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bartlettj's avatar
bartlettj
Explorer
Jun 11, 2018

Solar charging and tow vehicle battery connection

I'm in the process of installing Renogy 100W flexible solar panels and a charge controller to my TT. It occurs to me that maybe I should be careful about back feeding the tow vehicle electrical system while driving. Has anyone had any issues with tow vehicles interacting with a solar setup while driving down the road? My tow vehicle is a 2012 GMC Sierra 2500HD Z71 Duramax. I guess I can pull the trailer B+ fuse if I need to... I notice I've blown that fuse on my older tow vehicle (Tahoe) if I connect the 7 way to the truck, and with the trailer still plugged into shore power start the engine.
  • bartlettj's avatar
    bartlettj
    Explorer
    Jun 12, 2018
    time2roll wrote:
    No issues.

    In fact a couple years ago my alternator went out in the middle of nowhere Wyoming. Continued to drive on several hours until I came to Gillette WY and could get a new alternator. I am sure the solar was feeding the truck 12v system. May have still made it but the start battery was still in good shape on arrival.

    In storage my solar back feeds the truck and keeps the battery fully charged.


    That's quite a feature, actually! I know the Duramax CRD injectors are pretty power hungry so I wouldn't want to have to limp very far without an alternator in the middle of nowhere.
  • scrubjaysnest's avatar
    scrubjaysnest
    Explorer
    Jun 11, 2018
    Ours back feeds anytime the CC output goes above the alternator output. No issues since 2012 with both a TT and now a MH.
  • time2roll's avatar
    time2roll
    Nomad
    Jun 11, 2018
    No issues.

    In fact a couple years ago my alternator went out in the middle of nowhere Wyoming. Continued to drive on several hours until I came to Gillette WY and could get a new alternator. I am sure the solar was feeding the truck 12v system. May have still made it but the start battery was still in good shape on arrival.

    In storage my solar back feeds the truck and keeps the battery fully charged.

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