Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting December 04, 2011, 08:45:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 127116Some on here have used adhesive to mount their solar panels (angle mounts) to the roof. After a few years (Bumper ?) how are your mounts holding up ?Dave W
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #1 – December 04, 2011, 10:34:28 pm Yahoo Message Number: 127118QuoteSome on here have used adhesive to mount their solar panels (angle mounts) to the roof. After a few years (Bumper ?) how are your mounts holding up ?Dave WWe used the mounts with preapplied adhesive supplied by AM Solar and they have survived so far about 20k miles and 2 years (two panels on a 23.5' T/K); the LD is stored full time outside. Before setting the mounts I lightly wet sanded the "landing area(s)" with 400 grit wet/dry cloth and isopropol (100%) alcohol to get the areas free of "chalking" and dirt. Wiped several times with clean, lint free cloth and alcohol before setting the mounts. John Boles
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #2 – December 04, 2011, 11:12:34 pm Yahoo Message Number: 127119I mounted two panels with AM Solar's adhesive feet six years ago without any problem. The coach is parked outside under an awning most of the time so it does not get much rain. The panels have not tugged on the alumimum roof as far as I can tell. I understand that AM Solar is now covering the feet with a sealant but I have not done that with mine. They say the big trick to keep the panels stuck down is to make sure to keep any materials with citric acid away.Linley
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #3 – December 05, 2011, 08:16:41 am Yahoo Message Number: 127123I used PL Premium Polyurethane Construction Adhesive to glue aluminum angle mounts. It's only been ~6 months, but they are stuck tight after 7,000 miles.Proper site prep is always important.Rich
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #4 – December 05, 2011, 08:22:34 am Yahoo Message Number: 127124Quote...snip...how are your mounts holding up ? ...snip...Ours were installed over four years ago and we haven't had any problems. like others I cleaned the attachment area down to the metal.Safe travels, Dave 2000RBAlbuquerque[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #5 – December 05, 2011, 09:40:47 am Yahoo Message Number: 127129'Some on here have used adhesive to mount their solar panels (angle mounts) to the roof. After a few years (Bumper ?) how are your mounts holding up ?Dave W'Dave,It's been 6 years now and all looks well. I was not aware of anyone else doing this back then, so there were a few moments of apprehension on the first trips when a strange noise would have one looking in the rear view mirror to see if a panel had taken flight. I used polyurethane adhesive (PL brand, Home Depot, caulking gun style). First roughed the aluminum, then acid etched (Jabsco metal-prep), then applied at room temperature.bumper[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #6 – December 05, 2011, 01:48:48 pm Yahoo Message Number: 127140I will note for the record that I had AM Solar install 4 panels, all using adhesive mounts. *However*, when they saw the flex of the aluminum roof on the leading edge of 2 of the solar panels, they decided to also install a screw
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #7 – December 05, 2011, 05:34:59 pm Yahoo Message Number: 127143Quote...snip...how are your mounts holding up ? ...snip... like others I cleaned the attachment area down to the metal.Just to be clear, we didn't "clean...down to the metal.." We just removed the "loose" paint and dirt on top and otherwise did not penetrate down to bare metal or rough up the surface. In fact, the painted surface was quite smooth, as Rx'd by AMSolar, before the brackets were affixed. JBoles
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #8 – December 05, 2011, 06:50:18 pm Yahoo Message Number: 127144Just my personal opinions: 1) it's a good idea to cover the mounting feet of any adhesive-mounted panel completely with sealant, just to ensure that there's no chance for moisture to ever creep under the feet and possibly weaken the adhesive; and 2) a screw through each of the front feet may not be necessary, but can't hurt. I like to use short, fat ones--they get a good grip but don't penetrate far enough to damage things. I have five panels that were mounted this way in 2006 and are still doing well.But as it happens, Tioga George's rig shed three panels today:A very terrible thing happened on the road to Kino Bay. There was a very loud crack! As though MsTioga had struck something. I immediately pulled over to find out what happened. I could not see anything on the road that had been hit, and all seemed fine underneath MsTioga. I climbed up on the roof and was shocked to see that three solar panels were missing!! I drove back to find the missing panels. They were not on the side of the highway where we had been driving. I drove along the opposite side of the highway, and there they were! All three still together with the panel side up. I managed to carry the three solar panels to lean against MsTioga and began dismantling them from each other. It took about an hour to get everything apart and loaded into MsTioga. George has not yet explained how the panels were mounted. I'm wondering whether this has to do with the overall fiberglassing job he had done a few years back. For those who haven't heard the story: he was unable to stop the many leaks in his Fleetwood Tioga motorhome. Finally in desperation he had a Mexican friend cover the entire rig, except of course the windows and doors, with fiberglass from top to bottom. (Not a good tactic, as it turned out: it didn't stop all the leaks, and undoubtedly added many pounds of weight.) If George's solar panels were adhesive-mounted to a quick-and-dirty gelcoat job on the roof, it wouldn't be entirely surprising if the mounts failed. But that's just a guess on my part. Hopefully he'll clarify this in a later post.Andy Bairdhttp://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #9 – December 05, 2011, 07:03:08 pm Yahoo Message Number: 127145Andy do you recall the screw size and length you used?Safe travels, Dave 2000RBAlbuquerque
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #10 – December 05, 2011, 07:15:29 pm Yahoo Message Number: 127146Thanks for the replies. I am a little concerned about de-laminating the aluminum sk
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #11 – December 05, 2011, 08:24:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 127148"do you recall the screw size and length you used?" Sorry, Dave--my current panels were installed by Mike Sylvester, and I don't remember what he used. (And I can't go look, because they are covered with sealant. And snow and ice, at the moment. ;-)Andy Bairdhttp://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #12 – December 05, 2011, 09:05:35 pm Yahoo Message Number: 127152I installed two panels about 5 years ago using only 3M VHB tape on each corner under the bracket 'foot'. Then last year, even though they were holding well, I put 2 pop rivits in each foot and covered the feet with 3M 5200. Overkill? Probably, but I am cautious. Tom
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #13 – December 05, 2011, 09:14:33 pm Yahoo Message Number: 127153Quote from: Andy Baird"But as it happens, Tioga George's rig shed three panels today: George has not yet explained how the panels were mounted. If George's solar panels were adhesive-mounted to a quick-and-dirty gelcoat job on the roof, it wouldn't be entirely surprising if the mounts failed. But that's just a guess on my part. Andy BairdAs I recall, his panels were screwed to wooden mounts that were themselves screwed to the fiberglass roof with a layer of fiberglass covering the mounting boards. The panels were grouped together with another board which was then attached to the mounting anchors with hinges, so they could be elevated. However, the wood on the panels was rotting, so he had those boards replaced with aluminum; done in just the last week or so. It is possible that those doing the work someone weakened the original mounting boards; or perhaps they too were rotting beneath the fiberglass cover. Hopefully George will explain what happened in more detail.
Re: Adhesive Solar Panel Mounting Reply #14 – December 05, 2011, 09:35:49 pm Yahoo Message Number: 127155Quote"But as it happens, Tioga George's rig shed three panels today:..."Andy Baird AndyIf you'll go back into Tioga George's postings no more than two weeks ago you will find that he just had those panels refitted by a friend so that they would tilt. Guess it didn't work too well.Steve S.Lazy Bones & Jiggs
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