Solar rookie question

[Revis1986]

This is probably a lame question, but brand new to this solar thing. Just picked up our 2022 340RDS and came with a solar panel on top and controller hooked to battery. I have the standard keyed battery disconnect in basement I noticed the solar controller does not light up with the battery disconnect off, so my question is should I leave the disconnect on at all times so the solar can charge trickle charge the battery?

Again, probably a dumb question but appreciate any advice.

Thanks
Mike

[SolarPoweredRV]

This is probably a lame question, but brand new to this solar thing. Just picked up our 2022 340RDS and came with a solar panel on top and controller hooked to battery. I have the standard keyed battery disconnect in basement I noticed the solar controller does not light up with the battery disconnect off, so my question is should I leave the disconnect on at all times so the solar can charge trickle charge the battery?

Again, probably a dumb question but appreciate any advice.

Thanks
Mike

Your question can't be fully answered on a forum because your camper may have been wired differently than the next person's (even if they are the same camper).

However, based on your observation that the lights on the Solar Charge Controller go out when you open the disconnect switch it does seem like you will turn off your Solar system whenever you open the disconnect switch, which kinda defeats the whole reason for having a Solar system in the first place.

The only way to know for sure is to follow the wires coming out of the Solar Charge Controller to see if they connect directly (electrically) to the battery, or if the connection actually goes through the disconnect switch.

If your Solar Charge Controller does actually go through the disconnect switch then I would suggest leaving it on while in storage to keep the battery(ies) charged.

Eventually you might want to re-wire the Solar Charge Controller so that it feeds your battery(ies) directly. You will want to install another disconnect switch between the Solar Charge Controller and the battery(ies) to allow you to turn off the Solar charging for maintenance and safety reasons.

PS: I suspect the reason they did not connect your Solar system direct to your battery(ies), and install a second switch to control the Solar charging, is because it was cheaper/easier to wire it up without the second switch.

[Revis1986]

Thank you SolarPower RV for the reply and it makes good sense to me. I will go to storage facility tomorrow to check it. My main goal is to pre-cool the 12v fridge about 8 hours before leaving so trying to determine if solar will do it or I need something like a Jakery power bank. If an upgrade to my solar or battery would be just as good, I would rather go that route.

Thanks again.

[SolarPoweredRV]

Thank you SolarPower RV for the reply and it makes good sense to me. I will go to storage facility tomorrow to check it. My main goal is to pre-cool the 12v fridge about 8 hours before leaving so trying to determine if solar will do it or I need something like a Jakery power bank. If an upgrade to my solar or battery would be just as good, I would rather go that route.

Thanks again.

If you want to pre-cool your 12v fridge 8 hours before your trip, unless you are leaving late afternoon, your battery(ies) will be carrying the whole load (Solar will be off at night). Consequently, you will need to upgrade your battery(ies) (presuming you only have a single lead acid battery) to carry the refrigerator load overnight, plus you want to have enough energy left in your battery to close your slides (if you have them) and raise/lower your landing gear (or tongue jack) in preparation for leaving.

You could test your existing battery(ies) by a mock preparation for a trip by turning your fridge on and then checking your battery voltage in the morning. You might also want to open and close your slides (if any) and raise and lower your landing gear/tongue jack. If your battery voltage is not below 50% then you are okay, if it is below 50%, then you need a battery upgrade.

If you do need a battery upgrade, you could check out this posting to give you some ideas:

https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...stem-in-Phases

Additionally, you might be interested in this posting regarding "Cheap Lithium Batteries":

https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...322#post341322

All good reading if you ask me !

[Revis1986]

Excellent and what I need to know. Thank you for the insight