When I replaced the vent fan in the bathroom I saw the skimpy roof build first hand. I couldn’t see how drilling into a thin layer of fiberglass and luan then into styrofoam would be a good mount for my panels so I bolted them to 8’ galvanized angle iron instead and will screw the t-brackets to the edge above the gutters on each side.
The t-brackets I’m using were the thickest I could find but I think I will need some reinforcement under the angles to help support the weight. I think adhesive will be ok for that. I mounted the panels first then got them up on the roof. My plan was to use y mc4 connectors and parallel the two panels. I tried to take the wires through the back side of the grate but I could not bend them to get them down the shaft. So I ended up sealing the holes with eternabond and the vent grill with more Eternabond around the wires sticking through. Of course I got the wires tangled so had to unhook them to lay them straight.
The wires are routed through the refrigerator vent. I found that the vent cover was too large to fit over the rail. So I turned it around so it fit on one side then cut it to slip over the rail. I figure it’s not crucial to have the cover slant into the wind.
I was able to get the wires into the refrigerator compartment but now I think I have to drill a hole in the bottom and hope I don’t hit the water tank and then fish them through the small slot between the tank and the basement area where I’m mounting the baby box and the controller.
I’m going to take advantage of the edge beams to secure the angles.
I also think it will be easier to remove the panels to clean the roof etc. plus they have some ventilation. Seems like the air conditioner will help block road wind too. Here is what it looks like so far.
If anyone has any advice especially on how to get the wires into the basement area I’d really appreciate it.
The t-brackets I’m using were the thickest I could find but I think I will need some reinforcement under the angles to help support the weight. I think adhesive will be ok for that. I mounted the panels first then got them up on the roof. My plan was to use y mc4 connectors and parallel the two panels. I tried to take the wires through the back side of the grate but I could not bend them to get them down the shaft. So I ended up sealing the holes with eternabond and the vent grill with more Eternabond around the wires sticking through. Of course I got the wires tangled so had to unhook them to lay them straight.
The wires are routed through the refrigerator vent. I found that the vent cover was too large to fit over the rail. So I turned it around so it fit on one side then cut it to slip over the rail. I figure it’s not crucial to have the cover slant into the wind.
I was able to get the wires into the refrigerator compartment but now I think I have to drill a hole in the bottom and hope I don’t hit the water tank and then fish them through the small slot between the tank and the basement area where I’m mounting the baby box and the controller.
I’m going to take advantage of the edge beams to secure the angles.
I also think it will be easier to remove the panels to clean the roof etc. plus they have some ventilation. Seems like the air conditioner will help block road wind too. Here is what it looks like so far.
If anyone has any advice especially on how to get the wires into the basement area I’d really appreciate it.
EMD360 wrote:SJ-Chris wrote:
PS: Isn't solar addictive??
YES!
I had read and even commented on your post while I was planning for solar. It was very helpful. Thanks.
I finally finished my mounting system and wiring and camped last weekend in a very quiet campground. We were not the only ones not using a generator! It was sweet to use the inverter for morning coffee and toast bread for lunch sandwiches. I experimented running the refrigerator on the inverter before we left and I only got 8 hours overnight so we used gas for that. At most we used about 25% of our 200 amps overnight before the sun was charging them again.
I mounted the panels behind the air conditioner bonnet. I didn’t really have enough room further forward. We backed into a north-south facing site. The trees didn’t shade the panels. I’m thrilled that they work so well.
How long is your Minnie EMD? From the roof and back, it looks like a 2013 23' Coachman Leprechaun I just picked up recently. I'm in the process of adding all the improvements I want/need. I did just reseal/paint (Dicor) the entire roof (needed it especially around the vents/etc) getting it ready for another SOLAR project...I can't help myself...lol. I love starting with a blank, white, clean canvas on the rooftop. I haven't measured it out yet, but I believe I can get 3 or 4 100w panels up there. That will be plenty for the 200-300AH lead acid batteries. I will use a similar mounting strategy (3M VHB tape plus screws) as my previous installs which seem to be rock solid after 1 year.
I'll also add a 1000-2000w inverter, USB charging ports galore, LED lights, new TV/DVD, etc.
I just installed today an Aili battery monitor....I think a good and detailed battery monitor is critical (...and fun) to have in the RV. It constantly lets you know the status of your batteries, and what charge/discharge is happening at all times.
Enjoy the free power!
Chris
EMD360 wrote:SJ-Chris wrote:
PS: Isn't solar addictive??
YES!
I had read and even commented on your post while I was planning for solar. It was very helpful. Thanks.
I finally finished my mounting system and wiring and camped last weekend in a very quiet campground. We were not the only ones not using a generator! It was sweet to use the inverter for morning coffee and toast bread for lunch sandwiches. I experimented running the refrigerator on the inverter before we left and I only got 8 hours overnight so we used gas for that. At most we used about 25% of our 200 amps overnight before the sun was charging them again.
I mounted the panels behind the air conditioner bonnet. I didn’t really have enough room further forward. We backed into a north-south facing site. The trees didn’t shade the panels. I’m thrilled that they work so well.
Glad to know my post was helpful! I've learned so much from these forums that I try to take every opportunity to help others with what I know/do.
I recently picked up a 3rd RV...I've already got the solar components to put four 100w panels on the roof. Should be more than enough for the 200-300AH lead acid battery bank and inverter. I'm never looking to get into a huge battery bank with the focus of being 100% off the grid 100% of the time. I mostly use my RV 2-7 days at a time and just want to have the ability to do some modest boondocking whenever necessary. The alternator and/or generator can always charge the batteries if I'm ever in need.
Happy Camping!
Chris
SJ-Chris wrote:
PS: Isn't solar addictive??
YES!
I had read and even commented on your post while I was planning for solar. It was very helpful. Thanks.
I finally finished my mounting system and wiring and camped last weekend in a very quiet campground. We were not the only ones not using a generator! It was sweet to use the inverter for morning coffee and toast bread for lunch sandwiches. I experimented running the refrigerator on the inverter before we left and I only got 8 hours overnight so we used gas for that. At most we used about 25% of our 200 amps overnight before the sun was charging them again.
I mounted the panels behind the air conditioner bonnet. I didn’t really have enough room further forward. We backed into a north-south facing site. The trees didn’t shade the panels. I’m thrilled that they work so well.
I finished bolting the panel racks today.
I could tell I hit something solid behind the trim. I used double sided Eternabond behind the holes to waterproof. The photo shows the adjustable furniture legs I’m using to make the racks sturdier.
I plan to bolt the legs onto the racks.
I ended up just cutting the refrigerator vent panel off at the rear. What is left still covers the vent fully.
I also further configured the Cerbo GX to read data through the mifi. When I did it earlier I didn’t reboot and the change was lost.
This was the morning after running the equipment and the fantastic fan overnight.
The AC info will never populate unless I replaced my generator and charger with Victron products.
Today was the best solar generation although if was a bit cloudy.
The graph from the Cerbo can tell when I plugged in the RV and ran the charger even though I don’t get that info on the display.
It’s a cool tool but has limited usefulness for the cost.
I could tell I hit something solid behind the trim. I used double sided Eternabond behind the holes to waterproof. The photo shows the adjustable furniture legs I’m using to make the racks sturdier.
I plan to bolt the legs onto the racks.
I ended up just cutting the refrigerator vent panel off at the rear. What is left still covers the vent fully.
I also further configured the Cerbo GX to read data through the mifi. When I did it earlier I didn’t reboot and the change was lost.
This was the morning after running the equipment and the fantastic fan overnight.
The AC info will never populate unless I replaced my generator and charger with Victron products.
Today was the best solar generation although if was a bit cloudy.
The graph from the Cerbo can tell when I plugged in the RV and ran the charger even though I don’t get that info on the display.
It’s a cool tool but has limited usefulness for the cost.
I also had less trouble getting the wires out of the refrigerator compartment than I feared. There were two layers of plywood with about an inch of styrofoam in between but enough space behind the water tank to move the wires. I pulled them out with a back scratcher. I could not find a wire hanger!
I stuffed stainless steel wool around the wires and sealed with foam.
I stuffed stainless steel wool around the wires and sealed with foam.
I thought I was keeping the wires as short as possible but I just realized I should have cut them shorter on the controller end. Maybe later. Have to redo the butt joints if I do. I got the panels wired but still have not bolted them on. The holes even on the edges make me nervous.
Yesterday I got the Midnight Solar baby box and solar controller wired and mounted. I chose to use 8 gauge solar wire from the panel connections on the roof and #2 wire to the batteries. I had to make a lot of butt joints to make the connections in the box. The larger wires could not pass two through the strain relief nuts. So I drilled two extra holes on the side of the cover. Then I had to use some more flexible pigtail wire to get to the circuit breaker clamps. All this finagling took me most of the day.
With all the difficulties I forgot I wanted short wires.I had to draw the connections to the circuit breakers for them to make sense to me. Additionally the breakers have a ++ side which just means that the bigger load goes on that side so the batteries on the 45 amp breaker and the panels on the 15 amp breaker.
Today I installed the remote device to view the data from the house. I’m impressed with the Victron reporting tools. The battery monitor and MPPT charger are both Victron so they share a Bluetooth connection. I added a mifi router to my phone account for an additional $10 per month and financed the internet mifi device for $14 a month. I can have it turned off if not using it. So to see the status of the battery and solar charge remotely, (but not the battery temperature from the BMV. Need a separate sensor!) I added a $300 Cerbo GX. Of course it took me some time to wire an additional device to the batteries and figure out how to set it up. I didn’t see the WiFi settings in the menu and I think I had to set up WiFi with the QR code. The WiFi password on the label did not work for me when I just typed it. Then I was able to see the WiFi list in the remote console settings and switch to the mifi. I can see the data if the RV is on Mifi and I’m on my home network.
Lots of wiring in this water compartment. Nice that it is easy to get to. Here is the mounted Cerbo GX.
I received the furniture legs and L brackets today so maybe tomorrow I’ll mount the racks. Maybe I will reconsider the placement too.
Yesterday I got the Midnight Solar baby box and solar controller wired and mounted. I chose to use 8 gauge solar wire from the panel connections on the roof and #2 wire to the batteries. I had to make a lot of butt joints to make the connections in the box. The larger wires could not pass two through the strain relief nuts. So I drilled two extra holes on the side of the cover. Then I had to use some more flexible pigtail wire to get to the circuit breaker clamps. All this finagling took me most of the day.
With all the difficulties I forgot I wanted short wires.I had to draw the connections to the circuit breakers for them to make sense to me. Additionally the breakers have a ++ side which just means that the bigger load goes on that side so the batteries on the 45 amp breaker and the panels on the 15 amp breaker.
Today I installed the remote device to view the data from the house. I’m impressed with the Victron reporting tools. The battery monitor and MPPT charger are both Victron so they share a Bluetooth connection. I added a mifi router to my phone account for an additional $10 per month and financed the internet mifi device for $14 a month. I can have it turned off if not using it. So to see the status of the battery and solar charge remotely, (but not the battery temperature from the BMV. Need a separate sensor!) I added a $300 Cerbo GX. Of course it took me some time to wire an additional device to the batteries and figure out how to set it up. I didn’t see the WiFi settings in the menu and I think I had to set up WiFi with the QR code. The WiFi password on the label did not work for me when I just typed it. Then I was able to see the WiFi list in the remote console settings and switch to the mifi. I can see the data if the RV is on Mifi and I’m on my home network.
Lots of wiring in this water compartment. Nice that it is easy to get to. Here is the mounted Cerbo GX.
I received the furniture legs and L brackets today so maybe tomorrow I’ll mount the racks. Maybe I will reconsider the placement too.
