Community Forums

PaulStafford · 06-05-2022, 12:15 PM

I'm about to install 3 x 210W panels on my 22FQS, and it appears there's quite a few mounting choices.

I would love tilting mounts for efficiency, but too much hassle.
There are stick-on mounts, but I simply don't trust them long-term.

There are a couple flavors of brackets:
1) the one piece z bracket, sold by windy nation, Renogy and others.
These mount the panel close to the roof - low air resistance, but bad if you need to get to the bolts holding the panel to the bracket
2) "smart feet" (rv solar store) which allow adjustable standoff and easy removal for maintenance etc.
3) ? any other alternatives folks like?

Any good/bad experiences?

Teakmtn · 06-05-2022, 01:01 PM

Paul, I wouldn't ignore the advantages of tiltable panel brackets. I have 2, 170 w panels mounted with the standard Z mounts. We spent a few weeks in AZ this past February with a group of fellow ORV units. Those that had tiltable panels had a marked advantage in solar capture. I have since purchased an additional 170w panel and will mount with such mounts purchased from AM Solar. They are great to work with, they will answer all questions via phone and help you sort which mounting hardware your particular panel and coach requires. At sometime in the future I will retrofit the other 2 panels with tiltable mounting hardware. It really can make a huge difference, especially if you camp in the higher latitudes.

Passin Thru2 · 06-05-2022, 05:59 PM

Although I used the 3M tape to mount my solar panels on my Airstream Van (metal roof) I do not believe the tape is recommended on our fabric roofs.

Our roofs have a good plywood base to screw into. Mine are all mounted with the Zamp feet.

rkloud9 · 06-05-2022, 11:23 PM

I second the AM solar recommendation re: mounting feet and the tilt hardware they offer. Lots of options for mounting feet, and the tilt bars are simple to set up and use, as long as you don’t mind getting on the roof to set up and take down. If you are thinking of wintering in the desert, the tilt increases power yield at least 25-30%.

Hope this helps!

Bob.

vsheetz · 06-06-2022, 12:21 AM

Put down Unistrut rails other roof. Mount panels directly to the rails or use tilt brackets on the rails.

Even if not tilting in usage, the tilt bracket makes easy access to wiring and for roof cleaning.

Consider to mount the panels with risers to help mitigate any self shading.

Vintage465 · 06-06-2022, 08:40 AM

I mounted my panels with "well nuts", which are something like a "removeable pop-rivet-bolt" if you can visualize that. It's an extremely stout mounting system. Which sort of brings up the necessity of whether or not you need something this stout. It is said that due to the way the wind hits the front of your coach heading down the road that the majority of the air actually goes right over the top of the panels and not really under the panels creating a "lift between the panel and the roof"....but having said that, I'd never feel compfy with a double stick tape option. And I have to say, we've traveled better than 50,000 miles with ours since 2015 and not seen a panel on the side of the road and I've only seen one "mysteriously missing" and that was on a rental coach. I feel real good about having mine securely mounted. I think a compromise would be to mount the front of the panes stoutly and just use 1/4" stainless into the plywood on the back panels. I used Dicor non-leveling caulk under the brackets and self leveling on the top. Compared to butyl putty tape, the non-leveling caulk gives a super convincing squish and you can be assured that a leak is virtually impossible. I would only use tiltable panel bracketing if I could power/remotely tilt them. I never lack for power with my fixed units, but then again, I'm alwas looking for sunny sites.

Dave Pelletier · 06-06-2022, 09:17 AM

I use the zamp feet and #10 x 3/4" SS screws with Dicor over and under. I wouldn't use any tilting brackets myself......maybe if I was staying in one spot for a long time otherwise I'd just add another panel if necessary.

2 cents,
Dave

Over here · 06-14-2022, 09:59 AM

^^^ what Dave said

TimtheToolGy · 06-14-2022, 09:48 PM

I had tiltable panels on previous camper and never used the tilt function even though I camped in the middle of winter for up to 10 days at a site.

To make most advantage of them camper has to be parked with a certain orientation.

Agree with Dave.

MTranch · 06-14-2022, 10:05 PM

I found that a stud finder works well to locate the rafters. Then you can use 2" screws to attach the brackets. I don't see any downside to attaching to the rafters.

fcbbob15 · 06-14-2022, 10:13 PM

I mounted my panels to 1-1/4" square aluminum stock that is mounted to Z brackets every 2 feet. The Z brackets are mounted to the roof with 3M VHB tape and one stainless #8 × 3/4 screw. I then covered the area with Dicor. A aluminum sheet was curved and attached to the front panel with front edge sealed with Dicor to deflect the wind when driving. This mounting allows more airflow under the panels. No leaks no noise.

Bobby F · 06-14-2022, 10:19 PM

Lots cheaper and easier than tilt to just pay for an additional solar panel and mount them all flat. I have enough issues sometimes getting the rig oriented without worrying about my noon azimuth being perfect for panel tilt.

I'm flat-mounted with the Z-brackets. Works well, good air flow under the panels. Only downside (with mine, at least) is that to pull up a panel, I need to remove the fasteners that go down into the roof. I'd prefer to leave that connection and unbolt somewhere else on the bracket, but I can't - the bracket-to-panel fasteners aren't reachable when mounted.

Dave Pelletier · 06-15-2022, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTranch

I found that a stud finder works well to locate the rafters. Then you can use 2" screws to attach the brackets. I don't see any downside to attaching to the rafters.

No downside that I can see; just not a necessity on the ORV's due to the 3/8" thick plywood roof sheathing. I wanted to match the location of the mounting feet and fasteners to the factory unit on the other side of the trailer.

Dave

KenZ71 · 06-15-2022, 05:33 PM

Understanding this post is mostly aimed at certain RVs was curious what the consensus would be if there were 4” trim pieces around the roof that effectively shielded AC from view and consequently also would shade panels.

In this scenario would I be better putting the panels on risers so they are flush with the trim top? If yes I could cover the AC units with solar - would that be I'll advised?