This is the first of three chapters in our series about installing solar on our RV. You can read chapter two here and chapter three here. See video two here and video three here.
We did it!
After six months of talking about it, we put solar panels (similar to these) on our trailer.
We made a 300-mile road trip mostly by freeways through hot sun and pouring rain. The panels came through without a hint of wear or loosening.
While we’re eager to share what we did, keep in mind that this is the first time we’ve put solar panels on anything, so be sure to check with an expert before you tackle a project like this.
We started with a mockup of the trailer’s roof on the garage floor. There, we put two-sided tape (Scotch Mount Extreme) across the back of the NewPowa solar panels, eight lengths on each.
Then, after cleaning the roof, we placed the panels on the top to mark the exact spot to which each would be attached.
To make room for Devin atop the trailer, we removed all but one of the panels and then began removing the backing from the tape and placing the panels back on the spots we’d marked for each one.
Then, we used some knock-off EternaBond RoofSeal tape (we’ve decided to switch to the real thing in the future) to tack down the leading edge of each panel. We want to prevent the wind from catching the edge of a panel while driving.
This week, we made a quick trip down to Cape Canaveral, hoping to see a launch (our visit missed a Falcon 9 by just four hours).
Over the next few weeks, we’ll share our work wiring the panels and setting up the rest of the system. If you haven’t subscribed to our newsletter, we encourage you to do so now so you don’t miss the following posts.
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How We Installed Solar Panels on Our Aliner Scout Popup Trailer