Solar panels on an 2014 Aspire

[gasman405]

Has anyone installed solar panels on an Aspire. I understand they are pre wired and I see wires in the battery compartment. Where do they go?? Are there wires in one of the vent pipes on the roof?? Any help would be appreciated.


Gasman405
2014 Aspire DEQ
2016 Explorer

[rvbusguy]

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f278/new-...ls-183446.html

Try this link

[brobox]

I can't speak for an Aspire, but I think they are wired the same as my Anthem. The wires are in vents on the roof, from there they go to the electrical panel above the passengers seat for the controllers, then down to the battery compartment. The wires are behind the plastic panel above the P/S
This might help ID which vents the wires might be in.

[Ready2Travel]

Nice job on the roof Chuck. Is there a tread explaining what you did?

[brobox]

Originally Posted by Ready2Travel

Nice job on the roof Chuck. Is there a tread explaining what you did?

Here you go. Probably more than you wanted to know.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f278/star...id-244908.html

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by gasman405

Has anyone installed solar panels on an Aspire. I understand they are pre wired and I see wires in the battery compartment. Where do they go?? Are there wires in one of the vent pipes on the roof?? Any help would be appreciated.


Gasman405
2014 Aspire DEQ
2016 Explorer

Aspire/Entegra same roof.All the plumbing is there and it's like a plug and play install. It;s just like Chuck posted. I put a couple of panels on mine and may add two more.

[voltdoc]

Entegra CS should be able to tell you for sure which vent cap the wiring terminates at for your year and model. I know my 2013 Aspire does not have the prewire. Ask them too what gauge wire they have provided. That will dictate how many panels you can effectively install. How you wire them (series or parallel) will also be affected by the wire gauge provided and affect performance (and also has pros and cons) . Be sure to choose a controller that can handle the voltage/current output of the panels (and the chosen wiring configuration). An MPPT controller is recommended to minimize losses. Choose panel mounting locations that will minimize shadows falling on the panels (such as from the AC units or sat dish).

The above probably created more questions than it answered but the point is unless you want to just duplicate the factory install, some more research is in order.

My guess is the factory wiring provided and controllers installed are adequate for the factory panels (200 rated watts), but would have limited expandability, if any. 200 rated watts will help a little with your power needs, but realistically can only put back a small percentage of even just the power your fridge consumes in a day.

If you want a higher performing install on an Entegra, check the forums for posts by 757driver and his 1000+ watt tiltable installation. I believe he found the factory wiring inadequate for his much more powerful system.

[757driver]

My installation is 1100 watts and yes the factory wiring (8 or 10 gauge) would not have been adequate for the small percentage of line loss that I wanted. I used 4 gauge welding cable.

Here is a picture of my install.

[BigmoneySr]

Originally Posted by gasman405

Has anyone installed solar panels on an Aspire. I understand they are pre wired and I see wires in the battery compartment. Where do they go?? Are there wires in one of the vent pipes on the roof?? Any help would be appreciated.


Gasman405
2014 Aspire DEQ
2016 Explorer

The pre-wired solar wires are coming off the batteries going up and coiled up behind the panel above the door. From the door the both sets go up to the roof. Installer the controller above the door bringing the roof wires through a breaker from the solar panels to isolate the roof source. do the same off the batteries to isolate the wires off the batteries to the controller.

[JedTheFed]

Originally Posted by brobox

I can't speak for an Aspire, but I think they are wired the same as my Anthem. The wires are in vents on the roof, from there they go to the electrical panel above the passengers seat for the controllers, then down to the battery compartment. The wires are behind the plastic panel above the P/S
This might help ID which vents the wires might be in.

Sorry to bump such an old thread.

Just looking at where the wires come though the vents to the roof and join to your panels. How do you pull the wires out of the vents? Are they easily accessable or do I have to remove the vent cap or how does it work?

Also, from the picture, it looks like they come up in at least three locations. Is that correct. If so I assume they are wired in series?

Gary

[757driver]

Originally Posted by RVLiving_GS

Sorry to bump such an old thread.

Just looking at where the wires come though the vents to the roof and join to your panels. How do you pull the wires out of the vents? Are they easily accessable or do I have to remove the vent cap or how does it work?

Also, from the picture, it looks like they come up in at least three locations. Is that correct. If so I assume they are wired in series?

Gary

Gary,

Factory solar wiring should only be under 2 vent caps as they only installed 2 factory 100W solar panels. You will have to remove the vent cap and dig the wiring out of the caulk/foam. I think they are wired in parallel as the sunsaver controller they put in is non MPPT.

[JedTheFed]

Originally Posted by 757driver

Gary,

Factory solar wiring should only be under 2 vent caps as they only installed 2 factory 100W solar panels. You will have to remove the vent cap and dig the wiring out of the caulk/foam. I think they are wired in parallel as the sunsaver controller they put in is non MPPT.

Thank you for the information, much appreciated.

When I look at the vent I dont see how to remove it. Does the cap come off or do I have to dig through the dicor around the outside.

Gary

[757driver]

Originally Posted by RVLiving_GS

Thank you for the information, much appreciated.

When I look at the vent I dont see how to remove it. Does the cap come off or do I have to dig through the dicor around the outside.

Gary

Gary,

You have to dig through the Dicor around the vent to get to the three screws.

[757driver]

Should look something like this except in black.