Advice needed

[Pete-B]

Hi, Further to my last posting re, advice on which adhesive is best for sticking a solar panel to the roof of our van.

The Duchess and I are fast approaching our 80s but still healthy and active (touch wood), we like cycling and walking including hill and fells and have been motorhoming and wild camping for many years but these days we tend to tour this country and stay on Caravan Club type sites with nice toilets, showers and of course EHU.

So I got to thinking I only really need to use this 80w solar panel I've got during the winter months to keep the leisure and engine batteries topped up whilst the van is in storage. It also weighs nearly 9kg which of course reduces my effective payload and, when fully loaded including two bikes, I'm starting to get close to the limit, So I thought would it be possible to fix the panel to the roof temporarily whilst the van is stationary and in storage, in such a way that perhaps, once a month, I could take it down to give the van a run out? Whilst it's on the roof I could run the cable, temporarily, down the side of the van and in through the battery box to the regulator/controller inside the van.

I don't want to, if I could help it, use anything like double sided tape which would mark the roof or be very difficult to remove. So, I wonder if it's possible perhaps to get some strong type of suction cups or pads or something like that which would do the job. I'd be very interesting to hear from anyone who as done something like this or who have any other ideas.

[Robbo]

For the sake of a solar panel only weighing 9Kg, I would think the best thing is to have it permanently attached. You could balance up the axle loads by positioning it nearer the front of the roof.

 

Besides, do you really want to go to all the trouble of having to remove it and reinstal it every month. This involves step ladders, working at height and handling loads. People have been seriously injured or even killed falling less than a metre.

 

So, elf and safety says NO. You could always leave the duchess at home if payload was that critical :-D

[Tracker]

You don't say what sort of van you have but I too would not be in favour of ladders and faffing about.

 

But if you do want to do this have you considered suction cups, a bit like sat nav windscreen mounts?

 

I suspect that you don't need an 80 watt panel to just keep the batteries ready for use - maybe a 60w or even a 50w might suffice - so have you considered the newer lightweight flexible solar panels that are now available?

[henrypartridge]

Or if for occasional use why not a free standing one?

[Tracker]

henrypartridge - 2016-01-26 3:13 PM

 

Or if for occasional use why not a free standing one?

 

Unattended - on a van in storage?