# Solar Panel Installation and Repair: Cost, Hours and Process in Hacienda Heights Solar panel installation and repair covers rooftop array mounting, charge controller selection and wiring, roof penetration sealing, and diagnosis of an existing array that has stopped producing. On an RV the electrical design is the easy half. The roof penetrations are what determine whether the install is still watertight in five years. ## Specifications - Price band: $1,500 to $12,000 plus - Shop hours: 8 to 40 plus hours - Turnaround tier: Upfit and fabrication - Insurance billable: yes - Parts lead time: Panels and controllers 5 to 15 business days. Custom mounting hardware 7 to 20 business days. - OEM brands: Go Power, Renogy, Victron, Battle Born, Magnum, Zamp ## The roof penetration is the part that fails, not the panel Modern panels are durable and they mostly outlast the coach. The mounting feet and the wire entry gland are a different matter, because they are lap sealant joints on a surface that flexes and takes a UV dose high enough to chalk a self leveling sealant in three to four years in this region. That is why an array install here is treated as roof work with electrical attached, rather than electrical work that happens to be on a roof. Feet get bedded, not just sealed on top. The wire entry uses a proper gland with a butyl bed. Moisture readings are taken at every proposed foot location before anything is fastened. Where an owner arrives with an existing array and a ceiling stain under a foot, the array comes off before the roof can be read honestly. That is labor, and it is labor caused by an install that treated the sealant as an afterthought. - Moisture reading at every mounting location before fastening - Feet bedded in butyl rather than sealed on the surface only - Wire entry through a gland with a butyl bed, not a hole and a bead - Sealant selected for the roof material, since EPDM, TPO and fiberglass differ - Cable routing secured away from rafters and slide rails - Inline fusing at the array and at the battery end of the run ## Sizing the array, and what solar genuinely cannot do Usable roof area is the constraint, not budget. Between the air conditioners, vents, fans, antenna and skylight, a typical 34 foot coach has room for far less array than owners expect. We lay the roof out before quoting a wattage. MPPT versus PWM is a real decision rather than marketing. On anything above roughly 200 watts, or where panels are wired in series to reduce voltage drop over a long run, MPPT recovers enough additional energy to justify itself. Below that, a quality PWM controller is honest hardware. The claim worth deflating is air conditioning. Running a rooftop air conditioner off solar and batteries alone requires a very large bank, a large inverter and more array than most roofs hold, and even then it is measured in hours rather than days. Solar keeps a refrigerator, lights, pumps and electronics alive indefinitely, which is what most owners actually wanted. ## Diagnosing an array that stopped producing Nearly every dead array we open has one of four faults: a blown inline fuse, a failed controller, a corroded connector at the roof entry, or a chafed conductor. The panels themselves are rarely the problem, which is the opposite of what owners assume. We read open circuit voltage at the panel, then at the controller input, then controller output at the battery. Three readings usually locate the break within the first hour. Where panels are wired in series, one shaded or failed panel drags the whole string, and that pattern is distinctive enough to identify by watching output as shade moves. Cost sits at the systems estimate tier of $150, credited against an authorized repair, with labor at the posted mechanical and electrical rate of $260 per hour. A connector and fuse repair is often two hours. A full array with a controller, cabling and sealed penetrations runs 8 to 40 plus hours and reaches the top of the band on this page. ## Not included - We do not mount an array over decking that reads wet. The roof gets addressed first. - Array work is performed in a covered bay only, because the sealant needs a controlled cure. - Ground deploy portable panel kits are a retail item rather than an installation. ## Questions **Will solar panels leak through my RV roof?** They will if the feet are surface sealed instead of bedded. Every mounting foot and the wire entry are lap sealant joints on a flexing roof under heavy UV, and in this region a surface bead chalks in three to four years. We bed the feet in butyl, use a proper gland at the wire entry, and take moisture readings at every location before anything is fastened. **Can solar run my RV air conditioner?** Not realistically on a normal roof. Running a rooftop air conditioner from solar alone needs a very large battery bank, a large inverter and more array than most coaches have room for, and even then it is measured in hours. What solar does well is keep a refrigerator, lights, pumps and electronics running indefinitely without a generator, which is what most owners are actually asking for. **Why did my RV solar stop charging?** In order of frequency: a blown inline fuse, a failed charge controller, a corroded connector at the roof entry, or a chafed conductor. The panels themselves are the least likely failure. Three voltage readings, at the panel, at the controller input and at the controller output, usually locate the break inside the first hour. **MPPT or PWM for an RV array?** Above roughly 200 watts, or where a long run makes a series wiring scheme sensible, MPPT recovers enough extra energy to pay for itself. Below that, a quality PWM controller is honest hardware and the money is better spent on panels. We size the controller against the array and the run length rather than defaulting to the more expensive option. --- Source: https://ocrv.club/rv-service/solar-panel-installation-and-repair OCRV Center, 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887 Phone (949) 799-3387. Email info@ocrvcenter.com. Serving Hacienda Heights and the surrounding area. 18.4 miles, 24 to 38 minutes via SR-60 west to Fullerton Rd, then south to La Palma Ave. In shop work only. All estimates are priced and credited against an authorized repair.