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  1. #1
    Seasoned Camper chunker's Avatar
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    Solar upgrade when ordering

    I'm looking at ordering a Solitude 310GK and considering whether it's worth it to add the solar upgrade from the factory, or just put together a system when I have it. I'm pretty ignorant what's required with solar and have no idea what the solar prep really is. I will order the generator but don't know if the factory solar package is worth it.

    From the web site Solitude Solar System (300w Solar Panel, Controller, 2000w Inverter)

    Solar prep is listed as. Solar Prep (10 gauge wiring with universal MC4 connectors)

    Probably most of the time I'll have hookups, but if I had more "off the grid" capability, I can see more time in USFS locations that I can fit in. My motorhome had a small 100W panel on the roof and would show solar charging but I never measured what it was actually doing but I suspect very little. I don't expect to ever want a roof full of panels, but some might be appropriate.

    With the factory upgrade to 300W and controller, is that easily or readily expandable? With the stock prep equipment, is that easily and readily developable?

    Please don't get too technical in any responses. We can do that later based on what I decide.
    2020 Ram Laramie 3500 DRW
    Solitude 320X sold
    2020 Raptor 356
    2012 Primetime Crusader 355BHQ (GF's)

  2. #2
    Long Hauler bertschb's Avatar
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    I bought the factory 300W system so my batteries would stay charged on travel days with my residential fridge running. I also wanted it to keep the batteries charged while in storage. It works great for those situations. It's not meant to be used for boon docking. For that application you would need a much larger system.

    You can expand the factory system but you would need to replace the charge controller and possibly the wiring. Depending on the size of the system, you may also need a larger inverter. The other problem with the factory solar system is Grand Design didn't place the single (and large) 300W panel on my roof with the thought of later expanding the system. If you wanted to add a bunch more panels, you would probably need to relocate the factory panel to make more efficient use of the available roof space.

    I'll have to admit, one other reason I ordered the factory solar system was to just get my feet wet with solar. I have a better understanding now of how solar works.
    Last edited by bertschb; 12-02-2020 at 03:17 PM.
    Brian & Kellie
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, FBP, 1,460w solar, 540ah BBGC3, MORryde IS w/disc brakes
    2020 F-350 Platinum SRW Powerstroke Tremor, 60g TF fuel tank, Hensley BD3-F air bag hitch

    Previous setups:
    2019 Solitude 373FB-R, 2019 F-350 Platinum DRW Powerstroke, Hensley BD5 air bag hitch
    2016 Reflection 318RST, 2016 GMC 3500 Denali SRW Duramax, Hensley BD3 air bag hitch

  3. #3
    Seasoned Camper chunker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bertschb View Post
    I bought the factory 300W system so my batteries would stay charged on travel days with my residential fridge running. I also wanted it to keep the batteries charged while in storage. It works great for those situations. It's not meant to be used for boon docking. For that application you would need a much larger system.

    You can expand the factory system but you would need to replace the charge controller. The other problem is Grand Design didn't place the panel on my roof with the thought of later expanding the system. If you wanted to add a bunch more panels, you would probably need to relocate the factory panel to make more efficient use of the available roof space.

    I'll have to admit, one other reason I ordered the factory solar system was to just get my feet wet with solar. I have a better understanding now of how solar works.
    Thanks, I store in a pole barn at my house with full hookups and 50amp so not needed for that. It looks like best to save my money now and do an add later. But we'll see. Do you know if the prep package is useful, or just something useless up there so they can claim "solar"?
    2020 Ram Laramie 3500 DRW
    Solitude 320X sold
    2020 Raptor 356
    2012 Primetime Crusader 355BHQ (GF's)

  4. #4
    Long Hauler bertschb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chunker View Post
    Do you know if the prep package is useful, or just something useless up there so they can claim "solar"?
    The "solar prep" is standard. The 10g wiring may or may not be useful depending on what type of system you build later.

    If I had the factory generator but didn't want a bunch of solar panels on my roof, I'd probably add half a dozen LiFePO4 batteries and a decent sized inverter so I could spend time off the grid and still run most things without the generator running all day.
    Brian & Kellie
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, FBP, 1,460w solar, 540ah BBGC3, MORryde IS w/disc brakes
    2020 F-350 Platinum SRW Powerstroke Tremor, 60g TF fuel tank, Hensley BD3-F air bag hitch

    Previous setups:
    2019 Solitude 373FB-R, 2019 F-350 Platinum DRW Powerstroke, Hensley BD5 air bag hitch
    2016 Reflection 318RST, 2016 GMC 3500 Denali SRW Duramax, Hensley BD3 air bag hitch

  5. #5
    Long Hauler huntindog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bertschb View Post
    I bought the factory 300W system so my batteries would stay charged on travel days with my residential fridge running. I also wanted it to keep the batteries charged while in storage. It works great for those situations. It's not meant to be used for boon docking. For that application you would need a much larger system.

    You can expand the factory system but you would need to replace the charge controller. The other problem is Grand Design didn't place the panel on my roof with the thought of later expanding the system. If you wanted to add a bunch more panels, you would probably need to relocate the factory panel to make more efficient use of the available roof space.

    I'll have to admit, one other reason I ordered the factory solar system was to just get my feet wet with solar. I have a better understanding now of how solar works.
    The factory system CAN be expanded up to 550 watts without replacing the controller, or wiring.
    The trick is finding a good match in panels. I could not find such a match to get to the 550 watt limit.
    I was able to find 120 watt panels that matched up if I ran 2 in series. As soon as my unit gets out of the dealer (warranty work) I will be doing the upgrade.

    We boondock 100%, and have been doing this for many years on extended stays without solar... Just using Honda EU 2000s to recharge. We do not expect to eliminate generator usage, just reduce the run time andshift the time of day of gen use.
    2021 398M Full Body Paint 8k axles. LRH tires. Disc brakes.
    Two bathrooms, no waiting 155 fresh, 104 black, 104 grey 1860 watts solar.
    800AH BattleBorn Batteries No campgrounds 100% boondocking
    2020 Silverado High Country 3500 dually crewcab Duramax Allison

  6. #6
    Long Hauler bertschb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by huntindog View Post
    The factory system CAN be expanded up to 550 watts without replacing the controller, or wiring.
    That's true but 550W is still a very small solar system. I don't think I've ever seen anybody build a solar system that was less than 1,000W. That's why I said you'd need a new controller. But you are correct, you could expand the factory system slightly and keep the existing controller and wiring (and inverter).
    Brian & Kellie
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, FBP, 1,460w solar, 540ah BBGC3, MORryde IS w/disc brakes
    2020 F-350 Platinum SRW Powerstroke Tremor, 60g TF fuel tank, Hensley BD3-F air bag hitch

    Previous setups:
    2019 Solitude 373FB-R, 2019 F-350 Platinum DRW Powerstroke, Hensley BD5 air bag hitch
    2016 Reflection 318RST, 2016 GMC 3500 Denali SRW Duramax, Hensley BD3 air bag hitch

  7. #7
    Long Hauler huntindog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bertschb View Post
    That's true but 550W is still a very small solar system. I don't think I've ever seen anybody build a solar system that was less than 1,000W. That's why I said you'd need a new controller. But you are correct, you could expand the factory system slightly and keep the existing controller and wiring (and inverter).
    Since we have never had solar before, anything will be a bonus. This upgrade is pretty much plug and play and easy on the wallet. The big money went into the Battle Born batteries. Four of them now, maybe more later if needed. I already changed the inverter wiring so that it can power the microwave. I want to be able to use it for a few minutes without always starting the generator.... And I like the clock keeping time.
    2021 398M Full Body Paint 8k axles. LRH tires. Disc brakes.
    Two bathrooms, no waiting 155 fresh, 104 black, 104 grey 1860 watts solar.
    800AH BattleBorn Batteries No campgrounds 100% boondocking
    2020 Silverado High Country 3500 dually crewcab Duramax Allison

  8. #8
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
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    Here is another current thread on the same topic:

    https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...rator-overkill
    Last edited by SolarPoweredRV; 12-03-2020 at 01:26 AM.
    David and Peggy
    2019 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.7L Diesel, Dually, Long Bed
    Running with 20k Reese Goosebox (Love It) and Ford Factory "Puck" system.
    Stopping with 8,000 lb Disc Brakes and Titan Hydraulic over Electric Brakes system.
    Powering all this fun with 1200 Watts of Solar, two Tesla, Model S, battery modules, 24 volt Victron Inverter.
    2018 Solitude 310 GK

  9. #9
    Long Hauler DaveMatthewsBand's Avatar
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    It’s a colossal waste of money, don’t buy the factory solar!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Resistance is Not Futile, It's Voltage Divided by Current.


  10. #10
    Seasoned Camper chunker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DaveMatthewsBand View Post
    It’s a colossal waste of money, don’t buy the factory solar!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    That's my thinking. Better money spent adding a real power reel. Comments on another thread on this.
    2020 Ram Laramie 3500 DRW
    Solitude 320X sold
    2020 Raptor 356
    2012 Primetime Crusader 355BHQ (GF's)

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