Roo Roof Plywood Thickness

[optipro]

It appears by looking at the cut-away image of the Roof roof that there is a top layer of plywood. Does anyone know the thickness of that top layer of plywood on a 2014 21ss?

Thanks,
Steve

[gunrock]

Are you able to remove the AC cover on the inside?

You can see the thickness there.

I have a 2008 and I want to say it's around 1/4"? Almost like a veneer.

gunrock

[KMP44]

Looks like 1/4" to me. When I was on the roof to remove the winter cover, I was looking through the bubble on the skylight. You can clearly see the roof construction that way. A lot of styrofoam, not too much wood. And I'm not sure if they use any rafters in the roof. Seems pretty solid, but I was a little surprised when I looked at the cross-section...

[gunrock]

They use aluminum frame I thought, just like the sides.

Not much to them. :-)

Rubber roof~1/4 underlayment~styrofoam/aluminum frame~interior paneling.

Same for the sides, except instead of rubber, it's a fiberglass exterior.

I just had the roof replaced and a back corner that had delaminated because of the leak, repaired. :-)

gunrock

[optipro]

Thanks for your help guys. The reason for asking is that I am mounting two solar panels on the roof and I was deciding what type of fasteners to use. I don't trust wood screws or lag bolts since the plywood is so thin... so I am going with 1/4" hollow wall fasteners that will go through the plywood and flatten out when tightened. They should flatten out fine even embedded in the foam.

I'll keep you posted

[KonaIslandKid]

Optipro,
when we were at the RV dealer a few days ago they showed us a cross section of the floor, walls and roof. Just like was mentioned in another reply there is the rubber roof membrane, approx. 1/4 inch plywood, styrofoam, aluminum frame every so many inches(forgot exactly how many inches apart they said)and the plywood ceiling material. Good luck with your project

[KMP44]

Originally Posted by optipro

Thanks for your help guys. The reason for asking is that I am mounting two solar panels on the roof and I was deciding what type of fasteners to use. I don't trust wood screws or lag bolts since the plywood is so thin... so I am going with 1/4" hollow wall fasteners that will go through the plywood and flatten out when tightened. They should flatten out fine even embedded in the foam.

I'll keep you posted

I've been having the same debate. I fianlly ordered a couple panels this week. I found several youtube videos of installs with screws, but I don't think they would hold.

I found a couple setups using well nuts. I'm thinking that is what I am going to use.

McMaster-Carr

http://www.batterystuff.com/files/11...-1112_hrez.pdf

Pretty cool avatar graphic, btw

[optipro]

KMP44... Those rubber rivets fro MC look promising. I'll probably go with the Hollow Wall Anchors like these: http://www.boltdepot.com/Images/Fast...dimensions.gif

KonaIslandKid... are you saying that there is some aluminum framing in the ceiling?

Thanks!!!

[optipro]

Also... each solar panel comes with 4 brackets for attaching to the roof. I ordered two more brackets for each panel... for added security and to help distribute the load more.

[KonaIslandKid]

Optipro,
sorry, I didn't mean to mislead you, there is aluminum tube framing for the floor and walls that have the aluminum tubing spaced out. When we were shown the cross section samples for the roof, floor and walls each sample had part of the aluminum tubing in it. The roof does not have aluminum trusses every so many inches.

I called Forrest River and inquired about the Roo's roof construction. The roof has the membrane, 1/4" luan, 4" thick foam (with built in ducting, at least for my model which is the 23ss) and 1/4" luan, it is crowned and the whole roof is vaccum bonded. There is an aluminum truss on each end of the roof and one down the center of where the air conditioning unit is located, the roof has 1x2 aluminum tube framing the perimeter.

I asked about installing a permanently attatched solar panel system to the roof and he said that the safest place to mount the solar panel mounting brackets would be along the edge where the aluminum framing would be and that there would be really nothing of substance to grab onto in other parts of the roof. He also mentioned that it would be best if you didn't have to penetrate the roof membrane.

The first forrest River person I talked to gave me a name and number to call which could provide you with information on things like dimensions for the aluminum framing, which might help you figure out the location of the aluminum tube framing or other parts of the trailer. The Forrest River Customer Service person to contact is Mark Akins, his phone number is 574-642-0368, I was told that he should be able to direct you to the correct department for information that you may need. I have actually talked to Mark before concerning the 2nd year extended warranty, to inquire about what is actually covered. He was very helpful and gave me the name and number I needed to get the information I needed. All of the people who I have contacted at Forrest River so far have been very helpful.

I hope this helps you, Good Luck with your project.

[optipro]

Wow... great information!!! Thanks!!!

[optipro]

I talked to a rep at Forest River today regarding attaching solar panels to the roof of the Roo. His position is that Forest River strongly recommends not attaching anything to the Roo's roof. I suppose this is the company line position they must take.

So, at this point, I'm not sure what to do.

I have considered attaching aluminum struts along the edges of the roof so that I would be screwing directly into the aluminum framing and not into the thin plywood roof. Then attach two struts across the roof where the panels would attach. This would place the weight and strain on the framing and not the roof. See image that I found (thanks Kevin):



Forest River could not recommend that either.

I suppose another option is to just mount the panels to a stand and set them out when I get to where I'm going... big hassle.

Any thoughts, ideas or input is very welcome.

Thanks

[gunrock]

You couldn't fabricate rails that screw in to the sides of the camper where the side rail/moulding is for the awnings?

Or is that what they do not recommend?

[optipro]

Originally Posted by gunrock

You couldn't fabricate rails that screw in to the sides of the camper where the side rail/moulding is for the awnings?

Or is that what they do not recommend?

I can fabricate pretty much anything... However, there is no where to attach rails/struts on the side. The canopy runs the full length of the trailer eliminating any possibility of attaching to that side.

I'm also not sure how well the strut system will work even attaching them on the edge of the roof since the 2014 Roo 21ss has a curved roof top. I checked and the crown is about 3.25" above the outside edge. So the outside struts would have to be about 4" tall. Might take some special configuring to make it work... then the panels will be sitting kinda high close to the trailer edge.

Unless I want to take the chance of a panel flying off going down the highway (and taking part of my roof with it), I will likely just go with a 200 WattZamp Portable Solar System. Its not as convenient... but will probably work just fine.

Again... any thoughts???

[6wate]

Why not take advantage of the AC crossbar and wall frame to mount the panel with 2 good edges, then use the drywall anchors on the other mounting points? .... Although, maybe there is not enough space beside the AC.

[optipro]

Originally Posted by 6wate

Why not take advantage of the AC crossbar and wall frame to mount the panel with 2 good edges, then use the drywall anchors on the other mounting points? .... Although, maybe there is not enough space beside the AC.

Thanks 6wait... not a bad idea. There is only room on one side for the AC. It is possible that I could place both panels on that side end-to-end. The problem may locating and then hitting the crossbar since it is only 1" wide.

There are likely several mounting methods that will safely work... but after the Forest River rep was so dogmatic about not mounting ANYTHING to the Roo roof (especially solar panels)... and the fact that would likely void my warranty on my brand new Roo... I have just about lost the desire to attempt to do so.

I will be sending back my RV Soar System to SolarDealz in exchange for a 200 Watt Zamp Portable Solar Charging Kit. Jeff at SolarDealz has been very helpful and has no problems with the return and exchange.

I realize that a portable unit is not as convenient as a permanently mounted system... but that's OK. I only need to carry it with me when we're on a boondocking trip. One advantage is that I can easily turn the portable panels to face the sun at anytime throughout the day.

I truly appreciate everyone's thoughts and input on this topic.

[KMP44]

Originally Posted by optipro

There are likely several mounting methods that will safely work... but after the Forest River rep was so dogmatic about not mounting ANYTHING to the Roo roof (especially solar panels)... and the fact that would likely void my warranty on my brand new Roo... I have just about lost the desire to attempt to do so.

I will be sending back my RV Soar System to SolarDealz in exchange for a 200 Watt Zamp Portable Solar Charging Kit. Jeff at SolarDealz has been very helpful and has no problems with the return and exchange.

I realize that a portable unit is not as convenient as a permanently mounted system... but that's OK. I only need to carry it with me when we're on a boondocking trip. One advantage is that I can easily turn the portable panels to face the sun at anytime throughout the day.

I truly appreciate everyone's thoughts and input on this topic.

I bought this kit - also 200 watts from solarblvd. They have a website, but stuff on their e-bay store is considerably cheaper for the same item:

Complete Kit 200 w Watt 200W 200WATTS Photovoltaic PV Solar Panel 12V RV Boat | eBay

My plan is to mount one on the roof, and leave the other one as a portable panel. We frequently camp in wooded state parks. There are always some open spots where the sun shines, but not always in a place where you get the camper. I figured that setup gives us the flexibilty to use one panel or the other, or both. Plus, with one permanent panel, it will maintain the batteries when stored at home so I don't need to keep it plugged in.

Last Thursday I was at the dealer and I asked one of the techs in the service department about mounting a panel on the roof. He didn't think it was a big deal. They do some solar installs. He said 1" ss screws were fine - same as when they add vent covers. His opinion, the weight of the panel vs the weight of the vent cover wasn't a big deal. The only force that the panel sees is from the wind when traveling. The panel never sees any force pulling it up out of the roof. The small cross section of the panel wouldn't see any more wind force pushing on it than a vent cover. The thin plywood wasn't an issue in his opinion. He just stressed the need to seal everything really good, and the Dicor also acts as an adhesive to glue the mounting brackets to the roof for additional holding power.

Almost got the nerve worked up to drill those holes and mount this thing...

[optipro]

Originally Posted by KMP44

I bought this kit - also 200 watts from solarblvd. They have a website, but stuff on their e-bay store is considerably cheaper for the same item:

Complete Kit 200 w Watt 200W 200WATTS Photovoltaic PV Solar Panel 12V RV Boat | eBay

My plan is to mount one on the roof, and leave the other one as a portable panel. We frequently camp in wooded state parks. There are always some open spots where the sun shines, but not always in a place where you get the camper. I figured that setup gives us the flexibilty to use one panel or the other, or both. Plus, with one permanent panel, it will maintain the batteries when stored at home so I don't need to keep it plugged in.

Last Thursday I was at the dealer and I asked one of the techs in the service department about mounting a panel on the roof. He didn't think it was a big deal. They do some solar installs. He said 1" ss screws were fine - same as when they add vent covers. His opinion, the weight of the panel vs the weight of the vent cover wasn't a big deal. The only force that the panel sees is from the wind when traveling. The panel never sees any force pulling it up out of the roof. The small cross section of the panel wouldn't see any more wind force pushing on it than a vent cover. The thin plywood wasn't an issue in his opinion. He just stressed the need to seal everything really good, and the Dicor also acts as an adhesive to glue the mounting brackets to the roof for additional holding power.

Almost got the nerve worked up to drill those holes and mount this thing...

Hey KMP44...

Let me know how that install goes. I haven't yet given up on the idea of mounting panels to the roof... but I will wait a while before revisiting that idea.

Thanks!!!

[KMP44]

Originally Posted by optipro

Hey KMP44...

Let me know how that install goes. I haven't yet given up on the idea of mounting panels to the roof... but I will wait a while before revisiting that idea.

Thanks!!!

I was waiting for you to go first.

Actually, have a trip with no electric the week of July 18th, so I gotta get it done by then. I will take some pictures. Right now, I'm still pondering how to get access to the vent pipe to run the wire down. With the fridge in the slideout there is no fridge vent on the roof. Really don't want to make any more holes than I have too.