Nervous DIY

[sunnyside1]

Ok looking for a little feed back. I just purchased a 21ss. As a matter a fact I haven't even picked it up yet. I spoke to the service department about attaching two 100 watt solar panels to the roof of HTT and obviously connect the controller etc. they want $550 (labor only) . I am thinking this shouldn't be that hard a DIY project. However the notion of drilling holes in a unit I haven't even camped in yet makes me nervous. Any feed back?
Thanks

[Kenny kustom]

Use flexible solar panels and glue them to the roof.
Then eternabond tape around the edge.
No holes!

[ebcobra93]

I have a Go Power solar panel permanently mounted to the roof along with the solar controller mounted in the panel above the fridge. The wires go from the solar panel, through the fridge vent on the roof, into the fridge access panel on the side of the trailer (in the wall), and then originally just went to the converter under the fridge (pos and ground). I've since relocated the wires so they go through the floor all of the way up to the battery.

It's definitely a job that you can do yourself if you plan it all out first. The system comes with pretty good install documentation.

I actually didn't intend on having the dealer install it for me, but there was a miscommunication and they had it all hooked up when I arrived to pick up the trailer. I don't recall what they charged for the install, but I could probably dig it up...

[jaymemiller]

Buy a generator

[jaymemiller]

Just saying, a lot of money to spend on something to run a light bulb

[ebcobra93]

Last year, I dry camped for over two weeks. In the evening, even on cloudy days, my batteries were at 100% charge. Most nights, they didn't drop more than 5-10%,but that will obviously vary greatly depending on what's turned on in the trailer. I even have my TV on an inverter. No generator needed, unless we want AC, of course.

[NMWildcat]

Yep solar is great, once you get past the initial cost. When the price is a big percentage of the purchasing price of your rig, probably not worth it

But, the prices continue to slowly come down, so perhaps in a few years it will be a viable option for everyone.

So by all means, DIY it to save some. I'm sure you will do a better job than any dealer

[SeaDog]

Solar is not the end all, but rather a nice addition you will still need a good generator or generators (in my case) Have you considered using the trailer some to find out if you really need solar to fit your style of actual camping.

[Skyliner]

Solar is a luxury that I'm fortunate to be able to afford by doing it myself. As an added bonus is the 30% tax credit I received on installing solar on my RV which is considered a second residence. My system would have cost me $6500 to install and it cost me less than half of that before the tax rebate.

I rarely fire up the generator but bring it along just in case.

[KMP44]

Originally Posted by sunnyside1

I am thinking this shouldn't be that hard a DIY project. However the notion of drilling holes in a unit I haven't even camped in yet makes me nervous. Any feed back?
Thanks

This certainly can be a DIY job. I had all the stuff to mount my two 100 watt panels on the roof, but after using them with as a portable setup, I ended up staying with that. We just camp in too many places where trees would keep roof mounted panels out of the sun.

There isn't much solid structure in the roof of a hybrid. Its basically just two 1/4" sheets of plywood laminated together with a Styrofoam core. Look around the edge of your skylight from the roof to see the cross-section. Still capable of holding the panel though. The dealer bought from has done a bunch of these installs without issue.

I was going to use well nuts for the anchors, as they should give better holding power than just using screws. You could also try contacting FR to see if you can get a diagram showing the truss spacing to find solid anchor points. There are bracket kits out there that will leave you some space under the panel for air flow, and just seal up all the fasteners really well with dicor. The other key is to avoid shadows from the AC or other roof top objects. From there, you just need to find a route for your wiring down to the controller.

There are some good blogs around if you do a little searching with details about installing roof top systems.

[fonzie]

Here is some threads to read.....

https://www.google.ca/search?q=solar...BMrejwSLk5yQCg