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Old 01-04-2020, 10:08 PM   #1
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Solar Panel Question

Hello all,
I just purchased a 2017 Kodiak Ultra Lite and it has a solar plug at the front. Can this be used to power the entire camper or is it just to keep the battery charged?
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Old 01-05-2020, 11:44 AM   #2
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Hello all,
I just purchased a 2017 Kodiak Ultra Lite and it has a solar plug at the front. Can this be used to power the entire camper or is it just to keep the battery charged?
Solar panels, without inverters, supply about 12 - 14 volts so you can get enough solar panels to power everything that is 12 volts in your camper. You can get an inverter to supply 110 from 12 volts.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop...05255241512568

I think typically, one solar panel (2 x 4-ish) supplies about 100 watts.
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Old 01-05-2020, 03:25 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Michael3630 View Post
Hello all,
I just purchased a 2017 Kodiak Ultra Lite and it has a solar plug at the front. Can this be used to power the entire camper or is it just to keep the battery charged?

I think the gauge of wire from that connector to the battery is maybe 14 or so. Maybe less. So it will not support the power requirements of the entire camper.
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Old 01-05-2020, 03:29 PM   #4
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I found a male connector with 10 gauge. So that is better. But still not enough to carry the entire camper.


https://www.amazon.com/9M9-Industria...8241608&sr=8-5
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Old 01-06-2020, 06:12 PM   #5
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Your 12 volt battery system powers all the 12 volt portions of your camper (furnace, lights, exhaust fans, etc.). Solar panels provide you a charging source for the 12 volt batteries. While technically small 12V loads can be completely satisfied by the immediately available solar harvest, you can more or less think of them as a battery charging source. They are not "powering" anything.
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Old 01-08-2020, 02:45 PM   #6
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I have one of those on my Kodiak Cub. It is really just an advertising gimmick. As others have said above, it is not a good place to connect for powering your 12 volt appliances. You can do it, but it will be inefficient. Mine is just a connector on the outside. A wire to the front battery box and an inline fuse in the battery box in the front.



The near by battery box is a better place to connect. The 7 pin connector to your tow vehicle is another good connector. The WFCO service entrance (breaker and fuse box) is another good place to connect 12 volt power.


Of course proper wire and fuse or breaker size selection is important where ever you connect.
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Old 01-08-2020, 02:58 PM   #7
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I reread your original post. I may not have answered your question. The question is overly general. The best place to power your camper when setup for occupancy is through the shore power cord to a 30 amp 120 volt or 50 amp 240 volt service supply. (Which ever you have.)


This will provide 120 volts to your AC, Micro, and water heater. It will also provide power to your WFCO converter/charger which will provide 12 volts to lights and such as well as charge your battery.


You can also plug the shore power cord into an external generator.


A 20 amp 120 volt outlet from a nearby building can be enough for limited use of your 120 volt appliances. It will be fine for charging your battery and powering your 12 volt appliances.



Generally, your tow vehicle or a solar panel is the only external source of 12 volt power you would want. Neither will power your AC, Micro, or water heater.


There are of course endless options and custom solutions, but they require much technical knowledge. It can be a great hobby to develop.


I wish you happy trails ahead!
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Old 01-11-2020, 09:21 PM   #8
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Geeze!
Without all the explanation I am going to answer your question directly.
NO, it cannot be used to power your entire camper. It is there only for you to connect a solar panel to, i. order to keep the battery from running completly down and is mainly only used when you put the camper in storage and don’t remove the battery.
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