171BH 190w Solar not working?

[DK1]

You can see from the pics that the roof port has MC4 connectors on the outside / topside. The solar panel hooks into those connectors. Underside the roof port are short leads, almost like house wiring pigtails. The short leads go into WAGO connectors that mate to the wires that go down to the controller. The wires going into the trailer were either 8 or 10 gauge. They were extremely stiff. Once I got everything hooked up, it was hard to feed the wires into the small hole in the roof. Reminds me of working with 12 gauge 120v house wiring, very stiff. But it seems to be working now.

[EJH]

Glad you got it working. You are the third or fourth owner to post here with bad wiring in the roof port. I wonder how many others are bad out there who did not post to this forum, or who don't even know it is bad.

[TomC_AZ]

Agreed, it seems that it was all the same trailer model as well. DK you and Jaylo have the same model right, I know they had the same issue?

It seems weird that they would have those on that roof connector, I would think that they would have just gone direct to the MC4 connector ends. Also on my trailer the red and white wires are 8 AWG and I have some of those WAGO connectors, the 8 will absolutely not fit (at least mine wont and the side of the connector says 10 is the biggest). I wonder if they put 10 in yours... if you are still adventurous you could look at the wire on the charger/controller side. It will have writing on the side of the wire. I wanted to use the WAGOs but ended up using MC4 connectors to extend off from where my old controller was to the new location in the passthrough.


Jaylo, if your reading this, did yours have the WAGO connectors up in the roof connection as well?

[DK1]

The controller is now displaying all sorts of information but the amperage seems very low. In bright sun yesterday at around 4:00PM it was showing 0.6amp. The voltage was 14.1 and according to the blinking lights the battery was fully charged (which isn't surprising since I'm plugged into the garage 15amp supply...) The amp-hour reading was 11.6ah ... Is that the total for the day? Or was that a peak reading for the day?

[Dbunke]

I cannot answer your AH reading but if your battery is full it is jut maintaining that charge with the low amperage. Once the battery really needs a charge the controller will up the amps as needed. Now that everything is working you can un plug from shore power and watch it do its thing.

[EJH]

The 11.6ah is the total produced during the day. If you were not heavily using the battery or electrical items in the trailers that makes sense. The monitor shows your battery at 14.1v, so it is fully charged. The controller will not push current to a charged battery. It will just keep it fully charged.

If you want a better test of performance, next time it is sunny, turn on a lot of items in the trailer, give it a minute, then see what the controller is pushing to the battery. In an ideal environment, you will see 8-9amps. However that is assuming no shade, clean panel and the panel being tilted toward to sun. You also have to have a discharged battery to see full amperage being pushed by the controller.

[DK1]

I guess I thought the controller was showing what the panel is producing as opposed to what is being feed into the battery. If the panel is producing 10A in bright sun, I should be able to measure those amps going into the controller shouldn't I? I guess I'd have to disconnect the leads going into the controller but in bright sun I should be seeing 9-10Am shouldn't I?

[EJH]

Originally Posted by DK1

I guess I thought the controller was showing what the panel is producing as opposed to what is being feed into the battery. If the panel is producing 10A in bright sun, I should be able to measure those amps going into the controller shouldn't I? I guess I'd have to disconnect the leads going into the controller but in bright sun I should be seeing 9-10Am shouldn't I?

The GP 190W panel has short circuit current (Isc) of 9.98A. That is the best it can provide, with the sun perfectly angled (and with the leads connected to each other - short circuit). You would measure this with a clamp meter.

In reality, in bright sun, mounted on a RV roof, anything around 5-8A would be good. Remember you won't see the maximum current the panel/controller can send to the battery unless the system needs it. The charge controller shows what power is being produced. The charge controller will not produce more power than the system (battery or switched on 12V electronics) can take, even if the available sunlight on the panels allows more.

[TomC_AZ]

Just make sure not to put more than 400w of panels on that GoPower controller, it will over volt in good sunlight and potentially cause you issues! (trust me I know) A MPPT controller keeps the solar side separate from the charger side and over voltage wont happen. But the GoPower (and most PWM controllers) will not block it.

[RV_for_donuts]

Just an update on my solar not working. I took it to the dealer as it’s under warranty and told them about everyone here finding the roof connection issue and sure enough mine was
Same problem. I would of done it myself as it only took them about 20 minutes but I figured why buy a tube of roof sealant when warranty is free!

[JayLo]

Originally Posted by RV_for_donuts

Just an update on my solar not working. I took it to the dealer as it’s under warranty and told them about everyone here finding the roof connection issue and sure enough mine was
Same problem. I would of done it myself as it only took them about 20 minutes but I figured why buy a tube of roof sealant when warranty is free!

Oh man! I wish my dealer was close! Good to have that solved.

[RV_for_donuts]

Originally Posted by JayLo

Oh man! I wish my dealer was close! Good to have that solved.

Thanks although I’m not sure it’s a good thing my trailer has been in for warranty work more times than I’ve taken it out lol. I purchased in Feb 2022.

[JayLo]

Originally Posted by TomC_AZ

Agreed, it seems that it was all the same trailer model as well. DK you and Jaylo have the same model right, I know they had the same issue?

It seems weird that they would have those on that roof connector, I would think that they would have just gone direct to the MC4 connector ends. Also on my trailer the red and white wires are 8 AWG and I have some of those WAGO connectors, the 8 will absolutely not fit (at least mine wont and the side of the connector says 10 is the biggest). I wonder if they put 10 in yours... if you are still adventurous you could look at the wire on the charger/controller side. It will have writing on the side of the wire. I wanted to use the WAGOs but ended up using MC4 connectors to extend off from where my old controller was to the new location in the passthrough.


Jaylo, if your reading this, did yours have the WAGO connectors up in the roof connection as well?

Yes my WAGO had like 1 or 2 strands connected, ridiculous because the wiring, Like DK1 was saying, is thick. So I got some larger crimp style connectors. I doubt this is a 171BH issue, likely all the trailers have horrible connections. The GO Power Tech who was helping me said it is rampant. The issue is most people just have no idea it’s not working. I will watch a video walkthrough of a trailer on line and when they pass by the charge controller you can see it’s not working if you know what to look for. I’m glad this group is bringing awareness so at least people can fix it, since it is so easy.

[JayLo]

Originally Posted by RV_for_donuts

Thanks although I’m not sure it’s a good thing my trailer has been in for warranty work more times than I’ve taken it out lol. I purchased in Feb 2022.

Do tell what warranty issues you have had so we can be on the look out. Some things don’t pop up right away.

[RV_for_donuts]

Originally Posted by DK1

Your solar panel may be working fine... I was also under the impression that my panel would be able to maintain my batteries when I disconnected from 'shore' power (my garage). I disconnected from 'shore' when I went to visit my daughter & family over the Easter holiday. I was gone 5 days and returned home to dead batteries...

I too though my solar panel might not be working and haven't diagnosed if it is or isn't working. I contacted Jayco support and they weren't very helpful. (which has been my experience calling them...). I tried to determine what elements of the 12V system are still on when the battery disconnect is in the OFF position. They said the Microwave, the CO2 detector, refrigerator and BM-Pro module (JayCommand). Well let's see, ummm, the Microwave isn't powered by 12V. 2 - there isn't a CO2 detector. There is a combination carbon MONOXIDE (CO)/Propane detector but it's isn't powered when the disconnect is in the OFF position. So basically 1/2 of what JayCo customer support indicated was simply wrong....

In any event. your solar may be working. The refrigeration (if your's is the Dometic 12V) may be pulling too much power for the panel to keep up. I still don't know entirely what's powered when you set the battery disconnect to OFF... I've asked Jayco, via email numerous times, for a wiring diagram, but they have replied, so I guess they are simply not even replying one way or another...

I will probably modify my unit with a genuine battery disconnect (on the battery) to completely disconnect 12v from the unit OR I'll be pulling the refrigerator fuse from the panel when I disconnect again... I don't know what a complete disconnect would do to the solar panel so I'm not recommending anything ...

If I have time, I'm going to try to determine what's powered when you set the disconnect to OFF ...

Just to update after getting it fixed my fridge is either 115V or propane(inside one) and the outside one is 115V only so this has nothing to do with the solar. My batteries stay charged since getting the roof connection fixed by the dealer.

[JayLo]

I sympathize with the “falling apart in your hands” part! I kind of chuckled because it was just so horrible, lol. Glad you got up there and did it. I actually think everyone should do this, it’s a good Cutting Into Your Roof 101.

[RV_for_donuts]

Originally Posted by JayLo

Do tell what warranty issues you have had so we can be on the look out. Some things don’t pop up right away.

Its been mostly cosmetic stuff other than the solar. Blinds have been warping at the bottom, some looked like a "U" after a bit of time. Also had problems with cabinets/drawers being crooked or not shutting properly. Ive literally only taken it out 3 times, one of them on dirt for like 300 yards and Im not rough on it so very disappointing.

[JayLo]

Originally Posted by RV_for_donuts

Its been mostly cosmetic stuff other than the solar. Blinds have been warping at the bottom, some looked like a "U" after a bit of time. Also had problems with cabinets/drawers being crooked or not shutting properly. Ive literally only taken it out 3 times, one of them on dirt for like 300 yards and Im not rough on it so very disappointing.

For perspective, If you look around an RV forum you will find that things could be much much worse. I went through the same thing you did. Had to re-caulk basically the entire trailer, trim falling down all over the place inside, fill holes under and in with foam, tighten nearly every screw on the trailer (not an exaggeration). However, my systems seem to be working, appliances work, and no leaks! Winning!