No drill solar panel install

[Chiggins]

Anyone used the renogy no drill panel corner brackets? They are glued used to roof then you can glue or screw panel to them. Yes I know many drill roof but looking at flexable panels or rigid panels with these brackets as I do NOT want to drill the roof of my 5th.

[WinnieView]

We recently installed ours using the Renogy Z-brackets, VHB tape, and topped them off with Dicor.

[Screwby]

I installed my Renogy using the drill/Eternabond/Dicor route. I guess I just don’t trust something glued to a roof membrane. I can physically move the membrane around on my TT. I can’t imagine going 55-60 mph down the highway knowing the amount of wind trying to lift them off the roof, hoping adehesive and membrane are holding them. Just my 2 cents

[Mustang65]

x2
What he just said

Don
My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[klspahr]

I installed solar on my roof and I didn’t want to run any screws through it, but then I looked around and noticed everything up there is screwed into the roof! If they did it why shouldn’t I? I also used VHB under the mount and covered it in eternabond, I now feel sure nothing is going to move.

[Chiggins]

I know I'm probably being overly sensitive to screwing into the roof. Reason is I bought a used unit years ago that I didnt know as much as I did. Roof leaked like a sponge. I fixed everything and it wasnt expensive but it was ALOT and ALOT of DIY. That is reason I went for new this time not to inherit someone elses problems. Also went with what I felt was the best built brand for the price range I could afford and why I have a Jayco. I may go for flexable panels then. I was wondering about peoples experiences as those brackets have decent reviews on Amazon but I was worried if they would ripe off possibly taking chunks of TPO roof with it.

[Screwby]

I’d be way more worried about something the factory screwed through the roof leaking than your own work. We’ve all seen and experienced the lack of detail and care given to the construction of our TTs. I went over every factory seam with Eternabond and put Dicor on of all their barely sufficient caulking. You know you’d do a much better job because you care about your stuff.
1- A piece of Eternabond under each panel bracket for extra sealing and protects the membrane from possible sharp edges on brackets
2- Glob of Dicor on the screw threads prior to tightening, then secure the brackets in, cover all the screws (I covered entire bracket just to be really sure) with Dicor. Dicor is cheap, use it liberally.
3- Relax now, it’s sealed, and it’s not going to leak or come flying off taking your membrane with it

I’m not sold on the flexible panels, there seem to be mixed reviews on them and problems with heat since there is no airflow under them like regular panels. If there is ever a problem with a panel I’m easily unbolting it and replacing it. I’m not sure if that’s possible with those adhesive flex panels? You do what your comfortable with, just know there a thousands of panels out there on RV roofs not leaking when done right.

P.S. Renogy has some great solar suitcases too, then you’d have no mounting anxiety

[RoyBraddy]

When I finally get around to do mine I am going to use side roof mounts and run ALUMINUM UNISTRUT across the roof. Then slide the solar panels into the UNISTRUT mounts...




google images

Roy Ken

[ALJO]

Roy that's the way to do the installations. Professionally done, No worries of blowing off.
Just wonder what are they thinking of using glue on an unstable membrane?

[bababooey]

Mounting unistrut like that works ok on a curved roof??

On a previous rig, I used vbh tape for the mounts. No way was anything going anywhere with that stuff..

[DaveT]

I used VHB. 2 seasons no problems with several long days of towing at hiway speed.

[ALJO]

Yes, Uni-Strut works on any curved roof as you install length wise with the RV roof

[Seann45]

So you plan to glue your solar panels to a thin little bit of rubber roof.. think about that.. under the "wrong" conditions it will rip a patch of your roof off and probably hit the vehicle behind you on the highway... PLEASE screw them down or dont mount them..

[kickingaz]

Renogy has a new 160 watt flexible solar panel that is not screwed to the RV. I am planning to order three panels and use them on my 2019 Jayco Seneca.

[lpleiman]

I installed the Renolgy Solar Panels using their z brackets and drilled the roof using these expanding nuts, then covered the brackets with Dicor self leveling. Used the Dicor to keep the wires from flapping about.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/10-32-Rubbe...hz78:rk:1:pf:0

[ccsest]

This is my first post. Finding this forum saved a recent winter trip as my heater went out, and I could not find a reset. As described by the author of the post, it was a double secret hidden location. Many thanks

My Jayco Fifth Wheel came pre wired for Go Power solar. The roof is curved. Per the instructions, I layed down a layer of Dicor, put the bracket in it and put 2 screws in each of the four brackets, and covered it with Dicor.

I have put on about 7500 miles since then in all sorts of rain and snow. There are no signs of leaks or loosening.

Even though I have a plastic roof, I would not trust adhesive alone. The wind pressure and the condition of the roads I travel would have me worrying all the time. Even screwed and glued, I check the panel before each trip and during the trip.

I plan on adding a second panel soon as the one did not quite do the job in cloudy conditions with 6" of snow on it. It could not quite keep up with the heater fan load. The one panel is 190 watts.

Jayco 2016 377RLBH/Ford 2013 F250 4x4 6.7 diesel

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by Chiggins

…..Yes I know many drill roof but looking at flexible panels or rigid panels with these brackets as I do NOT want to drill the roof of my 5th.

If done properly, you have no worries about mounting your SOLAR using brackets and bolts. DICOR does its job very well.

As for Flex-panels, not a big fan of them for a few reasons. Granted they have come a long way in the past few years, but they lack in air flow under them and heat is the enemy of SOLAR output, plus you are heating up the material that the flex-panel is mounted to and the heat can deteriorate the material faster. Being that they are flexible they are subject to micro-cracks.

And.... finally, over the last 7 years of “RVing with SOLAR”, I have had my share of SOLAR close calls. Well, not so much close calls (in my case) as I have the Residential rigid SOLAR panel, with the tempered glass and aluminum frame. There have been MANY times over the last 7 years when the roof mounted SOLAR panel was the target of some pretty large tree branches that fell directly on the panel. A few of them would have rendered the flex-type SOLAR with a good size dent or a gouge in the surface. I guarantee that they would not have been producing any power after those hits, but that is part of the uncertainty of RVing.

It is nice not to have to worry during or after a storm when you heard a branch fall onto the roof. I just worry about the sky-light and roof vents. One less thing to worry about.

So the decision is yours to make, and like I and many others have said, done properly you will not have any leaks by mounting them with bolts/Dicor.

Good Luck and keep us posted... pictures also!!!!

Don
My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[Screwby]

Agreed 100% Mustang, I’ve had walnuts the size of baseballs bouncing off my Renogy rigid panels when a windstorm rolled through and not a scratch. I was shocked, sounded like gunshots hitting the roof.

[RetiredLEO]

I would be concerned about heat build up under the panel sitting directly on the roof.

[Jmac000]

Originally Posted by kickingaz

Renogy has a new 160 watt flexible solar panel that is not screwed to the RV. I am planning to order three panels and use them on my 2019 Jayco Seneca.

use caution when applying flexable panels to your roof. Keep in mind these panels are going to get very hot in the summer. With no airflow under tha panel, you can easily roast your roof.
Personally, I would NOT put a flex panel directly on my roof.

YMMV