exterior solar plug

That depends on what is after the jack.

If there is a charge controller after the jack, then Bob's your Uncle. Add solar panels.


If not then panels connected to a charge controller, and connect the controller output to the jack.

pianotuna wrote:
That depends on what is after the jack.

If there is a charge controller after the jack, then Bob's your Uncle. Add solar panels.


If not then panels connected to a charge controller, and connect the controller output to the jack.

there is no charge controller in the inverter/converter onboard then?

The inverter/converter has nothing to do with the solar.

If it's like the one on my Arctic Fox, the wires that attach to that plug go down to a place behind the battery and are just coiled up there. They aren't connected at all.

Be sure to check the polarity. Trailer manufacturers & solar panel designers don't always agree, in fact different solar panel manufacturers don't have standard polarity for SAE connectors (The most used for external solar connections).

Look behind the wall connector and follow the wires:
- They may be connected to nothing (ie: prep'd but not hooked up)
- They may be ran directly to the battery in which case, you need a solar charge controller (cheap and simple to add) between the panels and the wall connector.
- They may be connected with a solar charge controller. Then you just need to connect the solar panel wires to the wall connector.

The inverter/charger (aka: converter) is a separate device with the exception of certain high end models which are highly unlikely to have been included. The charger in this case refers to a device that takes 120v AC power and converts it to 12v DC power to charge the batteries.

Do you have solar panels on the roof? Have you tried to follow the wires leaving the jack?

LouLawrence wrote:
Do you have solar panels on the roof? Have you tried to follow the wires leaving the jack?

Currently we have no solar but I am curious to learn what is connected to what. We don't dry camp often and have a genny we really love.

You could just take a volt measurement of the connector. If it has 12V then you at least know it's hooked to something.

On my Airstream, that solar connector is live with 12v, but it is wired "backward" from what you normally expect. The covered prong is the battery ground, and the bare prong is the battery hot. It actually makes sense when you think about the fact that the solar panel is considered the voltage source, so IT'S hot plug is the covered prong, and IT'S bare prong is the ground.

You just have to remember to use a polarity changer if you want to use that solar outlet to power anything 12v like a macerator pump or air compressor.