My electrical mods and solar conversion.

[RPAspey]

Rod, when you see cheap wire, it's cheap for a reason. Always confirm its pure copper, not cca (copper clad aluminum) as aluminum doesn't conduct electricity as well. Also be aware that the insulation isn't terribly tough, not like real welding cable which may sell for as much as $2/foot more. The wire you show in the link is pure copper, but has a cheaper insulation. Not a big deal if protected from damage such as in conduit. One other thing about this insulation, it may get sticky in time as the chemicals that make it pliable leach out in the heat of summer.

[Rod Johnson]

Well, I wasn't very happy with the battery tray. The boxes to fit my batteries would not fit together.

A little bit of angle iron and a couple of sparks with the mig and...

[Herk7769]

Good looking job Rod!

I see you read the post on correctly wiring the two 12 volt batteries (or knew from the start how to do it - I did not).

[Rod Johnson]

Well, we got a little rain this weekend.

I wanted to check the batteries and make sure no water had gotten into the boxes... Well it did, not much, maybe 1/4 inch standing in the bottom.

It pools on the top of the boxes, then runs down into the vents. Not knowing what else to do, I put a ring of RTV around the vents. They should still vent, and it should keep the water out. Not my best work, but once the generator is mounted, I'll never see them again.



Should I drill a hole in the bottom of the battery boxes?

[jonnys_walkers]

Yes Rod drill holes in the bottom. Where we live we get 46" of rain annually and the dealer forgot to drill drain holes in the bottom of my battery box. When getting ready to install some serious power, I checked the battery and it was under water. The rubber "O" rings on the cell covers prevented the acid mixing with the water.

[Rod Johnson]

I saw your post with the underwater battery. That's what prompted me to check...

I guess I thought maybe the boxes also kept the acid contained in case of a battery failure?

[Rod Johnson]

So, I'm a bit giddy.

I received my first 150W panel today. Should have the other panel midweek next week as well as the rest of the mounting brackets and MC4 wire terminators.

I need to pick up some Dicor roof sealant? I'll probably start marking out the roof trusses this weekend so I can get the panels firmly mounted. I might need somebody to hold my hand when I shoot the first screws through my brand new roof.

I'm also pretty happy with the two batteries. My trailer has been unplugged all week, and I've been inside of it, watching TV, running the bathroom fan, listening to the radio, and leaving all of the lights on. Been doing that pretty much every evening for at least a couple of hours, trying to run down the batteries. No luck, yet.

[Rod Johnson]

Well, the panels have been sitting up on the roof for a couple of days. I try to run as many of the lights as possible, and the water pump and bathroom fan. Even the TV on the inverter for a while.

I'd check on the charger in the morning to see that it was charging, and then again when I got home. Everytime in the afternoon, it was back on a trickle, even the day I was only at work for a couple of hours.

Today I got up there and mounted the panels.

I found it easier to locate the trusses with a stud finder then make a transfer mark on my panels. I brought the panels down and drilled some extra holes in the frame to mount my Z brackets right where the roof trusses were. That let me make sure every screw got into something solid.

Of course, a liberal application of Dicor sealant under each Z bracket, followed by an EXTRA liberal glob on top of the screws.



We have a four day camping trip down at the beach reserved for the middle of May. They have hookups, and I'll have my generator, I'm hoping to not need either. So we're going to try boondocking in the campsite. This will also be an experiment because we'll have several kids with us and I forsee lots of electrical usage.

I left room on the aft, port side of the roof for an additional panel if usage and budget dictate.

[Rod Johnson]

Oh, a few things to add.

I found that the standard MC4 connectors only accept up to 10 to 14 gauge cable,
AFTER I ran my 8 gauge. The particular brand of cable I used has a fairly thick jacket, too. I was able to get the connectors to work just fine by trimming a few strands from bundle of stripped wires at the end. The plastic connectors and rubber seals for them were able to accomodate the 8 gauge wire rather nicely.

[Rod Johnson]

Next, I'd like to add some split looming on all of the power wires.

Does anybody make a UV resistant split loom?

I found some white loom that I thought would be better at rejecting light and heat and last longer. But, it seems that its all made for office or home theater applications. That tells me its for inside use and probably wouldn't work.

The black stuff I have is fairly inexpensive, and has worked fine for everything else I've used it for... I know it won't last for long laying up on a hot roof. Is this just something I should expect to change every couple of years as part of the roof and trailer maintenance??

[Rod Johnson]

I also installed this switch, down low. I can reach in from outside to turn stuff off and on.



One side goes down to run some LED strip lighting I ordered. It'll go along the bottom of the trailer, or maybe stuck to the rollup awning. I'll decide after it gets here.

The other switch goes up to the distribution box the bargman connector goes into. It powers the parking/running light circuit and then runs over to my flagpole for an LED camp locater on the top of the flagpole. Because all of its LED except for the license plate light, it only draws 2.2A. I can leave them turned on all night while we are out riding and still be able to find myself in the dark.

[Herk7769]

Great looking install Rod!

[Rod Johnson]

Thanks Herk. Been watching TV in there all day. The controller finally came off 'trickle' as the marine layer rolled in and the sun got too low. It'll probably be another hour before the solar system won't do anything.

[shooted]

Hi Rod,

Everything is looking great, I look forward to reading your results from additional testing of the system when camping. You're fire extinguisher appears to be a half bubble out of plumb, I hope you did a better job leveling the switch. Dennis

[WolfWhistle]

Rod, thanks for the link and advice. I ordered a dozen of these... they say the color temperature 6500K to 7000K. These would look bluish for sure. You mentioned they have warmer, which I think would be better in bedroom and maybe under counter. From what I read 4000K would be more in line, but so far can't find them on ebay. Any help? Thanks.

[Rod Johnson]

Originally Posted by WolfWhistle

Rod, thanks for the link and advice. I ordered a dozen of these... they say the color temperature 6500K to 7000K. These would look bluish for sure. You mentioned they have warmer, which I think would be better in bedroom and maybe under counter. From what I read 4000K would be more in line, but so far can't find them on ebay. Any help? Thanks.

They are bluish, I think I posted a pic contrasting the two colors. Honestly, after about 5 minutes in the trailer, you won't even notice the light.

I experimented with doing one LED and one bulb in each fixture to kind of even things out, and found that it just didn't matter to me the color difference.

Searching for warm white LEDs, the only ones I could find were these: 36 SMD 3528 LED Light Panel Warm White Festoon Dome Adapters 144LM 12V DC | eBay

They have seperate bases to fit different fixtures, some guys have used them with okay results. The problem is getting the LED panel to stay put.

Lemme know what you think of your LEDs once you get them in, never hurts to have an extra opinion to help the next guy decide.

[Rod Johnson]

Well, I'm happy to report we went 4 full days and nights boondocking it out at Soggy Dry Lake with no generator usage at all.

We had to be a little conservative with the water as there were 3 of us, but in no way were we conservative about the electricity usage.

[Rod Johnson]

Not the best picture but....



I picked up one of those LED strips and stuck it on the frame of the trailer. I need to pickup one more to finish going down the one side. Sure makes spotting which trailer is mine at night a lot easier

[WolfWhistle]

Originally Posted by Rod Johnson

Not the best picture but....



I picked up one of those LED strips and stuck it on the frame of the trailer. I need to pickup one more to finish going down the one side. Sure makes spotting which trailer is mine at night a lot easier

Nice work Rod.

I've found a source (was it really lost? :-) of weatherproof (by what standard?) 3.3' LED strip for from $7.99 to $10.99 to run down the length of frame and probably across the rear. LED Lights, LED Strips 3.3 Ft, 60 x 5050 SMD Flexible LED Light Strip with Silicon Cover | Meritline.com

I was also looking for rectangular LED taillights similar in size to the original, but haven't found what I like, yet.

A bright LED 3rd brake light mounted high over the ramp door would enhance safety and visibility.... have you ever thought of doing that? Not sure of anyone posted on this site this (?)

All my clearance lights are LEDs now. I made the simple plug that stores the umbilical and powers up the running / clearance lights, but don't use it with the standard taillight bulbs... or rarely. I need to install a double switch like you did to control them from inside. It was funny / stupid of me when I plugged in the clearance lights. I didn't have power on but changed them all out. Then, 3 of them didn't work once I powered up. I thought what the heck, quality not so good, but then it hit me "diode" and turned them around and all worked. On 1 or 2 and had to bend out the little wire on the bulb to make dependable contact.

Meantime inside, the hotter LEDs are becoming more 'acceptable or normal', and do put out more light than the warmer ones and about the same as standard incandescent. I put the warmer over the sink and in the bedroom (2 double lights). The warmer is more pleasant for sure, but for younger eyes.

[Rod Johnson]

Originally Posted by WolfWhistle

Nice work Rod.

I've found a source (was it really lost? :-) of weatherproof (by what standard?) 3.3' LED strip for from $7.99 to $10.99 to run down the length of frame and probably across the rear. LED Lights, LED Strips 3.3 Ft, 60 x 5050 SMD Flexible LED Light Strip with Silicon Cover | Meritline.com

I was also looking for rectangular LED taillights similar in size to the original, but haven't found what I like, yet.

A bright LED 3rd brake light mounted high over the ramp door would enhance safety and visibility.... have you ever thought of doing that? Not sure of anyone posted on this site this (?)

All my clearance lights are LEDs now. I made the simple plug that stores the umbilical and powers up the running / clearance lights, but don't use it with the standard taillight bulbs... or rarely. I need to install a double switch like you did to control them from inside. It was funny / stupid of me when I plugged in the clearance lights. I didn't have power on but changed them all out. Then, 3 of them didn't work once I powered up. I thought what the heck, quality not so good, but then it hit me "diode" and turned them around and all worked. On 1 or 2 and had to bend out the little wire on the bulb to make dependable contact.

Meantime inside, the hotter LEDs are becoming more 'acceptable or normal', and do put out more light than the warmer ones and about the same as standard incandescent. I put the warmer over the sink and in the bedroom (2 double lights). The warmer is more pleasant for sure, but for younger eyes.

I hadn't given much thought to a 3rd brake light as the ones on the trailer are already so bright.