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Old 07-27-2023, 10:02 AM   #1
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Talking RV waterproof solar port

Looking for a quality RV waterproof solar port to put on my rv?
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Old 07-27-2023, 02:17 PM   #2
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Side mount - or roof mount? Permanent - or something you open and close? Water proof when opened and connected, or when closed? Obviously different environments and considerations.

You'll find a lot of "water resistant" claimed waterproof, adapted cigarette lighter style plugs with a rubber/poly cover. These hold up fairly well in a marine environment, for several years. But you'd be opening and closing frequently, these will wear faster.

Anderson power plugs are great, but you'd need to place in a box or container, or rely on the rubber cover:


Another polarized connector is available, but would pool water in a rooftop mount:


Recently I picked up an outdoor extension cord "cover." I'll use it to connect my external radio antenna. Could be a solution, but it is just a cover and you could use "standard" waterproof solar panel connectors inside it. But they might be a bit large for your needs:


Another option might be an external 12 v post inside a watertight box: But these are not "plugs" per se and may not be answering your quest.


A 2-pin "Cannon Plug" could work for a side mount. These appear to be "keyed," but unclear if the key maintains polarity:


This last item is one I've considered for similar use could be worthwhile:

Unfortunately, it doesn't show what the type of connector is inside.

Best of luck.
Cheers - Jim
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Old 07-27-2023, 02:55 PM   #3
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Solar panels often have their own single wire connectors which you can use if the need extending.


For going through the roof, the most common thing I have seen is a watertight box with a removable cover and the solar wires going into it with liguidtight connectors. The bottom on the box gets sealed to the roof and a single cable into the van from the combined solar wires is run through the bottom of the box and the roof.


Here is a link to the AM Solar site that shows what they use and sell for their systems. It covers a lot of the options, I think.


https://amsolar.com/rv-solar-panel-k...trationOptions
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Old 07-27-2023, 04:48 PM   #4
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In 2013 when I installed my solar panels the standard connector for solar panels was MC4, I still think they are standards. To disconnect a tool is required https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC4_connector
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mc4+disco...l_8lbipn9kwb_e
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Old 07-27-2023, 05:19 PM   #5
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For roof mount panels, I used a "Solar Panel Weatherproof Cable Wire Entry Housing". with built-in MC-4 connectors.

Sort of like this: https://www.amazon.com/SolarEnz-Weat...dp/B09L5N4SYK/
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Old 08-03-2023, 05:12 PM   #6
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I did a DIY on my Roadtrek as I did not want to put any holes in the roof. I have two solar panels, the cables go thru the rear and into a marine fuse panel and then snake out thru the AC area within the roof.
The cables on the left go to a panel which can easily be removed from the roof and placed in the sun, so the cables are able to be removed from the access port. The cables on the right are threaded thru a PVC tube and then into the panel terminal.

here is a photo

https://www.flickr.com/photos/162790...posted-public/
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