Solar Panel Install SV34

[bork5@yahoo.com]

I am installing a solar panel on our Thor Magnitude 2021 SV34. Where can I find the schematics for the roof studs. Any thoughts or experience on the install? I have emailed Thor for the drawings but I want to install this weekend. Does anyone have any info? Thanks.

[Judge]

You want to register on the Thor Owners site to get the schematics....

https://www.thormotorcoach.com/owners

You will be better served getting a good stud finder. The schematics don't show the roof studs very well.

I opted for Renogy Flexible 160W (now 175W) panels. I attached them to corrugated plastic sheets with elevator bolts then used Eternabond tape to secure the corrugated plastic sheets to the roof. I installed three panels. The 2020 Omni / Magnitudes were only prepped for solar and did not come with any panels installed.

[Chateau_Nomad]

Not a Magnitude, but my "lowly class C" has the same TPO roof membrane over plywood structure. I installed two Rich Solar standard aluminum frame solar panels by screwing directly through the membrane into the plywood... as countless people have done for years.

I stuck a square of Eternabond tape to the roof where each mounting bracket contacted the roof. I coated the screws with Dicor before driving them in, then covered everything with a good flood of self-leveling Dicor. People have literally covered RV roofs like this for several years.

Two years and many miles later, absolutely no issues. I always regularly inspect everything for leaks, cracked sealant, etc. and anything loose... it would take the incredible Hulk to rip those loose.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Chateau_Nomad

Not a Magnitude, but my "lowly class C" has the same TPO roof membrane over plywood structure. I installed two Rich Solar standard aluminum frame solar panels by screwing directly through the membrane into the plywood... as countless people have done for years.

I stuck a square of Eternabond tape to the roof where each mounting bracket contacted the roof. I coated the screws with Dicor before driving them in, then covered everything with a good flood of self-leveling Dicor. People have literally covered RV roofs like this for several years.

Two years and many miles later, absolutely no issues. I always regularly inspect everything for leaks, cracked sealant, etc. and anything loose... it would take the incredible Hulk to rip those loose.

I just installed Starlink in my Magnitude a few weeks ago. Thor accidentally cut a hole in the ceiling in one of the cabinets and I used that for running the cable over the roof to connect the dish to the router.

After getting a close up look at it, the roof underlayment is not even plywood. I would call it paneling at best that is not even an 1/8” thick that the TPO is civering. Then there is very thick styrofoam under the paneling to acts as insulation… and support.

You guys might have gotten lucky with mounting your solar panels that way but after seeing the wood up close, there is no way I would trust screws through that wood. Without the styrofoam underneath it, i could put my thumb through that wood it is so thin.

Just saying….

[Chateau_Nomad]

I was up on my roof a few days ago - on my knees reaching out and down over the front cap removing oxidation with a buffer. Right in front of where the Winegard antenna is mounted, my knee "gave" ever so slightly.

I have walked and crawled all over the roof and that's the only place I've found like that... so far. It was close to the seam between the front cap and the roof. I looked VERY close at the lap sealant, and it looks very good. No signs of leaks inside either.

So... my roof may not be as thick as I imagined. The plan is to pull the front vent bezel off and poke around. Curious minds...

[Judge]

Originally Posted by Chateau_Nomad

I was up on my roof a few days ago - on my knees reaching out and down over the front cap removing oxidation with a buffer. Right in front of where the Winegard antenna is mounted, my knee "gave" ever so slightly.

I have walked and crawled all over the roof and that's the only place I've found like that... so far. It was close to the seam between the front cap and the roof. I looked VERY close at the lap sealant, and it looks very good. No signs of leaks inside either.

So... my roof may not be as thick as I imagined. The plan is to pull the front vent bezel off and poke around. Curious minds...

I always crawl around on the roof and never stand to spread out the weight and pressure points because I have always worried about how good the wood underlayment really is. Now that I have seen it I am glad I haven't been standing.

While crawling around over the bedroom I have found one area where I have heard cracking a few times. Now I know why.... it's probably an area where there is either no styrofoam or the styrofoam is giving a bit.... like what I am about to show you.

Here is the picture of the hole in the ceiling in one of my cabinets where Thor made a mistake during assembly. The first pic is the inside of the cabinet where I decided to put the Starlink router. I decided to use Thor's mistake as a way to run the cable up over the roof.

Looks like they used a spade bit from within the coach to cut a hole they didn't mean to cut. When I put my borescope up there I was shocked at what I saw.

You can see in the second picture where they cut through the styrofoam and the tip of the spade bit went through the wood underlayment. That gray color on the other side of the tiny hole in the wood is the TPO roof. I was shocked to see they didn't use something like 1/8" - 1/4" plywood and used some kind of crappy, thin paneling. I believe it is the same garbage wood paneling they use for the interior walls.