Should I Remove ?Protective? Film from Built in Solar Panels?

kbdigitiqe

Hey there!

Just picked up a brand new 2021 Tab320s Boondock and the solar panels have what looks like a protective plastic film over them (see pic). A corner is kind of peeling back and it's activating some kind of primal OCD urge in me to just peel it all off! Anyone know whether that film is important or protective going down the road? Also anyone care to speculate about its effect on solar capture? 

Thanks!

pthomas745

Until you know for certain that the film is one of the "removable" types I would leave it.  If it is obvious that it is the kind of film that would cover a cell phone screen and just lifts right off, then it should be ok.  If it offers any resistance, no.  Call NuCamp and find out who manufactures the panel first.  See what they think.

N7SHG_Ham

Call NuCamp, if these come with a removable film, yours would be 1st I heard of with it left on, could be the panel delaminating?

https://www.sunflaresolar.com/industries/recreational

kbdigitiqe

Thanks y'all. Response from NuCamp in case it helps anyone else:

Hey Kevin, 

We don’t remove those as they seem to be there for protection. It shouldn’t effect the efficiency so I would leave it on there

Best Regards, 

Creed Hostetler

Technical Support 

nuCamp 

I just cut that little corner back with a blade and seems fine, will keep an eye on it for any new de-lam.

ChrisFix

I have to say that the response from Creed isn't really very informative. Is it there for protection? If so, why is it coming off?
The answer seems more like a guess than an informed response.

N7SHG_Ham

I would contact Sunflare and get their take, agree that Creed sounds a little vague.

aponteluis

In my 2022 Tab 320S I noticed the film a bit loose around the edges.  I started peeling off the film about four inches from the corners. The adhesive is very strong and most of it remains on the panel. I stopped removing the film because I thought something was not right. I reached out to NuCamp tech support regarding the clear film and they said the cover should not be peeled off, however the solar panel will still operate and works as it should without this clear cover.

From a vendor's website:

NOTE: DO NOT attempt to peel off the top sheet of your solar panel. This is protective top layer that is not meant to be removed. OK4WD installer techincians recommend using adhesive A1W01790893. Please contact an OK4WD sales agent to order today.

https://ok4wd.com/brands/sunflare-solar/sunflare-solar-sunflare-105w-solar-panel-sunflex35-nr-105w-ok

SLJ

I asked the manufacture last year. Sunflare stated that it is a protective coating for the panel and not to remove it.

techietab

Bought a barely-used 2022 320 S a couple months ago. My solar panel's protective film was peeling badly everywhere, extremely yellowed, and even turning cloudy/opaque in some areas, so I peeled the film off and removed the adhesive with the assistance of a rotary decal remover (tip: the slotted edge type works better and avoids abrasion better than the solid type). I later found discussion on this forum suggesting that the film shouldn't be removed...but given the state mine was in, I seriously doubt it would have been a good idea to leave it on, especially with the clouding that was happening.

Based on what I've read online and the docs that came with my camper, it looks like the film is 3M Ultra Barrier (UBF-9L ETFE). I bought a sample of some to see if I could reapply it, but it actually seems a lot thicker than was was factory-installed, and there doesn't seem to be a good way to get it to adhere post-manufacturing (seems like it might have been hot-rolled on).

I'm planning to attempt using some clear 3M automotive paint protection vinyl film as a replacement top layer to add some degree of UV protection.

RichStewart

techietab - Any update on your 3M automotive paint idea?

techietab

@RichStewart - I've had the 3M automotive film applied for about a month now. I used this stuff from Amazon.

Installation via the 'wet method' (spray adhesive side of film + surface of panel with water mixed with a couple drops of dish soap) was very simple.

Results are TBD. While the panel certainly *looks* much better than it did, the late summer/fall sun conditions around here have been fairly unfriendly for solar lately, and the panel has not been able to achieve the +5V differential above battery voltage that's required for the Victron controller to start charging the batteries. This is likely exacerbated by the fact that I've upgraded to LiFePO4 batteries. So as such...I'm not really sure what the impact on panel output performance is.