hole in roof for wiring, or through rooflight surround? and gluing flexi panels?

skylinersi

skylinersi

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thinking about solar but dont want to drill roof, so doable, or not?

and.........

dont want to drill into roof to fix panels, so glue them on?, eg sikaflex?


sorry to ask dim questions

ta (y)
 
Sikaflex 512 for my panels but they're not Flexi and some recommend having an air gap below?
 
Much better to drill a hole and fit a proper cable inlet it's the way everyone does it. Also means you can bring the cables through the roof where want them.

Nothing wrong with fixing the panels with Sika, IMO aluminium brackets are best as Sika bonds to alloy better, I use Sika 291i marine grade a bit dearer but much higher holding power.
 
Drilling the roof for the first time is always a big step but once done and a proper entry gland no issues. Same with brackets to hold a fixed panel. Have a read up on the forum and check out videos on YouTube.
Never done Flexi panels, would be a last resort for me, prefer a solid panel with a gap for airflow underneath.

Used sikaflex in past and now puraflex 40 from Toolstation. Just the sealant, no screws.
 
Depends - on a PVC with a metal roof you can screw them in, on fibreglass the screws will be useless.
My current personal thoughts (subject to change) as I've been looking at this:

...is for a flat coachbuilt roof buy fully stuck panels, e.g:
https://www.bimblesolar.com/95w-flisom-flexi-2m
But no idea what to do if you want to take them off one day.

Then for PCV's I'd be tempted to use self tapping screws or stainless butterfly bolts with sealant and/or rubber discs to seal the roof. Patches of even the right type of Silkaflex can pull the paint off if you are unlucky. If you use decent holes and butterfly bolts you have the option to remove and replace with rubber blanking grommets as required (say if you upgrade later).

The alternate is to carry a portable panel - one advantage of this is the ability to angle it right into the sun so your portable panel can be smaller.

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ok, thank you all for the replies, gives me something to think about. My main concern was drilling the roof as frankly the thought of it scares the sh*t out of me:unsure:.

a portable set up i thought about but storing it is an issue as we dont have much room, what with furbert and his accoutrements on board:rolleyes:

I will ponder and mooch further.
 
I do most things to my van but if I’m unsure I get an expert in who has done it before always worth the extra cost and not too much for what you are planning
 
My tip is drill hole in the roof from the inside. You have much more chance of being in the right place.
 
I think most of us were scared initially at the thought of drilling holes in the roof of our vans, especially if new and still under warranty:eek:
But, I just looked at what the dealers and pro's did, and copied them.
I used a 15mm hole saw through the double skinned roof above oven in tech tower unit, picked up solar pre-wires from manufacturer which were up there ready to use, connected up, job done.
I cant see how having done it, that the roof can leak, as I used the proper roof connection box and filled it up completely with Sikaflex and bonded it to the roof. I also used some white UPVC trunking to hide cables from under solar panels to the roof connector box, very tidy.
I used something similar to this:

Best tips: mark position of all brackets with a pencil,remove panels apply masking tape to roof, allowing about 5/6 mm oversize of pencil marks.
Always use some fine wet & dry to scuff up the roof to remove any wax and improve bond where you are going to glue stuff between the masking tape templates you have placed.
I bought some panel wipes from Halfords to wipe off and clean the scuffed surfaces before bonding.
Measure three times! and check panel alignment before drilling, use tiny drill bit first and check location inside van, then when happy drill with 15mm hole saw (should be large enough for 2 6mm cables easily)
Then apply Sikaflex to all brackets, press down firmly and wipe off excess to tidy up seams, remove masking tape when happy, let set for 24 hours before driving to let it cure.
Then you are skilled enough to drill larger holes in the sidewall panels to fit external BBQ points, Electric sockets, maybe even an external shower point:D
Good luck, it will be easier than you think.
Les
 
skylinersi said:
a portable set up i thought about but storing it is an issue as we dont have much room, what with furbert and his accoutrements on board:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

If you have a fixed bed you may be able to hang a thin shelf from it, you only need 25mm of space to store a plexi panel in and it's ready to slide out for action from the back of the van as needed. The shelf can be made of a few bed slats too - they are not that heavy and don't need much support.

The benefit of a portable panel is that you can still plug it into a properly installed MPPT controller but gives you a chance to try out panel size etc. before committing to roof mounting some more expensive panels.

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GPW said:
If you have a fixed bed you may be able to hang a thin shelf from it, you only need 25mm of space to store a plexi panel in and it's ready to slide out for action from the back of the van as needed. The shelf can be made of a few bed slats too - they are not that heavy and don't need much support.

The benefit of a portable panel is that you can still plug it into a properly installed MPPT controller but gives you a chance to try out panel size etc. before committing to roof mounting some more expensive panels.
Click to expand...
I have a 'portable' panel - it's actually a semi-flexible one which I can just prop up when I want to use it, advantage is that it's thinner and lighter so easier to store and move around ... details here:
https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/solar-extra-oomph-required.184980/page-4#post-3041165
I put a connector behind the front cover under the passenger seat - I fitted a ciggy lighter socket on a lead to the solar controller - the socket can be retrieved when needed and will allow me to plug in a portable solar panel in case we need extra input when away on holiday due to our all-electric fridge.
 
I fitted ours so it can be hinged up facing south, this brings the output right back up when the sun is lower.

IMAG1011.jpg
IMAG1010.jpg
IMAG1006.jpg


It's bolted down onto aluminium channel with 8mm bolts, then the small padlocks are just put through as a safety catch.

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GPW said:
If you have a fixed bed you may be able to hang a thin shelf from it, you only need 25mm of space to store a plexi panel in and it's ready to slide out for action from the back of the van as needed. The shelf can be made of a few bed slats too - they are not that heavy and don't need much support.

The benefit of a portable panel is that you can still plug it into a properly installed MPPT controller but gives you a chance to try out panel size etc. before committing to roof mounting some more expensive panels.
Click to expand...


interesting idea, thankyou
 

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