Electrical and Systems
RV and Van Solar Panel Installation, Repair and Expansion
Typical range
$1,500 to $12,000+
Shop hours
8 to 40+
Labor rate
$260/hr
The short answer
Solar installation covers roof panel mounting, MPPT controller sizing, wire routing, and integration with an existing battery bank and inverter. Work runs $1,500 to $12,000 and up, or 8 to 40 plus hours at $260 per hour plus equipment. Estimates are $150, refundable against an authorized repair.
01
What this work actually involves
A solar array is only as good as the weakest part of the chain, and on most coaches that is the controller or the wire, not the panels. We routinely find 600 watts of panel feeding a small PWM controller through 10 AWG wire on a 25 foot run, which throws away a third of the harvest before it reaches the bank. An MPPT controller sized to the array and wire sized for the actual voltage drop typically recovers more usable amp hours than adding another panel does, and it costs less.
Roof penetration is the part that determines whether the install is still watertight in five years. Every mount, every gland, and every wire entry is a hole in a roof membrane that already fights Southern California UV. We bed mounts in the correct sealant for the membrane material, since a lap sealant that works on EPDM is wrong on TPO and wrong again on fiberglass, and we run the wire through a proper entry gland rather than a bead of caulk over a drilled hole. Bad solar installs are one of the more common sources of the water damage we repair.
Heat is also a design factor here. Panel output falls as cell temperature climbs, and a flush-mounted panel on a black roof in Indio or Palm Desert runs far hotter than the rating conditions assume. We mount with an air gap where the roof allows it, plan the array around the actual shading from air conditioners, vents, and antennas, and set expectations on real harvest rather than nameplate watts. Owners who were promised nameplate output are the ones who end up disappointed.
Systems and brands we work on: Victron, MPPT, Battle Born, LiFePO4, Magnum, Xantrex.
Location: All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside, or fleet route service.
02
What the job includes
- Roof survey, shading analysis, and array layout around vents and air conditioners
- Rigid and flexible panel mounting with membrane-correct sealant and bedding
- MPPT controller sizing, installation, and programming to bank chemistry
- Series and parallel string design for voltage, current, and shade tolerance
- Wire sizing to measured voltage drop over the actual run length
- Weatherproof roof entry gland installation and cable routing
- Combiner box, breaker, and fusing on both the array and battery side
- Integration with existing inverter, converter, and DC-DC charging sources
- Monitoring and remote display installation
- Repair of failed panels, damaged wiring, and leaking prior installations
03
When you need this service
- Existing array produces far fewer amps than the panel rating suggests
- Controller shows array voltage but never enters bulk charging
- Water staining on the ceiling near a solar mount or wire entry
- Panels lifting, cracked, or with delaminated backsheet after desert summers
- Batteries never reach full charge on a sunny day at rest
- A prior installation sealed with hardware store caulk that has cracked open
04
How we do it, step by step
- 01
Roof and shading survey
We map the usable roof area around air conditioners, vents, antennas, and racks, and we plan the array so one shaded panel does not drag down an entire string.
- 02
System sizing against real use
Daily amp hour consumption is calculated from what you actually run, then the array and controller are sized to replace it in typical Southern California sun hours.
- 03
Membrane identification
Roof material identified as EPDM, TPO, or fiberglass before any hole is drilled, because the correct sealant and bedding differ for each and mixing them causes leaks.
- 04
Mounting and sealing
Mounts bedded and fastened into structure where possible, wire brought through a proper entry gland, and every penetration sealed to the membrane specification.
- 05
Controller and wiring
MPPT controller mounted close to the bank, wire sized for the measured run, and fusing added on both the array side and the battery side.
- 06
Programming and integration
Charge profile matched to the installed chemistry and coordinated with the converter and any DC-DC charger so the sources are not fighting each other.
- 07
Output verification and water test
Actual array output measured at the controller under sun, then every roof penetration water tested before the coach leaves.
05
Pricing and posted rates
| Item | Rate or range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical job range | $1,500 to $12,000+ | Varies with extent of damage and parts availability |
| Shop hours | 8 to 40+ | Quoted after teardown, not before |
| Mechanical and electrical labor | $260 per hour | 2026 posted rate |
| Parts | 100% markup under $100, 35% over | Special order parts require a non refundable deposit at order |
| Deposit | 50% at authorization over $2,000 | Additional 25% when parts arrive on jobs over $10,000 |
| Sales tax | 7.75% on parts and materials | Labor is not taxed |
Insurance billed jobs may be billed at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from the posted retail rates above. See all posted rates.
06
On the insurance side
Where a failed prior installation has let water into the ceiling or wall, we document the penetration and the moisture path separately from the solar work so the water loss can be evaluated on its own merits.
07
Vehicles we do this work on
Vehicle
Class A Diesel Pusher Motorhomes
A diesel pusher carries a rear-mounted diesel on a raised-rail air ride chassis, usually 34 to 45 feet with full-body paint and pa
Vehicle
Class B Camper Vans
A Class B is a camper built inside a factory van shell, usually a Sprinter, Transit, ProMaster, or Chevy chassis. Because the stee
Vehicle
Class C Motorhomes
A Class C is a coach body built onto a cutaway van chassis with a sleeping or storage cabover extending above the factory cab. Tha
Vehicle
Standard Fifth Wheels
A fifth wheel couples to a hitch in the truck bed through a kingpin and pin box, with a raised forward bedroom over the truck. The
Vehicle
Travel Trailers
A travel trailer tows from a ball hitch behind the tow vehicle rear axle on an A-frame tongue, which makes it the most sway-prone
Vehicle
Camper Van Conversions
Camper van conversions are Sprinter, Transit, or ProMaster chassis with windows cut into the sidewalls, a roof full of penetration
Vehicle
Off-Road and Expedition RVs
Expedition RVs mount a composite habitat box on a four wheel drive truck chassis, usually through a torsion-free three or four poi
08
Questions about solar panel installation and repair
Frequently asked questions
How much does RV solar installation cost?
Work runs $1,500 to $12,000 and up, or 8 to 40 plus hours at $260 per hour plus equipment. A single 200 watt panel with a small MPPT controller on an accessible roof is at the low end. A 1,200 watt array with a combiner box, large controller, new wiring runs, and monitoring on a Class A roof is at the high end.
How many panels do I actually need?
It depends on consumption, not on roof space. A weekend coach running lights, a water pump, and a furnace fan may only need 200 to 400 watts. A van with a compressor refrigerator, laptops, and a diesel heater usually wants 400 to 600. A Class A with a residential refrigerator on an inverter needs 800 and up. We calculate it from your loads.
Will solar run my air conditioner?
Not directly, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling something. Solar charges a battery bank, and the bank runs the air conditioner through an inverter. A rooftop unit needs roughly 1,500 watts continuous with a much higher surge, so the limiting factor is the size of your bank and inverter. Solar just decides how fast the bank refills.
Is MPPT worth it over a cheaper PWM controller?
On anything above a single small panel, yes. MPPT converts excess array voltage into usable charge current, which typically returns 20 to 30 percent more harvest than PWM, and the advantage grows in cold clear conditions and with higher voltage strings. On a 400 watt array the extra harvest pays back the controller difference quickly.
Will drilling into my roof cause leaks?
Not if it is done to the membrane. The failures we repair come from mounts stuck down with the wrong sealant and wire entries covered with a bead of caulk instead of a gland. We identify the roof material first, bed the mounts correctly, use a real entry gland, and water test every penetration before delivery.
09
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Ready to move on solar panel installation and repair? Bring it to Yorba Linda.