Inverter and solar install on Sprinter 320

[chris7913]

Hey all. Just a few words and a couple pics of the new addition to the TT. On the roof I have a 160 watt go power panel and 2 Renogy 100 watt panels routed down the fridge roof vent to the charge controller. beside that is the remote for the Go Power 1500 watt high surge inverter. both mounted above the fridge. Inverter is mounted beneath a bench in the front bunk house. Closest location to the two new 6 volt interstate batteries on the tongue. I used 1 gauge welders cable from Princess Auto for the inverter, and 6 gauge welders cable for the charge controller. I also have an auto transfer switch mounted inside a concealed space and forgot to take a pic.

[f6bits]

How'd you run the wire from the fridge space to the batteries? Solar is my next big upgrade and I'm trying to think of a clean way to run the wires.

[chris7913]

The wires from the panels come into the trailer thru the fridge roof vent, easiest place. theres a void space above my fridge so it worked great for my install. my old trailer wasnt as easy. had to fish up in between two wall panels and install controller in the middle of a wall.

as you can see in the first pic, the overhead cabinet, microwave and fridge are all side by side. i pulled the microwave and drilled holes to run two 6 gauge cables, inverter remote wire and 20 amp 12 gauge house hold wire.

after the over head cabinet is the door and i purchased a wire track from lowes to conceal the wiring until it goes into the front door closet. i didnt conceal the 6 gauge wires inside the closet, just tied them down. they go down thru the shelf and into the wall.

on the other side of the wall is a bench for the bunkroom table. i built a wooden box to conceal the wires from bench to bench. thats where the inverter is. i used distribution blocks to tie the 6 gauge wires to the 1 gauge wires coming from the batteries.

here is a good link for a generic panel install

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqfIjfF5eGQ

[f6bits]

Thanks for the details. That gives me some ideas on how to route the wires internally.

[jimmy77]

Looks GOOD. I'm in the same boat. Looking at putting up solar on my Outback 298RE.
Did you try to use the trusses when tying down the panels? I am going to try and get info on my steel truss system from OUTBACK. With my crowned roof I options of setups.
Mount three across, level with the crown to find more sun over the course of the day.
Mount the two outside ones with taller mounting brackets to keep all three level.
Or mount the outside ones so I can tilt them toward the sun. So many questions and choices to make. jimmy77

[robo]

Very. Nice. What do you think yhe cost was. I see a mod sticky coming

[chris7913]

Originally Posted by jimmy77

Looks GOOD. I'm in the same boat. Looking at putting up solar on my Outback 298RE.
Did you try to use the trusses when tying down the panels? I am going to try and get info on my steel truss system from OUTBACK. With my crowned roof I options of setups.
Mount three across, level with the crown to find more sun over the course of the day.
Mount the two outside ones with taller mounting brackets to keep all three level.
Or mount the outside ones so I can tilt them toward the sun. So many questions and choices to make. jimmy77

I just screwed them right to the plywood roof. Just use some wood screws with a large thread to get a good bite into the wood. Also don't be cheap on the Dicor. I wouldn't suggest mounting the panels level to the trailer. You should keep them at a slight slope to allow for water run off when it rains. The 5 months of the year we get to use the trailer here in canada, the sun is so far north I'm not worried about sun exposure with being mounted right to the roof. You would be better off to go with tilt mounts if you truly want maximum sun exposure, or a suitcase panel you can position anywhere.

[chris7913]

Originally Posted by jimmy77

Looks GOOD. I'm in the same boat. Looking at putting up solar on my Outback 298RE.
Did you try to use the trusses when tying down the panels? I am going to try and get info on my steel truss system from OUTBACK. With my crowned roof I options of setups.
Mount three across, level with the crown to find more sun over the course of the day.
Mount the two outside ones with taller mounting brackets to keep all three level.
Or mount the outside ones so I can tilt them toward the sun. So many questions and choices to make. jimmy77

Originally Posted by robo

Very. Nice. What do you think yhe cost was. I see a mod sticky coming

for all 3 panels, approx $1500 total
inverter was $550
wiring $250-300 (dont cheap out here)
new 6 volt interstate batteries $400
transfer switch $75
fuse block$75
plus an addition $400-500 in mis parts. (wire molding to conceal, monitors/switches, etc)

not a cheap mod part worth it in the long run if you plan to do boondocking. I have also done a 5 gallon expansion tank since doing the inverter system that i highly recommend

[Yosemitebob]

I'm in the planning stage for my own as well. I will be drilling a hole through the roof into the cabinet area where the electrical is located. I plan on mounting a flush mount receptacle on the roof for the panels. Of course this will all be Dicor sealed. When I get to that point I will have a series of pictures.