Solar combiner box.

[Muddydogs]

Anyone have some pics or links to a DIY solar panel roof mounted combiner box?

My solar is acting up and not charging, I think its the quick connects coming off the panels to the main line on the roof. Figure I need to remove the quick connects and either solder the connections or run them into a combiner box. Since I need to mess with the stuff on the roof I might as well add another panel for a total of 3 at 300 watts so 3 lines coming into the main line is probably to much to solder together plus if I need to replace a panel having all 3 connected together would be a pain so I might as well just add a combiner box on the roof.

[time2roll]

Muddydogs wrote:
Thats what I have now on the roof. When you wiggle the connectors I get 14.4 volts when not wiggling them I get 12.3 which is what the battery's are charged to. Kind of think I didn't catch the lack of charge in time and it cost me a battery. Guess there not as water tight as they claim to be.

Seems odd for these to fail.

You should find some boxes here:

> Members Solar Installations With Pics

[BFL13]

There are photos of various combiners guys have put on their RV roofs in that "archive" of forum members' solar sets, if you can find that. It was meant to be a sticky, but didn't make it.

[Muddydogs]

2oldman wrote:
You can dispense with a cb by connecting in series.

I guess I need to study up on solar again. Installed my system 4 years ago and after the install I guess I purged the info from my head as I don't remember all the particulars.

After a quick refresher reading I want to stick with parallel as most of the time I'm in shady areas. Parallel has been working great for the last few years with just 200 watts on the roof.

[Muddydogs]

time2roll wrote:
MC4 combiner box:



Or go 3:1

Thats what I have now on the roof. When you wiggle the connectors I get 14.4 volts when not wiggling them I get 12.3 which is what the battery's are charged to. Kind of think I didn't catch the lack of charge in time and it cost me a battery. Guess there not as water tight as they claim to be.

[2oldman]

You can dispense with a cb by connecting in series.

[time2roll]

MC4 combiner box:



Or go 3:1

[agesilaus]

Youtube

That's an $8 DIY combiner, just a water proof box and some bus bars. I'm working on a 4 panel system, 2 series into 2 parallel so that one looks like what I need.