Community Forums

DarkSideJeep · 12-03-2024, 05:01 PM

I am starting to plan a solar upgrade for my coach. Unfortunately, I have never seen the roof and I do not have a ladder tall enough so I can get a good look. If anyone has roof photos of 2020 - 2025 Aspires, could you please post them?

Unplanned Tourist · 12-03-2024, 06:17 PM

Any chance you can park beside a 2 story building? Or under an overpass?

There should be places you can get where you an look down on your rig. I'm fortunate to have a ladder, but also can park beside our house and look down from the deck onto the rig. Here's a pic of me washing the roof before I upgraded my solar panels.

alank · 12-03-2024, 07:40 PM

Don't count on all Aspires having the same roof protrusions. You need to get up there and take measurements for solar placement.

brobox · 12-04-2024, 06:58 AM

Watch the Christmas sales at Harbor Freight, they often have the folding ladders that reach for $99-$119

DarkSideJeep · 12-04-2024, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brobox

Watch the Christmas sales at Harbor Freight, they often have the folding ladders that reach for $99-$119

For my own safety I need at least a 12' with a 14' being my preferred choice. Harbor Freight only has a 10' collapsible ladder. It is not tall enough.

brobox · 12-04-2024, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkSideJeep

For my own safety I need at least a 12' with a 14' being my preferred choice. Harbor Freight only has a 10' collapsible ladder. It is not tall enough.

How about 17 ft. Many of us have them. Several post started by Gary Jones in the search function on these ladders. https://www.harborfreight.com/buildi...der-63418.html

brobox · 12-04-2024, 10:35 AM

17 ft folding on sale until Friday with coupon for $99.99 https://go.harborfreight.com/email/2...e183278-63418/

RVFunlovers · 12-04-2024, 10:55 AM

I use a ladder similar to the one Chuck is showing. I think mine is called little giant.
Safe to use on stable ground with someone holding the ladder for support. I use it on the drivers side rear. I put protection on the ladder before I lean it on the coach.
It will extend above the coach making it safe to get on and off the roof.

On my coach that ladder stores in the basement just forwarded of the water tank bay.

I have had to use mine a few times.

I think I learned about the ladder and where to store it from Chuck.

PeterFTH · 12-10-2024, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkSideJeep

I am starting to plan a solar upgrade for my coach. Unfortunately, I have never seen the roof and I do not have a ladder tall enough so I can get a good look. If anyone has roof photos of 2020 - 2025 Aspires, could you please post them?

a solar installation requires far more than just placement of the panels on the roof. Your first big challenge is getting at least a 10 gauge pair from the roof to where your batteries are or to where you’re going to mount the controller. It sounds to me like you should contact a company like North Arizona wind and solar NAWS they can design and fabricate a system based on things they know that you don’t. Battery capacity amount of juice you expect to draw from the system. I have three panels totaling 850 W and the most I’ve seen is 53 A 12 V DC Output. It’s enough to carry most everything all day except air-conditioning but it’s still needs a kick of generator time morning and night and of course there’s cloudy weather. You need a system designed not put together piecemeal while you try to figure it out. And AWS has very skilled knowledgeable people I would consult them .

DarkSideJeep · 12-10-2024, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterFTH

a solar installation requires far more than just placement of the panels on the roof. Your first big challenge is getting at least a 10 gauge pair from the roof to where your batteries are or to where you’re going to mount the controller. It sounds to me like you should contact a company like North Arizona wind and solar NAWS they can design and fabricate a system based on things they know that you don’t. Battery capacity amount of juice you expect to draw from the system. I have three panels totaling 850 W and the most I’ve seen is 53 A 12 V DC Output. It’s enough to carry most everything all day except air-conditioning but it’s still needs a kick of generator time morning and night and of course there’s cloudy weather. You need a system designed not put together piecemeal while you try to figure it out. And AWS has very skilled knowledgeable people I would consult them .

My 2022 Aspire has a totally inadequate pair of 100watt panels coupled to a PWM solar controller. the coach already has 10g wires from the roof to the bay where the new controller will be installed. I am working with a solar installer and supplier in Phoenix to plan the installation. The photos are for the installers benefit. Will be installing a Victron MPPT solar controller and adding a Victron battery shunt so I can keep track of usage. How much solar will be added will depend on the sizing of the panels. I had hope to get at least 800 watts but more would be welcome.

PeterFTH · 12-11-2024, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkSideJeep

My 2022 Aspire has a totally inadequate pair of 100watt panels coupled to a PWM solar controller. the coach already has 10g wires from the roof to the bay where the new controller will be installed. I am working with a solar installer and supplier in Phoenix to plan the installation. The photos are for the installers benefit. Will be installing a Victron MPPT solar controller and adding a Victron battery shunt so I can keep track of usage. How much solar will be added will depend on the sizing of the panels. I had hope to get at least 800 watts but more would be welcome.

This is where I lucked out because my travel supreme came with a one square-foot panel theoretically to trickle charge the start batteries, and when I went on the roof to remove it and pulled out the skinny little 18 gauge wires, they were connected to a 10 gauge pair installed when the coach was built. The best suggestion I have is to find somebody with a drone and if you were in the Northeast Florida area I’d be happy to take those pictures for you. Make sure the panels in such a way that you can still walk on the roof I’ve seen people put tons of 100 W panels up there when they have panels probably over 400 W now , so if you could get three up there, you’d have 1200 and being very good shape but you need batteries to go with it and a controller that Is MPPT. He’ll really enjoy making ice cubes from the sun. That’s my favorite part.

shepardmike · 12-11-2024, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterFTH

Make sure the panels in such a way that you can still walk on the roof

^^^^^^^
This...

An ice storm caught up to me before I was able to bring my slides in and I had to get up on the roof to clear my slide toppers. I really wished I had better access and maneuverability. Space them out so you can walk around.

This is the layout that came from the factory.