Solar Plug location - Survey

Personally I don't have the need to use solar at this time (I have a small EU1000 genny) but was posed a question from a friend who is placing an order for a new Fleet.

Can you fellow wanderers please provide me with a few ideas on pro's/con's for Fourwheel Camper solar plug location? If a person was ordering a camper with the solar plug only option (assuming they may want to upgrade to panels in the future) where is the best place to have the plug located from the factory?

My vote=Roof

Only because If I were to get panels, I'd annie-up for the hard wired ones located in the best place for sun, the top. (although there are still some good portable panels on the market now)


Thanks in advance for your time/responses.

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My plug is on the roof but I'm thinking I will add one on the side to be accessible for a portable collector. We don't have solar yet but I am thinking about adding it. We like to park in the shade and the rooftop unit would be less effective there. It is probably a question of what the environment is like where you like to camp. The rooftop location is nice for ease of use if the roof will be in the sun.

There's another thread discussing what wiring is in the walls of FWC campers for lighting, primarily rear flood lights and another thread discussing whether or not their camper is already wired for solar but the plug isn't installed. In the older campers the wires don't seem to be there and in the new campers it is. My suggestion would be to call FWC and ask if the campers are pre-wired for solar both on the roof and in the back. If not and your friend is undecided at time of purchase where they want the panel, spend the extra $100 and have a plug put in both locations or have FWC pre-wire the camper. They're pretty easy to work with.

As an aside, we have our panel on the roof and have never had a problem with it keeping up with our electrical needs.

Thanks for the words JHa6av8r, I'll pass it along. What would your preference be if you were to mount a plug, and didn't have the option to do both?

I think they will find your information useful.

Our old camper was not prewired. I ran wire and put a plug in the roof. I thought about roof mount and portable mount to best catch the sun. I went with roof because the panel was always deployed and working. The portable mount idea was discarded because of wind and someone/something snagging the wire while we are away. We don't tend to be near the camper except at night. I initially had some concerns about damage to the panel on the roof such as hail storms. After visiting many high mountains with lookouts and radio relays with large solar arrays, I figured they were able to withstand that kind of harsh environment and would do all right on my roof..

Thanks for the words JHa6av8r, I'll pass it along. What would your preference be if you were to mount a plug, and didn't have the option to do both?

I think they will find your information useful.

I'd put it on the roof. Like Ski3pin said, it's always out and deployed and they're pretty rugged. One of the main reasons we decided to get a camper was to reduce set up and tear down time. Having to attach a panel to a rear plug means you need to store it someplace for transport. Cloths, food, and toys is all I want to pack and unpack.

I couldn't decide on the location as well, so I had them install two plugs. The back and on top. I will probably keep the panel on the roof but I plan to have a removable mount incase I decide for some reason to move the panel (unlikely).

I went with a portable for now. I hard wired a duplex cable to my 2 aux batteries and routed the cable over the carpeted lower area that holds the table leg down into the storage compartment. When I hook it up to the solar cell, I simply feed it out thru the access door for the turnbuckle along the truck bed and side of the camper out the back. I used Deutsche connectors on the cable and solar cell, because I wanted to avoid drilling holes in the camper. When not using the cable I store it in the storage compartment.

When ATC built my Bobcat I had them place the solar plug under the cab over.The thought at the time was to build a slide out mount.That aside when the time came to install the solar system I went with a roof mount,right rear and ran #10 wire
(+/-)through the rear corner and down the inside than out and along the side to the front and battery area where the controller is.Works nice for me.It's a clean installation.
Frank

That was a great idea Frank, a good forethought for sure... I think he's leaning for both plugs when he orders.

That was a great idea Frank, a good forethought for sure... I think he's leaning for both plugs when he orders.


One thought about the wiring,I don't the factory wire is a large enough gauge,I thing it is maybe a #12 at best.
I can see where two plugs placed in different areas would be useful.
Frank

I spoke with the tech expert at Solar Blvd, www.solarblvd.com.
Shade blocks 70% of the efficiency of a roof mounted solar panel.
Since I park in the shade in the mountains most of the time I use the external mount. My panel is 24"x 29" so it doesn't take up much storage room in my shell. When I go to the desert I wish I had a roof-mounted panel except if I did I have no way to tilt it toward the winter sun which is low in the sky. I have spoken to my friends with roof mounted panels and many carry a second portable unit to augment the fixed one.

Lastly when I ordered my shell I opted for two plugs - one on roof and one on the back wall just in case.

takesiteasy said:

My plug is on the roof but I'm thinking I will add one on the side to be accessible for a portable collector. We don't have solar yet but I am thinking about adding it. We like to park in the shade and the rooftop unit would be less effective there. It is probably a question of what the environment is like where you like to camp. The rooftop location is nice for ease of use if the roof will be in the sun.

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Posted 06 June 2013 - 02:48 PM

I saw in your site that you added exterior lights with a inside switch's (3). This is what I would like to do to. Can you enlighten me on the wiring set up, how to... etc etc. Hawk. Presently, I have a porch and awning light (w/switch on the light) which was installed when I bought my camper last year. These are the lights I would like to control from inside. I also have two (group 24) aux. batteries, 3-way (small) frig., water heater and furnace and I run LED lights inside and out. I'm not real electrically talented, so if you can help that would be great. Any info/pictures/wire diagram would be much appreciated. Thanks.

explorer said:

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Posted 06 June 2013 - 02:48 PM

I saw in your site that you added exterior lights with a inside switch's (3). This is what I would like to do to. Can you enlighten me on the wiring set up, how to... etc etc. Hawk. Presently, I have a porch and awning light (w/switch on the light) which was installed when I bought my camper last year. These are the lights I would like to control from inside. I also have two (group 24) aux. batteries, 3-way (small) frig., water heater and furnace and I run LED lights inside and out. I'm not real electrically talented, so if you can help that would be great. Any info/pictures/wire diagram would be much appreciated. Thanks.

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Explorer, I will send a PM so as not to hijack this thread.

Ordered a shell last month with solar on top but also added a plug on the back for possible future portable panel or even a wind genny which I saw at truckcampermagazine.com.

Takesiteasy...

Thanks, look forward to hearing more from you.

My cheapo O'Reilly Auto 15watt panel is on the roof and I have the cable running down the outside and in through the turnbuckle hatch to the battery bay. I tuck the slack into the truck bed
when the camper is down. This set up keeps up with the lights, fan, water pump, and fridge on travel days. No problems in 3 years.

I just put one in and found the pre-wires under the wooden lift panel. Real easy to punch up when needed