Roof view
ROOF VIEW OF RV
1 – Solar Panel Wiring and roof feed-through.
2 – Carefree Awning
3 – Omni-directional TV Antenna from King. The Winegard Omni-directional antenna was installed on previous models. Both brands of antennas have poor reception and difficulty receiving TV broadcasts in the lower VHF band (channels 3-13).
4 – Fantastic Fan with Smoke colored dome.
5 – Air-Conditioner. 22,000 BTU Turbo Air 2 model shown. 12 volts, with dual 12 inch pulling fans. An external air intake is in the front of the unit like a big hood-scoop. Clearly, the designers have never been to Florida during love-bug season! (Removing our cover for painting, we found the air-box had a large opening which was drawing hot, moist air into the van.)
6 – Back-up camera and third brake light.
7 – Solar Panels. The three flexible solar panels are bonded to the roof ridges with adhesive. Each panel is 110 watts for a total of 330 watts. (The wiring partially covers the front panel so there is probably a power loss from that panel.)
8 – WiFi Ranger Booster with twin antennas.
9 – Vent stack for ventilation of the black tank.
TIP#229: Solar Off When Driving – You may want to turn solar panels off when driving. The solar panels increase the voltage detected at the house battery, making the auxiliary alternator controller believe the battery is more fully charged than it actually is. Because of the higher voltage detected, the controller reduces the alternator’s output current, slowing the charging of the battery and may prevent the battery from receiving a full charge.
TIP#268: Solar Panel Adhesive – The flexible panels on many sprinters use an adhesive to mount the panels instead of drilling holes in the roof and possibly causing leaks. Over time, the panels may come loose or require replacement. There are several products that people have used to mount the panels:
* Sikaflex 252 – white B007EXOONA (the most commonly used)
* Double sided 3M 5952 VHB tape.
* Silicone based adhesives like SG20 or Fix9.
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4 – External – Driver’s Side
. . . . Water Box
5 – External – Roof
6 – External – Undercarriage