Want Solar

[NorthPoint5r]

Wiring:
I have read some info on solar. The 2017 new 301RETS NorthPoint 5er said it has Go Power Prep and it is just a black plate in the storage bay. Some investigation pointed to 2 red & 2 white #8 Gauger wires with a solar prep tag. Trying to "peek" where they go it looks like a red/wht go to the ceiling connectors and one wht goes to the panel (assumed ground at panel and one red goes across the storage bay to the front which I assumed would be ready to connect to the battery + but I can't find it.
Panel mounting:
Plenty of room in the 5er but the roof panels are curved. Looks awkward to use the standard Z clips everyone says works fine unless these frames bend? The flexible type what you to glue to you roof. Looks like flexible is a long term bad idea. Any advise?
Capacity
I am putting all 6 each 12V group 24 batteries in the big bay they gave me s but #6 wire at 50 rated amps is 600 watts max or 3360 watts on a good sunny day or 280 Ah which could reserve 46 Ah per battery if severely drawn down at night. What capacity do others use? Were past Go Power's 30A controller rating. Besides Go Power does not provide temperature compensation as the storage bay is heated and the battery bay is not.

[Mustang65]

Let's see if a few of the North Point members will drop in and give you a little info regarding the pre-wire. Here is a link to a post in the RVing with SOLAR Social Group. It has some prewire info that may help.

I have an arched roof also and I put the panel directly in the middle of the roof. I used the standard "Z" mounting brackets. There are some adjustable types out there, which I found after I mounted mine. I used 2 "Z" brackets on each side of the 250watt panel. Going on 5 years and still as solid as day one. There is a picture in my SOLAR album, see the bottom link.

There is also a post on Flexible panels that you may want to read. Would not be a top choice of mine.

I believe that the newer models have standard MC4 connectors on the roof, but may not be the same on the side mounted connectors. You can enclose pictures and we can help you out there.

As for a SOLAR Charge Controller, there are a lot of them out there and the good ones all have the battery temperature sensor, to monitor the batteries temperature for charging purposes . If you are going with a SOLAR and anticipating on expanding your system, I would recommend going with a QUALITY 60 Amp MPPT controller. I and a few other members use the MoringStar MPPT brand. I love it. It gives me the information that I need and with my TT's Wi-Fi router, I get the information on my smartphone, tablet... Some of the other mfr have more info, but not all have the networking capabilities that I wanted. I would say it is just a matter of preference.

Capacity: Well since you already have 6 standard size 24 batteries, you should have about 270Ah, of which you already know you can only use 135Ah.. If you ever need to change them out, I would recommend using 6 volt batteries. My 2 6volt batteries are rated at 260Ah, 4 of them would give you about 520Ah and have room to spare.

See the picture below for the best way to wire your batteries for most performance. I would go with #3. It will give each battery the same charge and load access. I would recommend using 1/0 AWG cables with compressed fittings on each end for the battery cables and the inverter if you decide to go with a bigger one. The entire battery wiring article can be found in the link at the bottom of the page.

If you plan on going with a large inverter.... mount it as close to the batteries as possible.

Good Luck

Don
My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[NorthPoint5r]

thanks mustang

with 2 AC units, bath and kitchen vent fan it looked like the center of the roof is limited as the 3 each 160 watt panels I was eying were 60" long each. You mentioned battery temperature, yes I read about that and surprisingly the expensive brand Go power Jayco pushed as prepped for does not have a battery sensor! Also limited to 30a although I did install their 1500W inverter and remote last weekend.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

Capacity: Well since you already have 6 standard size 24 batteries, you should have about 270Ah, of which you already know you can only use 135Ah.. If you ever need to change them out, I would recommend using 6 volt batteries. My 2 6volt batteries are rated at 260Ah, 4 of them would give you about 520Ah and have room to spare.

I meant to say you have 510Ah of which you only can use 255Ah, and (4) 6 volt batteries would give you 220Ah usable Ah, with room to spare

Weight: Can your 5er handle all that weight in one location. That is 300+ pounds

Panel selection: Go Power is EXPENSIVE, a lot of the members are extremely happy with their Renogy panels/kits. I would recommend you look at them. Amazon has some good prices.. a lot better than Go Power. You also have the option of going with Residential type panels which have a higher voltage.

Don
My Registry

RVing with SOLAR[/QUOTE]

[klassic]

You can't find the red wire to hook to the batteries, because it already is.
It is hooked up to a small self resetting 30amp breaker that you will want to get rid of and then goes to a power post with others wires....then off to the batteries.
This is how a 2016 is, I'm sure the 17 is basically the same.

Here is a picture of my 2 260w panels in the centre of the roof. They are 5'2" long.

[NorthPoint5r]

Thanks. That is what I was looking for. Only problem is I have a second AC unit in the middle of the front panel. There is space for a shorter one in between though.
I was thinking of tying the positive to the battery side of the battery cut off switch as all of this is on 1 panel they closed up tighter than a $#&*%

[klassic]

Keep this in mind.
My front panel is so level that water completely pools up on it. In the winter it freezes. In the summer if I'm hooking op water pours off the roof once the trailer goes out of level.
I wish I put a little slope on the panel.

[JPBeck]

Listen to Mustang for he is wise.

I got my panels from http://www.ebay.com/usr/fred480v?_tr...53.m2749.l2754

I bought (22) 320 watt, and (2) 160 watt panels from him. He's right at a dollar a watt-- He's under clocked amp wise-- you get more amps then what he advertises), 100% made in America, 25 year warranty.

Just throwing it out there.

[subpay]

Here is my humble opinion, and what I have discovered with my Jayco "Ready for Solar". There are two seperate ports. The "Solar on the Side" and the "Ready for Solar" MC4 connectors on the roof.
#1. The solar panels are only going to charge your house battery. I replaced my stock interstate battery with an East Penn 105ah AGM battery. For the same amount of money I could have bought two 6V AGM batteries, made by the same company, for about the same price from Lowes and had a true 105ah of power. So the wattage and the amps are all going to how fast you charge that battery. The DC power made by the panels requires an inverter to be used for AC power on the rig. I installed a 1500W pure sine inverter. There are some inline inverters that convert the solar panel energy directly to AC but they are mostly used in a residential set-up and get expensive.
#2. The Solar on the Side" is wired directly to the battery with small 8 gage wire. To plug a panel into the side of the trailer will require an inline solar controller, or a suitcase kit. I picked up a cheap one on Amazon.
#3. The connections on the top...I had a recall on my 2016. It added 20A circuit breakers to the lines coming from the roof's MC4 connections and wired it, again without a controller, to the battery. I used the very unscientific method of removing my battery, plugging in a solar panel and checking for voltage. Once I identified the wires I could route them to a solar controller, and THEN back to the battery.
#4. All your panels need to be the same size, OR run them in series.
#5. The guys are right, shop around for panels. The 160W Go Power kit is $700-800 bucks. Luckily I got mine on ebay for a 1/3 of that price. If I add a 2nd panel, I will get the panel shown in one of the first replies.

[subpay]

I will provide a link for my video about the connectors , its not great, but you will get the idea I hope! I have also attached a basic schematic. Note that the wires from the MC-4 connections on the roof were wired by the factory to the 30 amp circuit breaker, and then to the battery (+) and the ground directly to the (-) post. I tried to explain that in the video but I didn't do a great job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rRvuCt2zy0

[bdreinv]

Originally Posted by NorthPoint5r

Wiring:
I have read some info on solar. The 2017 new 301RETS NorthPoint 5er said it has Go Power Prep and it is just a black plate in the storage bay. Some investigation pointed to 2 red & 2 white #8 Gauger wires with a solar prep tag. Trying to "peek" where they go it looks like a red/wht go to the ceiling connectors and one wht goes to the panel (assumed ground at panel and one red goes across the storage bay to the front which I assumed would be ready to connect to the battery + but I can't find it.
Panel mounting:
Plenty of room in the 5er but the roof panels are curved. Looks awkward to use the standard Z clips everyone says works fine unless these frames bend? The flexible type what you to glue to you roof. Looks like flexible is a long term bad idea. Any advise?
Capacity
I am putting all 6 each 12V group 24 batteries in the big bay they gave me s but #6 wire at 50 rated amps is 600 watts max or 3360 watts on a good sunny day or 280 Ah which could reserve 46 Ah per battery if severely drawn down at night. What capacity do others use? Were past Go Power's 30A controller rating. Besides Go Power does not provide temperature compensation as the storage bay is heated and the battery bay is not.

On our 2016 Eagle the Go Power roof hook up was good for a 30 amp charger,that was from go power customer service. The 8 gauge wires were reversed so might check polarity before hooking up to charger.For us 30 amps was only enough for 290 watts, we used one 275 watt panel.Would have like to had more.Your right the pitch on the roof forced us to run the pane long ways. That wasted a bunch of space.And we did spend an extra 30 bucks for the battery temp sensor.That took us three hours to thread through three walls.Looks like you will have a great set up! Happy Trails

[NorthPoint5r]

Originally Posted by JPBeck

Listen to Mustang for he is wise.

I got my panels from fred480v on eBay

.

Just got three 160W from fred480V and they look well made at 1$/watt. The Z brackets for flat mounting I also ordered do not have screws for into the roof. What size type screw and precautions should I take screwing them down to the roof other than plenty of follow up silicone.

Also thanks for the advice not to make them level.

[sennister]

Originally Posted by NorthPoint5r

Just got three 160W from fred480V and they look well made at 1$/watt. The Z brackets for flat mounting I also ordered do not have screws for into the roof. What size type screw and precautions should I take screwing them down to the roof other than plenty of follow up silicone.

Also thanks for the advice not to make them level.

Well first off don't use silicone.

Get some Dicor Self Leveling Lap Sealant.

This is the product you want to use for all roof work around vents and seams as well as an install like this.

[Danno]

Like sennister said, NO SILICONE !! That stuff is only good for bathtubs and boobs.

[NorthPoint5r]

Got it and thanks I ordered the Amazon tubes just now. What about screw length size type and don't put them there recommendations on the roof for the standard solar Z brackets. Mainly how deep to keep them held without causing problems to wiring, structure, HVAC ducting particularly on a North Point. I don't want to go shallow and watch them blow away on the first trip.

[bdreinv]

Originally Posted by NorthPoint5r

Got it and thanks I ordered the Amazon tubes just now. What about screw length size type and don't put them there recommendations on the roof for the standard solar Z brackets. Mainly how deep to keep them held without causing problems to wiring, structure, HVAC ducting particularly on a North Point. I don't want to go shallow and watch them blow away on the first trip.

Called Jayco factory techs emailed roof details, I think plywood is 3/8", for our 2016 Eagle.We used wood screws hex head and Dicor to seal them down. Been up there for 1 1/2 years now.

[klassic]

NO ... don't use that Dicor. That's for EPDM membranes. The NorthPoint has TPO.

[sennister]

Originally Posted by NorthPoint5r

Got it and thanks I ordered the Amazon tubes just now. What about screw length size type and don't put them there recommendations on the roof for the standard solar Z brackets. Mainly how deep to keep them held without causing problems to wiring, structure, HVAC ducting particularly on a North Point. I don't want to go shallow and watch them blow away on the first trip.

I would contact Jayco and have your VIN handy. I have seen where they can send you the roof plans. While it is great to go through the plywood but it would be better to hit one of the more substantial roof supports. They can advise on the screw length. I don't know what it is though which is why I didn't comment on that part of the question. Also as the other member posted. Double check on the roof type. I wouldn't know what yours is made on that front either. There are different kinds of Dicor so get the right one. You don't want to use silicon though as it won't hold up and you will get leaks. Also it is hard to remove if you started down that path and it will leave deposits behind even after removed with makes the right product harder to stick to.

[JPBeck]

I lag bolted them to the joists then put a strip of Eternabond tape over the bracket and bolt. Works well on my roof.

[Danno]

Originally Posted by klassic

NO ... don't use that Dicor. That's for EPDM membranes. The NorthPoint has TPO.

Dicor is compatible with both.

https://dicorproducts.com/product/epdm-lap-sealants/