‘92 Dodge Roadtrek Solar Install - Plug into Generator slot??

[jjosephiina]

Hello all! Ive built The Off Grid King solar system (by Will Prowse) and it’s fully ready to be connected with the rest of my van. I’ve got a roadtrek with its own ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) that was connected to the generator previously, but i the generator has since been removed and i don’t plan on putting a new generator in my roadtrek. I watched a will prowse video on this and he said “find the wire that goes out the the generator, and instead of connecting it to the generator, then you can connect that cable directly to your solar power system inverter” (as seen at 3:58 on the video linked below) i wanted to know if anyone else has successfully done this when converting to solar. What steps did you take and what should i look out for? I’m trying to refrain from re-wiring the whole system and this seems like a good solution.

Link: https://youtu.be/jpICwTtAV_I

[mkguitar]

from what you are saying


the solar inverter with it's 120 volt output should connect on the right side of that transfer switch where it says Generator
the inverter hot to the black wire on the transfer switch & the inverter neutral to the white wire using wirenuts similar to what you see on the other side and secured with tape





but why is the insulation burned on the ground wires ( green) this could be the result of heat from an overload, failure or wiring fault


I would look at this first before connecting your solar- could it indicate that the transfer switch is bad?


mike

[booster]

Yeah, that ground wire looks weird, but it may have just had green tape or tubing on it for an identifier color so it looks baggy. The copper is usually much darker on a connection that has been hot


That said, I don't really understand the purpose of using that kind of design in an RV. You generate solar at whatever voltage, convert it to 110v with an inverter, run it through a transfer switch, run it through a battery charger, and then use the 12v power off the batteries or convert it back to 110v it use in the van.



Solar is not particularly efficient so wasting power on needless steps in the process appears to me to be a big waste of precious energy.


Get a good solar controller and charge the batteries from it and use an inverter as needed for 110v later. No need to get the complexity and inefficiency of the Prose system. A solar system that goes direct to 110v is normally used for grid tie applications AFAIK.

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by booster

charge the batteries from it and use an inverter as needed for 110v later

I agree


everytime electricity is transformed up or down in volts or converted from ac to dc or dc to ac there is waste


most inverters will loose about 15% from dc to ac



the proposed system has multiple steps, each of which wastes power as it is inverted/transformed/regulated etc.


without access to the full design, and the proposed use it's hard to see if it makes sense


the only things in my van which require Ac are the airconditioner and the microwave- both of which we can live without if we aren;t on shore power


everything else in our van is Dc native- incl. the tv


Mike

[TomF]

Originally Posted by booster

Yeah, that ground wire looks weird, but it may have just had green tape or tubing on it for an identifier color so it looks baggy. The copper is usually much darker on a connection that has been hot


That said, I don't really understand the purpose of using that kind of design in an RV. You generate solar at whatever voltage, convert it to 110v with an inverter, run it through a transfer switch, run it through a battery charger, and then use the 12v power off the batteries or convert it back to 110v it use in the van.



Solar is not particularly efficient so wasting power on needless steps in the process appears to me to be a big waste of precious energy.


Get a good solar controller and charge the batteries from it and use an inverter as needed for 110v later. No need to get the complexity and inefficiency of the Prose system. A solar system that goes direct to 110v is normally used for grid tie applications AFAIK.

Exactly. I installed a 100w panel on the roof, hooked it up to the MPPT controller, and then to the house battery. If I need an inverter, i can plug a small one into a 12v outlet and run the TV, etc.