Solar panel hail protection, is it necessary? Do you need to protect your solar panels from hail? Well, maybe.
Solar panels can withstand extreme weather. This is generally true although some factors can challenge this statement. For example, the size and velocity of hail and the angle of the solar panel mount are important factors to consider. RVs solar panels are flat-mounted and more vulnerable to hail damage when hit head-on at full force. Although most solar panels are designed to withstand up to 1″ hail balls, today’s unpredictable changing climate can be more violent. You just don’t know what you’ll get.
A quick DIY Mod to protect your Solar Panels
A major hail storm with a warning of golf-sized hail was coming our way and we wanted to stay on the safe side. Strong wind is another issue to think about as flying objects may damage the panels by scratching or breaking them. Tony devised a quick solar panel hail protection that can be applied quickly when we have access to the roof.
He cut 1/4″ OSB plywood to size (22″X48″)
and attached the plywood panels to the solar panels with small plastic clamps. Make sure that the clamp’s jaw opening is wide enough to clamp the panel and board. Also, make sure it is narrow enough to fit in the gap between the solar panel and the roof.
We needed to cut the ends of one set of clamps clamps (see photo below) for a better fit.
There is a small lip around the solar panels preventing scratched by the plywood. Make sure though that there is no debris that can be pressed between the board and the surface of the solar panel.
Tie a long strap that will hang from the side of the van to remind you to take the covers off before driving away.
Or you can buy this crazy gadget that will protect your entire roof. It may be a good idea since if there is damaging hail, your roof and other roof components may be damaged.
The storm never came but now we have some protection in case we need it. Lets hope we won’t have to use it. We do have on our to do list a reminder to check what, if any of this our, insurance company will cover.
BY THE NUMBERS:
- cost: we had all of the materials at hand, they would cost roughly CAD$30
- time to construct: about half an hour
- level of skill required: easy, providing you have access to the roof
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Good DIY (where do you store the boards?)
Glass panels are very venerable to hail and to kids throwing stones from overpasses after school… High Flex panels can take hail balls the size of baseballs but are harder to clean if you park under a drippy evergreen trees.
A chicken solution is to park under a bridge during hail storms and tornados.
The boards are in the garage right now, but we could store them under the bench when we travel. They can even double up as extra tables or bed extensions if we need to. I just read an article recently that said that it is actually not a good idea to park under a bridge in a tornado since it created a wind tunnel effect. It is probably a good place to hid from hail though.
Very interesting. There’s a lot of things to think about when you’re traveling. I’ll be looking for that crazy gadget in your driveway 😉
Well done!
Haha, You do that!
Great article! Would you be interested in running this as a guest post on my blog?–Blaize
I would love to 🙂