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should I lower my solar panels? 30 mph winds and 60 mph gusts forecasted for tomorrow

ericfx1984

Solar Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 10, 2021
Messages
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So I have several solar panels on my RV now I am down in the valley I'm wondering if I should lower my solar panels to a more flat angle for tomorrow we're not really expecting any sun... So it's not like the angle really matters mostly I have some concerns about the expectations of 30 mph winds and 60 MPH gusts everything is anchored on there pretty good and at least for the main three they have all been tested rolling down the highway.. but in a down position

Just wondering if it's worth it for me to hop up on top of the RV unscrew the brackets real quick and lower them down or if I shouldn't really worry about it much?

Thank you in advance
 
Only you know what your panel racks can handle.

Do you want to sleep peacefully or do you want to be stressed out again and again at the sound of every gust?
 
Only you know what your panel racks can handle.

Do you want to sleep peacefully or do you want to be stressed out again and again at the sound of every gust?
I think they'll be fine but my wife pointed out that if it does cause some problems that it's a lot harder to fix the problems than it is to lower them and raise them again and that's a pretty good point
 
It seems like those solar panels handle tht kind of wind every time you drive your RV, don't they?
 
It seems like those solar panels handle tht kind of wind every time you drive your RV, don't they?
No they don't because they're not pitched up at a steep winter angle when I'm driving they're nearly flat on the roof
 
I’d lay them down. And secure them flat.

Last week we had 40mpg with 50-60mph winds overnight and my panels survived fine. Night before last we had 30-40 mph+ with howling sustained gusts to 70mph.
My canoe moved 100’ away, propane tanks blew into the field, I found a few remnants of what was 4x8 foam sheets a half-mile away. Same peces of my styrofoam that survived 50mph with some unistrut, lumber, and two saw horses on them. Solar panels are vertically mounted
 
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Lower them.

I have tiltable panels on my RV. They are such a pain that I never raise them. The places I stayed had nughtly winds that would come out of nowhere that the weather station predicted. 35 MPH, that were rocking the trailer. It takes me an hour to raise and lower them. There’s six screw on six panels I need to remove and reattach to raise and lower them. Not worth the work. I added more panels on the roof so I don’t have to go up and raise and lower.
 
Especially when the OSB roof screws are secured in deteriorate with water ingress. It used to hold the load!

Or the bridge truss rivets corrode from pigeon poop.

 
Learn how to calculate the wind loading...
For most DIY RV installations. I don’t think you can. Calculating force on the panels at different winds won’t be too terribly difficult, but whether that will hold or blow away is what you can’t calculate.
 
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