Solar install suggestions

[jimf909]

[dobryan]

[tencentlife]

Yeah kind of an odd opinion to have about equipment designed to be out in unsheltered locations and in every kind of weather 24/7/365 for 30 years or more, and very well proven to endure such conditions at that.
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Shop for unique Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
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Experience is kryptonite to doctrine.

[sasmith]

I am helping a friend install his auxiliary battery system and he is adding solar. I have not installed solar but have installed a few auxiliary battery systems. So from reading I still have one main question. When the engine is running, does the solar controller and/or panel need protection from the alternator current coming from the house battery other than an inline fuse? We will have a Blue Sea SI-ACR installed as typical between starter post and house battery. House battery feeds a Blue Sea fuse box. House battery will power LED interior lights, sink pump, 1- 12V outlet, 1- dual USB charger, stereo via fuse box. No fridge or heaters. Planning on running direct from solar panel>controller>fuse>house battery. Also, what gauge wire is recommended from the controller to the house battery?

[shagginwagon83]

[dobryan]

Check with the company that makes the solar controller but all the ones I have seen are designed to be compatible with another charging source on the battery bank (alternator or power supply/charger).
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[buelteman]

I installed my HQST 100W panel to my Westy roof using snaps, allowing its removal on site with extension cables so I can lace it in the sun regardless of camper location. I took the screw-in male posts, ground them down to just less than the thickness of the fiberglass roof, dipped them in marine epoxy and screwed them home. Now the panel is secure, charges my battery whenever it needs it, and is easily removed. Cables run down 2 1" PVC pipes riveted to my lift struts on one side where the cables enter, as you don't want to run excessive cable lengths between your panels and your controller if you can avoid it. Add a HQST 20A controller, a Renogy 100AH battery, Renogy 1000W converter, and a Victon Cyrix-CT combiner, and you are in business. If I had to do it again, I would stick to one manufacturer instead of 3.
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'91 Westfalia Camper - VW BNB
1.8 Turbo courtesy Stephan's
Custom Geared 5-speed tranny with
Peloquin Limited Slip Diff
H&R Progressive Rate Springs
300 Watt 13 speaker stereo
Audi Disc Brakes
LED driving and interior lights

[willwagen]

[buelteman]

So, for me, rule #1 with the Westy is to use marine-grade products. More expensive, but built to endure.

First, lay your panel on the roof and mark the location of the grommets on their edges for placement of the snaps.

Then get your snaps here, and use marine epoxy to secure them:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073K5F61G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Caps and sockets for your panels:

https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Fasteners-S...ES4SNWCY1V

First drill the screw holes at the previously marked locations as small as possible for maximum grip, inset one snap screw and measure the amount you will need to grind off. Grind all of the male snap screws to the same height/depth. insert threads into mixed epoxy, screw home and let cure.

As for the cable entry, I drilled holes the same size as the cables, with connectors on the roof so I can disconnect, add extension cables and place the panel where I need it.

Only down side is the slight chattering of the snaps due to their flexible rings in the sockets that keep the male parts connected. No solution for that just yet.
_________________
'91 Westfalia Camper - VW BNB
1.8 Turbo courtesy Stephan's
Custom Geared 5-speed tranny with
Peloquin Limited Slip Diff
H&R Progressive Rate Springs
300 Watt 13 speaker stereo
Audi Disc Brakes
LED driving and interior lights

[willwagen]

I agree with using the best product for the job. Someone wise once told me, "I can't afford to be cheap".

Great idea with the snaps, basically like a boat tarp.
My other concern with flex panels on the fibreglass roof is with heat dissipation.
Have you noticed issues with the panel heating the fibreglass? Any heat damage to the roof? Also, does the heat radiate into the van much?

A big part of my solar system is to power my Truckfridge. If panels on the roof increase the temperature inside the van, this will make the fridge work harder and lead to other issues down the road.

Really like the flex panel idea, even though performance is not as good as glass, however I want to make sure I get what I need and don't create other problems.
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William
'89 Westfalia 2WD 2.0L EJ20

[buelteman]

Haven't yet taken a trip with my solar installation - that begins tomorrow. The panel is 1/2" above the roof, so there is plenty of air passing in between the two.

_________________
'91 Westfalia Camper - VW BNB
1.8 Turbo courtesy Stephan's
Custom Geared 5-speed tranny with
Peloquin Limited Slip Diff
H&R Progressive Rate Springs
300 Watt 13 speaker stereo
Audi Disc Brakes
LED driving and interior lights

[kourt]

In my experience, panels on the roof create noise if not installed sufficiently far off the roof. What I mean by noise is rattling at 70MPH, tapping caused by air downdraft in the last 1/3 of the poptop, etc. You may be surprised at how much the middle of that panel, which lacks any snaps whatsoever, might flex and rap on the poptop roof.

My roof panels are mounted on aluminum bar stock, as seen on the left side of this photo. The bar stock is mounted to create a tensioned arc over the roof. This has kept things quiet.

I'd be interested in hearing more from you on whether or not this snap setup is quiet, and if the snaps actually hold the panel on the roof. There is a lot of unusual force up there.

I've encountered some Ford Transit van campers out there who have lost multiple solar panels on their roof, due to the force of wind ripping it off.

I do like the clean look, though.

kourt

[willwagen]

[pnwkayaker]

Once the rain season slows down a little bit I intend to mount my solar panel in a similar manner as kourt. I'm planning to install Yakima or Thule tracks in the poptop and use similar aluminum bar to mount the panels (attaching the bar to the tracks).

I used to have a 100w flexible panel installed on my pop top using 3M Industrial Velcro (the one with mushroom tips, extremely strong, never an issue) but I realized that it somewhat constrained me (solution was too permanent). I have some OCD-issue in that I want to have flexibility/options to move things around or what panels to use/upgrade/replace (as needed) in case of problems, and wasn't able to do that with my previous setup.

I needed to repaint my poptop, so I removed the panel from the poptop (still working fine) and will install it with another one side by side (using the tracks method). In the future, when bigger panels with similar footprint show up, it would be very simple to swap the panel/s.

I think also that having the panels separated from the actual poptop will create a safari-like roof effect, essentially preventing the sun from heating the interior due to the air-gap (will see in the summer if that's correct).

[buelteman]

My snaps are not as quiet as I wished, but acceptable until I figure out how to silence them. No spacers - just the height of the male snaps keeps the panel lofted. Also considering some kind of all-weather flexible pad on sections of the back of the solar panel to eliminate the rattling of the snaps, but don't want to cover so much as to eliminate the air gap for cooling the panel.

SEE MY SOLUTION BELOW!
_________________
'91 Westfalia Camper - VW BNB
1.8 Turbo courtesy Stephan's
Custom Geared 5-speed tranny with
Peloquin Limited Slip Diff
H&R Progressive Rate Springs
300 Watt 13 speaker stereo
Audi Disc Brakes
LED driving and interior lights

[willwagen]

I like the snaps idea, but I can imagine the rattling is an issue.

I thought of putting small bumpers or pads in a grid under the panel. This would keep the (hot) panel off the roof while perhaps keeping it tight to reduce rattle and movement.
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William
'89 Westfalia 2WD 2.0L EJ20

[buelteman]

OK then. After 5 days on the south fork of the Trinity River in cold conditions, my system worked beautifully! My 100AH Renogy battery never went below 13.1 volts from a high of 13.3 volts, with all my interior lights on, 300 watt stereo on most of the time, and recharging batteries for my bike and chain saw every day! Great results. Also interesting that the noise factor from the snaps went up when I departed in 35 degree temps. I guess the small amount of shrinkage of the panel gave a little more room in the snaps for noise. It quieted down once the sun came up.

_________________
'91 Westfalia Camper - VW BNB
1.8 Turbo courtesy Stephan's
Custom Geared 5-speed tranny with
Peloquin Limited Slip Diff
H&R Progressive Rate Springs
300 Watt 13 speaker stereo
Audi Disc Brakes
LED driving and interior lights

[puchfinnland]

I did my solar install which very detailed and covered here:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

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ABYC marine master technician , EX European auto technician, new business- EASTCOASTWEST , custom work on campers, only systems, no mechanical

[inorganic]

[buelteman]

No doubt that Puchfinnland has it dialed in to perfection! As for my simple install in the thread, my solution to the snaps rattling is at hand! Purchase a sheet of 1/2" closed cell wetsuit rubber with adhesive backing from Amazon (link below), trim, adhere, and you are good to go - no noise even at 80 MPH. (yes, that 1.8 T from Stephan's Auto House is a great way to go!) Puchfinnland's setup is great too, but mine is substantially less installation work.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G3J6294/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
_________________
'91 Westfalia Camper - VW BNB
1.8 Turbo courtesy Stephan's
Custom Geared 5-speed tranny with
Peloquin Limited Slip Diff
H&R Progressive Rate Springs
300 Watt 13 speaker stereo
Audi Disc Brakes
LED driving and interior lights