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08-05-2007, 10:47 PM
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#1
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Santa Clarita, CA.
Posts: 1,222
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Finally finished dressing out the cables on the roof solar. The cables are sheathed in 1/2" slit-wrap to keep the sun & UV from killing them. The loops on the cable allow them to be angled in any of the 4 directions: N-S-E-W. I haven't built the 90 degree mount hinge yet for the other 2 directions:
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Also, this 15W panel has been rewired to power an additional fridge ducted fan that is installed directly below the vent. When the sun's out and the fridge is hot, this fan runs. Simple eh? Had to do something with the old panel.. I easily have enough spare power off this panel for another 5-10 of these fans, but maybe just one more. And unlike the Norcold fans, these are silent:
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I also finished installing a permanent cell antenna for the broadband. The data card shows -106 no antenna, -71 with the mag mount, and -64 with the new antenna. The big difference is about 4' of RG-58 vs. 15' of RG-174, and it has a real ground plane. I Epoxy painted the chrome radials and the radiator to keep it from rusting out at the beach, and it's a little more stealthy. I might keep the mag-mount up there for additional cell coverage:
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Inside: The coil of coax is the mag mount. The black cap looking thingie is a noise filter I had laying around that feeds the router B+. This area is normally wall'ed-in:
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The new antenna also had 15' of coax I didn't need, so I cut it back and installed 'N' connectors as a splice. I actually had a cable-end female too:
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And I finished applying Dicor to the solar panel mounts:
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Now I'm goin' to bed...
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Now that the important stuff is done maybe I'll go after MY vacuum leak next weekend.
__________________
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Jeff - WA6EQU
'06 Itasca Meridian 34H, CAT C7/350
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08-05-2007, 10:47 PM
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#2
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Santa Clarita, CA.
Posts: 1,222
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Finally finished dressing out the cables on the roof solar. The cables are sheathed in 1/2" slit-wrap to keep the sun & UV from killing them. The loops on the cable allow them to be angled in any of the 4 directions: N-S-E-W. I haven't built the 90 degree mount hinge yet for the other 2 directions:
___________________________________
Also, this 15W panel has been rewired to power an additional fridge ducted fan that is installed directly below the vent. When the sun's out and the fridge is hot, this fan runs. Simple eh? Had to do something with the old panel.. I easily have enough spare power off this panel for another 5-10 of these fans, but maybe just one more. And unlike the Norcold fans, these are silent:
___________________________________
I also finished installing a permanent cell antenna for the broadband. The data card shows -106 no antenna, -71 with the mag mount, and -64 with the new antenna. The big difference is about 4' of RG-58 vs. 15' of RG-174, and it has a real ground plane. I Epoxy painted the chrome radials and the radiator to keep it from rusting out at the beach, and it's a little more stealthy. I might keep the mag-mount up there for additional cell coverage:
___________________________________
Inside: The coil of coax is the mag mount. The black cap looking thingie is a noise filter I had laying around that feeds the router B+. This area is normally wall'ed-in:
___________________________________
The new antenna also had 15' of coax I didn't need, so I cut it back and installed 'N' connectors as a splice. I actually had a cable-end female too:
___________________________________
And I finished applying Dicor to the solar panel mounts:
___________________________________
Now I'm goin' to bed...
___________________________________
Now that the important stuff is done maybe I'll go after MY vacuum leak next weekend.
__________________
_______________________________
Jeff - WA6EQU
'06 Itasca Meridian 34H, CAT C7/350
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08-06-2007, 02:25 AM
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#3
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Winnebago Camper
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Glenwood, Maryland
Posts: 45
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Nice job and very nice write up.
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Tom
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08-06-2007, 04:14 AM
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#4
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Winnebago Owner
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 128
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Busy, Busy, Busy...Nice work, Very nice write-up and the pictures are outstanding...
__________________
06 Itasca Meridian 36G, 350 Cat , Flnr XC-S Chassis
07 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
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08-06-2007, 04:48 AM
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#5
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Winnie-Wise
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Fallbrook, Ca
Posts: 307
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Nice work Jeff. I have considered the same thing, just not sure where to start.........
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08-06-2007, 05:27 AM
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#6
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Buxton, North Dakota
Posts: 1,037
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Nice work and thanks for the comparative information on the cell antennas.
__________________
2003 Winnebago Adventurer 38G F53/ V10 605 watts of Solar
1999 Winnebago Brave 35C Handicap Equipped
F53/V10
1999 Jeep Cherokee & 1991 Jeep Wrangler Renegade
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08-06-2007, 08:13 AM
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#7
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Winnebago Owner
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Camarillo, CA
Posts: 146
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Good job and great idea for the otherwise worthless solar panel.
Best regards
__________________
Vectra 40 AD (2004) and towing
PT Cruiser, GMC ZR5 4x4 Quad Cab
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08-06-2007, 08:38 AM
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#8
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Sarver, PA/Crystal River, FL/Shelocta, PA
Posts: 1,196
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Thanks for the photos.
Do you know where the factory 15w panel ties into the coach wiring??? Did you snip this wire and only have it powering the new fridge fan or did you splice into the wiring and install the fan while retaining the original battery charge function??
I see the wiring from my 15w panel enters the coach through the fridge vent. Did you remove the fridge roof vent to install the fan???
-Tom
__________________
Sarver, PA/Crystal River, FL/Shelocta, PA · FMCA 335149 · W3TLN 2005 Suncruiser 38R · W24, no chassis mods needed · 2013 Honda Accord EX-L · 2008 Honda Odyssey EX-L
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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08-06-2007, 09:14 AM
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#9
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Santa Clarita, CA.
Posts: 1,222
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CZIMM: Worthless is all a matter of perspective isn't it? Unless you would like to deliver shore power to me in the middle of a storage lot or come and jump me every 4 weeks it's not exactly worthless is it? I make in excess of 12A for 5 hrs/day, tapering off until the sun sets. Batteries don't recharge themselves.
Tom: On the Meridian there is a plug right inside the exhaust vent that feeds the panel downstairs. After debate with myself I finally cut the plug off feeding the coach and installed splice beans in case I ever were to re-attach it. Since the exhaust screen is molded to the flue itself, I cut the entire screen out with tin snips and cut the burrs out so there's a nice smooth edge around the vent. Home Depot sells the same stuff in a sheet, so I built a removable top that gains me service access to the new blower as well as the top of the burner flue, and makes cable access way easier.
__________________
_______________________________
Jeff - WA6EQU
'06 Itasca Meridian 34H, CAT C7/350
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08-06-2007, 04:17 PM
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#10
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Winnie-Wise
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Oh.
Posts: 317
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Great job on all the projects. Really like the idea of enclosing the cables. Looks nice and serves a great purpose. The fan is excellent too. Thanks for sharing with great pics.
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08-06-2007, 05:40 PM
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#11
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Winnie-Wise
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Vancouver, Washington
Posts: 383
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Jeff,
First full-on solar panel project on a 34H I've heard about. I wish I had your skill (and enough spare time) to confidently do a project like this. You thought about hiring out?
What controller did you go with?
I can't remember, do you have an e-meter like a Xantrex Link 10?
Glad you were finally able to sort out the Wilson antenna project. Very nice.
__________________
Vicki & Jon Pritchard
05 Journey 34H - CAT C7 - Toyota RAV4
3 doxies, 1 chihuahua - WIT, Escapees, FMCA
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08-06-2007, 06:40 PM
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#12
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Santa Clarita, CA.
Posts: 1,222
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by vicsryd:
Jeff,
First full-on solar panel project on a 34H I've heard about. <span class="ev_code_RED">Take a look at the AM Solar website. They have a 32T with 1000 watts on the roof!</span> I wish I had your skill (and enough spare time) to confidently do a project like this. You thought about hiring out? <span class="ev_code_RED">I'm not sure if I could afford myself. Often if I don't like what I see I'll stare at it for as long as it takes to come up with a better idea. My ex-boss lurks around here and will verify. Sometime it got to the point that he'd get it done, I'd make it pretty.</span>
What controller did you go with? <span class="ev_code_RED">The whole system is from AM Solar up in Oregon. The control regulator is from Heliotrope (sp). I like that the system is somewhat turn-key. I'm still a fan of the 21V panels and have yet to hear anyone convince me otherwise</span>
I can't remember, do you have an e-meter like a Xantrex Link 10? <span class="ev_code_RED">Not yet.. I need to figure out how to "sell" it first.</span>
Glad you were finally able to sort out the Wilson antenna project. Very nice. <span class="ev_code_RED">Thanks! As you can see, I whittled the mount down a tad, then painted it. I also came across a metal strap in the ceiling and missed that sucker by maybe 1/16" to stay vertical. Yikes!.</span> </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
__________________
_______________________________
Jeff - WA6EQU
'06 Itasca Meridian 34H, CAT C7/350
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08-06-2007, 07:03 PM
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#13
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Winnebago Owner
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Camarillo, CA
Posts: 146
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SCVJeff: Didn't mean to make you feel bad. That little panel wasn't sufficient to keep my coach batteries up. Maybe I just have too much parasitic drain (or maybe not enough sun). I added 300 watts of solar and that keeps me powered up. I do a lot of dry camping so from my perspective it is worthless. So yes; you are so right, it is a matter of perspective. We all have different needs. My chassis batteries will discharge much faster than the coach batteries so I have a jumper that keeps those guys fully charged. In my case the small solar panel would be more benificial tied to the chassis batteries. Maybe I'll do that and get rid of the jumper.
Best regards....
__________________
Vectra 40 AD (2004) and towing
PT Cruiser, GMC ZR5 4x4 Quad Cab
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08-06-2007, 07:25 PM
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#14
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Santa Clarita, CA.
Posts: 1,222
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by C Zimm:
SCVJeff: Didn't mean to make you feel bad. That little panel wasn't sufficient to keep my coach batteries up. Maybe I just have too much parasitic drain (or maybe not enough sun). I added 300 watts of solar and that keeps me powered up. I do a lot of dry camping so from my perspective it is worthless. So yes; you are so right, it is a matter of perspective. We all have different needs. My chassis batteries will discharge much faster than the coach batteries so I have a jumper that keeps those guys fully charged. In my case the small solar panel would be more benificial tied to the chassis batteries. Maybe I'll do that and get rid of the jumper.
Best regards.... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I read it wrong.. Sorry about that. There's a few out there that whine and moan about other peoples solar like it was their money. Obviously I was on the defence.
The Meridian has a Trik-L-Charge that bleeds off a 5A charge to the engine batteries, so that frees up the toy panel. Makes a great exhaust fan supply instead. Also the Solar charger has a 5A tap for the starting batteries that I may hookup someday and turn the Trik-L-Charge into a Toad Charge for the Honda.
__________________
_______________________________
Jeff - WA6EQU
'06 Itasca Meridian 34H, CAT C7/350
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01-06-2019, 04:18 PM
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#15
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Winnebago Watcher
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 3
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Resealed the Roof on my 2005 Vectra
I don't care how many times people tell you that you need to check the roof all the way around and make sure the sealant is still good, nothing gets your attention more than looking up there and seeing the roof buckled up on one side. I had it inspected almost every year until a couple of years ago, but have neglected it lately. Well, to make a long story short, mine was cracked all the way around and almost totally missing in some areas. So, I spent a couple of days digging out all of the old caulk and visited La Mesa RV in Phoenix and got the right caulk to fix it. Of course, it rained that afternoon and I had to put plastic over the roof until the next day, but I finally got it all sealed and back in good shape. I met folks in the waiting room at the plane in Forest City who had their roof blow off. I am sure glad mine sent me a subtle message to get it fixed before it blew off. I will watch it more diligently!
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01-06-2019, 04:32 PM
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#16
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Winnebago Master
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Posts: 3,574
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SCVJeff
Fi
Also, this 15W panel has been rewired to power an additional fridge ducted fan that is installed directly below the vent.
I also finished installing a permanent cell antenna for the broadband.
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What brands and models of fan and cell antenna did you use? Links?
__________________
Bob C
2002 Itasca Suncruiser 35U
Workhorse Chassis
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