk on it. See if they will send you a diagram for where the trusses are, or you can probably figure it out by the amount of flex underfoot while you're up there.

If wood trusses I would say it;s standard CYA and you can mount them.

[f150camper]

dougrainer wrote:
What Jayco means is, the Roof on a Hybrid is designed with certain Stress supports. They install supports for the roof AC weight which is about 100 pounds. The roof will indeed hold 250 lbs of a person. I weigh 250 and have been on countless Jayco Hybrids doing roof and AC work. What Jayco is stating is standard CYA language. Even tho your unit is way past warranty, Jayco will not state what to do and will just discourage you from doing it. There is no problem installing Solar Panels on your Jayco. Doug

That was my first thought also.
There was so much snow on that roof two years ago that a couple solar panels would add literally nothing compared to the snow load.
What I am not 100% sure about is the screws holding the panels down at highway speeds, but most likely that would be ok as well.

[dougrainer]

What Jayco means is, the Roof on a Hybrid is designed with certain Stress supports. They install supports for the roof AC weight which is about 100 pounds. The roof will indeed hold 250 lbs of a person. I weigh 250 and have been on countless Jayco Hybrids doing roof and AC work. What Jayco is stating is standard CYA language. Even tho your unit is way past warranty, Jayco will not state what to do and will just discourage you from doing it. There is no problem installing Solar Panels on your Jayco. Doug

[Lwiddis]

And the heat goes where, MDK? Just touch a solar panel in a SoCal summer and you’ll see.

[MDKMDK]

f150camper wrote:
Hi all!
I am planning on installing a solar system on my 2012 Jayco X19H. In the process, I asked Jayco customer service for roof / wiring plans. Here is their response:

response 1:
"Thank you for contacting Jayco. My records indicate that your trailer did not come pre-wired for any solar panels. At this time, I cannot make any recommendations or provide any prints because the trailer cannot support any solar panels. I’m sorry for the inconvenience."

After asking for more details, I got response 2:
"What I mean by that statement is the trailer is not wired for any solar panels nor can the roof support the weight of the solar panels. Please see the attached roof print."

Has anybody heard something like that before? Are they saying this to avoid liability issues, or is this real?
Wondering if anybody has installed solar panels here on a Jayco Hybrid TT.
Thanks for any responses!

If weight is the only issue, what about going "Flexi"? Here's an example, and according to the vendor, their 100W panels only weigh....
https://www.zampsolar.com/100watt-flexi
Couple of heavily caulked screws at the corners, and some 3M adhesive or Eternabond tape, and you're good to go.

[f150camper]

I know that I can walk on the roof with no issues, 225lbs.

The roof plan states: 1/2 Plywood Laminated to 1" Foamular. Plywood on interior side of roof.

Not sure what exactly that means.
But yes, a portable panel would eliminate the wiring concerns, LOL. 🙂

[Lwiddis]

Portable panels....set up in the morning (my roof mounted panels are already working.) Move with the sun, watch for theft. (Roof mounted panels aren’t stolen) Take down and stow for lunch in town. (Mine keep charging) Return from lunch, set up panels again. Move with sun, watch for theft. Take down and stow for night. Yes, portables are great...$300 for 100 watts!

[wanderingaimles]

Does the roof plan state what the base material for the roof is? 3/8" plywood or possibly some foam based material that will not hold fasteners well enough to ensure the panels don't pull out when reaching highway speeds.

They may have used something like a masonite panel which could make your panels pull the fasteners when they try to lift due to wind passing along the roofline.

[CA_Traveler]

Probably best to take their advice and use portable panels.

Apparently if it was wired for solar the roof structure would be different.

[BFL13]

You can still do portable solar, plus that eliminates all those wiring issues.

[4x4van]

While they may not approve of a person walking on the roof, if the roof cannot support the weight of solar panels, I'm not at all impressed with the build quality of your trailer.

[Lwiddis]

Yes, Winnebago said that to me in 2014 but it does have a walkable roof, so it was baloney.

An RV solar project starts with an energy survey (either actual use or desired use). What was your survey result in amp hours?