The trick to removing something that’s attached with VHB tape is heavy duty fishing line. Cut a length of line about a two feet longer than the width of the panel. Tie each end to a screwdriver (or something similar), tuck the edge of the line under the top part of the panel and then start to pull while “sawing” it back and forth. This releases the tape from the surface it’s stuck to. We also use flexible panels on our trailer. Like you we mounted them with VHB tape on the edges but based on another RUclipsr’s suggestion we added multiple squares of outdoor Velcro in the middle of each panel to create an airspace to prevent the heat build up. They’ve gone through two summers and so far no hot spots and no loss of performance.
That’s awesome, thanks so much for the tips! Curious if removing with fishing line will leave a lot of adhesive residue left over on the roof, not sure if you have done this yourself?
The efficiency of a panel will drop as temps rise beyond certain limits. The benefit of rigid panels is that when mounted the area under the panel will allow for air flow, allowing cooling of the panel. I would suggest over time that you consider panels for efficiency and less ongoing issues. Thanks for a great video.
Yeah, definitely would consider rigid panels if we do it again at some point. And even better with some sort of rail system so we can easily remove without affecting the roof itself. These panels have been great for what they are, though!
One thing that may be causing you problems is that solar panels work better when they are cooler and mounting them with an air gap underneath helps in that respect. Maybe this is also causing the hot spots.
I've been a DIY solar panel installer for years in home and RV projects. I used to install the earlier generation flexible panels that were terrible as they would delaminate in the hot weather and the output was never as good as an equivalent rigid glass panel. I'm sure the newer ones are better however the price for rigid glass panels have dropped to or possible lower than flexible ones. You can use no drill fiberglass mounts with VHB and Eterna bond tape. They should last over 20 years which is probably longer than you'll have the rig, and the output is always good. Plus, if you want the extra work, you can install an angle mounting system to raise the panels to give up to 30% more output during the winter months. Just FYI. I just saw 100-watt glass panels for $56- and 200-watt panels for $129 on eBay.
Since the price is so decent on the panels themselves, perhaps a good idea for you guys might be to get the CIGS compact with the pre-drilled holes and attach mid clamps to them and put them on short sections of rail? I know adding holes to the roof is so cringe, but its easy to seal. Just a thought to keep the air flowing
CIGS take the durability win, no doubt! Just hard to justify because they cost twice as much and take up about 25% larger surface area. I think if we were to get something else we'd probably go with rigid panels. There's just pros and cons to everything 🤔
Did you consider BougeRV CIGS panels?. They cost a lot more, but are very reliable. I have four 200W CIGS panels on the ground in my garden, eight 100W CIGS panels on my garage roof and also some 100W ARCH panels mounted to my deck railing. They all perform well and I have had no failures on any of them, but then I'm not driving down the road. The 200W panels are 2 years old and to 100W CIGS are a year old. I have checked them all periodically for hot spots with no issues. The CIGS panels are much better in shade, BTW.
Absolutely true I've been using cigs since a year and laying them flat next to my RV and I've never had a single issue. Those are definitely money well spent!
We did consider these! We actually started off by buying one 200W CIGS panel to see how it performed, but when we decided we wanted to get a bigger system we realized we needed something more compact and affordable for it to make sense. We then returned the CIGS Yuma and ordered the Arch panels - in our opinion the shade tolerance difference between the two isn't very noticeable. Knew that the CIGS are going to be more durable, however we were willing to make the gamble on an unproven new product because of the other benefits
As mentioned before parallel panels really need to be even numbers. If you have a 5 panel array and a 4 panel array, and series the two arrays (as you mentioned) you don’t have 900W the 4 will clip the 5 giving you a max of 800W to work with. If everything is in series, that’s different.
Thanks for the info! We just can’t put all 9 in a series because of the 150V limit of our charge controller. When we connect our extra “deployable” we’re getting the full 1000W though!
With nothing else on the roof I’ve measured to find that 5 of their 200 watt panels fit my van roof which to me is pretty amazing . Sounds like setting up , wiring and testing the panels on the roof before they are taped down is the thing to do . My concern is keeping them as cool as possible by only taping them to the high ‘ridges’ on the roof to allow airflow thru the low area . This means no tape along the front and back panel edges which may cause issues when driving ? Something I would definitely test on 1 panel before the rest are installed . Thanks for sharing your more positive than negative experience with these panels👍
The most important side for sure is the one facing the front of the vehicle, or the "windward" edge. And from my experience our VHB tape, the cleaning/prep process is actually more important than the amount of tape you apply, in order to get the best adhesion possible (but don't skimp on tape either). I know BougeRV sells a wider butyl tape that they use for their CIGS Yuma panels, so maybe another thing to consider! Not sure which would work better. Another factor you want to consider is what kind of solar charge controller you're using. We considered the 200W but went with 100W because it gave as more flexibility when came to connecting to our Ecoflow Delta Pro (which has a 150V max). Also keep in mind you need to leave some room on the roof to run the wires when flat mounting, especially since the cables exit from the top of these panels. For rigid panels, the cables exit from the bottom and can typically be routed underneath, resulting in a "cleaner" look and more space available for the actual solar itself. I think that's probably what we'll do for our next install!
@@gabandbren yes the front panel would rest lengthwise from right to left on that flat portion of the roof so would have tape along the leading edge . Thanks for mentioning how the wires are configured on the panel . It does make sense they protrude thru the top . For me the weight savings using a flex panel is reason enough to give them a try .
One more thing to throw out there is since the panels do have grommet holes, you might consider using adhesive to install some sort of mount or rail that you can THEN attach your panels to. This was our biggest mistake, was installing them in a way that they are not easily removable. Of course never want anything to go wrong, but just to make it easier on yourself if you do have one go bad!
@@gabandbren I see your point . Maybe use lengths of aluminum flat stock to tape the panels to than bolt the aluminum to the cargo bracket mounts my van has concealed along the roof gutters . Same idea as those cargo carrier bars only flat , lighter , more of them and held tight to the roof ( cushioned with rubber isolators ) )instead of raised above it ..🤔
I was thinking about 4 400 panel folf up job and carry them in the car. When I stop pull them over the van for shade and power. Plus one of those3800 ecoflow and that should be the end of my power struggles.
Question: How many days is your RV on the road traveling per month ? / Year ? That panel isn't fastened to the roof in your video ? A 25mph breeze would blow them right off ?
Great question! So we travel full time but we stay at places a week at a time and tend to drive on weekends. So likely driving 5-6 days out of each month. That one panel you saw that wasn't fastened is our deployable panel as the previous one that was there flew off while driving 60 MPH on the highway, but it was the only panel we used less VHB tape on. We've driven over 7,000 miles at this point and the rest of the panels are still on there just fine! Sorry if this was confusing we tried to do our best to explain it in the video 🤓
I noticed that you said you initially installed 5 panels. Did you connect 4 of them in a series parallel configuration and run to the Ecoflow then, run the fifth one to the other Ecoflow input? I ask because panels are to be connected in pairs!
Good question! Panels don’t have to be necessarily connected in pairs, they can be wired together using series or parallel connection. We had five panels connected in series (add the voltages together) and then got another set of five, connecting them together in parallel (add amps together). This was the best setup for us to stay within the volt and amp limits of our charge controller. Our configuration is called 5S2P if you’re curious on how the wiring works!
Do you have any concerns for hail damage or something like it with these panels? I have a flexible panel that came with my Pecron e1500LFP and hadn't considered mounting it until I saw your video!
We’ve been through hail a few times - I wouldn’t say anything severe but no signs of impact or anything! These ones we bought from BougeRV are specifically made to be mounted, they are like an alternative to rigid residential-type panels. Is the one you have from Pecron labeled as “portable” or “foldable”? Those ones aren’t typically meant to be mounted, but rather set up temporarily
We got rid of our onboard Onan generator and hardwired it in to that connection, which was already wired to a transfer switch. Will make a video about this setup as well! 😄
Yes they did end up replacing after some back and forth with customer service. They just asked to send a video of the output and take a picture of the back of the panels with the serial numbers, and they sent out new ones for no charge!
@@peTeMelster Agreed for sure, which is why we have mixed feelings about these panels - we plan to replace them once getting back to our home base in Florida, and are just keeping a close eye on them as we're on the road. The spots haven't gotten any worse visually since we first noticed them a few months ago 🤞
A bit of an outlier but in perfect conditions: ~60 degrees w/ sun just coming out of a cloud (meaning the panels are cooler) we got 965W. That was just a couple of weeks ago even with our hotspot panels. More realistic daily peak when it's sunny is anywhere between 800-900W though
Yeah I was very impressed with output for sure! These are our first panels so don’t have a comparison, but have heard much lower from others. We’ll see how long that lasts 🤞
@@gabandbren Btw, I have a couple 100w cheapos atop my van right now (that I'll likely replace with these Bouge). They don't go powerless with a little shade - I think that's a bit of a myth. Anyhow, thanks for the good info.
Good question! We live in Key West FL so there are no nearby weigh stations for us when we were getting ready to leave for the road. I suppose it’s something we could do on the road but it’s never a priority and typically costs $20 so never top of mind 🤷♀️ but your comment is definitely making me realize how lazy we sound as I type this out 💀😂
Check RUclips for a couple of videos where the flexible panels caught fire, and in one case the panel was already burning the RV roof which required a repair to the roof.
Yeah have seen some videos of panels catching fire - it’s usually because of microfractures in the cells themselves, which is why we bought these more “durable” ones coated with fiberglass, although still not nearly as durable as rigid I would imagine. Will keep an eye on them for sure - also have a temperature gun to ensure they’re not getting hotter than the manufacturers specs
@@gabandbren Yes, how about proper household panels with 25 years warranty? Those thin ones are just no good anyway! Put mine 15 years ago to my roof and they are good as new still!
The trick to removing something that’s attached with VHB tape is heavy duty fishing line. Cut a length of line about a two feet longer than the width of the panel. Tie each end to a screwdriver (or something similar), tuck the edge of the line under the top part of the panel and then start to pull while “sawing” it back and forth. This releases the tape from the surface it’s stuck to.
We also use flexible panels on our trailer. Like you we mounted them with VHB tape on the edges but based on another RUclipsr’s suggestion we added multiple squares of outdoor Velcro in the middle of each panel to create an airspace to prevent the heat build up. They’ve gone through two summers and so far no hot spots and no loss of performance.
That’s awesome, thanks so much for the tips! Curious if removing with fishing line will leave a lot of adhesive residue left over on the roof, not sure if you have done this yourself?
The efficiency of a panel will drop as temps rise beyond certain limits. The benefit of rigid panels is that when mounted the area under the panel will allow for air flow, allowing cooling of the panel. I would suggest over time that you consider panels for efficiency and less ongoing issues. Thanks for a great video.
Yeah, definitely would consider rigid panels if we do it again at some point. And even better with some sort of rail system so we can easily remove without affecting the roof itself. These panels have been great for what they are, though!
One thing that may be causing you problems is that solar panels work better when they are cooler and mounting them with an air gap underneath helps in that respect. Maybe this is also causing the hot spots.
Thanks for the tip. I do know that an air gap helps, we were initially just looking for an easier install. Learned our lesson for next time, though!
I've been a DIY solar panel installer for years in home and RV projects. I used to install the earlier generation flexible panels that were terrible as they would delaminate in the hot weather and the output was never as good as an equivalent rigid glass panel. I'm sure the newer ones are better however the price for rigid glass panels have dropped to or possible lower than flexible ones. You can use no drill fiberglass mounts with VHB and Eterna bond tape. They should last over 20 years which is probably longer than you'll have the rig, and the output is always good. Plus, if you want the extra work, you can install an angle mounting system to raise the panels to give up to 30% more output during the winter months. Just FYI. I just saw 100-watt glass panels for $56- and 200-watt panels for $129 on eBay.
Since the price is so decent on the panels themselves, perhaps a good idea for you guys might be to get the CIGS compact with the pre-drilled holes and attach mid clamps to them and put them on short sections of rail? I know adding holes to the roof is so cringe, but its easy to seal. Just a thought to keep the air flowing
CIGS take the durability win, no doubt! Just hard to justify because they cost twice as much and take up about 25% larger surface area. I think if we were to get something else we'd probably go with rigid panels. There's just pros and cons to everything 🤔
Did you consider BougeRV CIGS panels?. They cost a lot more, but are very reliable. I have four 200W CIGS panels on the ground in my garden, eight 100W CIGS panels on my garage roof and also some 100W ARCH panels mounted to my deck railing. They all perform well and I have had no failures on any of them, but then I'm not driving down the road. The 200W panels are 2 years old and to 100W CIGS are a year old. I have checked them all periodically for hot spots with no issues. The CIGS panels are much better in shade, BTW.
Absolutely true I've been using cigs since a year and laying them flat next to my RV and I've never had a single issue. Those are definitely money well spent!
We did consider these! We actually started off by buying one 200W CIGS panel to see how it performed, but when we decided we wanted to get a bigger system we realized we needed something more compact and affordable for it to make sense. We then returned the CIGS Yuma and ordered the Arch panels - in our opinion the shade tolerance difference between the two isn't very noticeable. Knew that the CIGS are going to be more durable, however we were willing to make the gamble on an unproven new product because of the other benefits
As mentioned before parallel panels really need to be even numbers. If you have a 5 panel array and a 4 panel array, and series the two arrays (as you mentioned) you don’t have 900W the 4 will clip the 5 giving you a max of 800W to work with. If everything is in series, that’s different.
Thanks for the info! We just can’t put all 9 in a series because of the 150V limit of our charge controller. When we connect our extra “deployable” we’re getting the full 1000W though!
With nothing else on the roof I’ve measured to find that 5 of their 200 watt panels fit my van roof which to me is pretty amazing . Sounds like setting up , wiring and testing the panels on the roof before they are taped down is the thing to do . My concern is keeping them as cool as possible by only taping them to the high ‘ridges’ on the roof to allow airflow thru the low area . This means no tape along the front and back panel edges which may cause issues when driving ? Something I would definitely test on 1 panel before the rest are installed . Thanks for sharing your more positive than negative experience with these panels👍
The most important side for sure is the one facing the front of the vehicle, or the "windward" edge. And from my experience our VHB tape, the cleaning/prep process is actually more important than the amount of tape you apply, in order to get the best adhesion possible (but don't skimp on tape either). I know BougeRV sells a wider butyl tape that they use for their CIGS Yuma panels, so maybe another thing to consider! Not sure which would work better.
Another factor you want to consider is what kind of solar charge controller you're using. We considered the 200W but went with 100W because it gave as more flexibility when came to connecting to our Ecoflow Delta Pro (which has a 150V max).
Also keep in mind you need to leave some room on the roof to run the wires when flat mounting, especially since the cables exit from the top of these panels. For rigid panels, the cables exit from the bottom and can typically be routed underneath, resulting in a "cleaner" look and more space available for the actual solar itself. I think that's probably what we'll do for our next install!
@@gabandbren yes the front panel would rest lengthwise from right to left on that flat portion of the roof so would have tape along the leading edge . Thanks for mentioning how the wires are configured on the panel . It does make sense they protrude thru the top . For me the weight savings using a flex panel is reason enough to give them a try .
One more thing to throw out there is since the panels do have grommet holes, you might consider using adhesive to install some sort of mount or rail that you can THEN attach your panels to. This was our biggest mistake, was installing them in a way that they are not easily removable. Of course never want anything to go wrong, but just to make it easier on yourself if you do have one go bad!
@@gabandbren I see your point . Maybe use lengths of aluminum flat stock to tape the panels to than bolt the aluminum to the cargo bracket mounts my van has concealed along the roof gutters . Same idea as those cargo carrier bars only flat , lighter , more of them and held tight to the roof ( cushioned with rubber isolators ) )instead of raised above it ..🤔
Yeah maybe something like that! Anything to make it a bit more serviceable but without adding too much bulk/complexity would be a great combo 🙌
I was thinking about 4 400 panel folf up job and carry them in the car. When I stop pull them over the van for shade and power. Plus one of those3800 ecoflow and that should be the end of my power struggles.
Question: How many days is your RV on the road traveling per month ? / Year ?
That panel isn't fastened to the roof in your video ? A 25mph breeze would blow them right off ?
Great question! So we travel full time but we stay at places a week at a time and tend to drive on weekends. So likely driving 5-6 days out of each month. That one panel you saw that wasn't fastened is our deployable panel as the previous one that was there flew off while driving 60 MPH on the highway, but it was the only panel we used less VHB tape on. We've driven over 7,000 miles at this point and the rest of the panels are still on there just fine! Sorry if this was confusing we tried to do our best to explain it in the video 🤓
@@gabandbren Thanks friends. Be back for the 12 months review 🙂
I noticed that you said you initially installed 5 panels. Did you connect 4 of them in a series parallel configuration and run to the Ecoflow then, run the fifth one to the other Ecoflow input?
I ask because panels are to be connected in pairs!
Good question! Panels don’t have to be necessarily connected in pairs, they can be wired together using series or parallel connection. We had five panels connected in series (add the voltages together) and then got another set of five, connecting them together in parallel (add amps together). This was the best setup for us to stay within the volt and amp limits of our charge controller. Our configuration is called 5S2P if you’re curious on how the wiring works!
Do you have any concerns for hail damage or something like it with these panels?
I have a flexible panel that came with my Pecron e1500LFP and hadn't considered mounting it until I saw your video!
We’ve been through hail a few times - I wouldn’t say anything severe but no signs of impact or anything!
These ones we bought from BougeRV are specifically made to be mounted, they are like an alternative to rigid residential-type panels. Is the one you have from Pecron labeled as “portable” or “foldable”? Those ones aren’t typically meant to be mounted, but rather set up temporarily
How did you connect your EcoFlow generator into your electrical distribution box?
We got rid of our onboard Onan generator and hardwired it in to that connection, which was already wired to a transfer switch. Will make a video about this setup as well! 😄
Did BougeRV replace the 2 hotspot panels + the 1 no output panel?
Yes they did end up replacing after some back and forth with customer service. They just asked to send a video of the output and take a picture of the back of the panels with the serial numbers, and they sent out new ones for no charge!
@@gabandbren the hot spots are scary. Even though they didn't affect performance, I wouldn't want burned holes.
@@peTeMelster Agreed for sure, which is why we have mixed feelings about these panels - we plan to replace them once getting back to our home base in Florida, and are just keeping a close eye on them as we're on the road. The spots haven't gotten any worse visually since we first noticed them a few months ago 🤞
Great info. What was the most watts you were getting out of all ten 100w panels?
A bit of an outlier but in perfect conditions: ~60 degrees w/ sun just coming out of a cloud (meaning the panels are cooler) we got 965W. That was just a couple of weeks ago even with our hotspot panels. More realistic daily peak when it's sunny is anywhere between 800-900W though
@@gabandbren Wow, all that's darn good for flat-lying panels (averaging 80 to 90 a 100w panel)!
Yeah I was very impressed with output for sure! These are our first panels so don’t have a comparison, but have heard much lower from others. We’ll see how long that lasts 🤞
@@gabandbren Btw, I have a couple 100w cheapos atop my van right now (that I'll likely replace with these Bouge). They don't go powerless with a little shade - I think that's a bit of a myth. Anyhow, thanks for the good info.
@@PhenomenalWorld You bet! Let us know how it goes :)
Why didn't you want to weigh your RV?
Good question! We live in Key West FL so there are no nearby weigh stations for us when we were getting ready to leave for the road. I suppose it’s something we could do on the road but it’s never a priority and typically costs $20 so never top of mind 🤷♀️ but your comment is definitely making me realize how lazy we sound as I type this out 💀😂
I just stumbled upon this, are you done with FIRE?
Still goin strong, just haven't posted about it in a while ha! Slow and steady grind 😎
Check RUclips for a couple of videos where the flexible panels caught fire, and in one case the panel was already burning the RV roof which required a repair to the roof.
Yeah have seen some videos of panels catching fire - it’s usually because of microfractures in the cells themselves, which is why we bought these more “durable” ones coated with fiberglass, although still not nearly as durable as rigid I would imagine. Will keep an eye on them for sure - also have a temperature gun to ensure they’re not getting hotter than the manufacturers specs
Cheap chinese shit is not the best way anyway!
We just looked for the best product for our use case. If you have any specific recommendations would love to hear!
@@gabandbren Yes, how about proper household panels with 25 years warranty? Those thin ones are just no good anyway! Put mine 15 years ago to my roof and they are good as new still!