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Old 03-31-2020, 11:49 AM   #1
levic900rr
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Roof Sheathing Material

Hey Team,

I picked up my new Passport 239ML recently and I am thinking my first project will be installing my solar panels on the roof. I'm assuming the roofing material is 3/4" plywood, so I don't need to worry about finding framing to screw to? Can anyone confirm?

Thanks!
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Old 03-31-2020, 12:09 PM   #2
chuckster57
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Welcome to the forum !!

Your trailer is probably labeled as “lite, ultra lite, etc”. Even if it isn’t, 3/4” plywood would be very heavy. I’m thinking more along the lines of 3/8”.

When you add solar, the length of the screws holding the panels in place is more important than size. Where are you going to run the wires?
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Old 03-31-2020, 12:16 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by levic900rr View Post
Hey Team,

I picked up my new Passport 239ML recently and I am thinking my first project will be installing my solar panels on the roof. I'm assuming the roofing material is 3/4" plywood, so I don't need to worry about finding framing to screw to? Can anyone confirm?

Thanks!
I doubt seriously you'll find an ounce actual plywood any where in your RV. The roof is most likely 1/2", maybe 5/8", OSB, definitely won't be 3/4" or plywood & galvanized roof trusses.
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Old 03-31-2020, 12:31 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by levic900rr View Post
Hey Team,

I picked up my new Passport 239ML recently and I am thinking my first project will be installing my solar panels on the roof. I'm assuming the roofing material is 3/4" plywood, so I don't need to worry about finding framing to screw to? Can anyone confirm?

Thanks!
Go into the bathroom in your trailer, pull the 4 screws holding the plastic flashing around the vent fan. Once that flashing is down, you'll see 4 "TPO flaps" where the roof material was cut and stapled to the vent framing. Pull the staples from one of the flaps and lift it. You'll see the OSB roof decking used on your trailer. My guess is that it's either 1/4" OSB (if you do not have a roof ladder on your trailer) or 3/8" OSB (if you do have a roof ladder/walkable roof).

In either case, your "assumption" that the roof is 3/4" plywood is nowhere close to reality. At best, it's half that thick, probably even thinner and it's OSB, not plywood.

Pull the vent flashing, you'll be able to see EXACTLY what's stapled to your roof rafters and "hidden" by the TPO membrane.
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Old 03-31-2020, 12:39 PM   #5
levic900rr
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Thanks guys, guess it was wishful thinking... This is the year they tout a "walk on snow load roof" so I was hoping it was decent. Everything I have seen online shows people just sinking wood screws in where ever they want.

As for the wiring, it seems like running them down the refrigerator vent is common practice.

Thanks all for the quick replies!
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Old 03-31-2020, 12:45 PM   #6
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Keystone (and all other RV manufacturers as well) advertise R-40 roof insulation and R-30 floor insulation. They do that with 3" of fiberglass (R-12), a sheet of "aluminized" bubble wrap and a liberal amount of "magic"... So don't put a lot of "faith in realism" into wishful thinking about brochure sales points......
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Old 03-31-2020, 01:16 PM   #7
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Refer vent is a good place to run the solar wires.
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Old 04-01-2020, 06:44 AM   #8
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Thanks again for the feedback folks. I'm going to order up some brackets and start planning out my install.
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Old 04-01-2020, 07:16 AM   #9
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I used 1" long #12 button head phillips screws on my last 2 installations with no issues. Goop up the threads before tightening them and then cover the heads completely with more goop.
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Old 04-01-2020, 07:48 AM   #10
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I used 1" long #12 button head phillips screws on my last 2 installations with no issues. Goop up the threads before tightening them and then cover the heads completely with more goop.
By "goop" I'd guess you mean DICOR self leveling sealant?

I'd suggest deciding where the brackets are going to sit on the roof, "goop up" that area, set the bracket in the "goop", then screw the bracket into place and "goop up" the top of the bracket and the screws, completely sealing the bracket, screws and TPO roof "as one unit". Dipping the threads in "more goop" is also a good idea. This is one place where "more is better" is, within reason, a very accurate statement.
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Old 04-01-2020, 07:51 AM   #11
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Yes on the dicor/goop, the more the better...
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Old 04-01-2020, 08:39 AM   #12
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I have "concerns" unless it's all "spelled out for the novice".... More than once, we've read on this forum, "I sealed all the roof stuff with clear silicone. Lowe's had it on sale, so I bought 10 tubes and used them all. My roof will never leak now".....

One never knows the "experience level" of the reader who gets his "next great idea" from a post on the forum …..
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Old 04-01-2020, 09:41 AM   #13
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True, good catch. As you know, I dealt with someone's silicone error.
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Old 04-01-2020, 09:47 AM   #14
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And "Goop" is a brand name of adhesives/sealants that WalMart and Home Depot and other stores sell.
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Old 04-01-2020, 09:55 AM   #15
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And also other stuff, my bad...
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Old 04-01-2020, 09:56 AM   #16
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And "Goop" is a brand name of adhesives/sealants that WalMart and Home Depot and other stores sell.
So very true !!!! My one and only experience with GOOP was in the early 90's. I had a "blowout" on a favorite pair of Reebok jogging shoes. Tried to repair them with GOOP, failed miserably and that $10 was wasted. Should have just bought a new pair of Reebok's and be done with it. Haven't used GOOP since then (except as a verb)….
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Old 04-01-2020, 02:32 PM   #17
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So very true !!!! My one and only experience with GOOP was in the early 90's. I had a "blowout" on a favorite pair of Reebok jogging shoes. Tried to repair them with GOOP, failed miserably and that $10 was wasted. Should have just bought a new pair of Reebok's and be done with it. Haven't used GOOP since then (except as a verb)….
I always have a tube of Goop on hand and have used it, successfully, on many projects.

Once on a dishwasher that someone (nameless) had broken a drinking glass in and a chunk had fallen to the bottom, where the wash arm whacked it repeatedly - in time wearing a hole in the metal tub.

I sanded the area, put a glob of Goop on it and it was still leak free when we sold the house... 10 years later.

I have also used it to fix "blowouts" in some of the DW's shoes.

YNNV

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Old 04-01-2020, 04:44 PM   #18
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It's amazing what one can learn, especially about "goop". I always thought it was a hand cleaner, now I learn it's all these other things.
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Old 04-01-2020, 05:04 PM   #19
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Roof ply

2018 Passport, 3/8” actual plywood.
I know this by installing a center vent.
Roof truss’s on 24” centers.
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Old 04-02-2020, 05:14 AM   #20
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I haven’t been able to find “Plumbers Goop” for a few years, but that was some really good stuff.
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