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Connecting Solar Charge Controller & Solar Panels To Our Tiny Home

I installled an MPPT solar charge controller in our tiny home and connected the solar panels that I had just mounted on a homemade adjustable rack the other day.

 

First I removed the unused Renogy Tracer 40 amp MPPT solar charge controller from the off grid electronics shop. This was wired up from our last tiny house and I had never removed it from the system. In the electronics lab it was unused and waiting for a new home.

 

I fastened the MPPT solar charge controller to the wall of our tiny home and then used a stud finder to locate the wall studs. I needed to find a good place to drill through for the electrical conduit.

 

 

Renogy Tracer 40 Amp MPPT Solar Charge Controller

 

I used a screw to bore through the wall to be sure there was nothing behind the drywall where I wanted to cut a hole.

 

 

 

 

Then I used a hole saw to cut a hole through the house to the outside. This will be for the PVC electrical conduit. It fit nicely. Outside I used a TackLife rotary tool and a cutoff wheel to cut a hole in the metal case of the solar generator battery box. Now I can fit the wires through from the solar charge controller to the batteries.

 

 

Drilling hole for electrical conduit

 

I ran the wire I had recently purchased into our tiny house through the conduit. Inside I connected the wires to the Renogy MPPT solar charge controller. The other end of the wires were not yet connected to anything. You never want to connect the solar panels to a charge controller without first connected the batteries. You can damage the charge controller that way.

 

 

Running solar panel wires through tiny house wall

 

I made some connecting wires using 6 gauge wire and end connectors. A crimping tool made the job go very smooth. I love this tool. I had borrowed it from a friend and plan to get one for myself one day.

 

 

I ran the wires into the tiny house and connected the ends to the solar charge controller first. Back outside I wired up the batteries to the solar charge controller and I had power.

 

 

Connecting MPPT solar charge controller to solar generator battery box

 

Next I simply connected the solar panels on the other end of the wires and I was charging up my off grid solar powered generator. This will power our off grid tiny house.

 

 

Solar charge controller and solar panels working well

 

We also have another set of two 200 watt solar panels connected to a small solar generator with an extension cord running to the tiny house. I plan to rewire this better as well soon. But it got us through the summer as it stands.

 

If you missed the previous article where I built the adjustable solar panel rack you can go back and see it here: Homemade Adjustable Solar Panel Rack For Our Tiny House

You can watch today's video here: Watch the video now  Installing Solar Charge Controller & Solar Panels On Tiny House

 

While you are over there please subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow our daily videos as we strive to become self sufficient and off the grid on a budget.

 

Feel free to ask any questions or get help with your project on our Discussion and support forum





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Troy Reid

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