Solar panels

I just bought a 2013 Bighorn 3010RE I am interested in adding a solar panel. I have not read in the owners manual anything about being pewired of anything about adding a solar panel to help battery life and extend camping without plug in power. Does anyone have info. on adding a solar panel?
 
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jimtoo

Moderator
Hi Propaneguy,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

I'm sure you will get some info from some of our other members about the solar power.

Be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club. Join us at a rally when you can and meet lots of the great folks here and make friends for a lifetime.

Enjoy the forum and your new to you unit.

Jim M
 

sjandbj

Well-known member
None of the older units are prewired for solar. Even the new rigs that are "prewired" are not wired for any roof top panel. There are many of us that have install solar systems on their rigs.
 

Jim.Allison

Well-known member
I just bought a 2013 Bighorn 3010RE I am interested in adding a solar panel. I have not read in the owners manual anything about being pewired of anything about adding a solar panel to help battery life and extend camping without plug in power. Does anyone have info. on adding a solar panel?

You are on the right track. There is no better way to maintain your batts than a good solar system. A solar charger must be a quality charger, it must glean all the energy available from the panels and make use of it, by design they are "smart chargers" and will charge your batteries according to universal charge curves or custom solar charge curves that can be programed by the user according to a specific brand and style of batteries, OR even a charge curve that the experienced user may choose.

Most people determine what their energy usage might be by adding it all up the designing a system that will accommodate their needs. In my case my energy needs during the day are accommodated easily by my panels, they provide enough energy to charge my batts and my daytime usage, then the batts provide everything I need during the night, then by noon the next day I am typically charged again. I watch TV, I run a DC fridge freezer, a CPAP, and the wife will use the microwave 3 to 4 times a day for 3 to 5 minutes so my system will run it 10 to 20 minutes a day.

As far a wiring is concerned, I used the vent for my "washer" which I did not buy. I slipped the solar wires down that pipe and into the drain pipe, I drilled a hole in it and fished the wire out and ran it through the basement, in this manner I avoided a roof penetration.

I hope that give you a start, there are people that will take issue with my comments but that is good because a lively argument will definitely get you started thinking about where you are going with your project.
 
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