I am getting ready to install a couple solar panels on my 28' Keystone Springdale and am trying to determine how to get the charging to to the front mounted 6V batteries. I was thinking of running the MC4 wiring down the fridge vent then to the wardrobe closet where the controller will be. From there my thought is to wire the controller to the 12V input lugs on the fridge. There is about a 23' run from there to the breakers (15 amp) then battery battery but I don't know the AWG of that wire.Would this work OK? I figure if it's 8 AWG it get a 2.5 % drop. Also if I installed more than 2 100W panels, the breaker to fridge would be too small I think. Outside of this I'd need to figure out how to get the controller in the front storage then charge cable tray from there to the batteries. That would be a bit out of my league though.

A solar controller needs ventilation. Will the controller receive adequate ventstion in a closet? Further, a solar controller should be mounted as close to the batteries as practical. How close is the closet to the batteries? A two percent drop is all you should tolerate. Six gauge to the batteries is better. You’ve complied with a solar wiring chart?

Need a link to your floorplan. A utube of a 2013 28ft Springdale TT was for a bunkhouse model, didn't make it clear where the converter is, eg.More info on that would help with your options. It would be better to run the controller in parallel with the converter than from the back of the fridge for amount of voltage drop.Usual way to get wiring from tongue to front storage is drill hole in floor up front and go down and up to the tongue instead of going through the front cap.

I was told to use one of these breakers on the line into the controller: solar breakers. And 15 amp is too small. I got the type they show as a 40 amp with the lever. You can use it as an on/off switch too.

The fridge breaker would be 120 volt so do not run your charge controller there.You want as short of a wire run as possable so you should mount the solar panals on the front part of the roof, drop the wires down in conduit into a forward closit or bathroom. Mount the charge controler the forward storage compartment and then run those wires to the batteries. When you shut off the main battery switch the solar should still be charging the batteries.

Drop the notion of pre existing wiring convience. The critical path is from the solar controller to the battery where small losses can cause significant loss of battery charging. Mount the controller as close to the batteries as possible. 12V panels produce about 18V and that wiring can tolerate significant voltage drop w/o power (battery charging) loss if you're using a PWM type controller. MPPT controller are a different consideration. The key paths are panels to controller and controller to batteries. The refer and it's DC wiring is not involved.

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CA_Traveler
Explorer III
May 30, 2020
Drop the notion of pre existing wiring convience. The critical path is from the solar controller to the battery where small losses can cause significant loss of battery charging. Mount the controller as close to the batteries as possible.

12V panels produce about 18V and that wiring can tolerate significant voltage drop w/o power (battery charging) loss if you're using a PWM type controller. MPPT controller are a different consideration.

The key paths are panels to controller and controller to batteries. The refer and it's DC wiring is not involved.
corvettekent
Explorer
May 30, 2020
The fridge breaker would be 120 volt so do not run your charge controller there.
You want as short of a wire run as possable so you should mount the solar panals on the front part of the roof, drop the wires down in conduit into a forward closit or bathroom. Mount the charge controler the forward storage compartment and then run those wires to the batteries.

When you shut off the main battery switch the solar should still be charging the batteries.
agesilaus
Explorer III
May 30, 2020
I was told to use one of these breakers on the line into the controller: solar breakers. And 15 amp is too small. I got the type they show as a 40 amp with the lever. You can use it as an on/off switch too.
BFL13
Explorer II
May 30, 2020
Need a link to your floorplan. A utube of a 2013 28ft Springdale TT was for a bunkhouse model, didn't make it clear where the converter is, eg.

More info on that would help with your options. It would be better to run the controller in parallel with the converter than from the back of the fridge for amount of voltage drop.

Usual way to get wiring from tongue to front storage is drill hole in floor up front and go down and up to the tongue instead of going through the front cap.
Lwiddis
Explorer II
May 30, 2020
A solar controller needs ventilation. Will the controller receive adequate ventstion in a closet? Further, a solar controller should be mounted as close to the batteries as practical. How close is the closet to the batteries? A two percent drop is all you should tolerate. Six gauge to the batteries is better. You’ve complied with a solar wiring chart?

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