Convince me this is a bad idea

[Natgreen]

Putting a 6-8in gap between the roof of my van and a rack to mount solar panels.

 

[bullfrog]

Solar panels do get hot and work better when cooler is my understanding so some gap I would think would be a good thing if they got hot enough to affect performance or life span, maybe an adjustable rack would allow you to experiment but I believe there is a thread already somewhere as I would want as little overall height as possible due to overhead obstructions and the damage they can cause to unusually tall vehicles. I think I would set them flush and inside the upper rails of the rack to protect the panels if I did need to mount them that high.

 

[MrNoodly]

That's essentially what mine is like. No problems in seven years.

<a href="https://imgbb.com/"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/BC4B8x5/zset3w.png" alt="zset3w" border="0" /></a>

 

[MrNoodly]

If you look at the photos at the top of this page you'll see Bob's former rig with panels mounted on the van and trailer several inches ablove the roof.

 

[wildbill]

I had custom ladder racks put on my Shasta trailer.....they are modified ladder racks that fit, usually in the rain gutter of a van....on the ends they stand about 8-9 inches maybe 10, then the bars go between....pretty standard....this is my thoughts.....that I would set the front bar as low as possible, and the rear as high as possible. That way when driving I have a wind diverter....yeah....aero dynamic.....and for the front I also want to use a piece of plywood....maybe like 6 inches to cover the opening so that air doesnt try to lift on those panels.....as for just sitting I think an air-flow would be good ….and the shade on the roof.

 

[Natgreen]

I had custom ladder racks put on my Shasta trailer.....they are modified ladder racks that fit, usually in the rain gutter of a van....on the ends they stand about 8-9 inches maybe 10, then the bars go between....pretty standard....this is my thoughts.....that I would set the front bar as low as possible, and the rear as high as possible. That way when driving I have a wind diverter....yeah....aero dynamic.....and for the front I also want to use a piece of plywood....maybe like 6 inches to cover the opening so that air doesnt try to lift on those panels.....as for just sitting I think an air-flow would be good ….and the shade on the roof.

I was thinking along these lines

I'm having trouble finding a rack to mount because of the hightop on my van. Lots of curves and it's a good 8inch at least to get to the gutter rail. Any suggestions?

 

[B and C]

These racks appear to have a 14" support arm from the drip rail: https://www.amazon.com/MaxxHaul-70440-Gutter-Mount-Capacity/dp/B019DP6UG0?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_5

You could drill a new crossrail hole near the top.

 

[Natgreen]

Awesome!

And in my budget!

Thanks for that!