Quote:
Originally Posted by hsmunoz
Hi guys
I am doing some research as I get ready to add some solar panels to my alpine.
for those of you that mounted the panels to the roof, how did you do it?
-just drove screws into the roof and sealed with self leveling goop? what size screws?
-anchors of some kind?
- went all the way through the roof to the ceiling?
I am going to mount 2 245 w panels, up there.
TIA for the help and advice
Henry
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The roof of the trailer is anywhere for 4 to 8 inches thick from the rubber membrane to the inside paneling.
Many of the Keystones have 3/4" or 1/2" plywood under the membrane. (You can determine the thickness of your roof by dropping the plastic frame on a ceiling vent which will expose much of the construction of the roof to your view.)
The trailers are built with ceiling/roof joists that are either 24" or 16" on center.
With those facts in hand....
1. Unless you really think you need screws long enough to penetrate from the membrane to the interior paneling, I would offer that something in the 1.5" to 2" length would be very adequate depending on the thickness of the brackets.
2. Diameter of the screws will pretty much depend on the size of the brackets and the size of the panels. #10's or #12's would probably be good. If it were my project, I'd use stainless steel.
3. No need for anchors as long as your roof underlayment is 1/2" or greater in thickness.
4. If the roof doesn't have at least 1/2" underlayment, you could always locate the joists and place your brackets there. In that case, I'd recommend 2" screws.
Get yourself a tube of the Dicor self-leveling caulk and goop up the screws and brackets liberally when it's all assembled. Use the other caulking already on the roof as a guide for how much to use, etc.