Portable Solar Panel

[OG1]

Grand Design 2019 Reflection 29RS, two 12V lead acid batteries. I'm researching portable solar panels. Neighbor RV owner at storage park said I should not go over 100W because anything more would damage the battery cells (he has a 90W solar panel). But gpelectric.com rep said I should select a 130W panel, and maybe the salesman just wanted to promote a more expensive product. This is the one I was considering: https://gpelectric.com/products/130-...ble-solar-kit/
I am a novice to anything electric and trying to avoid the expense of a roof mount, so what do any of you advise?
Thanks in advance...

[TucsonJim]

Welcome to the forum. That 130 watt panel with a 10 amp controller will work just fine for your set up. How will you connect it to the batteries?

Jim

[Second Chance]

TucsonJim is correct - that would be a great setup for you. Perhaps your storage facility neighbor doesn't have a good controller on his. The controller is designed to match the charge rate to the batteries' needs. One thing to keep in mind with a portable setup - especially in a storage facility - is security and the risk of theft. These things tend to grow legs...

Rob

[Yoda]

Grand Design 2019 Reflection 29RS, two 12V lead acid batteries. I'm researching portable solar panels. Neighbor RV owner at storage park said I should not go over 100W because anything more would damage the battery cells (he has a 90W solar panel). But gpelectric.com rep said I should select a 130W panel, and maybe the salesman just wanted to promote a more expensive product. This is the one I was considering: https://gpelectric.com/products/130-...ble-solar-kit/
I am a novice to anything electric and trying to avoid the expense of a roof mount, so what do any of you advise?
Thanks in advance...

I have a GoPower roof mount system (I think it is 170 watt) and it works very well. Product is well made

[TucsonJim]

I responded on my phone last night, so my answer was pretty short. Here's a little more information.

You can hook up well over 1000 watts of solar to your batteries as long as you're running the connection through a solar controller. The Go Power unit you are referencing has it's own solar controller. It will work wonderfully.

One caution though. If you ever try to run a solar panel into the solar connection port on the side of the trailer, you should try to stay at 120 watts or smaller. The reason for this is the size of the wiring and fuse that are installed from the port to the batteries. They just aren't large enough to handle any more power. As long as you're running the output of the solar controller on your Go Power device directly to the battery terminals with the provided wire from Go Power, you'll be fine.

Jim

P.S. When you get a chance, check out the letter in the link below. We tried to put together some tips and tricks for navigating the forum.

https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members

[Jh0034]

I have a question- just picked up a 2016 348m with the solar prep port on the front side. Is there a Solar system/ panel that is truly plug and play? Only looking to run lights, plugs, etc for now.

[TucsonJim]

I have a question- just picked up a 2016 348m with the solar prep port on the front side. Is there a Solar system/ panel that is truly plug and play? Only looking to run lights, plugs, etc for now.

Welcome to the forum Jh. Glad you could join us.

Yes, that port is designed to directly accept the Furrion 95W solar panel. It's very pricey, but it is very well built and does a good job for the types of loads you're talking about. In fact, my son has one and he can go days at a time without ever having to fire up a generator to charge his batteries. I did a cursory search this morning and I didn't find a listing for that panel any more. In the past, they were close to $500!

However, you can use any brand of solar panel and connect it to the port. Here are the things you'll need to consider:

The panel should be between 90 to 120 watts.
The panel needs to have a built in controller. (10 amp max)
You'll need to purchase an adapter plug that will allow for the new panel to connect from it's connector to the Furrion port on the side of your trailer.

For example, here is one from Renogy for $202.
https://www.amazon.com/RENOGY-Foldab...2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

And here is an adapter:
https://www.amazon.com/iGreely-Indus...3389361&sr=8-7

Jim

[Second Chance]

I have a question- just picked up a 2016 348m with the solar prep port on the front side. Is there a Solar system/ panel that is truly plug and play? Only looking to run lights, plugs, etc for now.

The part of your question that caught my eye was, "... plugs, etc." Are you thinking about the 110VAC outlets? If so, a small, portable solar panel is not all you're going to need to do that. An inverter with applicable wiring and a transfer switch would have to be installed (inverters take 12VDC and make 120VAC). Without a good battery setup of and a fair amount of solar to recharge them, you won't get much AC mileage. Read through the solar sub-forum and check out the reference materials there. If this isn't what you meant by "plugs," then ignore what I've said.

Rob

[OG1]

Okay guys, thanks for the advice. I will digest all this and choose a panel to help my batteries from going completely dead. I've learned it can harm the batteries when they are neglected so the panel will help keep them charged, probably save some money too. This forum is awesome....go guys rock!

[Beachcamper]

I bought the Acopower 100 watt suitcase and they sent me the Furrion plug to connect to the solar port. Have owned mine for 3 years it is well built and charges up my 2 12 volt lead acid batteries. I don’t have an inverter just running some lights and the water pump, powers water heater and fridge on gas. It’s like luxury tent camping at this point have not pulled the trigger on a full solar setup mainly because it’s expensive and can’t justify the cost. We are heading out west next year for first time so perhaps will see if more off grid opportunities exist compared to the east coast and Midwest. Our boondocking is mostly Harvest Host locations.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

vivian

[bertschb]

... so what do any of you advise?

I used this small 15w Battery Tender solar charger for my first two 5th wheels and it actually worked great with two lead acid batteries. It has a built in controller. I mounted it to plywood and tilted it so it was angled more towards the sun. We stored our RV's where we get quite a bit of sun and our batteries were always fully charged while in storage. At 15w, this is just a trickle charger to keep the batteries topped off. It would take a loooooooong time to charge batteries that were already low.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[MichiganXPLOR]

I bought the Acopower 100 watt suitcase and they sent me the Furrion plug to connect to the solar port. Have owned mine for 3 years it is well built and charges up my 2 12 volt lead acid batteries. I don’t have an inverter just running some lights and the water pump, powers water heater and fridge on gas. It’s like luxury tent camping at this point have not pulled the trigger on a full solar setup mainly because it’s expensive and can’t justify the cost. We are heading out west next year for first time so perhaps will see if more off grid opportunities exist compared to the east coast and Midwest. Our boondocking is mostly Harvest Host locations.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

vivian

Hello Everyone! I have a very basic question on solar panels. I have a 2020 XPLOR 260RB. I have the Acopower panel and Furrion plug described in this post. The only difference is that I have the 10 amp Lithium controller since I have a 200AH Battle Born battery bank. I only charge the batteries with the panel. I have no issues using the panels if I connect them directly to the battery posts. I am having an issue using the Furrion solar port on my camper - when I plug the controller into the Furrion port the controller tells me that it is not connected to the batteries. I thought there may have been an issue with the Acopower Furrion cable, but a replacement did not solve the issue. Is there a wire connection that I need to do in my camper to connect the Furrion solar port on the side of the camper to the batteries?

Thanks!

[Country Campers]

Hello Everyone! I have a very basic question on solar panels. I have a 2020 XPLOR 260RB. I have the Acopower panel and Furrion plug described in this post. The only difference is that I have the 10 amp Lithium controller since I have a 200AH Battle Born battery bank. I only charge the batteries with the panel. I have no issues using the panels if I connect them directly to the battery posts. I am having an issue using the Furrion solar port on my camper - when I plug the controller into the Furrion port the controller tells me that it is not connected to the batteries. I thought there may have been an issue with the Acopower Furrion cable, but a replacement did not solve the issue. Is there a wire connection that I need to do in my camper to connect the Furrion solar port on the side of the camper to the batteries?

Thanks!

A lot of times we have found that the wires from the Furrion plug are NOT connected to the battery , they are just coiled inside the corner of the RV where the plug is. There is also a in line fuse on the positive wire , red hopefully , that you need to make sure the proper fuse size is installed , 10 or 15 amps I believe. Having a TT the wires may be down on the frame of the trailer where the cable goes into a silver box that connects to the tow vehicle.

Brian

[MichiganXPLOR]

Thanks for the insight! My camper is in storage at the moment so I don't have access to check things out. But from memory, there does not appear to be any loose wires in the pass through storage, unless they might be in the utility bank? And assuming I can find the wires, where does the connection need to occur? Do the wires just need to be attached together via connectors that are already factory installed on the wires or would they be connected in the silver box you mention underneath on the frame?

[howson]

Is there a wire connection that I need to do in my camper to connect the Furrion solar port on the side of the camper to the batteries?

Noted this was your first post, so when you get a chance please check out the Welcome Letter to New Members https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members

Do you have and know how to use a multimeter? Also, can you take a picture of the Furrion port and post it?