Lost solar panel

Manic

Manic

Joined
Nov 4, 2011
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Just saw this on Facebook
F1A84EC6-40AF-4C9F-9337-F07FBB4754AD.jpeg
 
Our friends came off in France, landed corner down in a field. Crazed badly, took it home and fitted it and it worked perfectly.??
 
Manic said:
Just saw this on Facebook
View attachment 370123
Click to expand...

So was that just a bad install?

I plan on fitting one myself in the next month or so, using Sikaflex (or similar) without screwing to the roof.

Many forumites say that with the correct prep that will be more than sufficient.

Certainly I don’t want my new panel ending up as a companion to that one!
 
I would think with the right prep it should be fine. Mine are just bonded on.

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Amazing, he did such a good job with the camouflage on that stealth motorhome - but that new solar panel just gives the game away.
 
Last edited:
ShaKen said:
So was that just a bad install?

I plan on fitting one myself in the next month or so, using Sikaflex (or similar) without screwing to the roof.

Many forumites say that with the correct prep that will be more than sufficient.

Certainly I don’t want my new panel ending up as a companion to that one!
Click to expand...

If done properly the glues are fine but you cannot be certain the paint bond underneath is, and that's always the risk when using glue alone imho using bolts is sensible and adds massively to the integrity of the install.

There is seemingly also huge variation on the quality of the ABS brackets being used, ABS is not UV stable or Frost proof and I suspect thin cheap ones could easily be prone to stress cracks. personally I would use metal brackets.

Large chunks of paint from on the floor of my Crafter had peeled right off the base metal when I removed the ply floor! Just imagine the consequences if the roof had been the same!

One panel coming off is one to many imho, but more and more are being reported, eventually one of these 20KG frisbees will kill someone.

My concern is even if the paint is sound many people clearly don't understand how (or when) to use these glues properly and it's those botched installs that are probably failing.

I confess, I am in the bolt them on camp. I prefer using Unistrut and proper Solar Clamps not just for safety but because of the flexibility such a system offers.

Some examples of my own Solar installs and tilt panel ideas are here.

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Funnily enough I almost did an impression of burying my van in mud in my field last week. I just wanted to turn it around and the front end sunk right down to the axles. Fortunately I had a customers van here to haul it out with!
 
ShaKen said:
So was that just a bad install?

I plan on fitting one myself in the next month or so, using Sikaflex (or similar) without screwing to the roof.

Many forumites say that with the correct prep that will be more than sufficient.

Certainly I don’t want my new panel ending up as a companion to that one!
Click to expand...
A mistake some make with the plastic brackets is using the wrong Sika one of them either 212 or 512 is not suitable for plastic.
I always use aluminium brackets and marine grade Sika i291.
 
Always Sika mine on with no problem. I rub down the area on the roof then wipe with Sika activator and stick on using tile spacers under the feet to make sure not to squeeze all the Sika out.
 
So how does one tell if the plastic brackets are “good” ones or “cheap” ones? ie whether they are UV stable and of sufficient quality to stay the course.

And does anyone have a source / recommendation for Aluminium aero profile brackets that are large enough for a 99cm width panel?

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ABS is not UV stable but that can be mitigated by simply painting them.
Somebody posted some pics of some really substantial brackets a few weeks ago on another thread about a panel tearing off another van, they looked really thick and chunky!

This is the kind of product you really need to be able to see before buying and bear in mind a lot more should be used to secure a large heavy panel than a relatively light weight 100w one.
 
Hopefully not something we should have a problem with. The solar panel on the Rienza is an old type with an alumium frame bolted to the roof bars.
We did have a panic moment in an orchard campsite in France when a branch became wedged under the panel. It took a couple of roundabouts to get the apples from under the panel but apart from a mark on the corner of the Luton it survived.
 
Duckato said:
ABS is not UV stable but that can be mitigated by simply painting them.
Somebody posted some pics of some really substantial brackets a few weeks ago on another thread about a panel tearing off another van, they looked really thick and chunky!

This is the kind of product you really need to be able to see before buying and bear in mind a lot more should be used to secure a large heavy panel than a relatively light weight 100w one.
Click to expand...
Any particular paint recommended?
 
I use lengths of 60 x 60 aluminium angle screwed to the panel and bonded to the roof utilising tile spacers underneath to ensure a good even 4mm layer of sikaflex remains. without the spacers the sikaflex is pushed out by the weight of the panel

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