When a Travel Trailer Is Solar Ready What Does That Mean

Defining 'solar set' and everything you need to know to before you plug in to solar power.

When yous are shopping for new or used RVs, it helps to understand what kind of ability supply you will need. Traditional RVs have battery banks for DC power and take either xxx amp or 50 amp shore ability. Only, if you like off-grid camping, don't want to rely on plugging into shore power every few days, or simply desire to be more environmentally conscious with your next RV purchase, having a solar-ready RV might be for y'all.

What is A Solar-Set up RV?

When you're looking through the features of many modern RVs, you will probably run across the term 'Solar Prep.' This means that the RV is wired for solar power, but information technology doesn't necessarily hateful that it has panels, an inverter, and a sufficient battery bank already installed. To be clear, 'solar-set up' and 'solar prep' hateful the same thing. There are iii different wiring configurations on solar-ready RVs. You will either find that your RV comes with a 3-port or unmarried-port roof cap or a wall-mounted port on ane of the sides of the rig.

Benefits of A Solar Ready RV

If you lot are wondering whether it is worth your fourth dimension to worry about having an RV that is ready for solar panels, hither are a few of the benefits to consider:

• Increased RV Battery Lifespan
• Reduced Need For 'Dirty Energy'
• Decreased Generator Run Time
• Prolonged Boondocking (Off-Grid Camping) Ability
• Added Energy Source

All of these benefits can lead to a more than enjoyable RV experience. In other words, you will spend less time trying to conserve energy and adapt when yous can't run certain appliances. That ways more time enjoying RV living on your terms.

Is There an Industry Standard for Solar-Set up RVs?

Unfortunately, each RV manufacturer gets to choose how they pre-wire their RVs for solar installations. Equally a heir-apparent, this ways you lot volition need to do additional homework to sympathise how each manufacturer wires the solar prep for their models.

As yous swoop in, you volition speedily realize that some manufacturers intendance a lot more virtually the quality of their solar wiring than others. Some get so far equally to complete the job to a standard that basically allows you to plug-and-play with compatible solar panels.

Others seem to simply care well-nigh doing plenty to be able to advertise that their rigs are 'solar-ready.' In these cases, you lot can probably guess that their lack of attention creates more than harm than practiced.

The amend manufacturers include full wiring and 'the residual' simply install wiring from the roof or wall-mounted ports to the battery bank. RVs with total wiring include a compatible inverter and charge controller that allows yous to pull energy directly from your solar panels to use with different RV appliances.

RVs that are only wired from the ports to the battery will be capable of trickle charging only. Your panels will keep your onboard batteries charged when you aren't plugged in or running your engine. But, you will just be able to employ the appliances that are capable of running off of your RV'southward existing bombardment/inverter setup.

Solar power is a not bad way to accept electricity while dry camping or boondocking (image Getty).

Who Makes The Ports on Solar-Set RVs?

This is where things get a little tricky. In many cases, the solar-prepare sticker on a new RV means that a visitor that sells solar technology has partnered with (and paid) the RV manufacturer to install their plug (and their plug simply) in the manufacturer's RV models. Why would the solar panel company pay to have their plug installed? Because if you read the fine print on that shiny 'Solar-Ready' sticker, you are likely to find a strongly-worded warning message that cautions you to utilize to use the plug only if you buy and install that same company's solar panels. So, they brand the upfront investment to go their proprietary plugs installed in hopes that their phone will eventually ring with RVers that want to complete their solar installation on the other terminate.

Do Yous Accept to Use Solar Equipment from the Port Proprietor Only?

The good news is that ownership a solar-ready RV with a port from a certain solar company doesn't lock you into using their solar equipment to consummate your solar installation. In that location are many portably and permanent solar console installations that will probable work with the port on your RV.

Plus, you lot ever have the option of bypassing the original port altogether if you find a solar company that provides panels and a battery depository financial institution that you really like (and it's not compatible with your existing port).

Can I Install Solar Panels Myself On a Solar-Ready RV?

Absolutely! Simply exercise your homework, and make certain that you wire your panels into the system correctly. If you are installing permanent, roof-mounted panels, y'all will as well need to brand sure your mounting locations are solid enough to hold the panels. Then, you will need to properly weatherproof any holes you drill into your RV'due south roof to avert future leaks.

While at that place is a lot to larn almost installing solar panels on a solar-ready RV, 1 key term to sympathize is polarity. In layman'southward terms, polarity refers to the electric electric current flowing properly from panels to battery and then from bombardment to appliances.

Reverse (or opposite) polarity is no good for your solar equipment and tin can crusade permanent damage. Fortunately, the all-time solar products on the market these days include polarity protection that essentially protects yous from yourself.

Before y'all Wire Your Solar Panels

When y'all are wiring your solar panels into your RV'south electric system, y'all will demand to ensure that the positive pb coming from your panels is wired to the positive final on our battery. The same is true for the negative atomic number 82 and negative terminal.

In many means, this is the same as connecting jumper cables to a car bombardment. If you lot cantankerous the wires and connect them incorrectly, the best case is that cipher happens. The worst case is that you fry the battery, the cables, and potentially other sensitive electronic equipment.

While wiring your solar panels correctly isn't rocket science, it can be useful to rent a trained RV electrician to help with the install if y'all are feeling nervous almost setting information technology up correctly.

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At the cease of the day, that solar-ready RV sticker really doesn't mean all that much. Information technology shouldn't be a huge selling point when you are buying a new RV because in that location are many means to accommodate and customize your ideal solar installation down the line.

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