My solar install. Clean and Simple.

morey000

Goal: not have it come out looking like an 8-year old did the job, which is like most other things I do.  The T@B is new, and I wanted the install to look good, be clean, simple and basically invisible.

Parts list (with links)- plus some odds and ends like cable ties. 
Total cost $350.
(you could save $100 by going with a PWM controller with no bluetooth)

100w Rich Solar flex panel  ETFE coated, current technology, microdots imbedded for better off axis power absorption.  Slightly higher voltage/lower current minimizes loses and takes advantage of the MPPT controller, reputable company, reasonably priced ($130 for the 100W flex panel).
Renogy Rover 20A MPPT controller  Found the positive ground version on amazon for $52.  Granted- nothing in the US is positive ground, but the whole system is floating anyway, so it doesn't matter. 
Renogy BT-1 Bluetooth I don't want another display in my cabin.  technology should be seamless and invisible.  I'll check my phone when I want to see what it's doing.
Renogy 8ft 10AWG tray cables (controller to battery.  measured distance- bought the length I needed)
BourgeRV 10ft  10AWG cables with MC4 Connectors  (Panel to Controller.  measured distance- bought the length I needed)
Link Solar double cable entry (for clean sealed roof entry)
3M VHB Double sided tape (super strong- holds panel on roof, and IMHO, looks cleaner than that Eternabond tape... which also looks like good stuff)

Procedure:

1.  Cleaned panel with alcohol- and attached the 3M VHB double sided tape on the back of the panel.  I put some additional strips across the middle, more than is shown here.  seems super secure.  this stuff is used to attach car mouldings.  


3.  Clean roof area with alcohol and Mount panel on roof (photos later)

4.  Remove AC unit.  Just remove the two side screws with a #2Square head, the frame comes off.  Then pull the unit out and set it on the couch.  The power cord is sufficiently long.  Then pick a spot in front of the AC fan and behind the aluminum frame- and just far enough from the edge of the trailer and drill the hole... yeah, I know it hurts but it came out really clean (on top- the veneer splintered a bit)

5.  Then thread the red and black panel cables through the cable entry cover you bought, and down into the AC compartment.

6.  see that yellow 110VAC wire... yeah, shove the red and black DC power cables alongside it until they come out in the compartment under the seat.  takes a little fiddling.  I have to thank Adan in the service department at Tom's Camperland.  I asked him what the best way to run the wires off the roof and he gave me this idea.  



Like so!  

The 10ft cables were a perfect length.

In the photo below- you'll see I already mounted the little black bluetooth transmitter on the wood frame on the right there- just next to the carbon monoxide detector's back.  Step 7?

You'll also notice the cables coming up through the floor, right next to the clear plastic tube- which is the AC condensation drain tube.  that tube goes straight out the floor and is bonded to the undersurface cover material.  I drilled 2 - 3/8" holes right along side that and shoved the battery power cables right up into the compartment.  

ok- so much for my steps... I'm already out of order.  




Open up the driver's side of the underside cover by removing a bunch of bolts and rails the tray cables from the battery compartment.

the little red circles next to the AC drain pipe is where I drilled the holes- down from the top, where the battery wires enter. Don't drill them through the bottom cover.


The cables come out of the side of the battery, covered in that plastic cable wrap (Lowes).  Then secured along the frame rail with sticky backed cable ties and up into the under-seat compartment.  8ft was perfect.



Insert and tighten the wires from the battery into the charge controller.  Attach the battery wires prior to the solar panel wires.
The controller fits nicely in between the CO2 monitor and the 110VAC power outlet, with air space around for its cooling fins on the underside.


And this is what it looks like from the roof- with the MC4 connectors going into the cable entry.  




Wanted it to look nice and clean.  I used the dicor lap sealant-the white goop around the cable entry; however I made one error.  I thought the lap sealant was also an adhesive, like my white silicone calk is.  Well- it isn't.  I needed to clean it all up, (alcohol worked well), adhere the cover to the roof with that 3M VHB tape, and then gooped it up again.  Not sure I'm impressed with this dicor stuff. Got it because it was recommended for RV roofs- but it doesn't seem to be all that great.

I can always add the MC4 Y-splitters in there and run power cables across the roof to a 2nd panel when I need more.  The controller handles up to 260W, and the 10AWG wires can handle a lot more. 

jkjenn

Good work! One of the cleaner installs I have seen.

MyBrotherGodzilla

Hi @morey000! I'm at the point of figuring out the best way to route my panel wires into the cabin, and your method looks like it could do the trick for me. Can you elaborate a bit on (a) how you decided where to put the roof cable-entry gland, and (b) how you snaked the wires from that entry point down to the hole you drilled in the a/c compartment?

I have the roof rack kit installed on my 320 and I'm wanting to mount my rigid 200W panel back there. I was hoping to find a place aft of the roof vent, but from what I've been told on other threads, there is no void there to run the wires. I want to minimize visible wire runs on the exterior of the camper itself.

Thank you!

morey000

Firstly- If I had a rigid panel, I might just save it to use it as an external panel that I could place in the sun.  I often park in the shade, under trees, or facing in the 'wrong' direction- and it would be nice to be able to sit a panel where there's actual sunlight. New flexible panels aren't that much money these days- and they just fit so beautifully on the curved roof of a T@B. 

a:  How did I pick the spot to drill the hole?  I wanted it to come down inside the AC cabinet area so I could snake it along side the yellow 120VAC power line that runs from the Inverter under the seat up to the AC Unit 120V outlet. 

So, as you can see from the photos- it kinda' comes down in the middle of the AC box.  Once the AC unit is removed, you can measure (or eyeball) its relationship to the external AC vent for positioning.  As you can see I sorta' lined it up with the forward edge.  Just wanted to make sure I didn't drill down into the metal frame piece.

b:  How to snake.  yeah- that's a bit of a snake job.  Took some fiddling, but since the yellow power line is snaked through there- I knew that I could just follow the same path.  Just keep poking it and it will eventually come out the bottom under the seat. It didn't require any special tricks or a stiff feeding wire or anything.  Obviously- if you are going to run the power lines from the rear rack, you'll need longer than 10ft. 

Anyway- I'm very happy with how mine came out.  I'm a boondocker and I've yet to run out of juice.  But- I do travel in the SouthWest where we have a lot of sun.  

MyBrotherGodzilla

Thanks. Still not quite putting 2 and 2 together here for the pathway between the a/c compartment and the roof. And I'm thinking maybe it's because your interior layout is different from mine. this photo isn't my camper, but the layout is basically the same: the a/c sits just above the floor, then there's a storage compartment, and then the stove above that. So if I wanted to route a wire from the a/c compartment to the roof, it would need to be basically inside the wall. Is your interior layout like this?

At this point, I'm leaning towards a different path for my wires, but I've gotten this far in the conversation, I am curious to better understand. :-D Much appreciated.

VictoriaP

@MyBrotherGodzilla The photo you provided is of a model without the bathroom. Models with the bath have interior walls that are hollow, and that’s where the wires in morey000’s post are routed. None of the exterior walls are hollow; like the roof (and the floor on newer models), the exterior walls are laminated sandwich construction. Your solar wires could be run through cabinets, or down the inside wall and hidden with a cable cover of some sort. Alternatively, if you have a non clamshell, some people have run it through the plastic trim outside.

It’s helpful for everyone if you specify your year and model when posting, since there are changes to each model and year that might influence your options for modifying your trailer. Most of us put this in the signature section of our profiles so it appears on every post, but you can also just add this info to your posts  as needed.

Patrick

Very nice! I wish I had seen this before I ran mine all the way down the front this past weekend xD

MauiBen

This looks great and easy to do. I have a new-to-me 2018 clamshell and I may copy your installation. How does the system perform while dry camping? Can it replace the energy used by running the fridge all day, heater all night (on propane), and a shower or two? Thanks.

morey000

MyBrotherGodzilla said:

Thanks. Still not quite putting 2 and 2 together here for the pathway between the a/c compartment and the roof. And I'm thinking maybe it's because your interior layout is different from mine. this photo isn't my camper, but the layout is basically the same: the a/c sits just above the floor...

oh, yeah.  way different.  My AC is near the ceiling, just aft of the bathroom.  So now I understand why my routing makes no sense for you, as I basically routed it down the bathroom wall... which you don't have.  Hmm- wish I could help, but I'm of no help here.  Mine's too different.  

morey000

MauiBen said:

This looks great and easy to do. I have a new-to-me 2018 clamshell and I may copy your installation. How does the system perform while dry camping? Can it replace the energy used by running the fridge all day, heater all night (on propane), and a shower or two? Thanks.

I boondock pretty much exclusively.  I just have the 75 A-Hr battery that came with my '19 320S Boondock, and that 100W panel.  Giving me maybe 40 A-hr tops to use.  It definitely cannot run the fridge all day, but my fridge is a 3-way and I run it off propane.  So, my power users are whatever drainage current everything saps, use of the ceiling fan, LED lights, water pump, and whatever power the Alde requires (when on propane).  Oh- I play music a lot through the Jensen.  Never have used the TV.  I've been 2-1/2 days with no sun (and a lot of pouring rain), and was getting down to the minimum 50% on my battery. (12.0V).  That said, with just a few hours of AZ sun, even at an angle, it seems to top off the battery every day.  

So, 'Yes' on the heater and shower.  But run your fridge off gas.  LED lights and water pump use almost nothing. As for the fan- That'll suck 10Ahr per hour or more.  So, use sparingly unless you have sunshine.  

DaveNJennyAdventures

@morey000 thanks for the great article. I have a 2017 320s also, and inspired by you I just pulled out my ac, removed panels under the vehicle, etc. to map out the path.  Your pictures are great, and I can clearly see how to get from roof to battery. 

Some questions:

• I didn't think the tab was positive ground, so why use a positive ground controller?
• Did you consider running a second cable from controller "load" to battery compartment? My understanding is some of the charge controllers will give you more detailed information about supply/demand on your system if load is hooked up
• You mentioned not liking dicor. Do you (or anyone) have an alternative recommendation about that?

Thanks!
Dave

morey000

DaveNJennyAdventures said:

@morey000 thanks for the great article. I have a 2017 320s also, and inspired by you I just pulled out my ac, removed panels under the vehicle, etc. to map out the path.  Your pictures are great, and I can clearly see how to get from roof to battery. 

Some questions:

• I didn't think the tab was positive ground, so why use a positive ground controller?
• Did you consider running a second cable from controller "load" to battery compartment? My understanding is some of the charge controllers will give you more detailed information about supply/demand on your system if load is hooked up
• You mentioned not liking dicor. Do you (or anyone) have an alternative recommendation about that?

Thanks!
Dave

1.  because I found a positive ground controller on sale.  it doesn't matter- the ground is floating in this setup.
2.  I did- but, in the end, I decided I didn't care enough about counting amp-hours and being OCD about that.  I don't have a lot of power needs.  I just check my battery voltage and make sure I have enough.  which- I know is wrong if under load.
3.  I'm no expert.  I've used flex-seal in a pinch on my house roof.  here's a list: https://www.getawaycouple.com/best-rv-roof-sealant/


sorry my responses are a year and a half late

A_boondock_owner

Double-edged versus "overlapping" tape -- I would think over time the double edged tape may allow wind underneath that would at worst lose your panel, at best turn it into a kite and cause some pretty interesting "road noise"; this as a sailboat captain and light aircraft pilot, who's seen wind (and water) get almost everywhere you don't want it to go!