Hole in the RV Roof

“I need to drill a hole in the roof,” Bob told me. A red flag quickly sprang up in my brain, reminding me of the many months of roof troubles we had encountered only a year earlier. Those issues had resulted from a leak. We certainly didn’t want to introduce the possibility of another one. 

The impetus behind this intentional hole in the RV roof was to run another pair of cables to support additional solar panels, significantly increasing our power capacity for boondocking endeavors. 

Bob thought we could add another junction box next to the existing one on the roof for the six solar panels already in place there. But, after attempting to break the seal around the attached box to get underneath it — prior to his announcement to me — he had managed to cut through Tagalong’s roof membrane, exposing plywood to the elements. 
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Breaking Through the Ceiling

Per usual with any roof job, the weather forecast called for rain, giving us a definitive deadline to get the wood covered. Some Durabond tape and self-leveling caulk took care of that. But Bob still needed to add the other cables and junction box.

With our longest drill bit secure in our cordless drill, he started making a hole in the roof as I watched, my anxiety easing at seeing just a tiny hole. When the bit didn’t cut all the way through to the interior ceiling, Bob remembered he had to cut through the space between the roof and rafters. We needed a longer drill bit.

An RV neighbor loaned us one, and Bob was able to break through the ceiling. Then, using a borrowed fish tape, he pulled some twine from inside the rig up to the roof — and then the cables needed to power the solar panels. Zip, zip, zip. Bob completed the wiring job, with the help of RV friend Alan. 

Placing the Panels

The solar panels still needed to be added. On a blustery day, we managed to get the four new panels up on the roof, with Bob at the top of our onboard RV ladder and me climbing and clinging to the lower rungs to awkwardly hand each panel to him. 

Next came the placement. Where was the right location for each panel to ensure maximum sun exposure? After much deliberation, we agreed on the best arrangement, and Bob got busy securing the panels to the roof.

With 10 solar panels, we should be able to live off grid indefinitely — well, until our black tank fills up. The additional panels provide 42% more electric-generating solar capacity than our previous arrangement did. 

For the new panels to convert solar power to usable electricity, Bob also had to install a second solar charge controller — along with myriad wires, fuses, and junctions — in the basement of our rig. He completed the install with no issues.

The initial test of the new panels didn’t look promising. The new solar charge controller displayed a message indicating inefficient wattage. But after a couple of days — and the sun emerging from behind clouds — the new panels started working properly. Look out, America. Here we come for more boondocking!

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