Anchoring panel wires across RV roof

[dougybug]

I am putting together a shopping list for the panel installation on top of our Class C RV. I couldn't readily find any discussion (but I may have not searched correctly) on securing panel wires to the roof of an RV, so "everyone," please tell me what you think works best with a TPO roof and isn't adversely effected by the elements. Any and all inputs welcome. Thanks.

 

[rmaddy]

I don't know how well these will work with a TPO roof but I'm using the following tie downs on my aluminum roof along with some UV rated zip ties:

Commercial Electric 1 in. UV Mounting Base - Black (10-Pack) HW-4AB(10) - The Home Depot

A mounting device offers a safe and secure mount for cable tie, which is available in either "screw mount" and "self-adhesive mount". This product is designed to hold heavier cable bundles and offer easy

www.homedepot.com

 

[jberger]

From personal experience, I hit them with some Dicor sealant, and keep them as straight as you can from front to back, very little slack. When you have slack it lets the cable flap in the wind and that eventually breaks down the wire inside and creates shorts or breaks. Try to minimize the wirepaths to the left and right as they end up under the most stress when driving down the road.

 

[HRTKD]

I attach the wires to whatever is available. I used the rooftop AC and the legs/brackets on another solar panel. UV rated cable ties have been working good for 18 months.

Referencing what @jberger said, my wires are parallel to the airflow while the RV trailer is going down the road.

 

[Paul_R]

I attach the wires to whatever is available. I used the rooftop AC and the legs/brackets on another solar panel. UV rated cable ties have been working good for 18 months.

Referencing what @jberger said, my wires are parallel to the airflow while the RV trailer is going down the road.

^^^ Pretty much this

 

[pvdude]

Yep, Dicor, and in my case, a weight to hold the cables in place until cured.

 

[Ozark Tinkering]

From personal experience, I hit them with some Dicor sealant, and keep them as straight as you can from front to back, very little slack. When you have slack it lets the cable flap in the wind and that eventually breaks down the wire inside and creates shorts or breaks. Try to minimize the wirepaths to the left and right as they end up under the most stress when driving down the road.

Plus the noise from the wires slapping against the roof will drive you mad!

 

[Bubba1]

I would run cable through plastic conduit. Fasten conduit to starboard rectangle or round blocks that are glued to the roof. Screws for conduit straps of the proper length to not go through starboard. No screws through the roof.

 

[dougybug]

Great ideas. Has anyone tried Gorilla or Flex Tape? If so, can you remove it without damaging the roofing material. Just seams like a simple clean way if you would lay wires side-by-side and run tape on top and parallel to wires, maybe lap seal ends to prevent lift. Of course someone may have tried that and has a million reasons not to. Thanks.

 

[Browneye]

Sure...Eternabond tape...

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Gorilla or Flex Tape

The eterabond as suggested or other aluminum faced lap tape is a much better choice.

 

[HRTKD]

Great ideas. Has anyone tried Gorilla or Flex Tape? If so, can you remove it without damaging the roofing material. Just seams like a simple clean way if you would lay wires side-by-side and run tape on top and parallel to wires, maybe lap seal ends to prevent lift. Of course someone may have tried that and has a million reasons not to. Thanks.

Gorilla tape doesn't last very long under my trailer. I suspect it would have a shorter life on top of my trailer.

 

[Browneye]

Yeah, durability. That eternabond stuff is simply amazing.
I forget when I found out about it, maybe it was when replacing the shower skylight, broken by a falling branch in a windstorm. Anyway, it lasts and lasts, and sticks like you know what. That stuff is never coming off.

OTOH, if you do need to remove it you can cut it to remove whatever it's sealing, and then remove residue with a sharpened putty knife or scraper. Acetone will remove any residual. DAMHIK

It's $$. And worth it.

Oh, and if you freeze it you can cut it with regular scissors. Cross-cutting for applying is no problem, but ripping it is impossible cuz it will stick to the blades. I wanted 1" wide to seal the inside of my unistrut slot holes, and you can only get 1-1/2 or 2", so got the latter and cut it in half. Very slick.

 

[dougybug]

Sure...Eternabond tape...

Were you using 4 or 6" tape in this picture? Did you do anything special to seal the leading edge?

 

[Browneye]

Were you using 4 or 6" tape in this picture? Did you do anything special to seal the leading edge?

2" across the wires spaced every foot or so. Along the skylight is 2" tape run longitudinally for the length.
No other sealant.

There are some amazon and ebay sellers cutting rolls down to smaller lengths as you need, various widths. Just get the quantity you need instead of buying a 50' roll.

The stuff is really great for endcaps, skylights, vents, flanges, etc. It's like vhb tape on steroids with a plastic weather cover. It's pressure sensitive - roll it it with a metal floor roller - it pops the sealant cells in the tape and STICKS. Once down it's NOT coming up unless you cut it.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Once down it's NOT coming up unless you cut it.

Sorta

I forget when I found out about it,

I remember when I found out about it. Doing factory warranty leak repairs on brand new trailers. I used the stuff successfully a few times but for leaks? I fixed those with polyurethane caulking and did a beautiful pretty job reapplying new aluminum/silicone Lap Tape and they didn’t come back. Good prep, no wrinkles, no bubbles - it’s ok most of the time.

 

[cruelneo]

Sure...Eternabond tape...

What panels are these?

 

[Browneye]

215W Crystalline Solar panel

Aluminum Frame, Rugged Design High Efficiency Solar Cells Power Up to 215W Continuously recharge your 12V batteries with the power of the sun. Connect additional panels for a faster charge Warranted 25 years to generate up to 80% of rated power Requires a charge controller to protect batteries...

naturepowerproducts.com

Home Depot was selling them for $157 each. Not sure where you can get them now. Made in Vietnam.

They are wired in series to a EPEver XTRA 30A controller. 230Ah diy lifepo4 house battery.

EDIT: here's the build thread on this:

Old RV - New PV's With Strut-Channel Mounting

I'm new here, starting a new thread on my 430W installation, so I can ask questions when they come up. This forum has been a wealth of information. I have also been scouring the 'net for, and learning about, LiFePo4 batteries as well. I'm not sure where I first saw strut channel mounting for...

diysolarforum.com

 

[RoadTurtle]

I used dicor and kept wires in place with blue painters tape until the dircor set. It's easy enough to remove if you have to do any rewiring, which I have done twice, and may do it again

 

[Tomthumb62]

I don't know how well these will work with a TPO roof but I'm using the following tie downs on my aluminum roof along with some UV rated zip ties:

Commercial Electric 1 in. UV Mounting Base - Black (10-Pack) HW-4AB(10) - The Home Depot

A mounting device offers a safe and secure mount for cable tie, which is available in either "screw mount" and "self-adhesive mount". This product is designed to hold heavier cable bundles and offer easy

www.homedepot.com

These are what we use to keep wires tidy. We have the 3M branded ones and they work great on our flexible rubber paint roof on our camp trailer.