Warning re solar gland & howto pull new wires

[Boondockboomer]

I found those wires. Not sure why they put them there. No place really to mount your MPPT. I will have to figure it out. Could run new wiring from the front up thru the washer/dryer vent. Seems like a hassle though.

[Boondockboomer]

What’s the benefit of using these wires as opposed to running your own thru mppt and then straight to battery. Looks like in battery compartment there’s a 30 amp fuse and also attached to a 30 amp auto reset fuse.
Would it be smarter to run just new lines straight from mppt to battery with fuse in the middle.?

[firestation12]

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Originally Posted by Boondockboomer

I found those wires. Not sure why they put them there. No place really to mount your MPPT. I will have to figure it out. Could run new wiring from the front up thru the washer/dryer vent. Seems like a hassle though.

I wouldn't use that location to install anything, however, (the splice suggests) that the wires shown must continue on to a more favorable location nearer to your batteries. Your search is not over, but take heart you are making progress.

[Boondockboomer]

What do you think of this idea. Considering the wires are there, if you look left there’s a hole there that has access to the thermostat. Should I drill hole above thermostat, put a grommet there, pull wires there and mount mppt above thermostat.

[Boondockboomer]

Something like this? Put the grommet where my finger is and run wires to mppt.

[bcrvman]

Originally Posted by Boondockboomer

Something like this? Put the grommet where my finger is and run wires to mppt.

You want the MPPT as close to the battery bank as possible. No point in throwing away precious amps as heat. My MPPT has about 2 ft of #4 AWG to the battery which is a 0.89% V drop, the MPPT to solar is close to 25 ft so #6 AWG gives me about 1.7% V drop in theory, but I am over panelled so have excess Volts available.

MPPT is 150/70, 6x180W (2p3s so 54V at 20A) solar, 600AH LiFePO4, 3,000W inverter.

[firestation12]

Originally Posted by Boondockboomer

What do you think of this idea. Considering the wires are there, if you look left there’s a hole there that has access to the thermostat. Should I drill hole above thermostat, put a grommet there, pull wires there and mount mppt above thermostat.

So, in the Renogy mppt controller instructions, is says to connect controller to the battery before connecting the solar wires. Typically a direct current breaker is installed upstream from the controller to kill the solar panels, so that the battery(s) can be disconnected and re-connected for whatever reason. Read the benefits listed at the bottom of this Amazon product description:


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BQPC7L7/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_EVPNX8XE215F29JRRRF9?_encodin g=UTF8&psc=1


A friend failed to follow this instruction and fried the controller. Putting a disconnecting device in close proximity to the equipment you are working on is prescribed in many provisions of the national electrical code for good reasons. Direct current arcing can cause lots of damage. I'm wondering why you are stuck with the idea of putting the controller inside rather than further downstream in a storage compartment, where all components can be neatly arranged. Your Renogy controller has a port to add a bluetooth connection so that you can retrieve information from a smart phone. In summary, I see no advantage to locating the controller on that cabinet. My 2 cents.

[Boondockboomer]

I am not dead set on any idea. Just spitballing. So the wiring from the solar panel intake on the roof ends at that panel. So I think your saying extend that wire with another 15 foot red/black all the way to the battery compartment. Correct?
And then mount MPPT there. The only confusing par I have is looks like the red wire ends at the auto reset fuse, see pic. So am I to detach that wire and connect directly to MPPT? So now I have black/red directly from solar panel extended to battery compartment attached to mppt. Then red wire which is currently attached to auto reset, remove it and attach to mppt??

The only reason I suggested mounting MPPT inside was the wires were right there.

[Boondockboomer]

Originally Posted by Boondockboomer

I am not dead set on any idea. Just spitballing. So the wiring from the solar panel intake on the roof ends at that panel. So I think your saying extend that wire with another 15 foot red/black all the way to the battery compartment. Correct?
And then mount MPPT there. The only confusing par I have is looks like the red wire ends at the auto reset fuse, see pic. So am I to detach that wire and connect directly to MPPT? So now I have black/red directly from solar panel extended to battery compartment attached to mppt. Then red wire which is currently attached to auto reset, remove it and attach to mppt??

The only reason I suggested mounting MPPT inside was the wires were right there.

Or are you saying run another wire from that 80 amp breaker to the mppt? Or are you saying run a wire directly from battery to MPPT.

[Boondockboomer]

Ok, found the other end of the 10awg. It is definitely the 30 amp wire. So it appears per <fire/>suggestion I need to run that black and red down to battery compartment and mount my MPPT their.

[Daryles]

Originally Posted by Boondockboomer

What do you think of this idea. Considering the wires are there, if you look left there’s a hole there that has access to the thermostat. Should I drill hole above thermostat, put a grommet there, pull wires there and mount mppt above thermostat.

If you don't want to put your MPPT where the factory puts the Jamboni MPPT (behind the convenience center),
Look behind your basement walls for the solar wiring coming down from above (behind the sewer pipe). See if you have enough slack in the wiring to pull the wiring forward enough to reach over the basement wall. Mount the MPPT here. Make sure you put a metal plate behind it. They get HOT!!! Post # 59 above.
The instructions with mine said NOT to mount it on a flammable surface. I put a circuit breaker on the solar wiring input. Always disconnect the solar panels first before disconnecting the MPPT OR batteries.

[firestation12]

Perhaps I'm not seeing clearly, the photo in post #61, but I think there is a twin wire consisting of a positive and a negative coming from the roof AND another twin wire crimped to it, going downward towards presumably the battery compartment or to the auto reset fuse pictured photo #2 of post #70. At where ever the second twin wire ends, that is where I would suggest putting the rail mount D/C mini breaker. Then from the mini breaker, continue your wiring to the "in" side of the solar controller. The mini breaker is your safety disconnect to employ anytime you need to open the circuit going from the controller to the battery. What Daryles is explaining at the end of post #71 goes hand in hand with my comments.

[Boondockboomer]

I think I found all the wires. I still don’t understand why they ran the wires to the control panel in the first place if they was no intent to put something in that area. They should have just not capped those two if they intended to be uncapped.

Regardless I found the negative finally. Now I think I can run with it. So if I am thinking clearly the solar set up up top, those wires ran directly to battery and ground. Nothing in between except a auto reset fuse and a 30 amp fuse. Why would they do that? Makes no since. Clearly you can’t run a solar panel without a mppt charge controller in the middle. So that totally in itself confuses me in addition to why they have two joining caps at control panel. Can anyone explain that to me?

So moving forward, considering both wires are directly from solar ready plug on top, I need to connect those to a dc mini solar breaker and then to mppt. Then run two new wires from mppt to battery. Does that about cover it?

[firestation12]

Grasshopper, you are beginning to understand how a few cheesy ducts can be added to the camper's underbelly and suddenly it is a 4 season feature in the sales brochure. The term solar prep is kinda like that. O.K. back to your install....yes you have the basic idea so far. Both the positive and negative conductors need to land on the dc mini breaker first, then it's on to the input of the Renogy solar controller. One note, about the 40 amp Renogy Elite controller, it uses the BT2 bluetooth not the more common BT1 on most of their other controllers. The instructions don't make that clear. From here on out, it'll be hard to help you because the possibilities for the final layout grow exponentially depending on the number of batteries, inverter size, whether you will be using a transfer switch. If you are using lithium batteries, the solar controller's lithium programming option, it may be an sufficient to provide the extra charging voltage in lieu of buying a new lithium rated voltage converter.



A main disconnect between your batteries like this:


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07413JWLD...ing=UTF8&psc=1


Then leading to busbars like this:


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07THLX93D/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_DXP3591YQTTHX8BYF6TP


can tidy up that mess of auto disconnects and ground connections


Enjoy the adventure!