Merlin solar panel is shattered

[surhdes]

HI, we purchased a new 2023 Airstream 23 Twin bed Flying Cloud in September. We have made four successful trips with our new trailer in preparation for a long trip out west this summer. Two weeks ago, we took it in for warranty work, some caulking and interior cosmetic work. The technicians discovered that one of the three solar panels was shattered. These panels came already installed. We bought the trailer off the lot. The service manager agreed that he did not see any impact to the solar panel that would have caused it to shatter. He was going to send it to corporate to see if it would be covered under warranty as a malfunction of the panel. Corporate denied the claim and said because of the veining on the panel it must have been impacted by something hitting the panel. We are confused because we are not aware of any impact, no storms, no falling objects or tree limbs. My question is, has anyone else had an issue with Merlin rigid solar panels shattering? We are trying to find out if it is a common occurrence. Second question: after much research it seems that the panels can only be ordered through AS and thus should be installed by them. We noticed that they were installed with a ton of caulk and thus would require some extensive removal of the caulk to replace.

We appreciate your thoughts and wisdom. Thanks

Susan

[ROBERT CROSS]

From the google...

Here are some of the factors that make solar panels break:

Falling Debris. There is a wide range of debris that can fall onto your solar panel. ...

Hail storms. Hail storms are a major cause of solar panel breakdown. ...

Water damage. ...

***Dysfunctional solar inverters and other components.***

Bob
🇺🇸

[Tyler2you]

Unlikely, but a bad install could possibly cause a panel to break. If the technician didn't get the mounting brackets positioned correctly, it could create a torsional force on the panel. The stress on the glass from the mounting plus a bump or two might cause it to fail. It should be pretty easy to check if you still have the panel. You should be able to set the panel on the mounts and install the bolts fairly easily. If it requires excess pressure to get the panel in place, the brackets are probably not in the right spots. It's not as likely to happen with the older, rigid framed panels, but the new Obsidian and Merlin panels can be flexed/twisted.

[ROBERT CROSS]

^^^^^^
Good point...a flat panel on a curved roof could definitely be a problem.

Bob
🇺🇸

[PB_NB]

+1 for flexible panels

But seriously, take a level and carefully put it on the panels and see if there is any curvature. If they are curved, they can certainly pop quicker if subjected to some external forces or even a lot of heat. (like what Tyler2you said).

If they just used 4 clips (one per corner) it would be hard to get them to flex but if they used more clips, this could create the flex in the panel, along with some force to get all the clips to contact the roof skin.

When installing them, you will want the panel to relax before securing it to minimize this potential. It would pretty hard to get the rigid panels to flex but there is always a way to do things wrong.

Hopefully, they didn't screw the panels or clips down into the roof. They might have used all the caulking to adhere the panel clips to the roof. Sometimes I wonder if Airstream has an endless supply of caulking!

[surhdes]

Thanks for the reply. We are not aware of anything hitting the roof nor have we been in a hail storm. I am interested in what you mean by "water damage" and "dysfunctional solar inverters and other components". Please provide more information if possible.

[surhdes]

Thanks for the reply. We will have to purchase a new panel from AS and have them install. We have not been able to find rigid panels for sale anywhere. My husband looked at the panels and they loaded it up with caulk after they screwed it into the roof. Even though he is extremely handy, he does not think it is worth his time to correct what AS has done. He will be examining the panel though.

[surhdes]

Haha, I think they own stock in caulk. It makes you wonder why they use rigid panels on a curved roof. I think we are at AS's mercy since we can't find panels to buy and the mess they created by installing the current panel is not worth our time to remove the caulk and successfully screw into the roof. Thanks for your wisdom!