converter/charger

[dirtclod]

Getting ready to install 2-lithium batteries. We have a 2015 369 Solitude, do we need to change out converter/charger, if so any recommends?

Thanks!

[Wizbangdoodle]

Yes.
If your investing in lithium, get a high quality inverter/charger.
There are several on this board that have lithium. Do a quick search and you'll find what you're looking for.

[boyscout]

Getting ready to install 2-lithium batteries. We have a 2015 369 Solitude, do we need to change out converter/charger, if so any recommends? Thanks!

Yes, to improve charging time and to prolong the life of your batteries you should replace the converter.

This one seems to be popular among other owners who have done this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DP3X16F...v_ov_lig_dp_it

I don't have one, no personal experience. I have nothing at all to gain by recommending it. Just the messenger here.

[Boom 'r Bust]

Yes, to improve charging time and to prolong the life of your batteries you should replace the converter.

This one seems to be popular among other owners who have done this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DP3X16F...v_ov_lig_dp_it

I don't have one, no personal experience. I have nothing at all to gain by recommending it. Just the messenger here.

Yup that's the one I bought and installed. FYI... these were the things I did not know before installing:

1. Biggest wire that fits in the converter is 4g welding wire
2. My plan was to leave the old converter installed and just turn off the circuit breaker. Found out all the bedroom plugs were on that circuit. So I completely removed the old converter. Then installed the new one in the front bay by the batteries.
3. Drilled a hole and fed the plug thru to an AC receptacle in the main pass thru area.
4. Takes about 1 hour to charge both of my Lion 105AH batteries 20%.

Hope that helps...

[boyscout]

Yup that's the one I bought and installed. FYI... these were the things I did not know before installing:

1. Biggest wire that fits in the converter is 4g welding wire
2. My plan was to leave the old converter installed and just turn off the circuit breaker. Found out all the bedroom plugs were on that circuit. So I completely removed the old converter. Then installed the new one in the front bay by the batteries.
3. Drilled a hole and fed the plug thru to an AC receptacle in the main pass thru area.
4. Takes about 1 hour to charge both of my Lion 105AH batteries 20%.

Hope that helps...

Let's tag @dirtclod (<-- that does it!) so he/she gets a notification and sees your advice.

[orbiker]

Yup that's the one I bought and installed. FYI... these were the things I did not know before installing:

1. Biggest wire that fits in the converter is 4g welding wire
2. My plan was to leave the old converter installed and just turn off the circuit breaker. Found out all the bedroom plugs were on that circuit. So I completely removed the old converter. Then installed the new one in the front bay by the batteries.
3. Drilled a hole and fed the plug thru to an AC receptacle in the main pass thru area.
4. Takes about 1 hour to charge both of my Lion 105AH batteries 20%.

Hope that helps...

Why did you put the converter in the front bay?
What rig?

I just bought the same converter. It's in the mail. I already bought 2 Aims Lithium batteries, but have not installed them yet.

Tips? tricks? Thanks, KEN

[Boom 'r Bust]

Why did you put the converter in the front bay?
What rig?

I just bought the same converter. It's in the mail. I already bought 2 Aims Lithium batteries, but have not installed them yet.

Tips? tricks? Thanks, KEN

Ken, I have a 2018 Reflection 220RK 5er. In addition to the new converter and Lion batteries, I also installed a 2000W Aims inverter.

I follow a guy on Youtube who does all this DIY on his 5th wheel. His set up and explanations were easy for me to understand and follow. The channel is Love Your RV. I somewhat mirrored his setup with most of my electrical upgrades/additions in the front bay. But that is only a partial reasoning...

I planned on leaving the old converter installed with the breaker turned off. Plus when I looked at the space available where the old converter was, it looked really tight and may not work for the new converter. Also, I had read about using proper guage wiring for high amperage throughput. Length of the wire played a factor for efficiency. So having evrything together made sense to me. And finally, working inside the OEM junction and breaker box was not something I looked forward to.

So that was the bulk of my pre-project logic. Here is what I discovered during the project:

1. Fully charge each battery individually before installation. This was easily done using 4g welding cable and the new converter.
2. Have a new battery box planned out and ready before starting. Mine was kind of done on the fly.
3. When ordering the cables and connectors understand all the parts in play. Some of my connectors had openings that were too big for the battery posts, inverter posts, etc.
4. Use rubber protected tools and gloves. Don't ask...
5. Have all your fuses and shut offs planned in advance. This may affect the location of your equipment.
6. Use positive and negative buss bars to connect wiring. I ran all my new equipment directly to the batteries. This created a bit of a 'bird's nest' situation. It works, it's safe, but not ideals. Someday I will fix that...

Here are my thoughts after project completion:

1. Working in the OEM breaker box was not difficult. (Had to remove old converter after all.)
2. Working in the front bay was MUCH easier than trying to install everything in garage pass thru.
3. Putting the converter in the front bay gave me the option to plug it in to my 400W truck bed plug while driving.
4. Using the separate shut offs for the converter and inverter makes it easy to switch from boon docking mode to shore power mode to storage mode.
5. It works - being trained by Youtube and message boards is a little scary when working with electricity. So there is always the apprehension when flipping the first switch at project's end.

So those are my thoughts and experiences before, during, and after. Hope it helps...

[DaveMatthewsBand]

Boom, check out some of my posts.
I have the same trailer and a few hundred posts on solar.

Do a search for:

First 220RK Solar / Lithium install


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Boom 'r Bust]

Boom, check out some of my posts.
I have the same trailer and a few hundred posts on solar.

Do a search for:

First 220RK Solar / Lithium install


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey DMB! Thanks for checking in... Your solar and electrical install is epic. Especially for a small 5er like the 220RK. My goals and budget are a little different than yours though. We do not plan on going full time, but I wanted to be able to comfortably boondock for 3 to 5 days. I budgeted 4K to do this. I know you have mentioned your system was around 10K. Plus with my simple design and components I know I can easily transfer everything over to another rig if I decide to upgrade.

Take care and be safe in this crazy time. Hope your finding plenty of boondocking spots to self quarantine at...

[Spike32]

Yes, to improve charging time and to prolong the life of your batteries you should replace the converter.

This one seems to be popular among other owners who have done this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DP3X16F...v_ov_lig_dp_it

I don't have one, no personal experience. I have nothing at all to gain by recommending it. Just the messenger here.

I concur with BOYSCOUT, the Progressive Dynamics PD9160ALV is the one that Battleborn recommends as a replacement for the WFCO one GD uses to charge their batteries.