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In my opinion solar panels are like Whisky. To paraphrase, I believe it was Mark Twain; "Too much of most things are bad for you, but too much Whisky is normally just enough". :-) Pat

There is a lot of discussion about the efficiency benefits of series or parallel wiring, I'm not going there. In this case my reasoning is much simpler. You only have two panels, if you wire them in series and one goes down, you have no panel output. If you wire them in parallel and one goes...

Not sure from the picture the actual dimensions of the available roof area. But let me make a "way out there" suggestion. Why not use two 350W 36V panels? I just bought four LG Solar NeON R LG350Q1CA5 350 Watt 36V panels for a project I am working on. Each panel is 40" x 67" and weighs 40...

Man, you are cynical. I was present when a DIY guy got electrocuted by a 12V DC system. It only takes 0.05 Amps at 12V to stop your heart. At 120V it is 0.005 amps. Made a believer out of me. Pat

I think what some people fail to realize is that all the codes, manufacturer's recommendations, and best practices are there for two main reasons. They are: 1. Protect human beings from injury or death. 2. Protect property from casualty loss from fire or other means. Some may push...

I am concerned about the Multiplus output side. You should have a 30A main breaker on the output and then branch to your two 15A circuits. Remember that you have a Pass-Through Inverter/Charger, while your Inverter (in inverter mode) cannot provide a full 30A output, when it is in Pass-Through...

Thanks. Wish I could have figured out how I got two images on the post, or how to delete one of them. Pat

I agree about the hall effect sensor. I have one in my Fluke 376FC AC/DC clamp meter and it works great. However, trying to find one you can install in a system with meters that can read it is, another story. Pat

In my experience, six years in an off grid house with Inverter/Chargers (without a single problem), if you buy quality components they work very well. The trick is to buy a Pass-Through, Inverter/Charger designed for mobile use. I am partial to Victron Energy components, but I have no...

I think for a camper the easiest way to protect your system from reverse polarity and other bad things is to get a surge protector/EMS device that plugs directly into the power pedestal. Then you plug your power cord into it. That way the device will let you know if you have a problem before...

I second Rando's suggestion, Victron makes good stuff. Be aware that the amperage ratings for Charge Controllers are mainly for the output to the battery. So the amperage has to be recalculated for 12-14 volts vs 17-20. Which means that you will have a higher amperage going to the battery...

Thanks for the info. Pat

It doesn't have to be complicated. Just wire the Charge Controller to the DC positive bus or connection point. Most MPPT Solar Charge Controllers (Victron included) have a primary and secondary purpose. The primary purpose is the maximize varying input from the solar panels and use that to...

Am retired now and live in the boondocks, the Davis Mountains of west Texas. However, your post spurred me to research more on the internet. I will still buy the 2/0 by the foot since I don't need much of it for this project. But, I found a source for reels of 6 and smaller wire that I...

I'm with john61ct on this one. "Boat Cable" from quality manufacturers is Class K (Type 3) 30 AWG, made with fully tinned, copper strands. For example a regular 2/0 AWG Type 2 cable will contain approximately 130 strands, whereas a 2/0 AWG Type 3 Marine cable will contain at least 1,323...

I guess I should have added a reverse polarity protection device to the drawing. Most of the marine AC Main breakers I use have a reverse polarity trip coil built in. Pat

Thought I would toss in a diagram, it is attached. As you can see the AC side is a lot simpler than the DC side. Especially if you are adding solar. And, I did not include any connections to the vehicle's DC system. The yellow wire color in the diagram is for DC negative. The ABYC (American...

Many people get a Surge Protector/EMS device which plugs into the shore power pedestal and then the shore power cord plugs into it. Most of them also check for reverse polarity and many other bad things. An example is: http://www.progressiveindustries.net/ems-pt-x Pat

Bravo30, Wiring the external AC source (Shore Power) to a Pass-Through, Inverter/Charger is different than other systems. All three of the shore power wires (Hot, Neutral, and Ground) should be wired directly to the Multiplus. Other than a breaker/fuse for the Hot wire, do not connect them to...

Let me second Russ's comment. And add that a Pass Through (Hybrid) Inverter/Charger's electrical functionality is considerably more complex than a straight Inverter. You can download the Multiplus 12/2000/80 manual from the Victron Energy website. Pat