Winterizing a solar camper

[steveluannj]

I am new to solar- just picked up a 2022 280RL with the base solar (175W) panel. The controller has been replaced, Has a Renology 40A MPPT charger. I read the manual, and it says when installing, to make sure to connect the battery first- having the panel installed to a controller with no battery can cause damage. I am going to cover the trailer, and we can get significant snow, so I think I need to pull the battery and bring it inside to make sure it does not freeze- like I do for my non- solar old trailer.
There are no instructions for winterizing that I can find, but it seems reasonable that I need to disconnect the solar panel first, so no current can enter the charge controller, then remove the battery, and reconnect next spring in the reverse order.

Can someone check me on this? I tried searching, but did not see this covered.

[howson]

I am new to solar- just picked up a 2022 280RL with the base solar (175W) panel. The controller has been replaced, Has a Renology 40A MPPT charger. I read the manual, and it says when installing, to make sure to connect the battery first- having the panel installed to a controller with no battery can cause damage. I am going to cover the trailer, and we can get significant snow, so I think I need to pull the battery and bring it inside to make sure it does not freeze- like I do for my non- solar old trailer.
There are no instructions for winterizing that I can find, but it seems reasonable that I need to disconnect the solar panel first, so no current can enter the charge controller, then remove the battery, and reconnect next spring in the reverse order.

Can someone check me on this? I tried searching, but did not see this covered.

You've got it exactly correct. Many of us here have added a cutoff switch between the array and input of the controller to make this task simple. Consider adding one. (Below is a snip from my master diagram showing how I inserted a shutoff.)



Howard

[Country Campers]

You could pull the battery after covering the camper, this will remove the solar affect. Does the Renogy controller have an "off" button or mode? This could be used as well. Adding the disconnect switch as stated above is the best method and can also be done after covering.

Brian

[Jlawles2]

Be careful when removing the battery after covering. Not all covers are 100% light blocking and you could still have voltage potential from the charger there.

No solar here, but from keeping up with all of the stuff, most MFG recommend disconnecting the panels first (cover with 100% blocker or disconnect late at night) then disconnect the battery power. Once disconnected, as Howard suggest, add some type of disconnect between the panels and the controller for future service.

[steveluannj]

I waited until night, and disconnected the + wire of the panel from the solar controller, then disconnected the battery and brought it in the house. I plan on upgrading the solar and battery setup before spring, so I will be sure to include a solar disconnect in the refit. Thanks for the coaching on this.