Ambitious as it may be I think it would be nice to have a place where we can share instalation ideas , from the DYI'd , the dirt cheap plans (@Jaco de Jongh ) , and commercial stuff. I know that when I started my installation I were looking at all the installations for some inspiration.

So , if I may, the rules for this thread.

• Pictures is a must preferably closeups to show detail
• Let's stick to the topic this time......
• If the idea seems to be less safe and not in public interest refer to admin ( @Energy if this is ok with you?) We don't want this thread to be derailed by  LONG discussion about the welding techniques or how the steel might be tooo thin or to skew or whatever. Let the ideas flow , everybody here should have a degree of common sense that they could apply
•   Did I mention pictures is a must! Web links is also cool.

Maybe this could become sticky sometime down the line and a cool resource place. Lets see .

Regards

Paul

I saw this on another forum of a guy that mounted panels on a RV , I like the way he connected the panels to the frame.

http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/solar-panel-mount-frame-53154#post77552

Looking at those wide center brackets, shading is not a concern of his. 

I used 38mm square tubing and 76 by 38mm tubing for a 4 season manual tilt frame.. Mounted The panels mounted using Tek-screws (100 screws for 80 bucks). 

6 minutes ago, Chris Hobson said:

Mounted The panels mounted using Tek-screws

I wonder if the inventor of those ever envisioned all the uses that they are used today , thank you @Chris Hobson!

Awesome idea  what should we call it (DIY mischievousness) hehe

Jay

Here's mine. Unistrut connected with stainless steel angle brackets. I had the brackets lasercut and bended. Sikaflex in-between everything.

Panels secured with standard mounting hardware, but I've added stainless steel angles and ball-bearings in the heads of the cap-screws to prevent easy removal of the panels - the allen key won't go into the head of the cap-screw and if you try to use pliers or a vice-grip around the head of the cap-screw, you won't be able to turn it.

@superdiy what do you call those "C Channel" here in SA I were looking for them but could not find the correct description for them here .. 

All DIY Great Mischievousness!

1 hour ago, PaulF007 said:

@superdiy what do you call those "C Channel" here in SA I were looking for them but could not find the correct description for them here .. 

Unistrut 

8 minutes ago, superdiy said:

Unistrut 

Cool thanks!!

@superdiy show off!  grappie net , ,, ek net jaloers. 

 

my DIY cheapy.     10mm threaded rods wat n 50mm x 50mm angle iron regop vas hou. Die panele is voor saam vas met n aluminuim angle. en aan die kante.

So wanneer die wind waai dan stress ek n bietjie.. 

 

 

4 minutes ago, Fritz said:

So wanneer die wind waai dan stress ek n bietjie.. 

1 hour ago, superdiy said:

Unistrut 

What kind of price are you looking at per meter length. Because when I get into this again, I might want to get rid of the welded mild steel frame I have on there now.

(I'm not even going to post pictures... the DTM I used to paint it was a massive mistake).

15 minutes ago, plonkster said:

What kind of price are you looking at per meter length. Because when I get into this again, I might want to get rid of the welded mild steel frame I have on there now.

I can't remember - got it from the local Voltex.

15 minutes ago, plonkster said:

(I'm not even going to post pictures... the DTM I used to paint it was a massive mistake).

I will never use DTM again - rubbish describes it best.

1 hour ago, superdiy said:

I will never use DTM again - rubbish describes it best.

I did the first frame using Duram P5 as primer and 3 layers of P4 on top. That worked very well. Then the local hardware store didn't have any P4 on that day and I bought DTM instead. Same manufacturer... but complete rubbish.

2 hours ago, plonkster said:

What kind of price are you looking at per meter length. Because when I get into this again, I might want to get rid of the welded mild steel frame I have on there now.

(I'm not even going to post pictures... the DTM I used to paint it was a massive mistake).

Rubicon sells it for R160 per 6m lenth

2 hours ago, ibiza said:

Rubicon sells it for R160 per 6m lenth

Just check the thickness of the metal, there are a few options and the thinnest (I think 1mm) is very flimsy.

thinnest is 0.8mm. 1 mm is the most popular at Rubicon. I used 1mm and didn't have any problem with the structures for more the one year.

I can't post pictures due to my commercial involvement, but as a cheap installation, my dad glued some 250W solar panels to his roof with silicone rubber, many years ago, and they're still there. I never took picks of the panels though. 

On 2016/10/28 at 1:06 PM, ibiza said:

Rubicon sells it for R160 per 6m lenth

Way up North, R375 for 6 meter 40x40x1.6mm

On 2016/10/31 at 11:12 AM, SilverNodashi said:

silicone rubber

In our industry, also known as "Instrumentation Welding". Very few things that can not be sealed or stuck together with that stuff, and once cured, you will have a hard time getting it off.

12 hours ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

In our industry, also known as "Instrumentation Welding". Very few things that can not be sealed or stuck together with that stuff, and once cured, you will have a hard time getting it off.

Luckily that's his problem, not mine  Which is why I like the more expensive mounting structures so much. It's easy to mount, and unmount incase you need to move / replace the panels, or do maintenance on the roof. 

14 hours ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

Way up North, R375 for 6 meter 40x40x1.6mm

In our industry, also known as "Instrumentation Welding". Very few things that can not be sealed or stuck together with that stuff, and once cured, you will have a hard time getting it off.

I had a loose sink in the kitchen (what is called the preparation dish, for rinsing vegetables and stuff). I looked all over the place for brackets and stuff to hold it down but they guy at Builders Warehouse said to me "Why not just silicon it down". So still not feeling happy about such a cheap solution, I eventually used Sikaflex (which is like half glue half sealant) and you know what... that thing's been stuck down for many years now :-)

1 hour ago, plonkster said:

Sikaflex (which is like half glue half sealant) and you know what... that thing's been stuck down for many years now :-)

Now that is a really excellent product (after the DTM discussion we had before). I've used Sikaflex for many things and you can really finish it beautifully with a cloth or finger dipped in turps - unlike cleaning up or trying to finish off silicone sealant.

Edit: I you check my panel mounting pics above you might notice Sikaflex everywhere between the different components...

Just now, superdiy said:

Now that is a really excellent product (after the DTM discussion we had before). I've used Sikaflex for many things and you can really finish it beautifully with a cloth or finger dipped in turps - unlike cleaning up or trying to finish off silicone sealant.

Then again, Sikaflex is over R200 a can! But it is excellent and worth what you pay for it. The only place I have not had success is with a plastic shower base. The Sikaflex won't bond to it.

I have a shower upstairs on top of my garage, sitting on a wooden floor. The floor flexes slightly with the weight of the occupant, so a flexible movable seal is required between the base and the tiles on the wall. I've tried many products but none of them last more than a few months. Then the water starts leaking through into the garage. If you have advice with that... that would be greatly appreciated :-)