Solar question
OK, so I'm going to add a mild 100w solar kit to my new FW, as a =helper= to give me an extra day or two for our short boondock trips. Biggest concern is the draw from the fridge fan due to it being ...
Forum Discussion
If your battery box is properly vented there is not a problem. You probably have all sorts of other camping gear or tools in that area and they aren't corroded. So it's a storage area with vented batteries right?
Start at the battery. You need a fuse close to the battery. You then run Siamese 10 gauge wire over to your controller. Siamese is clean and easy to handle vs tapped up single strand. Piano has recommended the grape solar 40 amp to other people. I haven't used one but he knows if it's good or bad. It's about$60 and will probably let you expand all the way up to 600 watts or so. (check specs)It may seem like overkill but it's not junk, it will let you expand all the way up to roof mounting.
From there run Siamese out to the panel. The panel will probably have a junction box on the back with two strain relief type nuts where the wires go into the box. Slide the nuts onto the wire then put the wire into the box and crimp and solder the terminals on to the wires and connect to the panel, tighten the nuts and put the cover back on.
Leave a few feet of wire and install an anderson type connector on the wires from the panel. Install the other half of the anderson on the wires going to the controller. This 120 watt panel puts out 7.6 amps when short circuited.
If we use This wire calculator they say you can run 50 feet of 10 gauge wire and carry 5 amps 50 feet. You aren't going to get max amperage so just figure 5 amps or so. A 5 % loss isn't great and 3 % or less would be better but you dont need to go that far. If you want to max get 8 gauge wire as it's not much more money.
If you are only using your panel within about 20 feet of your rig the 10 gauge will carry 7 amps with a 3 % loss. If you want to add another panel some day consider 6 gauge wire as it will carry 15 amps 20 feet at 3% loss.
You can roll the wire up and store it next to the controller. The great thing about ground panels is you can get max power all day log. You dont have to babysit it and move it every five minutes but keep it pointed at the sun. Roof panels obviously do better when tilted but being able to point directly at the sun at 8 in the morning is very good. It's not your best sun but it's better than nothing.
This is a vented battery box and power center I built last year. It was no frills as we were trying to keep the cost down. He's running two Sams GC2 and a boondocker and has room for two more. No solar yet as they are vacationers.
There is an Anderson on the side of the battery box in case he needs to connect his back up mega watt. Converter shut off switch and breaker in main panel.
Space for two more GC2, distilled water, hydrometer and vent in bottom of that cavity.
Some panels come with MC 4 connectors on the back and cutting them off can void the warr. Just buy MC4 pigtails and put the anderson on them and plug them into the panels MC4. Anderson is easier to use.
MC4 female/male. Some people use them as their main panel connector
This will hold small than 30 amp fuses too
Tuna will know if THIS is the correct one.
This panel is 12 inches longer than the 120 above but 180 watts for $155. They are located in Norco Cali. They shipped me 3 160 watters to the Q for $35.00 in 2016
Pay attention to the wire, some are copper clad aluminum. I bought 4 gauge Siamese at Starlite solar in Yuma for a friends rewire. Solar stores may be a good source.
Start at the battery. You need a fuse close to the battery. You then run Siamese 10 gauge wire over to your controller. Siamese is clean and easy to handle vs tapped up single strand. Piano has recommended the grape solar 40 amp to other people. I haven't used one but he knows if it's good or bad. It's about$60 and will probably let you expand all the way up to 600 watts or so. (check specs)It may seem like overkill but it's not junk, it will let you expand all the way up to roof mounting.
From there run Siamese out to the panel. The panel will probably have a junction box on the back with two strain relief type nuts where the wires go into the box. Slide the nuts onto the wire then put the wire into the box and crimp and solder the terminals on to the wires and connect to the panel, tighten the nuts and put the cover back on.
Leave a few feet of wire and install an anderson type connector on the wires from the panel. Install the other half of the anderson on the wires going to the controller. This 120 watt panel puts out 7.6 amps when short circuited.
If we use This wire calculator they say you can run 50 feet of 10 gauge wire and carry 5 amps 50 feet. You aren't going to get max amperage so just figure 5 amps or so. A 5 % loss isn't great and 3 % or less would be better but you dont need to go that far. If you want to max get 8 gauge wire as it's not much more money.
If you are only using your panel within about 20 feet of your rig the 10 gauge will carry 7 amps with a 3 % loss. If you want to add another panel some day consider 6 gauge wire as it will carry 15 amps 20 feet at 3% loss.
You can roll the wire up and store it next to the controller. The great thing about ground panels is you can get max power all day log. You dont have to babysit it and move it every five minutes but keep it pointed at the sun. Roof panels obviously do better when tilted but being able to point directly at the sun at 8 in the morning is very good. It's not your best sun but it's better than nothing.
This is a vented battery box and power center I built last year. It was no frills as we were trying to keep the cost down. He's running two Sams GC2 and a boondocker and has room for two more. No solar yet as they are vacationers.
There is an Anderson on the side of the battery box in case he needs to connect his back up mega watt. Converter shut off switch and breaker in main panel.
Space for two more GC2, distilled water, hydrometer and vent in bottom of that cavity.
Some panels come with MC 4 connectors on the back and cutting them off can void the warr. Just buy MC4 pigtails and put the anderson on them and plug them into the panels MC4. Anderson is easier to use.
MC4 female/male. Some people use them as their main panel connector
This will hold small than 30 amp fuses too
Tuna will know if THIS is the correct one.
This panel is 12 inches longer than the 120 above but 180 watts for $155. They are located in Norco Cali. They shipped me 3 160 watters to the Q for $35.00 in 2016
Pay attention to the wire, some are copper clad aluminum. I bought 4 gauge Siamese at Starlite solar in Yuma for a friends rewire. Solar stores may be a good source.
