The VanDea

A flat mounted solar panel bracket setup with strength and structure being the forefront.

The Build

Materials

  • Aluminum square pipe
  • Steel plate
  • 1/2 hex bolts + nuts and lock nuts for them
  • Panel and solar equipment (batteries, charge controller, etc…)
  • A friend

Process

With the help of my mechanic friend, we decided to mount each panel with 4 pieces of aluminion that would be hex bolted into the actual frame. The van frame was too long to mount directly to the panel which is why we did this. My van is also old and rusty, so mounting directly to the roof would certainly rust away eventually. This method is much more stable than that.

We also used a thick piece of steel to be placed on top of the roof so the pressure wasn’t directly on the roof. So let’s start talking steps.

First cut your aluminion pipes to a length that will be long enough to reach the frame to the panels. Then cut your 4 pieces of steel to be placed between the pipe and the roof. Our size for the rectangle steel was (TODO measurement).

When those pieces are cut. You can drill your hole for the hex bolts to pass through. Because we used steel for the rectangular plates, we then used etch+primer paint and then sprayed it black.

After that, we nut and bolted the aluminum pipe to the panel aluminum. There are holes already in the 100w Renogy compact panels, but we didn’t use them and created our own holes. When they are nice and tight you are ready to put them on the roof.

You should use a washer between the steel plate and pipe and also the bolt to the top of the pipe. Drill holes with the panel on the top using the holes in the aluminum pipe as a guide. Place Butyl or a waterproofing solution where those holes are. Make sure everything is in place and here is where your friend comes into play.

With one pal holding the hex bolt on top in place with a wrench, and you inside the van, tighten the nuts. Thanks a bunch guys. Don’t over tighten to avoid warping the panel, but I’m a testament that even the non bendable solar panels can warp a little and still work.

Wiring

You might as well do what I did and run the solar panel wires to the side of the vehicle to make sure you didn’t break the panels in the process.

I recommend a cable gland after that to make wiring into the vehicle look nicer. Place a ring of butyl around the gland, drill a large hole in the middle for the wires, drill your screws through the gland, and you’ll be all set. I then ran the wires through the side of the frame (TODO pics).

If you’ve got more then one panel, use an MC4 branch connector. I opted for a triple one in case I add a third panel. Much like building a PC, once you’ve built one, you’ll want to do another!

Well

I think it turned out great. Having a tilt in your panels can increase your power output in winter months as opposed to this flat setup, which is why I’d give this setup a 7/10. Maybe someday I’ll setup a custom tilt mount.

My panels are a nice example on why to use Butyl tape to waterproof. The first panel I did was using silicon glue. Even using a good amount in the install, the holes caused some leaks and as a result I went back and used more silicon glue and eternabond tape around. Compare that with the Butyl tapes clean look and choosing which to use should be an easy decision.