Adhesive or bolted to roof

[Red Dwarf]

Was the carrier held on with bolts or adhesive?

The carrier was strapped and clamped on, or at least it should have been. My point was not so much about the object or how it was fitted, more to do with the consequences of when some large object becomes tangled up with traffic.

 

[Molly 3]

My van came with a small factory fit SP , the brackets was screwed to roof with a total of 4 self tappers and sealed with silicone sealer , not adhesive . it was replaced with larger and safer semi flexible panel ,yes I am aware of the pitfalls of flexible panels .

 

[Mr and Mrs Tupcox]

5 vans with panels stuck down use silkaflex they will stay put..

 

[joncaton]

We went to Bavaria in August just before the lockdown. We were parked up in a stellplatz in a small town with gusty winds and rain of biblical proportions. Tried to put the satellite on to get a local weather forecast, only to find I couldn't get a signal. (it had been OK in previous days).
Receiver box had a fault light I'd never seen before. Had to look it up to learn that the "receiver had lost connection with the dish". Started checking connections and eventually poked my head through a rooflight to check around the satellite dome. No sign of the dome - it had gone completely! The whole thing had come off somewhere on the road in the last two days. (photos showed it was still on at a site two nights ago). We were totally unaware that it had come off - we didn't see or hear anything untoward!
Early last year I had to replace one of the rooflights, so whilst I was up around the roof I checked everything and the dome seemed OK. It was fixed with adhesive and four substantial screws, all of which seemed fairly tight.

 

[sydnsue]

I had our solar panel fitted and installed by a professional company who supply solar, dishes, suspension, bike racks etc. They used a combination of fixings and adhesive. When I asked why, they stated, why not. The mechanical fixing cannot fail and the adhesive seals the fixing. So why not double up. They have a good point.

 

[Yeoblade]

They certainly do blow off ! Having said that I have fitted 2 S Panels and 2 sat dishes with Stixall on my last 2 vans without problem.
(note to self check when cleaning roof after lock down)
I think the location on roof, wind deflectors all make a big difference.

 

[mr brown]

i glued my solar panel

then i thought ,why not put a roofing bolt through each bracket and sleep easy ? no cost ,no effort , why not?

 

[Molly 3]

Carrots hope that helps

 

[Molly 3]

Remember when body panels were first glued to cars and the outcry it caused?
Some were structural as windscreens often are nowadays!
Not seen many flying bonnets or windscreens!
Progress................It's amazing

Wind screens yes after years of design and crash testing , body panels .cant think of any .their was one ,front wing bonded on could have been the metro .but not sure .

 

[RV2MAX]

If I was relying solely on bonding , then I would be taking it back to bare metal , not a painted surface. JMHO

 

[TeamRienza]

@EJB
Your PS sums it up neatly I think. I often see posts on many forums were someone wishes to stick something in, on, or about their van. Replies can vary in quality and accuracy of answer. It irritates me to see the single word reply (particularly on Facebook) “Sikaflex”
Whilst the use of the correct adhesive is ultimately the choice and responsibility of the questioner, these vague answers have the potential to lull the non thinking person into a false sense of security, particularly if they are not prepared to do the legwork to select the appropriate product from the wide range available.

Davy

 

[TJBi]

Remember when body panels were first glued to cars and the outcry it caused?
Some were structural as windscreens often are nowadays!
Not seen many flying bonnets or windscreens!
Progress................It's amazing

Was almost hit by a flying bonnet on the A34 back in August 1987. Seeing one is enough!

 

[bentonaj]

And it is not just a matter of how good the adhesive is. Or even how good the prep is. How secure is the paint that the adhesive is sticking to?

How many people have complained about the paint just peeling off their Ducato Vans?

Agree with you there, the paint on our 2009 Relay has been peeling off in strips.

 

[trevskoda]

I used fencing panel brackets bolted down with stainless bolts and penny washers and nylock nuts before putting my inside panels on, i also sealed with sica to keep rain out.

 

[Tony Lee]

@EJB
Your PS sums it up neatly I think. I often see posts on many forums were someone wishes to stick something in, on, or about their van. Replies can vary in quality and accuracy of answer. It irritates me to see the single word reply (particularly on Facebook) “Sikaflex”
Whilst the use of the correct adhesive is ultimately the choice and responsibility of the questioner, these vague answers have the potential to lull the non thinking person into a false sense of security, particularly if they are not prepared to do the legwork to select the appropriate product from the wide range available.

Davy

Yes, exactly.

How many use Sikaflex without using the appropriate primer, or surface preparation, or who think it is correct procedure to squeeze the surfaces together so the adhesive bed is way thinner than recommended.

 

[Carrotts]

Hi Well up to 5 years ago before joining the forum I was in the non thinking slap the adhesive down and put weight on join. I have since learnt different. Although I have seen paint peeling on some vans I have never yet seen the plastic / non metallic roof paint peel. And I have been looking at quite a few Brian ps. A big thank you to all answers. Thank you.

 

[Yeoblade]

Hi Well up to 5 years ago before joining the forum I was in the non thinking slap the adhesive down and put weight on join. I have since learnt different. Although I have seen paint peeling on some vans I have never yet seen the plastic / non metallic roof paint peel. And I have been looking at quite a few Brian ps. A big thank you to all answers. Thank you.

Absolutely - Peeling paint, on all SEVEL based vans is a big problem and has been for years, so if you're fitting to a Panel Van Conversion roof beware!

 

[Allen]

Belt and Braces !
Sikaflex and bolted.

 

[wildebus]

Ref peeling paint. Here is a good example of why you can't rely on paint as a reliable substrate ....
I had a set of wheels for my Camper renovated by a national company.

Two of them were perfect. Another two looked fine until I fitted them and noticed they were not quite right. The paint seemed a touch disconnected ....



Now imagine that is the paint on your roof ....

 

[Deleted member 11]

I've heard the peeling paint argument many times and it has no bearing on the correct fitting of solar panels with adhesive. The surface needs to be 'prepared' before use and this can be done by masking off the fixing area and lightly sanding until a good bonding surface is reached. Then follow the adhesive manufacturer's instructions. For anyone who is incapable of doing this, then perhaps they should let a more competent person do the fitting for them.
If anyone is stupid enough to try and stick to a dodgy paint surface, then in all honesty they shouldn't be doing the job.