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> solar panel mounting/aluminum roofing, information on how you did it

JADE RACING
post Apr 25 2015, 08:30 AM
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Truck and Camper Setup: 07GMC3500 dually diesel/auto airbags torklift tiedowns/fastguns 56 gal transferflow tank banks spd brake/tuner;06 adventurer 106DBS 2.5ownan geny awning topper torklift stairs remote bbq rear awning ext trl hitch/basket for sewer tote



I have an Adventurer 106 DBS and am in the initial stages of mounting a pair of solar panels to the aluminum roof . Does anyone have prior experience doing such a job, as well as feeding the wiring through the roof? thanks for any input in advance. Eric rolleyes.gif
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aqualung
post Apr 30 2015, 11:59 AM
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Favorite Truck Camper(s): Adventurer 90FWS
Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: Dodge 3500 Dually Quadcab 4x4 6.7L Cummins
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Truck and Camper Setup: 2008 Adventurer 90FWS Torklift Tiedowns with SuperHitch and SuperTruss Firestone Air Bags Torklift Load Stabilizers Fastgun Turnbuckles



I mounted two solar panels on my Adventurer 90FWS a few years back. I bought the panels, controller and supplies from AM Solar. Their kits provide everything you need and they can customize a kit to fit your needs. Essentially the cabling comes down through the fridge roof vent. My kit used a four cable port box that mounts to the side of the fridge roof vent to allow up to four solar panels to be connected into the box through water tight cable gland nuts. The main cable goes through the back of the box into the fridge roof vent and then down to the base of the fridge where you can route the cable wherever needed. In my case I mounted the controller in a closet adjacent to the fridge with lots of space around it for ventilation. From there I used heavy battery cable (also purchased from AM Solar) to run through a battery monitor and then onto the battery. I placed marine grade breakers in the battery compartment and at the solar controller so they could be isolated from the system should any shorts occur.

Mounting the panels to the roof was simple for me - a couple of screws in the mount at each corner of each panel and them some Dicor self-levelling lap sealant for waterproofing on each screw. The cable ties used a single screw each with some Dicor to seal them up. Dicor is available at most RV shops.

Virtually everything you need to know is available on AM Solar's website and if you have any questions give them a call, they specialize in RV solar installations. They also have some good educational information on their site.

http://www.amsolar.com/

Use the best quality cable you can with the heaviest gauge that will fit the various connection points. Its a real waste to throw away the precious solar power you generate on small gauge cables. When charging the batteries, its all about having the correct voltage at the battery terminals with the most current possible. So pick a MPPT solar controller to maximize the power coming from the panels and it should also be capable of having its output voltage settable so you can set the correct charging and float voltages for your battery bank (very important). Each battery manufacturer will tell you what is best for the batteries you have - the generic settings are usually too low and result in poor charging. For example, the default charge voltage setting in my controller is 13.6V yet my Trojan Lead Acid batteries need 14.8V for best charging and a float voltage of 13.2V. My Morningstar controller default settings were wrong for my batteries but I was able to change them to what I needed.

Here's another good read on battery charging. Its from HandyBob's Blog:
https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/the-rv-...rging-puzzle-2/

Hope this helps
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JADE RACING
post May 7 2015, 12:59 PM
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Type of Tiedowns used: torklift/fastguns
Truck and Camper Setup: 07GMC3500 dually diesel/auto airbags torklift tiedowns/fastguns 56 gal transferflow tank banks spd brake/tuner;06 adventurer 106DBS 2.5ownan geny awning topper torklift stairs remote bbq rear awning ext trl hitch/basket for sewer tote



QUOTE(aqualung @ Apr 30 2015, 12:59 PM)
I mounted two solar panels on my Adventurer 90FWS a few years back. I bought the panels, controller and supplies from AM Solar. Their kits provide everything you need and they can customize a kit to fit your needs. Essentially the cabling comes down through the fridge roof vent. My kit used a four cable port box that mounts to the side of the fridge roof vent to allow up to four solar panels to be connected into the box through water tight cable gland nuts. The main cable goes through the back of the box into the fridge roof vent and then down to the base of the fridge where you can route the cable wherever needed. In my case I mounted the controller in a closet adjacent to the fridge with lots of space around it for ventilation. From there I used heavy battery cable (also purchased from AM Solar) to run through a battery monitor and then onto the battery. I placed marine grade breakers in the battery compartment and at the solar controller so they could be isolated from the system should any shorts occur.

Mounting the panels to the roof was simple for me - a couple of screws in the mount at each corner of each panel and them some Dicor self-levelling lap sealant for waterproofing on each screw. The cable ties used a single screw each with some Dicor to seal them up. Dicor is available at most RV shops.

Virtually everything you need to know is available on AM Solar's website and if you have any questions give them a call, they specialize in RV solar installations. They also have some good educational information on their site.

http://www.amsolar.com/

Use the best quality cable you can with the heaviest gauge that will fit the various connection points. Its a real waste to throw away the precious solar power you generate on small gauge cables. When charging the batteries, its all about having the correct voltage at the battery terminals with the most current possible. So pick a MPPT solar controller to maximize the power coming from the panels and it should also be capable of having its output voltage settable so you can set the correct charging and float voltages for your battery bank (very important). Each battery manufacturer will tell you what is best for the batteries you have - the generic settings are usually too low and result in poor charging. For example, the default charge voltage setting in my controller is 13.6V yet my Trojan Lead Acid batteries need 14.8V for best charging and a float voltage of 13.2V. My Morningstar controller default settings were wrong for my batteries but I was able to change them to what I needed.

Here's another good read on battery charging. Its from HandyBob's Blog:
https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/the-rv-...rging-puzzle-2/

Hope this helps
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JADE RACING
post May 7 2015, 01:09 PM
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Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: 07 gmc 3500 dually D/A
Type of Tiedowns used: torklift/fastguns
Truck and Camper Setup: 07GMC3500 dually diesel/auto airbags torklift tiedowns/fastguns 56 gal transferflow tank banks spd brake/tuner;06 adventurer 106DBS 2.5ownan geny awning topper torklift stairs remote bbq rear awning ext trl hitch/basket for sewer tote



Thanks for your reply Aqualung. In my case the routing of cabling into the camper is a bit concerning as our fridge is in the slide so no vent to drop the wires thru. Different dealers wish to bore a hole in the roof and just use lap sealant to make the seal. I would like to use a type of bulk head fitting and come down beside my antenna wiring. Just have to keep searching for the right product on the web. Thanks
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aqualung
post May 8 2015, 12:19 PM
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Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: Dodge 3500 Dually Quadcab 4x4 6.7L Cummins
Type of Tiedowns used: Torklift
Truck and Camper Setup: 2008 Adventurer 90FWS Torklift Tiedowns with SuperHitch and SuperTruss Firestone Air Bags Torklift Load Stabilizers Fastgun Turnbuckles



AM Solar has that too. They call it a Roof C-Box (Combiner Box). Its similar to the fridge vent box but is designed to mount directly to the roof. Here's a link:

http://www.amsolar.com/home/amr/page_72_16/roof_c-box.html

You would still need to bore a hole through the roof but it would be covered by the box. Of course some Dicor lap sealant would be needed as well but its not the only protection.
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garbonz
post May 25 2015, 08:50 AM
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QUOTE(aqualung @ May 8 2015, 12:19 PM)
AM Solar has that too. They call it a Roof C-Box (Combiner Box). Its similar to the fridge vent box but is designed to mount directly to the roof. Here's a link:

http://www.amsolar.com/home/amr/page_72_16/roof_c-box.html

You would still need to bore a hole through the roof but it would be covered by the box. Of course some Dicor lap sealant would be needed as well but its not the only protection.
*



Only other option that many have used is to drop down through one of the roof tank vents IF you can get access to the vent pipe down below. I am not familiar with your specific layout, but usually there is a straight (more or less) run from the vent cap on top to the gray of black tank if you can get at it.

May be more trouble that just using one of the well designed combiner boxes and just frilling the hole in a convenient place above a cabinet so that you can run the line to the batteries.
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