Solar Switch
Hi All - When I installed my solar setup I put an in-line fuse between the panels and the charge controller, but unfortunately, it's on the roof. Never occurred to me I might want an easy way to shut...
Forum Discussion
With all respect to qualified stick house solar installers, my understanding is that an RV is not a stick house, and so "The Code" does not apply, and so the panels need not be "grounded" (to what in an RV? ) We don't have to worry about firemen on the roof trying to put out a chimney fire and stepping on live panel wires under water and all that.
Some controllers are internal pos ground and some are neg ground if you ever "chassis grounded" the controller (Why do that in an RV?.) Some have a plastic casing, so that would be a good trick with them.
So, AFAIK the only reason to have the panel to controller switch is for those controllers which will fry if left on panel with no battery/ (There is incomplete info on which ones they are, so the safe thing is to assume yours will fry.)
So bottom line is, with panels and controller not "grounded" in the RV, it makes no difference which wire you switch to "open."
If you chose to switch the neg wire and somehow the pos got shorted to the neg wire (how? ), so what? Panels don't mind being shorted.
Some controllers are internal pos ground and some are neg ground if you ever "chassis grounded" the controller (Why do that in an RV?.) Some have a plastic casing, so that would be a good trick with them.
So, AFAIK the only reason to have the panel to controller switch is for those controllers which will fry if left on panel with no battery/ (There is incomplete info on which ones they are, so the safe thing is to assume yours will fry.)
So bottom line is, with panels and controller not "grounded" in the RV, it makes no difference which wire you switch to "open."
If you chose to switch the neg wire and somehow the pos got shorted to the neg wire (how? ), so what? Panels don't mind being shorted.
