I've been installing a Solar Array in the RV and thought maybe someone would like to see the progress. Got all the solar hardware from Renogy. and some screws, wire clips, and 10 AWG wire from Lowes. Well nuts from Home Depot.
The goal is to be able to dry camp without running the generator. Where we live and do most of our camping the sun it out in full force with no clouds about 320 days of the year. Solar power is used quite a bit even in homes. We camp 4-seasons. Fall through spring camping is my favorite since no AC is required to run the air conditioner. With a 2 battery system, we've got plenty of juice to make it through the night running everything we want and the furnace, bringing the battery down to about 1/2-3/4 battery power left depending on how often the furnace gets used. a 200 watt system will be plenty to bring the batteries back up to full power by nightfall.
Day 1. About an hour.
First step was installing the Z brackets to the panel. Rest the panel at the mount location and mark the holes to be drilled. Z brackets connect the panels to your roof.
Drilled the holes. 2 Per bracket. You only have a little over an inch, if that, as the depth of your roof. Careful not to overshoot the thickness while drilling. I put tape on my drill bit at 5/8 depth.
Next I inserted #10-32 X 5/8 inch well nuts. Hard to find here. Lowes doesn't carry that size. Home Depot does, but I had to raid all their stores in this area to get 16 of them (8 per panel) plus order 7 online and that depleted their online stock. A little squirt of sealant into each hole before inserting the well nut. These well nuts expand inside your roof (much like a sheet rock anchor), and they secure the panel to the roof.
Place the panel over the mounting holes and tighten. I use #10-32 X 3/4 stainless steel machine screws with stainless steel #10 washers and lock washers. Self leveling sealant over the screw heads and brackets just for my own security, although these well nuts are rubber and the pressure from tightening is supposed to make them a water tight seal. It's rained pretty hard already for a couple days with no leaks. The other panel will install on the right side of the roof vent. Each panel is 100 watts.
Day 2, about 3 hours.
Running the cable from the panels to inside the trailer via the fridge vent.
A 3/8 inch cable holder secures the cables to the vent, then bring them inside, and silicone sealant generously applied.
The view from the inside. Of course at this point, I had to remove the fridge. It's a 6 cubic foot freezer over fridge model. unplugged the AC from the wall, disconnected the 2 DC wires. Disconnected the gas line. Removed the screws holding the unit to the floor in the back (5). At the front of the unit, removed the panel trim from top and bottom, and the unit slides right out. It was a 2-person life to get it out and set down softly.
This view is from inside the fridge bay, looking out and up into the corner. I ran the panel cable through the baffle of the upper fridge bay area and into this corner, secured them with 1/2 inch cable holds all the way down to the floor of the fridge bay.
At the floor of the fridge bay I drill 2 holes and ran the panel cables through them. Under the fridge is the furnace bay area.
Cut out a hole big enough to fit my solar controller in. It's the Renogy Adventurer. I wanted to mount this flush-mount controller over the fridge. Seemed like a natural location. Also, note that over the fridge in this trailer, is about a 6 inch wood trim panel takin you up to the roof and Lance already has a cut out that you can only see from the inside. They've already got a mounting position in there for their own solar controller. Would be easy to use. I didn't use it because this is a little bigger, and the instructions clearly indicate that you want at least a 6 inch clearance on all sides, including the top of the unit to the roof. Installing it in that natural location would give about a 1/4 inch clearance from the top of the controller to the roof. The manual states it needs this clearance because the face acts as a heat sink. Not having that clearance may cause it to overheat. I didn't want to chance it. I only want to install this once.
Roof side again, I put the fridge vent cover back on and released with self-leveling sealant over the screw heads.
Later today I'll finish the job and post those pics here as well. Well, it won't really be complete. It'll be operational at half capacity. Later this month I'll buy one more of those solar panels and hook it into the system. For now, it'll be a 100 watt system. We'll try that out this weekend when we dry camp at Guadalupe Peak and climb the highest point in Texas.
The goal is to be able to dry camp without running the generator. Where we live and do most of our camping the sun it out in full force with no clouds about 320 days of the year. Solar power is used quite a bit even in homes. We camp 4-seasons. Fall through spring camping is my favorite since no AC is required to run the air conditioner. With a 2 battery system, we've got plenty of juice to make it through the night running everything we want and the furnace, bringing the battery down to about 1/2-3/4 battery power left depending on how often the furnace gets used. a 200 watt system will be plenty to bring the batteries back up to full power by nightfall.
Day 1. About an hour.
First step was installing the Z brackets to the panel. Rest the panel at the mount location and mark the holes to be drilled. Z brackets connect the panels to your roof.
Drilled the holes. 2 Per bracket. You only have a little over an inch, if that, as the depth of your roof. Careful not to overshoot the thickness while drilling. I put tape on my drill bit at 5/8 depth.
Next I inserted #10-32 X 5/8 inch well nuts. Hard to find here. Lowes doesn't carry that size. Home Depot does, but I had to raid all their stores in this area to get 16 of them (8 per panel) plus order 7 online and that depleted their online stock. A little squirt of sealant into each hole before inserting the well nut. These well nuts expand inside your roof (much like a sheet rock anchor), and they secure the panel to the roof.
Place the panel over the mounting holes and tighten. I use #10-32 X 3/4 stainless steel machine screws with stainless steel #10 washers and lock washers. Self leveling sealant over the screw heads and brackets just for my own security, although these well nuts are rubber and the pressure from tightening is supposed to make them a water tight seal. It's rained pretty hard already for a couple days with no leaks. The other panel will install on the right side of the roof vent. Each panel is 100 watts.
Day 2, about 3 hours.
Running the cable from the panels to inside the trailer via the fridge vent.
A 3/8 inch cable holder secures the cables to the vent, then bring them inside, and silicone sealant generously applied.
The view from the inside. Of course at this point, I had to remove the fridge. It's a 6 cubic foot freezer over fridge model. unplugged the AC from the wall, disconnected the 2 DC wires. Disconnected the gas line. Removed the screws holding the unit to the floor in the back (5). At the front of the unit, removed the panel trim from top and bottom, and the unit slides right out. It was a 2-person life to get it out and set down softly.
This view is from inside the fridge bay, looking out and up into the corner. I ran the panel cable through the baffle of the upper fridge bay area and into this corner, secured them with 1/2 inch cable holds all the way down to the floor of the fridge bay.
At the floor of the fridge bay I drill 2 holes and ran the panel cables through them. Under the fridge is the furnace bay area.
Cut out a hole big enough to fit my solar controller in. It's the Renogy Adventurer. I wanted to mount this flush-mount controller over the fridge. Seemed like a natural location. Also, note that over the fridge in this trailer, is about a 6 inch wood trim panel takin you up to the roof and Lance already has a cut out that you can only see from the inside. They've already got a mounting position in there for their own solar controller. Would be easy to use. I didn't use it because this is a little bigger, and the instructions clearly indicate that you want at least a 6 inch clearance on all sides, including the top of the unit to the roof. Installing it in that natural location would give about a 1/4 inch clearance from the top of the controller to the roof. The manual states it needs this clearance because the face acts as a heat sink. Not having that clearance may cause it to overheat. I didn't want to chance it. I only want to install this once.
Roof side again, I put the fridge vent cover back on and released with self-leveling sealant over the screw heads.
Later today I'll finish the job and post those pics here as well. Well, it won't really be complete. It'll be operational at half capacity. Later this month I'll buy one more of those solar panels and hook it into the system. For now, it'll be a 100 watt system. We'll try that out this weekend when we dry camp at Guadalupe Peak and climb the highest point in Texas.
abslayer wrote:Neither is balanced. For option one move the negative controller wire from the left battery to the right battery and it will then be balanced.
This is what I am talking about and which would be best
And the positive should also have a fuse. And maybe a switch depending upon the controller.
