Can you wire solar panel without drilling?

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kaitlyn2004

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I'm looking for a temporary/modular solar panel that I would either maybe just place on roof at camp, or secure to cross bars or something like that. Running to something like a Jackery on the inside.

Question is the wiring - I haven't done a details inspection, but there is a feasible way I could get the wiring into the cabin without drilling any new holes? I have never worked with solar panel before so I also have no idea how thick a typical power wire might be.
 
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If it's temporary, maybe just crack the window? If not, the power wire is thin enough to enter the rear hatch from the top (behind the spoiler), and into the rear cargo area without getting pinched.

It will all depend on how long the wire is.

FWIW, most permanently mounted panels are routed through the hatch or under the front window rubber seal.
 
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rheosibal said:
If it's temporary, maybe just crack the window? If not, the power wire is thin enough to enter the rear hatch from the top (behind the spoiler), and into the rear cargo area without getting pinched.

It will all depend on how long the wire is.

FWIW, most permanently mounted panels are routed through the hatch or under the front window rubber seal.
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A couple of thoughts.
  1. Mount it to your hood and run the wires through the fire wall. Check out that the Ecotechne hood rack.
  2. Mount it the roof and run the wires down the windshield channel or through the rear hatch.
  3. Place it on a sunny spot on the ground and put the battery system near by.
    Not and endorsement, but something like this.

Unless you are using it while you drive, I think #3 is the best option. Becasue you don't want to be forced to park you truck in the sun. If you need to charge while driving you have a 110V outlet.
 
itr1275 said:
A couple of thoughts.
  1. Mount it to your hood and run the wires through the fire wall. Check out that the Ecotechne hood rack.
  2. Mount it the roof and run the wires down the windshield channel or through the rear hatch.
  3. Place it on a sunny spot on the ground and put the battery system near by.
    Not and endorsement, but something like this.

Unless you are using it while you drive, I think #3 is the best option. Becasue you don't want to be forced to park you truck in the sun. If you need to charge while driving you have a 110V outlet.
Click to expand...

I agree with all of these. The firewall or rear hatch seems best to route your wires. There's a grommet that you can use for each. For the rear hatch do a search on this forum to see how people have run their coax cables for their CBs.
 
KWSRStorm said:
If youre doing a portable type with feet. You could easily put an sae connecter in the engine bay that then runs to the trunk. Could even have it near the grill.

If you want to mount it to the roof, thats a little more work. Could do the same thing. Have the panel on the roof with a very short connecter and use a home made sae extension into the engine bay and thrn run it to the rear (or where ever)

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
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Unless it's more trouble than it's worth, I sort of envision:

- Removed and stored i garage during extended non-use
- Mounted on roof for roadtrips
- Being able to remove it from roof and place it in car if needed
- Being able to remove it from roof and put it on the ground in the sun if needed (at camp or similar)

I like the idea of NOT relying on the primary battery, and having a battery that I can recharge with solar. Having said that, I do live in the PNW so north of the equator, mountains blocking some sun, lots of trees...
 
Why does it need to be permanently mounted to the vehicle?

I bet a GoalZero setup would serve your power needs, and require way less BS.

When inevitably you want to charge your stuff from somewhere OTHER than directly in your vehicle, you can do just that.
 
Definitely dont get a goal zero, there are cheaper battery packs


You dont need to drill, here are 2 8awg wires from my panel:
Imgur: The magic of the Internet

You could also install an SAE solar connector plug somewhere if it's not a permanent panel, I used the plastic cowling form my 120V input. You have to drill the plastic, but it snaps in and out and I think the replacement part was <$20. Ignore the red circle, the spot where the extension cord is plugged in is where you could install an SAE style solar plug:
Imgur: The magic of the Internet
 
jhguth said:
Definitely dont get a goal zero, there are cheaper battery packs


You dont need to drill, here are 2 8awg wires from my panel:
Imgur: The magic of the Internet

You could also install an SAE solar connector plug somewhere if it's not a permanent panel, I used the plastic cowling form my 120V input. You have to drill the plastic, but it snaps in and out and I think the replacement part was <$20. Ignore the red circle, the spot where the extension cord is plugged in is where you could install an SAE style solar plug:
Imgur: The magic of the Internet
Click to expand...

With your first shot, is it just running through that gap and into the cargo, being "squeezed" by the weather stripping or where exactly is it going? No leaking issues?
 
kaitlyn2004 said:
With your first shot, is it just running through that gap and into the cargo, being "squeezed" by the weather stripping or where exactly is it going? No leaking issues?
Click to expand...

No leaks, I go through the existing grommet. In the pic you can see I leave a drip leg on the wire, so any water running down will drip off before going up into the grommet. It took time finding a spot where the 8awg wire wouldn't be pinched as the door opens and closes, but there is no pinching in this location.

Imgur: The magic of the Internet
Imgur: The magic of the Internet

I tried going down the front but I think 8awg is too big to fit behind the windshield trim, so I went through the rear and have my charge controller mounted in the back. Front would have been better for efficiency, but with all 8awg wires I shouldn't have too much loss either my 100W panel.
 
Is there a reason you need to run the wires into the cab?

I use a solar panel when I'm on long trips to power my fridge and charge the batteries.. I don't need it when I'm moving. So I don't have it connected. When I'm stopped at camp - I just run the wire (which I coil up and store inside otherwise) over the windshield and into the engine bay where I attache to the battery. It fits pretty easily past the hood at the cowl. When it's time to go - I just unplug the jumper wire from panel to battery, coil it up. and I'm ready to go. For me - I don't see a reason to permanently wire it in or run wires into the cabin for the solar assembly.

Also - FWIW a solar panel fixed on the roof isn't a very good place for it. Aiming it at the sun works a lot better. I find a ton of places where I can park in the shade and put the panel in the sun. Or in forested areas where there's only small areas of direct sun. Having a panel that can pop off the roof and put on a stand in the sun is something I would make sure you can do.
 
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Jetboy said:
Is there a reason you need to run the wires into the cab?

I use a solar panel when I'm on long trips to power my fridge and charge the batteries.. I don't need it when I'm moving. So I don't have it connected. When I'm stopped at camp - I just run the wire (which I coil up and store inside otherwise) over the windshield and into the engine bay where I attache to the battery. It fits pretty easily past the hood at the cowl. When it's time to go - I just unplug the jumper wire from panel to battery, coil it up. and I'm ready to go. For me - I don't see a reason to permanently wire it in or run wires into the cabin for the solar assembly.
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A bunch of driving could be out uncovered in the sun... wasted recharging opportunity! :)
 
Jetboy said:
If the battery isn't fully charged while driving - you have other issues to sort out with your vehicle's charging system. :)
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This exactly, no point on having on the roof while driving. If you need to charge your portable battery while on the road, just use the DC adapter that comes with it.
 
I have my panel on the roof because I use it every day so setting up a portable panel isnt practical. In typical suboptimal conditions I see about 60W which is sufficient to keep the fridge going. For camping I have a second portable panel I can add, but if that's the only panel I had it probably wouldn't get used much.


Imgur: The magic of the Internet
 
Jetboy said:
If the battery isn't fully charged while driving - you have other issues to sort out with your vehicle's charging system. :)
Click to expand...

You are completely right! I don't know why I overlooked this.

I assume if I plug it in (whether cigarette or AC adapter), there's no way that (while actively driving) that I would be draining the car battery more than charging it, right?
 
kaitlyn2004 said:
You are completely right! I don't know why I overlooked this.

I assume if I plug it in (whether cigarette or AC adapter), there's no way that (while actively driving) that I would be draining the car battery more than charging it, right?
Click to expand...

It's possible to outrun the alternator, but it's really unlikely in these vehicles. The alternator is IIRC 140 amps. (So about 1600 watts - if you consider that compared to 100w solar panel, you can see that the alternator has a lot more energy output). A fridge as an example typically draws a peak of 7 amps, but normally they draw around 1.5 amps. So the draw is pretty small.

If you add a bunch of electronics and auxiliary lighting and ?? maybe you can exceed the alternator capacity. A 100 watt solar panel probably won't do a whole lot if you're drawing more than 1600 watts already.
 
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