New Solar

curtiscapk

Advanced Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2023
Posts
88
Location
Overland Park KS
Guys I have a new 100 AH Lifepo4 battery to replace the stock FLA. I'll be adding another one before our Sept trip to Yellowstone. I just ordered a 200w solar panel to get started. The camper has an external port for a panel in the convenience center. We don't want to deal with setting that up all the time, so we went roof mounted, My question is Without the normal pathway using the fridge vent (ours is 12 volt). Where is the common place to run the wire from roof to controller? Here is my idea; I hate having exposed wire inside, but will use a white loom to try and hide it. My plan is to come in to the bedroom ceiling then over to the closet into the closet then down into the pass through. I hope my pics make sense. My controller will be in passthrough and inverter on the side of the bed, (used for TV, Micro)

Let me know you're thoughts.
 

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have you checked the roof?
there may already be a solar connection

do your self a favor before adding the panel
get up on the roof and measure the front section
there probably is NOT a lot of obstructions in front of the a/c ......... and you might more easily fit 2 larger panels
320 to 370w then get a controller that suits the panels
I got 2 panels 370 w each and they work great for moderate battery usage

your planned 200w is NOT probably goin to keep up with a full on trip to Yellowstone
I got my panels $150 each from facebook marketplace
the MPPT 100/50 from amazon

wiring for the bigger panels will be just as easy as you can increase the voltage

PS... I never need generator OR shorepower to keep battery charged
your results will depend on how much popcorn and TV usage
 
My local RV tech told me he runs the solar cable down through the black water tank vent pipe, which is what I did. It has worked great for me. I took the cap off and drilled a hole in the elbow of the vent pipe in the basement (5th wheel RV) and brought the wire out through the hole. I then sealed around the wire with black silicone sealer, bent the wire over the top edge of the pipe and put the cap back on. The elbow was well above my black water tank and never sees anything but air so there is no worry about any kind of fluid leaks.
 
Guys I have a new 100 AH Lifepo4 battery to replace the stock FLA. I'll be adding another one before our Sept trip to Yellowstone. I just ordered a 200w solar panel to get started. The camper has an external port for a panel in the convenience center. We don't want to deal with setting that up all the time, so we went roof mounted, My question is Without the normal pathway using the fridge vent (ours is 12 volt). Where is the common place to run the wire from roof to controller? Here is my idea; I hate having exposed wire inside, but will use a white loom to try and hide it. My plan is to come in to the bedroom ceiling then over to the closet into the closet then down into the pass through. I hope my pics make sense. My controller will be in passthrough and inverter on the side of the bed, (used for TV, Micro)

Let me know you're thoughts.
I have a different TT, but your idea shown in the pictures is exactly what I ended up doing. My tech and I mounted the panels on the roof, then drilled on the flat portion of the roof in the front before it starts the curve. We butyl taped a waterproof box over the roof opening and used waterproof cable glands to run the solar wiring into the box. Plenty of dicor around the box in addition to the butyl tape.

Your photo todd bdrm (1) is exactly where I ran my 4 solar cables (from 2 different sized panels). Along the ceiling, drilled into the cabinet face, and then drilled from the wardrobe down into the passthrough where my controllers are mounted.

I don't like the interior wiring either, but it must not bother me too much as I haven't installed the wire loom (yet).
 
It's installed! Was a weird feeling drilling a hole in the roof! We have all aluminum rafters and studs so I just stayed outside the walls. Fridge ran for 24 hours off the 100 AH lifepo without solar hooked up and still had 25% left. It was pulling around 5 amps according to BMS. I didn't get to the inverter but have it to use in an emergency if needed. Once the solar was hooked up and in full sun I was adding about 2-3 amps over the fridge pull adding 2% charge per hour. When I got under the camper my underbelly patch at wire location had just fallen off! Everything was nice and clean so I got lucky. One place I don't pre-inspect is the belly, now I will.

I think I'm right in line with what it should be but still learning. Another battery and 200 W panel coming before Yellowstone trip. We're doing single night boondocks just to sleep. Then 2 nights at the Badlands Wall. Then 2 at FHU site at W. Yellowstone. Let me know your thoughts.
 

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more pics
 

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when you add more solar panels INCREASE the wire size from the controller to battery
you want the best wire there between battery and controller .... as the voltage is limited to around 14.2
therefore the wire needs to be bigger / fatter to let more amps through it

I would work out the maximum wire gauge that you can put into the controller and use that
won't cost a lot if you put the controller near the battery

the other wires from roof to controller is good for about 2 more panels
you can always increase the voltage by putting panels in series

---------------------------------------------------------------
underbelly patch
put some wood resting inside the the cut with a small ovelapp
use some stainless wood screws it into the main unberbelly permanently
and then use one or two into the FLAP to keep it shut then use your favorite tape to waterproof it
 
These specs say you are prewired for solar. Typically, these specs are lifted directly from the manufacturer. (Search - Ctrl+F - "solar" no quotes).

Let's assume you are prewired for solar. Do you have, or do you remember a sticker inside that tells you where the wire is routed and where to locate a solar charge controller? If so, problem solved. There is a connector gland on the roof with #10 AWG wire coming down to the solar charge controller location (sticker) and on from there to a parallel connection to the wires between the battery bank and the converter.

#10 AWG can handle about 30 amps DC...depending on distance. (wire distance with DC is out and back...a 10' wire pair is 20 feet long in the DC world.) That equates to 400 watts of solar on the roof if wired in parallel (ideal). More if wired in some mix of series and parallel. As with other commenters, I'd upgrade to at least 400 watts of solar. If you want to do more, come back for info about how to do a mix of series and parallel, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. (Solar panel voltages and currents are a big topic, so that can wait until you see if you are pre-wired for solar.)

So, step 1 is look for the sticker. Step 2 is climb on the roof and look for the gland. If you have a gland and no sticker, contact the manufacturer and ask where the sticker should be...precise measurements. My hunch, given your floorplan, is that it's on your pantry wall...and the slide might hide it when the slide is closed. It could also come down through the cabinet surrounding the fridge. MOST likely, the gland will be directly above where the wire to the sticker is routed. It might be in the bunk area on the fridge wall separating the fridge and bunks. It won't be over the stove.

All that said, the specs might be wrong. Since you have a travel trailer (not a 5th wheel) using a vent pipe as conduit might not work. And sewer gasses are corosive anyway.

If you must Rube Goldgerg it, I'd probably locate the gland ABOVE the pantry, run the wire down through the roof, into the pantry, through the back or side of the pantry and straight out the bottom of the floor...outside the frame. I'd locate the charge controller on the slide side wall of the pantry...recess mounted to allow the slide to operate without interference (check for clearance first). I'm guessing your furnace is under your fridge, but if the furnace is below the pantry, there's no reason you can't run the wired down through there. You MIGHT have to remove the furnace, but probably not. Even if you must remove the furnace, it's just some flex duct, a couple of screws and the propane line. You can probably leave the wiring attached.

I'd use #8 AWG wire for the whole run STRAIGHT TO THE BATTERY bank wired in parallel right at the battery terminals. Install an inline fuse near the battery rated at about 40 amps. Using the pantry to route your wire will be much neater than the path you are considering.

I installed a small inverter way back near the rear of my rig...wired straight to the battery...using the same wire. This is overkill, but I drilled the frame outriggers, lined the holes with rubber gromets, used conduit over the axles, and straight up through the coroplast, into a space that holds a heat duct, and up to the inverter. More or less the reverse of what you'd do. You could also zip-tie the wire to the coroplast pretty easily. My rig is a 2020, and the wire jacket is like new even though it is "outside" under the trailer.

If you want to pursue any of this, just hit me up.
BTW, the 8 gauge wire will handle that distance. I'd buy the 50 foot roll, because you'll end up using the rest for another project...say a 500 watt inverter to run a Starlink. :ROFLMAO:

PS The best tool for recess mounting the solar charge controller is an oscillating tool. Get a premium (e.g. Diablo brand) blade to make a perfect cut. A cheap tool with a $15 blade is a great investment. If you have a cordless drill, buy a bare tool that can share your batteries.
 

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These specs say you are prewired for solar. Typically, these specs are lifted directly from the manufacturer. (Search - Ctrl+F - "solar" no quotes).

Let's assume you are prewired for solar. Do you have, or do you remember a sticker inside that tells you where the wire is routed and where to locate a solar charge controller? If so, problem solved. There is a connector gland on the roof with #10 AWG wire coming down to the solar charge controller location (sticker) and on from there to a parallel connection to the wires between the battery bank and the converter.

#10 AWG can handle about 30 amps DC...depending on distance. (wire distance with DC is out and back...a 10' wire pair is 20 feet long in the DC world.) That equates to 400 watts of solar on the roof if wired in parallel (ideal). More if wired in some mix of series and parallel. As with other commenters, I'd upgrade to at least 400 watts of solar. If you want to do more, come back for info about how to do a mix of series and parallel, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. (Solar panel voltages and currents are a big topic, so that can wait until you see if you are pre-wired for solar.)

So, step 1 is look for the sticker. Step 2 is climb on the roof and look for the gland. If you have a gland and no sticker, contact the manufacturer and ask where the sticker should be...precise measurements. My hunch, given your floorplan, is that it's on your pantry wall...and the slide might hide it when the slide is closed. It could also come down through the cabinet surrounding the fridge. MOST likely, the gland will be directly above where the wire to the sticker is routed. It might be in the bunk area on the fridge wall separating the fridge and bunks. It won't be over the stove.

All that said, the specs might be wrong. Since you have a travel trailer (not a 5th wheel) using a vent pipe as conduit might not work. And sewer gasses are corosive anyway.

If you must Rube Goldgerg it, I'd probably locate the gland ABOVE the pantry, run the wire down through the roof, into the pantry, through the back or side of the pantry and straight out the bottom of the floor...outside the frame. I'd locate the charge controller on the slide side wall of the pantry...recess mounted to allow the slide to operate without interference (check for clearance first). I'm guessing your furnace is under your fridge, but if the furnace is below the pantry, there's no reason you can't run the wired down through there. You MIGHT have to remove the furnace, but probably not. Even if you must remove the furnace, it's just some flex duct, a couple of screws and the propane line. You can probably leave the wiring attached.

I'd use #8 AWG wire for the whole run STRAIGHT TO THE BATTERY bank wired in parallel right at the battery terminals. Install an inline fuse near the battery rated at about 40 amps. Using the pantry to route your wire will be much neater than the path you are considering.

I installed a small inverter way back near the rear of my rig...wired straight to the battery...using the same wire. This is overkill, but I drilled the frame outriggers, lined the holes with rubber gromets, used conduit over the axles, and straight up through the coroplast, into a space that holds a heat duct, and up to the inverter. More or less the reverse of what you'd do. You could also zip-tie the wire to the coroplast pretty easily. My rig is a 2020, and the wire jacket is like new even though it is "outside" under the trailer.

If you want to pursue any of this, just hit me up.
BTW, the 8 gauge wire will handle that distance. I'd buy the 50 foot roll, because you'll end up using the rest for another project...say a 500 watt inverter to run a Starlink. :ROFLMAO:

PS The best tool for recess mounting the solar charge controller is an oscillating tool. Get a premium (e.g. Diablo brand) blade to make a perfect cut. A cheap tool with a $15 blade is a great investment. If you have a cordless drill, buy a bare tool that can share your batteries.
Again, hit me up on how to mount the panels, gland, and so on. You can have a job far superior to factory work that will never leak and work extremely well.
 
my pre-wired trailer has the spot for the solar controller marked at least 20 foot from the battery
For best performance the controller should be as close to battery as possible

keeping the wire from controller to the battery as short as possible and use the correct gauge
controller to battery has a set voltage which then can restrict the charging amps if the wire is too small

My positive wire (for the roof solar) was CUT I spliced it together and followed it then to the battery
area... by keeping the voltage HIGH (33v)all the way to battery area can minimize losses
installed the controller right next to battery and use 4g wire ($5.00)

NOT a great fan of factory wiring!
 
Again, hit me up on how to mount the panels, gland, and so on. You can have a job far superior to factory work that will never leak and work extremely well.
Thanks Jim.

It wasn't prewired the pics above were my install. There's tons of room on the roof. We don't boondock much but I think 400 w and 200 AH should get us the 2 nights we need while at the wall.
 
when you add more solar panels INCREASE the wire size from the controller to battery
you want the best wire there between battery and controller .... as the voltage is limited to around 14.2
therefore the wire needs to be bigger / fatter to let more amps through it

I would work out the maximum wire gauge that you can put into the controller and use that
won't cost a lot if you put the controller near the battery

the other wires from roof to controller is good for about 2 more panels
you can always increase the voltage by putting panels in series

---------------------------------------------------------------
underbelly patch
put some wood resting inside the the cut with a small ovelapp
use some stainless wood screws it into the main unberbelly permanently
and then use one or two into the FLAP to keep it shut then use your favorite tape to waterproof it
Great idea on the wood! Like patching a wall!
 

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