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Old 05-06-2020, 02:32 PM   #1
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Solar question Wolf Pup 16FQ

My 2020 Wolf Pup 16FQ came with roof mounted Solar panels (which is great). Do I need to worry about "over charging" the battery while it's sitting outside, not being used (i.e. between camping trips)? I took the battery out for the winter, so I'm talking now--spring/summer. Thanks. (The dealer said this in passing, but I was rushed during my December pickup so I didn't follow up on his comment.)
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Old 05-06-2020, 02:52 PM   #2
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You should have a solar controller near the battery that controls how much current and voltage reaches the battery. You won't over charge your battery.


As far as winter goes, unless you get down to -40F, you won't have to worry about your fully charged battery freezing. If there is no snow on the panel, it will keep it fully charged.
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Old 05-06-2020, 04:13 PM   #3
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Thank you babock!
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Old 10-05-2020, 01:31 PM   #4
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We are taking delivery of our WolfPup this weekend and it has the solar panel.
I am curious where I can find information on what would be involved to handle more solar. I believe there is another connection on the ground level. But is there anything else needed in order to take advantage of this additional solar.
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Old 10-05-2020, 06:53 PM   #5
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I believe that there's a Furrion port on the outside of the camper. You would just attach additional solar panels to that port with the Furrion converter cable. I have portable Aco suitcase solar panels, and I might buy the cable myself. It just allows you to skip attaching the alligator clips to the battery.
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Old 12-01-2020, 07:33 PM   #6
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Forrest River has made some changes to the Juice Pack. So it depends on which system you have installed. You need to see which controller is installed (it's mounted in the middle upper front of the garage). Then you need to see which panel you have. Your dealer should have included the Juice Pack literature. Most recently, the TTs shipped from Forrest River WITH juice packs do not have the solar connector installed (solar ready).



Adding panels: I have written a lot about this on other threads. In short: Most camp sites no longer allow you to have ground mount solar panels with wires running to your TT. You only need additional solar if you boondock. There are many options for adding additional solar, which is useless unless you add more batteries too.
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Old 12-02-2020, 04:35 AM   #7
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Hmmm, that's good to know about many campgrounds no longer allowing free standing solar panels running wires to your TT's batteries. Maybe it's a safety issue with kids running around and tripping on wires? I could always load my spare battery into my truck bed and hook up to my panels--no one can see that (if I need more power) and then swap out batteries when needed. I have the juice pack, but I do boondock for weeks at a time in the summer.
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Old 12-03-2020, 10:49 AM   #8
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2021 29 ft vibe. Is my solar charging the battery when the battery is in sleep/storage mode? Thx
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Old 12-03-2020, 11:05 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Trip22 View Post
2021 29 ft vibe. Is my solar charging the battery when the battery is in sleep/storage mode? Thx

I don't understand what you mean by sleep/storage mode. Your solar controller should be directly hooked up to your battery. Follow the wires. This would enable the solar panel to trickle charge your battery when the trailer is not connected to shore power. Even with the DC power switch turned off, you should be getting power to your gas and fire detectors/alarms (provided they are DC powered from the TT and/or internally battery powered, I.E. AA, AAA).
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Old 12-03-2020, 11:29 AM   #10
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We have solar on the R-Pod and never worry about the battery over the winter..just leave it as is and it stays charged and happy.

Also, I recall reading somewhere (maybe this forum) that it's not a good idea to disconnect the battery if you have solar. Anyone able to corroborate that?
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Old 12-03-2020, 11:53 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by PodGeek View Post
We have solar on the R-Pod and never worry about the battery over the winter..just leave it as is and it stays charged and happy.

Also, I recall reading somewhere (maybe this forum) that it's not a good idea to disconnect the battery if you have solar. Anyone able to corroborate that?
Disconnecting the battery has no effect on the condition of the solar system. Depending upon the type of gas and smoke detectors you have, it may disable them and/or run down their internal batteries. You may also have some electronics which may lose their settings (I.E. clocks, sound system presets, router/Wifi settings, TV presets, etc.). It does have an effect on the battery depending upon where and how you store it.

You may have read something to the effect that if you have solar, it will trickle charge your battery(ies) and keep them in good condition while in storage. This is true provided the panel(s) get sun (not obstructed by snow, a cover, or in or under a shed or canopy). Snow for a few days is fine, for the entire winter is not. A small dusting of snow is no issue either.
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Old 12-03-2020, 12:50 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by PodGeek View Post
We have solar on the R-Pod and never worry about the battery over the winter..just leave it as is and it stays charged and happy.

Also, I recall reading somewhere (maybe this forum) that it's not a good idea to disconnect the battery if you have solar. Anyone able to corroborate that?
My Renogy solar controller requires the panels be disconnected from the controller before disconnecting the batteries from the controller. Perhaps this is what you are thinking of?
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Old 12-03-2020, 01:11 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by PodGeek View Post
We have solar on the R-Pod and never worry about the battery over the winter..just leave it as is and it stays charged and happy.

Also, I recall reading somewhere (maybe this forum) that it's not a good idea to disconnect the battery if you have solar. Anyone able to corroborate that?
Yes, disconnecting the battery without first disconnecting the panels can fry certain controllers.
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Old 12-03-2020, 02:06 PM   #14
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Wow, that's news to me! I'm a commercial and residence solar designer and installer. All of the inverters and controllers that I have designed for and work with have built in relays that open the solar DC circuits when there is no load (no current, missing battery, load, or open). The grid tied systems then wait for 7 minutes before testing the load side and reconnect when a proper load is detected.

I guess these smaller off grid controllers work differently. Live and learn.
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Old 03-28-2021, 08:29 AM   #15
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Solar chargers

Most "off grid" solar installations have a controller, (Morningstar is one brand) that hooks to the battery, solar, and load. It charges the battery and "drops" the load if the battery goes below a set point ( I think 10V). When there is minimal load and good sun, the panel keeps the batteries floated. It is all part of the design. Home systems are different because they monitor the "grid"
I had an 80m w panel and controller connected to the battery on my KZ for years as it was stored where there was no shore power. It worked great (until the cheap controller crapped out and pulled the battery way down). The Battery is designed to go low without damage. I took it home and ran a charger and reconditioner. Everything turned out OK. Don't chintz out on the controller, and don't hook the panel directly to the battery. The full output of the panel can (and will ) damage the battery
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Old 05-21-2021, 11:05 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SetauketJeff View Post
Wow, that's news to me! I'm a commercial and residence solar designer and installer. All of the inverters and controllers that I have designed for and work with have built in relays that open the solar DC circuits when there is no load (no current, missing battery, load, or open). The grid tied systems then wait for 7 minutes before testing the load side and reconnect when a proper load is detected.

I guess these smaller off grid controllers work differently. Live and learn.
My TT's connector to battery's positive post corroded and snapped off end of winter after very high wind gusts, only indicator that something was wrong was the wall volt meter reading unusually high and fluctuating erratically. No harm done to after reconnecting, although I think I did the power disconnect and powered off all the breakers prior to reconnecting to the battery. I would think that there are relays that would prevent frying circuits in case of open circuits.
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Old 05-21-2021, 11:33 AM   #17
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WolfPup 16FQ - Solar Rookie

So here is an update/question after our first boondocking weekend.
Yes, I know the factory setup is not really designed for Boondocking.
Our 16FQ has the 50amp Juice Pack. We were told this should be able to run our 12v fridge, pumps and some lights as long as there is ample sun.
We had plenty of ample sun and good angle to the sun. My sunburn validates that.
But it did not seem to keep up with even just the 12v fridge.
We had extra batteries and use of a generator to re-charge which was nice.

So am I expecting too much from a 50amp panel? running only the fridge, pumps and some lights as needed?

Dan
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Old 05-21-2021, 11:51 AM   #18
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Yes. 50 watts means on its best day it will produce up to 15 amps to the battery. Unless you added batteries, you do not have enough. Stay away from campgrounds with trees.

With a electric fridge not installed as manufacturer tested, it takes a lot of batteries.

You need likely 50 to 150 amps per day. Never turn the furnace on.

600 watts of panels and two gc2 batteries might be good most of the time.
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Old 05-21-2021, 12:04 PM   #19
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One of the other batteries was a bit bigger and held more. I think that one lasted a full day but then it was cloudy.

We do not plan on Boondocking much if at all. We can always borrow a generator from a relative. If we decide to go off the grid a bit more, it just sounds like a bigger battery and possibly going lithium there.

We won't be going anywhere that does not have electricity and requires the AC. We don't run the furnace much but we may test that later this year.
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Old 05-21-2021, 12:20 PM   #20
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We live in the Midwest where boondocking is less common.

I also thought to make our fifth wheel good for overnight! 4 gc2 batteries.

However, the DW discovered Harvest Hosts.

We need to run the generator daily for that!

We could add 10 solar panels.
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