So I’m still alive. No mishaps with the electrical system on the 30 foot rolling beast so far. The install went pretty smooth thankfully. Normally when I tackle a new, somewhat complicated project, I have to sleep on it. I will do my research on what needs to be done, set it aside for a couple of days or so, revisit those how to articles and videos, let the information marinate in my brain, then when it feels right – I will get on it.
For my previous post on our adventure into solar click here.
I didn’t install the solar panels on the roof of our rig however. I would guess that most rv’ers choose this route, but I decided it would be best to keep our panels mobile. After giving it some thought, having the versatility of being able to move the panels around while we are parked seemed to be the best option. Let’s say it’s the middle of summer and a bit toasty outside, my goal would be to find as much shade as possible to park our trailer under to keep us as cool as possible. Well, obviously this would be a problem for our panels if they were attached to the roof. Leaving them mobile with a 20 to 50 foot cord attached would be pretty convenient at a moment like this. We could follow the sun as necessary without having to give up that shady spot. In addition to the solar set up I also opted to make a DIY solar panel suitcase for easy set up…and to be honest it also gave me something to do. Done and done.
I laid out all my parts to see what I had to work with:
2-100 watt Renogy solar panels
1-Renogy Rover charge controller
1-Bluetooth receiver
1-PW in line fuse
1-ANL fuse
2-20’ MC4 cables
2-8’ tray cables
1-18” battery cable
1-8’ battery temperature sensor
Roof mounting hardware
First, I had to get a lay of the land and figure out my routes for the cables I needed to run. Being that I had extra wire loom tubing lying around from a previous project, I decided to cover all exposed cables for extra protection first and after a trip to the hardware store for self tapping screws and cable clamps – I dove in. I found the best spot for the charge controller, ran the cables, connected my fuses, connected the battery, plugged in the panels and now….I HAVE HARNESSED THE POWER OF THE SUN!!!
Included with my kit was a Bluetooth receiver that allows me to monitor my new system via the Renogy BT app. As long as I am within about 50’ from my rig I can conveniently check the status of the panels and batteries from my phone.
A special thanks goes out to the Embracing Detours YouTube channel for guidance on creating a DIY solar panel suitcase. After checking out their video on how they made their own solar panel suitcase I threw in a few of my own modifications and…great success! It’s not the most lightweight of set ups, but for the price and convenience I couldn’t beat it.
After everything was completed I was pretty happy with the outcome. It’s pretty satisfying when I start a new project and learn something new…but it’s even more satisfying when I don’t screw it up. Now we just gotta get out and use ‘em…soon…real soon…I’m running out of projects for cryin’ out loud…