Repairing roof after removing dealer-installed solar panels (2018 Tab 400)

Jilong

I wasn't able to charge my battery from my dealer-installed solar panels on my last trip, so when I got home, I went up to the roof on a bright, sunny day, disconnected the panels, and tested the voltage of each panel individually using a multimeter -- zero voltage on each panel. I guess they went bad somehow, though I wish I knew why. I had just had the floor replaced under warranty and it was on that first trip after the warranty repair that the battery no longer charged from the panels.

Anyway, now I have the problem of how to repair the roof after removing the broken panels. The panels were screwed into the roof on each corner as well as bonded using an adhesive tape all around the edges of each panel. Removing the panels was quite labor-intensive using a scraper to break the adhesive tape all around each panel. Unfortunately, I have a few small scrapes on the roof where the scraper tore into the skin of the roof, and I have a lot of residual adhesive stuck to the roof.

Any suggestions for how to remove the adhesive? Is there a solvent I can safely use, or do I have to try to use a heat gun and slowly scrape the rest of it off?

What about repairing the holes and scrapes on the roof? I was thinking of just using a PVC rubber roof repair kit and cutting a section that fits over the damaged area and just gluing it in place. The replacement solar panel would then be applied onto the rubber roof section.

Any tips or suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks!

dragonsdofly

@Jilong sounds like you've got a real project ahead. Good luck with it.

NorthIsUp

You can replace the OEM panels with these, as I did: You'll need two.  https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Extremely-Flexible-Monocrystalline-Solar/dp/B07BMNGVV3/ I had the same magic thing happen (2019 400) where the panels suddenly went bad. I know now that the polarity of the connections on the Victron solar controllers are the opposite of the no-name brand that came with mine and this magic happened at some point during my Victron upgrade. Also, my Tab wasn't used for the prior 18 months and it's stored in a public lot, so who knows?
Perhaps your floor replacement required the movement of the bed frame and thus the removal of the wiring under the bed and the tech replaced them reversed? I had my no-working panels replaced at my dealer and they said that the tops of the new panels match exactly, but the length of the news ones are slightly longer. In that manner, the new ones cover the holes. Patch them well, as my dealer did.
Can't help you on the adhesive removal, sorry. Good luck.

Horigan

To remove the adhesive, I would use 3M Adhesive remover, available at hardware or autoparts stores.  Wear rubber gloves and use a stiff plastic spatula.  I would install the replacement panels with just 1/2" 3M double sided VHB mounting tape.  No screws.  I installed the Renogy panels referenced above and am very happy with them.

Denny16

The OP had dealer installed solar panels, not OEM ones.  

“ Perhaps your floor replacement required the movement of the bed frame and thus the removal of the wiring under the bed and the tech replaced them reversed?”
The floor replacement on a TaB 400 repair does not require removing the rear bunk or frame, just the front panel, so the wiring is not disturbed or removed.
cheers

Jilong

As a minor update, after two days of scraping with a plastic scraper and liberally using half a can of 3M adhesive remover, I have managed to remove all of the old adhesive. Next I have to use a metal file to smooth down the old screw holes so that they are flush with the roof surface.

I'm actually not sure how to fill in the old screw holes. They were drilled straight through the roof and what I can see underneath is just insulation, so I'm not even sure why the screws were used in the first place as they didn't anchor into anything. I can't apply a tape on the underside of the hole, so whatever I use to fill in the hole will just drip through into the insulation. Any thoughts? Maybe I can just apply Eternabond tape over the holes directly.

Horigan

Are the screw holes located where the new VHB tape will go to secure the new panels.  You could just rely on that VHB tape to cover the holes.  Otherwise that tape you reference is what I would use, or anything UV resistant.