Solar panels T5 pop top anyone done it?

Looking at installing some solar panels mainly to power my small fridge as it just kills my leisure battery in a day and a half. Probably go for the flat ones to cut down on drilling and run through my canvas on my SCA pop top any done anything similar and any pointers to avoid.

Not got a clue on electrics the leisure battery is in the front of the van next to the main battery which are connected together. Is it best to connect to leisure battery or just go straight to the fridge.

Pic of pop top

67339576_10157598696041474_2054182149283643392_n by Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr

Rich

In true STW not answering the question asked fashion, is there any scope for a 3 way fridge that could run off gas?

Buy a kit like this: https://www.sunstore.co.uk/product/100w-semi-flexible-12v-solar-panel-kit-pop-top/

and connect it to the battery. The charging controller box will have battery terminals and will manage charging the battery for you.

Whilst you could connect it to the frigde (as that connects to the battery) you would need to check fuses inbetween the fridge and battery etc. Also if you switch off the firdge at the fuse box you’d switch off battery charging as well (which you probably don’t want).

We had the Flexi ones fitted to the roof of ours, they were fine. Had them wired in so it would either charge main engine battery or the leisure as needed to allow it to sit on the drive unused and still start.

I doubt you have enough roof to power the fridge though.

I have a Trafic with a poptop and had a roof rack fitted and bolted a 160w panel to that. I haven’t turned my fridge off since I switched it on in June. The added bonus is I can fit our Thule ski box to the roof to carry folding chairs/tables etc in it.

View this post on Instagram

180w flat solar panel fitted to Collins transit today, always good to see a returning customer especially when his van still looks this cool #ford #transit #custom #attentiontodetail #campervan #camper #solar #solarpanel

A post shared by Andi Riley (@notjustcampers) on Sep 3, 2020 at 1:44pm PDT

We have the same panel, on our non popped roof (fitted by the same guy in Wakefield). It powers our Dometic CF26 during the day, no problem (as long as the kayak’s arent on the roof!). The input can be very variable with the weather, direction etc, so it isn’t a simple equation to make, but do have a look at what the Ah of your fridge is too.

Look through his instagram – he has fitted a few.

^^^
how long does the masking tape hold it on for?

Make sure you have a decent MPPT solar controller for best results.

swavis I have sent you message, but the picture has pooped up now.

Did you fit that yourself and the roof bars?

That’s exactly what I need to do.

how long does the masking tape hold it on for?

Long enough for the stupidly sticky glue to stick (in our experience!)

Did you fit that yourself and the roof bars?

That’s exactly what I need to do

I had the roof bars fitted at the same time as the roof, all covered under a warranty then. I did make the brackets, bolt the panel on, cut the holes in the roof and wire it all up myself though.

Long enough for the stupidly sticky glue to stick (in our experience!)

i guessed that, but if I were posting a picture advertising my services in fitting something like that, I’d have taken the masking tape off first…

Highest W panel you can get away with

Connect to battery with a quality solar controller

Hardest thing will be routing the cables

i used this kit solar panel solutions

the cable feeds through the rubber tube that holds the brake light cable (lift up door not barn doors…).

very easy fit, and no drilling or glueing required

swavis thank you, i need to enquire about getting roof bars fitted then.

was a member of a self build face book group for a while.

stopped when i stopped self building

But suprising amount of “solar panels stopped working how do i unglue it from my roof without damaging the roof” posts . theory apparently was the heat couldnt get out from the panel and cooked it – alternate theory is they used cheap panels.

i fitted rigid panels to mine on custom racking i made- airflow around keeps em cool, No issues 3 years later and only 4 bolts to change if needed

Looks like a rack would be a better option looks like its going to get expensive!

thanks for all the input from contributors 🙂

Rich

What about a solar blanket. Means you can park the van in the shade and have the blanket in the sun. Plus you can move the blanket to point at the sun, depending on position of van you might find your roof is not nicely pointing south.
Yes it means more stuff to lug around in the van but might be a good option for some.

Also consider a lithium battery upgrade. Might need new chargers but may give you more useable power (and prices are coming down).

I’d make the panels easily swappable…

Did SJ help?

I stuck a flexible panel on to the roof of our T5 about 6 years ago. It worked flawlessly until we sold the van a couple of months ago.
100w was enough to keep the fridge running indefinitely in reasonable weather. I only used a cheap eBay charger controller too which lasted about 4 years, then I changed it for a slightly less cheap eBay one.

(I’ve just fitted a 270W panel and posh controller on my current van, but it’s probably overkill for a T5).

I went for the rigid panel for the reasons trail_rat describes above, dead easy to change if needed. I also went for a Victron controller, it seems to just get on and get the most out of the panel. It might be overkill but I never have to worry about power.

@swavis Don’t you worry about that plastic hose taking the paint off the roof while you’re driving?

Nope it’s not painted, it’s black fibreglass. The hose is rubber and actually quite rigid so doesn’t move much. I’ll keep an eye on it though but nothing visible after 4 months of being up there.

Going to have a punt on two dogs recommendation when they get some in stock

I’ve got 2x 100w flexible, pretty sure they are the cheap ones you see on eBay but I paid a few quid more from Photonics Universe.

(my impression is that established buyers will get the better A grade panels, the cheaper direct sales are likely to be used to offload the panels that turn out below par)

They’ve been up there about six years, run my 80l fridge 24/7 during the summer. They are rivnuted down with a bead of adhesive around the edges to prevent the wind getting under them. If they ever fail I can just slice them off.

Finally got round to fitting the panels and MPPT controllers pretty simple and its working great even in these short daylight days

125981911_10159153333556474_7252648304009961427_n by Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr

125767632_10159153333311474_7540397547885508051_n by Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr

125532452_10159153333696474_5811031909813327446_n by Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr

123760394_10159138849396474_4055627058798986501_n by Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr