Aluminum pre-installed solar wire

I called the factory, spoke to a real person! After all the frustration sure was nice. Small companies, you can find someone who actually knows things.

My wires were behind a false front Only 1 more trip to Ace hardware to get a few things and I can throw the switch. The solar panels mount really nicely using that VHB tape. I fell as though I could eventually stress and tear the thin aluminum frame of the panels before pulling the mounts off.

And, have to think about using the generator pre-wire to work an inverter in.

Would be nice.

Thanks for the help!

Dave

Well, everything is tight and neatly dressed, no solar wire coming from the roof that is obvious. I'll have to call.

Jeez, what can I say!!!.... must depend on who did the wiring that day!....bloody hell!....mine is a 2017 and wires were right there behind water pump....

Well, everything is tight and neatly dressed, no solar wire coming from the roof that is obvious. I'll have to call.

My toy hauler did not have a transfer switch and was set up the same way - There was a plug from the generator where you could plug in the camper AC shore power. This was actually very useful when we lost power in the house, since I was easily able to tap in to my 5500w Onan that was fueled by a 40 gallon tank. Since my home had natural gas heat, hot water, oven and clothes dryer, that generator could power the whole house.

camp woof wrote:
I was a little frustrated that nothing is written down (or I missed where anything was mentioned about the solar pre-wire).

No you didn't miss anything. I'm a Bigfoot guy, but was not happy that no info was printed about solar or generator wiring.
Did you find the 30A female plug on the forward wall of your shore cable compartment to plug the shore power cable into to power up camper if you run a generator?....I put an inverter in the gen compartment and wired it into the 110v box located there for outgoing generator power....the 110V wire from that box goes to the 30A female plug in shore cable compartment. Poor mans swiching device....shore cable will be either plugged into park post, or generator plug, or nothing at all.

Ah, thanks Z-Peller! I was looking behind the drawer beneath the fridge, saw something coming down but not where it went. Great, this won't be so bad, nice to have this forum for help!!

I was a little frustrated that nothing is written down (or I missed where anything was mentioned about the solar pre-wire).

It's going to be great to hit the road here at the last of summer!

Dave

Camp woof

My BF 10.4 pre wire solar wiring was behind galley bank of drawers against outside wall behind water pump.Took drawers out and had room to work I mounted solar controller below bank of drawers almost at floor level. Was enough pre wire coiled & marked there to reach controller & cut, then run from controller to battery box. I drilled hole in side of plastic battery box to run wires thru with grommet & siliconed it.

The unmarked #6 wires in your gen/ batt compartments are each one wire pos & neg running between generator and battery compartments. Small wires are from starter switch in galley.

Camp woof wrote:

...
I thought the 6AWG were Aluminum, but I can't tell the difference between ALU and tin plating. Wasn't going to take chances. So now I just have to find where the 8AWG copper rooftop wire terminates...
Dave

There's is a lot of CCA, copper clad aluminum, in use. Not house wiring or general RV use but a lot of components will be CCA or partially. inexpensive jumper cables etc.
If it appears copper but you think might be aluminum or just to check
scrape it, if CCA it'll show white pretty quick. If its already white then likely tinned copper, again scraping would verify.

Yes, you are all correct about ALU, on the roof I have 8 AWG copper. I was so wrapped up in things I forgot because I have 2 sets of unterminated 6 AWG wires, one in battery compartment and one in generator compartment. None of these 6 AWG sets ohmed out to the 8AWG on the roof. And it would make a lot more sense to just have 1 run of solar wire.

I thought the 6AWG were Aluminum, but I can't tell the difference between ALU and tin plating. Wasn't going to take chances. So now I just have to find where the 8AWG copper rooftop wire terminates.

Besides, if I'm on the roof and spend more than 20 minutes, I forget what I was doing anyway by the time I come back down.

I'll have to go ahead and ask the mfg where my solar wire terminates. The wire coming out of the rooftop fridge vent is helpfully labeled. The 6AWG in the battery and generator compartments are not labeled.

Thanks, great not to have to worry about aluminum!

Dave

Yes, think you must be mistaken...have never heard of aluminum wire for DC service....AC service aluminum house wiring was banned in Canada in 1980's....I have owned 3 bigfoot units since 2002 and no aluminum wiring in any of them....have seen tinned copper though in solar kits wiring that I have bought myself and installed....