200 watts solar on 07 C190P Roadtrek

[booster]

Originally Posted by markopolo

How much (approximately) did adding 200 watts of solar to your Class B cost - do-it-yourself - method?
A ballpark price would help others know if they are getting good value.

We had a total of $1341 that we could claim on our income tax solar credit and get 30% back, so it came out at about $940. It seems to be pretty reasonable for the mono crystalline panels, an MPPT controller with remote, and a Tri-metric battery monitor and shunt. We also used all stainless fasteners, where we could get them, so those aren't cheap either.

[booster]

We finally got out for 4 days this week, first time this year due to way to many issues that are finally clearing up for us.

We we were in a quite shady spot in Perrot State Park in Wisconsin with the back of the van a little bit higher than the front,with the back to the south (bad for solar angle). I was a bit surprised how low the output was, but of course have nothing to compare to, so it is probably normal. We were getting a bit under 2 amps at high sun, about 25 watts. These are the newer style panels that are supposed to be better in the shade. Is this typical for shady areas?

[rauscs]

Many thanks to Booster for posting all of this great information! I know this is an old thread, but I'm trying to do something very much like this and am looking for advise.

I've got a 2004 Roadtrek 190, and am planning on adding 300 watts of solar - the same panels as Booster, but with three sideways. I'll shorten the TV antenna mast and replace the antenna head with a King Jack so all the roof space behind the vent is available. I'm building a rectangular frame of aluminum angle for the panels to sit in just to give it a clean appearance.

I'll need to build mounting feet to hold this beast down on the fiberglass roof, and am assuming I'll use 3M VHB to attach them. Normal install looks like 2 mounting feet per panel, 2.5 inch * 1 inch VHB per mount, for a total of 15 inches of VHB per side. Since I'm tying the panels to the aluminum frame and the frame to the van, I can configure the feet how I like, rather than 6 feet per side, how about 4 with 3 1/2 * 1 inches of VHB each? Anybody have an idea how much VHB I need to make sure this thing doesn't launch itself?

Thanks, Steve

[booster]

We have actually added another panel since that thread, across now, and with a modified antenna and mount.

We didn't use just the adhesive, but used well-nuts and urethane adhesive caulk. I just don't trust adhesive alone, especially on a painted surface.

Details here:

http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f8...olar-3407.html

[rauscs]

Damn, I didn't see that - you're way ahead of me! Are there any details on how you did the well-nuts? Are these the same well-nuts that roadtrek uses for the air conditioner cover?

[booster]

The well nuts work like a pop rivet, expanding on the backside when you tighten them up from the top with a bolt and wrench. Doing it with a bolt and wrench can be a PITA holding them from turning and staying straight but is doable. It is what I have always done, but I sure have been looking at the tools that pull them like a pop rivet gun.

McMaster Carr has a very good selection of the well nuts for all kinds of materials, you want the thicker rated ones for uneven and soft surfaces.

[rauscs]

Thanks for the information, and for keeping the world up to date on your projects - you do good work!

[Reed]

We have had solar on TT and 5th wheel for 8 years. Current 5th wheel has 1420 W of solar panels and 9.5 kW-hrs of LFP. This system uses a 48 V (nominal) battery suite and a 4.0 kW PSWI. Son has been in solar business since 1991 as the original solar power licensed contractor in New Mexico.

We got a 2002 Roadtrek 190 and son put solar on this as well. The roof does have a bit of room that is cut off by the Fantasticfan. So he installed a 315 W panel behind the fan and a 100 W panel in front of the fan. These do have different voltages so he used two different controllers. The 4.5 kW-hrs of LFP battery are at 12 V nominal. This summer, we spent 12 weeks traveling through Michigan and then through Labrador and Newfoundland (9 weeks). We did not plug into line power until we got back to US an we had a week of rain in Massachusetts. We ran the built-in generator once a month for 30 minutes as suggested by manual.

System utilizes a 2.5 kW PSWI. We can run directly off line power or run it through a 1 kW battery charger. Line power at RV parks in Mexico is chancy and friends have read between 70 and 160 V out of a outlet over a period of minutes. This can wipe out electronics. We burned out a micro-wave in Baja and another in Yucatan. Running line power through the battery charger (which is happy over an extremely wide variation in voltage) and then through PSWI means we should not damage electronics. We met a couple in Yucatan (and later in San Miguel del Allende) who burned out almost all electronics when they plugged into a 120 V outlet and it had been faulty wired with 220 V. We have charged at up to 380 W with system but we were at high latitudes (Labrador) in summer.

This system is good enough to run the a/c for two hours during high insolation as combination of panels and battery suite. The a/c draws a little over 1 kW as opposed to the a/c on 5th wheel that draws about 2.2 kW.

The 315 W panel was installed using aluminum brackets from a solar panel firm. Our grandson noted that the two on the right side were broken so we replaced them and have 5 spares. Plan to replace all four with steel brackets eventually. We did do 600 miles of gravel road in Labrador, much of it good and some of it abysmal. Newfoundland was superb: weather was fairly good, no Black Flies, the scenery was superb, and the people were the friendliest we have ever met. We did run into a large caravan of very large RV's, and two Roadtreks. The trekkies said they felt a bit out of place.

We did have an Olympic Wave 3 installed that T's onto the propane furnace. This uses very little propane and no electricity. It is hung on the clothes closet and works well. We keep the living quarters above 50F at night and son installed a blower that moves 4 volumes of air per minute into the battery compartment (below bed) when temperature goes below 35 F to keep the LFP batteries above freezing. The same blower moves air into battery compartment when temperature is above 95 F.

We leave for Yucatan next week. Been down there four times before with TT and 5th wheel. However, there are some great places such as some great cenotes and archaeologiccal sites that you cannot take a 5th wheel, and if you do, you may not get out. Want to visit San Cristobal de las Casas and the only RV park that handled big rigs closed down.

Reed and Elaine

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by rauscs

... am planning on adding 300 watts of solar - the same panels as Booster, but with three sideways. ...

An append to this thread with an idea for those who have roof a/c units...

This is exactly what my husband and I did, 300 watts of those same AM Solar panels sideways, except we did have to contend with a roof air conditioner on our T1N Sprinter. We vaulted the panels above the air conditioner by making use of a roof rack originally installed by Airstream. The leading edge of the panel frame is hinged, in case the panels needed to be tilted up for a/c servicing (or to catch more sunlight in poor conditions). We used 80/20 for the frame. Here's a money shot, and the details are in these blog posts for anyone who is interested.

[Reed]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

An append to this thread with an idea for those who have roof a/c units...

This is exactly what my husband and I did, 300 watts of those same AM Solar panels sideways, except we did have to contend with a roof air conditioner on our T1N Sprinter. We vaulted the panels above the air conditioner by making use of a roof rack originally installed by Airstream. The leading edge of the panel frame is hinged, in case the panels needed to be tilted up for a/c servicing (or to catch more sunlight in poor conditions). We used 80/20 for the frame. Here's a money shot, and the details are in these blog posts for anyone who is interested.

Like the mount, it should not get plucked off by low lying branches, as happened to us (almost) in Yucatan. This mount would permit a second 315 W over the Fantastic Fan on our 2002 Roadtrek.
Reed and Elaine

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Reed

Like the mount, it should not get plucked off by low lying branches, as happened to us (almost) in Yucatan. This mount would permit a second 315 W over the Fantastic Fan on our 2002 Roadtrek.
Reed and Elaine

Yes it could, and my husband is trying to convince me to do exactly that with ours (we bought extra panels and store them in our house until they prove to be needed).

However I enjoy the light that comes down through the Fantastic; we have an Ultra Breeze covering it, which blocks some of the light but it's still quite bright. So I'm not sure if we need a fourth panel just yet. But if an owner instead covered their Fantastic with a vaulted solar panel, it would eliminate the need for a secondary rain cover, so that's something to think about.

Our solar system is being sized to accommodate my main work computer, which requires somewhere in the neighborhood of 240 watts. We have a DIY lithium upgrade in progress right now, so we haven't done any real-life testing as to whether we can get away with these 3 panels or whether we need more.

[Reed]

Elaine love the Fantastic Fan so putting a second 315 W panel might be difficult. Our total of 415 W seems to be sufficient. We can run the a/c for 2 or 3 hour without running the LFP battery suite (4.5 kW-hrs) below 50% status of charge.

Think we will put something on the front 100 W panel that will keep it from getting snagged. Have seen a few exampled of "air dams" that should worm.

Reed and Elaine

[RT.SS]

Originally Posted by Reed

Think we will put something on the front 100 W panel that will keep it from getting snagged. Have seen a few exampled of "air dams" that should worm.

Reed and Elaine

I did try a DIY wind fairing in front of our new 3rd solar panel addition, but found it to cause too much air turbulence at highway speed causing the fantastic vent fan to rattle like crazy, so I removed it… try a temporary air dam first before building a permanent one, it might save you time and money in the end.

[CR1650]

Greetings;
I like how the rear view camera is mounted. I can not find a vehicle specific camera for my 2002 Roadtrek Chevy 3500 Express van. It looks like a license plate camera is used with brackets. Could a close up photo please be sent or posted. It would be greatly appreciated as I would like to duplicate the set up.

Best regards,
Craig

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by CR1650

Greetings;
I like how the rear view camera is mounted. I can not find a vehicle specific camera for my 2002 Roadtrek Chevy 3500 Express van. It looks like a license plate camera is used with brackets. Could a close up photo please be sent or posted. It would be greatly appreciated as I would like to duplicate the set up.

Best regards,
Craig

Do you mean our rear view camera? The one that is visible behind the solar panels?

If so, I don't have a concise blog post with sourcing instructions... somehow that one never got written. But this Air Forums thread authored by my husband has quite a lot of detail and also pics of the installation process.

He created a special mount for it by duplicating the roof curvature on a mock-up. The system also has side cameras, which actuate when the turn signal is pressed. My favorite part of it is the nine-inch monitor in the cab. Those tiny little dash-embedded "a$$ cams" are pretty much useless IMO. I wanted a BIG monitor so that I could actually see what is going on back there. And to the sides.

[Reed]

We drove down from Oaxaca to the Isthmus of Tehuantapec which has world famous winds. We got caught in a 60 mph or so cross wind and the mount to our 315 W solar panel ripped out of the panel. We had to tie/tape the panel to rear of Roadtrek. Had comments from locals when we filled up with fuel, generally on the tone "how does that panel work back there?" Answered fine headed north but not efficient heading south. They laughed. Younger son and family joined us on beach in Yucatan and we fabricated the mount shown in photo. Bought 4 cm L-channel aluminum in Playa del Carmen. Got great help from the folks in the aluminum shop. We put 2.5 cm aluminum stripping on the aluminum tie channel on the solar panel (this is quite thin aluminum and this provided what was effectively a 5' x 1" washer). One section of aluminum channel was bolted to the solar panel. Second section was placed on top of Roadtrek, holes were drilled and the two sections (on each side) were bolted together. The entire ensemble was then bolted and silicone glued to roof. Do not think this will come apart.

The winds in Tehuantapec rolled seven semis on one day a few months before.

The day after the panel separation, our sewer tubing came undone - and son Charlie and I fixed this on beach. Had to dig a trench under the rig to do this. OK he did most of the work. He brought a 10' section of sewer hose down when he and family joined us

Ah the joys of travel

Reed and Elaine

[Reed]

RT.SS - if the air dam had been in contact with the solar panel, there might not have been as much turbulent air flow. Is that panel mount your design? It looks quite good.

There was 2" hail in northern New Mexico and it damaged a lot of solar panels. Panels should handle 1" hail but 2" is more than they can handle. Looked up hail velocity and found "...Hail can falls much faster, because its diameter can be larger. Its fallspeed is approximately given by 1.4 D0.8 at sea level. This means "... penny hail= terminal velocity of 35 mph, quarter hail = 50mph, golfball hail = 66mph, baseball hail = 85mp and softball hail = 117mph..." 2" hail has 8 times the mass and 50% higher velocity. One of son's friends ran out and put a sleeping bag over front window but it was still shattered. House owner's insurance took care of damages for folks
Reed and Elaine

[Phoebe3]

Cool chart! Thanks for sharing.

[Reed]

Phoebe 3 - Hail can really do in our panels. 246 people were killed in a hail storm in India in the 1980s. 3" hail will go through a roof: almost 45m/second. Saw a photo of a guy who got caught in moderate hail while out running. His upper body looks like a bad case of measles with 1" purple spots.