Part 9 - Installation and Monitoring

Installing the system is fairly straightforward for anyone familiar with rudimentary electrical and mechanical work, and instructions are provided with new charge controllers or are easily found online by those venturing into this for the first time.  See below for wiring diagrams. I will point out some common pitfalls with RV Solar installations so you can avoid those.  And I'll talk a little about how to monitor your system's performance once it's operational.

I made a video of an installation I just did for my sister's new trailer which shows the entire process.  You can see it here:

Lance 1575 Solar Installation

How to Connect the System

Below are two diagrams showing the wiring runs for typical RV solar systems.  Both diagrams show panels wired in parallel in a nominal 12v system (meaning each panel's voltage is no higher than 22v or so).  As mentioned earlier, higher voltage panels may be wired in the same manner as long as a charge controller is used that is capable of reducing the voltage back down to nominal 12v for output to the batteries.  If you are wiring in more panels than that shown in the diagram wire them into the junction box the same as those shown.  The first diagram shows 12v batteries wired in parallel.  The second diagram shows 6v batteries wired in series.

RV Solar System with 12v Nominal Panels Wired in Parallel and 12v Deep Cycle Batteries Wired in Parallel

RV Solar System with 12v Nominal Panels Wired in Parallel and 6v Deep Cycle Batteries Wired in Series

Rules of Thumb:

• Mount panels where they will not be shaded, not even partially shaded, by such things as a/c units, roof vents, rooftop satellite systems or antennas, etc.  Raise your vent lids and any other movable objects on the roof and consider how their shadows will travel across the roof before deciding where and how to mount your panels.  Even a partially shaded solar panel can have drastically reduced output.

Tilting these panels was a good idea considering this rig is being used in winter when the sun's angle is low.  But the satellite dish shades a large portion of one panel for about 75% of the day, and the a/c cover shades part of another panel as well.   Only one of the three panels is shade-free all day long.  This is not how you want to install your system. 

• Mount your charge controller as close to the battery bank as possible.  If you're using flooded (wet cell) batteries, however, never mount the charge controller in the same compartment as the batteries, especially if that compartment is sealed.  The gasses emitted by wet cell batteries can corrode the electronic components inside your charge controller.  But you want that wire run to be as short as possible to minimize voltage drop. 

• Before wiring your system together, cover your solar panels so they are not producing electricity, or disconnect wires to break the circuit.  This will prevent inadvertently shorting your system out and possibly damaging components.

• Read the instructions that come with your charge controller.  I can't speak for all, but the instructions that came with my Morningstar controller were great.  It's one of the few instruction manuals I've kept after installation was complete, and I often refer back to it for information regarding my system.

• Strongly consider buying a permanent meter to attach to your system for system monitoring purposes.

Regarding the last item, some charge controllers come with their own meters installed.  Some offer that as an optional item at additional expense.  Some are better than others, some more functional than others.  But having a good meter in your system can allow you to see how many amps are going into the system, what the current battery voltage is, how many amps you've used since the last full charge, etc., and allows you to see how much power individual appliances use.  They're great little devices. 

Thanks for Reading

Thanks for reading my thoughts on RV Solar.  It's something I knew little about before deciding to build my own system.  The process of learning about solar and eventually putting together my own system was something I found very enjoyable.  And I especially love being able to camp out in the middle of nowhere without a care in the world with regard to electricity usage, and without having to listen to the obnoxious drone of a generator. 

And as I said in the beginning, I'm certainly no expert, but I do have enough experience to pretend to be one on the internet.

Below are links mentioned throughout this series that you may find helpful in gathering more information on this subject.  Good luck with your system.

Wholesale Solar's U.S. Solar Insolation Map
KOA's Estimated Amperage Draw of Common RV Appliances
Northern Arizona Wind & Sun's Battery Information Page
The Battery Council International's Lead Acid Battery Page
Trojan's advice on battery maintenance
Peukert Effect Description
Peukert Effect Calculator
Physical Battery Size by Group Number from batterystuff.com
Voltage Drop Calculator
To Fuse or Not to Fuse?
Morningstar's Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) Document
Northern Arizona Wind and Sun's Explanation of MPPT
AltE's Video Tutorials including Charge Controller Sizing
How to connect your batteries correctly and efficiently

Where to buy?

I will list a few links here to products mentioned in or related to this article.  Note that as an Amazon Associate and an eBay Partner, I earn commissions from sales made through the links I provide here, but there is no increased cost to you.  Thank you for your support.

Morningstar Tristar TS-45 PWM Charge Controller

Morningstar Tristar TS-45 MPPT Charge Controller

HQST 100-Watt Monocrystalline Solar Panel

Trimetric TM-2030-A Battery Monitor

Interstate 12v 110 AH AGM Battery

4 Gauge Jumper Cables - 25 ft.

Battery Kill Switch

Inline Circuit Breaker