Noob Solar help!

[ckent323]

Karlton,

If you have a solar plug on the roof and you have wires for solar in the battery compartment then I think you have all your need.

If you have a voltmeter you could get a long small ga wire and connect it to the end of one of the terminals on the roof connector then connect it to your volt meter in the battery compartment and check for continuity with the solar wires. If you have a connection then you are done. All you need to do is install a Solar Charge controller between the solar wires and your battery. You may want to also add a battery monitor and shunt as well.

I had to locate the wires in the ceiling of my camper and install a Solar port in the roof. The other end of the wires were near the water pump under the forward end of my cabinets. I had to run those wires to my battery compartment and connect them to the Solar charge controller. The wires came down from the roof on the drivers side of the lift panel (just behind it) and into the cabinet.

If you do not get continuity between the roof solar port and the solar wires in your battery compartment then you care going to need to search for them.

If you need to search first call Terry Budd at FWC, they have a drawing of where the wires are in your camper (assuming it is newer than 2007). They will need the serial number of your camper to look the drawing up.

Does that help?

Regards,

Craig

 

[munchmeister]

I'm in the same boat as the OP only I don't even have a house battery, or isolator. I'd like to get it all done and add solar but Rocky Mountain FWC wants $4000 grand to do the whole enchilada (battery, isolator, Fantastic Fan, roof solar, cabinetry). That's 57% of what i paid for the shell !! Much of that is for building cabinetry as I do not have that either. But my shell does have the pre-wiring. Whoopee. So I think I will just try to get a house battery hooked up, with isolator, and I want to install a fantastic fan in place of the simple vent. Baby steps. I'm no electrician. Makes my head spin. Any smart EE types located in No. Colorado?

Wiring COLLAGE.jpg

Just to update my own n00b mods, I found my local RV repair shop knew exactly what I wanted and did a great job installing a house battery in my Raven shell, which is isolated from the truck battery when the key is off and which now powers a newly installed Fantastic Fan, with 2 way air direction, 3 speeds and a temperature control. The battery is an Interstate sealed 75 AH. He also installed an intermittent switched battery monitor and hooked up the SAE plug on the back exterior wall, which will allow me to use my existing Goal Zero Boulder 30s (2) to top off the battery. Since I am only running the F. Fan and the LED interior lights, the 75 AH battery should keep me in business. I also have a Goal Zero Yeti 400 which I use for re-charging phones, LEDs, tablets, as needed.

No solar panel yet but that will likely be next, mounted on the roof and will utilize the roof's SAE plug for that.

Photos here, if interested:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Travels-with-Freddy-and-Lenore/The-Rig-Gallery/i-wnwBZnv/0/30aa6dbd/M/2018030817542648-152172B4-DAEC-422C-B7C2-E9DF1ED1B3B2-M.jpg

https://f-rider.smugmug.com/Travels-with-Freddy-and-Lenore/The-Rig-Gallery