2016 Sunseeker 2400R solar install?

[Scottxray]

I have been considering adding solar to the roof of my 2016 2400R in order to do a little bit of boondocking.

Although the 2400R has the Zamp solar plug outside for temporary portable panels, I am mainly interested in using permanent panels on the roof. Currently it is fitted with two 12v wet cell Interstates for the coach, which I may consider replacing with two 6v AGMs for a bit more power. ( The converter is a PD 4600K (and apparently would need to be switched to a PD4600KV for lithium?) so, I am holding off on Lithium for now.)

The problem I have been seeing is in figuring how to get the solar feed down from the roof, and what if anything needs to be removed. GoPower has kit install instructions that indicate to go through the Dometic refrigerator vent and bring the solar wires down through it ( I don't know if that is really feasible. However, the 2400R has the convenience panel on one side of the area above the refrigerator and an open storage/shelf area to its left. There is no position to mount the solar charge controller there. I tried to pull the panel out and it looks like there are no wires leading up, and no vent access there. The panel was not moving easily and I didn't pull too hard since I didn't want to disconnect anything accidentally as the harness was tight.

It seems the only way to route anything down from the roof in that area is if the refrigerator is removed temporarily in order to access the wiring areas to its left side where the microwave and roof AC wiring is located coming from the converter ( and possibly right side where the convenience panels wires go down towards the furnace and the the converter harness there). I also don't even know if the dometic vent above the fridge on the roof is really for the fridge and has any access at all. The other area where solar could be brought in is near the front bunk area ( the tv and sirius antennae enter near there and connect to the area for the radio.) but then routing from the Radio area above the door down to the battery and also still mounting the charge controller is another area of concern.

At any rate, I figure that someone here must have done this before, and perhaps I should just ask if anyone has accomplished this and knows how it is easiest to get accomplished? Anyone have suggestions? And thanks for any help.

[capottey]

I installed five 100 W solar panels on my 2017 Forester 2401R MBS. I wired the panels in parallel so that if one panel is shaded the others will still work. I used number 4 CU welding cable and ran the cable down the vent for the refrigerator. If I recall correctly I had to drill a hole through the plywood that the refrigerator sits on.

[Armand]

I have a 2015 2400R and I ran my solar panel wire down the refrigerator vent all the way down the left (forward) side. I went all the way to the bottom where all the rest of the power stuff is and installed the solar charger there a Victron with bluetooth connectivity. I used 3M VHB tape to hold the 1 panel on the roof.
I have a professional-level set of fiberglass rods that are used to run wires and was able to push one down the side of the fridge with just a little force.

[Scottxray]

Thanks to you both!

Apparently the dometic vent IS the path to get the power leads down to the distribution/converter area. I will investigate that further after lifting the lid for the vent, and I also have the fiberglass wire pulls available. A bluetooth equipped charging panel will likely be needed, but I may be able to mount one above or near the battery cutoff switch.

[capottey]

I removed the outside refrigerator panel and the vent cap which had 4 screws holding it on. The screws were covered with sealant that I scraped off. It was then easy to run the wires along the side of the refrigerator and you don't need to move the refrigerator. I then ran the wires under the furnace and the draws under the stove and sink. I then ran the wires up through the hole for the kitchen sink water lines and mounted the controller on the back wall under the sink. My controller had a meter that I mounted in the stair well along side of the DC cutoff switch. I ran the wires from the controller to the batteries back down along the water pipes and into the battery compartment following the same path as the wire from the DC switch located below the draw below the sink. I have recently added two additional batteries in the exterior storage bin along side the entry steps.

[Rich.M]

I have 4 100 watt panels on the roof with 6 ga marine wire running down the refrigerator vent. I drilled the floor of that compartment following the general path of the gas line to pull the wires into the space behind the cabinets and sealed with silicone caulking. The wires go to a controller mounted in the stair. I added a matching power switch to turn the panel feed to the controller off if a problem . The controller can be cut off from the batteries by a breaker mounted in the battery compartment. The set up works great, easily meets daily charge demand. Hope that helps.

[rgt3000]

I have a sunseeker 2400w and want to install solar. Do you have any pictures of the panel arrangement on the roof?
Thanks

[nic7320]

Originally Posted by capottey

... If I recall correctly I had to drill a hole through the plywood that the refrigerator sits on.

Make absolutely certain any holes drilled through absorption refrigerator walls are sealed, even double sealed, to keep CO (carbon monoxide) from entering your cabin.

I once removed the knob from my refrigerator, and the next morning I woke up with a headache... that's a big warning sign there was CO in the cabin!

CO detectors should always be installed and working in any vehicle burning propane.

[Rich.M]

Originally Posted by rgt3000

I have a sunseeker 2400w and want to install solar. Do you have any pictures of the panel arrangement on the roof?
Thanks

I have photos in my profile album. Your roof may have a different layout.

[FollowTheSun]

I installed two 100-watt solar panels on the roof of my 2016 Prism 2150LE. Like others, I also brought the leads down the refrigerator vent port. I drilled a hole (and sealed) at the bottom of the vent port side-wall so to route the wires into basement where I mounted the solar controller. The same hole also allowed wires from the controller to the converter where I paralleled connected to the wires running to the battery.
We mostly boondock and 200 watts serves us quiet well. We're generally low power consumers, so the system even serves well when parked in shade. During colder weather, I usually park with full sun on the panels and sometimes supplement with the generator if we run too much heater (fan) or watch too much evening television.
I connect to shore-power when stored at home during the winter because snow often covers the panels. If not for snow, shore-power is otherwise unnecessary during storage. I tend to be a technical geek (electrical engineer) so I like being able to see and monitor (mostly useless) data. As such I was bit disappointed installing the solar controller out-of-sight. But, since I also have a Progressive Industries "Electrical Management System" installed (hardwired) with Remote Display it's really not necessary to have the solar controller visible. ... Good luck with your install ...

[nic7320]

I contacted Forest River before installing solar, and they were surprisingly helpful -- more so than i ever expected. They provided full engineering drawings of the roof structure, showing all the aluminum box beams and foam insulation blocks, and exactly where they are located.

After I knew exactly how it was built, I designed a double hinge tilting mechanism that is lag screwed into aluminum frame members at the edge of the roof. Now both sets of four 100 watt panels can track across 180 degrees of tilt, but lie flat when driving.

Motorizing it with an automatic sun tracker is next.

Obviously, I have too much time on my hands...

[rgt3000]

Originally Posted by nic7320

I contacted Forest River before installing solar, and they were surprisingly helpful -- more so than i ever expected. They provided full engineering drawings of the roof structure, showing all the aluminum box beams and foam insulation blocks, and exactly where they are located.

After I knew exactly how it was built, I designed a double hinge tilting mechanism that is lag screwed into aluminum frame members at the edge of the roof. Now both sets of four 100 watt panels can track across 180 degrees of tilt, but lie flat when driving.

Motorizing it with an automatic sun tracker is next.

Obviously, I have too much time on my hands...

Thanks. Who did you contact at Forest River? Do you still have the engineering drawing? I have a Sunseeker MBS with very limited room on the roof for panels.

[nic7320]

I got Solera 24S drawings from Mike Jankowski, who is now retired.

My next inquiry got a response from:
Ryan Stratton
Class C Warranty Rep-West Coast
rstratton@forestriverinc.com
Phone: (574)-206-7625
Fax: (574)-206-2484

VIN Recall Search: http://www.forestriverinc.com/RecallSearch.aspx

Interactive Manuals: http://www.forestriverinc.com/manuals/index.aspx

Helpful How To Videos: http://www.forestriverinc.com/videos.aspx

[nic7320]

I measured the distance between the A/C unit and edge of the RV, and chose four 26" wide 100-watt panels to fit into that space. On the passenger side, I removed the batwing antenna to free up some space, and that also provided a nice big hole to use as a wire inlet. Once the cables were run, i used a 1 inch rubber furniture tip as a plug, and put mastic over that. The passenger side solar array also required a gap between two of the panels for the refrigerator vent.

For the TV antenna, I now have a Winegard Connect 2.0+ dome, which also has a cellular hotspot and wifi extender. The wifi range is amazing and works about a mile from the rig (in one case, down a beach with a line of sight path that was so far, i could barely see my rig).

[rgt3000]

Thanks for the reply. I found a drawing for the Forest River Class C 2400W. I think I will go with a Zamp 170 Watt placed on the driver side of the RV. It is a fairly large panel and that is where I will start. If needed, I can add additional smaller panels later. Right now I want to keep my house batteries charged during storage. It looks like I can anchor at least one screw in each of the side brackets into a roof beam there. I may also add a front bracket, but that is most likely overkill.

[nic7320]

170 watts should have no problem keeping your battery charged.

If you add more panels, keep in mind all panels should be the same size and type on a solar controller. If you have two different kinds or sizes, you'll need to add more controllers.

For example, one one side, I have polycrystaline panels, and all those go to one controller. The other side has monocrystaline panels (which are 26" x 36", 4 inches shorter in length than the poly panels), and they get their own controller.

Interestingly, I've found that poly panels are better with off-angle light, and mono panels are more efficient with direct sunlight perpendicular to the panel. It's still a toss-up which is better over the course of a day, and how much adding a sun tracker will change that. My rig is one big science experiment.

[rgt3000]

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...4&d=1440102258

this is the diagram I have. I am guessing the double lines are able to be screwed into.