Electrical/cable chase on roof?

[Jerry & Barbara]

Does anyone know if the 2017 Reflection 303rls has any kind of cable/electrical chase, from the roof down to where all the plumbing and waste tanks are? I am trying to find the best way to run the cable when I install my roof mounted solar panel. I see what appears to be a roof vent cap, located about a foot towards the rear of the trailer, from the fan outlet of the bathroom. Also (my trailer is stored and I dont have access at the moment), if I remove the rear wall of the basement to expose this area, will I be able to see where the roof joists/trusses are located? I am guessing I need to locate/identify those in order the secure the panel to them from above.

[traveldawg]

Others will join in on this.....

On my rig there is a chase from the roof to the basement storage. On the roof there is a cover (over a hold with conduit I suppose) that is covered with self leveling sealant.

[boyscout]

Does anyone know if the 2017 Reflection 303rls has any kind of cable/electrical chase, from the roof down to where all the plumbing and waste tanks are?

I don't know about your trailer, but ours does. As traveldawg described, a small plate on the roof and we have a label indicating the other end of the "conduit" on the ceiling of the basement storage area roughly two feet inside the driver-side door to the basement. You could easily look for the label, and if not found go up on the roof and look for the plate.

The word "conduit" is in quotations because there have been a few reports about the challenges of running cables through the space. It is just a space, no conduit there, and in at least some cases it has been obstructed by - I guess - out-of-specification bits of other construction of the trailer.

Good luck.

[Silverbeard]

“Does anyone know if the 2017 Reflection 303rls has any kind of cable/electrical chase, from the roof down to where all the plumbing and waste tanks are?”

I have a 2017 Reflection 337RLS and it does not have the roof access plate. GD started adding the roof access with the Solitudes and Momentums. Then a year or so later added it to the Reflections. If you do a search for solar, there should be a number of threads that talk about how others have done what you want to do.

[GeoffnCheri]

My 2018 (build date 9/2017) does not have a dedicated chase. There "MAY" be enough room to run down next to the roof vent. YMMV

[RickLight]

My Reflection 273MK doesn't have anything like a conduit.

The wall with the roof vent in it opens up inside the pass through. I've fished from there up to my control panel by running right next to the vent tube. I'm sure I could continue up to the roof. I've also heard that some folks will actually use the vent tube by cutting into it down low, but well above the tank top.

The photo is of that wall bottom, next to the steps. There are many wires going up into the wall next to the vent.

[grsfs303]

Jerry & Barbara,

I logged in to this forum today to ask the question you asked yesterday. Thanks for getting this thread started.

We have a 2017 Reflection 303RLS and are in the process (the solar panel mounts arrived a few minutes ago) of adding solar collectors and all the "stuff" that is also required.

What I can contribute to the discussion:
1) There is no "plate" on the roof other than the plumbing vent pipe. I have not yet tried to remove the cover for that. Other Grand Design models have a conduit from the roof, the Reflections, at least in 2017, did not have this feature. I have verified this from other threads.
2) I have removed the rear wall panels in the basement. There is a lot of stuff back there. I can see where two PVC pipes run up out of this compartment. I believe that they are vent pipes for the plumbing. If they are not combined (above where I can see) and two pipes actually go all the way to the roof, I expect (hope) there will be room to run cable back down the same hole.
3) Also, behind the removed basement panels, I can see a group of wires running down through a largish hole in the floor. I believe that these run forward to the battery compartment. It should be possible to pass the solar panel cables along the same path. It will be necessary to remove the under-body covering to verify this. The weather here has not been such that I want to be crawling around on the ground. Perhaps, in the next couple of days..

More information when I get it.

Regards,

Glen R.