Forest River Rockwood: Solar Ready?

[markguthrie]

I just bought a 2020. It has a solar plug. Someone told me it is plug and play for a 300watt panel.

Doesn’t it need a controller? Maybe I have own, but I haven’t come across one yet. Could it be part of the Power Distribution Center?

I have a flyer from SOLAR ON THE SIDE. Is says my RV is pre-wired. I would rather not buy a panel and find I need to spend another chunk of change to actually make it work.

Does anyone have personal experience with a Rockwood?

[Aussieguy]

generally a sticker saying solar ready is that there is wires installed
not much else...


what equipment you buy is up to you
as it depends on how much power you use ......... and need to return to your battery each day!

+ how often you go camping

if you want to use a single panel to just keep battery charged while in storage

what type of battery performance you want
slow charging lead acid OR fast Lifepo4?


or you going to be a power Hog needing a whole roof full of panels + some ground panels + a huge battery bank
to allow you to run a hot tub all night (sick of saying air conditioners)

I kept my my goals simple ... 3 days of battery power capacity, for standard 12v stuff like fridge , furnace , waterpump, slide, jacks, Lights, ........ etc etc

enough solar to recharge the overnight usage in a normal day (not totally cloudy)
no heavy 12v usage for Inverter

System still cost me $1000.00.
DIY install and buying the cheapest I could (mostly from Amazon.. free shipping)
I can now camp indefinitely not having to pay campgrounds just for overnight stops
Have already saved about $300.00 in campground fees
and expect to recover the amount I spent within 12 -18 months.

panels from Facebook,
batteries + controller + sundries from Amazon

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by markguthrie

I just bought a 2020. It has a solar plug. Someone told me it is plug and play for a 300watt panel.

Doesn’t it need a controller? Maybe I have own, but I haven’t come across one yet. Could it be part of the Power Distribution Center?

I have a flyer from SOLAR ON THE SIDE. Is says my RV is pre-wired. I would rather not buy a panel and find I need to spend another chunk of change to actually make it work.

Does anyone have personal experience with a Rockwood?

It would help if you posted what line and model number your Rockwood is.

Rockwood lines:
Roo
GeoPro
Signature
UltraLight
A-frame
Popup
MiniLite

If you want feedback from other Rockwood owners, I can move your thread to the Rockwood sub-forum.

[markguthrie]

Originally Posted by bikendan

It would help if you posted what line and model number your Rockwood is.

Rockwood lines:
Roo
GeoPro
Signature
UltraLight
A-frame
Popup
MiniLite

If you want feedback from other Rockwood owners, I can move your thread to the Rockwood sub-forum.

Thank you. Yes, Ultralight. I am still figuring out the forum.

[markguthrie]

Originally Posted by Aussieguy

generally a sticker saying solar ready is that there is wires installed
not much else...


what equipment you buy is up to you
as it depends on how much power you use ......... and need to return to your battery each day!

+ how often you go camping

if you want to use a single panel to just keep battery charged while in storage

what type of battery performance you want
slow charging lead acid OR fast Lifepo4?


or you going to be a power Hog needing a whole roof full of panels + some ground panels + a huge battery bank
to allow you to run a hot tub all night (sick of saying air conditioners)

I kept my my goals simple ... 3 days of battery power capacity, for standard 12v stuff like fridge , furnace , waterpump, slide, jacks, Lights, ........ etc etc

enough solar to recharge the overnight usage in a normal day (not totally cloudy)
no heavy 12v usage for Inverter

System still cost me $1000.00.
DIY install and buying the cheapest I could (mostly from Amazon.. free shipping)
I can now camp indefinitely not having to pay campgrounds just for overnight stops
Have already saved about $300.00 in campground fees
and expect to recover the amount I spent within 12 -18 months.

panels from Facebook,
batteries + controller + sundries from Amazon

Thank you for the thorough reply.

I think my electric load for the trailer is light. Frig/freezer is on propane and so is the stove. Lights are LED, so minimal draw. Water pump. Slides.

But my main draw is electronics, phone and laptop charging…and sometimes StarLink. I bought an inverter just for the SL, 56 volts, direct to the hub.

Btw, I have a boat that I put over 10k for the electric, Victron, 1000ah, 12v AC. I will spend the money on the RV, but I want to be smart about it.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by markguthrie

Thank you. Yes, Ultralight. I am still figuring out the forum.

Model number might help also.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Model number might help also.

Forest River Ultralight 2604WS

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by markguthrie

... I think my electric load for the trailer is light. Frig/freezer is on propane and so is the stove. Lights are LED, so minimal draw. Water pump. Slides.

But my main draw is electronics, phone and laptop charging…and sometimes StarLink. I bought an inverter just for the SL, 56 volts, direct to the hub.

Btw, I have a boat that I put over 10k for the electric, Victron, 1000ah, 12v AC. I will spend the money on the RV, but I want to be smart about it.

Compared to your boat, your trailer has basically nothing. Just two wires that go from the exterior wall (the plug) to the battery. The assumption is that you buy or build a ~200W solar suitcase that has its own charge controller.

If you're the type of person who's willing to spend 10K on a solar power setup for a boat and views their needs as modest, you can easily build a system for $1K-2K and be happy. It also can be expanded should you find you want more.

You didn't describe what you currently have in terms of batteries and 12V converter. Rockwood supplies a WFCO sized appropriately, but it might or might not be Li-compatible. If you buy LFP batteries (it's advisable) you may need to upgrade the converter for that reason.

Unless you're okay with setting up and moving a solar suitcase every time you want solar power, you'll end up with panels on the roof. Your trailer may be pre-wired for solar on the roof but you'd probably find the wires inadequate.

Choose the panel size (dimensions) wisely to make efficient use of available space. Be sure to consider adding more, when making your initial panel purchase. To add them to the same controller they should have the same electrical specs.

LFP batteries and a Victron SmartShunt are probably your best first step. Monitor your actual use to help you decide how much solar capacity you need.

[yukongold]

Originally Posted by markguthrie

I just bought a 2020. It has a solar plug. Someone told me it is plug and play for a 300watt panel.

Doesn’t it need a controller? Maybe I have own, but I haven’t come across one yet. Could it be part of the Power Distribution Center?

I have a flyer from SOLAR ON THE SIDE. Is says my RV is pre-wired. I would rather not buy a panel and find I need to spend another chunk of change to actually make it work.

Does anyone have personal experience with a Rockwood?

When talking about "solar on the side" it doesn't matter what brand or model of RV you have. If it's wired for solar it is wired for solar. Panels and wiring/plugs and controllers are independent of brands/models. That would be like worrying about should you put a Sony or a Samsung TV in the RV or should you put Goodyear or Carlisle tires on your RV. Doesn't matter.

You say "solar on the side" so I assume you are asking about a portable, suitcase solar kit and not a roof mounted setup.

Nearly every pre-made suitcase kit bought from a manufacturer (Renogy, HQST, Goal Zero, Zamp Solar, Solar on the Side, Rich Solar, Flex Solar, etc) will include a solar charge controller. It will usually be a PWM controller. MPPT is better. Just be sure to check "what's in the box" to be sure a controller is included with any kit you choose.

A kit with an attached solar controller is okay but if you mount a controller as close to the battery(ies) as possible, you can use longer wires from the panels to the trailer. This gives you more latitude when searching for a sunny spot when using them. Just be aware that almost all "solar on the side" plugs are wired directly to the battery(ies) - (some aren't wired/attached to anything - you will need to check how yours is wired). If you choose to mount your charge controller separately from the panels you will need to re-wire the plug to go thru the charge controller.
This video explains voltage drop and wire length very well. In fact all of this guys videos are worth watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6PxSvuGc5U&t=1s

Pre-made kits are okay but I made my own. Two Newpowa 75 watt panels for $150 and a Victron MPPT 100/30 for ~$95 (on sale). I mounted the charge controller one foot from my battery and re-routed the Zamp plug thru it and then to the battery bus. Including necessary wiring and hardware, I was still way south of $300.

[RoyR]

My Rockwood MiniLite has the same solar plug on the side and said it is solar ready. I bought a portable suitcase style solar panel and it has it's own controller built in. If I remember correctly it automatically senses the type of battery installed. I just plugged it in and it worked fine. I assume most of not all portable solar panels will have a built in controller, but that's just my thoughts based on my one experience. If you install solar panels on the roof that's a different story.

[jimmoore13]

Lots of smart people responded, and I'll bet I echo some of them.

There are two types of "solar ready."

1. You mention Solar on the Side. This is the easiest, because it uses ground-mounted "suitcase" solar systems. A true suitcase solar system typically comes with its own weather-proof solar charge controller. Example. I have one of these. The Solar on the Side connector is often on the tongue or on the side of the rig close to the battery. All it is is an SAE connector (or similar) and some short wires going straight to the battery.
2. "Solar Ready" is that the RV is pre-wired for roof-top solar. There is a "gland" on the roof to which you can connect rooftop solar panels. Wire from the gland (this is where "pre-wired" comes in) comes down into the rig to a spot in a wall (typically marked with a label) where you locate a charge controller. More wire goes on from there to connect to the main cables between the battery bank and the rig's converter/charger. Example. I also have one of these.

Both are versions of being prewired if you will.

Most rigs come with Solar on the Side or Zamp or other quick connects to use a suitcase solar system. IMPORTANT NOTE: you must verify polarity before connecting, because some of these solar connections are reversed. Adapters to fix this are available. That's a whole 'nuther discussion.

The second option may also come standard on your rig...a 2020. This was a popular upgrade at the time and is almost universal now.

Enough on the "education" and differences. You describe wanting to use your "Solar on the Side" connection with a ground-mounted suitcase solar setup. Just make sure any suitcase solar you buy includes a built in charge controller. And they don't have to be "suitcase" style. There are flexible panels that you deploy separately but have a charge controller...no big deal. But don't just buy some panels. Be sure the setup you buy comes with the charge controller. Mine's attached to the back side of the "suitcase".

If your rig is the second kind of solar ready...pre-wired for rooftop panels...I predict you'll be back someday looking for