Charging Cable Extension for Solar Panel Charging System

Question:

Greetings, I purchased the above described solar panel from Costco a couple of weeks ago. It comes with a 8.5 amp solar charge controller that looks pretty cheesy. It is rated at: Load 8.5A max cut-out 14.2 v cut-in 13v. The problem I see with this controller is the connecting wires are small gage and only about 4 or maybe 5 feet long if attached to solar panel. Whther I put the panel on the roof or use as stand alone with stand, I will need a long cord so do not know what that does as far as charging capacity. We are charging a singel deep cycle battery. Our trailer is a 2013 Aljo 18 footer so its fairly small. We like boon docking so seldom have hooks ups. Wondering if you have a referral for an alternative controller that is affordable, or should I use the one that came with the panel and solder on extension wire. How far can I go from battery without loosing to much charging power? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. As you can tell I am new to the whole RV thing, I attached a photo of the controller. Tried to add photo of label on panel but was only able to upload one photo.

asked by: Jim H

Expert Reply:

The wire gauge on your solar panel's charge controller should have been determined to be adequate based on the panel's output, to ensure it does not limit charging performance. Our 110-watt solar systems like # 34272630, shown on the linked page, use 4-gauge wire.

I recommend you use the heaviest gauge wire you can and the shortest possible extension length. I'm not sure how much length you need but we do offer a 30-foot extension from Go Power # 34270356 as well as a 7-1/2-foot 2-gauge winch wiring kit # BDW20205. Heavy-duty jumper cables like 4-gauge Hopkins # HMBC0860, 20-feet long, will also easily handle the controller's output to the battery.

I suggest you avoid mixing panel and controller parts from different systems.

expert reply by: Adam R