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Part 11 — Solar panel install
How to Build a DIY Travel Trailer - Solar Panel Install (Part 11)
Source: How to Build a DIY Travel Trailer - Solar Panel Install (Part 11) · 2019-07-17 · 17:38
What Joe did
- Drilled the roof and installed an RV solar entry port, then routed solar cable through the front cabinet to the battery box.
- Laid out two panels and MC4 connections on the garage floor before working on the roof.
- Crimped MC4 connectors and covered the roof wiring with flexible conduit inside a custom aluminum channel.
- Cleaned the roof with rubbing alcohol and fixed flexible panels with adhesive tape.
- Connected the battery to the Victron charge controller before switching on the panels, then ran the system and cooler for testing.
Numbers
| What | Value | Where in the video |
|---|---|---|
| Entry port | about $10 | got it off of Amazon for about ten bucks |
| Solar panels | two panels | this is one of two solar panels |
| Each panel | 180 watts | each one of these panels is rated for a hundred and eighty watts |
| Solar total | 360 watts | give me a total of three hundred and sixty watts |
| Connector crimper | about $25 | off of Amazon for like 25 bucks |
| Cell-loss example | 5% | individual cell is only 5% of the panel |
| Cooler test start | 88 degrees at 8:30 | it was about 88 degrees at 8:30 this morning |
| Cooler setpoint | 28 degrees Fahrenheit | I set it to 28 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Cool-down time | about an hour | took about an hour to cool to that temperature |
| Compressor cycle | once or twice an hour; 2 or 3 or 4 minutes | kicks on maybe once or twice an hour |
Materials and parts
| Item | Detail as Joe says it |
|---|---|
| Panels | two Sunflare flexible solar panels, 180 watts each |
| Roof entry | RV solar entry port from Amazon |
| Connectors | MC4 solar connectors and solar wire |
| Controller | Victron charge controller |
| Mounting | adhesive tape; rubbing alcohol for roof cleaning |
| Wire protection | flexible plastic conduit; aluminum tubing/channel; smaller aluminum channel brackets |
Tools Joe used
- Drill
- MC4 crimping tool
- MC4 connector wrenches
- Wire cutter/stripper
Tips and mistakes
- He worked out the wiring pattern on the floor before roof installation.
- He protected exposed roof wiring from rubbing with conduit inside an aluminum channel.
- He followed the controller instruction to connect the battery first.
For my build
- Nathan: Make a roof-scale panel and wire layout before drilling; Nathan’s roof and power demand differ from Joe’s.
- Nathan: Include solar connectors, crimper, entry fitting, and wire protection in the off-grid budget.
- Nathan: Test the complete system with intended loads before relying on it during a trip.