680W | 50A Complete Solar Package
The 680W | 50A Complete Solar Package includes the installation of the following equipment:
Installation Overview:
We prep our panels by replacing the stock wire harness & MC4 or 2-Pole connectors with custom, UV-Resistant 10/2 round roof cable. The cable is attached with butt splices and heat shrink and routed through the roof. In a single panel configuration, a roof penetration is covered by a Clamshell. For multiple panel configurations, the panels are combined at a roof combiner box. Once there, the cable(s) are upgraded according to the size of the solar array and routed to the charge controller. The charge controller is also sized according to the solar array. In line between the solar panel(s) and controller is a high current disconnect switch allowing the user to disconnect current from the panels to the controller. The system is protected at the battery bank with a fuse or breaker.
Panel Mounts:
Our complete solar installations include panels with AM Solar’s proprietary “Rocker Foot Mounts”. The mounts are assembled with 3 major components, the “feet” which attach to the roof, the mount adapters which clip to the panel, and the t-knobs which connect the feet to the adapters. There are several benefits to using this style of mount: (1) With the addition of tilt bars, they allow you to tilt your panels in order to improve solar exposure. This feature is especially helpful if you are dry camping during the off season when the sun angle is lower. (2) They allow you to easily remove your panels from the roof while keeping the mounting feet secured to the roof. This can be helpful if you need to maintain either your roof or the solar panel itself. (3) The mounting feet are offered in in 3 different sizes, 3-Hole Standard, 5-Hole, and 3-Hole Tall. This offers flexibility with the mounting height of the panel which is helpful in applications where the roof isn’t completely flat, like an Airstream.
Victron Products:
Most Victron products are enabled with Bluetooth. This allows them to be monitored from most smart devices with the free VictronConnect App. Some Victron products, like the BMV-712, include a remote monitor and Bluetooth integration. While other products, like the Victron MPPT Charge Controllers, only include Bluetooth integration with optional remote display. As a standard, the optional displays would be add-on items to our complete kits and would require an additional quote. Often folks find the Bluetooth integration sufficient and intuitive for monitoring and programming their Victron equipment which is why we leave the optional monitors to the discretion of the customer.
Benefits of a Battery Monitor:
While Charge Controllers offer monitoring of your solar setup, the information it provides is limited to battery charging status, gross battery voltage, and solar input. To capture everything that is affecting your battery bank, all loads and charging sources, we install the Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor with Temperature Sensor on the most negative side of your battery bank. The shunt in this battery monitor is able to calculate the net voltage of your battery bank and thus provide battery state of charge in the form of a percentage. Since battery voltage is influenced by loads and charging sources, gross voltage readouts from charge controllers, stock panels inside your RV, or voltmeters, would provide potentially inflated voltages when the batteries are being charged or the reverse if the batteries were under heavy loads.
Disclaimer:
All kits are comprised of the main components with estimates on wire lengths, hardware, and labor based on standard installations. Installation cost may vary across different applications.
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