jayco jay flight SLX7 195RB

[greenlee99]

contacted customer service again to see about location of solar prep wires .
so impressed by the no help with anything policy really wants to help me to be a long term customer .

[HAL9001]

Originally Posted by greenlee99

contacted customer service again to see about location of solar prep wires .
so impressed by the no help with anything policy really wants to help me to be a long term customer .

Yea, that was what I came across too. Their answer was always, go talk to the dealer and touch anything and your warranty is toast. Very unhelpful. You quickly discover that you're on your own and if you want to do almost anything, you risk your warranty.

The solar prep is located in several places.

The external prep is simply a connection on the trailer tongue where you can plug in an external solar panel.



The roof-top prep should be a connector where you can plug in a roof-mounted solar panel (Jayco uses the Go Power Overlander 190 Watt)



As well as wiring (usually in the bedroom) where the Solar Charge Controller connects (Jayco uses Go Power OEM units).



You can use this prep wiring to install whatever components you choose. It's not difficult.

[greenlee99]

Have roof top connection nothing labeled inside and no outside connection down below

[RogerR]

Odds are that you have a solar cable connection on the roof and wires that run down inside. It may be just about anywhere. Hopefully, it will be behind a wall where there is a solar sticker. You may have to cut into the wall to get to the wires. Or they may terminate inside under the bed or in the over bed closet or just somewhere else. I didn't get solar prep so I am adding a gland connection above the little closet over the bed on the hatch side and running the wires down through the the

If you have "Solar on the Side" then there is a connection port on the side and wires run inside and that is it. Meant to be used with a suitcase solar.

I got my solar system from Renogy and have spent some time talking with them regarding my 195RB if you have more questions. They also have referral discounts.

[MrKABC]

THIS is interesting... I am wanting to add solar to my 195RB but I have a 2019 model without any such "luxuries"...

If you don't mind helping me out, where are these connectors located? What are they wired to?

Since I relocated my batteries to under the dinette I don't have or need a wire at the hitch, but that roofing one intrigues me - I can fish a wire from the roof since it's next to the door (at least I think I can... LOL)

[greenlee99]

All I have and see is connection on roof to knoware

[RogerR]

Not sure Mrkabc where you are talking about. I was looking at going to the front edge of the roof where it meets metal and boring a hole into the hanging closet by the bed, then route it on the wall or maybe fish it inside the wall down to the under bed area. I have a piece of plywood to attach the MPPT and switches onto that I will attach to the front wall of the under bed storage area near the hatch for easy access.

Does this make sense. Love to find a better way.

[HAL9001]

Originally Posted by MrKABC

THIS is interesting... I am wanting to add solar to my 195RB but I have a 2019 model without any such "luxuries"...

If you don't mind helping me out, where are these connectors located? What are they wired to?

Since I relocated my batteries to under the dinette I don't have or need a wire at the hitch, but that roofing one intrigues me - I can fish a wire from the roof since it's next to the door (at least I think I can... LOL)

Jayco only recently started including a solar prep roof connector, your 2019 may not have one. If it did, you would plainly see it on the roof.

Wiring can be added to any RV, but it requires some skill to route it. For connecting a solar panel on the roof, you'll need to find a way to run a wire from the roof to the chassis. From there, it can be routed back up to the dinette. You could do this in a closet/pantry or any other such accessible area such as the entertainment area, the appliance area, etc. It takes a little skill and finesse, but it's usually doable.

[MrKABC]

Originally Posted by HAL9001

Jayco only recently started including a solar prep roof connector, your 2019 may not have one. If it did, you would plainly see it on the roof.

Wiring can be added to any RV, but it requires some skill to route it. For connecting a solar panel on the roof, you'll need to find a way to run a wire from the roof to the chassis. From there, it can be routed back up to the dinette. You could do this in a closet/pantry or any other such accessible area such as the entertainment area, the appliance area, etc. It takes a little skill and finesse, but it's usually doable.

Right. Adding wiring isn't the problem, I was more interested in what the connectors are that are on the roof and how solar could be mounted without damaging the membrane. All I need to do is fish a wire from the roof down the doorway to my battery bank under the dinette. That's easy.

Then I saw the connectors might be proprietary to "Go Power" and saw a burned out controller in another thread - so it's definitely "what does everyone think is a good idea?"

[HAL9001]

Originally Posted by MrKABC

Right. Adding wiring isn't the problem, I was more interested in what the connectors are that are on the roof and how solar could be mounted without damaging the membrane. All I need to do is fish a wire from the roof down the doorway to my battery bank under the dinette. That's easy.

Then I saw the connectors might be proprietary to "Go Power" and saw a burned out controller in another thread - so it's definitely "what does everyone think is a good idea?"

Mounting a solar panel without damaging the membrane is not an issue. You simply install the mounts that come with the panel and then seal them with Dicor and EternaBond just as you would with any other RV roof component.

The connectors are generic and can be used with any panel. You can easily buy matching connectors. As far as the controller, they usually use bare wires that attach to the terminals on the controller. You don't need to use Go Power, there are many brands and models to choose from.

You can find all the answers you may have at Will Prowse's Mobile Solar Power website.

[RallyAce]

I have a sticker on the wall next to the right side shirt closet that allegedly is the location for the wiring. I have the plug on the roof in that general area. I have not been brave enough to look any further for the wires as I am not ready for solar yet.

[TomC_AZ]

@RallyAce, as you have not cut any holes yet it might be good to think about the type of controller you may want to go with before you do. They make it look like you have to use a GoPower controller however that is just one company in a large ocean of equipment. With that being said the wire that is in your wall, may not be cut yet. If that is the case it would generally go down to the area where the battery cut off switch is (if you can see the back side of that switch). If you can do a continuity type test that may save you cutting a hole and provide a better location out of view/way for the charge controller if/when you install one.

In my case solar came with the trailer and hole was already cut, I am reusing that space for the remote inverter controller. But have to devise a back plate to cover the larger hole that will now be there.

[jimmoore13]

If you have the solar prep gland on the roof, it's a good bet that the wire comes straight down from the gland into the most convenient wall or cabinet space below the gland that goes all the way to the floor.

Jayco's solar prep on my rig is routed as follows:

• Down from the gland into a wall cavity, with the location for the charge controller marked with a label on the wall.
• After the charge controller, the wires appear to join in parallel with the wires between the battery bank and the Converter/Charger. In my case, the solar wiring is well ahead of the location of the Converter, so I suspect that my wires just bug onto the battery wires...very simple.

There's one really great source for top quality "walk arounds" in many RVs. Josh the RV Nerd at Haylett RV does one of the best jobs of showing RVs.
This video is for a Jay Flight SLX. Not sure it's your precise model, but guess what it shows...around 26 seconds into the video, it shows the charge controller label.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOP9-RapAzE

In this video, the label appears to be over the bedroom window on the curb side, behind the dinette.

Look closely to be sure I am sharing a video about the correct model, but you can scour dealer videos until you find one that shows the location of the label on your exact model.

By the way, if you plan to recess-mount your charge controller, this is the best kind of saw to do the job. Extremely precise and easily controlled. It makes very clean cuts, and you don't have a saw blade plunging into the wall cavity. If you don't want to invest real money into a good tool, buy a cheap, off-brand corded one at Walmart for $30 or so to do this job.

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by HAL9001

Mounting a solar panel without damaging the membrane is not an issue. You simply install the mounts that come with the panel and then seal them with Dicor and EternaBond just as you would with any other RV roof component.

The connectors are generic and can be used with any panel. You can easily buy matching connectors. As far as the controller, they usually use bare wires that attach to the terminals on the controller. You don't need to use Go Power, there are many brands and models to choose from.

You can find all the answers you may have at Will Prowse's Mobile Solar Power website.

I added one thing between the solar panel bracket and roof. Butyl tape. This squashes out under the bracket and provides a 360 degree seal below the brackent. The the Dicor self leveling sealant over the top. Belt and suspenders.

[440 scout]

Originally Posted by MrKABC

THIS is interesting... I am wanting to add solar to my 195RB but I have a 2019 model without any such "luxuries"...

If you don't mind helping me out, where are these connectors located? What are they wired to?

Since I relocated my batteries to under the dinette I don't have or need a wire at the hitch, but that roofing one intrigues me - I can fish a wire from the roof since it's next to the door (at least I think I can... LOL)

I have a 2015 195RB and I installed 400 watts of solar mostly on the rear area of the roof. I used MC-4 connectors for all connections and ran the 2 cables down along the plumbing roof vent down to the area between the shower plumbing and the water heater. There should be an access panel there for the water heater. Then over to the wall above the kitchen sink and mounted the Go-Power 30 amp solar charge controller close to where the water tanks level gauges are. I resealed the roof around the plumbing vent with self leveling Dicor. That was 3 years ago and so far, so good.