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Old 08-05-2018, 05:33 PM   #1
Montana Luxury
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Roof MC-4 Connector

My FW came Solar Preped. It has an MC-4 connector on roof but I don't know where the wires run or if the connect directly to the batteries. Has anyone used them? Where do the wires end?
 
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Old 08-05-2018, 05:56 PM   #2
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First, welcome to the forum!

The cables come down behind the panel with your light switches. The wiring will handle 30 amps which is enough for about 450 watts of solar. I installed more solar that that so I did not use the connector but ran heavier wiring.
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Old 08-05-2018, 06:11 PM   #3
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First, welcome to the forum!

The cables come down behind the panel with your light switches. The wiring will handle 30 amps which is enough for about 450 watts of solar. I installed more solar that that so I did not use the connector but ran heavier wiring.
I looked behind the panel but couldn't tell which wires were which. Nothing is labeled. I'm installing two 170 Watt panels in series, I have a MPPT charge controller. I'm debating on replacing the factory with roof connector with a combiner box and larger cabling.
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Old 08-05-2018, 06:20 PM   #4
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While you can certainly throw additional financial resources at this issue I would stop and ask exactly what it is you are trying to power. This will allow you to create a complete picture of what you will need rather than possibly installaling and/or replacing multiple components as you discover they may not suit your needs. Replacing the OEM connector and cabling should be fairly straight forward as you can reuse the existing penetration as well as utilize the existing undersized wire as a pull string for larger conductors.
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Old 08-06-2018, 08:21 PM   #5
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While you can certainly throw additional financial resources at this issue I would stop and ask exactly what it is you are trying to power. This will allow you to create a complete picture of what you will need rather than possibly installaling and/or replacing multiple components as you discover they may not suit your needs. Replacing the OEM connector and cabling should be fairly straight forward as you can reuse the existing penetration as well as utilize the existing undersized wire as a pull string for larger conductors.
I Boondock for extended periods and I've had Solar on our last FW. Our Montana needs 110V to use the power recliner. We also wanted to be able to use the Microwave or make coffee when the inverter was on. I have all the components except two additional solar panels that can be mounted and Just plugged into the system. I have four Lifeline deep cycle AGM batteries for 600 Ah at 12V and I will probably expand that when I replace the batteries in the future. If I've done my math correctly I should be able to run four 170W x 18V panels through the 30A wiring if I run two pair of panel series and parallel like the batteries.
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Old 08-07-2018, 10:28 AM   #6
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I would recommend using one of the available online load calculator to determine your total amp hour needs based upon what equipment you have listed and how much you want to use it. I used the one available at Magnum Energy only because we have a Magnum inverter. From there you can determine your battery, inverter and solar panel needs. This way you will put together a system that meets your needs.



I am currently in the process of wiring a 700AH lithium battery (4 cells) and BMS to my 1200 watt solar systme with Midnite Solar Classic MPPT solar charger. We wanted to have power to run the microwave, fancy espresso machine, all outlets associated with entertainment system and an AC unit (for about 1-2 hours). This provided us with the information to obtain a target for our system design.
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Old 08-08-2018, 10:01 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Montana Luxury View Post
I Boondock for extended periods and I've had Solar on our last FW. Our Montana needs 110V to use the power recliner. We also wanted to be able to use the Microwave or make coffee when the inverter was on. I have all the components except two additional solar panels that can be mounted and Just plugged into the system. I have four Lifeline deep cycle AGM batteries for 600 Ah at 12V and I will probably expand that when I replace the batteries in the future. If I've done my math correctly I should be able to run four 170W x 18V panels through the 30A wiring if I run two pair of panel series and parallel like the batteries.
Two panels in series will be fine, 340 / 36 = 9.4 amps. 10 ga wire can carry 30 amps.
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Old 07-06-2019, 04:18 PM   #8
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So did you ever find them?
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