Flexible Solar Panels glued to rubber roofing

Seniorchief · 04-07-2015, 06:29 PM

Hi all,
Has anybody used the flexible panels from Go-Power and glued them to the Rubber roof? I am not a fan of drilling mounting holes up there, this seems like a reasonable alternative.

My 318SAB is a 2012, and I have learned that the manufacturer warranties are not worth the paper they are written on, so here's the question...

Does gluing the black solar panel to the roof with approved sealant for the roof material create an excessive heat transfer and subsequent failure of the EDPM?

Have any of you done this or have actual experience? I find info on the Internet on the initial install, but nothing on life span or problems.

Anyone ?

Festus2 · 04-07-2015, 06:53 PM

Not sure about your rubber roof, but on some the membrane has not been glued down properly and does not fully adhere to the roof decking. The result is having sections - some small, "bubble-like" and some larger pockets of air between the EPDM and the wooden substrate. If you were to glue the solar panel to a portion of the roof that doesn't properly adhere to the wooden decking, then you would end up with very poor adhesion. I would be left wondering ...."Is this thing going to hold?"

I think with careful installation and caulking, drilling holes in the roof and fastening the panel down so that it is "good and solid" and won't come "flying off" is the best route to go. The vast majority of solar panels are fastened to the roof (not glued) and I think very few of them ever leak.

**chuckster57** · 04-07-2015, 07:34 PM

I agree. We have installed lots of solar panels on all kinds of roof materials, and proper installation with a liberal dose of the proper sealant will not cause any issues.

We use Dicor, and apply it underneath the mounting plates before using the drill gun to set the screws. After that a real good coating of dicor over the screw heads and in most cases the mounting plate, make for a watertight install. At least we haven't had any come back.

rjsurfer · 04-08-2015, 12:20 AM

I wouldn't glue them down. Way too much heat transfer will occur.

And a bigger point when the solar panels get hot they lose about 15% efficiency thats why mainaing an air space under them is a good idea.

Lastly, most flexible panels dont produce the same output as a similarly sized hard panel.

Ron W.

Bill & Deb · 04-08-2015, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seniorchief

Hi all,
Has anybody used the flexible panels from Go-Power and glued them to the Rubber roof? I am not a fan of drilling mounting holes up there, this seems like a reasonable alternative.

My 318SAB is a 2012, and I have learned that the manufacturer warranties are not worth the paper they are written on, so here's the question...

Does gluing the black solar panel to the roof with approved sealant for the roof material create an excessive heat transfer and subsequent failure of the EDPM?

Have any of you done this or have actual experience? I find info on the Internet on the initial install, but nothing on life span or problems.

Anyone ?

You could consider making a 1/2 thick wooden plate with rubber feet on it to protect the roof. This would allow you to secure it at the front on the AC unit and to the ladder in the rear. Then the solar panels could be mounted to that. I would also put rubber strips around the edges of the wood to prevent air from getting underneath and trying to lift it. This would prevent the necessity of drilling holes.

Bill

Seniorchief · 04-08-2015, 05:58 PM

Thanks all. I think I may look for an alternative, as the lesser of the evils seems to be hard panels on brackets. I wish there was someone here in New England I could rely on to know what they are doing based on experience and do a good job for the install.

**chuckster57** · 04-08-2015, 06:41 PM

Install is very simple and straight forward. As long as the installer uses the proper sealant, you will have years of trouble free service. Maybe call your local RV dealer as they will (should) have the proper sealants, and most likely have installed enough to do it right. Your just a wee bit out of my area for me to offer my services.

WaltBennett · 04-09-2015, 04:03 AM

Whatever you use to glue them down will probably eat away at the rubber roof leading to worse problems. If not, the heat transfer will be a problem for certain. Some people like large panels, but I installed 100w, 12v ones so I could place them where I wanted to. I used stainless steel #10 screws and puddles of Dicor and haven't hand any problems with our panels. Just don't try screwing into a roof truss.

rjsurfer · 04-09-2015, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaltBennett

Whatever you use to glue them down will probably eat away at the rubber roof leading to worse problems. If not, the heat transfer will be a problem for certain. Some people like large panels, but I installed 100w, 12v ones so I could place them where I wanted to. I used stainless steel #10 screws and puddles of Dicor and haven't hand any problems with our panels. Just don't try screwing into a roof truss.

Good point on the 24" wide 100 watt panels. On my roof I can install at least 10 100 watt panels, for 1000 watt output no way could I do that with the larger 39" 200 plus watt versions.

Maybe get three of them mounted and I couldn't easily walk around on the roof something else to think about.

Ron W.

Seniorchief · 04-09-2015, 05:49 PM

Walt,
You screwed through the Rubber roof and into the plywood, is that correct? I would love to see a photo of how you laid out your panels if you have one kicking around.

We are planning to spend a couple months at Trumbo (NAS Key West). Dry camping, have a pair of new Yamaha 2000 W Gennys, still working on the inverter setup for morning coffee. Ever been down to Sigsbee or Trumbo?

Thx

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