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Old 03-23-2019, 10:20 AM   #1
packrat1969
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Anyone Mount Solar On Their Passport Roof?

Actually, has anyone mounted ANYTHING on their Passport roof? I know Passports are lightweight campers, and the rooftops are not meant to be walked on. But, keeping that in mind, has anyone come up with a system to add the weight of solar panels on the roof that doesn't compromise the structure? Considering 3-4 100W HQST panels that come in at about 17-18lbs a piece. Also, if you have been able to do this, what path did you take to get the wiring through the roof back into the camper?

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Old 03-31-2019, 03:17 AM   #2
SRD
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We talked about it

While in Gander outdoors the wife and I looked at solar panels. We have a Passport Elite 19rb so getting on the roof just to inspect is a pain in itself, I wouldn't want to be up there mounting solar panels. Good luck if you attempt it.
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Old 04-03-2019, 10:47 AM   #3
B-O-B'03
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Many of the places we camp have trees, so I decided to not mount mine on the roof, I have a tilting roof frame on it and 25' of wire so I can move it around.

I have some 6G wire hooked to the batteries with an anderson connector at the end. I plug the panel controller into that and any other 12 volt accessories like the macerator pump

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Old 04-03-2019, 03:01 PM   #4
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We went with a "suitcase" style portable. With the vents, a/c and bathroom skylight space was an issue. Add to that my absolute fear of adding any mod where I have to penetrate the roof and the decision was simple. Portables are compact and lightweight enough to make them a very practical option to roof mounting.
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Old 04-03-2019, 05:14 PM   #5
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For me, fear of heights, yes even on the roof of the Laredo 288RL (hyperventilate and knees get week!!!), and another vote for not wanting to break through the roof membrane, I went for a Harbor Freight 100W solar panel set up for $150. TT is pre-wired to plug panel right into outside wall. Easy peazey.

100W panel is not a lot (combined with a 1200W inverter) but enough for essentials when needed. Second battery strongly recommended.

Good luck with whatever your solution.
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Old 04-04-2019, 01:06 PM   #6
packrat1969
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Thanks for the replies.

Before I bought my Passport, I had a 12 foot pop up with a fiberglass roof. I also had a flexible solar panel more or less permanently adhered to that roof. This last part was great for ease of set-up. Just plug in one cable. There was also no way for the panel to wander off, if you know what I mean. I did, however, outgrow the pop up and wanted to do something bigger.

While I don’t have a fear of heights, I do have a fear of compromising the integrity of my TT’s roof membrane. Without a permanent ladder, and the ability to walk on the roof, access is limited. Besides, I will also have the shade issue, as we often camp in forested land. One can’t re-position a travel trailer every time the sun moves.

A movable array isn’t exactly effort-free or the most secure arrangement, I do think it will work the best overall. For now, I’ve been planning to do pretty much what B-O-B’03 has done. I’ll be using several 100 watt panels and 25 feet of twin conductor 4ga jumper cable wire with the aforementioned Anderson plugs.


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Old 05-04-2019, 12:25 PM   #7
Steve/
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I do not know about doesn't compromise the structure, but yes I did mount a 100 watt panel on the roof.
I used sheet metal screws into the top of the metal beams. Use small magnet to locate the mid point of beam. Also ran a 1" x 1" 8 foot angle aluminium across the roof so I could also catch the top of the walls.
As for wiring I use the refrigerator roof vent. I had a long wire run on the roof so I used a 3/4 inch plastic pipe to protect the wire from the sun. I wanted a panel on the roof so when I am in storage the battery are keep full.
I use a lot of caulking/glue on all screw and use it on the piping to hold it in place.
I had the solar panel or I would have bought the flexible solar panels and use glue and tape to mount them directly to the roof.
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Old 05-10-2019, 08:33 AM   #8
tdcolby
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We had a solar panel mounted on our Passport Elite 27RB when we purchased it. It is a 160W solar & inverter and a second battery was installed as well. No problems!
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