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Wiring

Introduction

Our System

Solar Panels

Batteries

12v Battery Charger

120v AC Power Inverter

Wiring

The wiring is easy ... if you let the kids do it.
With a little extra planning and effort, a good job can be done routing wires.

I found two challenges to the wiring.

1. Understanding the design for splitting the AC Panel.

2. Finding an ideal path to route the wires.

In hindsight, both were fairly simple

If you're familiar with home wiring and 12 volt systems, the wiring is fairly straight forward. RVs require an independent ground and neutral bar in the AC Panels. Here, Mitch and Max are looking over the project to split out the inverter circuit. They each wired one panel.

The air conditioner, refrigerator, hot water heater and battery charger draw too much electricity to run off of the inverter. The best design is to move these circuits into a second breaker panel. The trailer manufacturer shipped us a matching breaker panel and there was room to fit it in next to the original panel. A separate wire was run to the refrigerator since it was originally part of the main lighting circuit which would be moved to the inverter panel.

Below is a wiring schematic of our system.

Be sure to include a large fuse in the circuit to the inverter. NOTE: The factory installed solar wiring is often not heavy enough gauge wire.

Keep the 12 volt cables between the batteries and the inverter as short as possible