Battery access for Charging

[cl3]

We have a new to us 2016 21 with the dual 6v batteries under one of the dinette seats. It appears there is no way to access them from the outside to charge with portable solar or a plug in charger. Anyone figured out an easy solution to this or will I need install an access myself? Thanks

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by cl3

We have a new to us 2016 21 with the dual 6v batteries under one of the dinette seats. It appears there is no way to access them from the outside to charge with portable solar or a plug in charger. Anyone figured out an easy solution to this or will I need install an access myself? Thanks

I use one of these "portholes" for a variety of low voltage electrical connections, including: portable solar, telephone, thermometer, ham radio cables, etc. It is installed fairly close to the batteries on my E21 and it is a short hop to the solar controller. It does take a 2 inch hole and if you are reluctant to drill a hole of that size then you could use a smaller dedicated connection just for solar. Someone will post a photo, for sure.


--
Alan

[Eggscape]

Keep it simple with this cheap no hole method.
Put one of theses plugs that you find on the rear of your tow vehicle...on the portable solar controllers output. Then just plug your trailer into it as you would into your vehicle. Your batteries will not know the difference between being charged by a vehicle or solar.
Now you can charge almost any trailer.

[MyronL]

Do you have a tongue box? If so maybe run wires from under dinette, down, and then into back of the tongue box where you can keep access to a charging receptacle. Might be less problematic.

Pictures here are my running wires for remote for my solar controller in my tongue box to inside street side dinette.

[John in Santa Cruz]

for plug in charging, just plug in the whole trailer, the power converter will nicely charge the batteries.

My E21 has the rooftop solar, so I've never investigated plugging in portable solar, but if I had to, I'd probably run 10 gauge wires to a PowerPole PP45 behind a marine cable port with a water proof cover drilled into the side or rear of the trailer... rear, because I generally prefer camping with the hitch aimed due north, so the sun rises on the awning/curb side, and sets on the back/street side of the trailer, for best shade...

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by MyronL

Do you have a tongue box? If so maybe run wires from under dinette, down, and then into back of the tongue box where you can keep access to a charging receptacle. Might be less problematic.

Pictures here are my running wires for remote for my solar controller in my tongue box to inside street side dinette.

the batteries on a E21 are under the curb side of the dinette whihc is in the very BACK of the trailer... you want to keep those solar cables as short as possible to minimize voltage loss.

[emers382]

We bought a portable solar set up for our 5.0 but have not really needed it with the 5.0TA. But I did use the clamp on connectors which came with the set up to attach to battery, added and sealed a small hole in the battery box for the wires and the plug in end for the panel just hangs down by the battery. I plug in the panel just running the wire through the open outside hatch. Does the trick if the roof solar is too shaded, but haven't really needed to use it yet.
The only longer term we camped without power this year was the boler 50th and it was sunny the five days there and the roof panel did just fine. We don't have an inverter though.

[cl3]

Anything special about drilling through the fiberglass? Just use a 2" hole bit?

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by cl3

Anything special about drilling through the fiberglass? Just use a 2" hole bit?

Nope, just take it easy with a sharp bit.

I have used a spade bit, a forstner bit, a hole saw, a jig saw, and a multi-tool, all with good success.

[Greg A]

Originally Posted by cl3

Anything special about drilling through the fiberglass? Just use a 2" hole bit?

I’d highly recommend you put painters tape over the area before drilling. Gelcoat is prone to chipping when you drill or make cuts and the tape will help to prevent the chipping.

[John in Santa Cruz]

yeah, I'd drill a small pilot hole first, smaller than the pilot bit on the hole saw, this will ensure you drill centered... for sure, tape as GregA said... then let the hole saw go slow and easy at a medium speed, don't apply too much pressure. my local HW store will rent hole saws, as they are kind of a specialty item you probably won't use very often and a complete set of all sizes gets expensive.

[Ron in BC]

I've drilled countless holes in f.g. Whether it drills perfectly or not has a lot to do with the thickness of the layup. On thick or a cored layup it's just point and shoot.

Thin layups, typical of a lot of the Escape shell do require extra care. On a thin layup the danger with handheld drilling is that any sideways movement, and that happens as a lot of hole saws aren't perfectly aligned with the pilot drill, makes the pilot hole larger and therefore the hole saw wanders a bit. Usually not a biggie but I sometimes take a small piece of plywood, drill it with the hole saw and tape it over the area that I'm drilling. That stops the hole saw from wandering.

Whether or not I bother doing that depends on the object going in the hole. If it has a large flange and the not perfect hole won't show then I usually don't bother.

Ron

[John in Santa Cruz]

If the fiberglass was thin enough to feel flexible where you're going to drill, I'd consider taking a square of 1/4" or 3/8" plywood somewhat larger than the hole and epoxying it to the interior side, waiting for the epoxy to fully harden, then drill through from the outside. this plywood will also provide a more secure base for the screws holding whatever sort of flange you're mounting...

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

.....sometimes take a small piece of plywood, drill it with the hole saw and tape it over the area that I'm drilling. That stops the hole saw from wandering.

This also works good if you are enlarging an existing hole where you can't start the pilot bit.

[James Gang]

You can run the wires thru the battery venting hose

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by James Gang

You can run the wires thru the battery venting hose

but then what? its not like you want to leave a hot DC connector flapping in the breeze outside the vent cover, and that tin cover doesn't offer much in the way of mounting possibliities, further, it will be pretty hard to jam a cable through that vent from the far side of the vent tube.

[cl3]

Originally Posted by James Gang

You can run the wires thru the battery venting hose

That might work as a temporary so2. May give that a try then do something more permanent.

[James Gang]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

but then what? its not like you want to leave a hot DC connector flapping in the breeze outside the vent cover, and that tin cover doesn't offer much in the way of mounting possibliities, further, it will be pretty hard to jam a cable through that vent from the far side of the vent tube.

Yes, it is not permanent but, I fish the wires thru at a park when setting up. The wires slip thru fairly easily. Connect to the batteries. I never would leave it there when driving.

[CRJ]

I have a 2015, 21 with solar charging. The solar charge controller is above the refrigerator with the rest of the monitoring equipment. I’m in the PNW and generally there’s lots of trees blocking the onboard solar system.
What’s the best option to add supplemental portable solar:
1) Connect solar panels to the existing charge controller (it has the capacity) without using an additional controller. Or
2) Directly connect to the batteries with an additional charge controller which is part of the portable package.

Or is there better options I’m not thinking of?

Thanks, cj

[CRJ]

This looks like a very easy way to hook up additional solar. Is there a large voltage drop due to the added length of small gage wires?