SOLAR Panel Setup for WESTFALIA VANAGON | + DIY Roof Rack! Off Grid Power

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We create our own roof rack & install our 100w solar panel onto our van!
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DIY Fridge Removal : • DIY Westfalia Fridge R...
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/ mattofstie
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[@reelhappytravellers2691]

Good times equal to great memories on this video!!!!!!!!

[@johnkempf1808]

Welcome to the world of power independence. Glad you designed your system for upgrades as you probably will want them. I didn't plan for a lot of luggage on the roof. It really kills MPG and Westfalia's already aren't great with that. So I had a 5x3 250w panel mounted directly to the fiberglass pop top. I then needed the heavy duty struts to be able to lift the new weight but the system is working well and it's a joy to know you never need to plug in.

[@scottman895]

Clifford has been supercharged! That solar panel will come in handy. I'm glad you were able to get it installed successfully!

[@take5newstv]

We bought a solar panel last year . Now we have the courage to attempt to install. Thanks 🙏

[@zhelko]

Matt finally got rid of that creepy mustache! I can watch the channel again! Thanks guys!

[@mattofstie9298]

😂

[@BozardsInAlaska]

You spelled AMAZING wrong 🥸

[@mattconaway6532]

Sweet solar setup! 👍☀️

[@nmartin5551]

I enjoyed your install! I was lucky enough to be given a set of Yakima bars and gutter mounts, but the Wide Body adaptor that allows the mounting to the poptop was back ordered for more than a year. (Had one set, needed the second). Really appreciate the way you ran the wires!! Nicely done!

[@mikebarton5459]

Great video. Thanks! We have the exact same Westy, same year and color. I watch your videos and get inspired to do more with ours!

[@oldcrow187]

nice brackets!

[@mcmahon31619]

Awesome job 👍👍make sure to keep the panel clean. The amount of power a solar panel produces goes down if it's dirty.

[@mattofstie9298]

Good advice 👍

[@vclamp]

Thanks for showing us how you guys powered through the installation of the solar cell.😏 I use that same kitchen drawer liner for sound deadening behind my TV & computers and it works reasonably well. I hope that you get to get out and try the new panel soon! 🌞

[@heynadine]

we hope so too!

[@suziclark4244]

Matt is so handy! I'm genuinely impressed. Is he a builder of some sort by trade?

[@heynadine]

Welder & Mechanic :)

[@maxplanck9055]

I can see why Nadine is married and pregnant,a flair for comedy, while Matt does something practical Nadine manages to steal the attention with her innocence!🤭♥️🇬🇧👍 A nice couple, fun to watch ♥️

[@jixtur]

god bless your channel i love you guys!! please keep making great diys like this bb me and my dad r gonna use these as our tutorials to restore ours!

[@PatrickAllaire]

Great soldering work and great finish on these mounts. I'm going the 8020 way.

[@awesomeadamfrom2099]

Awesome job nadine

[@susanrsj]

That's awesome! I love it! I'm going to ask my son to make me one:) I'll use butyl tape to prevent leaking.

[@mirandaalexis]

i love the solar panels

[@mak9956]

Great addition! Love that van! An awesome rolling home!

[@heynadine]

thank you!!!

[@TheDraconiuslives]

One future issuse I see us you didn't leave a drip bend from your wires and therefore potentially leading to water chasing and rust. Otherwise smart reuse of the propane line hole! Gonna "borrow" that...unless we do propex...

[@don-dspid2404]

Thule watch out! Always wanted to learn how to weld. Can be so useful. Your beads weren’t too bad. Over time you’ll probably need to replace the zinc plated screws. They rust after a year or two. But you have time.

[@mattofstie9298]

Ya, true about the zinc hardware. I had a hard time accepting the fact that Home Depot wanted 4x the price for stainless so I cheaped out 😅

[@don-dspid2404]

@@mattofstie9298 I hear you. You can get stainless online a lot cheaper when you need it.

[@slimpickins3425]

Nice work Matt, hope that paint holds up on the rack. You did a awesome job fabing it! Like you my panel sits in my basement and the DC battery in the garage! At least I mounted the charge controller and ran the wiring. Im going the non mount route. Ill let you know after my year is up how it works!!! Peace!

[@mattofstie9298]

Thank you! I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out. Good luck with your solar setup, you'll definitely have advantages by not mounting your panel. 👍

[@acidicbricks6966]

I am working on buying one of these love them and the old t2 bay

[@mattofstie9298]

The t2's are awesome looking

[@lastresort1757]

Sick! I drive a 91 dodge caravan AWD I installed 420 watts on it (this took up all the usable space on my roof) I highly recommend upgrading to a mppt charge controller it made a world of difference for me

[@mattofstie9298]

Ya we'll run this pwm controller for now and see how it goes. If we're short on power we can always add a 2nd panel and upgrade to mppt for a big upgrade. Sounds like you got a nice setup 👌

[@lastresort1757]

@@mattofstie9298 my setup is way over kill for what I’m doing but it’s nice to have a peace of mind

[@SpencerHogg]

Looks awesome

[@Kyranio]

10:44 woah that battery drains fast!

[@gringir]

This is so cool

[@jeepercreepers54]

Yuppies with skills.

[@GX470adventure]

Great video!! Question for you. I have a GX470 and originally I put a battery isolator on it to a second battery that I run my frig and aux lights with. I am wanting to add a solar panel, but really don't wish to disconnect my battery isolator. Was thinking of getting a Renogy Wanderer and going that route vs a DC-DC charger. Thoughts?

[@jaimenahman3889]

Nice work guys. I am inspired to mount my solar panel and finally connect everything. Your car seats are lovely. Can you tell me what you have or what you did to make such nice seats?

[@mattofstie9298]

Good luck! The seats in our Westy are actually the original stock seats that came on Vanagons after 1985

[@elisscaliving4776]

Why did they put the bolts on upside down

[@vclamp]

wrench access ;)

[@paulevans3522]

Hi nadine beautiful as ever husband looking good to loved the video hope the solar panel works great for u can’t wait to c ur next video .

[@BrianJohnson-ny9zd]

Where did you find the u brackets? Thank you for the video.

[@yorukkizigeziyor]

Very nice 👍👍

[@paulevans3522]

Beautiful

[@moretttti]

one secret type.park under the lamp at night.

[@oldfarmshow]

Solar😳😳

[@sick9686]

how do you know if you would like to live in a van? (For a person who never lived in a van)

[@heynadine]

well, you can rent a van for a few weeks, test it out, then you'll have a better idea?

[@AlexaStyleBook]

I want this as welll💋💋💋💋

[@derekcolman]

I think you are going to need a second panel. You have lost the ability to turn the panel towards the sun in every situation. That 36W is not really very much but 72W would be better. You could also fit a larger capacity battery so you get more engine charging, but I realise there may not be enough space.

[@Tyler-ug1hs]

@Hey Nadine Where did you buy the that size of u-bolt? What size is it? I'm struggling to find a u-bolt that will snugly fit my Inno brand square crossbars

[@mattofstie9298]

We got them from Canadian Tire. They are 1 1/3" wide and 2 1/2" long. You can also find square u-bolts at Home Depot

[@Tyler-ug1hs]

@@mattofstie9298 Thank you so much for the help 🤠

[@Gfunkbus76]

@@mattofstie9298 great work on the rack. I'm looking to do similar on my baywindow bus. Nice and simple! Just need to escape my children for a few hours and dust off the welding helmet! Props!

[@mattofstie9298]

@@Gfunkbus76 Thank you and good luck on your own project! Usually the hardest part is finding the time and just getting started 👍

[@aheina]

He works well - she talks stupidly