MY TRAVEL TRAILER IS PREWIRED FOR SOLAR, NOW WHAT?

PRE WIRE FOR SOLAR RVS MAY REQUIRE A DIFFERENT BASE SOLAR KIT AS THE WIRING DONE AT THE FACTORY IS NOT ALWAYS OPTIMIZED FOR THE RETAIL KITS.

Air Airstream travel trailers were some of the first RVs to include prewired for solar. There are many sizes of panels that will work with the prewired RVs. Our Go Power solar kits are designed to pair with the prewired solar wiring on these travel trailers. These prewired solar trailers can come in a couple of different configurations. The cable entry plate is sometimes at one end of the trailer or motorhome and after additional equipment is installed, the ideal solar panel location is across the entire roof.

Air Airstream travel trailers were some of the first RVs to include prewired for solar.

SOLAR TIP: look at manuals for your RV and see what the manufacturer would have installed if you had purchsed the RV with panels

ARTICLE UPDATES

Updated for the new 190 Watt Prewired Solar Kits : Updated in July 2020*
Updated: 05/20/2019 Many of the travel trailers from brands like Forest River, Airstream, and Jayco are coming prewired for RV Solar. This implementation is called the Wired for Solar program.
Updated 06/20/2020 Some travel trailers are coming prewired with installed 10 Amp Go Power PWM Controllers. These will handle the Prewired Overlander Kit

CABLE ENTRY PLATE MAKES WIRING EASY FOR RV ROOF SOLAR

Many of these travel trailers are using the Go Power cable entry plate on the RV roof. These cable entry plates make hooking up a Go Power solar kit a breeze. All that is left is mounting the panels, fusing the wire and installing the charge controller. Most of the hard work of running cables has already been completed by the factory.

RV Cable Entry plate are sometimes used when prewiring travel trailers for RV Solar.

This can save as many as 5 hours off a standard install of solar panels on your travel trailer, fifth wheel, camper or motorhome. Not all of the prewired RVs use these cable entry plates, but instead, use 2 MC-4 wires terminating through the roof.

** CHARGE CONTROLLER PREWIRED FOR SOLAR STICKER ALERT ** Many of the prewired RVs have a sticker that looks like a charge controller. It is usually help in locating placement for the controller and locating the solar cables coming in from the roof.

The newer option is for some Trailers to come prewired with the circuit completed from the cable entry plate through a charge controller and completed at the battery. This is more rare of an install an often uses an SQ designated charge controller.

The charge controller below is the Go Power PWM 30 model that is designed for the prewired solar kits. The Prewired For Solar sticker will most likely resemble this device and sometimes is even a template.

SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER

** GP-PWM-30-UL-BT **

The Go Power PWM 30 Bluetooth Lithium controller can handle solar arrays up to 570 watts. Primarily for RV use, It is designed for flush panel mounting, but there is an optional knockout box available for surface mounting. To protect and properly charger your house battery bank, the controller has several different battery charging profiles including Sealed, AGM, Flooded, and Lithium. It can charge two battery banks and is our most common RV charge controller. It is UL listed and now has Bluetooth connectivity. There is also a USB port on the front of the charge controller.

Need the controller, you can order here

PREWIRED FOR SOLAR KNOWLEDGE BASE

A selection of articles discussing the best way to locate the components of a Prewired RV solar system.

Tips on finding prewired RV solar wires

Finding lost prewired solar wires

It is very frustrating to find cables that are in an RV that was prewired at the factory, but the locating stickers were removed.

A few tips are look for pictures of your RV on the internet as they often have these stickers still installed in videos and diagrams. Another is to use a tool to search for the cables. These scopes can really help with lots of projects like this and aare a great tool to have around.

Real world issues with finding prewired solar wires

A selection of Prewired RV Solar Kits

WHICH PANELS ARE RIGHT FOR YOUR TRAVEL TRAILER?

There are 2 main types of panels that we have to match the Go Power prewire setups. These panels are rigid solar panels and flex solar panels. The flex panels can curve to match shapes on Airstreams while rigid panels have better warranties and are usually are a little less expensive.

Depending on which travel trailer make and model you have will determine which type of panel is best for your needs.

Go Power setups for travel trailers that include both inverters and solar

There are 2 main kits available from Go Power

There is also a podcast we did about how much solar you might need for your RV.

A few extra items that are often need for travel trailer solar installation

There are always extra items that mey need to be purchased for installing solar on your travel trailer. Dicor is a common brand people use on their RV roofs when installing. Follow the manufacturers suggestions and instructions to get a proper compatible installation. Make sure your roof on the travel trailer is compatible with whatever type of sealant you choose. Remember that water is your enemy and does not do your trailer any favors.

You will often use more sealant than you think and it is always good to have a little extra around to reseal roof yearly.

Also make sure to follow manfactuirers instructions for installing panels on your camping trailer. Read manual a couple times before attempting install.