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.
