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Solar panel wiring

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Forum Name: Miscellaneous / Off-topic
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=13983
Printed Date: 28 Mar 2024 at 10:55am
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Topic: Solar panel wiring
Posted By: Riverrune
Subject: Solar panel wiring
Date Posted: 03 Sep 2020 at 3:18pm
I am trying to install a Go Power solar panel kit in my 2019 R-Pod 179. The pod is pre wired, so in theory all I need do is place the panel on the roof and wire the control panel from the wires behind the template decal. I cut open the template only to find more wires than I expected and none of them labeled or having any indication of what wire goes where. The folks at Forest River are so far less than helpful, as is the dealer from whom I bought the R-Pod.

Does anyone out there know what wires are the ones to use?

Thanks!


-------------
Ken Neubecker



Replies:
Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 03 Sep 2020 at 3:37pm
I went thru that exact scenario....except I went in by pulling the radio out...but either way...

You are looking for two pairs of 10 gauge wire, if I remember correctly. Maybe they were 8 or 12 gauge...I just can't remember now...but there will be two pairs of heavy red and black wires. Mine were not terminated, not covered in tape, not marked. Nothing. They were just laying loose in that cabinet behind the radio and the go-solar sticker.

Use a flashlight, they should be in there. You might need to kinda dig around to find them...but they are a much larger gauge than the typical stereo wiring in that cabinet.

One pair comes from the solar connector on the roof, and one pair comes up from the battery, thru a circuit breaker mounted near the converter in the cabinet under the dinette seat, ON MINE. Yours might be different, of course.

When you find them, use a meter or circuit tester to find which pair is hot, 12v, and the other should only show voltage if and when a solar panel is plugged in on the roof connector.

When I called Forest River to ask about this exact issue, they told me to read them the VIN, and when I did they told me that 'you are not the registered owner so we can't help you'...

Idiots.


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r・pod 171 gone but not forgotten!


Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 03 Sep 2020 at 7:55pm
Hmmm, that's odd.  When I bought our used 172, I contacted FR and gave them my info as new owner [long after it was out of warranty].  I'm not sure if I sent them a copy of my title, but may have.  They were very nice, updated their records, and were very helpful with several major repairs I had to do, including the installation of a new fridge.  If you send them an email with a copy of the title and a request to list you as owner, they'll probably take care of you.  Also, send fotos of the wire nest for clarification.

-------------
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost


Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 04 Sep 2020 at 7:28am
I'm with podwerks in this one. Seeing how many little boo boos there are in rpod workmanship, I wouldn't have confidence in what FR said anyway. 

A multi meter is an essential tool when doing wiring work anyhow, just get one if you don't have one already and confirm everything before hooking up an expensive solar charge controller and finding out where they hid the smoke. Most are supposed to be revers polarity protected but why take the risk?

Podwerks' process should work fine. If for some reason you don't get 12V between any two wires you can confirm which ones go to the roof by temporarily shorting together the two wires where they come out up on the roof. Go back inside, put your meter on the resistance (ohms) scale, and identify which two wires have 0 or low resistance. Those are the ones from the roof. Only do this if there is no voltage on the wires. 

Once you have the 4 wires sorted out you will find the electrical part of your solar installation is very straightforward. The mechanical attachment of the solar module on the roof has to be done with some care and planning though so you don't end up with roof leaks. 




-------------
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold


Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 04 Sep 2020 at 8:17am
Not here to be-rate Forest River 'customer support' really, but the answer should have been, "Yessir, no problem, there should be two pairs of x-gauge wire, red and black, in behind the radio on that model, let us know if you need anything else"....

How damn hard is that?

They did tell me as soon as the dealer sends in the paperwork, I was welcome to call back.

Which is stupid because the dealerships (at the time) were doing paperwork in batches....sell 10 or 20 units, then send in the signed paperwork for multiple units all at once..sometimes it can take 6 weeks before your RV is really 'YOUR' RV as far as the manufacturer is concerned. Which is hooey...what if something vital is causing problems, you need customer support over the phone, and you are out on the road, no where near the selling dealership?

Like I said....(referring to the customer 'support' at Forest River)...Idiots.




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r・pod 171 gone but not forgotten!


Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 04 Sep 2020 at 8:55am
As this develops, it looks more like the issue is with the dealer batching its sales documents and delaying the registration process with the manufacture.  It also sounds like pod Riverrune and Podwerkz got connected with someone in a bad mood, but that doesn't mean all the employees are always in bad moods, nor does it mean that the company was aware of how the two calls were handled.

In all my dealings with FR regarding our Pod and in subsequent dealings with FR's folks in Rialto and Hemet CA they have gone out of their way to be helpful.  I've spoken to parts people, sales people, and technical support people.  All have been extremely cordial and have gone out of their way to help.  When I was looking to replace our 172, I called FR about specs on the Sonoma we ended up purchasing and about Geo's and NoBo's.  No VIN was requested for the information.  Recently I called about a color issue for the cabinets and was promptly transferred to a technical support person who was as helpful as anyone could be.  Of course he asked for the VIN since he had to look up the specific trailer.  

Maybe I was just lucky and Podwerkz and Riverrune's experiences are more typical.  Maybe it's the other way around.  One thing I have noticed is that every company that I have had to deal with since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic hit us has been harder to deal with.  The employees are often working from home, they are under staffed, everyone is stressed, the logistics chain has broken down, the response time has increased, and customer service has degraded.  Try calling Amazon for a routine issue.  Maybe companies are using the SARS-CoV-2 crisis to reduce costs, i.e. customer service, and this may be the new normal.  I hope not.  But, in my personal experience with FR, they've been pretty decent to deal with.


-------------
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost


Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 04 Sep 2020 at 9:28am
Originally posted by lostagain

As this develops, it looks more like the issue is with the dealer batching its sales documents and delaying the registration process with the manufacture.

Yeah....not buyin it.

Forest River should have an online dealer portal for a dealer to register retail sales the SAME DAY.

If they had that, the dealers would use it. Then the hard-copy documents could arrive at some later date with no issues to the customer.

From your last two posts, it seems like they made you jump thru a variety of hoops...which I think is excessive to get one little question answered. I could understand requiring proof of ownership if you call and tell them the fridge is broken, or the frame cracked, or a wheel fell off....but this was a simple question: Where does the factory run the wires for the solar panel?

Should be easy, but they make it a hassle...and this was waaay before covid, so that excuse doesn't work either.

Since they have about 30-50% of the USA RV market, they dont really give a damn. And I would hate to have to deal with them now.




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r・pod 171 gone but not forgotten!


Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 04 Sep 2020 at 11:17am
Podwerkz, I don't know where you get the idea that I had to jump through hoops to get customer service from FR.  I didn't do anything but go through the normal call and get transferred to the right person; all a perfectly reasonable process.  The last call was made about 3 weeks ago, when I was trying to match the stain for the cabinets.  They were very helpful and easy to interact with; in fact, almost a little too talkative, but I've noticed that a lot these days when people are isolated and working from home.

As for wether FR has a system to register dealer sales via computer, neither of us really knows one way or the other.  They could have a portal that the dealer can use at the moment the papers are signed and the money received, but if the dealers don't do their part, then it's all for naught.  Yes, FR and ALL RV manufactures need to control their dealers better, but that is an industry wide problem, not just with FR.

From the attitude you express about customer service at FR, if that comes across in your contacts with them, I am not surprised you have not had very satisfactory interactions.  Where I come from we find that we attract more bees with flowers than we do with Russian thistle, aka tumbleweeds.


-------------
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost


Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 04 Sep 2020 at 12:01pm
Originally posted by lostagain

  I'm not sure if I sent them a copy of my title, but may have.  

{snip}

If you send them an email with a copy of the title and a request to list you as owner, they'll probably take care of you.  Also, send fotos of the wire nest for clarification.


That sounds like a few hoops to me...and totally unnecessary to ask one simple question about wiring.


From the attitude you express about customer service at FR, if that comes across in your contacts with them, I am not surprised you have not had very satisfactory interactions.  


It was ONE interaction, one question....and I was polite and friendly when I called...after all, I was just going to ask a simple question about the wiring, why would I have an attitude about that? 

But I was certainly annoyed when I hung up...after all, I was in the middle of a project with a brand new r-pod and I needed the information...I saw no reason to wait for paperwork that may or may not arrive sometime in the weeks ahead. That's ridiculous.

I do think you are trying to fold this back on me and make it my fault. I dont work that way, if it was my fault or my failed policies or my poor phone skills, I would own up to it. 

The dealership, in other words, some clerk in the office, could easily enter a few pieces of data and Forest River could insist on a time frame, with some financial gain for doing it right, and on time, and a financial 'hit' or fine for doing it late, or not at all...this is not rocket science.

It sounds as if you may have a relative or friend who works there, or some other reason to assume the problem was self-generated by me. You apparently have a reason to 'protect' the company from criticism and toss it back in my lap, after I had just spent 14 thousand dollars of my limited retirement funds that year on that piece of rolling stock. 

For 14 grand, they should have been willing to answer the simple question..."where do your factory employees typically run the wires for the solar panel and controller, and what color codes do they use?"

I attempted to help the OP with the issue, not dispute his assertion that Forest River customer service was of little or no help. If you want to help the OP, do that. If your intention is to discredit both of us in our limited dealings with the sacred 'Mother Ship'...then I will assume there might be some hidden agenda for that.

But either way, do not make this out to be a problem I created...it is a part of a broader customer service problem prevalent in the industry, and apparently a common failing at Forest River also.

Period.









 



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r・pod 171 gone but not forgotten!


Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 04 Sep 2020 at 2:10pm
Oh, Please! I don't know anyone who works at FR or any other Berkshire Hathaway company.  I have no reason to protect anyone there.  Your suggestion to the contrary is not very nice, not to mention untrue.  I'm not surprised to learn that you had a problem with your interaction with FR.

The interchange I had when I sent a foto of wiring concerned the installation of a replacement refrigerator was made necessary because Dometic changed the wiring requirements.  The technical person at FR was nice enough to spend time to help me and communicated with respect and clarity.  He even helped calculate the load and voltage drop potential I had to deal with.  The picture, as was once suggested by Confucius, spoke a 1000 words, simplifying the communication.  That was outstanding service; not putting people through useless hoops.  

Maybe the OP should know that there are those of us who, unlike you, were able to receive excellent service from the folks at FR.  Maybe it's an issue of attitude when you call.  




-------------
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost


Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 05 Sep 2020 at 11:01am
Back to Riverrune's original problem. All the frustration or lack of same with FR customer service aside, you still need to be certain you know where each of the wires goes before connecting. 

Even if someone at FR had gone to the trouble of labeling each of the 4 wires I would still check them with a mulitmeter. The customer service/tech at FR has no way of knowing for sure which wires go where because the human being who wired up could have made a mistake, as all humans do. There really is only one way to be certain, and that is to check them yourself. 

That is standard safety protocol when doing any work that could cause an energy release, whether electrical, chemical (like a propane line) or mechanical (like a tensioned spring). Be sure you understand what you have in front of you and that you have de-energized it before changing anything so that you don't release energy that could cause harm or damage. 




-------------
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold


Posted By: JR
Date Posted: 05 Sep 2020 at 11:08am
Thank you Offgrid for getting the thread back on track with some valuable advise.

-------------
Jay

179/2019



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