To conduit... Or not to conduit...?

[bigcitypopo]

Ok,

I'm piecing together my solar stuff. I have a combiner box and mc4 cable enroute, I actually have enough room in the fridge vent topper to place a sealed box in there...

Panels to combiner box, combiner box to controller mounted in fridge area xtra space, controller down through fridge compartment to underside, underside to batteries.

Anyways, my underbelly is sealed but once I drop the skirting and work through the insulation I have access to the "I" beam, should I run some 3/4 or 1" sch40 and run the line to the batts through that. Or just use cable fasteners and self tap screws to secure the two wires to the "i" beam ...to the batts...

Am I over thinking is...

[RVWithTito]

Yup...I would use conduit whenever possible. It's worth it and makes for a much better install. I used 3/4" flexible PVC for the cable runs under the rig to the controller. Zip tie them to the frame.

[RoyB]

I found out real quick I needed conduit under my OFF-ROAD trailer. It doesn't have the covered membrane like yours but on my first trip to the woods I snagged several of my under trailer rats nest type wiring and had to do some quick twist and tape jobs to finish out my camping trip.

I used 3/4 inch PVC flexible conduit and also installed some upsidedown PVC junction wiring boxes that accepted 3/4-inch conduit.

The electrical junction boxes with a large hole drilled in the bottom of it are mounted where wiring came through my floors usually inside a cabinet floor. I made a round-robin approach and now I can fish wiring all the place and still be inside the PVC CONDUIT. This also solved my uncovered holes and other ways for insects and critters to get into my trailer. Everything all sealed up now from the bottom.

You can get an idea what I did from this floor plan drawing showing my 3/4-inch path in BLUE.


This is the the type of PVC Electrical junction boxes I used. These have weatherproof lids so I can remove those from the bottom and route cables real easy from point A to point B... (ALL FROM LOWES)


Might not work so well if you have covered membrane on the bottom of the trailer.

I use this flexible conduit and electrical junction boxes idea for all my wiring mods... Best way i can think of for going thru a wall or floor.

Just food for thought
Roy Ken

[RCMAN46]

Conduit.

In fact if it were me I would install a spare conduit. You never know what mod you may want to make it the future.

The cost and effort to go with conduit is minimal.

[Almot]

westend wrote:

bigcitypopo wrote:
Ok, I ordered the combiner box so if I didn't need it, I'd send it back. Just being prepared.

How many panels are you installing?

And what panels, and are they in series or parallel?

[westend]

bigcitypopo wrote:
Ok, I ordered the combiner box so if I didn't need it, I'd send it back. Just being prepared.

How many panels are you installing?

[bigcitypopo]

Ok, I ordered the combiner box so if I didn't need it, I'd send it back. Just being prepared.

[westend]

I'd opt for conduit. I used flexible non-metallic for brake wiring and it's OK but if I was doing it again, I'd use PVC. I have one underside battery bank run through 1 1/2 ABS but that is overkill for your run. I have two #1 AWG cables, the battery temp wire, and two #14 THHN in the ABS pipe. Liquatite is probably the best conduit, the stuff is darn near indestructible.

[0rion]

I always opt for protecting wiring whether it's conduit or convoluted tubing. I also always opt for solder and heat shrinked over butt connectors. In my youth I spent way too much time finding bad or corroded connections. I no longer do that. Do it once and do it right.

[bobsallyh]

I use Liquid Tight. It is a grey flexible conduit available at HD or Lowes. They also have the fittings and it is easy to use. They sell it by the foot or roll. You may see it used quite a bit between the shutoff switch and a residential/commercial AC unit.

[time2roll]

I used corrugated wire loom wrap, zip tied to the frame.

[AlbertaNewbie]

Conduit definitely, if you ever have a short or issue pull it out with a pull string tied on to pull back in.

[Almot]

Combiner box in the fridge vent is same bad as on the roof, or maybe even worse than on the roof. On the roof you have UV and rain, in the vent - a lot of heat. If you are running MC4 all the way to controller, you don't need a combiner box.

Definitely conduit. I don't like this frame route, there is a risk of shorting the wires where they are rubbing at the holes in the beams, but conduit will at least give some protection.

[KD4UPL]

It doesn't matter, either will work. I'd install conduit. It's always handy to be able to add or change wiring latter.