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Old 09-03-2015, 05:12 PM   #1
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Lightbulb Solar grounding

This thread has been good to watch: http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f7...ion-30182.html

But it brought up a sub-issue that I though could use further detail and I didn't want to hijack the original thread.

These two helpful souls were talking about their Renogy solar systems:

Quote:
Originally Posted by tawoo View Post
Bono,
This is what I have. Bought it two years ago for around $160. I see they have gone up in price but worth every penny.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o00_s00
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Originally Posted by gypsmjim View Post
That's not the kit I bought. I see the Amazon page didn't say too much, but if you go to the Renogy home page and view the specs, it says for + ground vehicles, and not to be used with a negative ground system. They then refer you to the "RV Model", which is about $110 more.

I bought the RV model and all the grounds go to the - terminal on the battery. I believe my controller is also upgraded.

If yours works OK, then maybe I paid too much....LOL.
So, here are links to the Renogy products in question:

100 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Starter Kit | Renogy Solar

100 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar RV Kit | Renogy Solar

Sure there are longer cables, but if this is just used for charging the battery on my x20e, does it matter which controller is used?

Is this something to worry about if I want to keep the battery connected at the same time the solar panel is connected?

When would I need to worry about the negative vs. positive grounding difference?

Thanks in advance,

David
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Old 09-03-2015, 05:47 PM   #2
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Regarding GROUNDing the Positive ground type SOLAR Panel and your TT.

As long as you DO NOT mount your SOLAR panel to any of the TT/RV's metal (ie.. metal roof trusses, FRAME.. or anything metal that is connected to the TT/RV's ground (NEGATIVE side)) you can use those panels.

The only connection to the TT/RV, will be on the battery side of the SOLAR Charge Controller circuit. The SOLAR charge controller's POSITIVE output will connect to the BATTERIES positive terminal and the SOLAR CHARGE controller's NEGATIVE output will connect to the BATTERIES negative terminal.

Do not ground the case of the SOLAR charge controller. Keep the panel frame and the solar charge controller's case isolated from the chassis ground. Use a Volt/Ohm meter to verify the controllers positive and negative outputs before connecting them to the battery.

Don
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Old 09-03-2015, 07:28 PM   #3
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Don addressed the grounding issue perfectly. I went with the kit that is panel and controller only since I already had the heavy gauge for the battery connection, and wanted to buy Renogy's 10ga cable in 30ft length for panel to controller - keeping my setup portable for now.

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Old 09-03-2015, 07:50 PM   #4
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One additional item of importance

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Originally Posted by Mustang65 View Post
Regarding GROUNDing the Positive ground type SOLAR Panel and your TT.

As long as you DO NOT mount your SOLAR panel to any of the TT/RV's metal (ie.. metal roof trusses, FRAME.. or anything metal that is connected to the TT/RV's ground (NEGATIVE side)) you can use those panels.

The only connection to the TT/RV, will be on the battery side of the SOLAR Charge Controller circuit. The SOLAR charge controller's POSITIVE output will connect to the BATTERIES positive terminal and the SOLAR CHARGE controller's NEGATIVE output will connect to the BATTERIES negative terminal.

Do not ground the case of the SOLAR charge controller. Keep the panel frame and the solar charge controller's case isolated from the chassis ground. Use a Volt/Ohm meter to verify the controllers positive and negative outputs before connecting them to the battery.

Don
Once you decide to go with the POSITIVE GROUND option, any future SOLAR panel purchases MUST BE POSITIVE GROUND panels.
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Old 09-04-2015, 08:35 AM   #5
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Mustang65, this is great information, Thank you!

About this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mustang65 View Post
Once you decide to go with the POSITIVE GROUND option, any future SOLAR panel purchases MUST BE POSITIVE GROUND panels.
I thought from looking at those two Renogy packages that the only material difference was the charge controller, not the panels themselves.

Both packages, one negative ground one positive ground, seem to contain the same RNG-100D, 100 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Panel.

Am I missing something?

David
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