Getting ready to install a solar system on my coach. The only real concern I have is mounting the panels to the roof. I know there are a few people that have had these installed or installed them themselves. I am thinking that the best way is to mount Z brackets attached to the studs in the roof. Cover them with roof sealer. Does anybody have some input or experience installing these. Was thinking about something like these. Any input would be great

http://www.retpower.com/solar-panels/rv-ma...l-bolt-kit.html

Yep that is exactly what I did used the Z brackets and then sealed everything with Dicor Self-Leveling Sealant.
Turned out great no leaks.


http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/...CFRFOgwodJhe2Ew

Both of the Motorhomes I have owned had the solar panel mounted to the top of the air conditioner. The wires then followed the AC lines. Very clean and no extra holes in the roof.

Z brackets and globs of sealant ...

here is a picture of mine
screws and sealant on the textured area, 3M tape on the smooth

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

How ever you attatch them to the roof, put a small amount of the Dicor sealant under the brackets, (if you use screws), before putting them on the roof. I've installed quite a few panels. Some on rubber roofs, and some on fiberglass roofs.

I really want to install some on my TH, but can't find the ones I want, with the money I can muster up.

I just bought 3 220watt 36v panels at Costco. They were originally $599 but Costco had reduced them to $439. I bought a 60amp Solar charger with a remote panel from a shop in San Diego shipped for $614. I'm going to take off the 2 130watt 12v panels and the old 25amp solar charger and put them on my enclosed trailer. With the new panels and the old panels working together (the trailer batteries are connected to the RV batteries when hooked up - making 3 sets of 2X6v battery banks). As soon as the AZ weather cools off (its 110* right now) I will install the panels. Just have to buy the extra brackets and 10 gauge wire.

I used a z bracket, if I did it over again I would use a tilt mount



http://shop.rvsolarnow.com/Tilt-mount-brac...ls-SLB-0103.htm

I considered trying to come up with a tilt bracket design, but couldn't come up with a cheap method to allow one to tilt in all 4 directions. I really haven't spent much time on it, but it's probably doable with some ingenuity.


I'm not sure I like those brackets.

1. They're overpriced, you could make them yourself with a few pieces of angle iron.
2. They only allow you to tilt left or right, not in 4 directions. You'd have to park facing east/west all of the time.
3. I really don't want to climb up on the roof twice every trip to set it up and clamp it back down.
4. If the fasteners come loose while going down the fwy, it's gonna be a real mess, especially if a car behind you gets hit.

Definitely over priced
Here is a design I like better, think if you had them out at the ends you could tilt them in all four directions, maybe not as easily end to end. They would be simple to make. These are way over priced too.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Go-Power-Universal-Sol...=item43a7883b5c

Originally I didn't want to get up there and tilt them either but after seeing what mine put out laying flat and most of the time I am camping for longer periods of time,thought it might be worth it. Especially with the short days during the winter.

Unfortunately there is not perfect scenerio, you will either have to watch what direction you park and climb on the roof or fork out more money for more panels to get the power you need.

When I first installed my system, I bought a 25 amp SolarBoost 2000e and 2 x 155 watt panels. They were rated at a max of 9.6 amps ea. and on a really clear day, I'd see 14 - 15 amps from the panels. This was close enough for me to not bother with tilting the panels. I also usually park north/south, which is bad because my AC partially shades the south end of my panels, reducing output.

About March of this year, I added a 165w panel, and on a clear day I was seeing 22-23 amps. That's pretty much all I need, and really close to the limits of my controller, so I'm not going to spend any money on a larger controller or try to reclaim any more power with tilting brackets.

With panel prices now getting down in the $1.20/watt range (they were in the $5/watt range when I bought my first 2 panels) it's almost cheaper to buy a 3rd 165 watt panel than buy 2 tilting bracket kits, and you'll get a lot more power out of it. I recently installed 2 x 210watt panels for a board member, and we were seeing 19-20 amps in Jan. That's more power than my house uses during the daytime.

Tim, those costco panels are 36 volts? don't know how you would use them on the RV 12volt system