Noob Solar help!

[finsty]

Hello all!

I am wanting to add a solar panel to the roof of my FWC. I have researched the information on this forum but haven't found a scenario exactly like mine.

Here is some info about my camper:
-I have an SAE connector on the roof
-It is all pre wired (see images)
-There are several wires in the fuse box area where I will connect the panel I imagine
-There are also a red and black wire in the battery compartment (see image)
-My camper is a 2015 Eagle.

My questions. What exactly do I need right now? Just a panel and a regulator? Where can I put the regulator? (I'd like to put it under the bench where the fuses are. What will I connect to what? Does anyone have a wiring diagram for this?

Thank you!

 

[rando]

You need a panel, a charge controller, a mount for your panel (easy if you have yakima tracks) and an SAE -> MC4 adapter to plug into the receptacle on your roof. Typically you want to put the charge controller as close to the battery as possible, making the battery compartment the best place for it. But it looks like yours is wired to put the charge controller in the fuse box area. You need to add ring terminals and an inline fuse the to wires in the battery box, and and connect them to the battery terminals. You then need to attach the other end of these wires to the 'battery' terminals on your charge controller. You can then connect both the solar input leads (roof and rear wall) in parallel into the 'panel' terminals on your charge controller. Then you are done.

The Victron MPPT controllers are amongst the best value for the money - and have wiring diagrams.

 

[rando]

PS .I would second the suggestion made earlier to have a dedicated electrical forum. Seems like almost a third of the questions asked here are electrical in nature and are equally relevant to FWC/ATC/Alaskan etc.

 

[PaulT]

+1
Only caveat is it would be a lot of work for our moderators. One way to lighten the load could be a catch all thread where links to existing electrical threads could be placed by anyone. Moderators could move these to an appropriate location as their time & interest permitted.

Paul

 

[strotman]

How do I mount the panel to the Yakima cross bars? Is there a certain type of panel that is best for this? Or an accessory for the Yakima rail?

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

How do I mount the panel to the Yakima cross bars? Is there a certain type of panel that is best for this? Or an accessory for the Yakima rail?

Most installs that I have seen use a clip that screws into the track and to the side of the panel.

PS .I would second the suggestion made earlier to have a dedicated electrical forum. Seems like almost a third of the questions asked here are electrical in nature and are equally relevant to FWC/ATC/Alaskan etc.

I've forwarded this on to the rest of the site team. It seems like a good idea to me, but it will take some effort by the administrators to do.

 

[Power Wagon]

You need a panel, a charge controller, a mount for your panel (easy if you have yakima tracks) and an SAE -> MC4 adapter to plug into the receptacle on your roof. Typically you want to put the charge controller as close to the battery as possible, making the battery compartment the best place for it. But it looks like yours is wired to put the charge controller in the fuse box area. You need to add ring terminals and an inline fuse the to wires in the battery box, and and connect them to the battery terminals. You then need to attach the other end of these wires to the 'battery' terminals on your charge controller. You can then connect both the solar input leads (roof and rear wall) in parallel into the 'panel' terminals on your charge controller. Then you are done.

The Victron MPPT controllers are amongst the best value for the money - and have wiring diagrams.

... and circuit breakers or fuses between the solar panel and charge controller, and between the charge controller and the batteries.

 

[ntsqd]

... and circuit breakers or fuses between the solar panel and charge controller, and between the charge controller and the batteries.

I have neither, and from what I have observed this is the norm. Not a bad idea, but those between the panel and the controller in particular have debatable merit. Rando & I just discussed this in another thread, and he makes a very good point about fuse capacity vs. panel output.

The 80A breaker that sits between our camper's batteries and everything else also protects the controller to battery(ies) wiring.

 

[rando]

Buy a panel that is long enough to span the Yakima tracks, 160 or 180W panels from Solar Blvd or Renogy should do it. I made some aluminium right angle brackets out of 1" Al angle cut to 1" lengths. Drilled four holes in the sides of the panel and bolted brackets to panel (I used rivnuts, but regular nuts would be fine), then bolted to the nut plates in the Yakima track.

You could also use these:
https://www.amazon.com/80-20-2-Hole-Inside-Corner/dp/B001IA2M0M/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1502718527&sr=8-4&keywords=80%2F20+bracket

As for the fuses/breakers, no need for them on the wires to the panel for the reasons ntsqd mentions, but a good idea between the battery and charge controller if they are not in the same compartment.

 

[billharr]

All good advice above. I first put a 100w panel on my Hawk. Had to use alum angle to mount the panel to the tracks. Second panel I got a 150w panel and it was long enough to reach the tracks. Just used "Z" brackets quick search will find them for sale in many places. . Wish I would have done the 150w the first time.

 

[Wallowa]

Many folks enjoy a DIY project such as the installation of a solar system on your 2015 Eagle....for me, just for me, reliability-dependability is #1 and my skill sets even with a ton of research would never approach the expertise of FWC for installing a solar system in a FWC unit.

So if I want to add a basic system or FWC supported item in/on my 2016 Hawk...I will let FWC do the installation..I trust them and will not have to worry about. That is precisely why we ordered all the factory options we thought we would need at time of purchase. In our case the 160w/80w solar system.

Just a thought...and of course I could be wrong..

Phil

 

[craig333]

If you're like me you hack those enormous MC4 connectors off. I enjoy electrical work so I don't mind doing my own. Other things I'm happy to have the pros do.

 

[Vic Harder]

+1
Only caveat is it would be a lot of work for our moderators. One way to lighten the load could be a catch all thread where links to existing electrical threads could be placed by anyone. Moderators could move these to an appropriate location as their time & interest permitted.

Paul

+2

Combining the "ultimate solar" thread and the "More Power Scotty" (MPS) thread might be a good way to start such a consolidation. I quoted a bunch of the previous threads at the beginning of the MPS thread.

 

[ntsqd]

Or just create a locked Electrical Sticky thread and we'll nominate threads to be linked in it.

 

[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?

 

[Karlton]

Hi all - I'd like to install some solar and only found two wires with a label. They are located in the the battery bank and are labeled 'solar battery'. I've hunted around considerably and have not located any other wires labeled 'solar', nor could I find the origin of the 'solar battery wires'. Are the 'solar battery wires' the only ones I need to find? Or do I need to locate something else?

thanks much

 

[CougarCouple]

Hi Karlton
I've read here that sometimes they are in the roof and you would need to open a specific area( found by measuring) by cutting the roof.
Or some are run to the rear for portable solar. Check with manufacturer about your specific camper.

Russ

 

[Vic Harder]

Hi all - I'd like to install some solar and only found two wires with a label. They are located in the the battery bank and are labeled 'solar battery'. I've hunted around considerably and have not located any other wires labeled 'solar', nor could I find the origin of the 'solar battery wires'. Are the 'solar battery wires' the only ones I need to find? Or do I need to locate something else?

thanks much

To add to Russ' comment... do you have the external solar plug? Or the roof top connector? Those wires will be coming from one of those.

 

[Karlton]

Hi there - sorry to leave off that critical info. I have the roof and rear wall external plugs. I'm looking for the wires that originate at the roof plug. What confuses me is that I have two wires in the battery area labeled 'solar battery', but I could not find nicely coiled up wires anywhere else in the cabinetry like the original photos in this post.

 

[PaulT]

If one wire on the battery is labelled solar battery and has a fuse holder in line, it likely is the positive wire that is output from the solar charge controller whether present or not. The other should be the negative wire for same.

On my front dinette Hawk, the charge cintroller is near the front-to-back center of the cabinet. In the cabinet behind the charge controller, the wires from the roof & rear wall solar panels end and the controller output wires start. Might be a place to start a search.

One of the digital inspection cameras like this one may help looking in the cabinets.
https://www.harborfreight.com/digital-inspection-camera-61839.html

Paul