Zamp Solar Port Fuse Missing

[GeoffChapman]

I am adding a portable 100W solar panel to my new-to-me 2021 LE1 with its 200 OTT installed panels, hoping to bring my solar up to 300W.

I picked up a Harbor Freight panel today, with a controller and added wiring. When I put my multimeter on the Zamp port (to double check polarity - I notice everyone says to be careful about Zamp's reversed polarity in their port wiring), there was no current!

Snooping around under the rear seat of the front dinette, I found out there is no fuse in the red fuse port just inside the exterior wall (see photo)!  

I assume I should just put a fuse in, right? What amperage?

Thanks for any help!

Geoff

[John E Davies]

10 amps is appropriate, your 100 watt panel will never put out more than 7, at best. It looks like a standard ATC type. Buy a set of spares for the future, in all sizes.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[topgun2]

44 minutes ago, GeoffChapman said:

I am adding a portable 100W solar panel to my new-to-me 2021 LE1 with its 200 OTT installed panels, hoping to bring my solar up to 300W.

This confuses me a bit - 

If you have OTT installed panels - I assume that you have two of them on your roof?  If that is the case then you have more than "200" watts up there to start with.

Bill

[topgun2]

OOPS!

It has been brought to my attention (thanks Mossemi) that you have an Elite I. 

Therefore, my "confusion" is somewhat mollified.🤪

Bill

[rich.dev]

3 hours ago, GeoffChapman said:

I assume I should just put a fuse in, right? What amperage?

I have a 20A fuse on my LE2

[SeaDawg]

Doesn't matter if e1 or e2 , I think the zamp port is simply separate,,goes straight to the battery, and "should" have a 10 amp fuse. Wiring"assumes"a suitcase solar, with separate controller, for portables.

What's on the roof is pretty much irrelevant. Different circuit. 

The zamp port goes directly to battety. Solar panels go to controller. The twain don't meet.

And, yes, zamp  port is wired backwards, from sae standard. once you get the fuse installed,  you'll need to rewire your portable , or purchase an an adapter to reverse polarity. Only zam p (that I know of) works this way.

Best of luck 

 

 

[SeaDawg]

1 hour ago, rich.dev said:

I have a 20A fuse on my LE2

That's interesting. 

The "original " zamp line had a 10 amp fuse, i think. Do you have a zamp port?

[ScubaRx]

As a slight aside, because the solar panel connected to the "solar port" has its own controller and is wired directly to the batteries, whatever amperage input they provide will not be included in the total received over any given period of time. This is because their added input is not included in the calculations done in the main controller and displayed on whatever monitor you are using. Some simple rewiring can easily remedy that problem.

[rich.dev]

2 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

That's interesting. 

The "original " zamp line had a 10 amp fuse, i think. Do you have a zamp port?

Yes a zamp port, I checked myself and it’s 20A, although the 2023 owners manual shows it to be a 15A fuse.
 I checked with Jason and he confirmed they install a 20A fuse, here’s his response….

“Yes, the plant installs a 15a fuse for the solar. The wire for the port is a 10ga wire capable of 30a. The largest portable solar panel option we currently have is a 230w system and the 15a fuse will cover that system. I typically have my team use a 20a fuse because I am looking more toward the future of what system might be available later. Technically as long as the wire is fused below its 30a max it is ok as the fuse is only protecting the wire.”

 

[GeoffChapman]

Thanks for the helpful discussion, everyone. I’m up and running, I think, with the new portable solar panel.  I’ll be testing it out up in the Finger Lakes region over the next days. 
 

BTW, what happens if you have the polarity backwards on the Zamp external solar plug, and plug your panel in?  Will it blow that fuse? Something worse? 
 

 

23 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

As a slight aside, because the solar panel connected to the "solar port" has its own controller and is wired directly to the batteries, whatever amperage input they provide will not be included in the total received over any given period of time. This is because their added input is not included in the calculations done in the main controller and displayed on whatever monitor you are using. Some simple rewiring can easily remedy that problem.

@ScubaRx,  I’d be interested in that “simple rewiring”. Can you point me to a link for that? 

Geoff