Can the Portable Solar Kit be used without a controller?Updated 9 months ago
The AIR GEAR Portable Solar Kit has an external MPPT-type charge controller. This controller must be used with the panels, and it must be connected directly to the batteries (either through the factory-installed solar port, or through the 7-way plug).
Sometimes, service techs will modify the wiring of the factory-installed solar port so that it connects to the onboard charge controller for the rooftop panels. Then they'll tell you to use "unregulated" panels, meaning panels without a charge controller. This actually creates a problem, and we strongly recommend that you don't allow your solar port to be re-wired this way.
The reason is that the output specs for the portable solar panels may not match the rooftop panels. When you are connecting multiple panels through a single charge controller, all of the panels need to have matching output specifications (volts, amps, watts). If they don't match, the system won't work efficiently.
Because the specs of the rooftop panels are likely to be different from portable panels, the best practice is to leave the exterior solar port as it was originally designed by Airstream: connected directly to the battery. This way you can use any regulated portable panels you want, with their own charge controller. The two charge controllers (one for the rooftop and one for the portable panels) will each work cooperatively to maintain the batteries.
If your solar port has been re-wired so that it no longer goes directly to the battery, you have two options:
- You can have the wiring for the solar port put back to the original arrangement (directly to the battery, with an in-line 20 amp fuse).
- You can purchase our Portable Solar Kit with the optional 7-way connector, thus bypassing the solar port. This will work on all travel trailers except 2023 and later Trade Wind models.