Greyhawk 29MV with Solar Panels?

Bullitt6283 · 02-05-2019, 05:07 PM

I have a 2016 Greyhawk 29MV and I'm thinking about mounting a pair of solar panels on the roof.

If you have already done this, exactly how did you run the wires down to the batteries? A picture or 2 would be cool, too...

Camper_bob · 02-06-2019, 03:19 PM

I'm interested in this as well.

My 29MV has plugs for solar already installed in the roof, but I haven't gotten far enough to bother tracing their route.

Bullitt6283 · 02-06-2019, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

I'm interested in this as well.

My 29MV has plugs for solar already installed in the roof, but I haven't gotten far enough to bother tracing their route.

Well, you're way ahead of me.
I have no pre-installed solar anything....

I could run the wires down the fridge vent, but then how do I get them to the opposite side of the coach.....?

I'm going to do some poking around tomorrow.

.

Camper_bob · 02-06-2019, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullitt6283

Well, you're way ahead of me.
I have no pre-installed solar anything....

I could run the wires down the fridge vent, but then how do I get them to the opposite side of the coach.....?
.

Ya, I don't know about that one! That's a lot of cable too, being that you want the cable runs to be as short as possible to minimize loss.

I would offer to take a closer look at mine to see how they're routed, but my unit is in storage where it will stay until some time in mid-late April or May! And I JUST did my generator/chassis maintenance run, so I won't see my rig again in storage for another month.

pconroy · 02-06-2019, 10:56 PM

I think most of the 2016s were prewired for Solar. I also think all this means is that some very small (too small) wires run from somewhere near the battery compartment to the roof.

Others have called Jayco and gotten the location of the wires in the roof.

IMHO - there's probably nothing in that wiring worth saving. If the wires terminate in the battery cabinet, then there's no room for a charge controller or fuse or cutoff switch in mine.

I'm experimenting w/ Solar now and my current thought is to just ignore everything Jayco prewired.

Since I'm not thrilled about punching holes in the roof, I've been thinking about ways to run them down a race of sorts on the outside.

I may try VHB to mount the panels on the pebbled fibreglass roof.

Camper_bob · 02-07-2019, 09:31 AM

I was thinking about going with a flexible panel on the roof. Sure, it's a little more expensive right now than a solid panel, but also MUCH easier to attach.

I'm concerned as well about what Jayco used to pre-wire that solar setup. But at the end of the day, I don't need much for what I'm trying to do.

When we boondock, we're running the generator, so at this point, my primary goal for a solar setup is to keep my batteries topped up while the rig is in storage. I may go with two panels just so I can maybe use the generator less frequently, or give me more options. Especially when we're overnighting on long trips. It would be nice not to feel like I have to run the generator all the time. Increased battery capacity will also be a factor in my setup.

Bullitt6283 · 02-07-2019, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pconroy

I think most of the 2016s were prewired for Solar.......

I received an email back from a customer service supervisor at Jayco Motorhome Division and he says that my 2016 "is not set up for any kind of solar installation".

So it's up to me....

I'm thinking about 200W and an MPPT controller.

.

pconroy · 02-07-2019, 12:49 PM

I'm playing with a 100 watt panel and a PWM controller. Just learning the in's and out's.

I too was thinking about flexible panels but have since cooled on them - pun intended. Longevity, reliability and cooling seem to be a concern.

Camper_bob · 02-07-2019, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pconroy

I'm playing with a 100 watt panel and a PWM controller. Just learning the in's and out's.

I too was thinking about flexible panels but have since cooled on them - pun intended. Longevity, reliability and cooling seem to be a concern.

I was actually concerned about the same thing.

From what I've read they recommend mounting them directly to the roof using Dicor (or similar). I'm not sure that's a great idea because of the reasons you mentioned. I figured I could still mount them, but I wouldn't seal them all the way around. I could leave gaps in the adhesive to allow anything to move relatively freely under the panel. I'm thinking moisture from condensation, heat, etc. But then if reliability is an issue, removing/replacing them could be a major problem. Not so with a rigid panel mounted on brackets...

I'm still wavering on the decision (and likely will for quite some time because I'm not really close to pulling this trigger), but I REALLY don't want to put any new holes in my roof, which is a contributing factor to why I would use the existing plugs and wires Jayco installed, even if they're not quite ideal.

LI-Camper · 02-07-2019, 01:26 PM

I own a 2016 Greyhawk 29 MV. This fall a friend helped me to install two solar panels on the roof. They were screwed down and covered with Dicor. We used flexible duplex cable (8 ga) and ran it down the refrigerator vent. It continued down under the MH. Then ran it across to just under the bathroom sink. There I’d a dead space to the right of the bathroom cabinet. The MPPT controller was mounted there. It has a remote monitor that was mounted just under the thermostat. The dead space I mentioned is behind the wall the thermostat is mounted on. The duplex cable that goes from the controller to the batteries runs back under the bathroom sink floor. There is a hole there already that has either water lines or wires (I forget which) so no need to drill. The hole was closed after the wires were pushed thru with foam caulking. This location is good because it doesn’t involve the slides, it’s in between them. I am currently on vacation without the MH so I can’t take any photos. This worked with the 29MV but may have to be modified with other Greyhawks. I hope this gives you some ideas. I bought the cable on Amazon. I attached a photo of the MPPT controller I used. It has an optional remote monitor. I saw this on eBay and Amazon.

LI-Camper · 02-07-2019, 01:34 PM

As an addendum, I used Ancor Marine grade Duplex wire. I bought 50 feet of 8 Awg. I have some left over if I need to add more solar panels. I purchased this on Amazon for less than $90. The wire lays flat so it is easy to use Enternabond to attach it to the roof.

LI-Camper · 02-07-2019, 09:09 PM

As an addendum, I used Ancor Marine grade Duplex wire. I bought 50 feet of 8 Awg. I have some left over if I need to add more solar panels. I purchased this on Amazon for less than $90. The wire lays flat so it is easy to use Enternabond to attach it to the roof.

You may also like: