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Old 11-27-2020, 12:00 PM   #1
DCondit
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2021 Outback 221UMD Solar Controller Location ?

I have installed the solar panels on top of the trailer next to the prewire ports.
I removed the sticker in the storage compartment that stated the solar was plumbed there and cut a hole. No luck in determining which wires to use or if any of them are the proper wires. There are multiple Red/Black wires. One has power on it and one does not. Neither are part interrupted. I have cut 2 holes in search of the correct wires or label with no luck. Is anyone familiar with the solar prewired set-up of this or similar model of Outback ? Dave
P.S. The solar ports on the roof have no power on them, but the port on the side of the trailer does have 13.7VDC. I connected a tone generator to the roof ports, but can not find the tone anywhere in the storage compartment.
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Old 12-03-2020, 07:13 AM   #2
ehidle
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DCondit View Post
I have installed the solar panels on top of the trailer next to the prewire ports.
I removed the sticker in the storage compartment that stated the solar was plumbed there and cut a hole. No luck in determining which wires to use or if any of them are the proper wires. There are multiple Red/Black wires. One has power on it and one does not. Neither are part interrupted. I have cut 2 holes in search of the correct wires or label with no luck. Is anyone familiar with the solar prewired set-up of this or similar model of Outback ? Dave
P.S. The solar ports on the roof have no power on them, but the port on the side of the trailer does have 13.7VDC. I connected a tone generator to the roof ports, but can not find the tone anywhere in the storage compartment.
Yep, so on my 30RKD there was a black box next to the autolevel controller that had a set of RED/BLACK and a 14/2 Romex tied off. By default the RED/BLACK is a direct battery connection to the jacks on the roof. If you cut the red/black wires there, you'll end up with a pair of red/black going to the battery and one pair going to the roof.

What I did was cut the wires and then see which two wires had 12V on them. That was my battery connection. The remaining wires went to the roof, which I verified by plugging in a current-limited source to the roof jacks and measuring it below.

The Romex is there to install an inverter if you want to put it there. It's the same kind of deal where if you cut it, you'll end up with a connection back to the breaker panel and one out to the three outlets that are held up by the inverter.

This may not be the same way it is set up on yours, but I would venture a guess that if you have a red/black pair there that does not have power on it, it's likely the connection to the roof jack.

Can you post some pictures of what you have?
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Old 12-03-2020, 07:55 AM   #3
DCondit
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Thank You

Thank you for the help.

On the 2021 Outback 221UMD:

I figured out what was going on ... The red/black wires were behind the paneling near the battery disconnect switch in the outside storage area.
(no black box) I had to cut a hole in the paneling. The wires were pinched between the framing and would not pull out. I didn't want to cut the wires in case they went elsewhere. Once cut ... I toned them both directions ... all is good now. (no romex to be found) Hope this helps others.

Thanks again, Dave
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Old 09-23-2021, 07:39 AM   #4
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Helpful info.
I have a 291UBH and want to connect a portable. I like to park in the shade.
These comments will give me ideas to find my prewired connections.
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Old 02-15-2022, 06:37 AM   #5
snakebite
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Thx for this post. I just bought a NEW 2021 model 221UMD and had the same question. I was unable to get any help from Keystone about where the wires at the roof solar jacks came from. I went ahead and installed my Solar Panels my usual way without using those jacks. Now I want to get some 12vdc powder to the TV so I can use a small inverter to watch without the need to start my generator or have shore power. Since those solar jacks are right above the TV I thought that it might be a good place to get some low level 12vdc powder, enough to power a small 150 watt inverter just for the TV.
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Old 02-15-2022, 12:30 PM   #6
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Thx for this post. I just bought a NEW 2021 model 221UMD and had the same question. I was unable to get any help from Keystone about where the wires at the roof solar jacks came from. I went ahead and installed my Solar Panels my usual way without using those jacks. Now I want to get some 12vdc powder to the TV so I can use a small inverter to watch without the need to start my generator or have shore power. Since those solar jacks are right above the TV I thought that it might be a good place to get some low level 12vdc powder, enough to power a small 150 watt inverter just for the TV.
welcome to the forum

Don’t count on solar to power an inverter. Your solar should charge the battery(s) and then use the inverter wired to the battery(s).
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Old 02-16-2022, 11:23 AM   #7
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Smile

Hi Chuckster57; I wasn't planning on using the Solar Panels to directly supply power to the Inverter. I was just considering the fact that the Factory had #8 stranded wires running directly from the batteries to that location. With the information given here on this thread I was able to locate those wires in the storage compartment. I had to cut into the thin wall behind the Solar Sticker, a box cutter did the job well without any danger of breaking through the front of the trailer. I did NOT find the wires going from there to the top of the trailer, but I did find the #8 wires going to the batteries. So, I used them to feed a pair of #12 stranded wires that I routed up through the closet and over to the TV compartment where I mounted a small inverter that now powers the TV just find. This TV uses less than 100 watts, so it does not take a very large inverter to power it. The installation turned out nice. As for the Solar panels, If you go the route that Keystone wants you to go, you will spend 3-4 times what it will cost for you to just do the job as per the "Normal" method of installing. I purchased a kit off of Amazon for $249. It came with two ea 100 watt panels, mounting hardware, charge controller, connecting plugs and enough #10 wire to do the job. I mounted them end to end on the left side of the AC, leaving the right side open in case I needed to walk up there. I ran the wires to the Bathroom vent that is in the wall (center of trailer), and brought the wires down into the trailer, drilling a hole in the vent pipe to fish the wires out. This put me right at the Converter, which has #2 wires running directly to the Batteries. I mounted the controller to the left of the converter and used an empty fuse socket in the converter panel to fuse the system while it feeds the Solar panel outputs directly back to the batteries. I done it this way many times before. While I was at it, I put in a 1500 Watt inverter to power a 800 watt coffee pot. I fused it and tied it directly to those #2 wires that come from the batteries. I would not suggest using a larger inverter in this fashion. The #2 wires running the length of the trailer should not be over taxed. For any larger loads I start the new Onan/Cummings 4500 watt Inverter generator that I mounted on the back of the coach after reinforcing the 4" square bumper with after market supports made just for that purpose. I then installed an Aluminum rack from Harbor freight. I did NOT install a receiver on the bumper, I choose to mount the back side of the rack directly on top of the 4" bumper, and use support arms made for that purpose to hold up the rack. This arraingment is good for 500#. The rack only weighs a few pounds, the Generator weighs 100 lbs, so I am well within the weight limit for this arraignment. Now... the last thing will be to install a backup camera. Whew! It's been a busy week.
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Old 02-19-2022, 04:17 PM   #8
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OK, got a backup camera installed and it works great. Hopkins vueSMART Wireless Trailer Camera is on sale at Camper World for $99. It uses your smart phone so you have to have yet another video screen stuck on your dash.
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