Best glue to stick a solar panel to a van roof?

[poot_traveller]

Will is not the last word in fact I find him to give,  lets just say not the best advice at times.  there are many people I would listen to before him,  Jim in Denver would be my go to expert.  Jim has been doing it for years and years,  as far as I can tell Will has been an expert for just over 2 years.

don't get me wrong Will does have some good advice.  it's just like everything on the internet,  take it with a grain of salt.

being against safety cables because it undermines you confidence is just plain silly if you ask me.  do you wear a seat belt?

highdesertranger

Will Prowse is a legend in the van life community.  I can't believe you'd try to down play his knowledge.

I think Jim in Denver played around with VHB tape a few times, decided 1 inch x 3 inch foot mounts don't have enough surface area for the tape to hold, then announced his guess work as the holy bible.  There is no evidence to back up his claims and plenty of evidence to refute it.

 

[poot_traveller]

You need to be more careful about posting such a statement that says none of the solar companies stock tape because that is certain to put egg on your face. What it says to me is you did not actually check to see if what you posted was true or false. In this case you have indeed given false information.

https://amsolar.com/rv-mounting-accessories/91m-vhb

http://www.aurinco.com/mounting-aids_us.html

https://lamatek.com/products/tapes/high-bond-tapes/solar-panel-tape

I mean none of the solar companies in my country.   I should have been more country specific.

 

[jimindenver]

Will Prowse is a legend in the van life community.  I can't believe you'd try to down play his knowledge.

I think Jim in Denver played around with VHB tape a few times, decided 1 inch x 3 inch foot mounts don't have enough surface area for the tape to hold, then announced his guess work as the holy bible.  There is no evidence to back up his claims and plenty of evidence to refute it.

I do not think you followed the conversation very well but hey, there is no time like the present to prove me wrong. Maybe this time the panels will stay on.

 

[poot_traveller]

I do not think you followed the conversation very well but hey, there is no time like the present to prove me wrong. Maybe this time the panels will stay on.

I'm just waiting for my Z brackets and AHB tape to show up.  Both will be here by the weekend.  After I mount the panel, I have to wait three days for the adhesive to bond 100%, then I'm going for a 100km per hour drive down the highway.

 

[highdesertranger]

a legend? ok, P.T. Barnum comes to mind highdesertranger

 

[Gypsy Freedom]

I'm just waiting for my Z brackets and AHB tape to show up.  Both will be here by the weekend.  After I mount the panel, I have to wait three days for the adhesive to bond 100%, then I'm going for a 100km per hour drive down the highway.

something to think about

[font=Arial,]Thank you for contacting 3M where we Apply Science to Life. We don't suggest VHB or any tapes for those types of applications. Although VHB tapes are strong  they wouldn't be able to replace bolts in those applications. We recommend to use the mechanical fasteners provided by the bracket manufacturer. 
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Regards,
Roger G.
3M Product Application Support
Industrial Business[/font]
[font=Arial,]- If there is a need to reply to this response, please leave the subject line intact to assure correct routing. -[/font]
[font=monospace, monospace]
|-----------Original Message Follows------------|


Subject = Products & Services - Consumer

Message = i am wondering if one of your VHB tapes can be used to mount some aluminum brackets to the roof of a vehicle. we normally mount these brackets with a pair of 1/4" threaded through bolts. the primary force will be in sheer due to air resistance while driving but will also have to deal with potential lifting force. but the 2 quarter inch bolts are plenty overkill for a healthy safety margin. would one of the VHB tapes be able to replace these bolts. if so, how many square inches of tape will be needed to replace the 2 bolts. the contact surface on the vehicle will be painted metal or factory gelcoated fiber glass and the bracket is aluminum.

also, what is the anticipated life span when exposed to direct sun (heat cycles) and rain year round. how many years can i expect before needing to replace for safety. will there be visible signs of degridation before failure?

Country = United States

First Name = ********
Last Name = ********

Sender = **********@protonmail.com

referring_url = https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company...isitID=29690257421771584165769471615904837294

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[tx2sturgis]

Will Prowse is a legend in the van life community.  I can't believe you'd try to down play his knowledge.

LMAO!!!

Man I spit my coffee out thru my nose when I read this!

 

[Gypsy Freedom]

legend n his own mind, that is for sure

they guy is like a politician, he has a very slick delivery. sound great and has a great screen presence. i just wish he would do a better more accurate job of providing info. he talks like he knows it all and really misleads new comers that just believe what he says at face value without doing their own research and study. he often claims to have been using a particular item for thousands of cycles, but it can be clearly seen it is just a quick set up on his couch or something.

most of his set ups are very un professional and some down right scary with mismatched wires, lack of fuses and a rats nest of wires.

i do watch many of his videos, or at least part of them till i want to vomit. he does have money and in the past bought lots of cool toys to test and try out. now that his viewership is up he is getting stuff sent to him. it is a good place to be exposed to new ideas and products. but dont take his word for how it works or the right way to do it. look it up your self do some research and study to understand. dont just copy some slick talking youtuber.

 

[jimindenver]

I'm just waiting for my Z brackets and AHB tape to show up.  Both will be here by the weekend.  After I mount the panel, I have to wait three days for the adhesive to bond 100%, then I'm going for a 100km per hour drive down the highway.

I look forward to your report.

 

[poot_traveller]

something to think about

You got to remember Roger has to be careful with what he recommends.  If it fails where safety is concerned, and he has said it's okay, 3M could be facing a law suit.

Imagine being on application support,  imagine the consequences if some idiot doesn't apply the tape correctly.  If I was on application support I'd only be recommending the tape to hold tables and chairs together.....nothing else.

 

[poot_traveller]

I look forward to your report.

Yeah I'm going to be flying down that highway, foot down hard.  I'm going to be trying to rip the panel of the roof with wind force.

I'll keep an eye on the weather report and try and pick a windy day for even harsher test conditions.

 

[Elbear1]

I had no reasonable access to inside roof to get a bolt spun onto a nut. What I used was either 3/8 or 1/2 well nuts. I cant remember which size. Then I also used lap sealant all in and around the hole and panel foot. They have been up there for 8 years.

 

[jimindenver]

Will MIGHT suggest these instead of Z brackets.

https://amzn.to/2lOhLad

 

[poot_traveller]

Will MIGHT suggest these instead of Z brackets.

https://amzn.to/2lOhLad

Those brackets came with the solar panel but I have a curved roof so I require Z brackets.

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

Cammula

Look what I did with Lou's trailer. I used 5 yards of tape for two panels.

Exactly. VHB is meant to be used with a very large surface areas of contact. People often just stick the tape on the back of one tiny little bracket and expect that to work. Then when it doesn't, they say, "See! VHB doesn't work."

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

 

[Gypsy Freedom]

Exactly. VHB is meant to be used with a very large surface areas of contact. People often just stick the tape on the back of one tiny little bracket and expect that to work. Then when it doesn't, they say, "See! VHB doesn't work."

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

maybe you missed the part where in my info request to 3m. i asked specifically how many square inches of tape was needed to replace 2 little 1/4" bolts. their answer was dont do it, we dont recommend any of the tapes for that kind of service application.