Residential/Cabin Kit Installation Manual
1. Wiring the Solar Panel – Depending on the desired Voltage/Amperage combination the solar
panels will either need to be wired in strings or separately. When placed in series the voltage of
the panels add, and when strings of panels are placed in parallel the amperage adds. If the kit
contains 12V solar panels and 12V batteries, then the solar panels will not need to be wired in
series as the voltage already matches up. In most cases the voltage of the solar panel arrays will
want to be matched to the voltage of the battery to ensure the most efficient charging. Be sure
not to combine the panels in a combination that will cause them to surpass the voltage or
amperage limit of the charge controller or inverter.
The kit contains standard SMK solar panel interconnecting wires. One wire will be attached to
the positive terminal of the solar panel, and one will be attached to the negative terminal. This
will leave both a male and female terminal wire coming out of the panel. An extra wire should
be provided. This wire may need to be cut in half and have the insulation stripped. The male half
will attach to the loose female connector coming out from the panel, and the female half will
attach to the loose male connector coming out from the panel. This will effectively leave
stripped wire exposed which can then be connected into the combiner box. If desired, spade
terminals can be purchased and crimped onto the end to provide a smoother connection into
the combiner box.
Figure 1 – Panels wired in parallel
Figure 2 – Two strings of 2 panels wired in series
Note: It is best to cover the solar panel during installation as the solar panels may begin
collecting power as soon as they are mounted and exposed to the sun which can be dangerous.
2. Wiring the Combiner Box – The combiner box will include space for one breaker for each solar
panel string. Each solar panel array should have one positive and one negative wire leading into
the combiner box. The combiner box should have only one positive and one negative wire
leaving it and going to the inverter. Always make sure that an adequate wire gauge is used as
this single connection will be carrying the wattage of the entire solar array and for larger
systems can result in loss of power or even the wire melting.
Figure 3 – Solar panel strings wired into combiner box
3. Wiring the Charge Controller – The single positive/negative connection from the combiner box
will be wired into the charge controller. In between the charge controller and the combiner box
is the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) that protects the surge protector from accidental
ground faults during installation or maintenance and helps to protect the rest of the system. The
charge controller will have three separate inputs (each containing a positive and negative wire
terminal). One for the combiner box (essentially the solar panel input), one for the battery, and
optionally one for loads (such as lighting, if the specific charge controller allows it). Once again
spade terminals may be purchased and crimped onto the bare wire to provide smoother and
more stable connections if so desired. The ground fault protection device should be connected
in between the battery array and the charge controller in order to protect the batteries.
Figure 4 – Charge Controller
4. Wiring the Battery Bank – The batteries, similar to the solar panels, can either be wired in series
to add the voltages, or in parallel to add the amp-hour ratings together. In most cases the
voltage of the battery and solar panel will want to be matched by adding solar panels in series to
match the battery voltage, not the other way around. The battery bank may also have its own
disconnect added for safety reasons. Once wired together properly, the battery bank should
have only one positive and one negative connection leaving from the bank. This will be wired
into the inverter.
Figure 5 – Batteries wired in series, batteries wired in parallel, batteries wired in series and parallel
(from left to right)
5. Wiring the Inverter – The battery bank will be wired directly into the inverter. Again, ensure the
proper wire gauge is used because the wires will be carrying the majority of the power of the
system through these wires. There should be exactly one positive and negative connection
leaving the inverter as well. Right after the inverter is a surge protector or other kind of
protection device to protect devices that are connected from being damaged by a power surge
coming from the system.