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Open Roads Forum  >  Truck Campers

 > watertight roof solar cable

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Sponsored By:
Golden_HVAC

Fulltime, CA, USA

Senior Member

Joined: 08/19/2003

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Posted: 03/29/12 04:37am Link  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

When I was installing a solar system on a Holiday Rambler with a "Solar Prep" package, I kinda expected to find a electrical box or at least a metal cover on the roof near where I would find hte wires. Not so - they say measure so many inches behind the shower skylight, and so many inches in from the sidewall, the wires are in the roof under that location, just bore a hole into the roof there, and fish around for them. Sure enough, I opened a hole about 2" diameter, and found the wires, was able to pull out about 36" of #8 wire from that hole.

Now what to do with that hole in the ceiling, I did not think the owner would like to see it, lucky me, they did not climb ladders. I used a double raintight electrical box, (one made to hold 2 receptacles about 4" square) with the wires coming out of the hole into a 3/4" opening in the back of the box, and mounted it to the roof with about a tube of rubber roof sealant. Then covered the box with a raintight cover, and mounted one of the solar panels over the top of this, so it will not see any direct rain.

Solar panel wiring is type BX cable, you can buy #10 BX at Home Depot, it will not conduct rainwater along it's covering, so is OK to use in roof to ceiling box, the water will not follow the wires. I used 3/4" sealtight type of wire clamp into the raintight box, same as used with SO cord into a raintight box.

To make solar panel mounts, I used 6" of 2" angle aluminum, with 3 holes going into the roof side, 3/16" with #10 screws and plenty of rubber roof sealant. On the solar panel side, I used 1/4-20 bolt that is tamper resistant, and into a 1/4" nutsert that I riveted into the solar panel frame.

I was able to pull the wire down my roof mounted refrigerator vent, behind the refrigerator, without moving it, using a coat hanger to pull the wire down the vent area. The first install was a 15 amp controller that I mounted in the closet, so when the close door was opened, the light inside backlit the solar panel meter, kinda cool! Then I installed the remote display for my 50 amp controller in that location a couple of years later, with the 50 amp controller mounted in the basement.

Good luck with your install, write back with any more questions.

Fred.

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