Solar conundrum (updated with shopping list)
Ok so if you haven't noticed I am planning on a solar upgrade to my Sundance (See sig). I am going to be going with two Trojan T-105 6v's (225 amp-hours total). We just went camping and over the two...
Forum Discussion
My setup. 34' 5th wheel toy hauler - finished the install 1 month ago.
4 - 100W Mono
Renogy mounts - they look sturdier than z mounts
Stainless hardware to mount the panels
Gobs of lap cement (About 1 tube)
Home made combiner box - about $35.00
10awg from each panel to a combiner box - each run from panel to combiner is over 20'. Used 10awg UV and underground rated cable. Two 10awg THHN copper stranded inside a UV rated sheath. Put my own MC4 connectors on them. Cable was about $100.00 Parallel not serial as I'm concerned about partial shade on some panels.
#4 from the combiner box to the PWM Tristar 45. About 25' long. A 60A breaker next to the tristar on + side of the solar panel.
#4 from the tristar to 60A breaker. About 1' then #1 from the 60A breaker to 60A fuse next to the batteries about 3' (I used #1 here instead of #4 because it was tighter in the set screws on the breaker and fuse holder, should have used lug style for the breaker and fuse holder).
#1 from the fuse to positive bus in battery compartment
#4 neg from the tristar to negative battery bus in battery compartment
All welding cable between combiner box/tristar/batteries was put inside 1" split flexible plastic conduit (Fry's)
Temp sensor - about 6'
Sense cable - about 6'
Victron battery monitor - comes with a shunt. Shunt is mounted between the negative battery and negative bus (where the rest of the negative connections are in the battery compartment).
I bought the toy hauler used.
Room for two 6V on right side of generator in front compartment
Room for another two 6V on left side of generator in front compartment
They had a mishmash of 6awg/8awg/10awg connecting the batteries.
I put 4 Costco GC2 6V batteries
4 new GC2 battery boxes
Watering system for the batteries so I don't have to remove covers and crawl through that tight space to check water.
Rewired all batteries using 1awg. Equal length crossovers and equal length between the 2 sets of batteries.
While I was in there doing all that. I replaced the 8awg 45' long positive cable between the batteries and the converter and replaced it with 20' of 4awg cable.
Total was around $1500.00 for everything. (the trailer had a single 100W panel when I purchased it - I replaced everything after the panel).
#4 and #1 above is welding cable. If using welding cable, be careful with the connections. Using crimp lugs is best. The wire is so fine that using a set screw type connection (like a bus bar) might break the wires or fan them out so you don't get a good connection. NEC is not fond of that type of connection.
Once complete and working. The outdoor speakers was picking up major RF noise generated by the PWM controller (when in Absorption or float). Solar controllers are very noisy and somehow FCC is very lax on the noise they legally generate. Turns out RF noise generated by the solar controller exposed a ground loop issue in my sound system between an amplifier and equalizer - I fixed by installed a $14 ground loop isolator between those two pieces.
I have a similar solar setup on my 17' travel trailer - but half the size (same morningstar controller). 2 panels, 2 batteries. Been using it for 4+ years.
Again, if you want to see my setup, I live around the corner from you. My 17' is in the driveway; I'll have the toy hauler home this weekend in preparation for an Easter trip.
4 - 100W Mono
Renogy mounts - they look sturdier than z mounts
Stainless hardware to mount the panels
Gobs of lap cement (About 1 tube)
Home made combiner box - about $35.00
10awg from each panel to a combiner box - each run from panel to combiner is over 20'. Used 10awg UV and underground rated cable. Two 10awg THHN copper stranded inside a UV rated sheath. Put my own MC4 connectors on them. Cable was about $100.00 Parallel not serial as I'm concerned about partial shade on some panels.
#4 from the combiner box to the PWM Tristar 45. About 25' long. A 60A breaker next to the tristar on + side of the solar panel.
#4 from the tristar to 60A breaker. About 1' then #1 from the 60A breaker to 60A fuse next to the batteries about 3' (I used #1 here instead of #4 because it was tighter in the set screws on the breaker and fuse holder, should have used lug style for the breaker and fuse holder).
#1 from the fuse to positive bus in battery compartment
#4 neg from the tristar to negative battery bus in battery compartment
All welding cable between combiner box/tristar/batteries was put inside 1" split flexible plastic conduit (Fry's)
Temp sensor - about 6'
Sense cable - about 6'
Victron battery monitor - comes with a shunt. Shunt is mounted between the negative battery and negative bus (where the rest of the negative connections are in the battery compartment).
I bought the toy hauler used.
Room for two 6V on right side of generator in front compartment
Room for another two 6V on left side of generator in front compartment
They had a mishmash of 6awg/8awg/10awg connecting the batteries.
I put 4 Costco GC2 6V batteries
4 new GC2 battery boxes
Watering system for the batteries so I don't have to remove covers and crawl through that tight space to check water.
Rewired all batteries using 1awg. Equal length crossovers and equal length between the 2 sets of batteries.
While I was in there doing all that. I replaced the 8awg 45' long positive cable between the batteries and the converter and replaced it with 20' of 4awg cable.
Total was around $1500.00 for everything. (the trailer had a single 100W panel when I purchased it - I replaced everything after the panel).
#4 and #1 above is welding cable. If using welding cable, be careful with the connections. Using crimp lugs is best. The wire is so fine that using a set screw type connection (like a bus bar) might break the wires or fan them out so you don't get a good connection. NEC is not fond of that type of connection.
Once complete and working. The outdoor speakers was picking up major RF noise generated by the PWM controller (when in Absorption or float). Solar controllers are very noisy and somehow FCC is very lax on the noise they legally generate. Turns out RF noise generated by the solar controller exposed a ground loop issue in my sound system between an amplifier and equalizer - I fixed by installed a $14 ground loop isolator between those two pieces.
I have a similar solar setup on my 17' travel trailer - but half the size (same morningstar controller). 2 panels, 2 batteries. Been using it for 4+ years.
Again, if you want to see my setup, I live around the corner from you. My 17' is in the driveway; I'll have the toy hauler home this weekend in preparation for an Easter trip.
