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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Solar port 17 1/2 179
    Posted: 28 May 2019 at 4:37am
Originally posted by voisj

The wires that run from the port to the battery are a dedicated pair (port to battery)  that were not hooked up to or used in any way except for the port.
They were not reversed for the panels I bought at Harbor freight. but test it to be sure.
 It wont hurt anything if you plug it in reversed, the controller/panels just wont work. 
If its wrong just flip the wires at the battery, Knowing they are dedicated. (Or make or buy something)
I ended up installing a new port up front on the battery box and only us that for the solar.
(larger wire shorter distance).
I use the rear port as a 12 volt power port By adding fuses in the storage cabinet below it. also runs my cabinet lights and awning lights.
Cheers John


No. This post is doubly wrong.

1) Not all solar charge controllers are reverse polarity protected, and some that claim to be aren't. One should never just connect electronics up to a circuit with unknown polarity and hope things are OK.

2) Just because a circuit is "dedicated" doesn't open the door to miss wire it. If your electrician did that in your house to say your "dedicated" electric stove circuit you'd probably lodge a complaint to the state contractor's board, and rightfully so. The color code means something. No one knows what that circuit might be used for in future. Its a code violation and an accident waiting to happen.

Electrical circuits are not that hard to work with but there are basic tools needed and guidelines to be followed. If you don't know what those are and how to do it properly then get professional help, same as you would for anything else. 
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SteveA View Drop Down
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Posts: 56 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2019 at 8:38am
Thanks for the info guys!  Got it wired...so to speak :)
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voisj View Drop Down
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Posts: 471 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2019 at 8:31am
The wires that run from the port to the battery are a dedicated pair (port to battery)  that were not hooked up to or used in any way except for the port.
They were not reversed for the panels I bought at Harbor freight. but test it to be sure.
 It wont hurt anything if you plug it in reversed, the controller/panels just wont work. 
If its wrong just flip the wires at the battery, Knowing they are dedicated. (Or make or buy something)
I ended up installing a new port up front on the battery box and only us that for the solar.
(larger wire shorter distance).
I use the rear port as a 12 volt power port By adding fuses in the storage cabinet below it. also runs my cabinet lights and awning lights.
Cheers John
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2016 180 HRE, 2013 F150 Eco Boost
 
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podwerkz View Drop Down
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Posts: 966 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2019 at 11:14am
+1 to above. Do not reverse any wires inside the trailer or at the battery. It's a bad idea.

I believe the 'Zamp' SAE connectors have inverted polarity, so if that is what you have:

If you will be using a dedicated panel plugged into that port, in others words, a different panel than your existing 50 watt panel, then you could simply reverse the wires at the panel, or the connector of that panel, before it plugs into the port (making it Zamp compatible). But you will still need a controller for that panel, unless it is just a small 5 or 10 watt panel. 

If you plan to use the SAME panel at that port, you can build a 'gender changer' connector, simply buy the appropriate SAE connector, then cut and reverse the wires. Use the gender-changer when plugging into the rear factory port.

You will need to mark that panel or connector to remind you and anyone else that the polarity is reversed.


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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 May 2019 at 5:07am
I would strongly suggest that you don't do that. 

White is designated as the neutral (grounded) wire in the electric code. That means its the negative in your 12V system. If you switch it around you'll not only be non compliant with the Code but will be creating a problem for someone (maybe yourself) down the road. Either they will short out something or could start a fire. You won't get shocked by 12V but batteries sure can put out plenty of current to blow up electronics or melt wire insulation off. 

Do you have a voltmeter? If not, get one, they're really inexpensive and very useful for many things. Use the voltmeter to confirm which pin in the solar port is +12V and which is negative. Do the same for the output of your solar charge controller. Then, wire up a connector on the output of the charge controller to match the polarity that you measured on your pod. 
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Posts: 56 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 May 2019 at 2:34pm

Hey guys, hope everyone is having a good Memorial day weekend. 
 Last year I hardwired a solar port and controller to the front of the Pod behind the propane tank and fed the wires directly to the battery. It's a 50watt panel and controller purchased from Harbor freight and the set up works fine. Quick question: I'd like to also use the prewired solar port at the back of the Pod and understand that the proprietary wire set up from Forest River only needs to have the red and white wires reversed at the battery for me to use that rear port. True?
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