Solar Panel...

N

norcalhawk

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2012
Messages
316
Location
Humboldt County, California
Hello,

I want to install a solar panel onto my FWC 2012 Hawk: I have (the following standard options), the small 3-way frig, water heater, furnace, 2-80amp aux. batteries, propane, stove, water pump, 2 fantastic fans, switched to LED bulbs throughout camper including porch and awning lights. I tend to be frugal with my power needs while out camping on the road(s) less traveled, so no plugging in for me :eek:) All this sits comfortably on my 2002 Tundra. My question is: can anyone suggest a reliable, well made (preferably USA made), type, watts...of panel and controller and cable size that works well with our pop-ups. What size cable, length of cable from the controller to batteries (shorter the better?) and where to place controller? Do I need a voltmeter to monitor the residual charge to the batteries? Anything else you folks out there can share would be appreciated.

I also want to replace that slap of concrete that sits on the bunk with a softer, more forgiving mattress. I hear good things about this Nymbus Qualux Ultra (Q41) mattress. I also heard that Memory Foam is not a good choice due to it freezing in freezing temperatures?
Thanks...
michael
 
Michael,

Your largest potential draws are the furnace and fridge, although running both fans at once could add up too. Fortunately when one needs the furnace the fridge and fans are unlikely to be working too hard, and vice versa. Nevertheless, I'd suggest at least a single 100-watt panel if you want to be completely independent. Wiring from the panel down to the controller doesn't need to be huge; a 100-watt panel is unlikely to exceed six amps of output.

This article might give you some ideas:

JATAC solar power

Jonathan
 
JHanson,

Thank you for your info. Looked at it and it sounds like a nice set up. Do you have any opinion on the portable solar kits that are on the market.? The principle seems good, but how efficient are they with lot's of cable being strung from panel to camper plug?
 
Michael,

The loss from the cable on a remote system would be minimal, and more than offset by the advantage of being able to keep the panel or panels oriented ideally. It also allows you to park in the shade and leave your panel in the sun. The disadvantage is that the larger panels are pretty heavy and a pain to store, unless you mount it under the camper overhang like I did our Front Runner table.
 
I can see the obvious advantage of a portable system with a few disadvantages as well. Question I have is: Is there a way to wire a plug in receptor (wired from the inside batteries to one of the campers exterior sides? Similar to the shore power plug receptor set up. I would think on the drivers side. So, when I set this system up I can run the cables from the solar panel/controller directly to the camper's plug it receptor, rather than running the cable with the alligator clips into the camper (through the back door or hatch) and to the battery compartment under the dinette seat/battery area. Do they make such a plug? Is this as simple as having FWC install a plug for me with either a female or male receptor? Have I confuse you....? Thanks for your info in advance.
 
Yes, it is pretty simple. Probably would be easier to have FWC do it for you if they are convenient to you. I ordered my Hawk with plugs on the roof and back. On the inside were two sets of wires (with labels) near the battery to be hooked up to the solar controller.
 
explorer said:
I can see the obvious advantage of a portable system with a few disadvantages as well. Question I have is: Is there a way to wire a plug in receptor (wired from the inside batteries to one of the campers exterior sides? Similar to the shore power plug receptor set up. I would think on the drivers side. So, when I set this system up I can run the cables from the solar panel/controller directly to the camper's plug it receptor, rather than running the cable with the alligator clips into the camper (through the back door or hatch) and to the battery compartment under the dinette seat/battery area. Do they make such a plug? Is this as simple as having FWC install a plug for me with either a female or male receptor? Have I confuse you....? Thanks for your info in advance.
Click to expand...
I went with a portable for now the Go Power GP-PSK-80 80 watt solar kit. 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. I made a 25 ft extension cable so that I can place the cell wherever the sun was shining. Works great for me.
 
I appreciate everyone's impute and thank you again. I like the idea of a portable solar panel where I can follow the sun (sort of speak) while camped. After much research, I am not convinced that the quality of the portable solar panels (available on the market today) w/controller already connected to the back are the best. My main concern is the quality of the attached controller. Storage of the panel and theft are not an issue, (I will store it under the overhang of camper above the truck cab and I own a gun, lol)...I would rather not have more wires hanging out of the camper or truck bed than need be...
So, my thought is: A solar panel that is not screwed or wired to the roof, but securely (leaning) free standing inline perfectly with the sun. I believe most panels have MC4 connections w/a foot or two of #10 wire securely attached on the back? So with the panel wire running to the exterior camper wall and plugged into a receptacle that I install...i.e., like a Anderson connection, is there better connections??... then wire from receptacle runs inside camper (hidden) and connected to the solar controller and to the batteries. This way, I can choose the panel and match it with a good controller and wire if need be. CAN this be done? If so, what type of plug/receptacle (for exterior wall) should be used and should the same gauge wire (#10) be used from plug/receptacle to controller to batteries?

Thanks in advance.
 
gallery_2431_103_27840.jpg

Hi,
Nicely done MarkBC. Thanks and this is what I am thinking... To clarify, You have wire coming from your solar panel that you spliced it into a red/black wire leading to the outside receptacle that you installed, because there was no connector? In the photo above I see two black wires going up to your volt meter (dark blue small box)... these two black wires (what gauge) are coming from the Battery? What kind of blue connectors are those in the splice? and the yellows on the other side? Finally, you have a black/red wire coming from below and directly into the controller marked solar on the controller, these are the wires from the inside end of your installed receptacle? The black/red wire that was added coming from the meter into the controller is ? gauge.
Have I confused you?
 
explorer said:
gallery_2431_103_27840.jpg

Hi,
Nicely done MarkBC. Thanks and this is what I am thinking... To clarify, You have wire coming from your solar panel that you spliced it into a red/black wire leading to the outside receptacle that you installed, because there was no connector? (The outside/all-weather fitting came with the red-black wires (bare-ended) embedded in it, so I needed to splice the ends of the 30-foot wires (10 gauge) coming from the panel) In the photo above I see two black wires going up to your volt meter (dark blue small box)... these two black wires (what gauge? 10 gauge) are coming from the Battery? (YES) What kind of blue connectors are those in the splice? and the yellows on the other side? (the blue spade connectors and the yellow butt-splice connectors are kinda arbitrary...I'm not an electrical guy, so I used what I had; they were sized to fit the wire gauge) Finally, you have a black/red wire coming from below and directly into the controller marked solar on the controller, these are the wires from the inside end of your installed receptacle? (YES) The black/red wire that was added coming from the meter into the controller is ? 10 gauge.
Have I confused you?
Click to expand...
I'm no electrical expert at all, but I know that voltage drop is proportional to length of the wire (for a given gauge), and thicker wire produces less voltage drop for a given current than thinner wire. I found several calculators and/or tables online that predict voltage drop as a function of current and wire size, so for my 35-ish feet length of wire from my 80-watt panel to the battery I went with 10 gauge. I don't remember what the % voltage drop was, but it was acceptable to me.

Feel free to ask more questions (or for clarification on the answers I've already given)...even though I'm not the most-electrically-expert guy here, and my system isn't a pretty model to follow. ;)
 
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