Well I finally got around to fitting solar panels to my pop top. I fitted 2 X 140W panels using a couple of rails of 40x40x4mm ally held on by 6 ally brackets. The panels are attached to the rails with 5 stainless self tappers down either side.
The side brackets are 50x50x4mm ally held onto the roof using Sikaflex Marine 291 Adhesive sealant, bolted to the rails with M5 countersunk screws and nylock nuts.
The end brackets attached to the roof surround frame, outside of the actual roof section in the skirt are made from 30x30x4mm ally and riveted together for a 'Z' bracket. Held on with M5 stainless screws and sika 291.
I joined the panels cables and feeder cable inside a small J box sikaflexed to the roof and brought the feeder cable down through the roof skirt and then down through the frame around the top of the wall section. Used nylon glands and used the sika around the hole along with the standard rubber gasket.
Routed the cable through the top of the cupboard in the van then under the side bench seat where the batteries are (or will be) located.
Edit: I also beefed up the gas struts to handle the extra approx 30Kg of weight. I changed the 150N struts to 250N, and it lifts pretty easily once you overcome the the initial couple of inches travel and the struts start working.
-- Edited by 03_Troopy on Friday 27th of March 2015 11:49:36 AM
Great Bob, nice and clear explanation and pics. I will keep that in mind when I get to adding another panel.
Aussie Paul.
03_Troopy said
12:24 PM Mar 27, 2015
I found it easy to fit the new struts by compressing them and clipping them into a metal bracket I made too.
I had the roof only semi raised and used a quick grip similar to this, with the clamp parts reversed on the shaft so that it worked in reverse, to raise the roof to the right height so the struts would fit
Excellent job 03, very neat and tidy indeed. Just like a bought one even.
Olley46 said
02:28 PM Mar 27, 2015
Just a question 03 Troopy when you mount the panels on the roof , do they have to be on an angle or level to keep the crap off them ,or does this happen when it rains regardless .
Lance C
03_Troopy said
08:11 PM Mar 27, 2015
Olley46 wrote:
Just a question 03 Troopy when you mount the panels on the roof , do they have to be on an angle or level to keep the crap off them ,or does this happen when it rains regardless .
Lance C
Hi Lance, all that I have seen have been flat. If you did mount them at an angle they'd work well if the face was pointing towards the sun, but if they were angled away from the sun they wouldn't work very well at all. Flat gives you a better position for any way the van is parked, and any sun position, even though it's not ideal.
03_Troopy said
08:12 PM Mar 27, 2015
Dougwe wrote:
Excellent job 03, very neat and tidy indeed. Just like a bought one even.
Ta Dougwe, I tries me best..
Aus-Kiwi said
02:59 AM Mar 28, 2015
Imo .. Close 10mm angle wouldn't hurt.. Plus there's no guarantee the van is level or to the sun in the first place..
03_Troopy said
05:43 AM Mar 28, 2015
Aus-Kiwi wrote:
Imo .. Close 10mm angle wouldn't hurt.. Plus there's no guarantee the van is level or to the sun in the first place..
True A-K, but from what Lance is asking it sounds like he is talking of more than 10mm. 10mm isn't going to stop the cr@p from settling on them, although it would stop the water pooling I guess. Bugger, should have thought of that. Another thing I'd do differently is run the cable between the roof and the top frame back a bit further, so that it curves down behind the gas strut when you drop the top down. At the moment it is naturally curving away from the the edge seal because I rotated the conduit in the glands. But first time I tried it jammed under the rubber seal around the roof.
wasn_me said
09:04 AM Mar 28, 2015
My current van is the third one I've fitted solar panels to. I fit them flat, no problems. A wash every couple of months takes care of dirt, dust build up. If it looks like rain, I set up the van so water runs of the side opposite the awning.
My preference would have been to use stainless self tappers through the brackets attached to the panels instead of stainless bolts with nylock nuts to facilitate easier removal of the panels if required and it looks like from the pictures that you have fastened the brackets to the roof with Sikaflex and screws. The correct Sikaflex on it's own will hold the brackets. I have 500w of panels on the roof of my van with only Sikaflex 11c holding them.
My thoughts only.
Regards Chris
03_Troopy said
08:01 PM Mar 28, 2015
Thanks Chris, actually the panels are attached by stainless self tapers to the rails. The rails are attached to the centre brackets by by M5 stainless countersunk screws.. And yes, I would have attached the panels by just angle brackets sickaflexed to the roof, except the roof has a curve to it in both forward to back and side to side, hence the rails and spacer brackets.
Well I finally got around to fitting solar panels to my pop top. I fitted 2 X 140W panels using a couple of rails of 40x40x4mm ally held on by 6 ally brackets. The panels are attached to the rails with 5 stainless self tappers down either side.
The side brackets are 50x50x4mm ally held onto the roof using Sikaflex Marine 291 Adhesive sealant, bolted to the rails with M5 countersunk screws and nylock nuts.
The end brackets attached to the roof surround frame, outside of the actual roof section in the skirt are made from 30x30x4mm ally and riveted together for a 'Z' bracket. Held on with M5 stainless screws and sika 291.
I joined the panels cables and feeder cable inside a small J box sikaflexed to the roof and brought the feeder cable down through the roof skirt and then down through the frame around the top of the wall section. Used nylon glands and used the sika around the hole along with the standard rubber gasket.
Routed the cable through the top of the cupboard in the van then under the side bench seat where the batteries are (or will be) located.
Edit: I also beefed up the gas struts to handle the extra approx 30Kg of weight. I changed the 150N struts to 250N, and it lifts pretty easily once you overcome the the initial couple of inches travel and the struts start working.
-- Edited by 03_Troopy on Friday 27th of March 2015 11:49:36 AM
Great Bob, nice and clear explanation and pics. I will keep that in mind when I get to adding another panel.
Aussie Paul.
I found it easy to fit the new struts by compressing them and clipping them into a metal bracket I made too.
I had the roof only semi raised and used a quick grip similar to this, with the clamp parts reversed on the shaft so that it worked in reverse, to raise the roof to the right height so the struts would fit
Then just slide the bracket off once fitted.
Just a question 03 Troopy when you mount the panels on the roof , do they have to be on an angle or level to keep the crap off them ,or does this happen when it rains regardless .
Lance C
Hi Lance, all that I have seen have been flat. If you did mount them at an angle they'd work well if the face was pointing towards the sun, but if they were angled away from the sun they wouldn't work very well at all. Flat gives you a better position for any way the van is parked, and any sun position, even though it's not ideal.
Ta Dougwe, I tries me best..
True A-K, but from what Lance is asking it sounds like he is talking of more than 10mm. 10mm isn't going to stop the cr@p from settling on them, although it would stop the water pooling I guess. Bugger, should have thought of that. Another thing I'd do differently is run the cable between the roof and the top frame back a bit further, so that it curves down behind the gas strut when you drop the top down. At the moment it is naturally curving away from the the edge seal because I rotated the conduit in the glands. But first time I tried it jammed under the rubber seal around the roof.
My current van is the third one I've fitted solar panels to. I fit them flat, no problems. A wash every couple of months takes care of dirt, dust build up. If it looks like rain, I set up the van so water runs of the side opposite the awning.
Lovely neat job Troops.
My preference would have been to use stainless self tappers through the brackets attached to the panels instead of stainless bolts with nylock nuts to facilitate easier removal of the panels if required and it looks like from the pictures that you have fastened the brackets to the roof with Sikaflex and screws. The correct Sikaflex on it's own will hold the brackets. I have 500w of panels on the roof of my van with only Sikaflex 11c holding them.
My thoughts only.
Regards Chris