How can I tell if my 2004 Bambi is prewired for solar?

[veg hed]

I just bought a new to me 2004 19' Bambi. I'm still getting to know it so How can I tell if it is prewired for solar?

[dznf0g]

I assume...eh hmm, that AS uses consistent wire coloring. But if you find blunt cut non connected green and yellow wires close to your batteries and/or electrical center, I would be confident you are pre-wired. Adequately? Depending on your power needs, maybe not.

[Tim A.]

We have a 2002 19' Bambi and it came pre-wired for solar, so yours surely did, also.

We have had solar on ours since shortly after buying the trailer new and used the pre-wiring. There has never been any problem with that wiring. Of course, there is so little space on the roof of the 19' that it would be really hard to have panels which could overload the wires.

Below is a scan from our Bambi about the solar pre-wire.

Tim

[dznf0g]

Just to be clear, I wasn't insinuating any kind of overload situation. Merely pointing out that the losses in amperage delivery may be adversely affected by the relatively small wiring AS provides and depending upon the OP's power requirements, that may or may not be significant.

[veg hed]

Originally Posted by Tim A.

We have a 2002 19' Bambi and it came pre-wired for solar, so yours surely did, also.

We have had solar on ours since shortly after buying the trailer new and used the pre-wiring. There has never been any problem with that wiring. Of course, there is so little space on the roof of the 19' that it would be really hard to have panels which could overload the wires.

Below is a scan from our Bambi about the solar pre-wire.

Tim

I found the red/black wires up front and the yellow green wires behind the front light like the description you posted shows. Where are the yellow/green wires behind the control box?

[AWCHIEF]

How about on a 2006 Safari 23 rear bed model. Where would the wires be located?

[Sbb]

How many panels do you have up there? I was thinking of it.

[Tim A.]

Originally Posted by veg hed

I found the red/black wires up front and the yellow green wires behind the front light like the description you posted shows. Where are the yellow/green wires behind the control box?

It has been a long time since I did the install, but the cover for our control box is in the closet and I think I found the wires there.

As for the question of how many panels you can put on a 19', we put one on the front of the roof on the street side. I suppose you could put two more behind the AC.

Tim

[KenS]

We have a 2005 19 and used the solar pre-wire. The yellow/green wires were marked and coiled near the battery buss under the front bench and in the ceiling between the AC and front vent. The factory pre-wire was judged to be adequate due to short wire run and modest load after efficiency changes - all LED lights, all 12v appliances/chargers, new variable speed fantastic fan.

Due to roof space limitations, used to 50W panels. Considered relocating TV antenna to allow for a 100w panel, but the system has worked very well as-is for our camping needs. Some pics attached.

Good luck with your project.

~ Ken

[MaineStreamer]

If you look in the owners manual, which is available online, it will say whether it is prewired for solar.

[veg hed]

Originally Posted by KenS

We have a 2005 19 and used the solar pre-wire. The yellow/green wires were marked and coiled near the battery buss under the front bench and in the ceiling between the AC and front vent. The factory pre-wire was judged to be adequate due to short wire run and modest load after efficiency changes - all LED lights, all 12v appliances/chargers, new variable speed fantastic fan.

Due to roof space limitations, used to 50W panels. Considered relocating TV antenna to allow for a 100w panel, but the system has worked very well as-is for our camping needs. Some pics attached.

Good luck with your project.

~ Ken

Awesome! Thanks for posting those pics. Those really help me put a picture to what I have to do. I might pick your brain a little bit about the install...

[KenS]

Glad to help if I can. Lots of good information on this forum.


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[Len n Jeanne]

You can also contact customer service at airstream.com . They may take a day or so to get back to you, but are very helpful.

[WindyJim]

Just a future trouble shooting note for solar.

I have a 2004 AS with solar from the time the AS was new. Six months ago I had problems with the solar charging and with the solar controller. After doing my own trouble shooting I was convinced that I needed to either replace the solar controller, or at a minimum send it back to the factory to have it repaired. I had checked the 10 amp fuse in the battery compartment and it was good, but the controller was operating intermittently. (Blue Sky Solar Boost 2000e controller). I called the Blue Sky on this to see what they would charge to look at and repair the controller, and wound up talking to the president. He said he was 95% certain that if I physically replaced the 10-amp in-line fuse holder that it would rectify the problem. I was doubtful, but a $2 fuse holder replacement was easy to do, and to my surprise the system was back working 100% reliable again. (kinda humbling, but nonetheless I recommend you make a mental note of it, maybe even buying a replacement in-line fuse holder from Walmart or somewhere else to have on hand).

[veg hed]

Thanks for all the help so far. I was able to locate some wires. Can someone tell me what goes where?

1) Do the red/black wires under the front seat on the passenger side to straight to the battery?

2) Where do the wires behind the control panel go?

3) And the wires behind the front light, do they go through a hole I would drill in the roof straight to the solar panels.

Also, am I missing some wires? I was under the impression that there would be some green/yellow wires under the seat in the front. Thanks.

http://www.airforums.com/photos/showimage.php?i=37522&c=member&imageuser=75645

Img 6343 - Photo Gallery

Img 6345 - Photo Gallery

[veg hed]

^I tried to delete the above post but I can't figure out how...Anyway,,,,

Thanks for all the help so far. I was able to locate some wires. Can someone tell me what goes where?

1) Do the red/black wires under the front seat on the passenger side to straight to the battery?

2) Where do the wires behind the control panel go?

3) And the wires behind the front light, do they go through a hole I would drill in the roof straight to the solar panels.

Also, am I missing some wires? I was under the impression that there would be some green/yellow wires under the seat in the front. Thanks.

[KenS]

I my 2005 International 19...
1) Red & Black wires go from controller (under bench) to plus battery buss bar and ground (also under bench).
2) Only wire used behind kitchen wall control panel was cat5(blue) for remote monitor. I did not explore the other wires.
3) Where is that light fixture? Our AS (International) does not have a light fixture like that in the ceiling. But, I drilled the hole between the AC and front fan-vent on the front-side of the frame cross rib so I could reach it inside from the front fan-vent (after I removed the trim panel). In the roof picture I posted, the hole and combiner box is located under the front solar panel.

Hope this helps,
~ Ken

[KenS]

Additional pics...

2) Closet wiring - Note the "Solar Monitor" wire is flat beige, which came with the monitor. We did not use the blue Cat5 wire. The other wires are used for other functions/features and not used by the solar system.

3) Location of the ceiling penetration for the solar wires to the combiner box on the roof (under the front solar panel).

~ Ken

[veg hed]

Originally Posted by KenS

I my 2005 International 19...
1) Red & Black wires go from controller (under bench) to plus battery buss bar and ground (also under bench).
2) Only wire used behind kitchen wall control panel was cat5(blue) for remote monitor. I did not explore the other wires.
3) Where is that light fixture? Our AS (International) does not have a light fixture like that in the ceiling. But, I drilled the hole between the AC and front fan-vent on the front-side of the frame cross rib so I could reach it inside from the front fan-vent (after I removed the trim panel). In the roof picture I posted, the hole and combiner box is located under the front solar panel.

Hope this helps,
~ Ken

The light is in the front near the fan...

[KenS]

Got it. I see what must be the front fan to the left. So, yes those must be the yellow/green solar wires which will need to go through the roof to the solar panel(s). Without a light, our wires were hidden under the ceiling panels, which is why I needed to remove the fan-vent trim to access the wires.

Also, depending on the solar system you purchase, the type of controller will determine its location. Some controllers can be hidden under the bench and a separate remote monitor can be mounted anywhere that is convenient, which is the intent of the Airstream solar prewire setup. But some controllers include a nice built-in monitor display and, therefore, must be mounted somewhere on the wall rather than hidden under the bench, which requires additional heavy gauge wiring.

~ Ken