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  1. #1
    Left The Driveway
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    Solar Wiring for a Solitude 321 RL.

    2017 Solitude 321RL Solar Install.

    Hi All.

    I am in the final stretch of installing my Solar System. What I need help on is where / how do I run the wiring down from the roof. There is no prewire.

    The wiring will run from the roof down and then forward to the front compartment where I have a Victron Inverter, 4 Battleborn Batteries, a Transfer Switch and a BMV-712.

    I am a fulltimer currently in Mesa, AZ.

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    Thank You All in Advance,

    Rick

  2. #2
    Fireside Member
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    Not an exact answer to your question, but i will chime in on thoughts.

    1. Following vent pipe from waste tanks to the roof vent cap. Wire run next to the pipe
    2. Wires inside of vent pipe, top to basement sealing up entry / exit holes after wires run
    3. Cavity wall between kitchen and bathroom.

    I know these are vague options. With a little imagination and understanding of RV structure build. You can accomplish this.
    2019 Ford F350 Dually
    2020 GD Solitude 375RES-R

  3. #3
    Left The Driveway
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    Hi Fowlergk,

    I appreciate your reply. My thoughts have been your #3 in the wall. My concern about that one is if there is a horizontal barrier somewhere in the wall between the floor & ceiling. My thought is to run the wires in conduit for 2 pairs of # 6 AWG. There will be 650 Watts of Solar on each pair. Is the conduit even necessary or an overkill ?

    Thank You

  4. #4
    Setting Up Camp
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    I own a 2018 Reflection and found the same problem. I ran a 2” PVC tubing from the roof to the basement inside the bathroom closet.
    Dale & Lorna
    2019 Reflection 367 BHS
    2019 F350 Platinum diesel
    Alberta, Canada

  5. #5
    Seasoned Camper
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    Quote Originally Posted by FOWLERGK View Post
    Not an exact answer to your question, but i will chime in on thoughts.

    1. Following vent pipe from waste tanks to the roof vent cap. Wire run next to the pipe
    2. Wires inside of vent pipe, top to basement sealing up entry / exit holes after wires run
    3. Cavity wall between kitchen and bathroom.

    I know these are vague options. With a little imagination and understanding of RV structure build. You can accomplish this.
    I am not familiar with the layout of your model Solitude, but these are excellent starting points to explore. In our Solitude (310GK/R) I ran the wires through a satellite channel GD put on the roof that runs down between the bathroom and bedroom wall into the basement just behind the wall between the basement and front storage compartment. Having said that this option was available to me only because I installed high voltage panels, allowing me to run thinner gauge wire (10awg) vs heavier gauge in a 12v solar panel set-up. Reason being is the whole in the roof was barely large enough to run anything more than two 10-awg wire.
    Regards, Bruce, Lin An, Kenji & Suki (Our two Akitas)
    2019 Solitude 310GK-R
    2015 Ram 3500 Big Horn CC, TD, Aisin Tranny, DRW

  6. #6
    Left The Driveway
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    I appreciate both of the replies from Dconstantine & BB&LAB.

    Next week I will be at a campground here in AZ. where the last parts that I need will be shipped to. I don’t want to finish it up while alone in the desert. I have limited strength in my right leg and hands due to too many neck & back surgeries. Don’t let your children grow up to being a high rise Ironworker.

    I will be running 2 pairs of # 6 AWG. so if I am partially shaded I can still get some charging out of my 1,300 Watts of Solar. I bought my 2017 used in Sep. of 2019 and according to the option list there is no mention of any pre run wiring. Once I get back to the roof I will look again as well as in the area off to the side in the storage area after I empty that out to look. Hopefully I can find someone to give me a hand.

    Money is very tight otherwise I would have hired someone again. I hired someone back in the spring and after the first day parked in his yard I realized he did not know what he was doing. I wasted 500 Miles of Diesel Fuel and 3 days of my time. That wasted $300.00
    Last edited by IronRick; 10-24-2020 at 03:20 PM.

  7. #7
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    Hey Rick,
    I just finished putting a system on my 318RST fiver. I have 2, 260 watt panels on the roof feeding 4 marine deep cycle batteries in the front storage compartment under the bedroom. I have a Victron 100/30 mppt charge controller and a Giandal 3000 watt inverter. The panels are 39"X66" residential style. I ran the panel cables to a plastic junction box then used #6 cable down through the middle of the waste water vent to an area behind the wall of the pass-through storage compartment. I drilled a 3/4" hole in the vent pipe about 18" from the floor to run my fish tape through on out the vent to pull the wire. I first took the vent cap off. After I pulled the wire I come out of the vent tube then followed the heater duct to the wall separating the pass through and front storage. I drilled a1" hole through the 3/8" OSB to my charger and inverter. When I finished I used silicone to seal the holes. I had drilled a hole under the vent pipe cap. I glued the plastic junction box to the roof with 3M 5200 Marine Adhesive/Sealant. Hope this helps. I run our microwave, coffee maker, TV, though not all at once. When I pulled the wire I included a 4 color 18 gauge wire to hook up a meter that gives me more information than the idiot lights on the panel. I wish I was near you so I could help. I'm a beat-up 70 year old retired Oilpatch mechanic, welder, electrician but I still like to do this kind of stuff. One other thing, I mounted my components to a piece of 3/4" plywood then screwed it to the OSB. One other other thing, you can't run the battery charger/converter, that came with your rig, with your inverter. Either of those or both of them will get hot and probably self destruct. I used one of the 15 amp plugs from my inverter to a relay that separates the hot wire from the converter to the rigs electrical panel when I turn on my inverter. There's probably a breaker for the CONverter in the rig's panel. You could just turn that off every time you turn on your inverter if you didn't want to fiddle with a relay. I can't take credit for all of this as I watched YouTube videos put out by a guy named Brian on "RVing with Tito".

  8. #8
    Left The Driveway
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    Ed,

    And I am a 61 year old beat up Structural Ironworker. Got a serious head, neck & back injurie building a high rise in Downtown Chicago in 2002. Seven surgeries since then and I hurt like hell BUT I AM ALIVE AND GRATEFUL ITS NOT WORSE WHILE ALSO BEING ABLE TO TRAVEL THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY OF OURS.

    I like the idea of running the wires up through the vent pipe. I have 1,300 Watts of Solar which I will split in half running down on 2 pairs of #6 to 2 Victron Chargers. My 3,000 watt inverter is also a charger. I removed the factory charger when I wired in the new Inverter.

    I’m traveling now and when I get to my next destination I will look into the Vent Option you used. Thank You very much for your help.

    Rick

  9. #9
    Site Sponsor openrangeowners's Avatar
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    From your roof photo, you should be able to remove the inside ring around your bathroom vent - from inside the bathroom - 4 screws. This should reveal possible access to the roof area and give you a better idea of how the roof is constructed.
    I can see that you don't have the rood access area that GD now provides - it would be a metal plate covered in lap sealant near your TV antenna dome. You may be able to run your cable through your bathroom storage shelving area next to the shower. That way you could conceal the wiring and have both roof access and floor access from that area.

  10. #10
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    OpenRange,

    Thank You for the tip. I will take those screws out and look. I thought that it would have been boxed out on all sides.

    Rick

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