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Old 04-08-2016, 06:21 PM   #2
Forest Grump
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 27.1
State: California
Posts: 258
THOR #3186
I had many of the same concerns that you now have but one by one I overcame them. I decided to byte the bullet and drill through the roof. I have the ACE 27.1.

I cut out cardboard squares the size of the panels and used those to orient them on the roof. I also made sure I had enough space to work. It also made planning the cable run much much easier.

My fridge is in the slide so using the frig roof vent was out. There were other vents and spacing but that means cramped runs.

I looked underneath and discovered that I could run wires in flex conduit easily along the frame rails. I went online and found I could easily get 2 to 6 gauge cable online which meant distance would not be a factor. I was enchanted by the location of the water tank in the back closet and the open access it offered to the water heater/generator compartment and frame rails down below and the roof above. I used 1.5" hole saw to cut into the plastic "tubs" and sealed the conduit runs with silicone caulk.

I decided that was a long but great route. Lots of room to work. If you look carefully at your roof at the right angle you can see the aluminum framework supporting it. I took a 6" by 1/4" drill and drilled a pilot hole about 4" from the edge into the back bedroom closet about 2" from one of the aluminum cross braces, also the closet edge inside. I knew where that was by drawings Thor sent me, confirmed by my tape measure and double checking electrical drawings and good old snooping. From the 1/4 inch I went to 1/2 inch, finger checked, needed to be 1/4" or so further from the brace. Took a 1" hole saw and centering it 1/4 to one side of the pilot made a perfect 1" hole through the pilot hole and roof.

Because of the length of the run and because I could get 2g red and black 17 strand wire with the proper U.L. Approvals for that type of use. after using 8g solar on the roof through the hole to the closet I used a commonly found 2 to 8g connector in the closet.

My voltage drop is in the 0.05v range. Very happy. 480 W three panels.
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