Solar pre wiring port

[hmsheav]

Can anyone tell me where the solar pre wiring port is on a 2018 Flagstaff High Wall 29SC? Does anyone have experience with using solar with the port?

[SeaDog]

Welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. Most of the FR rigs I have seen are wired for zamp solar which is just the opposite configuration of other mags. If your rig is prewired for solar I'm sure someone on the forum can answer that question. Did you try the search box on the upper right?

[hmsheav]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

Welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. Most of the FR rigs I have seen are wired for zamp solar which is just the opposite configuration of other mags. If your rig is prewired for solar I'm sure someone on the forum can answer that question. Did you try the search box on the upper right?

Thanks. I did try the search bar with no results. We live in FL in the winter and Colorado in the summer and plan do lots of boondocking in both places and don’t want the noise of a generator so solar seems the best option. I’ll keep searching[emoji846].

[dbledan]

The prewired port does not really do much you could not do yourself if you don't find it. I have a different trailer but mine is on the front passenger side of the trailer. It is simply a wire that bypasses the shutoff and goes to the battery in reverse (mine is zamp as seadog mentioned) . You would need a charger controller and panels.

Most of the prewired work is undersized in my opinion so I would end up rerunning the electrical if I were to make a permanent solution on the roof.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by dbledan

The prewired port does not really do much you could not do yourself if you don't find it. I have a different trailer but mine is on the front passenger side of the trailer. It is simply a wire that bypasses the shutoff and goes to the battery in reverse (mine is zamp as seadog mentioned) . You would need a charger controller and panels.

Most of the prewired work is undersized in my opinion so I would end up rerunning the electrical if I were to make a permanent solution on the roof.

Agreed.

The pre-wire is nothing more than 14-16 ga. wire typically to be used with trickle type solar chargers.

If you are wanting to eliminate using a generator, you're going to have to wire in some way better stuff than what might already be there.

[hmsheav]

Thanks for all the info!! I contacted Forest River and got a very quick response to help me locate it. It’s on the bottom front of the unit right behind the battery. We have lots more research to do before we set up solar, but wanted to start with what was already there. I appreciate all the help!

[67L48]

Also keep in mind that most of these pre-wired ports are for the Zamp brand of solar panels. And Zamp is really expensive ... much more than comparable panels from other brands at Amazon and other places.

From what I've read, Zamp wires its products in reverse of the industry standard. So, if you use the pre-wired port, you need to accommodate for that if you use a non-Zamp branded panel. I think I have seen pre-made plugs on Amazon and other places that help to sort of automate this switch.

I have not used Zamp or any other panel. I'm sure Zamp makes a really nice product. I'm not advising for or against any particular brand. Just be aware of the polarity of the wiring.

Good luck.

[JeffLynn]

Can you share on how to wire for solar? I have a 2013 Sanibel and need to put up panels so I can be a little more independent.

[rlh1957]

I have seen same models at dealer have Zamp solar plug installed at different locations. Don't understand that. But mine was not so noticeable on the lower frame next to the batteries.
As mentioned the prewire is not really anything they are giving you that you couldn't do yourself.
The plug or port that your solar system plugs in to only is connected to your batteries for recharging them. More expensive units may have a meter inside to indicate what sort of amperage you are pulling and charging with.
True that Zamp wires theirs backwards polarity to everyone else... but then we had some cars that had both negative ground and positive ground back in the day, before it all got standard.
A cheap reverse polarity plug resolves the Zamp prewire issue if you don't get Zamp. Great products but they are pricey.

Back to the Prewired for Solar sale tickler. When you connect any system to that plug you must have the solar collector panel that converts sun into volts and also the voltage and charge regulator... apply direct power to the battery without having a regulator to the charge.
Your concern is first educating yourself on what you expect to power, for how long, how much direct sun do you expect to get where you are? After you determine your power needs or what you'd like to have powered you can start shopping Wattage and converters.
Those 200W solar kits will keep the batteries charged, but if you're running more than a few lights it will be tough to keep up. That's just the DC voltage part. If you plan to plug in and Inverter to get AC power from DC more math comes in to play. The inverter itself consumes a piece of the DC amp hours.

Your coffee pot draws more power than your big TV. You learn to be a power miser when solar is the only source you have for power. No matter how many amp hours your battery pack has... you never go below 50% charge, so already your math is getting deep calculating power needs, charge times, volt/amp usage.
Had a friend that had it all worked out to the minute what could be used each day, for how long, etc. Great plan except for one thing... Rained two days and very overcast for two days. All that good math, education and planning still had him back on the generator!

I am amazed at the solar and storage advances made in the last two years alone. Collecting and Converting solar into power is not the biggest problem... Storage of that power is the biggest. You will still have to budget even with storage packs the size of a big garage.

[hmsheav]

Originally Posted by rlh1957

I have seen same models at dealer have Zamp solar plug installed at different locations. Don't understand that. But mine was not so noticeable on the lower frame next to the batteries.

As mentioned the prewire is not really anything they are giving you that you couldn't do yourself.

The plug or port that your solar system plugs in to only is connected to your batteries for recharging them. More expensive units may have a meter inside to indicate what sort of amperage you are pulling and charging with.

True that Zamp wires theirs backwards polarity to everyone else... but then we had some cars that had both negative ground and positive ground back in the day, before it all got standard.

A cheap reverse polarity plug resolves the Zamp prewire issue if you don't get Zamp. Great products but they are pricey.



Back to the Prewired for Solar sale tickler. When you connect any system to that plug you must have the solar collector panel that converts sun into volts and also the voltage and charge regulator... apply direct power to the battery without having a regulator to the charge.

Your concern is first educating yourself on what you expect to power, for how long, how much direct sun do you expect to get where you are? After you determine your power needs or what you'd like to have powered you can start shopping Wattage and converters.

Those 200W solar kits will keep the batteries charged, but if you're running more than a few lights it will be tough to keep up. That's just the DC voltage part. If you plan to plug in and Inverter to get AC power from DC more math comes in to play. The inverter itself consumes a piece of the DC amp hours.



Your coffee pot draws more power than your big TV. You learn to be a power miser when solar is the only source you have for power. No matter how many amp hours your battery pack has... you never go below 50% charge, so already your math is getting deep calculating power needs, charge times, volt/amp usage.

Had a friend that had it all worked out to the minute what could be used each day, for how long, etc. Great plan except for one thing... Rained two days and very overcast for two days. All that good math, education and planning still had him back on the generator!



I am amazed at the solar and storage advances made in the last two years alone. Collecting and Converting solar into power is not the biggest problem... Storage of that power is the biggest. You will still have to budget even with storage packs the size of a big garage.

Thanks. We have begun to do our research and are in the early stages of planning. Most of our dry camping will be in Colorado and finding sun will not generally be a problem. There are just too many beautiful places to camp and we want the freedoms to dry camp when the mood takes us.

[hmsheav]

Originally Posted by 67L48

Also keep in mind that most of these pre-wired ports are for the Zamp brand of solar panels. And Zamp is really expensive ... much more than comparable panels from other brands at Amazon and other places.



From what I've read, Zamp wires its products in reverse of the industry standard. So, if you use the pre-wired port, you need to accommodate for that if you use a non-Zamp branded panel. I think I have seen pre-made plugs on Amazon and other places that help to sort of automate this switch.



I have not used Zamp or any other panel. I'm sure Zamp makes a really nice product. I'm not advising for or against any particular brand. Just be aware of the polarity of the wiring.



Good luck.

Thanks. I know Zamp is pricey, but it also gets great reviews. No decision made yet. We are just beginning the research process.

[joeuncool]

Originally Posted by hmsheav

Thanks. We have begun to do our research and are in the early stages of planning. Most of our dry camping will be in Colorado and finding sun will not generally be a problem. There are just too many beautiful places to camp and we want the freedoms to dry camp when the mood takes us.

I'm sure you camp in similar places in Colorado that we do. This includes many places that are under trees. I would only do portable panels. I have found that while it is not unusual to have shade over your camper, you can find sunny spots at your camp site.

Due to time constraints on our trip last year that I didn't have time to put together a cheaper solution, I ended up buying the Zamp 200 watt portables. They work awesome and allow me to turn them to follow the sun. They are very expensive but I also could not be happier with the plug and play. They kept my batteries charged well. Right up to the 2 days we had rain and mostly cloudy skies. We have a large family, heavy electronic device users and we had enough juice to make it through but I was getting concerned.

This has caused me to also start looking at generators. Mostly for for the ability to be able to use the microwave or a coffee maker now and then plus emergency backup. I am also considering a 2000w inverter to run the microwave and coffee maker which is causing me to have to make considerations for more batteries and then a solution as to where to put them and the inverter and one thing leads to another and another and welcome to the RV world. But, damn it is fun figuring this stuff out. Bigger, better, stronger. More power!

[wannabeowner]

We have a new camper and have also started looking at adding solar. I found this video from RV Four Seasons in Colorado that says you can add a simple adapter to the plug end of any brand of solar panel and use it in the Zamp port:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LShSQeddlgk

[hmsheav]

Originally Posted by joeuncool

I'm sure you camp in similar places in Colorado that we do. This includes many places that are under trees. I would only do portable panels. I have found that while it is not unusual to have shade over your camper, you can find sunny spots at your camp site.



Due to time constraints on our trip last year that I didn't have time to put together a cheaper solution, I ended up buying the Zamp 200 watt portables. They work awesome and allow me to turn them to follow the sun. They are very expensive but I also could not be happier with the plug and play. They kept my batteries charged well. Right up to the 2 days we had rain and mostly cloudy skies. We have a large family, heavy electronic device users and we had enough juice to make it through but I was getting concerned.



This has caused me to also start looking at generators. Mostly for for the ability to be able to use the microwave or a coffee maker now and then plus emergency backup. I am also considering a 2000w inverter to run the microwave and coffee maker which is causing me to have to make considerations for more batteries and then a solution as to where to put them and the inverter and one thing leads to another and another and welcome to the RV world. But, damn it is fun figuring this stuff out. Bigger, better, stronger. More power!

I guess if a boat is a hole in the water an RV is a hole in the ground[emoji2][emoji2]. We had already decided on portable and it’s good to know the Zamp does the job. We just picked up our camper on Monday so looking forward to the first trip. We had a tiny Starcraft pop up in the late 80s and had so much fun with our kids. Now we are looking forward to making similar memories with our grandkids!

[joeuncool]

Originally Posted by hmsheav

I guess if a boat is a hole in the water an RV is a hole in the ground[emoji2][emoji2]. We had already decided on portable and it’s good to know the Zamp does the job. We just picked up our camper on Monday so looking forward to the first trip. We had a tiny Starcraft pop up in the late 80s and had so much fun with our kids. Now we are looking forward to making similar memories with our grandkids!

We also had a popup as most people that enter the hybrid world. Lost it to a hailstorm, as is common in Colorado. Spent 3 years after that again sleeping in a tent. Multiple times including cold weather in the rain. Last year I declared that I am never going to camp like that again. Purchased a 233s and love everything about it. Where else are you going to find a camper that sleeps 10 and is only 25 ft long to tow? Love every bit of it. Now the challenge is to get maximum utility out of it while dry camping. We always dry camp/boondock. Except for that one time we went to a campground with electrical. That was a whole new experience.

[Myron625]

Solar is a hot topic on these forums. As you no doubt already know, Colorado is great for sun in the summer so we get a lot of production from our panels. I’m not sure how Florida compares.

I suggest wiring your own panels instead of buying the ZAmp panels as people talk about. If for no other reason than they are much cheaper and you can easily add more panels at any time. Most panels have standard connectors and you can wire them in series to get more power. You just need to have a charge controller that can handle the amount of power and the right size wires.

On Amazon you can find a lead wire with the ZAmp plug if you want to use the port on your camper with panels not made by ZAmp. As many have suggested, if you need more power than that port is capable of you can later wire directly to the batteries. For my 100 app panel I have found it to be sufficient.

[hmsheav]

Originally Posted by Myron625

Solar is a hot topic on these forums. As you no doubt already know, Colorado is great for sun in the summer so we get a lot of production from our panels. I’m not sure how Florida compares.



I suggest wiring your own panels instead of buying the ZAmp panels as people talk about. If for no other reason than they are much cheaper and you can easily add more panels at any time. Most panels have standard connectors and you can wire them in series to get more power. You just need to have a charge controller that can handle the amount of power and the right size wires.



On Amazon you can find a lead wire with the ZAmp plug if you want to use the port on your camper with panels not made by ZAmp. As many have suggested, if you need more power than that port is capable of you can later wire directly to the batteries. For my 100 app panel I have found it to be sufficient.

Thanks for the info. The Zamp panels are definitely pricy! We are going to get another battery for sure. Have not decided yet on panel brand, but good to know we are not limited to just zamp!

[Myron625]

Originally Posted by hmsheav

Thanks for the info. The Zamp panels are definitely pricy! We are going to get another battery for sure. Have not decided yet on panel brand, but good to know we are not limited to just zamp!

I went with a kit from WindyNation that you can find on Amazon. I have seen others post about using the same kit. It is mostly complete but you will have to add additional wiring, fuses, etc. Renogy kits look good as well and they also sell a folding 100 watt panel, which I would like to get someday because it would travel easier.

To learn more about what you need to install them, Windy Nation has instructions on their web site. It is pretty simple to get it working.

Stay away from the kits you can buy through Harbor Freight. They are older technology and not nearly as portable as the ones from Renogy or Windy Nation.

Another note. I’m assuming you have a detachable shoreline cable like my camper. I also have the opening on the side where the attached cable would go. I found that a convenient place to route the wires into the camper.

[dfazzini]

As noted in the responses:

1. The outlet is in one of the more in-accessable locations, behind the battery
2. I tested mine, it it IS backwards of the standard, but uses a standard 2 prong flat connector.

The wiring is just a set of wires directly to the battery, nothing special. It is likely in that location to save on wiring.

Just get 12g or 14g flat wiring from your local trailer supply store and reverse the polarity by doing a crossover of 2 plugs.

After you have made your adapter, you can hook up your solar setup or generator directly (I ran mine to the 12v charge plug on the generator which I adapted to a flat connector.

[pwilbo]

Hi newbie here My 2016 28' Flagstaff has a sticker by the front door that says pre-wired for solar, well I've looked everywhere and I don't see anything close. Any Ideas???