TheSamba.com :: View topic

Fri May 15, 2020 10:03 pm

What's up yall! Seems like Westy owners aren't typically the type to go all out on their solar setups. A lot of us are just fine in a campsite, plugged in to electricity. Or putting a couple little temporary camping panels in the luggage rack.

The questions I asked myself for my install were:
How do I get the wires from outside to inside?
How do I mount the panels/roof rack?
Where do I mount the panels?

Anyway after a couple years of (on-and-off) thought and some research, today I finally completed the install, so I want to share with everybody. I'm feeling pretty good with my 12v setup so far.

I bought the Yakima rack and the artificial raingutter mounts even though I imagine it wouldn't be complicated to manufacture oneself.....
https://www.gowesty.com/product/-accessories/3685/yakima-roof-rack-bundle-?v=
I took the hit because of my lack of space for tools rn.... ($500 for everything rack)
Mounted the panels with a bunch of U-bolts, but as it turned out, the U bolt couldn't tighten down on the panel unless I lifted it up with some sort of spacer, so I had my neighbor make those for me.
People always ask me if they'll slide around, but they really aren't going anywhere.

I'll admit, it was a real pain in the ass getting those nuts on those bolts.

Leave plenty of slack for when it pops.

Enter the inside from the rear simply because this is where the least amount of movement occurs in the pop top and allows for a much cleaner install on the interior.

Oh also, I chose to position the panels like that because I figure I could lay a kayak in the middle, but it can be more space efficient if I move the panels all the way over to one side. With both panels on one side I have over half the width of the roof left. It's not convenient to adjust the panel positions.

It doesn't interfere with the hatch at all. It sits happily in the rain and leaf debris :) This is a pretty good spot to enter the vehicle. It seems to be a low risk for leaks. I suppose you could just go through the fiberglass roof and not have to drill into the chassis... I just think in terms of moving parts, the slack in my setup handles it well and looks clean.

I route the wires discretely behind the little shelf above the stove and then down the pillar behind the driver seat, under the sink, and to the (charge controller) battery.

THANKS