Solar panel mounting

[Cammalu]

Good idea Tex

[weigh2ez]

How about something like brass bushings like those used in car door hinges?  Replace them when they wear out.  Just a thought.  You could even use car door hinges.

[TrainChaser]

I've seen roof racks attached to the rain gutters of vans. Would this be any kind of option?

[Blacktank]

a bearing like this would be the way to go http://cncsuperstore.com/index.php?route...uct_id=190

and a latch on the other side would keep it from rattling https://www.amazon.com/Tanice-Adjustable...6865&psc=1

even if i had an electric motor to raise them i would be up and down a ladder to latch/unlatch

[Blacktank]

I've seen roof racks attached to the rain gutters of vans.  Would this be any kind of option?

thats what alot of people do

[TWIH]

Pretty complex/costly idea for the gain realized.  Flat panel mounts are effective (ok, maybe 75% at best) but they are usually a “set and forget” as opposed to all this tilting stuff.

I’ve read that you are better off just maximizing the panel size or amount, using an MPPT vs a PWM controller, and/or using a portable panel system in addition to the flat rooftop ones that you already have. Not saying that tilting panels can’t be engineered to work but just reading above posts shows the problems inherent with them.

I did like Gary’s PVC plans though I wonder about that setup on top of his van... 

TWIH

[sternwake]

Each corner of my Kyocera panel has a 4 inch SS clevis pin sticking out of it, which act as hinge points for tilting towards either side of the van, and also as locking mechanisms, when i slide an aluminum tong like device over the pins

Been this way for 11 years now without issue.

With regular aluminum angle, i can easily see the clevis pins stretching ovalling out the holes. I'd likely glue/rivet several 1/8" thick pieces together and drill through all 3 at once at the precise angle the clevis pin needs to go through to spread the load over much larger surface area.

The panel's frame should also be resting on somethng solid and the clevis pins merely holding them resting on this. Asking the clevis pins to both suspend and lock the panel in place, with the only support being the clevis pin, is poor design and asking for issues in the short term.

A rivet gun, the right size drill bits and rivets are not expensive, and neither is the extra aluminum required when stacked to reinforce the areas where clevis pins need to go through.

[S Cello]

My panel tilting mechanism is pretty much similar to what Sternwake is describing as the panels weight rests on full length support, not on the hinge point. I used 3/8 inch bolts with nylock nuts for the hinge point.

After all my work on that contraption on my roof, I really doubt that I will be tilting the panels very much. Last Sunday at 12:30 pm I noticed that my flat panels had maxed out my 45 amp solar charge controller. They were feeding 44.9 amps to the batteries. The Morningstar was reading 604 watts coming out of 640 watts of panels. It was quite cold out and sunny at 8000 feet asl.

While out and about, I am using:
3 ceiling lights
1 Fantastic fan (turned on quite a bit)
1 40 quart Dometic freezer (set at -4 degrees)
1 13,000 btu Suburban RV furnace (on at night, set at 68 degrees)
1 1100 watt microwave ( turned on maybe 15 to 20 minutes a day)
1 HP laptop and speakers
1 iphone
1 ancient electric skillet (turned on maybe 30 minutes a day)
1 12v water pump

I have not installed my little A/C yet.

With all this, the lowest I've seen my 440 AH battery bank go down is to about 79%. It has always (except one very cloudy day) charged back to 100% with the panels flat. Even on several days with clouds blowing over the sun quite a bit, it reached 100%.

I will note here that my panels are wired in series, not parallel as many people do. And I further notice that I still get pretty fair charging as shade from trees is still partially shading a panel or two. That really surprised me!

I am still seeing the battery bank being charged well into the 90%+ range before noon many days meaning that much of the panels power output is being wasted after about noon as the absorption stage amperage drops lower and lower. This means that I should be able to run that little air conditioner most afternoons without losing much from the battery bank.

Overall, I am happy with my system and I'm glad I have the ability to tilt if I need to. My thoughts when putting together my roof was to get the panels high enough so that I could open my two roof vents below the panels. That has worked out real good and the panels are far enough above the roof to provide good shade to the roof. In fact, on hot sunny days, the inside of the roof/ceiling is very noticeably cooler where it is shaded by the panels. The rear above my desk where it is not shaded is quite warmer.

[TrainChaser]

Just curious: are some brands of panels 'better' at absorbing sunlight?

[S Cello]

LOL.... Beats me!? I'm a newby