Renogy RV Solar Installation Video | How To Install Renogy RV Solar | Interstate Adventures
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2024
- How to install a RV Solar System.
Read our review of how it's performed: interstateadve...
We installed the Renogy 400 watt RV solar kit while moochdocking at a friends house.
We go over everything in the kit. Some tips and tricks to make the RV solar install easier so we can get started Off Grid Living. I include a wiring diagram for the way the kit comes from the factory.
We show off some of our RV must have tools that we use on almost every project we do to the RV.
#rvsolar #rvliving #rvupgrades
Snake Camera: amzn.to/3PyMr8k
Vibratory Saw: amzn.to/3IYvbXt
Renogy Solar Kit: amzn.to/3v989rc
Junction Box: amzn.to/3IXMat6
Lap Sealant: amzn.to/3zq79Sc
Wow! Renogy should pay you for this content. Well done, sir!
Well done clean video showing the vitals and no fluff! Appreciate your time spent on it.
Thank you! Glad it was worth watching. Its a little intimidating making them but i try to make ones i wouldnt want to skip through. We have a bunch more coming out this season!
Incredible video my friend. I’ve watched 50 different videos and never had a grasp of the installation of the kit but your simple and direct video have given me the confidence to do it on my own. Good job!!!
Glad it worked for ya! Have you given it a shot yourself yet? I try to make my how to videos short and sweet, just how i like them. No one wants to listen to 15 minutes of babbeling before getting to the nuts and bolts :)
Best video I have seen on installing RV solar. Clear and concise. Thanks for posting this. I just subscribed and am looking forward to seeing other videos from you.
I tried to make it like video that I would want. Not one filled with crap to make it longer to make the algorithm happy. We have a bunch of upgrades coming to the RV this season with videos for all of them! Stay Tuned!
You accomplished videoing a great solar install....to the point, even some reiteration statements before hooking up solar panels. 👍👏👏
. ....I orginally ordered that Renogy 400watt kit last spring to charge 2, 6 volt batteries I purchased the year before.
.....having been retired for two years I told my wife let's go whole hog and go with a really decent system, our children are married and gone let's not penalize ourselves because we just spent 400 dollars on batteries last year.
Last fall I installed 1880 watts on the RV roof and 618 Amp hours of Lithium iron phosphate SOK batteries. All Victron equipment setup w/3000 watt inverter charger on 12 volts. With Touch 50 screen and 3 smart solar chargers ,one for the 4 Renogy panels that are series/parallel. I sent some of that kit back to renogy for a refund.
😅No regrets either, Enjoyed watching your video sir! One of the best I've seen and better than some big YT channels too!
Best of luck & Happy Camping 🙋♂️
Thank you very much for the kudos! Its tough making videos and not getting discouraged when youre a small channel. We have a bunch more coming up this season with an entire rv renovation and a bunch of how too stuff!
Very clear explanation of RV solar installation.
Thank you. I tried to make it as no nonsense as i would want if i was lookin for how to do it
PEX tubing trick is awesome, Thanks!!
No problem!
PEX tubing was a good idea ! I would use rubber grommets for the wires on the roof box.
I didnt have any handy but knock on wood no leaks so far!
Thank you for making this video! You provided much more information than the directions that came with the kit. Well done.
Excellent video and an excellent install I think. I hope the system is working well for you. Personally I have decided to stay with portable solar panels for the moment. We have 220 watts of solar to help keep those batteries topped up off grid, but is all portable. My concern was some of the parks we stay at off grid tend to be very wooded and the trailer is often in the shade, where as with portable panels I can move them around and make sure they are in the sun and at near optimum angle. Living north of the 47th meant that a panel on my roof was never really pointing at the sun. Might decide to add a rood top one (my trailer is wired for it) but for now the portables seem to meet the need and allow for an off grid few days without concern... as always safe travels...
Great video - thanks- doing my research on RV solar setup...Best one so far..
Yooo thank you! Made it pretty easy to follow and the wiring is simple. I've heard of Renogy from so many van lifers on YT.
Ive got no complaints at all about this system a year later
@@InterstateAdventures Great to hear. I'm looking to set up a solar power system myself and your video was really helpful on seeing how simple it is and a dummy like me could potentially do it. XD
But man planning subfloor, interior structure, plumbing, electrical, insulation, vapor barrier, flooring drywalling. The list goes on. It's just nice to know there's a simple electrical solution. I think I have a decent grasp of all of it to build a decent tiny house, just difficult to think about each detail that builds up into a full house. Hoping to build a Tuff shed into a tiny house.
Great video! Just received my 600w system. Had some questions but not anymore. Thanks for the video.
“ measure twice cut once” I always heard I cut it three times and it's still too short lol 😎😎
Great video and nice easy explanation.Personally I would have used a gromet or strain relief fitting for the wires into the box. Running down the road the vibration can chafe the wire and cause issues.
Surprisingly they dont move very much at all. I was going to do a grommet but the silicone hasnf failed me yet
Good job editing the video. Short and sweet.
Thank you! Well done!!!!! You’re making it easy for me.
Electricians use colored tape all the time. A black wire used as a neutral will have white electrical tape wrapped around it. Same for the second hot wire in a box for 220.
Great video, I am a novice to all this and have the 3x100 Renogy kit, getting ready to install. The only thing I might need to get is extensions for the wires between solar panels but won't know until the panels are on the roof, my roof space is very limited.
nice job. I'll be doing mine soon. Your video was helpful. Take care.
Glad it was a good watch for you! I was really surprised with the lack of directions that came with it, so figured putting the video together couldnt hurt!
I really lucked out on my camper, as far as cutting holes in the roof goes. I had a tv dish on my camper. I don't watch TV so I pulled the dish off and sold it and used the hole for running the new wires into the camper. But yeah, I got a scope for my phone long before I ever needed it.
a great video.
very informative and simple, very well explained. Thank you very much.
greetings from Germany
Thank you very much!
Nice work. A couple bus bars and a switch in the battery area might help you with isolating components for maintenance.
Definitely in our upgrade plans for this season!
That’s what I am trying to figure out how to wire from the batteries to the bus bars to the inverter
Great video I'm doing the install tomorrow
Thanks! How did it come out.
@@InterstateAdventures Came out really good!
Great and easy to understand video! Thanks!
excellent video! you explained things very well. One thing though, shouldn't you clean the roof with denatured alcohol or something similar before you seal the box down.
I put the sealant down over a year ago and havent had a single issue with it
Nice video. Simple and to the point. Thanks
Thank you! For this type of video I try to make one i wouldnt want to skip through. We are going to have a bunch more coming out this season
Did you hit any framing with the panel mounting screws? I'm just curious what the screws would bite into. Great video btw.
Nope, just into the plywood roof. Zero issues. Even after the interior renovation, looking up at them they are solid as day 1
I want to see the actual attach to the roof. Did you just screw into the plywood or find struts?
Just screwed into the plywood. Was a little concerned about them pulling out but havent had a single issue
Thanks so much for this video! I have 4 of the same Renogy panels I got off of craigslist and had been thinking about mounting them on my 5th wheel. I've been nervous about drilling holes in my camper, so I've held off. After watching your video, I am feeling more confident!
I had a couple of questions if you have a minute:
- When you screwed down the panels to the roof, can they go anywhere you want, or are there studs that you have to hit?
- If you had too, can you remove a panel from the bracket, or do you have to remove all the lap sealant and remove the bracket too?
- After making the connections to the panels, did you secure the wires under a panel? Did you tape up the wires so they don't flap in the wind?
- When you ran the wires into the junction box, did you seal up those holes as well?
- What gauge is the wire running down to the controller?
- After using the system, do you think 400 watts of solar is enough or would you get a few more?
Thanks again for the great video!! And sorry for all the questions!!
Chris
I just screwed them into the roof, didnt need to find the studs. Once i put the lap sealant down there hasnt been any issue at all.
To remove a panel you would need to remove the lap sealant and bracket.
All i did to neaten the wires up was zip tie them between the 4 of them. you could use a cable stay screwed into the roof to hold them still but i havent seen any need.
Definitely seal the holes for the junction box. Even if water isnt a concern, bugs are and lets face it, enough of them get into an rv on their own, no need to make it easier.
The wire gauge im not sure of. I purchased the 400 watt kit from renogy and it came with everything.
After using the system for half the year, The only other thing i would do is get lifepo4 battery. One 200 amp hour battery would supply as much run time as the 4 lead acid batteries i have now and be WAY lighter and take up a lot less room.
On our system we have one 2000 watt power inverter that runs our residential fridge.
I added the circuit that powers our living room outlets so we can watch movies while boondocking. And i would say as long as you arent running a real heavy power draw item like a coffee pot all day, it has been plenty of power for us
@@InterstateAdventures if you switch to the life po4 battery do you have to change your converter/inverter? Anything else? Ty!
Great video. Thank you
Glad you liked it!
Helpful tips and video. How is your installation holding up? Thank you for the tutorial.
Fantastically so far! It hasnt been plugged in for weeks and zero issues with power over a year later!
@@InterstateAdventures Good to hear
Very helpful
Heat shrink on the cables to identify them
Great video !!
You made it look too easy....
After seeing your video, im going to take a crack at it. But my question is..
Can you put your solar charger cable on any battery or only the middle...
That is what it looked to me....
Thanks
You can hook it up to any of them. Which ever one works for you
Total shot in the dark but I have further questions from the solar community. I’m new and don’t know what to do and neither does the tech support from Renogy. Panels won’t pull any amps but all 23-24v ballpark, disconnect from the charge controller and it reads .3-.4 A
Thanks for the great video! Can this solar setup be hooked up to normal car batteries?
Yes it can
Thanks for providing the many tips helping to avoid potential problems. I noticed that you didn't install an inverter and no mention of how the solar power that charges the batteries is transferred to the RV. Since the battery(batteries) was already connected and supplying 12V power this would not be a concern? I have a solar prepped GD and wonder if all I have to do is connect to the batteries as you did and I'm good to go?
Yup, basically the solar charge controller is charging your batteries when the sun is up. You just have to run the 12 Volt power wires from the charge controller to the batteries, and add it on to the terminals. Our batteries had a second screw on each terminal for accessories, so I just added the positive and negative to the accessory terminals and that was it.
No concerns with the batteries already being connected to the RV. Same as if you put jumper cables on a car, your just making another connection. The system really was a fairly straight forward install.
Great video. One question, what is wudder?
Two words: Cable gland
Can get a pair already installed in a little box to go on the roof (or could put that box on your bigger box) or separate to install in a hole in your box. Wire thru the gland, tighten it down, no leaks.
Good documentation on the process otherwise!
Thats THE ONE thing the kit didnt come with! Thats how i ended up with the box. It hasnt leaked yet, but would have liked to have had that included
So, you have the Predator 3500 and the Solar. Which do you prefer now? I have a few questions :). On the predator inverter how often do you change oil? is it every 11 hours? have you looked into the inverter natural gas/propane conversion kit? I figure you would like that. On the solar front I have what you have with 3 batteries (just for my house to learn/fun before going to a big solar system on my roof). I was thinking of adding one more panel and I've heard you can/can't so waiting on final work from Renogy support.
So i will be honest, i ran it for 3 months without changing the oil. During that 3 months, i literally ran it for 28 days straight. Only shutting it off to refuel it.
Havent looked into the propane conversion, the built in generator on the RV is propane, and i like redundancy. I have the solar, propane generator, and a gas generator. if we dont have power when we want it, the apocalypse has started :)
We have 4 panels up top, i dont see why you cant add more to it, you just have to make sure you wire it in a way that keeps the amperage under the rated load of the wires from the roof to the charge controller. I have ours wired in series-parallel and have had zero issues with it!
Hi! thanks for this video! I am looking to do this and I have some basic questions - how has it been working for you? and do you ever still hook up to shore power or do you only use solar? - thanks in advance for any advise - kerri
Over a year later, and it works great. Short answer is yes we still plug in. Long answer...
We have Four 100 amp hour deep cycle batteries, a 2,000 watt power inverter that runs our residential fridge and a few outlets when we are not plugged in.
With the renogy 400 watt system, and 200 usable amp hours from our batteries, we do have the ability to be 100% off grid for days, which we have done.
If i had to do it all over again, I would invest in a good LiFePO4 battery, much less weight, much more usable power
The fuse installation, are there any special requirements? Can it be within a battery box mounted under the vehicle? Can it be in the same area as the charge controller?
You've got 400w in series with a 10amp fuse. The wire you used was 8 gauge then?
Can you drill mounts anywhere on a rv roof or is there studs to lool for? All videos i have watched seems nobody shows them looking for studs for a solid mount.
I tried lining up with studs, and honestly would have felt better if i found them. However i just screwed down into the plywood roof and havent had a single issue
nice video
Thanks
Thanks. Just wish you hadn’t fastforwarded through the mounting and sealing process. 😮 Did you put sealant under the brackets before you screw them into the roof or only on top after you screwed them in?
I did put a lil dab under the brackets before screwing them down. Figured it couldnt hurt, and they havent leaked yet
@@InterstateAdventures Thanks for the reply! Great video
I am running a 30 amp fuse, how would I need to wire up the panels?
Great video, but qjat i dont get is if you wire 4 x 12 volt panels in series, arent they inputting 48 volts to the controller?
They are, but the charge controller then turns it into 12V.
I have since wired them in series-parallel, which is working out much better
@@InterstateAdventures thanks for the reply, i appreciate it. I did a bitmore digging and i understand it now. I suppose my question now is how do you know how many many whats of solar you need overall? How fast can a 200w solar array charge your battery? Vs a larger system. Is the maths as sinple as i think it is?
Thanks again
@@tbip2001 lets pretend your battery is 1000 watt hours. If you can generate 200 watts from your solar system, you can charge that battery from dead to full in 5 hours. Obviously you won't make 200 watts from a 200 watt capable system in most cases, but you generally wont be charging a battery from stone dead either.
What gauge of wire from the panels to the controller?
God Morning. I have a question on hocking up the panels. I have 2 200 watt panels and I have a AC unit shading one of the panels. what would be the overall best way to wire the panels in series or parallel? Jack
Curious how well the system is performing for you now? I’m about to install the same system on my Skoolie.
Ots not doing bad actually. We did zero math on how many watts we were using during the day. The residential fridge uses 360 when running ao we called that good enough. We have around 400 amp hours of battery, and if we dont run computers and extra stuff, it does just fine with wnough juixe left to run the tv for 2 hours without worrying about a low battery alarm. I did changw it from series to series-parallel which is working better for us for charging
How did you wire them in series parallel? How would I re wire I have mine like in your video
Why don't they give you red cables for positive side? It doesn't cost them more for red wire vs black.
Maybe they sell more charge controllers that way.
I dont know. I was wondering that myself
Why you keep space between panels? I’m sure you can install brackets on short sides?
That was purely so that i could step over the panels if needed. You can butt them right up against each other pretty much
10:18 The fuse does not make any sense since it is in series. anyone of the solar panel has short circuit will not effect the current. If in array, then a fuse is required!
How do you wire up the panels thou. Series or parallel
I should of bought the kit. I have the panels and charger but no wires and I still have no idea how to hook this up. I'm lost
Did you catch the rat that made the nest on your batteries.....LOL
LOL yeah that is on the list for this season
So I have a 50 amp RV. Do I need to get a 50 amp system?
If you have 2 seperate battery banks with isotlators does this charger work with it and split the load of the panels?
No it would only charge one
Hi there , i have 2 quesitons, I got 2x deep cycle 27 group. I wanna install solar kit 200w renogy with rover controller. Also a 1000w inverter for charging laptop and tv. What happens when the solar controller goes to equilization mode ? Will i be able to use the rv water pump or other ? It says in the manual not to draw power while its in this mode. Lastly if the rv is plugged (120v) do i need turn turn off the rv charger so i wont affect the solar controller .
Thanks!
I have honestly never had an issue with either scenario. We boondocked in montana for a month and ran everythibg fine. We also have a 1000 watt inverter to run our residential fridge.
We did install the 400 watt syatem, and have 4 100 amp hour deep cycle batteries (200 usable amp hours)
If i had to do it all over again i would have gotten a single 200 amp hour lifepo4 battery, but when we put the batteries in was before the solar system, the day before running from a storm full of tornadoes, so we got as many as we could and ran
How did you know where to drill through the roof?
Like I said in the video, ours happens to have a decorative column that the manufacturer used as a wire run, but every RV is different. So that is all going to depend on your particular layout, on where it needs to be
Dude, you REALLY need to clean up that wiring.
On our list of projects for this season!
Thank you. What length screws were used to attach panels to the roof? (I'd like to do the same without going completely through the roof.)
If i remember right they were about 1.5 inch. They came with the renogy kit
Hi, I state you had this for a year. How much driving in highways with the mounted solar panels.? I am mounting 6 x 100-watt solar panels and just the mount amounts should work okay! I was planning to mount aluminum "L" rails to help less air going under the solar panels.
We did almost 50,000 miles on the road. Just acrewed them into the roof, not a single issue. One episode we literally had a tornado forming over our rig and not so much as a wiggle
How much was the cost for you? I’m wondering if their current sale they have is actually a sale price
I honestly dont remember, we bought it about 2 years ago, but it was worth it for us
Is this for a 12v setup or 24v? I have mine setup in parallel so does that mean i am only getting 100w from 4 panels?
It is for a 12 volt set up. Theres a few factors that go into it. With the charge controller it handles all the math for either set up
How did you know where your wire run was?
That is all going to depend on how you model of RV is set up
How many amp must have the fuse for 30 amp controler
Came with a 10amp fuse from the factory
Did you use 6 gauge wire for this? (No, you didn't).
As an electrician, why does he need #6? He is not pulling more than 20 amps here and the distance is minimal even for DC.
What type of battery you uses
Dont go cheap on sealants. Make sure it can withstand high temps and has longevity. A leak will cost you alot of money down the road. Mildew, water damage, repair costs, resale value...
I got the good stufd. 2 years in and still no leaks
What size are those fuses ?
10amp is what came with it
How do you secure your wires on the roof?
I just zip tied them to the legs on the panels
How do you know where to make the hole
On our RV we have a decorative door jamb between rooms that the manufacturer used as a wire run, so we ran ours in the same spot. Unfortunately theres no easy answer to this one as every RV is different
Can you run your ac of the solar?
Not the way its set up now. It charges the batteries for the 12v stuff and a power inverter for our residential fridge. You need LOTS of amps in batteries to run the ac
What batteries did you go with?
We had to do an unplanned replacement of the stock batteries last season, so we ran to autozone and got thw biggest deep cycles they had. We wanted to go with lithium ions, but there was nowhere local to get them
@@InterstateAdventures Do you know how to add 2 more panels and a 4th battery to the system. I currently have a 12V setup with the panels in series and i have 3 100AH lithium batteries in parallel.
The batteries, if i were doing it, would just add them in parallel. The panels is going to depend on your wiring from roof to charge controller. Dont want to send too many more amps down the line and burn it up. My four 100 watt panels were wired in series, yesterday i switched them to series-parallel. Im getting a higher charge amperage out of the controller without overloading the roof to controller wires. I would say your best bet is a call or email to the manufacturer with what you have, and they should be able to tell you the best way to add the panels in
Thin Bert Kreisher
Neat little set up but I would’ve much rather gone for one 400 W panel and only put 4 holes in the roof …
25% battery is your true 0% lol n if u leave inverter on it'll kill your battery kinda lame n you should buy more than 1 Bluetooth add on for the smart lipo battery if it's in parallel its 1 big battery ps app doesn't work just use charge controller for monitoring battery % 40 amp mmp is only 100 volts so if u want to run more than 4 panels gotta do parallel set up or hybrid u definitely need 8 solar panels n 5 batteries to be comfortable I have 6 n 3 but your ac will be 600 watts n ull need to cut cord n hard wire it into the inverter ngl....
Sorry, but your battery compartment is a mess. A professional would be appalled...
Gueas its good thing im not a professional
Nice work ... Put rubber tape 3M in connection solar panels and catch tare whit ziptupe ... After 24month the ruber conector dolar kts gone and conection no good and you have energy loss ... If use ruber tape 3M no whoter in connection no destroy the connection its Very strong tape i use for seald wire to run out for garden lights whit no box no need in to the garden flor very strong .... Thenks for sering this video'Very good job and sorry for my English