Solar Install, Reflection 29RS Fifth Wheel

[Country Campers]

This started as a battery upgrade to Lithium, 2 Lion Energy UT1300, to have more "off gird" camping time.

I chose 2 Rich Solar 200w panels , a Victron 100/30 MPPT and also added the Renogy 20 amp DC-DC charger while I was rewiring everything.

The new battery layout looks like this,

The Renogy DC-DC charger is wired to come on with the trailer marker lights. I ran a wire up thru the pin box overhang to the junction box and attached to the brown wire which is the marker lights. This also goes thru a switch , top left of DC-DC, which I can turn on or off depending on the need. I did this because I always travel with the marker lights on and may not need the DC-DC to work if the Solar is providing enough charge. 2 Ga. wire was run down from the combiner box on the roof which was a real project to find a pathway. ncitro , Neil let me know that he had brought his down thru behind the hutch, he has a Reflection 28BH which is a similar floor plan however his hutch is almost to the ceiling where mine is about 12" below the ceiling as seen here,

I cut out the panel in the upper portion of the cupboard to reveal a pathway for the wires , caution some images may not be for all to view discretion may be needed,


Next post,

[Country Campers]

Here is a view looking up,


and down,

Not a lot of room to work but the up view is where I ran the wires to the roof, and the down view was clogged with wires so the wires had to go down between the vent pipes which worked quite well. The alternative was to remove the paneling in the bathroom behind the toilet which would have been better access but a much harder job to make nice looking when done. I have not replaced the panel in the cupboard yet but that will be easy and less noticeable.

Here are some roof pictures, and yes I have not sealed with Dicor yet as I am waiting on the silicone that is around the screws to dry first.

[ncitro]

Country Campers Great to see it coming together, welcome to the dark side (or is it solar side lol). Glad you worked out a path for the solar wires. Looks like a great setup.

[Country Campers]

I used eternabond tape for holding the wire extensions from the panels to the combiner box.

This was supposed to be a "basic install" but I have learned that anything solar is not really "basic" All of the work just to get to a point of running wires from the bottom to the top is both stressful and time consuming. Add on to that the fact that I had to make room in the battery bay to mount a solar controller, 1 more disconnect, a breaker between the controller and the batteries, DC-DC charger and all of the wiring that goes with it,, but I am pleased with the outcome and if the sun will ever shine again here at home I will pull it out of the garage and see it in action, can not wait to make free energy.

Thanks to all that have posted in my threads with my unusual questions and comments. TucsonJim , JIm's "Solar 101" was very helpful as well. Definitely a doable task by many, if I can accomplish this there is hope for all, and I hope this install may help another to try a small install such as this.

Brian

[Country Campers]

Country Campers Great to see it coming together, welcome to the dark side (or is it solar side lol). Glad you worked out a path for the solar wires. Looks like a great setup.

Your help is greatly appreciated, I know I pestered you with lots of questions , thanks for all of the help.

Brian

[ncitro]

Your help is greatly appreciated, I know I pestered you with lots of questions , thanks for all of the help.

Brian

No problem at all, glad it all worked out.

[KSC_Travels]

Country Campers Congrats Brian. Looks great!

PS - totally jealous of your indoor storage setup

[Country Campers]

Country Campers Congrats Brian. Looks great!

PS - totally jealous of your indoor storage setup

Although the indoor storage is great this does cause me grief with projects throughout the year, boredom sets in and before you know it I have something torn apart.

Thanks for the kudos.

Brian

[TucsonJim]

Brian, Nice job on the install dude! I actually sat here and visually traced your wires. I like how you held the wires on the roof in place with Eternabond tape. I used sealant with "iffy" results.

Jim

[Yoda]

Country Campers

Brian - great work. Very well done. I am jealous of your garage /barn. Nice set up.
Keith

[Canyonlight]

Country Campers

Brian - great work. Very well done. I am jealous of your garage /barn. Nice set up.
Keith

X3 on your RV garage As Keith and Ken KSC_Travels shared ! Share more on the dimensions other details, if you would be so kind Brian.

And yes, I have been following your solar planning/questions/install......very nicely done !

Dan

[Country Campers]

Brian, Nice job on the install dude! I actually sat here and visually traced your wires. I like how you held the wires on the roof in place with Eternabond tape. I used sealant with "iffy" results.

Jim

Thanks Jim.

I trust that all the wiring and components are in order? Any changes or recommendations needed?

Brian

[TucsonJim]

Thanks Jim.

I trust that all the wiring and components are in order? Any changes or recommendations needed?

Brian

It looks great and should last many years, or until you decide to trade it in on a new one in six months....

Jim

[Country Campers]

Material list, if anyone is interested.

2 200 watt Rich Solar panels, I found these were 2.2% more efficient than the ones I was going to buy, Hightech 215 watt, so I chose these.

Amsolar items,

2- sets of 35 mm Rocker Foot Mount, thanks Paul & Deb , 35mm Rocker Foot Mount Set (amsolar.com)

1 Roof C-Box Roof C-Box (amsolar.com) , I did not think this was worth the money but in my opinion it is.


4 tubes of Dicor, only needed one but spares are ok, Amazon.com: Dicor 501LSW-1, RV Rubber Roof Sealant Self Leveling Caulk, White, 4 Pack : Automotive

1 roll of butyl tape, only needed about 18" , Amazon.com: Colormetrics Gray Putty Tape / Butyl Tape 1/8" x 1" x 30' (Single Roll) : Industrial & Scientific

25' of red and black 2 ga welding wire, from the roof to the front storage, used about 17', TEMCo WC0129-5 ft 2 Gauge AWG Welding Lead & Car Battery Cable Copper Wire RED | MADE IN USA - - Amazon.com

2 - Solar extension cables sets, 20' long each, I did not know how much I would need and extra 10 ga wire is always handy,Amazon.com: iGreely 20 Feet 10AWG Solar Extension Cable with Female and Male Connector Solar Panel Wire Adapter (20FT Red + 20FT Black) : Patio, Lawn & Garden

1 30 amp circuit breaker, this goes in between the solar controller and the battery bank,Amazon.com: T Tocas 30 Amp Surface-Mount Circuit Breakers with Manual Reset, 12V- 48V DC, Waterproof (30A) : Automotive

1 Victron 100/30 solar controller, Amazon.com: Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT 100V 30 amp 12/24-Volt Solar Charge Controller (Bluetooth) : Patio, Lawn & Garden

1 Battery disconnect, between the solar panels and the solar controller Amazon.com: Marine Battery Disconnect Switch - Premium On-Off Position Master Cut Off Switch - 6V 12V 24V 48V - Battery for Boat, ATV, RV, UTV, Heavy Duty Waterproof Isolator Switch, 275/1250 Amps (On-Off) : Automotive

1 Renogy 12v 20 amp DC-DC charger Amazon.com: Renogy 12V 20A DC to DC On-Board Battery Charger for Flooded, Gel, AGM, and Lithium, Using Multi-Stage Charging in RVs, Commercial Vehicles, Boats, Yachts, 20A : Automotive

Some other wire and connectors that I already had along with the crimper tool.

Brian

[Country Campers]

Boy with the other threads going on with the "serial, parallel" talk and the correct size of solar controller I am wondering if I made the right choice of solar controller size.

What I have is the Victron 100/30, here is a pic of the specs on the panels


I have 10 ga. wire from the panels to the combiner box, then 2 ga wire down to the solar controller, about 17 feet.

Should I have a bigger solar controller?

Brian