Solar Recommendations for FWC Grandby?

[presh223]

Hi,
Does anyone have advice on the prevailing best solar setups (Brands, kits, etc)? I am positively ignorant when it comes to anything solar, but it is definitely time to install. It will be going on a 2002 Grandby. As far as the draw: It currently has an ice box which will be replaced with a suitable DC or Compressor fridge (any advice here is helpful too). The roof has (1) Maxxair fan installed aft. I see there are different mounting options for solar, and think I would like to integrate it directly into the current roof screws with some 90-degree aluminum provided they will be a suitable attachment point for the panel.

I think 200 watts will suffice for my needs. It seems to be the popular choice. Is there a kit that comes with the MPPT controller/wiring, etc? My current battery setup is (2) Optima Yellow-tops with a total of 150AH. They probably have 2-3 years of use remaining in them. Again, excuse the ignorance but does the solar need to connect to the factory inverter to integrate the system or do I replace that? I would love to find a kit unless things are pretty straightforward with all the componentry.

I tried searching "Grandby Solar" on here prior to making the post and came across mostly classifieds, so if someone could help me understand the search feature better I would like to look stuff up there and not be redundant as I'm sure you field solar posts incessantly.

TIA

 

[JaSAn]

This is how I set up my Grandby 10 years ago:

2 X 100W Renogy solar panels connected in parallel,​

5 feet of 4AWG welding wire from roof to controller,​

Morningstar TriStar TS-45 PWM controller,​

2 X 6V, 200AH GC2 batteries connected in series,​

60A ANL fuses protecting controller and battery,​

Monitored by TriMetric TM 2030-RV.​

My two big draws are:

2.1 cu.ft. refrigerator (6A tapering to 3A),​

WeBoost cell booster (4A),​

LED lights, electronics charging (small draw).​

I'm usually at 80% battery capacity in AM and fully charged by noon.

If I were to re-do it today:

Large single panel (300W+)​

MPPT controller​

There are better battery monitors than TriMetric but it is important to have one.

My build:
https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/9972-renovating-sköldpaddan-–-1977-grandby-interior-build/

 

[presh223]

This is how I set up my Grandby 10 years ago:

2 X 100W Renogy solar panels connected in parallel,​

5 feet of 4AWG welding wire from roof to controller,​

Morningstar TriStar TS-45 PWM controller,​

2 X 6V, 200AH GC2 batteries connected in series,​

60A ANL fuses protecting controller and battery,​

Monitored by TriMetric TM 2030-RV.​

My two big draws are:

2.1 cu.ft. refrigerator (6A tapering to 3A),​

WeBoost cell booster (4A),​

LED lights, electronics charging (small draw).​

I'm usually at 80% battery capacity in AM and fully charged by noon.

If I were to re-do it today:

Large single panel (300W+)​

MPPT controller​

There are better battery monitors than TriMetric but it is important to have one.

My build:
https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/9972-renovating-sköldpaddan-–-1977-grandby-interior-build/

Are there any structural considerations with the rood regarding where to mount? I've head some can sag. Thank you for all of this info!

 

[JaSAn]

My camper is probably not a good example being 47 y.o.
The roof sags but I doubt it is from the solar panels.

I'd recommend going over to WandertheWest.com and ask your questions. There are a lot of guys that have put solar on FWC campers over there. I learned a lot from them.

 

[tacollie]

It's not guess. I added it to our FWC. I installed Yakima roof tracks to mount the panels to. I used aluminum angle to mount the panel to the tracks. I added Renogy 200w panel I bought off Amazon. I also ordered a Victron 30amp MPPT that I was able to Bluetooth to my phone to monitor the the batteries and solar. 20 amp would have been fine. Technically you should also add a shunt but I didn't. It worked great. It worked better than the Redarc junk that came in our OEV . Wanderthewest has a ton of info about it.

 

[Sparse Gray Hackle]

Typically, a solar system will be in parallel with what ever type of charging system a camper uses, so the answer is no, it doesn’t need to be integrated through the IOTA converter (not inverter) that FWC uses.

If you have Yakima racks, that would be my recommendation for mounting the panel(s). If you’re using the existing screws, be careful to get them well sealed.

Depending on how long you stay in one spot off grid, 200 watts may not be enough to keep the refrigerator happy. Consider adding a portable port and system, or a bigger primary panel, and/or lithium, or dragging a small generator along.

The comments to look on WTW are good recommendations.

 

[presh223]

My camper is probably not a good example being 47 y.o.
The roof sags but I doubt it is from the solar panels.

I'd recommend going over to WandertheWest.com and ask your questions. There are a lot of guys that have put solar on FWC campers over there. I learned a lot from them.

Thank you, I will visit that site!

 

[presh223]

It's not guess. I added it to our FWC. I installed Yakima roof tracks to mount the panels to. I used aluminum angle to mount the panel to the tracks. I added Renogy 200w panel I bought off Amazon. I also ordered a Victron 30amp MPPT that I was able to Bluetooth to my phone to monitor the the batteries and solar. 20 amp would have been fine. Technically you should also add a shunt but I didn't. It worked great. It worked better than the Redarc junk that came in our OEV . Wanderthewest has a ton of info about it.

Thank you for this input, and for the WTW recommendation, will head there.

 

[presh223]

Typically, a solar system will be in parallel with what ever type of charging system a camper uses, so the answer is no, it doesn’t need to be integrated through the IOTA converter (not inverter) that FWC uses.

If you have Yakima racks, that would be my recommendation for mounting the panel(s). If you’re using the existing screws, be careful to get them well sealed.

Depending on how long you stay in one spot off grid, 200 watts may not be enough to keep the refrigerator happy. Consider adding a portable port and system, or a bigger primary panel, and/or lithium, or dragging a small generator along.

The comments to look on WTW are good recommendations.

Awesome info, thank you for answering some of these questions! Perhaps 300 Watt is the way to go if I can find the roof real-estate

 

[Starbrightsteve the First]

Typically, a solar system will be in parallel with what ever type of charging system a camper uses, so the answer is no, it doesn’t need to be integrated through the IOTA converter (not inverter) that FWC uses.

If you have Yakima racks, that would be my recommendation for mounting the panel(s). If you’re using the existing screws, be careful to get them well sealed.

Depending on how long you stay in one spot off grid, 200 watts may not be enough to keep the refrigerator happy. Consider adding a portable port and system, or a bigger primary panel, and/or lithium, or dragging a small generator along.

The comments to look on WTW are good recommendations.

My wife and I bought a Hallmark Guanella Overland in October /23. We traveled for 5 weeks afterward mostly in the west but then headed home to PA. We never plugged in once and the batteries never got below 87%.. the camper has a compressor fridge and we did use the Truma furnace for heat. It has 210 wats of solar and 200amp hours of battery. we are headed to Newfoundland in May/24 and will be taking a portable 220 watt panel to deal with clouds a rain in the Eastern Canada. We will also getting charge from the truck alternator which we did not have on our maiden voyage.