Imagine XLS 22MLE solar input port

[bbeauchaine87408]

I'm the new owner of an Imagine XLS 22MLE (since May).

I was looking for the Solar power inlet on the trailer, which is explicitly listed in the product specs. In the universal docking station, there is a small holder on the cabin side wall that says something about solar (don't recall the exact wording), but it is only a coil of wires - not a terminal. I expected a Furion or MC4 connector somewhere, but I must have guessed wrong. There is nothing on the exterior.

What exactly did they mean in the specs when they mention "solar power inlet"?

It's really more of a curiosity now, since I already have two 100W panels and a controller that I connect directly to the battery, which would exceed the Furion connector power rating if one was available, but still.

[TucsonJim]

There are two different set ups on GDRV units. Solar ready, and solar equipped. These can mean different things depending on the model and when it was produced. It sounds like you have the 10AWG wire already run from the roof to the storage bay. On the roof, there should be a metal plate that is sealed with lap sealant. Under the plate, should be wires that you can use to plug into your solar panels. In the basement, there are no MC4 connectors because most owners would terminate the wire into a fuse, then on to the solar charge controller. Many charge controllers don't take MC4 connectors.

Another possibility depending on your model is that the wire in the storage bay is a "pull wire" so you can run the wiring of your choice up to the roof.

I ran two portable 100 watt panels for a couple of years just like you are. It does have advantages of being able to move them out of the shade.

Jim

[Tigger1]

What exactly did they mean in the specs when they mention "solar power inlet"?

It's really more of a curiosity now, since I already have two 100W panels and a controller that I connect directly to the battery, which would exceed the Furion connector power rating if one was available, but still.

On our ‘20 22mle, purchased Nov ‘19, there is a black Furrion Solar Charge 10A Port on the exterior, driver’s side, just in front of the storage bay. No wires running to roof.

The Owner’s Manual states:
Solar Port (If So Equipped)
The Furrion quick connect solar charging inlet is designed for use with the (customer supplied) Furrion 95W portable solar power charging system (FSPP10SA-BL).

[Country Campers]

If I am not mistaken I believe that Grand Design has done away with the Furrion Solar port on the side of there RV's. I think they are also going to a "solar prep" package that would have box on the roof as TucsonJim has mentioned above with a string or wire that comes down thru a channel into the front pass thru storage area. What you may be seeing in the literature may be a few months old compared to your build date and changes taking place.
GDRV-Megan could you please confirm , or deny , the solar information that is being installed? Post #1 is the question.

Brian

[bbeauchaine87408]

There are two different set ups on GDRV units. Solar ready, and solar equipped.

Yes, mine is solar ready, not equipped.

These can mean different things depending on the model and when it was produced. It sounds like you have the 10AWG wire already run from the roof to the storage bay. On the roof, there should be a metal plate that is sealed with lap sealant. Under the plate, should be wires that you can use to plug into your solar panels. In the basement, there are no MC4 connectors because most owners would terminate the wire into a fuse, then on to the solar charge controller. Many charge controllers don't take MC4 connectors.

I will check on the rooftop connections next time I have the cover off. That would explain much, but also raise more questions.

To what does the wire in the basement connect? I assume that since my rig isn't solar equipped, there is no charge controller. Is the expectation to put the controller in the roof access, or split the wire in the basement and install it there? Do the basement wires connect to the fuse panel, directly to the batteries, or somewhere else? A simple wiring diagram would do wonders.

Thanks for the reply.

[Country Campers]

Being as you have "solar ready" you will have the box on the roof as Jim has described. In that box will be 2 MC4 connectors that will allow you to attach your solar panels. The wire in the pass thru is the positive and negative wires attached to the MC4 connectors , if you use these make sure that they are color coded correctly and wire correctly do not go by the wire colors. From these wires in the pass thru you will connect all of your solar goodies , solar charge , controller , fuses and such , depending on how you design your system. Plenty of help on here on the proper layout of a solar setup.

Brian

[bbeauchaine87408]

Being as you have "solar ready" you will have the box on the roof as Jim has described. In that box will be 2 MC4 connectors that will allow you to attach your solar panels. The wire in the pass thru is the positive and negative wires attached to the MC4 connectors , if you use these make sure that they are color coded correctly and wire correctly do not go by the wire colors. From these wires in the pass thru you will connect all of your solar goodies , solar charge , controller , fuses and such , depending on how you design your system. Plenty of help on here on the proper layout of a solar setup.

Let me preface with the fact that I'm not new to solar, and I have an Electrical Engineering degree, so none of this is new or scary.

The wire in the pass-thru has no terminations. It pops in one hole in the wall, the excess coiled up in a box, and exits through another hole, unbroken (I believe there is only one, haven't double checked). I assume one end goes to the roof, and the other end goes - where? Directly to the battery? To an unspecified built in charge controller? (unlikely, but that's the point of this question). There is nothing in the owner's manual about what "solar ready" means, and nothing is labeled. As it stands right now, there is a wire that would seem to allow you to connect a rooftop solar panel directly to "whatever is at the other end of the wire, hidden inside the trailer, terminated in your-best-guess". Knowing what's at the far end determines what I do for the rest of the system. If I cut the wire and measure battery voltage on one side of the cut, I have a pretty good clue, but it's still only a guess on my part.

[Country Campers]

Let me preface with the fact that I'm not new to solar, and I have an Electrical Engineering degree, so none of this is new or scary.

The wire in the pass-thru has no terminations. It pops in one hole in the wall, the excess coiled up in a box, and exits through another hole, unbroken (I believe there is only one, haven't double checked). I assume one end goes to the roof, and the other end goes - where? Directly to the battery? To an unspecified built in charge controller? (unlikely, but that's the point of this question). There is nothing in the owner's manual about what "solar ready" means, and nothing is labeled. As it stands right now, there is a wire that would seem to allow you to connect a rooftop solar panel directly to "whatever is at the other end of the wire, hidden inside the trailer, terminated in your-best-guess". Knowing what's at the far end determines what I do for the rest of the system. If I cut the wire and measure battery voltage on one side of the cut, I have a pretty good clue, but it's still only a guess on my part.

If there is only one wire then it is used to pull 2 wires supplied by the owner at a proper size for there set up.
The Solar options that are installed by GD is a little confusing. They seem to have different packages for different models so a little more investigation on your part will help us all understand exactly what you have.

Brian

[GDRV-Megan]

I'm the new owner of an Imagine XLS 22MLE (since May).

I was looking for the Solar power inlet on the trailer, which is explicitly listed in the product specs. In the universal docking station, there is a small holder on the cabin side wall that says something about solar (don't recall the exact wording), but it is only a coil of wires - not a terminal. I expected a Furion or MC4 connector somewhere, but I must have guessed wrong. There is nothing on the exterior.

What exactly did they mean in the specs when they mention "solar power inlet"?

It's really more of a curiosity now, since I already have two 100W panels and a controller that I connect directly to the battery, which would exceed the Furion connector power rating if one was available, but still.

Here's where the roof mount location is (ignore the dirty roof )




And here is the location in the pass-thru storage:

[capitals25]

Here's where the roof mount location is (ignore the dirty roof )




And here is the location in the pass-thru storage:

Thanks for these pics, @GDRV-Megan . However, the mystery still remains unsolved as described by bbeauchaine87408 earlier in the thread. I'm in the same boat - I'm trying to understand where that coil of wires ends up and what it terminates to, if anything. I removed the side panel from the hookup station to get a better look at the wire. The wire comes from the roof down through the top of the pass through. It then coils into the black "Solar/Inv Line" holster shown in your 2nd picture. It then goes back out of that black holster and down and out of the pass through to a hidden location below the pass through.

Since the wires don't just come down from the top, coil up and end in the black box, they seem to go on to some other hidden area below the rig. If they ended in the pass through, I would think they are meant to hook up to whatever equipment is preferred for a customized completed setup. However, since they go on to another area that seems inaccessible and is not documented in the manual, I'd really like to know where they end up and if anything is attached on that end.

I spoke with someone in support about this a few weeks ago, and they weren't able to provide an answer. They sent me a diagram for a suggested completed inverter setup, but it's still unclear what equipment, if any, is already onboard in addition to the roof-mounted input panel and wiring.

Any additional info you could provide would be wonderful!

[howson]

Thanks for these pics, @GDRV-Megan . However, the mystery still remains unsolved as described by bbeauchaine87408 earlier in the thread. I'm in the same boat - I'm trying to understand where that coil of wires ends up and what it terminates to, if anything. I removed the side panel from the hookup station to get a better look at the wire. The wire comes from the roof down through the top of the pass through. It then coils into the black "Solar/Inv Line" holster shown in your 2nd picture. It then goes back out of that black holster and down and out of the pass through to a hidden location below the pass through.

Since the wires don't just come down from the top, coil up and end in the black box, they seem to go on to some other hidden area below the rig. If they ended in the pass through, I would think they are meant to hook up to whatever equipment is preferred for a customized completed setup. However, since they go on to another area that seems inaccessible and is not documented in the manual, I'd really like to know where they end up and if anything is attached on that end.

I spoke with someone in support about this a few weeks ago, and they weren't able to provide an answer. They sent me a diagram for a suggested completed inverter setup, but it's still unclear what equipment, if any, is already onboard in addition to the roof-mounted input panel and wiring.

Any additional info you could provide would be wonderful!

Have you seen the Reference Material sub-channels? There's a few (it's a relatively new addition) of these sub-channel, one of them being in the Solar channel.



In the Reference Material sub-channel are diagrams provided by GD that show a simplified wiring setup.

I've expanded on GD's basic diagram to show more detail. Does the picture below make sense? Remember to verify the polarity of the wiring from the MC4 connector wiring! It could be backwards.


Howard

[mpking]

howson, you might want to notate that the solar controller in your picture is customer provided.

[GDRV-Megan]

capitals25 from that solar/inv line "holster", as you referred it as, it goes down to the mini-breakers, which is located on the front of the a-frame. The red line goes to the 30 amp mini breaker that's mounted on the copper bus bar/or a direct link to the battery (inside of the A-frame).

[howson]

howson, you might want to notate that the solar controller in your picture is customer provided.

Good point! I added the info in the Reference Material copy. Anything else or think it's OK?

https://gdrvowners.com/forum/solar/r...0023#post30023

[TucsonJim]

Good point! I added the info in the Reference Material copy. Anything else or think it's OK?

https://gdrvowners.com/forum/solar/r...0023#post30023

Howard - I just commented on that other post. Fuses or circuit breakers are required on both sides of the controller, and a shut off switch is a great convenience to add. But I see from Megan's comments that there are mini breakers along the A frame. So the only fuse/breaker the owners would need to supply would be between the panels and the controller.

Jim