My Solar Install - It's Complete

[mjammersc]

well the easy part of designing the system is done, at least easy compared to the nervousness of installing the system on our Montana that has only been out 4 times.

Thanks to many here and elsewhere online for advice and good design guides. First here is the final design:



Then comes ordering and picking up lots of parts (and punishing my credit card):





Now onto the build....

[mjammersc]

First item on the build is the battery box (and wood working which I am confident in so a safe place to start). Still needs some spray in liner but usable to start cabling soon.



And now to start laying out the main electronics board and start cabling. I am using wedge lock cleats to hang it in the front storage area (thanks BigBoomer).



More to come as things progress. Once the weather breaks, its up onto the roof to install panels. Wish me luck.

[jfaberna]

I would love to see a high-res version of your schematic drawing. Could you post a link somewhere. I find this interesting, but haven't decided to do solar yet.

[mjammersc]

Jim, I'll shoot you a copy somehow. I might wait to see what real-time install edits I have.

[Dam Worker]

Looks like you have a good plan. Please keep posting progress pictures.

Tom Marty

[7.3Ford]

Hi Mark,

Looks like you have a good plan, you might want to check my blog out around March 2015, which covers my install of solar, but I don't have a pretty over all diagram, there are lots of pictures.

Looking at you floor plan, looks like you can fish your wires down the same place.

http://montana3611rl.blogspot.com/

[mjammersc]

John, I have read your blog many times and am copying aspects of your layout including the routing through the closet. I opened it up tonight - what a rats nest. Two questions on it. 1 How did you ensure you didn't hit any wires or other important items when drilling through the roof inside the area behind the panel and did you do a single pilot with the long drill and then enlarge it from the roof side? Any in the closet where you mounted the PV babybox breaker, did you just screw it to the side panel in the closet? Mine has a bunch of wires routing up beside the closet the way it looks and I was concerned on the screws hitting a wire or rubbing it over time. Any more advice is appreciated

[mjammersc]

Also John, did you run the wires back to the charge controller in conduit or loom of just tied them up?

[Bigboomer]

Looking good. Starting off clean is a plus.....are you putting an auto watering system on the Trojans?

[mjammersc]

No auto watering system as part of the initial install. Didn't really look at those much. I'll add it to a future upgrade list.

[mjammersc]

Been a few days since any updates. Silly work was getting in the way. Took off today though as the weather wasn't rain finally.

The battery box is lined with spray in truck bed liner and is ready to make cables:



The inverter and charge controller is all wired and ready to install. It is a giant wire harness ready to mount and route the cables.



Of course the dreaded moment of cutting the hole in the roof. Did an alignment pilot hole from inside the control panel above the closet then drilled back down a larger hole. Used a plastic sink drain pipe as the guide tube from inside the junction box on the roof (forgot to take the picture but worked nice.



And then went up the panels. They ended up a little tighter to the roof than I would have liked due to the curve but they are in now. The cables are routed to the inside too but that was done after the picture.



I should post pictures from my local Home Depot and Hardware store as they are getting to know me pretty well. Main lesson learned so far is any estimate you have of how long it will take you to do a task, double it and add a trip to the store.

Tomorrow is another day of fun with the trailer.

[7.3Ford]

Sorry Mark,

The Mock site has been very un-responsive last few days. Yes I got a 1/4" x 12" drill bit from Lowes, and drilled a pilot hole from inside up through the roof. I used the pilot hole to make the hole big enough for the wires.

Since there was a rats nest down there anyway, I just clamp the wire here and there going back to battery compartment.

[mjammersc]

Well another busy day. First task was finishing up the Solar Panels. Finished tacking down the cables with Eternabond, connected the breakers into their disconnect in the closet in the rig and uncovered the panels and checked the voltages. On an overcast day, I was seeing 35.7-36V across the 3 panels vs a max open circuit voltage of 38.9V so seems good to me.







Next was the mounting of the inverter/charge controller panel in the front bay. Wedge mounts worked great along with 3 people lifting it into place. Also having everything pre-wired like a wiring harness with the AC wires, meter cables, solar cables, all pre-connected accelerated running cables into the rig (and avoiding trying to do it within the front storage compartment.





we also finished the series/parallel battery cables. Next up installing the meters and wiring up the AC subpanel.

[Lenny K]

Looks real nice Mark. Are you installing a Automatic Transfer Switch?

[mjammersc]

The magnum inverter has a transfer switch to transfer between inverting and the AC. If I use a generator, it will be through the main power entrance so no need there.

[mjammersc]

Today was meter install day. I installed the Trimetric meter, Magnum Inverter control panel, and Tristar MPPT 60 Remote meter. Starting to get close. AC panel and battery box install is the main items that are left to install.





Now just need the weather to cooperate and work to not get too crazy to wrap it up this week.

[Buffalochip]

I put 4--100 watt panels , a 30 amp charge controller and 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter in my 2006 Everest. When I traded it for the 2016 Montana 3910, Solar Bills in Quartzsite Arizona did the swap for me. It is a real good system, maybe a little small in the inverter side but it works great. I brought all the solar cables from the panels down the refridgerators vent with a combiner box. Bought everything from AM solar in Springfield Oregon. Good luck with your installation, I'm sure it will work great!

[7.3Ford]

Looking very good Mark. Kept the post coming.

[mjammersc]

Well tonight's job was the AC subpanel and shifting the 6 circuits up ~18" It wasn't as bad as I was expecting mainly because I didn't need to extend any of the circuits as there was plenty of wire. If anyone has ever looked in the belly of these beasts, you know what I am talking about.





Final install of the battery box with its vents and final battery hook up is the last install step, hopefully Friday afternoon (silly work is going to monopolize the next couple days/evenings) and if all goes well, loading all the settings via the control panels and turning things on for the first time Friday or Saturday. Wish me luck!

[Bigboomer]

Nice looking install.....ah and the feeling of completion is almost there.....

Flipping the switch and seeing juice running thru the system is electric!