Redarc RV Solar Panel with Solar Charge Controller Installation - 2021 Coachmen Northern Spirit Ultr

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Full transcript: https://www.etrailer.com/tv-install-r...
Hi there Coachman owners. Today in your 2021 Coachman Spirit Ultra Light, we're gonna be taking a look at and showing you how to install REDARC's 50 Watts solar panel kit. Here you can see our solar panel installed on top. This is a 50 watt panel and it is a monocrystalline panel, which is the preferred style for efficiency. There's two different types of solar panels, you got your monocrystalline and your polycrystalline. Your monocrystalline typically has a higher wattage value at a smaller footprint than your polycrystalline one.

So the polys are usually a little bit bigger giving you the same output of a smaller monocrystalline one. Now there's kind of pros and cons to both there. I personally prefer the monocrystalline because you can get a higher total wattage on your roof 'cause they're slightly smaller packages, but since they're slightly smaller, that means that they are a little bit more susceptible to obstruction because they are smaller. So if half the panel gets blocked, you're gonna lose more wattage versus like a polycrystalline that's got a larger area, so less of it could potentially get blocked. So it's kind of up in the air which one you think is gonna be better for your situation but I prefer the monocrystalline just because it has a little bit, a little more dense as far as its power package is concerned.

We've got it mounted up using REDARC's mounting system. And this is quite a bit different than the Go Power ones we use here. The Go Powers use just kind of like a Z metal bracket to attach it to the bottom of the panel. These ones here are kind of a little bit more aerodynamic to allow the wind to go over it. That should help reduce some wind noise the solar panels can potentially get 'cause with those Zee brackets, it's pretty much just a panel sitting up here and your air goes above and across.

This just kind of helps to direct that over. It makes it a little bit more aerodynamic. That also can help reduce the drag on it, so you're not gonna have so much stress on the wind, trying to pull your panel off. I know with the Go Powers, they usually recommend that you stay kind of a little bit further back to prevent that air going over your trailer. The REDARC didn't really have any recommendations like that in their instructions so it looks like that these types of solid brackets here probably that you get a little bit closer to the front of your motor home before we have to worry about that drag issue.

The solar panel does have just standard MC4 connectors on it so I do like that the REDARC stayed with standard connections there on the panel itself. They do switch over to Anderson connectors for the rest of their components, but you do get an adapter with your kit here. So it does have an MC4 to Anderson adapter, so that way it can switch over to Anderson. I would have preferred if REDARC just would've stuck with MC4 all the way down, it would have been a little bit more standard, it would work better with some of other competitor's components as well. I don't really like when they switch connectors, but it all seemed to work out okay. The component right here on top, if you have a solar prep package on your trailer or RV, you're gonna have one of these MC4 connectors mounted on top. A solar-ready trailer actually has a small connector on the side, for ones that you just plug in and set on the side. So it is important to know the difference in solar ready and solar prep. This one didn't have the solar preps so we did add BMC4 connector on top to make this a much cleaner installation. The Anderson connector style that it comes with really doesn't let you kind of plug it into a roof. REDARC does have some roof mounted connectors, which you're gonna have to cut the wires to mount them up and there really isn't a good mounting solution to get it installed on an RV roof. It'd be great for like a conversion van, but for this, it just really isn't an ideal type of bracket. The Anderson style, if you do wanna run those, you could use like a vent or like your refrigerator vent, something like that, to run your wires down through the vent, to get 'em inside. So that is a way that you're able to get those in. I don't personally like that way, 'cause it does leave a chance for wicking to occur on the wires to bring 'em