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Old 05-28-2015, 09:47 PM   #1
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solar panels on a 1989 Jayco 705

recently bought a 1989 Jayco 705 that is in good shape. I'm in the process of installing two 100 watt solar panels to the roof. total weight of panels and rack will be 50-55 lbs. is it safe to pop the top with that amount of weight on there? really want to mount them permanently,don't want to have to pull them ever time I pop the top.
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Old 05-28-2015, 10:40 PM   #2
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i would say yes
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Old 05-29-2015, 06:23 AM   #3
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Send Jayco an email and ask them what the thickness is of the wood is that was used in your roof. (service@JAYCO.com) Also you need to include your TT's VIN, or they will request it from you.

If you decide to do the mounting yourself, you can go over to the "RVing with SOLAR" social group and I have a detailed step by step post as to how I mounted my panel on the roof of our TT. I also have pictures in my album (click on the link below) as to how I ran the wires down to the front storage area of my TT.

I am sure that there will be more ideas by other members that have SOLAR... a lot of good SOLAR information here.

Good Luck and welcome to SOLAR RVing.

Don
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Old 05-29-2015, 06:47 AM   #4
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I have seen A/C units mounted up there and bike racks and canoes etc.. I am sure 2 solar panels will be fine BUT on a 26 year old pop top it also will depend on how the roof was maintained.. as long as there has never been any water penetration things should be fine if there has been then all bets are off.
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Old 05-29-2015, 09:35 AM   #5
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Send Jayco an email and ask them what the thickness is of the wood is that was used in your roof. (service@JAYCO.com) Also you need to include your TT's VIN, or they will request it from you.

If you decide to do the mounting yourself, you can go over to the "RVing with SOLAR" social group and I have a detailed step by step post as to how I mounted my panel on the roof of our TT. I also have pictures in my album (click on the link below) as to how I ran the wires down to the front storage area of my TT.

I am sure that there will be more ideas by other members that have SOLAR... a lot of good SOLAR information here.

Good Luck and welcome to SOLAR RVing.

Don
Nice little write up on mounting the panels. I'm just so nervous about putting holes in the roof! Did you use wood or sheet metal screws?
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Old 05-29-2015, 09:25 PM   #6
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I have seen A/C units mounted up there and bike racks and canoes etc.. I am sure 2 solar panels will be fine BUT on a 26 year old pop top it also will depend on how the roof was maintained.. as long as there has never been any water penetration things should be fine if there has been then all bets are off.
roof is in tip-top shape! no signs of leakage.
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Old 05-29-2015, 09:55 PM   #7
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upon further inspection of the roof,it appears the roof is a sheet of plywood (1/2" or 3/8") maybe OSB,with a very thin layer of aluminum on the top and interior. I don't trust a 1/2" or 3/8" screw to hold the panels at 60-70 mph! if I secure the panels to the roof with a bolt,washer,lock nut,there is going to be some hardware protruding through to the inside: end of a bolt-washer-lock nut. I'm not opposed to this,just wondering if anyone else has done this.

pros: can spread the weight of the panels better than a Thule type rack:
1 panel front right,1 panel rear left. most cost effective.

cons: hardware showing on the inside-possible water leaks if not sealed correctly-permanently installed

my original idea was to buy a Yakima-Thule type rack setup. too expensive,and I would have to drill holes in the side of the top,and afraid constant vibrations-rubbing while going down the road could possibly wear hole in the canvas.

pros: looks better-easier to remove panels

cons: expensive-will ride higher-both panels in front or both panels in back
possible water leaks if not sealed correctly. possible wear on canvas.

also,how to run the wires for the panels so they go up and down with the top without getting bound up. the cable is 12 AWG PV SOLAR EXTENSION CABLE
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Old 05-30-2015, 06:52 AM   #8
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I am looking into the same situation on my OFF-ROAD Starcraft 14rt POPUP trailer.

It already has a 13,500 BTU on the roof and is an electric raise roof.

I am going to install two 120W PANELS on each side of the fantastic roof fan on the front end of the roof. Then I want to install a 240W PANEL on the rear end of the roof between the air conditioner and end of the roof.

I am NOT a fan of drilling into the middle of the roof for anything. My plan is going to be install light weight aluminum UNISTRUT sections across the roof in four places attached to the sides of the roof where I have a thick wood support.

You can get an idea of my planned setup from these google photos






These aluminum UNISTRUT sections will make for very easy quick disconnect if I end up needing to to this. My electric motor may have trouble raising the roof will all of these added. After it is up I have safety metal strips holding the roof up so no problem after it is raised.

I can stand in my front deck after the roof is up and probably mount the two 120WATT PANELS with ease.


going to be an interesting install for me haha...

Roy Ken
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Old 05-30-2015, 07:25 AM   #9
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I thought about going with the rails across the roof, except that on the curb/street sides of the TT's roof (not a flat roof) I think there would be to much space under the panels and there would be more space for lift and nothing to deflect the wind going along the ( street side) roof line. Right now I have the AC unit that deflects a lot of the high speed wind and also the fridge vent.

I often wondered what the actual wind speed is as you get away from the front cap deflection.. may have to somehow mount my extra anemometer by the panel for our trip up the the Blue Ridge mountains next month.

I saw one picture somewhere where the TT owner installed an angled wind deflector (metal plate) on the front frame of the forward panel that went down to the roof line.

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Old 05-30-2015, 09:07 AM   #10
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Nice little write up on mounting the panels. I'm just so nervous about putting holes in the roof! Did you use wood or sheet metal screws?
Use either but I prefer wood screws.. then put plenty of lap sealant overtop of them..
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Old 05-30-2015, 10:28 PM   #11
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I got the panels installed after work today. it all went pretty smooth. my local little hardware store didn't have a small can of white roof mastic,so I used clear. I'll check the bigger stores for a small can of white,and go over the clear to give it a cleaner look. when I drilled the holes,the drill just punched right through. I don't think there was any wood in the roof at all,I couldn't find any shavings either. hmm. found lots of styrofoam shavings though. shot some sealer into the holes and everywhere else,made some rubber "gaskets" (out of a sheet of rubber I found in the plumbing department),BIG washers on the inside and lock nuts. seems pretty solid. I did have to locate them both to the rear of the trailer. forgot about the screen door folding up and latching on the ceiling,couldn't straddle it.

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Old 05-31-2015, 01:33 PM   #12
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I got the panels installed after work today. it all went pretty smooth. my local little hardware store didn't have a small can of white roof mastic,so I used clear. I'll check the bigger stores for a small can of white,and go over the clear to give it a cleaner look. when I drilled the holes,the drill just punched right through. I don't think there was any wood in the roof at all,I couldn't find any shavings either. hmm. found lots of styrofoam shavings though. shot some sealer into the holes and everywhere else,made some rubber "gaskets" (out of a sheet of rubber I found in the plumbing department),BIG washers on the inside and lock nuts. seems pretty solid. I did have to locate them both to the rear of the trailer. forgot about the screen door folding up and latching on the ceiling,couldn't straddle it.

very very nice work show us what it all looks like when your done and have it out side
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Old 06-04-2015, 08:31 PM   #13
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I finished the install on my solar setup the other day,except the door. I ripped out the ice box (we have a "real" 12v fridge that will travel in the car,and plug into the TT once we are at our destination) and used that space for the MPPT controller,,power inverter,fuse block and one of the 100ah batteries. fuse block feeds two led lights (one inside,one outside),two 12v outlets,one dual usb outlet and a 12v outlet on the tongue. you can see in the pic the load with a drop light and a "75 watt" led bulb is 16 watts. with a regular 75 watt incandescent bulb,the load was 68 watts. switch to led's! I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. also had the wheel bearings packed and two new tires put on the other day.should have the door done in a couple of days.

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Old 06-09-2015, 06:46 AM   #14
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Thank you for the photos and for sharing your experience. Everything seems so new for me, but I am eager to do something like this myself. I think that people do not use all the benefits of solar panels. For example, I have recently read the article about the ability of solar panels to purify groundwater and there are definitely many other options we have never thought of.
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Old 06-09-2015, 10:51 AM   #15
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What is your inverter rated for? And what loads is it likely to see? Looks like a big one to be drawing from a single 100AH battery.

Thanks for the install pictures. I just installed panels on our roof as well this weekend. the drill bit does go though the 3/8ths ply really quick. I did find a truss on the front mounts though. Plus I don't think they will really see a lot of wind force as your trailer will be in your vehicles wind shadow. I am hoping that the majority of the wind on our travel trailer is deflected off the front of the trailer and up and over the panels.

Cheers
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Old 06-12-2015, 09:08 AM   #16
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What is your inverter rated for? And what loads is it likely to see? Looks like a big one to be drawing from a single 100AH battery.

Thanks for the install pictures. I just installed panels on our roof as well this weekend. the drill bit does go though the 3/8ths ply really quick. I did find a truss on the front mounts though. Plus I don't think they will really see a lot of wind force as your trailer will be in your vehicles wind shadow. I am hoping that the majority of the wind on our travel trailer is deflected off the front of the trailer and up and over the panels.

Cheers
1500 watts,and there are two batteries.coffee maker will be its biggest load.
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Old 06-12-2015, 11:00 AM   #17
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What wire size did you use between the inverter and batteries? What size fuse did you install between the batteries and the inverter? Just a (SMALL 2 cup) coffee pot alone will be pulling around 70 Amps for 5 or so minutes. Would recommend a 00 AWG cable be used.

Microwave will be more amperage.

If you happened to hit the max for the inverter that will be 125 amps, not saying that you would.

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Old 06-13-2015, 10:56 AM   #18
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What wire size did you use between the inverter and batteries? What size fuse did you install between the batteries and the inverter? Just a (SMALL 2 cup) coffee pot alone will be pulling around 70 Amps for 5 or so minutes. Would recommend a 00 AWG cable be used.

Microwave will be more amperage.

If you happened to hit the max for the inverter that will be 125 amps, not saying that you would.

Don
Used 4AWG wires between inverter and batteries, X2.
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