Furrion Solar Panel for RV (5 Options and Alternatives)
Solar panels are a viable option. You can’t live by battery power alone. Sooner or later, those batteries will run out of power and need to be re-charged. By installing the right solar panels you can keep the power running in your RV for a very long time, even when out in the middle of nowhere.
Some RV manufacturing companies provide built-in solar panel ports so you can boondock longer. These ports are usually made for Furion solar panels. However, you can also hook up Coleman, Acopower, Renogy panels if you do not want to pay for the Furion models.
To learn more about this interesting topic, just continue to read our article. it explores the subject so that you have the information you need to make the best choice for your RV time. Take a few minutes to see what is available to you.
Furrion Solar Panel Alternative 101
Furrion Solar Panel
The proper construction is there. This company does make very good solar panels as they use anodized aluminum for the frame and tempered glass for the panel itself. This pairing helps these panels withstand any weather that is sent their way.
The best thing about the company is that it makes different size panels for different needs. It also produces the support equipment you need to use that newly generated power without fail.
These panels also come in different wattage sizes which allows you to get enough power when you are out in the wilderness far from any electrical hook up. The problem comes in at the price level.
Yes, you get what you pay for but you do not always get a top-quality product when you are paying top dollar. However, this should not be the case with this company their panels should do as advertised and you should get your money’s worth.
Their high cost will pay for itself over the long run as you save on recharging your batteries through traditional means.
What does Furrion Solar Prep Mean?
Not very much. What you get probably barely qualifies legally as prep for solar panels. In other words, if you are expecting a lot of connections, wiring, and other accessories, lower your expectations a little.
All you are getting when an RV manufacturing company says Furrion solar prep is one little fused connection to the battery. There is no controller no other wiring and so on. Everything else you will need to operate those panels you need to buy separately.
The fuse is roughly 10 amps and you can buy a plug that fits the socket. or you can just buy the panels that already have the plug attached to them. Then the important accessory you will need is the controller. it needs to be located between the panel and the plug.
Just be wary as not all portable panels that you can buy will have the controller as part of the package. Read all the information first to make sure you know what you are getting.
Furrion Portable Solar Panel
These are standard solar panels that this company sells. You can get them in different watts and once you get the right accessories, along with enough power cord, you can move them to any location you need them in.
The 2 options we found on their website were rated for 100 and 50 watts. There is also a 165-watt option so you do have a chance to beef up your power supply without spending a lot of money on several panels.
These panels are said to be very durable as they are made from some of the best materials you can buy. Aluminum frames help keep rust and corrosion away which means you do not have to take them in every time there is a rain or snowstorm.
The power you get will depend on how many panels you use at one time. How long it lasts will depend on how many appliances you power and run during your vacation.
Furrion Solar Plug
One of the drawbacks surrounding this part is that it is not usually sold separately. Furrion doesn't have listed as an independent part for sale on its products list but you can still get it if you pay for another panel.
This is a very inconvenient production method to use and frustrates many Furrion panel owners. The plugs are worth the money and do their job well but those who do not need extra panels, tend to shop around for alternatives.
One Furrion owner simply bought a cigarette lighter extension cord and then adapted it to meet his plug needs. He also got 25 feet of extra wire so he can place his panels in optimum positions. there are other adaptions he made but you get the picture.
The plug itself is said to be a rare 2 pin port that other companies do not make. This gives Furrion a little bit of an advantage as generally, you would need to only buy their products to use with their plugs.
Furrion Solar Charger
In a search of their website, two products came up. the first one is their wall-mounted controller that can handle 25 or 50 amps. It comes with MPPT technology to make sure you have no problems charging your batteries.
Plus, this device can handle either a 300 watt or a 600-watt solar panel array. The unit does automatically adjust the output to prevent over-charging. It has its own self-monitoring system.
Then the technology switches modes in order to help your batteries charge better while operating cooling fans so the unit does not over-heat. A wall mounting bracket is included in your purchase.
The other option is the Solar Port Inlet and it works on a 10 amp system. It mounts to the exterior wall of your RV or trailer and comes with a nice waterproof container that can be bought in one of three colors.
This inlet works with the 10 amp charger to make sure your batteries get a steady supply of electricity. The cover is made from PVC materials to make sure that the outside weather does not harm the components.
Furrion Solar Panel Reviews
We did not find any reviews that said to stay away from this product or company. There were no negative opinions except when it came to trying to buy the plug. Most people did not like the way Furrion handled that part.
For the plug design, the harshest comment we found was ‘that it was rare’ to have a 2 pin design. The reviewer felt that was done on purpose so that people would need to buy more Furrion products to work with their plug.
Some people felt that Renogy had a better quality product line than Furrion. That type of thinking seems to be the average thought as reviewers recommended other brands over this company’s products.
This does not mean that Furrion makes a bad product or uses inferior components. There are just minor issues the reviewers do not like and find that other companies have met and overcome the same challenges a lot better than Furrion has.
Your experience is going to be what tips the scales in favor or against Furrion products. Not everyone will think it is the best system around but others will.
What Solar Panels Work With Furrion?
If you have the right adapter, you can use a multitude of different solar panels with the Furrion system. The key is the adapter as Furrion has designed their components to be used with Furrion products and made sure their designs were different from other companies.
However, they did not count on good technicians who could circumvent that strategy and make adapters work with their system. Here are a few of the brands you can use with the Furrion system:
- Renogy 100W Portable Foldable Monocrystalline Solar Panel
- Acopower 100W Portable Solar Kit
- Renogy 12V 100W Monocrystalline Bundle Kit Solar Panel
Zamp makes an adapter for the Furrion on plug system and some owners that have the Furrion on plug prep already installed, have removed them and gone with a different brand where the plugs are easier to find.
Other companies do the same thing as Zamp. They have created their own adapters to meet Furrion’s specs and style of operation. It will take a little bit of an internet search to find those companies.
Part of that search would include looking at Amazon as Vemote offers a two-pin adapter for you to use with the Furrion system. SolarEnxz is another vendor there advertising a 2 pin adapter.
The key question to ask yourself is ‘are these adapters going to work and not fake?’
Solar Panel With Furrion Adapter
Any of the companies that we have already made offer their solar panels with a Furrion adapter. The ones at Amazon, however, usually only sell the adapter to make sure you can buy any brand of solar panel and have it work with your Furrion system.
Goal Zero Boulder 100 Briefcase Solar Panel and Go Power Portable Solar System with Digital Solar Controller are two more options to check out. However, because the Furrion system is so simple, technicians are recommending that it is easy to splice your current wire harness and attach it to your new solar panel.
The key is not to go over the 10 amp limit on the Furrion system. If you want to do the splice option, there are many how-to videos on the internet that you can watch and follow their instructions.
Also, do not forget to have a charge controller attached to your off-brand solar panel before hooking it to the Furrion system.
Renogy to Furrion Adapter
According to Renogy, the adapter they make is a very simple device that needs to be connected to a charge controller. All this adapter kit contains is 2 wires. it is a simple design as Furrion has made their system very simple.
The key is to make sure you have the charge controller between the panel and the plug. The wires have plastic connectors on one end to plug into the solar panel while the other end is basically two exposed wires.
There is weatherproofing included to make sure you do not lose any power due to leaks etc. Then if you need extra length, this adapter is made to come in with different lengths of wire. That allows you to place your solar panels where you need them at the time.
How do You Hook Up a Solar Panel to a Solar-Ready RV?
There are more ways you can do this than can be mentioned here. The two most basic methods are to use the right solar panels made by the same company that made the solar prep plug. That way you get the3 right connection without any adapting or monkeying around.
Or you can use an adapter and then do some fine-tuning on the plug prep side of the system. This is just another option to the plug and play method when using the same brand making all the components.
The other method you can use is to bypass the plug prep altogether and just wire in a whole new system. No one says you have to use the solar prep plug already in your RV. You can install a better system so you have better power connections.
Some Final Words
Furrion is not the last word on Solar panels or their solar prep. It is just one system that does work well for you especially if your solar power needs are not too great. if you don’t like Furrion, get an adapter and use another brand or bypass the system.
