Didn’t realise how juicy my propex was on my leisure battery. So I’m thinking of fitting a flexible panel to my Westy roof. Has anyone got a photo of where and how they ran the wire? Got to drill a hole in the roof I guess or somehow go through the canvas. It’s a rear hinge Westy. I’ll run it down the back towards the L.B. Via a voltage controller behind the side rear cupboard. Just wanted to see how others with rear hinged westies got the cable through the roof. Photos would be an amazing help for probably the most visual learner known to man. Thanks a lot p.
If you have a look in our resto thread: Major the Westies rebuild project | Page 30 | The Late Bay There are a few photo's and from memory, we only had to drill the roof for the cables to pass through, they fed through to the MPPT controller okay. You are more than welcome to have a look if youre at Techenders.
Mine was slightly different as I went for a rigid panel mounted to my roof bars, but I ran the cables through one of those gland boxes mounted under the panel for extra protection from the elements. They're designed to be weather proof so should be fine mounted anywhere really. I then neatly clipped the cable inside the roof using P clips down to my head banger locker, down the side of the bus behind my carpet and through a hole in the bottom of the spare wheel well to my controller in the engine bay.
I have two 120w panels on the pop-top, the tails go through the fibreglass and then through the steel roof and down to the B2B/MPPT charge controller. The pic is the glands in the steel roof and I have right angle glands in the fibreglass.
I think I might run the cable from a hole (yet to be made) in the pop top, continuing inside the rear of the canvas to avoid making a hole in the actual metal roof.
That would work but I didn’t want a hole in the canvas, and you’ll still have to run the cables through the bed board – I took the easy option.
I won't make a hole in the canvas if I'm thinking it through right but hadn't thought of the bedboard! I'm going to hijack everyone I see who've done this and take a look! Any more piccies from anyone else most welcome! Sent from my SM-G780G using Tapatalk
Why can’t the cable be fed through the air vents into the engine bay - then no holes need to be drilled ( I don’t have a solar panel so maybe I am missing something?) There is also a hole in the bottom of the spare wheel well if you want to run cable into the interior of the van from the engine bay
Mine sounds similar to @77westy albeit with a Devon roof.... waterproof glands through the fibreglass, cables outside of the canvas, and then the angled gland thing where it passes through the metal roof. All sealed and no leaks. Looks neat too. The drilling and cabling was all done in the field at techenders a few years ago.
I used the waterproof gland like in @JamesLey photo above. Albeit mine is a font hinge Westy and my solar panel is mounted in the luggage rack at the rear of the roof. @DamonW they could be run through the rear air vents but I think that isn't so tidy a cable run.
I think if a rear hinged westy cable could be quite tidy and personally I would not want to drill a hole in my van - it’s also close to the LB and again easy to get to the interior via the drain hole in spare wheel well so no wiring visible inside the van. many ways to do every job - enjoy the project and do what’s right for your needs.
I do not have a solar panel on my bus as mentioned in my first post so that’s really up to you and your preference. I traveled for 18months around Europe in my bus with wife and child and was perfectly fine using a leisure battery and the occasional hook up if available - I did consider buying a panel or suitcase Solar panel if I ended up needing one but I did not so I went without
Here you go - temporary on my tin top though on my current poptop bus I've made the holes and used fittings like everyone else. Awaiting inevitable jokes.
Just thought I'd stick it on and see what happened .... . Absolute game changer . Cheapest 100w lightweight flexible panel I could find on Ebay (£100) , Epever 20w controller (£60) , hardwired readout (£40) , hardware/ Sikoflex /glands etc about another 50 quid. Power cables through the fibreglass with the usual glands and through the pop top material via a couple of 6mm holes and connected to the controller which is screwed onto the inside of a hinge cover box I made . Easy and simple as I could make it to be honest - works very well to keep the battery topped up for propex and fridge . It works a treat , especially as I had no way of charging the leisure battery other than going for a drive ... Drop me a line if you want a closer look. Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
