Solar Panel fail

[Creamytash]

Update:
I have bought a Roof Rail set with 3 Cross Bars. Also bought a Renogy rigid 200w solar panel. I am waiting for a couple of decent weather days to fit the roof rails & cross bars to the pop top which needs to be done with caution to avoid putting a drill through the canvas of the pop top. A reinforcing steel plate will be put on the underside of the pop top roof where the roof rail bolts come through the fibreglass. I have all the neccessary brackets to mount the solar panel to the cross bars and have replaced all of the bolts and fixings that came with the rails with marine quality stainless steel. My logic to buying roof rails and cross bars to mount the solar panel is that I can avoid drilling holes in the pop top to fit solar panel retaining brackets when if this panel fails at anytime in the future the cross bars will allow any size of solar panel to be fitted as I have found that solar panels come in a variety of dimentions and I don't want to be drilling even more holes in the pop top to re-arrange the position of any brackets. The access for the cables is already there from the flexable bonded panel and I just have to link up the existing cables to the new solar panel and seal the box to the roof. I hope to get much better longevity from a rigid panel from a well know munufacturer unlike the 2 flexable bondel panels I've had fail on me over period of 4yrs. I am now wise to the converters who charge you large suns of money for flexable solar panels only just last long enough to outlive their warranty and the converter uses that to excuse them selves but happy to take more money from you to fit a replacement panel that they know will only just last beyond it' warranty.
Unfortunatley it's a bad time of year with crappy weather to find days kind enough to complete the job. I am aware that putting toof rails on the pop top and a rigid solar panel on the cross bars will raise the height and profile of the top of the van but like everything with campervans, life is a compromise and like I said it's a campervan - not an F1 Race Car.7

 

[RichyJ91]

Update:
I have bought a Roof Rail set with 3 Cross Bars. Also bought a Renogy rigid 200w solar panel. I am waiting for a couple of decent weather days to fit the roof rails & cross bars to the pop top which needs to be done with caution to avoid putting a drill through the canvas of the pop top. A reinforcing steel plate will be put on the underside of the pop top roof where the roof rail bolts come through the fibreglass. I have all the neccessary brackets to mount the solar panel to the cross bars and have replaced all of the bolts and fixings that came with the rails with marine quality stainless steel. My logic to buying roof rails and cross bars to mount the solar panel is that I can avoid drilling holes in the pop top to fit solar panel retaining brackets when if this panel fails at anytime in the future the cross bars will allow any size of solar panel to be fitted as I have found that solar panels come in a variety of dimentions and I don't want to be drilling even more holes in the pop top to re-arrange the position of any brackets. The access for the cables is already there from the flexable bonded panel and I just have to link up the existing cables to the new solar panel and seal the box to the roof. I hope to get much better longevity from a rigid panel from a well know munufacturer unlike the 2 flexable bondel panels I've had fail on me over period of 4yrs. I am now wise to the converters who charge you large suns of money for flexable solar panels only just last long enough to outlive their warranty and the converter uses that to excuse them selves but happy to take more money from you to fit a replacement panel that they know will only just last beyond it' warranty.
Unfortunatley it's a bad time of year with crappy weather to find days kind enough to complete the job. I am aware that putting toof rails on the pop top and a rigid solar panel on the cross bars will raise the height and profile of the top of the van but like everything with campervans, life is a compromise and like I said it's a campervan - not an F1 Race Car.7

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This is the route I'm going down. Do you have any photos of the set up now that you've (hopefully) got them secure on the rack/rails?

 

[Creamytash]

This is the route I'm going down. Do you have any photos of the set up now that you've (hopefully) got them secure on the rack/rails?

Can I send you to my post 'Solar Panel'. On there are some photos including the security bolts I used instead of the ones that came with the roof rails to clamp the crossbars to the rails. My post explains that these security bolts would would make it more difficult for would be scrotes to whip the 4 x m6 allen cap bolts out of your cross bars with a cordless power tool and be away with your solar panel/s.

 

[Creamytash]

Can I send you to my post 'Solar Panel'. On there are some photos including the security bolts I used instead of the ones that came with the roof rails to clamp the crossbars to the rails. My post explains that these security bolts would would make it more difficult for would be scrotes to whip the 4 x m6 allen cap bolts out of your cross bars with a cordless power tool and be away with your solar panel/s.

I found that the brackets that I bought to fix the panel to the cross bars was not wide enough to allow me to flip the bracket over and let me fit the panel 'underslung' on the cross bars, I was forced to fit them above the cross bars but it's a mod I will do later and drop the panel lower/ flush with the cross bar.

 

[Creamytash]

I found that the brackets that I bought to fix the panel to the cross bars was not wide enough to allow me to flip the bracket over and let me fit the panel 'underslung' on the cross bars, I was forced to fit them above the cross bars but it's a mod I will do later and drop the panel lower/ flush with the cross bar.

I have now fabricated some brackets out of stainless steel to replace the original brackets bought to fit the solar panel to the cross bars of the roof rails. These new brackets have allowed me to lower the profile of how the solar panel is mounted. See attached photos of before and after.