1. Welcome to Tundras.com!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tundra discussion topics
    • Transfer over your build thread from a different forum to this one
    • Communicate privately with other Tundra owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Solar Panel on RTT

Discussion in 'Electrical' started by YotaBro, Jun 4, 2022.

  1. Jun 4, 2022 at 7:08 PM
    #1
    YotaBro

    YotaBro [OP] This forum will make me broke

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2020
    Member:
    #52176
    Messages:
    1,257
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Calvin
    FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Cement Grey Tundra TRD PRO
    Lots of shenanigans.
    I have a Bluetti EB55 (link below) and would like to add solar to my RTT to power it. What is the best and most affordable option? It seems that I will be limited to 200W. Please understand that I am not electrical savvy, I just saw something similar to Arkansas Offroad's rig (second link). I do not want to drill into my RTT, I want to use 3M tape or something similar.


    https://www.bluettipower.com/produc...pFHIcGE8oArXUEyEHEWi-r_581HM37OwaApgEEALw_wcB

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoxxwT6OAP4&t=1438s&ab_channel=ArkansasOffroad
     
    Wallygator likes this.
  2. Jun 4, 2022 at 7:15 PM
    #2
    dittothat

    dittothat New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2019
    Member:
    #26579
    Messages:
    2,651
    First Name:
    Nick
    SD
    Vehicle:
    2016 MGM Platinum
    If you’re taping it you’ll want to use a flexible panel(s). Don’t forget to add an inline fuse going from your panel(s) to the solar generator. You should be able to find all sorts of adapters to make the PV line coming from panels to the solar generator plug and play
     
    FrenchToasty and Wallygator like this.
  3. Jun 4, 2022 at 7:16 PM
    #3
    YotaBro

    YotaBro [OP] This forum will make me broke

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2020
    Member:
    #52176
    Messages:
    1,257
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Calvin
    FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Cement Grey Tundra TRD PRO
    Lots of shenanigans.
    Do you have a specific flexible solar panel in mind?
     
  4. Jun 4, 2022 at 7:22 PM
    #4
    dittothat

    dittothat New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2019
    Member:
    #26579
    Messages:
    2,651
    First Name:
    Nick
    SD
    Vehicle:
    2016 MGM Platinum
    I don’t, sorry. I know a few ppl on here run the renogy 175w and seem to be happy with it. I have 2 renogy 100w hard panels and the max I’ll pull from either one is 88w. So keep that in mind.

    but also think about it. Even if you’re only pulling 120w from whatever panel you choose, you’re solar generator will be charged up in no time. I’ve said it before, but it’s really more important how many watts you have in solar than the size of your solar generator battery. If you’re burning through 50ah/day (roughly size of your geneator), then you are running some crazy appliances or a ton of lights. Just some food for thought

    here’s the panel
    Renogy Flexible Solar Panel 175 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Semi-Flexible Bendable Mono Off-Grid Charger for Marine RV Cabin Van Car Uneven Surfaces https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082FCZ4MD

    here’s the fuse you’ll need
    Renogy 20A Male and Female Connector Waterproof in-Line Holder w/Fuse, 20A, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YG2ESN8
     
    Wallygator likes this.
  5. Jun 4, 2022 at 7:30 PM
    #5
    dittothat

    dittothat New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2019
    Member:
    #26579
    Messages:
    2,651
    First Name:
    Nick
    SD
    Vehicle:
    2016 MGM Platinum
    You also need to think about the real estate on top of your RTT and make sure whatever you go with fits.

    to give you some ideas on run time. I started off with a 100w panel and it could run my fridge 24/7 no problem during the summer. But come winter months, I was hurting and battery would run out of juice if there was little sun or a rainy spell. Added the second panel and those problems are history. If you aren’t planning on keeping your fridge (assuming you’re using this for a fridge) in your truck all the time you should be fine with one panel to supplement.
     
    Wallygator likes this.
  6. Jun 4, 2022 at 8:03 PM
    #6
    YotaBro

    YotaBro [OP] This forum will make me broke

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2020
    Member:
    #52176
    Messages:
    1,257
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Calvin
    FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Cement Grey Tundra TRD PRO
    Lots of shenanigans.
    Sweet, yeah that was the solar panel that I was looking at. I 'll give it another 24 hours before I make a purchase to see if anyone else chimes in.
     
    dittothat[QUOTED] likes this.
  7. Jun 4, 2022 at 9:03 PM
    #7
    BayRunner

    BayRunner I’m here, except when I’m not

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2017
    Member:
    #9507
    Messages:
    2,534
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2017 Tundra Platinum
  8. Jun 11, 2022 at 7:10 AM
    #8
    15SR5CM

    15SR5CM New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2021
    Member:
    #64356
    Messages:
    94
    Gender:
    Male
    That's not a bad price, u happy with that set up?
     
  9. Jun 11, 2022 at 8:30 AM
    #9
    eick

    eick New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2020
    Member:
    #40848
    Messages:
    864
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2020 CrewMax TRD Off Road
    Yea I’d go folding panel on the ground if it were me.
     
  10. Jun 11, 2022 at 9:02 AM
    #10
    tvpierce

    tvpierce Formerly New Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2019
    Member:
    #30129
    Messages:
    1,261
    Maine
    Vehicle:
    2000 Tundra AC SR5 4WD, 4.7 Automatic
    I have solar for my camper. I highly recommend having the panels remote vs mounted on the RTT. For the panels to be most efficient, they need to be pointed at the sun -- that means the truck always has to be facing south and in direct sunlight. That can greatly reduce your choices of where you park your truck while camping. And think about this: the ideal location for the solar panels is the direct opposite of the ideal location for the truck/RTT. For the truck, you want shade to keep things cool during the day. For the panels, you NEED them to be in direct sunlight.
    Also, with remote panels, you can change the direction and angle throughout the day to maximize sun exposure. In the morning, I have mine pointed Southeast and near the horizon. By mid-day I move them to pointing South and nearly straight up. By afternoon they're pointing Southwest and near the horizon again.
    I went with two 100 watt flexible panels (200 watt total) mounted with ball-bungies to a frame I made out of PVC pipe. The whole thing can be broken down in less than 5 mins and stores flat.

    Here's what I have. It's plug and play:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082ZGKMN5?ie=UTF8
     
    GODZILLA, Wallygator and eick like this.
  11. Jun 11, 2022 at 10:18 AM
    #11
    BayRunner

    BayRunner I’m here, except when I’m not

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2017
    Member:
    #9507
    Messages:
    2,534
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2017 Tundra Platinum
    Very happy with them. They charge well, more than many panels do.. My only complaint is the legs in the back that hold the panel up are thinner than I’d like. However, it still works well.
     
    15SR5CM[QUOTED] likes this.
  12. Jun 11, 2022 at 10:36 AM
    #12
    15SR5CM

    15SR5CM New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2021
    Member:
    #64356
    Messages:
    94
    Gender:
    Male
    As long as it charges well I can deal with the legs..thanks for the link!
     
  13. Jun 11, 2022 at 12:24 PM
    #13
    Luke_Skywalker

    Luke_Skywalker New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2021
    Member:
    #59981
    Messages:
    214
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Luke
    Vehicle:
    2020 Tundra TRD Pro
    Eibach TRD Pro Front Springs, Dirt King UCA's Coachbuilder +3 shackle (poly bushings)/carrier bearing drop, steering upgrade, bumper shims, White Knuckle Sliders, Leitner Designs, Baja Designs, Switch Pro, Victron Solar, BORA 1.25", BFG KO2s, Wheelers Superbumps, VLED interior lights, 12" Sub, Window Tint.
    I have both a folding ground panel, and a fixed panel (on my FJs hood). Depending on your year Tundra, you could look into a hood mounted panel if you want. On my FJ its attached with a lot of 3m tape, and some sika flex around the edges. Have had 0 problems with that and it keeps my FJs big AGM topped off. I havent ran a fridge from it or anything as i too have a portable power station that I plug the fridge into. With a 120w folding panel ive been able to run the fridge for 3 days, and keep both the fridge battery (mine has a lithium batt) and my goalzero completely topped off.

    Benefit of a folding panel is you can move it from rig to rig, or onto a boat for example if you go out for the day. Fixed panel you install it once and dont fuss with it ever again.

    Do you have a bed rack? maybe rig a fixed panel to that? If its going on top of your roof tent try to do a 160-200w panel. 3M tape it like crazy (i did my entire panel on the FJ). Lay some towels down on it and some weight to get good adhesion for a day or two. Make sure you clean the area really good before taping, and you should be solid man. You can do the sika flex too around teh edges to keep air from getting under the panel and potentially pulling on it a little but ive seen poeple without that and they dont seem to have issues. I did it as a precaution since the panel is right up front of the FJ. On a roof tent, the air probably gets pushed up and over it so there is less to worry about. Hope this helps.
     
    Wallygator likes this.
  14. Jun 12, 2022 at 7:33 PM
    #14
    YotaBro

    YotaBro [OP] This forum will make me broke

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2020
    Member:
    #52176
    Messages:
    1,257
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Calvin
    FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Cement Grey Tundra TRD PRO
    Lots of shenanigans.
    Thanks for all of the advice! Decided to go with the rigid solar panels. I’m going to mount them on the top of my RTT. I prefer to have everything ready to go and understand that I will not be maximizing my solar potential, compared to a foldable one. I prefer it to be ready to go versus stay in my garage until I’m ready to pack it. For me, it’s one less thing to pack.
     
    tvpierce likes this.
  15. Sep 15, 2023 at 8:14 AM
    #15
    Chadxez

    Chadxez New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2023
    Member:
    #103528
    Messages:
    9
    Gender:
    Male
    I have been on the lookout for a light weight and flexible solar panels. I have bought several other items from BougeRV and I have been very happy with the quality of their products. I have hooked up it up to several of my battery banks and it has worked flawlessly.
     
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2023
  16. Sep 15, 2023 at 8:47 AM
    #16
    Wallygator

    Wallygator Well Zippedy Da Do!

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2020
    Member:
    #44761
    Messages:
    2,539
    My rigid 160W solar panel is taped to the top of the topper. Used 3M VHB and Eternabond like in the video by Hobotech.

     
    dittothat likes this.
  17. Sep 15, 2023 at 9:25 PM
    #17
    Chad D.

    Chad D. New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2019
    Member:
    #26010
    Messages:
    1,045
    Gender:
    Male
    Western Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2018 CrewMax Platinum
    Super happy with the (2) 100W flexible Renogy panels on my canopy. Stuck them down with some 3M foam tape, which provides a bit of an air space beneath the panels.

    I use a Victron MPPT controller and have a disconnect between panels and the controller. The controller charges my second battery, which will connect to my starting battery when voltage is sufficient.


    It’s an awesome system. I’ve seen as high as 185W on my monitor, and my Odyssey batteries are always full. They may be as low as 12.8V in the morning, but will be 14.1-14.3 by evening. I keep a Dometic fridge full of beers at all times, and the Solar keeps it cold indefinitely.
     
    Wallygator likes this.
  18. Sep 20, 2023 at 1:18 PM
    #18
    Chad D.

    Chad D. New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2019
    Member:
    #26010
    Messages:
    1,045
    Gender:
    Male
    Western Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2018 CrewMax Platinum
    CFX-50, if I remember correctly. It's a 50 liter size, which sounds small. When you no longer have to waste space with ice, it holds about what you're used to with a 72 quart cooler.
    Fits about 72 silver bullets with ease...

    The only thing I don't like about the fridge is the Wifi. It's a neat feature to monitor fridge temp and voltage, but my phone would hook onto the wifi and no longer work with LTE. I fixed that by turning the wifi off on the fridge... I have a volt meter where it plugs in, and can open my Victron app to see my battery voltage if it's that important. Used to be, but not since the solar.

    We were gone for an entire week last week and I left my truck outside in the sun with the fridge running. 7 days later, the battery voltage was still just shy of 13V and the mountains were blue... Voltage gets as high as 14.7V and I never see below about 12.4V
     
To Top