Found loose bolts attaching panels to z bracket

[RoadTurtle]

I pulled off the Rich Solar 12v panels and replaced them with 24v. I was shocked to find two attachment screws that worked their way loose Guess this will have to be an annual inspection point. It's kind of late to think about loctite in my setup. I really don't want to pull the panels off the roof and reattach them again. Hoping I can work blind and check for tightness.

 

[kundip]

Painful.

3 Ways to Stop Screws from Loosening - wikiHow

It's a pain when screws loosen up and don't hold as tightly as they used to. Even though screws naturally come undone after repeated use and vibrations, there are a lot of ways to prevent loosening and keep them tight and secure. The...

www.wikihow.com

 

[MattiFin]

Wicking thread-locker could be one option:
”LOCTITE® 290 is a liquid medium/high-strength threadlocker designed for the locking and sealing of threaded fasteners. Because of its low viscosity and capillary action, the product wicks between engaged threads and eliminates the need for disassembly prior to application.”

 

[eXodus]

you mean the bolts attaching the bracket to the panel? Or the screws - bracket to the roof?

I'm using locking washers and Loctite on my bolts. Actually I'm checking the panels fairly frequently - we venture out with the RV about once a month. And every time I go up on the roof and see if there is something on there.

 

[RoadTurtle]

bolts attaching to the brackets. I probably should have used some locktite

 

[42OhmsPA]

bolts attaching to the brackets. I probably should have used some locktite

Pick up some NordLocks so you have them if you ever have to fix brackets again.

 

[RoadTurtle]

Pick up some NordLocks so you have them if you ever have to fix brackets again.

The nuts had a flange with that same pattern on it. They didn't come with a torque spec, but I felt they were tight enough. Apparently not

 

[eXodus]

The nuts had a flange with that same pattern on it. They didn't come with a torque spec, but I felt they were tight enough. Apparently not

the aluminum of the solar panel frame bends over time.
If you don't have large enough washers on the back of the solar panel - even a perfectly torqued nut will come loose.

That's why I prefer spring lock washers + Loctite. Since even when to panel frame gives a little bit - the spring washer still applies tension and the tread locker keeps the nut from spinning off - even when all tension is lost.

Pick up some NordLocks so you have them if you ever have to fix brackets again.

never heard about those thanks.

I'm just concerned about those - that they don't have enough capacity to keep tension on the bending aluminum frame. The solar panel frame is pretty flimsy. It just gets compressed and deformed - so the bolt + nut is getting loose without unscrewing.

 

[Geokilroy]

I had a 160w panel professonaly mounted to my class c rig. It was mounted by an RV dealer and used 6 Z brackets. Everything was good for over 2 years. One day I looked up at the edge of my panel and it was not level (front of panel was raised a bit). We inspected it and found some of the lag bolts had stripped out of the rafters. We were able to move it up and down more than an inch. The rubber roof was the only thing holding the panel down in places.

We now think that because we boondock out over some rough dirt roads, the bolts had vibrated loose and pulled out of the rafters. Many of the roads are "wash-boarded" and vibrate my rig with mini-violent shaking . If the grates on your stove make a lot of noise, your rigid panel is vibrating also.

My next move is to install my new 400w panel with 10ft uni-strut to spread out the mounting and give more stability for the mounting.