Planning & Installing Solar on X23B

[Jmooney]

Not seeing the pic of the tilt bars

[sebring96hbg]

They should be there now.

[sebring96hbg]

More pics....

Don and any other Tristar user: Is it normal to see the solar wattage needed by the battery, as opposed to the solar wattage instantaneously collected by the panel, on the remote meter display? Please see the first and last meter pics for reference.










Meter Display with essentially no load...





Diagnostic Solar Voltage...
The rated open circuit voltage for this Renogy 150W panel is 22.5V.





Diagnostic Battery Sense (essentially no load)...





Diagnostic Battery Voltage with essentially no load...





Meter Display with all lights on, fans and radio...

[Jmooney]

Looks great! Nice job.

[sebring96hbg]

Thanks Jim! This has been a fun project so far. Since I have been measuring four times and cutting/drilling once, it has taken some time. That said, it is always satisfying to DIY and save for something else.

Some tips: I got the roof plans from Jayco before drilling any holes. And, I did manage to center the install of a couple of the L brackets into a rafter.

Cut two inch squares of Eternabond for each L bracket mounting point for added sealing and a layer of protection for the roofing material. To find the mark for each pilot hole in order to install each L bracket, place the panel where it will be mounted, press down at each mounting point, wait a few minutes and see the circular imprint of each hole of the L bracket. Mark the center of each circular imprint and drill each pilot hole.

The solar panel should be no closer than six inches from the edge of the roof. Draw, softly, a pencil line parallel to and six inches from the edge of the roof. Mark on this line a rough approximation of where the pilot holes are to be drilled and center a two inch square piece of Eternabond on these marks.

If using an extension ladder to climb onto the roof, place a couple layers of towels at the edge of the roof where the ladder will rest to avoid damage to the roofing material.

Use a 2' x 2' piece of plywood to help distribute your body weight across two rafters on the roof.

[klassic]

Excellent thread Sebring. When do you take her out for a boondocking shakedown?

[sebring96hbg]

Originally Posted by klassic

Excellent thread Sebring. When do you take her out for a boondocking shakedown?

Hopefully, we can get out late April to a dark sky site, possibly Cherry Springs, and set up the telescope. The other option is state forest camping with free permit.

I still have one more panel to install up front which will be a little tricky.

[sebring96hbg]

I am working on a "how to" in transferring just the essentials to the RVing with SOLAR community on this forum.

Ideally, it will have a parts list for each stage of the install and a straightforward general overview of each stage as it pertains to installing a solar panel on an X23B.

If you haven't joined the RVing with SOLAR community yet, please do.

[sebring96hbg]

I installed the second solar panel up front. I caught a break and did not need to shim. I will be posting pics of the wiring for the combiner box and some install tips.

I now have two 150W panels wired in parallel providing a total of 300W and regulated by a Morningstar Tristar 45 PWM charge controller.

[Jmooney]

Let the power flow!

[sebring96hbg]

Originally Posted by Jmooney

Let the power flow!

Of course, when I was done, the sun was about to set. Ha ha!


And, now...the pics. First up is a level check in comparing the the curb-side and street-side panel frame edges.





They seem very close. I placed the panel as close to the TV antenna as possible to mitigate any effects from the front radial slope. I saw, upon closer inspection, that there is a bit of a crown before it slopes. So, that worked in my favor.

The next set of pics show how to place the 2" x 2" piece of Eternabond and to mark the spot for drilling the pilot hole.











Because these brackets are not Z-brackets, the panel has to be tilted in order to drill the holes for the street-side brackets.

The next couple of pics show the wiring in the combiner box and the enclosed waterproof box.






Now, I just have to get a pic of both panels catching some rays.

[klassic]

Are those wires in the combiner box coming direct from the panels, or did you have to splice the panel wire to make it longer.

[sebring96hbg]

Originally Posted by klassic

Are those wires in the combiner box coming direct from the panels, or did you have to splice the panel wire to make it longer.

Both panels come with about three feet of 12 AWG MC4 cable. To these short run cables, I had to connect a longer run to reach the combiner box. I ordered two 20' 8 AWG MC4 extension cables. The cables were cut to length, strategically, on the first panel install; so that, I was able to use the remaining length of both cables on the second panel install without having to install the MC4 connectors.

I forgot to measure; however, there appeared to be about six feet left over from both extension cables.

[klassic]

How did you stick the long cable to the roof?
I want a single 250 watt panel and it is about 64" long, the only spot to put is is at the front and the pre wired MC4 roof connection is near the back. That's a long cable run across the roof.
It would have made more sense for Jayco to put the connector at the front since the pre wire lands in the basement, it would have been 12' less wire x2 lengths and Jayco is all about saving every dime!

[sebring96hbg]

Originally Posted by klassic

How did you stick the long cable to the roof?
I want a single 250 watt panel and it is about 64" long, the only spot to put is is at the front and the pre wired MC4 roof connection is near the back. That's a long cable run across the roof.
It would have made more sense for Jayco to put the connector at the front since the pre wire lands in the basement, it would have been 12' less wire x2 lengths and Jayco is all about saving every dime!

I haven't done wire management yet. However, the plan is to use a small length of 2" wide Eternabond to keep the wires from flapping around on the roof while at speed.

I have already put eight holes in the roof. I am not keen on putting anymore to keep wire in place. I have seen online other DIY installs use the tape while pro installs use screws. The pros do not have to worry about yet another source of water entry.

[sebring96hbg]

A couple of pics of the pair...

[dewey02]

Excellent description and photos of your design and install, Sebring!
I think you've given novices like me some great ideas.
Can you add up your costs and give a bottom line on what the total cost of the materials was for you? It would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[sebring96hbg]

Originally Posted by dewey02

Excellent description and photos of your design and install, Sebring!
I think you've given novices like me some great ideas.
Can you add up your costs and give a bottom line on what the total cost of the materials was for you? It would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks! It was roughly $1K for the parts specific to the solar installation. I will have to do a spreadsheet. I definitely price-shopped while making sure I was getting the right size wire, fuses, etc. for my install.

I still can't believe the roof supported my weight, haha!

I still have to do some wire management.