Solar Panel on my roof not hooked up?

[cbrenza]

Yes, I have the manual for the controller, it was in my owners envelope.

[WJQ]

I you are going to boondock, then I would not give up. Solar, done right, even with the small panel you have can be a real benefit. You can use it to charge cell phones on long trips and other small 12 volt items. Your 100W panel will probably not produce much more than 50 to 60 W on a very sunny day. But, some is better than nothing.

I have installed a 280 watt panel with Victron electronics. It keeps everything charged even when I watch TV for a few hours in the evening.

After looking at the other replies, I believe you should: 1) get some books or spent time on YouTube to start studying how RV solar systems work, or 2) take your trailer to a reputable service center.

As others implied, this unfinished install is nearly worthless. Charge Controllers should never be roof mounted. If you decide to go for option 2 above, I would upgrade to 200 W or better a 300 W system. The 100 W panels can be wired in series and that is an advantage on reducing the wire size.

If you choose option 1, there are lots of good equipment suppliers but one who has been sending me emails is Inverter R US. The have been selling 100 watt panels on a two for one sale.

Good luck. Unless you always stay in sites with hookups, solar is great.

[tomd]

Great you have the panels installed. The is cheapest part. IF the is a controller, even better.
I find 100 watts perfect to make up charge when in storage, keeps battery topped off. 200 better if you camp w/o electric now and then. I wired panel to provide 24 volts to controller.
You must have controller to charge properly and protect battery. “Solar ready” is useless feature. Maybe ok for trickle charger, temporary setup. But best is running solar power to controller near battery, then fuses to a battery connection.
Use PWM control for eeking out most effective charging. I routed wire next to vent pipe in roof.

[rlh1957]

Originally Posted by cbrenza

I just bought my 2018 Cougar a couple of weeks ago. Seller said there was a 100 watt solar panel on the roof that isn't hooked up, I though surely he was wrong. After more investigation, that is exactly correct. Was this done at the factory? The panel and controller are hooked together, but there is no wire to the battery. Has anyone else experienced this? There is a 2 prong Furrion solar hookup on the side connected to the battery. Is there anyway to run a cables from my roof to my battery? At this point it seems like I will just remove it from the roof and use it on the ground once I build a connector to my port.
It just doesn't make any sense. Thanks in advance for your help.

I’m curious why you would accept delivery of anything with knowledge something wasn’t hooked up, inoperative, needs a $1.00 part???
They should hook it ip, fix it it or cancel the sale!
They can now say it wasn’t their problem and not cover it, unless you have the on camera saying it isn’t working.
Hopefully you will have good dealer, sales & service folks that will fix and text it.

Maybe it has a solar panel from factory prewire down to where the inverter goes that you buy extra.
Have to be careful with manf. claims of prewired.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by rlh1957

I’m curious why you would accept delivery of anything with knowledge something wasn’t hooked up, inoperative, needs a $1.00 part???
They should hook it ip, fix it it or cancel the sale!
They can now say it wasn’t their problem and not cover it, unless you have the on camera saying it isn’t working.
Hopefully you will have good dealer, sales & service folks that will fix and text it.

Maybe it has a solar panel from factory prewire down to where the inverter goes that you buy extra.
Have to be careful with manf. claims of prewired.

Have you considered this was a "used trailer sale" probably a "private owner sale" not a "dealership sale" ???

Probably found on Craigslist or FB Marketplace or the local newspaper classifieds. Private owners aren't as easy to "push into repairs" as a contingency for a sale. If you don't buy it, somebody else will, and if they ask about repairs before the sale, I'll tell them the same as I told you.... Nope, this is an "as is sale". take it or leave it.....

[440scout]

Originally Posted by cbrenza

But the controller is also on the roof next to the panel.

Is that charge controller fastened to the roof? If so, it could have a pair of wires going through the roof under the controller, leading down to the batteries. I've never seen a charge controller mounted on the roof exposing it to all kinds of weather. Could be that a previous owner bought that setup as a solar kit and only got that far with the installation. There's also a good chance that the charge controller is ruined from getting wet. If you have a test meter you could connect it to the terminals on the charge controller marked Batt + and - to determine if the controller has any DC output voltage. If no voltage test at the terminals where the 2 wires connect from the panel to the charge controller. If it shows voltage, at least 14(?) then the solar panel is probably ok but the charge controller is not ok. At this point you'll need a tube of self leveling Dicor caulking to cover the solar panel mounting screws, etc and a pair of solar cables from solar panel to batteries, and possibly a new charge controller but, there's lots of choices on Amazon starting around $15 up the several hundreds. Of course you'll want to mount the charge controller inside your camper out of the elements. Good luck!

[NH_Bulldog]

The box on the roof looks like a Pelican box with a hinged latching lid and seal. In the pic posted, you can see the latches and lid that is open. Anyway, I believe that we previously established that this is a previous owner add-on and not in any way a professional installation

[CampNBrew2]

Originally Posted by tomd

Use PWM control for eeking out most effective charging.

I believe PWM charge controllers are the cheaper, less efficient ones and MPPT charge controllers are much better.
That said, my 200w solar kit is PWM and has been good to me. I just know it's limitations.