What an awesome video. Tito you are the man! At one point in my life I was a motion picture and Television cameraman so I feel qualified to say that the content, presentation, and ease of understanding of your videos are top notch. You never presuppose your audience knows what you are talking about. I bet you could even make calculus understandable. Many thanks and keep them coming!
That really means a lot coming from a pro. I really appreciate it. But thankfully, I've forgotten any and all calculus I learned in college :) Thanks for the comment. You made my day.
I don’t own a travel trailer….yet. But this video is saved for when I do and ready to outfit it with solar. This is the best solution I’ve seen so far.
Thank you for this “how to” video. I just installed a 9:1 antenna on our adventure van roof and had to route the 1” bundle of cables to the inside. This was a big help and I feel the project turned out “professional” with your demonstration and explanation. I am confident we have a water tight entry point. I must admit the most difficult part, (mentally), was drilling the hole. Thanks again
Brian - I've watched this video several times and appreciate the attention to details like you always do. Getting ready to do this on my RV and I like your approach.
Your bravery - to cut holes into your RV - is admirable. Your skills are top shelf. Your video shows others that with planning, the end results are the best one could want. Thank you for sharing with us.
Thanks! Careful planning is definitely the key to a successful outcome. That location was not part of my original plan, but it ended up to be the best option once I thought about it more and dug around the roof vents and walls.
That's very clever how you ran the conduit down. And the box. I install a lot of communications equipment in RVs and the challenges installing antennas up on the roof that gives me an idea how to run the coax
Thanks for the video. I am picking up a small used trailer tomorrow. Goal is for occasional camping and converting it into a Mobile Ham Radio Shack. I will need to install an antenna connector on the outside wall then run a short cable into the trailer. Simple tip like removing the microwave and how you cut the inner wall inside the trailer will be a big help.
This was the best video I've seen yet. What I don't understand is drilling through the pass through into the underbelly and out. Do you just get an enormously long drill bit??
Thank you. A perfectly prepared, straight-forward , no fuss how-to-video. Doing the same job at the moment in a Pajero roof, and this video has given me the answer to some "oh my god what have I done drilling a hole in my roof". Thank you
Great how to video. I always recommend the refrigerator vent if their RV allows it but there are so many different RVs that's not always possible. This type of wire run is the way to go when an access point can't be found or is too far away. Nice job as always.
Yes. The refrigerator vent is a popular way to go. My RV does not have a refrigerator roof vent. It's on the side and the refrigerator is in a slide out. Thanks!!
First of all Brian, I want to thank you for the time that you spend on producing your videos. The main thing that I appreciate is the fact that you are producing videos with real substance and valuable information. You are not just pumping out videos as a subscriber factory. I do have a question in regards to the flexible solar panels. Many have reported dependability issues such as " I'm not lost, I'm Rving" where it appears that all of his panels have failed him. I really want to go with flex panel but concerned with the dependability. It appears that you are having better luck with your flex panels. I would appreciate your current thoughts and observations.
Hehe...Subscriber factory. I get what you mean. That's very thoughtful feedback. I really appreciate it. I do subscribe to those guys too and watched that video this morning. It bums me out that they are having trouble. It seems extremely unusual to have so many panels fail at once. I certainly sense his frustration and am eager to see what comes of it. I have three HQST panels installed and they still perform well for me. I regularly test them. I have broken one before by bending it too far. Proper care and handling during and after installation is important though since they are thin and more fragile than people think. The cells can break if you bend the panel too far or step on them a lot. You shouldn't really walk on them. I avoid walking on them once installed unless I really have to. When I have to, I step on them gently. Finally, I don't camp or live in extremely hot areas, but I have heard from others who have had these panels installed for several years and continue to have great results and zero failures. They have used them while crossing the country repeatedly and have been in very cold and hot temps. With all of that said, I do have a couple of spares just in case :) Suaoki (the brand of flex panels they have) has actually reached out to me repeatedly to do reviews, but I've declined not because of their products, but because I do not believe a review of their flex panel would add any new information for my audience. I do have a couple of Suoaki panels (50W) that I used for my portable window awning solar setup and they are great panels. I'm still a fan of the flex panels for the reasons I've shared in previous videos. Traditional panels are not immune to problems either and I have some of those too. Lots of folks talk about longevity and warrantees. That's great if it helps sell you panels, but I believe that it is unrealistic to count on a 10 - 15 year warrantee for RV or van mounted solar. Chances are, during that time, the manufacturer will be gone anyway, you'll sell or upgrade your RV, or you will upgrade to newer tech. The bottom line is that solar is still coming down in price and everyone is looking for the best deal for their buck. This means you're probably going to buy panels mass produced in China. Even the solar companies in the US or Canada are most likely sourcing materials and components from China. China has invested so much in the production of these and we just can't beat the price. Most folks are watching their money and will most likely opt for the Chinese brand instead paying 2 to 3 times more to buy from a manufacturer perceived to have a higher quality product and long term support. For these reasons I treat these panels as disposable items. I test them when they arrive and send them back immediately if there's a problem. I'll plan to replace them if/when they go bad or if something much better comes along. After all, I love to make videos about new tech so I'll get my hands on the new stuff and share it with you. A bit wordy, but those are my thoughts. I hope it helps John.
Hello. Brian....i really enjoy watching your videos. Are you a technician ? You gave great ideas & complete the jobs easy. I am a kinda backyard guy. I am able to do most jobs but not a master. First of all i do not know or understand solar or electricity. You do alot of upgrades to your RV. I plan to buy a class rv soon. I hope to do the same upgrades to my rv as you have done to yours. Great job guy. Keep up the great work.
😀 Good stuff! Going to be doing some roof wiring soon for a project and will use this method. We will definitely give you credit and reference your video in our video. 👍🏼 Thanks!
I am really impressed with the practically in your work.. well except for the spaghetti wires on the roof.. . Loved your roof "penetration"... But I thought was unnecessary all the time until I saw thaw that you made the choice to have your refrigerator on your slide out when you bought your unit.... I have retired from the Boating industry and now by necessity work as an RV tech.. all day every day.. .... RV's are like cheap boats... But occasionally I get to work on some nice units.. OR make the ones I get to work on.. Nice.. way better than factory normally... I will be following and watching some of your old video.s.. Nice work..
Hi Brian, As an electrician and electrical contractor with 30 years of experience, I would suggest drilling a hole in the water proof box at the lowest point possible (lower than the top of the conduit going through the roof) because water proof seals are (with time) not always water proof. The hole will allow the water an exit out of the box, (other then down the down pipe) and save water going down that down pipe!
Just found this video. A couple suggestions for the future - do your roof penetrations like boaters and after you drill your hole, scrape back the foam between the inner and outer skins to create a recess, then fill the recess with some thickened epoxy. That way, you will never have water infiltrating your roof. For your piece of plastic conduit through the roof, make sure you secure it so it doesn't move up or down. Pretty easy to use some glass reinforcement and epoxy that to the roof surface as well. Doing that will also help ensure you never have a leak, even if the sealant fails. Last, make sure all your wiring races are cut big enough with soft edges so your wires won't chafe through.
Excellent video, sorted out my questions of how to best fit what will be a temporary access route into my camper (and a good waterproof box to house it) for my Poynting MIMO-3-V2-15 mobile, WiFi, gps antenna which has captive cables to 4 plugs, down to my Router, with a large enough hole to provide means to easily take it all out, after the trip, for use in other vehicles. Thanks hugely
Brilliant video. I just how did you seal the floor after threading the cables through the floor. Sorry I am just the beginner and was thinking of doing the same. Thank You
Great vid, Brian. I am.getting ready to install a Winegard Rayzat on my Thor Siesta. Initially, I was going to reuse the coaxial there and do a swap. After watching the video, I am heading to Home Depot to get the right parts and do it correctly with some longer-term.flexibily. Thanks again.
Love your videos! I always learn something new. Is there a video of your cable install by the gray tank vent you mentioned? I'm trying to avoid lots of drilling in my cabinets.
You give really good information and detail on some things and leave out huge details in other things. Such as, are the cables underneath just flopping in the breeze? How are they fastened and made waterproof/animal/insect proof? It's ever bit as important as the roof aspect.
Good work! One suggestion. On the roof, where the cable and flex-tube goes into the junction box? It looks unfinished with the cable exposed, and creates a potential leak. They sell water-tight connectors that go into the junction box side, and the flex-tube fits tightly into the water-tight connector. Lowe’s and Home Depot sell them.
The cable glands I used do have a compression water tight seal which do keep the water out. But the flex tube (3 sizes) I have doesn't fit over it snugly. I'll go check out those connectors. Thanks for the tip!
Wow, what a super video...thank you. I'm wondering if the same waterproofing procedure would apply if I simply wanted to drill an access hole through the floor into the compartment under my bed to feed the battery cables from outside to inside. I've moved to lithium batteries (3) with a Victron MultiPlus Inverter. The old setup had a couple of 12v lead acids located up on the tongue of my 2015 Lance 1995 travel trailer. It seems like to get the power from the battery bank to the distribution panel, I have to get the white and black battery cables through to the new interior location. I clearly don't want water splashing up from under the trailer into the compartment under my bed. The box idea seems to be a pretty solid way to go. Just wondering what your thoughts are in doing this. Thanks again,
Great informative video mate. I have just replaced my RV roof and decided to go this way for my solar panel wires, tv antenna and auto sat dish (8 in total). All sealed and parts are all IP68 waterproof (hose proof). The seal was so good it actually generated more water by condensation than would ever get into the box via a heavy rain downpour. The only way out that I can see is to place a small drain tube at the lowest rear corner of the box and hope it drains before it flows up and over the lip of the 40mm pvc pipe that runs down inside. Have you had a look inside your install recently? I would suggest anyone with this setup keep an eye on it.
thanks very helpful ideas for doing this kind of installation, not many others going into this part in any detail. im planning A solar install and putting it all up on the roof and looking for ideas, really like your solutions.
Haha. oooo or uuuhh. "Uuuuh" sounds like Spicoli from Fast Times "Uuuuhh Bro.." English sure is crazy sometimes. How about the word "look"? Should it be pronounced "luke"?
What a great topic, Brian, and an excellent overview of the process. We understand that drilling holes through the roof isn't within everyone's comfort zone, and it's not to be done without a good reason. But it's also nothing to fear. So many people think that a hole in the roof is a sure path to a leak, but of course theres are tons of places that the manufacturers have brought cables, vents, fans, skylights etc. The the key is to seal properly and inspect periodically. We love the tip about attaching your borescope to the wiring to see your way around... although it did look a bit like you were giving your RV an endoscopy. Maybe a way to better RV health? 😁
Great video, I am researching everything right now so I'm watching a lot of video's. I'm planning on buying a small rv to live in , needless to say it will most likely need repairs and I'm a diy'er. So i'm educating myself on all types of repairs and products. Thanks for your very well done video!
Very similar to what I did on our airstream for solar cables - I wanted to keep the option open to run wires for a backup camera (or who knows what) in the future. Airstream roofs are a single layer of aluminum so I used a larger (1"?) gland (which has a gasket and nut to seal it) to get through the roof - the cables are much smaller than the gland so it wouldn't keep the rain out by itself. So then I cut a hole in the bottom of a handy box like you did and sealed it to the roof with caulk. Water would have to leak past both the box seal and the gland seal to leak in. However - I know from experience that handy box lids can leak. So I drilled weep holes in the downhill side of the box to let any moisture that gets in have a way out. That works on a sloped airstream roof - maybe not on other RVs. You have to really think about what is going to be the best solution in your particular situation. I don't see how you can have an RV if you aren't at least a little bit handy.
Again thanks Brian for putting all of this together. I know your helping numerous people with projects. Going to send an email question as it has some specifics to it. Great job on channel!!
I have an interesting question. I have a 2021 Kingsport 268bh model bumper pull RV. I have just received my Starlink for RV and I am working through how to attach and run everything. I ran across a shielded Ethernet cable above my TV area but I cannot figure out where it goes. It may or may not be useful. If anybody knows where the other end is I would greatly appreciate it. It also has a 12V 5.5mm x 2.1 dc plug with it behind a outlet cover plate. I use this for my Pepwave which was my internet connection. Great video I like how you explain the thought process behind what you are doing. Love watching your videos
Nice job, I couldn't do it. I really wanted to drill my roof for my 4G antenna wiring into a smaller cabinet. I ended up going through the satellite cable entry point into another cabinet. I used one of the solar cable entry plates you showed. It works but I'm in a much larger cabinet than I need.
This is a nice, clean installation. When running cables that break from the outside to the interior or when running cables into electric boxes, I usually will try to bend the cable into a u-shape right before entering a surface with it. This has the advantage that if water runs from the top of the cable towards, for instance, a box or a wall that water will encounter the u-shape in the cable. Water will then ever so slightly collect in the bottom part of the u-shaped cable, and due to gravity it will fall on its own from the cable. This reduces quite a bit the possibility of water running in through the cables themselves. I realize it is more difficult to do this on a roof, but if you think about it is possible, and the results are worth the effort.
Brian, great info as usual. Easily accessible. A question I have is, are there specific techniques for drilling penetration holes into a fiberglass roof? Special type drill bits, techniques, etc. I would hate to cause cracks in the roof of my motorhome. Thanks, Steve Dias
I'd first want to know what the composition of the roof is. What's below the fiberglass and how thick the roof is. Once you know that then you'll know better what to do. My current fiberglass roof has a very thin layer of fiberglass, and a thin layer of plywood, then three inches of foam. One way to find this out is remove the flange inside one of your vents. It may expose the roof material. If you're concerned about cracking while drilling, cover the area with blue painters tape and drill through it.
Great video, do you recommend any special tape to hold down the wires to the fiberglass roof to keep the secure while driving. I will not be using any conduit, just the wire from the solar panel to the cable entry gland.
These are easy and work pretty well (amzn.to/3EFd5sT). Clean the surface really well with rubbing alcohol first and you should get a good bond. Good luck!
Good install woulda used butyl tape though Eternabond tape is brutal if you ever have to remove it. Think I might do the same with my solar install using a box instead of the directional two cable gland fixture.
Can I ask why you use the step bit on top instead of the original hole saw? I want to do this. What would be the measurements of the conduit and the hole saw/step bit? I want to make it nice and snug like yours. Thank you.
You're very welcome. I didn't something similar on the front cap for antenna cables, but haven't needed to yet for solar. I went down the fridge vent instead.
Great video! I have a bundle of cables I just installed into a box like that from my 7 in 1 antenna. Do I need to put dicor on the gland where the cables enter or is it really water tight even for a bundle of cables?
Great video, as always. Looks like I'll need to add a USB Borescope Inspection Camera to my arsenal of tools. I can't tell you how many times I was frustrated trying to fish a wire with no success. Now I'll have a chance!
Thanks! It has definitely come it very handy for that. I was able to use it to poke around the vents and openings to find the best path. Pretty cheap too.
Excellent video. Thank you for posting it. I am planning on running some wiring for solar and for our cell booster through the roof, the junction box idea is perfect.
Roooooof not not ruf 😋 this video gave me an idea of what I want to do. I have a pop-up so you can't just drill through the plastic on top then run the wires to the side panels because the whole roof has the insulated boards. On that note, what I think I might do is just throw the whole right underneath where the wires come out of the panel go straight through the entire roof then just run some of that small conduit from the opening to the edge of the camper for the wires are already are already set up and ready to go. I've just been waiting for the mounting brackets for my solar panel
RVwithTito not ganna lie every time I was like NO! Haha maybe it's a location thing I'm originally from Tampa Florida so for example when we ask for soda we literally just say can we have a Coke and I'll ask you what kind do you want instead of just assuming you want an actual Coke, now I live in North Dakota and they all call it pop and say bag "beg"
You have some cojones.... I am afraid to drill any holes in my coach. It helps when you have the right tools too. Been thinking on mounting the Winegard Rayzar Automatic digital antenna and drilling into the roof got me on hold just because I am afraid. Great video as always.
What helps is really thinking things through before you drill that hole. Make sure you're in the right spot first and start with a very small drill bit, just in case.
nice install. I really need to get a boroscope. They are so inexpensive now. Too many years of blinding trying to fish wires and cables. Love those PG9 connectors also. Good job Brian!
Thanks. Just watched some of your videos. Great work! Brings me back to my days (14 yrs) in a cover band. Let me know if you ever need a vocal track. Looks like you've got the rest covered :)
Would love to see a video of how to run cables into RV without drilling any holes as well, possibly running it through a door opening and taping it down with the eternabond along the side or back of the rig
