# Teutone's Solar Panel install



## Teutone (Jun 7, 2012)

Well here we go again.....

Time to fit the 100W solar panel I bought of fleabay.

As we don't use the roof to load stuff I decided to fit the panel on the roof railings with clamp brackets
rather than the usual glue method. I can try as hard as I want, but I am always making a mess when let loose with a mastic gun . So clamping seems a good idea!

But frst I need some suitable clamping brackets. Can't image they are availabe off the shelf, so I made some.

Starting with a piece of Stainless Steel pipe I had left over from another project. Out with the hacksaw to cut a ring off






slice ring open





shape into a "U"





here the U clamp with some piece of angle and the screws I am going to weld to the U





made up a little welding jig





welded up and some more holes drilled in the angle bracket, job done! 3 more to go :wave:





just a few hours later...





in case you wonder, this is how it all is supposed to sit on the roof railing





trial fit on the Motorhome roof, looking good





just the solar panel missing now





marked the holes up on the side of the solar panel





Drilled and surprise surprise, the blimn extrusion is HOLLOW :scared: 
If I would have realised this before I made the brackets, I would not have used the sides of the solar panel for fixing it.





fitting hardware I am using, all Stainless Steel. Love the Stuff, no paint required, no rust.





sticker of the panel I bought





bracket fitted to side of solar panel, had to be careful not to tighten it too much otherwise the side extrusion might suffer (it's hollow, remember), shown from inside





bracket from outside





panel ready with brackets to be fitted on roof





a short while later, all done!!





next is to drill the holes in the roof :scared: and glue the junction box before it starts to rain.


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## herbenny (Jun 7, 2012)

Wow ...you make it all look so easy:idea-007:.  Great Job


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## ellisboy (Jun 7, 2012)

Nice work Chap! It's been raining here all day :mad1:


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## Teutone (Jun 7, 2012)

ellisboy said:


> Nice work Chap! It's been raining here all day :mad1:



just got it all done before it started to rain. Now rain on and off but I am working inside the MH to wire it all up.
Still not nice to work with the rain. Have to take my shoes on and off all the time or I will make a big mess in the MH.


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## David & Ann (Jun 7, 2012)

Teutone. Well done. A man who rogue workmen should learn from in how a job should be done. Teutone presentation is also superb, neat tidy and clearly displayed. Give credit where credit is due.


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## Teutone (Jun 7, 2012)

David & Ann said:


> Teutone. Well done. A man who rogue workmen should learn from in how a job should be done. Teutone presentation is also superb, neat tidy and clearly displayed. Give credit where credit is due.



thanks for all the kind words. :bow:

I hope by showing and sharing I can encourage everybody to tackle stuff themselves and bit by bit convert their pride and joy in something tailored to one's needs and likes.


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## oldish hippy (Jun 7, 2012)

another good one just a thought  make up some sleeves to fit the bolts a few mm long to save the crush on the side of solar panels as nylock fitted  they should not release


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## kenspain (Jun 7, 2012)

Looks nice. one thing its nearly done the same way my Spanish friend put his on because he was waiting to change his van and wanted it for the new one. left the van to go shopping with his wife when on holiday in France came back the panel had gone so take care.


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## Teutone (Jun 7, 2012)

kenspain said:


> Looks nice. one thing its nearly done the same way my Spanish friend put his on because he was waiting to change his van and wanted it for the new one. left the van to go shopping with his wife when on holiday in France came back the panel had gone so take care.



I thought about that a long time. Everything from pop rivet to shear off security screws came to my mind.
Well, you can't live if fear all the time. I have removed the back ladder for a start, so at least if they want the panel, they have to work for it!

If I become too worried I can always carry to TIG welder on the roof and add a few tacks :wave:


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## kenspain (Jun 7, 2012)

He got on more now because they are cheap here now put it on the same way again but this time we welded the brackets  to the frame so to remove it you would have to cut it from the frame which would not be easy an thing to do but the way you have done it looks good even my mate said that when i showed him


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## Teutone (Jun 7, 2012)

managed to drill through the roof and glue the entry gland box on before the big rain came. Spend the rest of the day to wire it all up. I am going to spare you with the details of how it's routed through the car and I hope this was the last time I had to take all the panels out etc. Getting fed up with this....

I fitted a junction box with a blade fuse on the ceiling inside the overhead cabinet. Not the prettiest of things, but I had one lying around (and yes you guessed it, leftover from another project :hammer
I wasn't happy to route a live cable through the motorhome without a fuse. Sure there is an extra fuse at the power commander but why take chances.






with the Lid fitted





this is the power intergrator, a battery to battery charger with inbuild solar regulator for two 100W panels. Fitted behind the driver seat. I also managed to squeeze a 125AH battery under the driver seat where the original 70AH battery used to be.





while it rained the control panel (comes with the power integrator) showed only 1A or less or charging but as soon the sun broke through it went up to 2.8A. Looking forward to see how much it makes when the sun really shines.


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## jeffscarborough (Jun 7, 2012)

You say 'stainless steel no rust' true, but bolting stainless steel to aluminium is asking for trouble. The alloy will disolve as you are mixing metals.

I build buses and we always use a special insulating primer between these metals.

Is Stainless Steel Corrosive to Aluminum? - Airstream Forums


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## Teutone (Jun 7, 2012)

jeffscarborough said:


> You say 'stainless steel no rust' true, but bolting stainless steel to aluminium is asking for trouble. The alloy will disolve as you are mixing metals.
> 
> I build buses and we always use a special insulating primer between these metals.
> 
> Is Stainless Steel Corrosive to Aluminum? - Airstream Forums



I am aware of this but have decided to ignore it. At least for the 5 or 10 years it takes to become a problem.


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## Mastodon (Jun 7, 2012)

jeffscarborough said:


> You say 'stainless steel no rust' true, but bolting stainless steel to aluminium is asking for trouble. The alloy will disolve as you are mixing metals.
> 
> I build buses and we always use a special insulating primer between these metals.
> 
> Is Stainless Steel Corrosive to Aluminum? - Airstream Forums



Shouldn't be a problem - corrosion relies on one metal 'donating' electrons to another (oxidation = loss of electrons). For this to happen, both metals have to be reactive. Bolting mild steel to aluminium is definitely asking for trouble but stainless is generally corrosion resistant. It's always good practice to use some kind of jointing compound as the stainless parts could be connected to mild steel further down the line.


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## Teutone (Jun 8, 2012)

view from above, looks tiny.


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## Teutone (Jun 8, 2012)

checked the batteries today.

yesterday just after I had the solar panel connected: Van battery 12.0V, Leisure battery 12.5V
Today Van 12.5V and Leisure 13.0V! So it's working even in bad weather.
But of course this is with the motorhome unused sitting on my drive.


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## Techno100 (Jun 8, 2012)

Very nice job! thanks for your sharing.
I too used the roof rack for this customer but bought appropriately sized stainless U bolts of ebay to suit.
Drilled the bottom of the frame and used Nylock nuts, a real chore getting in to tighten all up but much simpler for me given the time available within price.
BTW pissed it down all day lol


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## Teutone (Jun 8, 2012)

Techno100 said:


> Very nice job! thanks for your sharing.
> I too used the roof rack for this customer but bought appropriately sized stainless U bolts of ebay to suit.
> Drilled the bottom of the frame and used Nylock nuts, a real chore getting in to tighten all up but much simpler for me given the time available within price.
> BTW pissed it down all day lol



I didn't have any U-bolts but two days of bank holiday and some Stainless Steel lying around :dance:. And since when am I doing it the easy way:hammer:

You must have very dexterous hands to get the nuts in there, well done. At least they won't be able to nick the panel as easy as mine.

Typical with the rain, as soon you have a job INSIDE a motorhome,  the sun is going to come out. Shall we bet?


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## Techno100 (Jun 8, 2012)

Ratchet spanners help but YES it was very tedious :-( No one will nick it ROFPML

EDIT
BTW I can't see how you could improve on that job, first class!


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## Mastodon (Jun 8, 2012)

Teutone said:


> I didn't have any U-bolts but two days of bank holiday and some Stainless Steel lying around :dance:. And since when am I doing it the easy way:hammer:
> 
> You must have very dexterous hands to get the nuts in there, well done. At least they won't be able to nick the panel as easy as mine.
> 
> Typical with the rain, as soon you have a job INSIDE a motorhome,  the sun is going to come out. Shall we bet?



Nice job. Using 20/20 hindsight I see you could have welded the nuts to the ss tube and bolted through from the top.


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## Techno100 (Jun 8, 2012)

Clever git :lol-049:


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## Mastodon (Jun 8, 2012)

Techno100 said:


> Clever git :lol-049:



"Trained Smartarse" is my preferred title.


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## Techno100 (Jun 8, 2012)

:bow:





Mastodon said:


> "Trained Smartarse" is my preferred title.


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## Teutone (Jun 8, 2012)

Mastodon said:


> Nice job. Using 20/20 hindsight I see you could have welded the nuts to the ss tube and bolted through from the top.



welding nylock nuts is no good, burns the nylon ring away...... (think that qualifies me as the smart arse :rockroll


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## Mastodon (Jun 8, 2012)

Teutone said:


> welding nylock nuts is no good, burns the nylon ring away...... (think that qualifies me as the smart arse :rockroll



True. Though you could have used lock washers under the bolt heads. (clinging desperately to Smartarse status)


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## Teutone (Jun 8, 2012)

Mastodon said:


> True. Though you could have used lock washers under the bolt heads. (clinging desperately to Smartarse status)



might replace the nylocks with these to keep my panel for longer Security Shear Nuts A2 Stainless Steel M6 Pack of 10 | Screwfix.com


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## vwalan (Jun 8, 2012)

hi another way might have been to drill the tube and fit rivet nuts . a 6mmbolt could then be used saves making the brackets .or use box in stead of tube to give a flatter resting point.


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## Mastodon (Jun 8, 2012)

Teutone said:


> might replace the nylocks with these to keep my panel for longer Security Shear Nuts A2 Stainless Steel M6 Pack of 10 | Screwfix.com



Good scheme. Or use allen bolts and drill the hex out...


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## Teutone (Jun 8, 2012)

Mastodon said:


> Good scheme. Or use allen bolts and drill the hex out...



...and I believe I am thinking outside the box :bow:


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## Mastodon (Jun 8, 2012)

Teutone said:


> ...and I believe I am thinking outside the box :bow:



... and rightly so - a mind is like a parachute - works best when open.


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## Teutone (Jun 8, 2012)

vwalan said:


> hi another way might have been to drill the tube and fit rivet nuts . a 6mmbolt could then be used saves making the brackets .or use box in stead of tube to give a flatter resting point.



there are many ways to skin a cat but in my case it starts many times with "let's see what I have lying around or can get for free". Fpr a start I don't have a rivet nut gun.
And the roof railing isn't the thickest or the most sturdiest of tubing to begin with.


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## vwalan (Jun 8, 2012)

i find the rivet nuts really usefull. lazer are doing them real cxheap at the moment . i just bought another one at our local cash n carry. fantastic thing for sheetmetal work as well. much better than self tappers .i always like simple .


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## Mastodon (Jun 8, 2012)

vwalan said:


> i find the rivet nuts really usefull. lazer are doing them real cxheap at the moment . i just bought another one at our local cash n carry. fantastic thing for sheetmetal work as well. much better than self tappers .i always like simple .



Pretty good in shear but not so smart in tension and a bit too easy to strip for those with fists of ham... (IMHO)


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## Teutone (Jun 9, 2012)

Mastodon said:


> Pretty good in shear but not so smart in tension and a bit too easy to strip for those with fists of ham... (IMHO)



I have used them loads in the past at work and this is where my dislike for them comes from. Unless the conditions are perfect, i.e. hole drilled to correct dia and rivet gun set up correct, they can give you trouble.

Not saying they are ****e, just a little bit temperamental at times.

I also don't like the rim you will end up sticking out of the flush surface, makes everything you bolt up to them sit 1 mm away. And before you say it, yes there are flush fitting types as well. but they are even worse to keep in place IMHO.

They have their place, just not in my world.

...another of my favorite dislikes are spot welded threaded studs, nuts etc.:idea-007:


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## Teutone (Jun 9, 2012)

checked Voltages again after a day with some sunshine.
Van battery 12.9 volt, Leisure 13.7Volt


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