We Tried 1000 Watts of Flexible Solar on our RV

[@riariaria]

The trick to removing something that’s attached with VHB tape is heavy duty fishing line. Cut a length of line about a two feet longer than the width of the panel. Tie each end to a screwdriver (or something similar), tuck the edge of the line under the top part of the panel and then start to pull while “sawing” it back and forth. This releases the tape from the surface it’s stuck to. We also use flexible panels on our trailer. Like you we mounted them with VHB tape on the edges but based on another KZbinr’s suggestion we added multiple squares of outdoor Velcro in the middle of each panel to create an airspace to prevent the heat build up. They’ve gone through two summers and so far no hot spots and no loss of performance.

[@gabandbren]

That’s awesome, thanks so much for the tips! Curious if removing with fishing line will leave a lot of adhesive residue left over on the roof, not sure if you have done this yourself?

[@riariaria]

@@gabandbren It does leave a little behind but you can remove that with an adhesive remover like Goo Gone or something similar.

[@riariaria]

@@gabandbren Yes we have removed one of our panels with this method to reposition it. Another thing I’d like to add is that in addition to, or in place of the VHB tape, you can also tape down the solar panels with Eterna Bond tape. This will not only secure the panels but it will help seal off any water from getting underneath. We originally just used VHB but added the Eterna Bond when we noticed this starting to happen. We also used strips of Eterna Bond tape to secure the solar panel’s wires to the roof. Eterna Bond is easier to pull up but it will also leave behind residue that will need to be cleaned with an adhesive remover. The adhesive removers are oily so you will need to clean up the oil residue before you prep the area with the 90% rubbing alcohol.

[@gabandbren]

@@riariaria Appreciate the advice, thanks!!

[@thomasf.9717]

@@gabandbren A great and relatively cheap adhesive remover is a spray can of brake cleaner.

[@camrodger8638]

The efficiency of a panel will drop as temps rise beyond certain limits. The benefit of rigid panels is that when mounted the area under the panel will allow for air flow, allowing cooling of the panel. I would suggest over time that you consider panels for efficiency and less ongoing issues. Thanks for a great video.

[@gabandbren]

Yeah, definitely would consider rigid panels if we do it again at some point. And even better with some sort of rail system so we can easily remove without affecting the roof itself. These panels have been great for what they are, though!

[@DriveInTheaterGuy]

I have flexible solar panels on the cap of my pickup truck. I used heavy duty velcro and it works perfectly. I have driven over 30,000 miles with these panels on my truck cap. Heavy duty, outdoor velcro works.

[@gabandbren]

That sounds awesome! How does the velcro adhere to the truck/panel? I'm guessing that is adhesive?

[@kriskowalski5510]

Would you have a link of the Velcro you used?

[@andrievbastichy8551]

link please good sir! *doffs hat*

[@gonagain]

One thing that may be causing you problems is that solar panels work better when they are cooler and mounting them with an air gap underneath helps in that respect. Maybe this is also causing the hot spots.

[@gabandbren]

Thanks for the tip. I do know that an air gap helps, we were initially just looking for an easier install. Learned our lesson for next time, though!

[@MarkStafford9]

@@gabandbren Air gaps narrower than 5/8" are insulative (think double pane windows). Narrow air gaps prevent convective heat transfer (think rollers of air spinning between the two surfaces). Air gaps that are vertical (or there-abouts) over 5/8" form cooling thermosiphons (think chimneys where hot air rises, drawing in air from lower elevations). Your small air gaps between the BougeRV panels and your roof acted like insulation between the dark panels (heated up tremendously by the Sun) and your white roof (reflecting most of the Sun's energy) (think sitting on black vs white cushions that have been baking in the Sun). You would likely get more even heat distribution if the flexible solar panels were allowed maximum thermal contact with the roof. Unfortunately, your now darker roof would be generally warmer, making it generally warmer inside. Additionally, VHB tape means Very High Bond tape, which is good, but it uses closed foam as a way of keeping the tape light, flexible, and conforming to surface imperfections better. Closed cell foam is an insulator, even in thin strips. Thin strips of silicone or polyurethane or silane glues/sealants would conduct heat away from flexible solar panels better than VHB tape, though I'm not sure which of those three types is the best heat conductor. Get a $10 to $20 temperature gun to verify. I favor thin light solar panels, especially up high on a tippy vehicle, but cooling becomes an issue. Ideally, the panels would be several inches above the roof with a gentle breeze (maybe provided by a few small fans) horizontally between the panels and the actual roof below the panels. This would both shade the roof, keeping it cooler inside (think parking in the shade) and keep the solar panels below 130°F thereby maximizing energy harvest, maximizing panel longevity, and minimizing panel degradation. Maybe if the solar panels were mounted like a trimaran trampoline. Or if the panels could be tipped at least 15° away from horizontal, and have over a 1" air gap below them, they would naturally thermosiphon cool without fans, since heat really wants to rise. Incidentally, those BougeRV panels with the bubbly top are the best at both non-perpendicular sun harvesting and at longevity. Some of the smooth surfaces on other brands can degrade, yellow, and allow moisture penetration of electrical connections within a year outside. I have a flexible bubbly surface marine solar panel that is still going strong at over 20 years outside.

[@philc.9280]

I've been a DIY solar panel installer for years in home and RV projects. I used to install the earlier generation flexible panels that were terrible as they would delaminate in the hot weather and the output was never as good as an equivalent rigid glass panel. I'm sure the newer ones are better however the price for rigid glass panels have dropped to or possible lower than flexible ones. You can use no drill fiberglass mounts with VHB and Eterna bond tape. They should last over 20 years which is probably longer than you'll have the rig, and the output is always good. Plus, if you want the extra work, you can install an angle mounting system to raise the panels to give up to 30% more output during the winter months. Just FYI. I just saw 100-watt glass panels for $56- and 200-watt panels for $129 on eBay.

[@gabandbren]

Thanks for the context! We looked at some other factors like size and weight which turned us off to residential panels, but might consider for our next install!

[@philc.9280]

@@gabandbren 100 watt glass panels are less than 10 lbs. and 200-watt ones are 20 lbs. Will easily fit on your RV

[@gonzaloburgos8642]

That was great information thank you very much. I am still going with the Vogue flexible panels, and believe me this video that you made open my eyes thumbs up great video.👍👍

[@gabandbren]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you! 😊

[@romantower]

i purchased two - two hundred watt solar panels from BougeRV and they have worked like a charm. on a very good day i could get 345 wats out of them and on a normal day i get 275 watts. i put them on my 1991 Dodge B250 Van. These panels keep my 460 ah full every day.

[@gabandbren]

That’s awesome, thank you for sharing! Haven’t seen many other people who have experience with these. And yeah we haven’t had much issue with output, it’s mostly just the hotspots. We’ll see how long they last! 🤞

[@QUADBOYification]

Great review, i guess you all noticed EcoFlow has a new Alternator charge module capable of charging at 800 Watts while the RV engine powers on. So always power at hand after a 2 hours drive. Solar power makes itself useful with enough sunlight available.

[@gabandbren]

Yeah it looks cool! Only downside with using that with our unit (Ecoflow Delta Pro) is we'd have to unplug our solar connection in order to charge from the alternator. The newer ones have multiple ports, though

[@silvanocometta9760]

Hi there. When choosing flexible panels, go for those made for marine applications, as they are "walkable". I use Solbian (made in Italy) Since 3+ years on my RV and walk on them all the time and never ever had any issue. The only downside is the fact that you cannot detach them without breaking them. But the weight saving is enormous and is worth it.

[@gabandbren]

That’s great to know! We’ll definitely look into Solbian panels!

[@jonathanmardukas5940]

Since the price is so decent on the panels themselves, perhaps a good idea for you guys might be to get the CIGS compact with the pre-drilled holes and attach mid clamps to them and put them on short sections of rail? I know adding holes to the roof is so cringe, but its easy to seal. Just a thought to keep the air flowing

[@gabandbren]

CIGS take the durability win, no doubt! Just hard to justify because they cost twice as much and take up about 25% larger surface area. I think if we were to get something else we'd probably go with rigid panels. There's just pros and cons to everything 🤔

[@aaronphillips1210]

I bought 10 BougeRV panels. Tested out 6 of them and could never get anything close to what I expected. Sent them back to amazon. Bought 4 200w Xinpuguang panels from Amazon because they were $130 each… they have been amazing. In direct sun mounted vertically on a south facing fence, they are giving me a consistent 650 watts in 2 parallel strings. Couldn’t be happier. Adding 6 more.

[@gabandbren]

Wow this is great to hear! We’ll check them out 🙌

[@ForgottenNavigator]

I used to use VHB tape (liberally) and roof tape to secure 300 watts of flexible panels for a system that maintained my house batteries. After losing a panel that struck and damaged my tow vehicle while driving through the desert in the summer I switched to more conventional roof mounted rigid panels and have had no issues. I have since avoided flexible panels like the plague. Great in theory, problematic in practice. Though I keep having the idea to use flexible panels with paracord to rig up an awning shade to power my 12 volt coolers.

[@gabandbren]

We’ve heard similar stories! It’s definitely good to be cautious about mounting them long-term. We will definitely go the rigid route in the future.

[@dbtwiddler]

We recently had to replace the windshield on our wrangler. The tech used a string slipped under the edge of the glass on the outside all the way around. Had a crank stuck to the inside, turned the crank, reeled the string in, and it cut the adhesive tape all the way around. Not sure how you would do it on flexible panels, but it's food for thought. 👍 Update: just noticed a post from earlier that proposes using fishing line. That's a good idea. 😊

[@gabandbren]

Thank you, appreciated the advice! Yeah that does sound like the best way to do it

[@jerryc1963]

cool tip they make a vhb 3M™Tape Primer 94. The primer works amazing! huge difference especially if you what to use it on aluminum. used it a lot on my trailer build huge difference.

[@gabandbren]

Thanks for the tip!

[@TheRdwyer]

Cigs are awesome too. Hobotech shot them with a pistol 5 times across the panel drove his atv over them on gravel, it still managed 165 watts out of 200. Cigs work with shading, I am sure the flex ones do.

[@gabandbren]

Yes!! We actually ordered a CIGS panel first and compared the performance with these panels and from the quick input test we did the results were not different enough to justify the price. Once they drop a bit they will def be the way to go!

[@TheRdwyer]

@gabandbren The added value is how indestructible they are, and their ability to over come shading affect. 12 year warranty. Plus the temp rating is 185F. No rigid glass panel would still be working after the same abuse.

[@freetoroam7769]

I feel your pain, as I have a 100W Renogy panel in for warranty review right now. I installed two Renogies last spring after reading great reviews on them, and after just three weekends of camping, one developed a large burn spot. After removing the panel, I saw that even the backside had a brown area from the heat generated, and the corrugated polycarbonate panel I had under it for ventilation had a large hole melted in it. Glad my roof is fiberglass, so it resisted the heat. I camp in Washington State forests, which get very dry in the summer. If my camper had caught fire, it could have spread over many acres, also affecting other RVers in the campgrounds. I think there needs to be more safeguards built into flexible panels. Regarding losing one of your panels on the highway, like you, I used VHB tape, but attached about every 8" along the perimeter, plus used EternaBond tape along the leading edges of the panels to keep wind from getting under them. It was sure a pain pulling that damaged one off though!

[@gabandbren]

Thanks for sharing your experience! Does sound similar, I think those Renogy panels were my top choice before I saw these BougeRV ones, but sounds like they might be similar to ours

[@joshm3342]

If true polycarbonate got hot enough to melt a hole, that is SCARY.

[@freetoroam7769]

@@joshm3342 It was a thin-wall corrugated polycarbonate panel that comes in 4'x8' pieces at large home improvement centers, so could be that the thinness of the material made it melt easier. They have hollow cores for air circulation. The good news is that just today, Renogy has agreed to replace the panel. But yes, it got hot. I think If I had a traditional rubber roof over plywood, and did not use the polycarbonate spacer, there could have been a fire.

[@createnewexperiences8949]

I like your truthful review and it is a good one, I almost purchase BourgeRV Flexible too when it was launch bout 6 months back, due to time constrain heading to china decided to put on solid panel of 200W x 3 and only achieving slightly above 500watts, it is much heavier than flexible and the look of it not so pleasant. I am still considering flexible if they have improved much. The advantage of having Solid panels does act as a shade and keeps the rv cooler. Flexible might allow additional panels due to it's flexibility on curve roof. I wish to have a 1000W at least

[@gabandbren]

Appreciate it! Yeah unfortunately don't think most flexible panels have the durability still. The only ones I've seen are CIGS panels and lightleaf that seem to be durable, but come at a high price. I think the benefits of an air gap for cooling, smaller dimensions, easier routing of cables (can go under panels), and durability outweigh the cons of being harder to mount and heavier. Have been keeping an eye out as I've seen new panels come out that are a bit smaller/lighter weight per watt. The BougeRV 200W N-type and Rich Solar Mega 250W seem to be solid ones right now

[@larrylp2192]

Did you consider BougeRV CIGS panels?. They cost a lot more, but are very reliable. I have four 200W CIGS panels on the ground in my garden, eight 100W CIGS panels on my garage roof and also some 100W ARCH panels mounted to my deck railing. They all perform well and I have had no failures on any of them, but then I'm not driving down the road. The 200W panels are 2 years old and to 100W CIGS are a year old. I have checked them all periodically for hot spots with no issues. The CIGS panels are much better in shade, BTW.

[@tech4nation121]

Absolutely true I've been using cigs since a year and laying them flat next to my RV and I've never had a single issue. Those are definitely money well spent!

[@gabandbren]

We did consider these! We actually started off by buying one 200W CIGS panel to see how it performed, but when we decided we wanted to get a bigger system we realized we needed something more compact and affordable for it to make sense. We then returned the CIGS Yuma and ordered the Arch panels - in our opinion the shade tolerance difference between the two isn't very noticeable. Knew that the CIGS are going to be more durable, however we were willing to make the gamble on an unproven new product because of the other benefits

[@larrylp2192]

@@gabandbren Since I have both the 100W Yuma and Arch panels, I can say that the shade performance is quite a bit better with Yuma... like 25w vs. 75w with dappled shade and even bigger difference with a section totally blocked out (like from the AC or vent on your RV roof). The 100w Yumas are a bit larger, though, so don't know if you could have the same config. Probably would have saved a lot of time with BougeRV support though;-) I am totally sold on flex panels, though.

[@gabandbren]

@@larrylp2192 Thanks for the context. I've seen tests done on youtube with similar shade results, however only with one panel in isolation. Not sure how that might change when connecting 10 of them together. We also were able to place far enough away from our AC to not have any shading from it though.

[@AskIveSolar]

Whats crazy is all I can think is that you sound so much like the rapper MC Lyte. Pretty cool actually because she has such a cool voice. I had two BRV 100 watt flex panels stop working on me. Im in contact with BRV but I havent had time to send them proof.

[@gabandbren]

That’s funny! And so sorry to hear about your panels, hopefully, BRV makes it right!

[@svinatraktore]

I'm using velcro for solar panels installation. It's possible to remove and reinstall if needed, and the connection is slightly flexible, so it does live better on the car :)

[@gabandbren]

That’s so interesting to me - so simple but seems to make sense! How is the Velcro attached to the roof, just adhesive I assume?

[@svinatraktore]

@@gabandbren Self adhesive velcro. One side to the panel, one side to the car.

[@sonictech1000]

How much do you use? Just around the perimeter?

[@svinatraktore]

@@sonictech1000 For my rigid panel I use 2 strips - one for each long side. I think maybe I would use 4 strips if the panel was flexible. But, anyway, now there are absolutely no signs of the problems.

[@kriskowalski5510]

Would you have a like of the velcro you used?

[@DennisMathias]

Just a possible hint on panel removal and vhp tape, consider heating them and then pulling a steel wire down the backside. This will separate the two layers. Try that and let me know how that works. Also, what panels DID you go with. I like the idea of the flexibles becuse the wind loading is nil and they conform and protect your roof.

[@gabandbren]

These are called BougeRV arch panels, 100W. There is a link to them in the description. And thanks for the removal tip!

[@vincentstouter449]

Thank you for your candor & experience. 👍😎

[@gabandbren]

Of course, hope it helps!

[@pchris6662]

My RV came with a single almost useless 100w panel and I’m upgrading it. Going with an arch 200 and a cigs 200. Just to help charge both my wet house batteries and my LiFe batts while going down the road. For the most part, I want my panels to be foldaways so I can lay them out in the sun since I often park in the shade anyway so it seems rather silly to roof mount a large array. Glad to see your video though. It’s helpful! I’m going to mount my panels with serviceability in mind using channel and the panel mounting holes thanks to your experience.

[@gabandbren]

Interesting setup, are you going to have two different charge controllers then?

[@pchris6662]

@@gabandbren yep.

[@jordanhanson316]

Just go half cell home solar panels, they’re usually rated for hail. I got 1200watts for $300 on my Fiat ducato, the panels are just 1 year old. Mounted on aluminium strut that’s made for solar panels, makes for a super easy install.

[@gabandbren]

Exactly what we’re looking at for our next install 😄

[@lyfandeth]

3Ms commercial grade of Velcro may also be a good way to secure the panels. It is WAY stronger than regular Velcro, designed for heat and exposure.

[@gabandbren]

Good to know, thanks!

[@tales_in_pocket267]

very good review

[@gabandbren]

Thank you!!

[@mannyfragoza9652]

maybe you should have gone with the CIGS for more money of course but worth it in the long run?

[@gabandbren]

Yeah its tough, we were willing to take the chance because they were so much cheaper, but obviously hasn't worked out like we were hoping. I think we'd probably go with rigid panels before we went with CIGS though, just for the compactness

[@mannyfragoza9652]

@@gabandbren w/e choice you make I hope it works best for you.

[@cliffhampton2914]

I was thinking about 4 400 panel folf up job and carry them in the car. When I stop pull them over the van for shade and power. Plus one of those3800 ecoflow and that should be the end of my power struggles.

[@gabandbren]

That would be awesome! I’ve seen someone do this with a tesla and power themselves from coast to coast (I think they had like 30 portable panels or something 😅)

[@d.nicely]

I had same concern during change out I simply paste new panel to old panel job over about trying to remove VHB tape…I have better things to do.

[@gabandbren]

Oh wow, quite the idea. Haven't seen that done before! 😅

[@InvisibleCitizen]

So you recommend installing them in a way that makes them removable. How can you make them serviceable?

[@gabandbren]

Installing on a rail system would allow you to remove the panels from the rail while leaving the roof untouched (no removal of adhesive needed). Other viewers have mentioned the use of Velcro as well but I can’t vouch for that

[@sonictech1000]

A lot of people are mentioning a lack of air flow leading to the hot spots but I'm skeptical. I think they are more likely caused by a manufacturing defect or damage during installation.

[@gabandbren]

Yeahh I’m not sure, I have also seen that it’s due to all of the road vibrations but idk what has the biggest effect

[@InTheDirtAgain]

I found some used residential rigid panels (36v/230w) in my area for $75 each. They are huge, but my travel trailer has enough room for a couple of them. Bolted rails to the roof crossmembers, used dicor on everything, then bolted the panels to the rails. There is about an inch space underneath each panel so that they remain cool. No issues after install 1.5yrs later.

[@gabandbren]

Love this! How did you find the roof crossmembers to bolt into?

[@InTheDirtAgain]

@@gabandbren I could see their outline under the rubber roof. Didn't have to drill all the way through the roof, either. Used self-tapping screws that were less than the thickness of the advertised roof structure according to my manufacturer. Did something similar on my tent trailer as I really hate drilling into the roof. It had metal roof supports that were bolted to the side of the top, not the top itself. So I fab'd up a frame that attached to the factory bolt locations on the side of the roof. Then, my hard panels were attached to the frame with HD zipties (rated at 200lbs ea). Those panels are completely suspended ABOVE the roof and don't even touch it.

[@gabandbren]

Appreciate it, thanks!!

[@johnnylightning1491]

Something I've been thinking about is using that plastic cardboard to give a little air under the panels so they don't get so hot. I think I've seen this done on youtube but I'm not sure. If I realize that water will get in the plastic but that should just help the cooling. I will orient the "tubes" front to back on the RV so when I'm going down the road there's some air forced into the tubes. Has anyone see this done? If so what were the results? Thanks for the video it answers some questions I have.

[@gabandbren]

Check out RV with Tito, I know he's done an install similar to this. I'm sure there are others as well!

[@reliefmango6]

Whoa. Really cool.

[@gabandbren]

Thank you!

[@ericskarl5855]

Do you have a dc to dc charger (alternator charger)? I have a 40 Amp one for my Ford Transit. Very happy with it. Li Time also has a 60 amp version. I was concerened the 60 would put to much stress on my alternator.

[@gabandbren]

No we don’t have one, since we only drive once a week or so. If we did, I do like the “smart” chargers where you can set a minimum voltage for your battery, and it’ll only charge with the excess power from your alternator. This feature is specifically to avoid “overloading” your alternator. I know Ecoflow makes one but have seen others

[@peTeMelster]

Did BougeRV replace the 2 hotspot panels + the 1 no output panel?

[@gabandbren]

Yes they did end up replacing after some back and forth with customer service. They just asked to send a video of the output and take a picture of the back of the panels with the serial numbers, and they sent out new ones for no charge!

[@peTeMelster]

@@gabandbren the hot spots are scary. Even though they didn't affect performance, I wouldn't want burned holes.

[@gabandbren]

@@peTeMelster Agreed for sure, which is why we have mixed feelings about these panels - we plan to replace them once getting back to our home base in Florida, and are just keeping a close eye on them as we're on the road. The spots haven't gotten any worse visually since we first noticed them a few months ago 🤞

[@ChrisSgaraglino]

As mentioned before parallel panels really need to be even numbers. If you have a 5 panel array and a 4 panel array, and series the two arrays (as you mentioned) you don’t have 900W the 4 will clip the 5 giving you a max of 800W to work with. If everything is in series, that’s different.

[@gabandbren]

Thanks for the info! We just can’t put all 9 in a series because of the 150V limit of our charge controller. When we connect our extra “deployable” we’re getting the full 1000W though!

[@TheCunneen]

One important thing you didn't mention was how many watts 1000w of theses panels actually produced in real use

[@gabandbren]

Consistently peaking at 800-900W in sunny conditions!

[@Keith80027]

Parallel connected solar panels are limited by the lowest voltage of any group of cells. Series connected solar panels are current limited by the lowest current producing panel whether by cell design or shade. I would highly recommend that you remove that burnt solar panel yesterday because these failures are know to burn holes in your RV roof causing fires. All solar cells respond negatively to heat above 60 degrees. My very best output from cells is with snow on the ground below 32 degrees. I ran my solar cells at -17 degrees with snow on the ground and got more than rated power. I just bought 440watts of flexible solar cells to power my backup batteries when Xcel cuts off my power this winter. I now wondering how flexible those cells are going to be in -20 degrees that happens after some wind storms.

[@gabandbren]

Yeah I never thought about a flexible panel freezing, we don't spend much time in cold temperatures 😅. But yes have noticed that we tend to see the highest input during colder days (under ~60 degrees)

[@CCC-w6g]

Do you have any concerns for hail damage or something like it with these panels? I have a flexible panel that came with my Pecron e1500LFP and hadn't considered mounting it until I saw your video!

[@gabandbren]

We’ve been through hail a few times - I wouldn’t say anything severe but no signs of impact or anything! These ones we bought from BougeRV are specifically made to be mounted, they are like an alternative to rigid residential-type panels. Is the one you have from Pecron labeled as “portable” or “foldable”? Those ones aren’t typically meant to be mounted, but rather set up temporarily

[@Ms.Frankenbuilder]

Very informative video. New sub.

[@gabandbren]

Appreciate it, thanks! 🙌

[@dariomenanteau99]

How did you connect your EcoFlow generator into your electrical distribution box?

[@gabandbren]

We got rid of our onboard Onan generator and hardwired it in to that connection, which was already wired to a transfer switch. Will make a video about this setup as well! 😄

[@dariomenanteau99]

Thanks! I just had my Onan4000 overhauled for 500hr service so I’ll keep it for now. I plan to supplement power by adding an EcoFlow Kit but researching how to integrate to the rig via …? Simplest way would be to run a 30amp shore power cord from device to exterior existing Rv input but looks messy and is a manual process vs plug and switch. I hope to be at balloon fiesta too!

[@PhenomenalWorld]

Great info. What was the most watts you were getting out of all ten 100w panels?

[@gabandbren]

A bit of an outlier but in perfect conditions: ~60 degrees w/ sun just coming out of a cloud (meaning the panels are cooler) we got 965W. That was just a couple of weeks ago even with our hotspot panels. More realistic daily peak when it's sunny is anywhere between 800-900W though

[@PhenomenalWorld]

@@gabandbren Wow, all that's darn good for flat-lying panels (averaging 80 to 90 a 100w panel)!

[@gabandbren]

Yeah I was very impressed with output for sure! These are our first panels so don’t have a comparison, but have heard much lower from others. We’ll see how long that lasts 🤞

[@PhenomenalWorld]

@@gabandbren Btw, I have a couple 100w cheapos atop my van right now (that I'll likely replace with these Bouge). They don't go powerless with a little shade - I think that's a bit of a myth. Anyhow, thanks for the good info.

[@gabandbren]

@@PhenomenalWorld You bet! Let us know how it goes :)

[@roberts.1400]

Good information ... Very, very helpful 👊🏻 A big thumps and an a new subscriber for your efforts 👍🏼

[@gabandbren]

Glad we could help, thank you!!

[@leeinwis]

No it isn't, at all.

[@PazLeBon]

not sure why used foldables at all tbh for a flat roof, especially when they will get hot quick like that, the eco flows also seem to limit to 8 amps unless go over 32 volts?

[@gabandbren]

These are flexible panels not foldables! We are running at 80 volts and can take up to 15 amps

[@PazLeBon]

@@gabandbren dohh, my bad ;) thanks

[@gabandbren]

@@PazLeBon no worries!!

[@Patty-qh3lm]

Hot spots and scare me. I'm starting to question my planed install. I was going to install the BougeRV flex like those to save on weight because my limt loaded is getting close to max. I weight it at the local gravel pit.

[@gabandbren]

BougeRV CIGS panels are much more resilient from what I've heard. They definitely cost more but might be worth checking out with your concern!

[@philbrooke-little7082]

Well that validates my advice not to use flexible panels if you can avoid it. Rigid are every bit as good on their indirect sunlight behaviour. The hotspots are a particular issue with series parallel arrays and are known to lead to fires. Hotspots will be much more likely on flexible panels due to the much greater chances of internal cracking causing current to be channeled though a small area. While rigid may be more of a pain to mount everything from there on is easier and you are less likely to have to do any remedial work so the time saving of the flex is is likely more than made up for with the reliability and longevity of rigid. I have seen too many flexies less than 5 years old having died.

[@gabandbren]

Yeah we've been learning that the hard way. Will definitely be leaning more towards rigid in a future install. Thanks for the comment!

[@DonaldRogersBaldEagle]

Maybe the Lightleaf solar panels would be a good option for you.

[@gabandbren]

Those look sweet! But $750 for 110W panel is toughh to justify 🙃

[@kchortu]

they sell vhb tape at home depot

[@gabandbren]

Interesting, I haven't seen it there! I'll have to keep an eye out

[@mythicalnomadadventure969]

Question: How many days is your RV on the road traveling per month ? / Year ? That panel isn't fastened to the roof in your video ? A 25mph breeze would blow them right off ?

[@gabandbren]

Great question! So we travel full time but we stay at places a week at a time and tend to drive on weekends. So likely driving 5-6 days out of each month. That one panel you saw that wasn't fastened is our deployable panel as the previous one that was there flew off while driving 60 MPH on the highway, but it was the only panel we used less VHB tape on. We've driven over 7,000 miles at this point and the rest of the panels are still on there just fine! Sorry if this was confusing we tried to do our best to explain it in the video 🤓

[@mythicalnomadadventure969]

@@gabandbren Thanks friends. Be back for the 12 months review 🙂

[@dishcleaner2]

I would go with these but they're too expensive and too large for what they offer. I'm trying to get over 4000 watts on my rig for under $2k. 450 watt panels are like $160 on Santan Solar's website

[@gabandbren]

Oh yeah if you want a system that big I’d definitely go with large rigid panels. Even for us if we were to redo I think we’d want at least 200 watt panels. Just that we started smaller and added on. I’ve heard Santan is good but you can also look at Signature Solar!

[@mcbretprivatecitizen3322]

I noticed that you said you initially installed 5 panels. Did you connect 4 of them in a series parallel configuration and run to the Ecoflow then, run the fifth one to the other Ecoflow input? I ask because panels are to be connected in pairs!

[@gabandbren]

Good question! Panels don’t have to be necessarily connected in pairs, they can be wired together using series or parallel connection. We had five panels connected in series (add the voltages together) and then got another set of five, connecting them together in parallel (add amps together). This was the best setup for us to stay within the volt and amp limits of our charge controller. Our configuration is called 5S2P if you’re curious on how the wiring works!

[@mcbretprivatecitizen3322]

Thanks. Yes, I understand Series-parallel connections. I thought you might be connecting 4 in a parallel or series-parallel combination and then, putting the fifth panel in series with this combination. Would be a big mismatch and may cause you issues. Thanks for clarifying. I have a much smaller trailer (TAB 320 teardrop) and am now planning (based in your review) of putting two, two hundred watt arch panels on our rig. Thanks and safe travels!

[@stevenwilson2292]

Don’t mount them flat, they will perform terribly flat on a roof. I use mine as ground panels with little kick stands. I like to park in the shade and set up a ground array. Additionally, angling them makes a huge difference in output.

[@gabandbren]

Yep, there’s a trade off between performance and efficiency for sure. We didn’t want to have to set up/take down our panels as we’re on the move a lot

[@Schnorschel]

What is a hotspot? It isn't explained anywhere.

[@gabandbren]

A hotspot is just a concentrated area where a panel has overheated, resulting in a "burn" mark. It can be caused by a number of factors but is typically how panels start to catch on fire

[@Schnorschel]

@@gabandbren Ok, thanks

[@arbusco]

A little acetone will take that tape right off

[@gabandbren]

Acetone - okay good to know. Thanks!

[@leeinwis]

They didn't secure the panels down is the main issue here, not the brands fault, they did have a hotspot problem but it's unknow wether or not that could be the panels/brands fault ..inconclusive is the key word here so hope you had your grains of salt ready. P.S. that was alotta words just to get ..there

[@gabandbren]

We did secure the panels with VHB tape, which have held super well on all but one (was our fault that we didn't put enough tape). The hotspots & panels losing power wasn't the best showcase of quality. It's possible we got a bad batch but 3 out of 10 panels going out wasn't a promising failure rate

[@robertforget6369]

you have a thousand watts of panels i wondering what wattage you really get on a good day i'm guessing 650 watts this solar stuff is not what they say

[@gabandbren]

The most we've EVER gotten was 965 watts, but that was pretty ideal conditions in cool weather with partly cloudy sky - tend to see the most output JUST when the sun peeks through the clouds. More realistically, we get around 800 watts on an average day I would say!

[@thomasgriffin4714]

Why didn't you want to weigh your RV?

[@gabandbren]

Good question! We live in Key West FL so there are no nearby weigh stations for us when we were getting ready to leave for the road. I suppose it’s something we could do on the road but it’s never a priority and typically costs $20 so never top of mind 🤷‍♀️ but your comment is definitely making me realize how lazy we sound as I type this out 💀😂

[@gregtaylor5568]

I just stumbled upon this, are you done with FIRE?

[@gabandbren]

Still goin strong, just haven't posted about it in a while ha! Slow and steady grind 😎

[@John-eq8cu]

You somehow got hoodwinked into believing that flexible solar panels are as good as rigid panels. I came here because I thought maybe these flexible panels are somehow better these days. Thank you for helping us to understand

[@gabandbren]

Glad to help share our experience! I think flexible has gotten a lot better but yeah still not as durable as rigid. UNLESS talking about CIGS panels - but those aren’t cheap!

[@montanadan2524]

I run 400 watts of rigid panels on our sailboat and compliment it with two 100 watt flexable panels (necessary for 12 dc refigeration, cooler size freezer and occasional power hungry starlink). I have never had any issue with the ridid panels but I need to replace the flexible panels seasonaly if i want any usable output. I've tried different brands but have come to realize flexible panels are a waste of money.

[@gabandbren]

I think I'm coming to the same conclusion over here, thanks for the example. Next install we will go with rigid for sure!

[@lifequest7453]

When Wil Prowse tested the flex panels, the problem was not the bending, they seemed to take that ok. when his panels failed, he took them apart and found that the inner connections were more or less a foil and that foil failed. When the foil that connected the parts together failed, the panel stopped working. Wil does not recommend flex panels at all.

[@gabandbren]

Interesting. Have seen some of his videos but not this one - I thought he gave up on flexible a long time ago, hadn’t seen him test any new products in the last couple years

[@rvnut1133]

Check KZbin for a couple of videos where the flexible panels caught fire, and in one case the panel was already burning the RV roof which required a repair to the roof.

[@gabandbren]

Yeah have seen some videos of panels catching fire - it’s usually because of microfractures in the cells themselves, which is why we bought these more “durable” ones coated with fiberglass, although still not nearly as durable as rigid I would imagine. Will keep an eye on them for sure - also have a temperature gun to ensure they’re not getting hotter than the manufacturers specs

[@cristiancucu4100]

i can tell you this about flexible solar panels : they are ment to be used ocazionaly ...... if you go on a vacation once a year in midle of nature (rv , tents and such) for let's say between 2 weeks and a month then yes flexible solar panels are worth using and after that the panels are to be depozited IN SHADE AND NOT IN THE SUN ..... flexible solar panels are more sensible and have a shorter life span .... flexible solar panels have les protection from elements and les posibility to disipate heat when necesary ..... i also use flexible solar panels , hiden brand , and the way i described is how i use them and they work perfectly .... flexible solar panels are not the equals of normal solar panels (contemporan to theyr own generation of course) so dont hope for that , they are just more efective to store ..... i do hope that what i sed here helps ....... sory for bad english , i am not an english speaker

[@gabandbren]

Thanks for sharing your personal use! I think anything would last longer the less that you use it, so makes sense what you've experienced. They have gotten better over time for sure, but still don't hold up to the durability of rigid

[@randolphh8005]

I have used flexible 100 watt panels on my boat for 5 years in Florida. They are on the Bimini, so can’t easily do rigid panels. Longevity and plastic degeneration is a huge issue. They get quite brittle. First set was an off brand, they were very short lived. Then went with branded panels that held up a little longer. The last were Renogy panels that are clearly better so far. But, still will be surprised if they make it 4 years. Output is modest compared to rigid. We are planning on a RV soon, we will NOT use flexible panels since the option for rigid is much easier, and the output and life are much better.

[@DaveSquibbSr]

There is no such thing as a flexible solar panel that will not fail I have stuck with glass all my life now and will continue also quite honestly glass panels are getting small and very light but don't have the failure rate of the flexible panels

[@gabandbren]

Yeah both rigid and flexible seem like they’re getting better! The weight is still the biggest thing dividing the two, aside from durability

[@KA9DSL]

It's called wattage , not watts. What your saying is in past tense.

[@gabandbren]

Eh maybe we said it wrong 🤷 Just tried to look up an explanation and still don't totally understand haha, but it doesn't seem like a matter of past tense or not. It seems like watt is a unit used for a specific amount (1000 watts), and wattage is a description when you don't have a specific number (we increased our wattage)

[@leeinwis]

It's not past tense lol, it's the same thing just slang, jeeze.

[@CitizenOfBabylon]

Nope. Too hot. Need air circulation. Put rigid panels back on mine. DON'T USE FLEXIBLE CRAP.

[@gabandbren]

Air circulation helps for sure! The only flexible that seem to be hold up well are CIGS

[@MrButuz]

The flexible panels are just such bad value when you see what you cen get 300-400w residential panels for now. 3 x big panels fixed down properly will perform much better for less $$ and last 25 years. I understand the lure of flexible with the easier fitting and easier placement. I guess it depends how much $$ you have.

[@gabandbren]

Yeah we've had ups and downs with our experience for sure! Flexible were a great way to get started since there were a lot of unknowns at the time - was nice to have a simpler install. But I think we'd probably go with larger rigid panels in the future though

[@ThienNguyen-eg4dh]

Great video but Bren talk to much. please get to the point.

[@gabandbren]

Hahaha Gab here, I’ll be sure to tell him 🤣

[@george1984]

Sticking solar panels on roof is danger ‼️ for other people on road.

[@gabandbren]

Thanks for your concern! Properly installed solar panels are very secure - the best way is to secure them right into the roof framing structure which we will definitely do next time

[@george1984]

@ even flexible panel will kill motorcycle rider.

[@richardharris5819]

Flexible are garbage... I ran 2000w on my RV and all of them have failed... Ultimate regret and money lost.

[@gabandbren]

Yeahh we saw a few videos of “new” flexible panels that seemed to hold up better, which is why we gave it a shot. But I think still very similar unfortunately, not gunna hold up to rigid for sure

[@toomanyhobbies2011]

OK, so you spent a fortune on batteries and panels, or this stuff was gifted for this infomercial.

[@gabandbren]

Depends on what you call a fortune, I suppose. We spent about $2600 total on our battery ($1600) and panels ($1000), broken into several purchases. Not cheap for sure, but has allowed us to boondock with essentially no maintenance for the past 5 months, which we estimate we would've paid about $4k in campground fees in that time to stay in similar places. So the payoff period has been pretty quick! Of course you can get a generator for less, but requires continually buying more fuel and ongoing maintenance, which didn't sound appealing to us. We plan on making a more in depth video of our system, so stay tuned! Definitely were initially interested in this setup for a sustainable alternative, willing to eat whatever the costs, but have been pleasantly surprised at how much financial sense it has made 😄

[@shelby131]

I think the panels are kind of like the KZbinrs: gender confused 😅

[@gabandbren]

Not sure what you mean by that. Do you care to elaborate?

[@SirHackaL0t.]

Ah, the ‘truth’ video. Yeah, got it.

[@gabandbren]

We did the best to share our honest experience up to this point, is there anything else you think we should have included?

[@SirHackaL0t.]

@@gabandbren Your experience isn’t necessarily the ‘truth’, just what you saw.

[@drinkinslim]

Why do people always say, "If you're new the channel, we're xyz". If you we're NOT new to the channel, you're STILL xyz. Just say, "Hi, we're Gab and Bren." Keep it simple. :)

[@gabandbren]

Ha thanks for the advice!

[@mainelivin3699]

you need to have some space between the roof and solar panels

[@gabandbren]

I know that would be more ideal, yes. These were just advertised as flat-mountable and their install instructions said to install with adhesive

[@april7_]

Cheap chinese shit is not the best way anyway!

[@gabandbren]

We just looked for the best product for our use case. If you have any specific recommendations would love to hear!

[@april7_]

@@gabandbren Yes, how about proper household panels with 25 years warranty? Those thin ones are just no good anyway! Put mine 15 years ago to my roof and they are good as new still!

[@gabandbren]

These actually come with a 25 year warranty, that’s why we were willing to give them a try! But I hear ya, residential panels I’m sure will last longer

[@s.mendez7160]

@@gabandbren Residential panels are heavy...