Unique RV Solar Option (Best way to pivot solar panels)

[@scottsmith922]

Awesome video, love seeing a smart guy get a business going like this. Super impressed, thanks Todd

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Thanks Scott!

[@Guido-h1o]

Wow. Mind blown. Happy Holidays.

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

[@WillsWheels]

The first thought I had.....those are going to be sail in a wind storm. I'm really glad he walked us through how he tested those type of scenarios. Another Great Video!!

[@Hansen710]

doesent change the fact its a sail.. in a storm where the bus is starting to rock i would not like to be the one that climbs the roof it needs a butten and some hydralic pumps, but then we have a system that is not new some people might also install this on something lighter

[@Monument-Solar]

@@WillsWheels glad the video helped answer your question. Wind is an important factor with these raised systems.

[@noelraber7096]

Love the imagination! Heck the scenery in the area makes it worth going to them!

[@SwitchItUpLife]

It’s a beautiful place for sure!

[@Monument-Solar]

This is very true :) one of the reasons we decided to headquarter our business here. Zion National Park, Snow Canyon State park, Red Cliffs national recreation area, etc. etc. etc. LOVE this place

[@PentaxLife]

That's a very nice system. We did kind of the same principle 6 years ago, but we went through the sidewall of the caper through the aluminum 2 / 4 I racking on the roof That holds our 2880 W of solar.

[@rvgearandfar]

What a cool racking system!

[@donaldfox2171]

Great video, this system is amazing

[@michaelhall8529]

My concerns about this solar option are the weight of the system. I followed a similar endeavor, but with a “solar rack bed” that would tilt via actuators. My rack would have allowed ten 440W bifacial panels to be placed on our 37 ft RV. My rack design was heavier than his design, and I think his rack design is better than what I had planned. However, my idea for a solar rack came crashing down. Part of my design process included an estimated weight for the designed system. The solar rack was 341 pounds, the solar panels were about 480 pounds, and the solar components (inverters, batteries, etc.) were about 400 pounds. This added weight was offset by the older solar system that was to be removed, leaving about 850 pounds of added weight. My initial calculation indicated that I could add up to 930 pounds with the new system. Everything looked good. But then I weighed the motorhome, fully loaded. This meant the fuel tank was filled, the propane was filled, the fresh water tank was filled, and 5-gallons in the black tank. Whoops! I was already overweight by about 50 pounds, without any additions to the RV. The first thing that I ditched was the solar rack. Then, I compromised on a smaller system and fewer batteries. Eventually, I got it down to a weight that I could live with - about 240 pounds overweight when fully loaded. This meant that we would not fill the fresh water tank until we got to our destination (so that we didn’t travel overweight). I don’t think most people realize how little weight they can add to their RV. I would recommend they weigh their RV before looking into this solution to ensure that the proposed system could be safely added. Another thing that I noticed was that the solar panels tilted above the air conditioners. I’m assuming that some solution allows for these components to be serviced regularly.

[@Monument-Solar]

It is no fun when projects come crashing down (both figuratively or literally). Feel free to reach out if you feel we can help you with anything.

[@michaelhall8529]

@@Monument-Solar I would have gone to you, had I known that your services were available. Sadly, I'm in the midst of the installation process already. It should be finished within a few weeks (waiting for parts delivery).

[@andrewfidel2220]

@@michaelhall8529 That's why CCC is a very serious thing I look at when searching for my next trailer, anything under 2,500 pounds is a non-starter for me. The other thing this impacts is your tow vehicle, if you're loaded up to GVWR then you have to figure 15% is transferred for a bumper pull or 25% for a 5er and if your tow vehicle can handle that.

[@katrinibellini4033]

This is an incredible solution to the “I don’t want to have to plug in somewhere. I want to wander far away from plugs, and still have all my comfort” dilemma.

[@RVLifeWithTheMuirs]

My wife and I live in Utah and have met with Kenson a few times to see if we could get one of his systems on our Alliance Paradigm 385FL but unfortunately it was out of our budget. But wow very cool and wish we could have made it work.

[@cindysmith7600]

Very interesting stuff, oh, and you have a hitchhiker on your batteries!

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Hmmm 🤔 I wonder where he is heading?

[@chipangelicamartelle802]

Another awesome video. Thanks for sharing.

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@CherishtheJourneyy]

I believe they were at Quartzite RV show this past January

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Yes I think you are correct in that.

[@Monument-Solar]

We were. We are also planning to be these this coming January. Stop by and say hello if you decide to go :)

[@rachelblack8926]

What would be a big improvement on that system would be instead of making it manual to adjust the solar panels is to have some type of automated system so you can raise and lower them without getting on your roof.

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Yep, we thought about that too, it would be amazing!

[@Monument-Solar]

Rachel, we have the designs for this but are still in the development phase. This feature would be really nice to have, and it has been a highly requested one without question, but it is not ready yet. Our hope is to have it ready by the end of 2025. However, each of the systems we will be upgradable to the automated actuators once the do come out... or at least that is the plan :)

[@walterrafolski5662]

Another elf in the hole!😂😂😂 Great Video, Todd!

[@elizabethmetcalf2780]

Awesome information!!!!

[@RogueOntheRoad]

It's worth it to tilt the panels to increase the power generated. I will be able to use fewer watts with my system.

[@williamhaynes1367]

Great video!

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Thanks for watching!

[@SuperSushidog]

Great interview. This is definitely the best racking system commercially available. The only thing I could think of that would improve it is some kind of power lifting mechanism so us old farts don't have to climb up on the roof to raise and lower panels. If they could figure that out, say using linear actuators or a pully system of some kind, it would be perfect. I built a large system myself, with 8, 550-watt panels racked horizontally 15" off the roof of my 35ft coach using 2" aircraft grade 6061 Aluminum Structural Angle. Rather than custom bending my brackets to match the curvature of the roof I attached them perpendicular to the length of the roof, allowing the risers to find their own precise angle. I did not screw them into the roof, but instead used 3 high strength toggle bolts per foot to secure the rack to the roof. My panels are not liftable but bolted firmly in place as I knew I wouldn't be climbing up there to raise or lower them. I have a smaller side mounted array that uses gas struts to help me lift it, standing safely on the ground, but that's about all I can do at my age. But for those younger and more agile RVers the Monument Solar system is ideal.

[@greggbimber7619]

Hi from the Bimber's. Cool option.

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Hi from Todd!

[@kennedymallery665]

They should really remove those rooftop air conditioners!! They’ve got 12v split systems now where you can under or side mount the outdoor unit. Doing this would lower the overall roof height down quite considerably.

[@andrewfidel2220]

It wouldn't, they want the spacing for bifacial gains and to lower the heating of the panels so they'd still be mounting them that high off the roof.

[@kennedymallery665]

Adding all that extra height just for the bi-facial refractivity??? Seems like a huge price to pay for such small gains. Not to mention the weight.

[@caretakerntx]

Refraction or did you intend reflection?

[@markratliff7991]

How many and what size charge controllers are utilized for this 5000 Watt system. Also is it designed for 12 or 24 Volt inverters

[@Monument-Solar]

Great question. We typically recommend setting your system up in 48 volt and then using a DC to DC converter to drop it back down to 12 v for the 12v system. For this system, we wired the 6 panel side in 3s2p which would allow us to install a 150/70 MPPT. The 5 panel side was kept in 5s which pushed the voltage over the 150v threshold. For that side we would use the 250/70 MPPT. However, the owner of this RV chose to do the electrical and battery systems on their own. We may end up supplying those systems to them but they wanted to complete that portion on their own.

[@sanddollar-ray9125]

thank you

[@markratliff7991]

How much height does this add? A lot of RVsv are already @13'6" at the top of the AC units

[@Monument-Solar]

We added 1.33 inches. This brought the RV, when leveled, perfectly at 13' 6"

[@kenjones9169]

Could you slant the front panels so the leading edge is maybe 2” off the roof? I know they would not tilt. They would act as an air deflector.???

[@Cptstokes]

What about servicing the a/c units where you have to take the cover off? You know, clean coils, replace condenser and so on or replace the unit itself. Aka Great Dane Mobile RV Service

[@Monument-Solar]

Great question. The panels pivot 90 degrees in either direction, so you have full access to the AC units

[@SpykersB]

Interesting 🤔. 🍻

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Thanks for checking it out.

[@wilty5]

When his DIY setup is available for purchase, will he be available for video conferencing consultation and planning of placement of the system using the exact dimensions of the RV owned by the customer? The video instruction you mentioned will be helpful

[@Monument-Solar]

Great question. We want you to have a great experience installing you racking system and it is in everyone's best interest that you install it correctly. We will be there to guide you through the whole process.

[@wilty5]

Thanks, when do you estimate the DIY system will be available?

[@kennethkoehler8758]

Maybe new here but the same system has been used aboard live in narrowboats in the UK for years

[@Monument-Solar]

Perhaps something similar. If you can find pictures of what you have seen I would love to check them out. As far as I am aware, this specific design hasn't been brought to market. There are similar racking systems I have seen on the road but nothing like ours.

[@2hotscottpro]

Needs bolts on ladder rack feet bracket.And vertical welded post need bolts.Welds break.

[@Monument-Solar]

I'm not sure on following all of that but we do have lots of bolts and each rack is tied down with the truss cables (not seen in the video because we hadn't installed them yet).

[@johnstaleysr9271]

How do you do clean the ACs

[@Monument-Solar]

You fold the panels up. Each panel pivots 90 degrees in either direction.

[@EVoltage00]

How much weight are you adding with this system? Todays RVs weight capacities are super low on most models.

[@Monument-Solar]

On a 12 panel system, the racking components are around 200 lbs. Each panel is around 50 lbs. So, a 12 panel system comes in around 800lbs. Your electronics will be around 200 lbs. Batteries and 200 to 300 lbs. However, these are all very subjective depending on how you outfit your system.

[@RogueOntheRoad]

Weight is why I went with 200 watt panels on the roof plus I'll use flexable panels on the side where the sun shines. I designed a simpler version mounting system which can be tilted in any direction into the sun no matter where the sun is. As for a patent... China finds out about high sales and finds a way to make it cheaper and they don't care about patents. You will have about 3 years before they can ruin your business. It is better to advertise as for quality, original, made in America features.

[@neilcherylscott6380]

C4YT 🐔

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Howdy 👋 friends!

[@brianbourke8859]

Under bunk air conditioners

[@kevinjones6638]

KUTGW

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Thanks Kevin

[@sz4179]

That pattern of knock ( shave and a haircut ) is highly offensive to some Mexican people!!

[@TonyBenton0728]

😳😭

[@beelce10]

Gave this video a thumbs down because you never did let him show us how the panels looked in their different configurations. Also please don’t talk over the person you’re interviewing, let him finish his statement.

[@SwitchItUpLife]

This is because the install wasn’t completed yet so he couldn’t show the different configurations ….. it was in process.

[@brianbourke8859]

Solacoat paint

[@ru7527]

You should really let the person who is the professional talk and not you and comb your hair

[@SwitchItUpLife]

Oh... your new to channel...lol.