The final parts arrived. I did have to wait for the weather to change and we were away for a few days.
The mounts were connected to the solar panel and because they were so smooth I did rough them up a bit to make the sikaflex adhesive hold better.
The new extension leads arrived but the plugs were on the wrong way around so I changed them for new ones so they fitted the existing wires on the solar panel.
The next job was to wash the motorhome roof and mark where the panel will go. The roof was cleaned where the mounts would sit. Then it was a case of getting on the roof, applying the adhesive to the panel and then with Sue on the ladder and me on the roof, we turned the panel over and carefully placed it where marked out.
That went well, the next job after leaving it for a few hours was to drill through the roof and feed the wires through and Mount the roof gland. This part went well the drill missed any wires or frame and came out in the van near my mark.
Fitting the gland was very messy, trying to get the glue on it and then put it in position. I had to spend a bit of time cleaning it up. This was then left overnight before the cables could be clamped in position.
While I was waiting for the adhesive to partly cure I connected the wiring inside the van. I had that all planned and it went smoothly and I soon had the panels connected and generating power.
The result is that all the batteries are getting charged and the extra solar panel has doubled the charging amps so cloudy days will not be a worry.
The following morning I sealed the wires on the roof coming into the van through the gland. In the afternoon thunder and lightning ⚡️ were forecast so it had time to semi cure. On the inside it was messy using the adhesive mastic to fill the hole and secure the wires.
A certain amount of satisfaction for a job I was going to pay for but in the end I learnt a bit about wiring and motorhome construction. Oh, and I saved over £250 – result
Iona’s Travels 