Planning & Installing Solar on X23B

[sebring96hbg]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

One additional suggestion. I would recommend installing the 2 terminals on the fridge vent in a 4x4 water proof electrical box as the connections may become rusted or oxidized over time. If not purchase the red battery terminal coating spray coating from a auto parts store and coat all the bare metal parts.

Just a suggestion.

Don

I am planning on sealing the feed through terminals with a combination of the CableCap, heat shrink and Eternabond tape. I will also use the coating. Thanks for the tip!


This is what the Blue Sea CableCap looks like...





That said, I do have a 4 x 4 x 2 electrical box and some cable glands on stand by.

[sebring96hbg]

Originally Posted by klassic

This works pretty good too
Gardner Bender 4 fl. oz. Liquid Electrical Tape - Black-LTB-400 - The Home Depot

This is a great idea!

[howlin4you]

I don't have any knowledge to add but I just wanted to say thanks for the great pictures and descriptions of what you're doing. I'm following this closely since I also have an X23B. I'll be curious to see where you run your wires and where you mount the components. You may end up being my guide and inspiration to complete my own solar project.

[sebring96hbg]

Originally Posted by howlin4you

I don't have any knowledge to add but I just wanted to say thanks for the great pictures and descriptions of what you're doing. I'm following this closely since I also have an X23B. I'll be curious to see where you run your wires and where you mount the components. You may end up being my guide and inspiration to complete my own solar project.

The sub panel measures 16" x 14.5" and it is going to be placed to the left of the inverter at a right angle against the divider. In the picture below, there is plenty of slack in the 2 AWG battery cable now going to the inverter to make the three cuts, crimp on some lugs and connect the battery cable and the inverter cable to the terminal posts on the lower right corner of the sub panel. I will also tidy wires in the corner.

If all goes well this weekend, I will have my X23B in a "solar-ready" state.

[RoyBraddy]

The individual panels will only produce around 5-6AMPS DC current when in high sun which will not require a heavy duty DC CABLE.

After you combine two or three of these individual solar panels going to the battery is where the larger gauge DC cables would be used.

If you want to bring a battery back up from its 50% charge state to its 90% charge state in a three hour time period the battery will want to see 14.4VDC with 17-20AMPS DC current capacity. This would require three 100WATT Solar Panels in the high sun for each battery in your battery bank. If you have more batteries then it stills works - just takes longer to get re-charged... Plan accordingly...

My OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer will only have enough roof space for three of the 100/120WATTS panels. The most I will expect to see current wise will be around 20AMPS DC current in high sun. You can see from this I will run out of high sun before getting my four batteries re-charged. I am basing this only giving me a good 6 hours of high sun in a day...

What I am going to do is run my 2KW generator for an hour each morning when allowed to run it and this will get all of my batteries past their initial high current demand point. My present three batteries demands around 53AMPS DC current when first hit with 14.4VDC and then start tapering back. My batteries all taper back in their DC current demand to 6-8AMPS DC current after one hour of charging. Then the 20AMPS DC current I am getting from the solar panels should get my batteries back up before I lose the high sun...

This is my planning at any rate...
Roy Ken

[sebring96hbg]

As for the use of 4 AWG from the combiner to the controller, I would like to reduce voltage drop over the 20 foot run.



For a moment, I thought my pin connector idea was clever. However, it takes too much time. It would be easier to splice the 4 AWG welding cable to 4 AWG building wire using the butt splice connector.

I will be making this change.

[sebring96hbg]

Here is a better method of going from welding cable to stranded wire.

For the welding cable, remove a 1/2 inch of the insulation and crimp in one side of splice connector. Put a 1.5 inch piece of heat shrink tubing aft of the connector (or put on before initial crimp). For the stranded wire, remove one inch of the insulation and crimp in the other side and then cut the stranded wire at the original one inch mark leaving a 1/2 inch of stranded wire protruding from the crimped connector. Use heat gun on heat shrink tubing.

[sebring96hbg]

I went to the storage lot and installed the sub panel. I also did some prep work for running the cable down the refrigerator vent. My tip is to wire the battery sense and remote temperature sensor wires before connecting the leads to the battery.















As part of the prep work for next time, I removed some spray foam to reveal a hole to pass through wires - no drilling, woot!




The hole can just be seen and and a ray of sunlight cast against the sidewall.

[klassic]

Keep the updates coming.

[Mustang65]

VERY NICE JOB!

Don

[Cdash]

Good job! Your sub panel looks very clean and very well laid out. Provides a good visual template for others that may be planning something similar. Hope the rest of your install goes as smoothly!

[sebring96hbg]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

VERY NICE JOB!

Don

Thanks! I am returning the feed through terminals and will make a combiner box using a 4 x 4 x 2 weatherproof enclosure, two ground bars with seven terminals and plastic bar stock. PG9 cable glands will be used to seal the wire entry points.

I will also transition the 4 AWG welding cable to 4 AWG strand wire before entry into the enclosure for a more secure termination.


How much spacing should there be from the air conditioner? Also, what is the minimum distance should there be between the solar panel and the street-side edge of the roof?

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by sebring96hbg

How much spacing should there be from the air conditioner? Also, what is the minimum distance should there be between the solar panel and the street-side edge of the roof?

My SOLAR panel is mounted 20" from the AC unit and about 12" from the rear roof vent. Click on my SOLAR album below to see the location) During the peak sunny hours this is not going to be an issue, as the shade would start to cover the SOLAR panel in the late afternoon (about 5 in the summer months). Our seasonal spot we face north, so there is no issue with shade from the AC/vent, but we do have a tree that starts around 4ish. No real cut in SOLAR power. As for how close to the end of the TT the panel can be mounted. I would keep it in at least 6" to keep it away from any air turbulence (along the side of the TT) that may be generated while traveling. No other reason other than that.

Don

[sebring96hbg]

Okay, the 4 AWG welding cable has been run from the roof to the sub panel via the refrigerator vent. I also ran the remote cables for the charge controller remote and the inverter remote.

The run from the roof to the sub panel battery terminal connections is 25 feet. There is a foot or two of slack in the water heater compartment.



Prepped for next time...




Wires make their way down from the vent and into a pre-existing hole. Once I am done wiring in the remotes, the hole will be filled with spray foam...





The wires continue under the couch and ultimately through the water heater compartment...





The wood panel is notched at the upper right corner of the divider between the water heater compartment and the front storage...





The pre-existing gap in the wood framing at the front left corner of the drawer compartment is notched a little more...





Cables from roof are now connected to the sub panel...

[klassic]

So you don't really have to put a fuse or breaker after the panels?
It's just one of those "just in case" things.

[sebring96hbg]

Originally Posted by klassic

So you don't really have to put a fuse or breaker after the panels?
It's just one of those "just in case" things.

I do plan on installing a 30A MC4 inline fuse.

[sebring96hbg]

If this weekend's weather cooperates, I will likely install the panels then. So far, I have about 12 hours in this project.

I am going to place the panels on either side of the air conditioner within six inches of the street-side roof edge. I will use composite shims under the mounts where needed due to the curvature of the roof.

[Mustang65]

Just a question... will you have enough room on the roof to walk from the back of the TT, or will the installation keep you from the front part of the roof? Pretty much the 6" on the sides will not allow you to walk that way.

Don

[sebring96hbg]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

Just a question... will you have enough room on the roof to walk from the back of the TT, or will the installation keep you from the front part of the roof? Pretty much the 6" on the sides will not allow you to walk that way.

Don

Don,

Right now, my thought is to have both 39 x 39.5 inch panels on the curb-side half of the roof as viewed from front to back. My plan is to park the trailer so that the curb-side is facing south and to take advantage of the curvature of the roof to get a slight angle pointed at the sun. I misspoke above re street-side - sorry! The panels would also be seen as placed on either side of the antenna in the lowered position.

I can also put both panels side-by-side up front; but, I started thinking about putting another 53 lbs. up front.

I plan on using a ladder to access the roof via the street-side. I have read the some hybrid owners pop-out the rear bed and hoist themselves up from the rear bed platform. There would still be an access point at the right rear corner and then a quick crossover to the left to walk to the front on the street-side of the roof.

Is there something that I am missing?

[sebring96hbg]

I installed the remotes.

Used in the install were a Leviton dual gang surface mount box (1.89" depth), Amazon Link, for the Tristar remote and a Leviton single gang surface mount box (1.89" depth), Amazon Link, with a matching Leviton blank cover, Amanzon Link, for the inverter remote.

The Tristar remote is made to be fitted in a dual gang box. YMMV with an inverter remote. I used my Dremel to cut a recess hole on the blank cover for the inverter remote for a flush fit on the cover plate.

I took this approach to avoid cutting unseemly holes in the wall. Instead, I cut 1" holes with a hole saw, which were then fitted with a grommet. In this way, if the trailer is sold or traded without the remotes, etc., a cover can be neatly fitted in the grommet.

Tip: when looking inside the refrigerator access, the first 2 x 2 on the left wall is roughly in line with the bottom of the window behind the couch, which is about a foot below the thermostat on a 2013 model. This means having to be mindful of the 2 x 2 above when drilling any holes. When drilling a hole below the thermostat, be mindful of the thermostat wires and drill with a soft touch to just break through. I missed my wires by less than a quarter of an inch.

I used two inch spacing to provide a two inch gap between the thermostat and the gang boxes.

Otherwise, I am waiting on a few more bits for the the combiner box and warmer weather to get closer to completion.