Country Coach intrigue 32 ft (((((Solar install)))))

[onanysunday]

The battery Bay got so filled up I'm going to mount the sub panel and breakers for the PV lines in the bay next to it. Just run wires between the two.

 

[onanysunday]

I had some PV wire from my original kit which I am not going to use and buy something of better quality. So I'm using it to figure out my length I need to buy. So I do have a question. Do I want to try to have those PV wire connectors under the solar panels or can they be out exposed with some clamps. I have not decided yet if I want to try to make rods and be able to manually get on the roof and tilt those panels. Panels are not yet installed and just sitting on the brackets for now. Inside that closet where the PV wires come through I came in about 15 in from the side and once that trim piece is in the corner I will just need to put a little sheathing on a short section up top.

 

[Sandkist]

Much much better to have them underneath the panel and even better to have them tucked inside the C channel frame. Do you have any of the clips that mount to the panel frame? They make it easy to keep the wiring and connectors under the panel.

 

[Sandkist]

The battery Bay got so filled up I'm going to mount the sub panel and breakers for the PV lines in the bay next to it. Just run wires between the two.

The circuit breakers are a great way to disconnect your panels but really doesn’t offer any circuit protection for your system.

 

[onanysunday]

The circuit breakers are a great way to disconnect your panels but really doesn’t offer any circuit protection for your system.

I ran the numbers and don't need fuses.

 

[onanysunday]

 I used this video to determine whether or not to fuse the PV wires. This guy has tons of very helpful videos and I might just go ahead and buy my wire from him. So far I've spent $10 with them and bought all of their drawings for my layout. Well worth it.

 

[onanysunday]

 

[onanysunday]

Well I read somewhere online that you shouldn't drill into the frame of your SunPower solar panels. I had drilled a real small pilot hole and realized it's a piece of box and the inside is filled with plastic. I assume to strengthen it. I didn't see any wires running through there. The short side of the frame is just a thin piece of aluminum and easy to drill and put in a nutceet. Anyway I had to re-engineer my mounts. The panel that runs long ways left and right needed an additional four pieces of angle aluminum to be able to pivot. And each one of those installed with two bolts so they can't rotate. Then the side that pivots which is sitting down on the strut channel needs to come up a little bit so it will pivot up and clear. I wanted to be able to pivot either side left or right and was able to get 25° if I elect to tip them up and use the brackets. Just a few minutes to do that if I'm not getting enough sun when we are out boondocking. Close to being done with fabrication and now I can start doing some wiring. Other than the refrigerator. That's going to be a pain in the ass to seal the back side of that so air doesn't come in around it into the coach.

 

[onanysunday]

..

 

[megadesertdiesel]

will angling them really help that much? Seems like alot of fussing around to climb up there and tilt them and then remember to drop them down before you head home.

I do like the Unistrut mounting, makes less random holes in roof.

 

[onanysunday]

will angling them really help that much? Seems like alot of fussing around to climb up there and tilt them and then remember to drop them down before you head home.

I do like the Unistrut mounting, makes less random holes in roof.

I just figured worst case scenario if we have very little Sun in the middle of winter at least give myself the option. I really don't plan on tilting them unless I need to. I could have both panels tilted in probably 5 to 10 minutes. We are planning on traveling all over the country with this thing. Going to do harvest hosts which is always boondocking for the most part.

 

[onanysunday]

will angling them really help that much? Seems like alot of fussing around to climb up there and tilt them and then remember to drop them down before you head home.

I do like the Unistrut mounting, makes less random holes in roof.

..

 

[onanysunday]

Got a little bit done today. Ready to drop those panels and be done on the roof. Half my toolbox is up there. Quite a few trips up and down the ladder. These are hooked up in parallel per my battery guy and the solar controller he sold me.

 

[onanysunday]

Figure I need to move this big shut off switch to the outside of my box since in an emergency I'd have to pull 12 bolts out.

 

[onanysunday]

Found some neat rubberized weather strip sort of stuff that bends over as you push against it to seal. Going to try seal the fridge from the back side because it sits close to flush on the front with the face of the cabinets. Also had to make a wood piece for the top which will get some weather strip on it.

 

[onanysunday]

Well that worked out pretty good actually. Finally got this thing all bolted in place. Damn I'm glad this is done. Yesterday I was an idiot and let it get off my blocks and the dolly and it damn near fell over in the coach. Had to wrestle it like a bear. Never a dull moment.

 

[onanysunday]

Full day of work including a home Depot run I finally figured out how to get my 6/2 wire run to the inverter. Holy crap that stuff is expensive. $200 for a piece of wire. This crap is out of hand. Got it wired to the main panel today. Had to come into the top of the box. Definitely a circus act getting up there and tightening the clamp. Tomorrow run it along the main harness under the coach over to the inverter.

 

[onanysunday]

Slow but sure. Subpanel is almost wired. Realized that it will be very difficult to try run a new wire to the back of the fridge. So I'm going to tap into the 15 amp circuit up at the main panel and extend a 12 gauge wire from there down to the sub panel. Also trying to decide what size mega fuse to put in the links distributor for all the 12 volt stuff going out to the coach. There are two power wires going out to all of the 12 volt stuff. One is a 2/0 and the other is a 2awg wire. We are thinking a 200 amp fuse there. And then from the solar controller down to the inverter thinking we're going to run a 6 gauge wire and a 50 amp mega fuse there. Decided to mount the main shut off and the 400 amp fuse directly above the batteries. Certainly going to be tight in this compartment. Also in my manual from where I bought my batteries he's talking about 2AWG wires between the batteries hooking them up and parallel. The exploris life people that I've been using info from them they say 4/0 jumpers. Huge difference in size and need to figure that out as well.