Solar Charge with Master Off

[Viewseeker]

Brand new owner with factory 160W solar. 2018 FC 25RB.
Expecting the solar to keep the batteries topped off while AS is in storage.

Question. With the inside master power disconnect switched off, do the solar panels continue to charge the batteries?

[GMFL]

If they do not currently they can, by hooking the (+) pos lead from solar to the battery side of the Solenoid the panels will charge.

[thiel]

Originally Posted by GMFL

If they do not currently they can, by hooking the (+) pos lead from solar to the battery side of the Solenoid the panels will charge.

Wait...does the top vs bottom side of that copper buss thingy make a difference?

[Boog]

Originally Posted by thiel

Wait...does the top vs bottom side of that copper buss thingy make a difference?

Mine has fuses hiding underneath and the copper half is conductor and the silver half is the fused side. Actually, the copper part is protected by a 50 amp fuse from the battery in. Here's an approximation of what mine looks like:

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by thiel

Wait...does the top vs bottom side of that copper buss thingy make a difference?

Yes it does. As Boog stated. The copper side is fused by a auto reset fuse on the back side.
Note photo of mine. Copper pin on the Right is “line”. 12(+) DC power coming in.
This provides power to the copper bus bar. Then the copper bus bar distributes power to the other fused circuits.

[GMFL]

I need to make a correction to my first post. You would need to connect the (+) pos lead from the solar controller not the yellow wire from the solar panels

[AirMiles]

Does it matter which side?

I've seen it connected both ways:

- On Copper pin here: https://currentlywandering.com/2015/...he-wire-panel/

- On Nickle pin here: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f448...tml#post439984

Airstream's Solar Wiring diagram also flip flops on which pin to use:

-The 2015 Airstream Owner's Manual recommends connecting to the copper pin: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f448...tml#post439981

- My 2017 Airstream Owner's Manual's Solar Wiring diagram recommends connecting to the nickle pin.

It appears connecting to either will work, but is one the preferred method?

Would connecting a fused line from the solar controller output to the copper pin result in less resistance?

[quietguy]

Remember the wiring and master switches were changed in the 2018 models from previous years.

Best place to start? Owners Manual.

[Viewseeker]

Thanks all. My electronic wiring skills are pretty limited. but good information.
Heading to owners manual to see what it says (should have started there but like getting the forum expertise involved).

[JohnTF]

With the apparent lack of knowledge , I would suggest - " brand new " go to a dealer .

[swakyaby]

According to my owner's manual for a 2018 Basecamp with factory installed solar panels, the solar panels continue to charge the battery even with the master power switch turned off . . . unless it's indoor storage.

[Viewseeker]

Thanks for the follow up. My AS is in outdoor storage and when I visited last weekend the batteries were charging and at 100 percents.