Solar Ready in Pass-Thru 2020 models - Page 3

byerskm · 09-02-2020, 12:58 PM

Since I have the same trailer as you, 26RBS, good to see that last picture also. I can see the degree of slope even in the pic. It is significant. My layout should be very close to same as yours, just the panels will be larger....so laying out the templates very useful.

mikec557 · 09-02-2020, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by byerskm

Since I have the same trailer as you, 26RBS, good to see that last picture also. I can see the degree of slope even in the pic. It is significant. My layout should be very close to same as yours, just the panels will be larger....so laying out the templates very useful.

I learned that from someone else back when I did my first Solar install; I'm sorry to say I can't remember who. It's really nice to see it visually. I think my templates were within 2in of the correct size because I had to cope with the cardboard boxes I had at hand. But it is a great visual exercise, you'll be glad you did it.

byerskm · 09-04-2020, 09:39 AM

Mike,
I am looking at the mounts on AMSolar. Like the 35mm Rocker Foot Mounts like you used. Will probably go with 3 hole on inside of each panel and 5 hold on outside, like you, to flatten out some. Anyway, best I can tell, I will have to drill a 1/4" hold in each corner of each panel. Since I plan to buy Renogy panels, am I correct in my assessment that there are not pre-drilled holes that work with these mounting brackets? Did you have to drill holes in your panels for these mounts?

mikec557 · 09-04-2020, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by byerskm

Mike,
I am looking at the mounts on AMSolar. Like the 35mm Rocker Foot Mounts like you used. Will probably go with 3 hole on inside of each panel and 5 hold on outside, like you, to flatten out some. Anyway, best I can tell, I will have to drill a 1/4" hold in each corner of each panel. Since I plan to buy Renogy panels, am I correct in my assessment that there are not pre-drilled holes that work with these mounting brackets? Did you have to drill holes in your panels for these mounts?

HI

Yes I had to drill my own hole because the renogy panel doesn't have a hole in the right place. Watch their video on how to do it. It's easy to do. I clipped it on, pressed inward a little like their video shows and drew a circle with a black magic marker. Then I used a spring loaded center punch from Harbor Freight and eyeballed the center of the circle as best I could.

I placed a 1/2 in thick piece of wood under the aluminum I was drilling. That way, if I punched through I wouldn't hit the solar panel.

I too did the 5-hole and 3-hole, and here's my thoughts. First, I didn't use the lowest hole on the 3/hole. It placed the panel too low to the roof for my liking. So I used the middle hole on the 3, and the top hole on the 5. If you look at my Pic above, I don't think it helped that much. And, in some ways I wonder if I was creating unnecessary lift.

Early on I thought if I didn't like it after I installed it, I could just lower the 5/hole side down to the second from the bottom like the 3/hole. Turns out, not so. The dimension is different enough I can't do that. It might have worked on a flat roof, but it didn't work on my curved roof.

So, I say all that to ask: did I gain any greater sunshine and thus output? I don't think so. If you are concerned about lift, I think using the middle hole on the 3/hole on all for corners would be an okay approach.

On a related topic... In case you do want to tilt the panel...
I bought their tilt arms kit the first time I used their feet. But in the end, the arms were too long. They stood my panels (on the 5th wheel) up too vertically. It stood them at something like a 60deg angle instead of a 45deg angle. I bought 2pcs 3ft long 1/16th inch thick aluminum flat bar at HD. (I can't remember if I bought 3/4 or 1in wide) Cut them to 1ft long and drilled a hole at each end. The lengths don't need to be perfect, but the distance between the holes must be uniform.

Then I bought star shaped plastic knobs on Amazon with 1/4-20 male and female inserts. I'll try to post a link to those. If not this post then the next.

Edit: this link has both male and female knobs
Use these on one end and their knobs on the other end.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07HD...TF8&psc=1&th=1

mikec557 · 09-05-2020, 11:39 AM

Just thought I'd post a picture of the sun hitting one of my panels. The first Pic was shot at 11am, but it looked just like this at 9am (I was to busy to take a pic). Sun rises on the back end of the trailer and sets on the nose. Location is near Phoenix AZ.

Added a 2nd Pic I shot yesterday at 8am.

While the newer 2020 rooftops look like quite the radius, I don't think it has a measurable difference to the panel output.

byerskm · 09-05-2020, 12:24 PM

Mike,

Your posts have been immensely helpful. Terrific tip on AMSolar. Their mounts offer some unique features and I'll be going with them. Many other little items/tips that add up to a huge help on my project. So, thanks for that.

I did the cardboard templates and think I'll be going with a little different layout for my two 200W panels. I'm going to put them on the same side (passenger side) of the trailer. I have a couple reasons, but if you think of some problem with it that I may be overlooking, please let me know. I like the idea of having them oriented the same, especially if I decide to tilt them in the winter months.

mikec557 · 09-05-2020, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by byerskm

Mike,

Your posts have been immensely helpful. Terrific tip on AMSolar. Their mounts offer some unique features and I'll be going with them. Many other little items/tips that add up to a huge help on my project. So, thanks for that.

I did the cardboard templates and think I'll be going with a little different layout for my two 200W panels. I'm going to put them on the same side (passenger side) of the trailer. I have a couple reasons, but if you think of some problem with it that I may be overlooking, please let me know. I like the idea of having them oriented the same, especially if I decide to tilt them in the winter months.

You're welcome. It's my way of passing on the help I got when we started out. I'll think about it, but I don't think there's any downside to both on one side. I had the three 100s on the same side on our 5th wheel. Never had an issue with that. We full-timed for a bit over 1-1/2 years, and I think our camper was pointed every direction on the compass. LOL! Sometimes you'll get full sun on them all and sometimes you'll get a bad shadow or tree shade and get good power from only one, or two of three in our case. I don't see an air conditioner on your drawing. Any shadow concerns re that?

I can't see your drawing and type this, but did I see your cable entry point mid length of the trailer? Are you drilling your own entry point? Or do I need a nap?

mikec557 · 09-05-2020, 01:05 PM

Here's a few pics showing my model 2020 (really, built late 2019) rooftop. The Zamp port is directly to the side of the bedroom roof vent. That Puck you see on the other side of me taking the picture is an attic vent.

Your roof layout may be different. I bought 3ft and 5ft MC4 extensions on Amazon and just returned what I didn't need. They're sold in many different lengths.

If anyone is installing 3 or more panels or simply need to use Y-connectors for couple panels, I recommend buying the flexible (1ft long?) Y-connectors. I used the hard plastic, maybe 5-6in long, Y-connectors the first time. They work fine, but the flexibility of the flexible ones made wire routing on the rooftop a little easier.

byerskm · 09-05-2020, 01:21 PM

My rough sketch was only showing the front half of the trailer, 26RBS. I just didn't show the AC because it doesn't interfere with the planned layout. Interesting, looking at your picture, the vent over the bedroom is in the same location as ours. Your AC and refrigerator vent both appear to be in the same location as on ours. However, your Zamp receptacles are definitely not in the same place. I am definitely not drilling a new hole to relocate it. I have to say, I'm happier with where they are on our trailer. They are in the middle (left to right) and some feet back from the bedroom vent. I like the location because the cables from both my panels will be able to reach without any extensions. I'll just orient the panels end to end so that the junction boxes are near the middle (as you can see on my sketch). The panels I ordered are Grape Solar 2 x 200W. The cables are 35" long + I did buy the MC4 to SAE adapters, which add another 16.5" of cable that is not needed, so I'll have some slack to work with. Probably need to have some for tilting.

byerskm · 09-05-2020, 01:29 PM

Zooming in on that last photo of yours, I do have a question or two.
1. Your vent over the front bedroom looks different. Did you install a MaxAir vent?
2. Your panel mounts look like they are on top of a square of tape or something and they don't appear to be sealed with dicor or alpha sealant around the screws and plate edges. Was this the final or did you add sealant to the mounts? If not, please let me know what you did to seal the roof penetrations. It looks a lot neater than just covering the mounts with self-leveling sealant.

mikec557 · 09-05-2020, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by byerskm

Zooming in on that last photo of yours, I do have a question or two.
1. Your vent over the front bedroom looks different. Did you install a MaxAir vent?
2. Your panel mounts look like they are on top of a square of tape or something and they don't appear to be sealed with dicor or alpha sealant around the screws and plate edges. Was this the final or did you add sealant to the mounts? If not, please let me know what you did to seal the roof penetrations. It looks a lot neater than just covering the mounts with self-leveling sealant.

Edit: I used #10 not #12 screws

You're right, no need to drill a new hole. Using their Zamp gland, and them wiring it all the way to the pass through saves a tremendous amount of work. I had to drill holes in the roof of the first two projects.

I got fancy this time and put a piece of eternabond tape where each foot was going to be screwed down. I don't think it's needed, but I did it anyway.

Placed panel where I wanted it, traced foot with a dull flat carpenter's pencil. Moved panel, applied tape, put the panel back on to the tape.

I should mention here, I did **NOT** peel the backing off of the tape that comes on the foot. That tape is for a fiberglass or metal roof. Just leave it on the bottom of the foot and screw it down. Besides, you couldn't remove it from the bottom of the foot if you wanted to.

That pic is before I was finished. I dicor(ed) all the way around the foot and all over the screw heads. I had to tilt the panel up with one hand to caulk the back side of the feet. I didn't put sealant around the edges of the eternabond tape. I don't think it's needed. There's no way water can get under that tape except by screw hole.

EDIT: I used #10, not #12 screws

BTW, AMSolar provided mounting screws that were 1/2 or 5/8 long. I didn't feel they were long enough. I bought a package of 25pcs #12 1-inch long stainless steel panhead screws from home depot for $4. Made my paranoia subside..

Roof "vent" is just OEM, twist knob inside. I installed a vent "cover" so it can be open even if it's rainy. The MaxxAir brand was on sale cheaper than the Camco/Camping World brand.

If I ever verify there's a constant hot 12v in the attic near that vent, I will install the 10 speed MaxxAir vent and fan. But we have the InCommand, and it has a lot of strange wiring and a "canbus" wiring system all over the camper. I don't want to figure out how to have the computer operate a MaxxAir fan. I want to just manually turn it off and on, or buy the one with the remote. But that's a project for another day.

mikec557 · 09-05-2020, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by byerskm

The panels I ordered are Grape Solar 2 x 200W. The cables are 35" long + I did buy the MC4 to SAE adapters, which add another 16.5" of cable that is not needed, so I'll have some slack to work with. Probably need to have some for tilting.

Just a quick note about something we didn't discuss...

I googled Grape solar 200 watt panels just to read about them. Never mind that I ended up looking at a 190 watt panel, it's the topic that counts. Maybe you already saw this, but just in case you didn't, or someone else following this hasn't gotten this far...

AMSolar mounting brackets are sold in two panel thicknesses. In my three projects, I've only purchased Renogy solar panels. What I bought were 35mm thick panels. The one and only Grape solar panel I looked at was 40mm thick. If you buy feet from AMSolar be sure to buy the right thickness bracket.

I'll come back and edit this after I go look at the AMSolar website.

Edit:

This is what I bought

https://amsolar.com/rv-mounting-accessories/91m-35ms

Double check the specs for your panel. This **MIGHT** be what you will need.

https://amsolar.com/rv-mounting-accessories/91m-40ms

And to anyone following along, watch the install video in the links above.

byerskm · 09-14-2020, 11:58 AM

Mike, when I was looking at the AMSolar mounting brackets, I did consider whether my panels would have 35mm or 40mm frame size. I ordered the 35mm and hope that wasn't a mistake. The spec sheet for the Grape Solar Panels I ordered indicate they are 35mm thick. I am attaching a PDF of the spec sheet. Please take a look and tell me if I am reading it wrong.

I am going to put up another post after this one to update you and any others following this thread.

mikec557 · 09-14-2020, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by byerskm

Mike, when I was looking at the AMSolar mounting brackets, I did consider whether my panels would have 35mm or 40mm frame size. I ordered the 35mm and hope that wasn't a mistake. The spec sheet for the Grape Solar Panels I ordered indicate they are 35mm thick. I am attaching a PDF of the spec sheet. Please take a look and tell me if I am reading it wrong.

I am going to put up another post after this one to update you and any others following this thread.

I agree with you. That spec sheet says, in two different places, they are 35mm. You should be good to go.

I can't wait to see progress pictures. 😁

byerskm · 09-14-2020, 01:21 PM

Equipment needed for the equipment panel was delivered this week so I was able to make some progress. Equipment received was:

-Victron 100 / 30 Solar Charge Controller
-Aims 2000W inverter with automatic transfer switch (for passing thru 120V)

Also, I received/picked up a few necessary items from Amazon and my local Home Depot:

-200 Amp DC breaker
-four circuit breaker box for sub-panel (used to isolate circuits fed by inverter)
-two 15 Amp breakers (one for the three outlets pre-wired by Keystone and one for an outlet I am adding to the passenger side of the pass-thru compartment so we have convenient outside access to an outlet)
- 14/2 romex with ground wire
-various hardware, wood, and supplies

Progress this week included:

1. Attaching a 2 X 4 to the aluminum frame inside the pass-through. Also cut a wedge shaped piece to provide an angle to match the angle the plywood panel will be on. This will provide a solid base to attach the top of the plywood equipment panel to. Metal "L" brackets will be used to secure the bottom of the plywood panel against the compartment wall and supported by the floor. See first picture.

2. The solar charge controller, inverter, breaker box, and 200 Amp DC breaker were mounted to the plywood panel. See the second attached picture. As much wiring was done as possible, while this panel is still on the bench. While the pass-through looks spacious enough to work in, it's a little tight and awkward working in there.

Tomorrow, the panel will be mounted in the pass-through compartment and wires connected. The red/black pair of 8AWG solar panel wires from the roof and to the batteries will need to be attached to the solar charge controller. Correctly identifying which pair comes from the roof and which goes to the batteries is, of course, critical. The volt meter will come in handy for this. Further, for safety sake, the batteries need to be disconnected before making these connections. Once the solar charger is connected, the 14/2 romex wire loop that runs from the power center to the three inverter outlets will need to be connected to the inverter and breaker box. The side coming from the power center will be connected to the inverter 120VAC input. The side going to the three outlets will be attached to the output side of one of the breakers. The inverter output is already connected to the input of the breaker box.

Two Battle Born 12V 100AH batteries should be delivered later this week. The WFCO WF-9850L2 converter/charger was already delivered. So, as soon as the batteries are delivered they can be installed along with the new converter/charger. The Cougar 26RBS came from the factory with a WFCO WF-9855 converter/charger which is not capable of properly charging Lithium Ion batteries. Hence, it is being replaced with the WF-9850L2.

Finally, two 200W solar panels should be delivered next week. By the time they are delivered, mounting them and plugging them in should be all that remains. That said, the rocker brackets from AM Solar have not delivered yet. Hopefully soon. Folks in Oregon have a lot to deal with right now with the fires. Business/shipments from the area are being affected. We wish the best for everyone there...hoping they all stay out of harms way.

mikec557 · 09-14-2020, 01:53 PM

Nice work. And A-grade sanded plywood no less. Makes my OSB look like shoddy workmanship... LOL! Keep up the good work!

byerskm · 09-14-2020, 01:58 PM

Thanks Mike. It ain't done yet...let's hope it works when I am finished with it!

byerskm · 09-14-2020, 02:10 PM

BTW, Mike, I am not looking forward to drilling that big hole in the floor. I worked my tail off trying to find another way to get the battery wire from the battery to that compartment and be able to come through the wall like the other wires. Just can't, there's no good way. So, I have accepted it. The way you did it is best...getting it as close to the door frame as possible so that it is protected and out of the way. As it stands now, I don't have enough cable length to do that. I may have to exchange my 6' cables for 8' cables in order to do it the way you did.

mikec557 · 09-14-2020, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by byerskm

BTW, Mike, I am not looking forward to drilling that big hole in the floor. I worked my tail off trying to find another way to get the battery wire from the battery to that compartment and be able to come through the wall like the other wires. Just can't, there's no good way. So, I have accepted it. The way you did it is best...getting it as close to the door frame as possible so that it is protected and out of the way. As it stands now, I don't have enough cable length to do that. I may have to exchange my 6' cables for 8' cables in order to do it the way you did.

I was hoping for your sake that you'd find a way, maybe that your rig would be slightly different than mine...

I have a 1ft long 1/8in drill bit I bought at home depot a long time ago. I can't tell you how many times I've used it in a situation like this. After a lot of figuring, head scratching, and Re-measuring, I used it to drill the center of the hole all the way through the 2in thick floor. That way I could use a hole saw from both top and bottom and hope to meet up squarely. Mostly.

As I recall, locating the gray box on the under side dictated the exit hole on the top side (the pass through floor. You'll notice the top side floor goes a lot further forward than the under side does.

byerskm · 09-14-2020, 03:22 PM

I know what you mean. I have a long bit like that. What length were your battery/inverter cables? I have examined it from the bottom, prodding with a long bit in the area where all the other cables go in. Problem is that "I" beam. The cables go under it, then in behind it, and then go thru a hole in it to get back in front so they can go up the sloped wall. I'm sure you know this. There's just no way to fish a thick cable through these twist and turns. I'm glad you told me that deck/floor is 2" thick. I never would have known until I ran into problems. I was planning to use a hole saw I have for my drill also. If I didn't know about the 2", I surely would have made a mistake or two in location and really buggered up my pass-thru floor.

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