This blog post is an index of ALL of the DIY solar wiring diagrams for campers, vans & RVs you can find here on EXPLORIST.life. There are several options below to choose from. There are varying sizes of systems and this list is constantly changing and expanding to fit your needs. All of the diagrams below feature:
- Lithium Battery Bank Storage
- Ability to Power Devices via Shore Power
- Ability to Charge the Battery Bank via Shore Power
- Ability to Charge the Battery Bank via Solar Panels
- Ability to Charge the Battery Bank via Vehicle Alternator
- Ability to Run both 12V and 120V Appliances
- Applications for DIY Campers, 30A OEM RVs & 50A OEM RVs
How to Best Use This Page – (Video)
This video will show you how to best use this page. Although this page is just an index of all of the wiring diagrams, it’s always helpful to have a bit of a page orientation as you are looking for the right diagram for your needs:
DIY Camper Solar Wiring Diagrams
The following diagrams will get you well on your way to getting your camper prepared for off-grid adventures. There are several diagrams below for various applications of, not only ground-up DIY campers but also OEM RV retrofits. Each of the following diagrams are high end diagrams using primarily Battle Born Lithium Batteries and Victron Energy Components. The solar array size is incredibly flexible depending on the roof space you have available. Check them out and leave any questions/comments you have in the comments section below.
This diagram and parts list is perfect from ground-up electrical installs into campervans, skoolies, or expedition vehicles. This system is most suitable for systems that do not have a pre-existing house electrical system installed.
This diagram features:
- 3000W Inverter Charger
- 400+ Amp Hours of Battery Storage Capacity
- 400W-1200W Solar Array Capacity
- Alternator Charging
- Shore Power Charging/Passthrough
This diagram and parts list is perfect from ground-up electrical installs into campervans, skoolies, or expedition vehicles. This system is most suitable for systems that do not have a pre-existing house electrical system installed.
This diagram features:
- 2000W Inverter Charger
- 200+ Amp Hours of Battery Storage Capacity
- 200W-700W Solar Array Capacity
- Alternator Charging
- Shore Power Charging/Passthrough
This diagram and parts list is perfect for retrofitting solar and an upgraded Inverter into a factory build OEM RV with 30A shore power. This system is most suitable for systems that do not have a pre-existing house electrical system installed.
This diagram features:
- 3000W Inverter Charger
- 400+ Amp Hours of Battery Storage Capacity
- 400W-1200W Solar Array Capacity (Optional)
- Alternator Charging (Optional)
- Shore Power Charging/Passthrough
This diagram and parts list is perfect for retrofitting solar and an upgraded Inverter into a factory build OEM RV with 50A shore power. This system is most suitable for systems that do have a pre-existing house electrical system installed.
This diagram features:
- 3000W Inverter Charger
- 400+ Amp Hours of Battery Storage Capacity
- 400W-1200W Solar Array Capacity (Optional)
- Alternator Charging (Optional)
- Shore Power Charging/Passthrough
This diagram is for users requiring extensive power demands through 120V/240V split phase at up to 3000w per leg. This diagram also shows how to wire multiple solar arrays through multiple charge controllers into the Lynx Distributor. This diagram also features full system monitoring through the Victron GX line of devices.
This diagram features:
- Dual 3000W Inverter Chargers for 120V/240V Split Phase
- 600+ Amp Hours of Battery Storage Capacity (12V Battery Bank)
- Up to 5800W of Solar (expandable at a rate of 2900W per charge controller)
- Alternator Charging at a rate of 100A (optional)
- Shore Power Charging/Passthrough
This diagram and parts list is perfect from ground-up electrical installs into campervans, schoolies, or expedition vehicles. This system is most suitable for systems that do not have a pre-existing house electrical system installed. This diagram features high-performance wires, fuses, and fuse holders but chooses more budget-friendly components like Renogy, Aims, Kisae, or similar
This diagram features:
- 2000W Inverter Charger
- 200+ Amp Hours of Battery Storage Capacity
- 200W-520W Solar Array Capacity
- Alternator Charging
- Shore Power Charging/Passthrough
This wiring diagram is a full guidebook for all of the 12V branch circuits like likes, fans, 12v outlets, USB outlets, 12V Refrigerators are other such devices commonly used in DIY Campers.
This wiring diagram shows a typical 6-circuit 120V branch circuit wiring diagram that is commonly used in DIY Campers for 120V outlets, water heaters, air conditioners, and other high wattage devices.
Not sure what size you need? Start with a power audit here: https://www.explorist.life/what-size-of-solar-system-is-needed-to-power-a-camper/
If you are looking for old wiring diagrams you can find those here:
https://www.explorist.life/solarwiringdiagrams-archive/
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ROBERTO
Friday 20th of May 2022
I love it. Learning a lot. Taking a lot of notes to prepare my RV camper by the beach in Puerto Rico. Plenty sunlight, so, I will take advantage of that. On how to solar power my RV camper. Thanks a lot, Very helpfull.
Benedict
Monday 16th of May 2022
Hi Nate, I hope you can assist me. I am planning an electrical system for my motorhome build. I am looking at 2 x 300W solar panels to charge 2 x 200AH LIFEPO4 lithium batteries. Can you advise what size MPPT (100/30 or 100/50) and if the Victron MultiPlus 12/2000/80-32 230V VE. Bus Inverter/Charger is enough to run a coffee machine and a 12V air con (Dometic RTX 2000) or should I get the 3000W one. I am in Australia. Thanks in advance.
Kind regards, Benedict
Mike
Saturday 7th of May 2022
Hi Nate! I read that you Highly recommend a dual pole solar cutoff switch , but don't see any in any of the diagrams? And I wonder if I am to use one, I should install it down stream of the inline solar fuses if I was to add these as well?? Thanks so much for your help.
Nate Yarbrough
Sunday 15th of May 2022
The dual pole solar disconnect is in literally every diagram just upstream of the charge controller. This is the disconnect I'm recommending now-days: https://shop.explorist.life/shop/all-products/switches-disconnects/solar-isolator-disconnect/
Daphne N.
Thursday 28th of April 2022
Hello Nate, Thanks for this amazing resource! We are starting from scratch, building out a new "mini" camper van (Mercedes Metris) for weekend/week long trips. We believe we can skip the inverter for now (although we may add it later) but definitely want all the charging options (shore, alternator and solar) and we'd like 2 separate solar inputs (roof-mounted and portable panels from the ground). Can you recommend a diagram that would work for this application? Thanks, Daphne
Nate Yarbrough
Sunday 15th of May 2022
Sounds cool! I don't have any diagrams without an inverter.
Kenn
Thursday 21st of April 2022
Nate, I have an RV with existing shore power battery recharging and AC power ability as well as battery recharging from the engine. I want to add a few solar panels, to increase my off shore available power. But I am not sure which, if any of your diagrams will help me... ? What have I missed?