How (And How NOT) To Mount Flexible Solar Panels to a Minivan Camper |Vanlife|
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- čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
- Oh, to have a time machine. Well, at least you, dear audience, can learn from my mistakes and hopefully install your flexible solar panel to your minivan roof with utmost perfection.
If you'd like to see everything I use in my van, click here: www.minivancampergal.com
Welcome to Minivan Camper Gal! I'm Kelly and I camp and travel in a Chrysler Pacifica Minivan, doing part-time van life. Here you will find van build videos, tips on the digital nomad lifestyle, general travel vlog videos, and more. I'm into minimalism, and I eat a mostly plant-based vegan diet. I'm still learning how to do vegan vanlife well! I have some great vegan camping recipes to share with you, but would love some suggestions, too! Sometimes I stealth camp in the city, but mostly I like to boondock. Join me and my camper van as we embark on all the car camping adventures!
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Flexible Panel: amzn.to/46lPvfV
Go to Minivancampergal.com, and click on "Flexible Solar Install" for everything I used. :)
Also would be cool to place van exhaust fan under panels, this way it will cool them down and increase lifespan and efficiency too😅
I have two 100 watt Sunpower flexible solar panels on my truck cap.
They have been on my roof of my cap for 2 years and survived two Chicago winters.
I used heavy duty outdoor velcro so I can remove them but I left them up for two years.
I have driven over 30,000 miles and have had zero issues.
I know I can be bad about commenting on every vid Kelly, but you do such a great job at explaining these things! I don't want to make cuts or drill holes in my vehicle + never bothered putting panels on top for that reason (plus, was told the flex panels were not that great)! However, having been here since pretty much day one of your channel- I know you share good with the bad and personally test every aspect of a product. I am now completely rethinking the flexible panel idea, lol-Thx again for sharing, Lisa
Hey Lisa! Aw it's great to hear from you again! Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you're still enjoying my videos. Yeah, I think these new Renogy panels are way better than the old flexible panels used to be. It's crazy how fast everything is changing!
Just FYI, I've been installing solar panels for many years, and you'll find out those flexible solar panels won't hold up to hot areas as they well delaminate in a couple years and the output goes down. I started with these flexible ones for the ease of installing but switched over to rigid glass panels (almost the same price now).
Will Prowse says the same thing. On the other hand Voyager Camper Conversions (Wales) have been sticking Photonic Universe 180W panels on their fibreglass poptops for several years and say no-one has reported any failures.
Also do you think this suggestion of a sheet of polycarbonate channel underneath will help at all with the cooling? It seems like it ought to.
@@xxwookey There is a new generation of better-quality flexible panels out there but still won't compare to the 25 year life of a rigid glass panel. Plus, if you're in the really hot areas of Arizona, Nevada, etc. it's even more important.
Hello,if you want to be somewhat stealth, you don't want a rigid panel. Now if the panel only lasts for 2-3 years, then just buy another one. It's not that much money.
Luckily my Sienna is dark gray so the panel will blend in, especially with the roof rack somewhat hiding it .
@@beemrdon52 True and that's why I used to use those temporary panels. My van build has the new lower weight glass panels with the drill less system using those mounts that can be eternabonded to the surface of the van. It's literally one inch above the surface of the van. They can barely be noticed from the street view now. Good for over 20 + years which is more than I'll keep the project. BTW I just checked the prices of rigid glass panels. They've plummeted down to $52 now for a nice 100 watt one on eBay (they used to be over $100)
That's great but i,m looking for a 300 watt panel for my van. I don,t think 100 w will cut it according to others that are on utube.
@@philc.9280
I don't know if I'll ever be brave enough to live like this but I enjoy watching good information 😊
I'm glad you're enjoying my videos! I hope you get out there, if you want to!
Perfect timing, I have a jeep that is new to me I have a rigid 38×38 150watt panel I took off my van. I wouldn't mind to try a flex solar panel. Any who more research!!! Happy trails to y'all
3M has a transparent foam tape that just great. Had it on my RV for 15 years and still strong as never failed summer or winter,
Ooh, I needed that! Thanks!
Excellent info, Kelly. Just one thing I'd have liked was to show more of the actual process step while explaining rather than telling us. In the later steps, you did more of this. But it would have been nice for the earlier steps as well. But still excellent video.
Hey Gary! Thanks - yeah, unfortunately my methods weren't really worth showing, ha! I appreciate the feedback!
The "multi wall" panel is called COROPLAST
Actually no, it's not coroplast. It's a thicker material with square walls.
Thanks Kelly! I always love your videos
Thanks Janell!
I went back and forth between vhb and flexible vs rigid and a roof rack vs portable. I went with rigid/rack because my overarching goal is to be able to transfer every component of my "build" to future vehicles. You did a great job on yours though.
Hey Glen! Eek, that's a good point. Yeah, I hope I don't have to remove these anytime soon. Sounds like you chose wisely.
FWIW... on my Sienna that has factory roof rail/bars, I just used metal zip ties to attach a 200w Renogy rigid panel directly to the cross bars. 3 ties per hole, in 4 places. Metal zip ties are hard to work with though.
Ooh, nice. Yeah, I considered mounting on a rail. The metal zip ties sound cool!
Thanks for the "learn from my choices" bits .. Thanks ... and congrats on having your system set up !
Hey Debbie! Thanks for the comment!
In UK this kind of mount would invalidate car insurance as this is modification. In UK even mounting dashcam is considered modification. :(
I used to deliver food with a big ugly plastic polyurathane signs on the roof and it was held with four, 3" inch rubber coated magnets. I used to go about 85 sometimes it never flew off the car 😂. If i was to ever mount a panel on my car i would use aluminum sheet as a mounting deck and put 6 rubber magnets on it and ribbit my solar panel to the sheet. Seeing all that tape and knowing it may damage the paint upon removal would make me feel pretty upset.
Ooh, interesting ideas!
So smart and cute too . great to see you making the sun work for you. I am slowly getting my solar at home built up. p.s. if rain does ever enter the camper, a rain loop is super simple to make by making a loop in the cables, then taping them so they dont come apart, you would do the loop just above the door before it enters the camper. Water will wick away from the door and onto the ground. It's a really old tried and true radio trick used for transmission cables before they enter a building. Just be sure not to create a knot, you don't want to damage the wires inside the cable.
Thanks for the compliments and the tips!
Some good tips here!. Thanks!
I mounted at 230 watt glass faced aluminum, framed solar panel to my Chevy Uplander, and it fit perfectly in between the existing roof rails. There is a better one and a half inch air gap between the solar panel and the roof. The solar panel is 39 inches wide and the rails are 39 1/4 inches inside with so it fits perfectly. I used 3/8 inch stainless steel lag, bolts drilled into the side of the solar panel and it’s never moved since and that’s been four years ago.
I have 6 kWh of lithium batteries in the van with a DC DC converter that runs the 12 V system as well because the alternator broke four years ago. That’s why I put the solar panel on because it was too hard to change the alternator and I didn’t like the alternator anyway.
I’m glad other people are putting Solar Panels on the vans I thought I was the only one .
I sometimes camp in my van and it’s great because I can plug my coffee maker or mini fridge into the 2000 watt inverter, and it works great.
Good luck with your projects
I was thinking that you could still park in the shade and set up a separate solar panel in the sun. That way you can stay cool and still charge. You would have to set up a separate charge controller. I think you could plug that separate charge controller into the fuse block as well. I’ve seen a video where Will Prouse demonstrated that it’s ok to use multiple controllers on the same battery.
Hey Michael! Hm, interesting ideas, thanks!
Thank You for informasions ! Thank You beautiful lady !
You are awesome thank you so much for your videos
Your smile...
✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️😁👌
I have a small teardrop camper and it has the flex panel stuck on it and it seems to work good. Now my camper is made from a vinyl and the solar it stuck to that so maybe that is different since your van top is metal. I just subscribed to your channel. I also just watched the 3 sink video and I think the bucket one is awesome. I do already have an outside in back of my teardrop a sink so I use it. But hopefully my memory will let me remember this as in a year or two I am going to sell my Subaru and teardrop and just the tv lifestyle. Just a little nervous about doing it right now. Also been trying to wait and payoff all my bills and then watch out. I have been looking at some used vans and man for one with low miles it’s like buying a new car and for ones with low prices has enough miles that they drove around the world. So not 100% sure how I am going to do when it comes that time. All I know right now is I want to live rent free.
I saw another channel where they used magnets as standoffs and then gorilla taped the panel, I thought was a great idea & added some additional security!
You don't need anything but eternabond tape to hold a flexible panel. It took me hours to get mine off when I had to change it.
How do you remove the tape if you have to? I want to paint my van in the future, so I'm worried about getting that panel off for that.
How flimsy are the bendable panels? Would using standoffs and self tapping screws for the eyelets work? And then maybe use some locktight or silcon around the screws. My biggest worry is how itll effect stealth camping. I have a low car so they would be easy to see
I've seen others screw it on.
I use weboost but have start link. I keep it incase. I used the roof to angle mount to mount to rhino rack. I do like option if placing on ground if i have lots of trees in area.
Ooh, thanks for the idea! I'm not entirely sure my idea is going to work, so I may end up using that as a backup!
hi there thanks for this, I am in New Zealand, and very confused not because I live in New Zealand lol but do I need a controler as some here are selling a 100watt solar panel and some do have a controler and some do not, I cant seem to find the other video you talk about regarding this stuff thank u
Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
I really enjoy your relaxed approach to your videos. Your smile is infectious and your content extremely helpful and interesting.❤
I was going to use industrial Velcro
How do you remove the tape when you sell the van? I have a roof rack on my Pacifica. I didn't use the rails as they're too high. Instead I created my own brackets which attach where the roof rails go.
Hey Tom. Woah, that's a great idea! I should've used that with my starlink I just mounted. Googone removes the tape residue pretty well.
Looks like the side has opening gap to cool down the panel but could potentially be debris dirt lodge in there? Also strong wind might lift the panel up with the gap?
Hey Sam! Yeah, it might get dirty. I don't think a cross wind will lift it though.
How is your 200W renogy panel holding up? Is it delivering 180W+ under perfect conditions?
Do you worry the permanent mount will entice vandals to mess with it?
And will you keep your starlink antennae permanently mounted as well? Thanks
Hi Sue! THe panels are great because you can barely see them. Yeah, it might bring some unwanted attention, but it would be REALLY hard and messy to get them off. That tape is serious business. My starlink will be removable.
3M doesn't recommend using VHB for adhering solar panels
Thanks for the tip! Some others have been using it.. we'll see how it holds up!
Has anyone ever tried putting one of the flexible panels on a Thule cartop carrier? Just wondering if it would be doable or are the dimensions of the panel too large for the carrier? I like the idea of removing the solar panel and cartop carrier when I'm not camping.
Can AC of the car can be run on that much solar panel of the car roof ??
So this is permanent?..I was looking for something that wouldn't damage the paint /vehicle.
Yes, this is mostly permanent, but I *can* remove it if I have to.
You can buy some cheap vinyl to lay across the roof before putting the tape down.
I suggest using some magnets to bolt the panel down first, and then securing the edges with the tape.
Just do it the way Renogy says then, use adhesive sealant, but you must leave air gaps for heat to escape from under the panel. The adhesive sealant can be removed later on and it won't damage your paint.
I used sikaflex but wondering how l will get my solar panel off when l need a new one. It's been on for 3 yrs stuck good 👍
What happens when the panel needs to be replaced? Will it tear off the paint? This is very helpful as are all your videos.
If I'm just replacing the panel, I'll just cut it off, and tape over the old tape. If I have to completely remove it, then I'll use Goo Gone, and pray to the gods, lol.
Kel you're getting too good at this, you did a great job. (Personally I'm just waiting for the next cookery video ! ) I've never been very optimistic about putting stuff on top of my car, because the UK weather is so nasty and I'd worry about someone tampering with it. And I so agree with you about not cleaning unless it's absolutely necessary - just loved that part ! 😀❤🛻
Hey Marion! Haha, glad you agreed about the cleaning, lol! Yeah, I need to get back to some cooking videos!
You mentioned several tapes
what if you used magnets with anti-slip rubber too?
Once air gets under the panel, I don't think any magnet will work, and it will just lift off.
I am thinking of using magnets AND tapes? No air.
Million Dollar Smile. You could sell ice 🧊 to an eskimo with that smile.
Haha, this made me laugh. Thanks!
I want to add a flexi panel to the roof of my car but am concerned about the damage to the roof when/if I need to take it off if selling the car at any time.
Has a anyone ever taken one off without any damage?
Can you take these panels thru a car wash?
No, I wouldn't recommend it. They're fine for a heavy rainstorm, but the rollers might damage something
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Woah! You're fast! Haha, thanks for being such a fan!
Will the panals survive a car wash?
Hi Connie! I think it would be ok in a self- wash (think heavy rain storm). But I wouldn't take it in anything with automated rollers.
Hi Kelly,
You did a good job with the install, at least you didn't install a glass panel up there. LOL. That's a good flex panel you installed. I think it has the best warranty of all the flex panels on the market. Now, wasn't all the hard work of installing the batteries and the panel worth it? I think the answer is yes! The smile on your face says it all. I think your system will pay for itself over time and the LifePo4 batteries should last a good long while. I am sure you will enjoy a lot of free, clean energy in the years to come. Enjoy!
Steve.
Thanks Steve! Yeah, I've been loving the panel on my trips so far!
has anyone tried installing it on a roof rail with extrusion?
Sikaflex
Yeah, I've heard that stuff is good!
You tickle me. I can’t help but laugh with you, and it’s a challenge to concentrate. Get serious, Jenny!
Ha! Thansk Jeanette! I appreciate the feedback!
Great video👍👍👍 How could we contact you?
Thank you! You can email me at minivancampergal@gmail.com
To much talk 👎👎👎👎👎👎
Are you angry?
Who hurt you?😢