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  1. #1
    Seasoned Camper goodoz's Avatar
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    Working the bugs out of my new install...Need advice.

    Hello GD Crew -- I'm looking for some advice as I work out the last few bugs in my new wiring setup. I recently added lithium batts and a Victron Inverter/Charger into my 297RSTS. The last steps of the install included the trim out of the electrical service panel. From the shore power cable (coming in from the outside plug), I left the leg that we don't want to light up attached to the service panel and butt spliced the inverter leg (the other Hot and neutral) onto the new 50A cable running to the I/C...out to the Victron and back to the service panel for pass thru (including neutral and ground...zero issues here). I removed all (+) and (-) cables from the 12V portion of the service panel and replaced them with the (+) and (-) from the new battery bank. All of the 12V components inside of the TT work just fine.

    On the original wiring for the 12V fuse block, there were two (+) 6GA cables screwed in and one (-) (trying to upload a pic but having troubles). One of the (+) terminations came from the WFCO converter and the other came off the block and disappeared toward the front of the camper...I assume this was the connection to the battery on the tongue for charging...or the buss bar that is up there. Most of the 12V items on the rig work just fine. I then removed the factory (new AGM) battery off of the front.

    Here's the issue...Now my landing gear, stab jacks and (probably) electric brakes don't work. They needed that 12V power connection up front. Battery shut off was "on." I didn't notice this right away because the rig was set up and stationary in my driveway...but we had a trip last week and I had to put that AGM battery back in place and manually charge it. It's powering the main and stab jacks. This is not an ideal scenario...I'd like for everything to run off of the new LiFePO4 battery bank.

    I still have an open slot on the 12V (+) so I can reconnect the (+) that ran up front. Is that my issue? Can anyone offer a best practice here to complete the job? (apologies, I know it's confusing without a pic)

    ***additional question: For the power shut-off in the pass thru, does power run from the 12V fuse block thru that and then on to the battery?

    Thanks in advance, Oz.
    GoodOz

    2019 Reflection 297RSTS
    2018 F250 6.7 w/2219 available payload

  2. #2
    Site Team traveldawg's Avatar
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    It sounds like you removed the 12v feed to the front of the rig that was for all those things that don't have power.

    Can't you just reconnect it to where it was originally in the 12vdc part of the service panel?

    Since you removed the WFCO converter wire and added a new wire from the new converter I think you should have left the connection to the front end loads.

    One more comment.... normally (at least in my normal world and experiences with putting loads on inverters in present and past campers) you feed power to your I/C from a circuit breaker in your main panel and then put in a sub panel for the I/C circuits and feed them from that sup panel. That way you can sit off power to the I/C when/if needed. Not sure I like the idea of splitting out one leg of a 50 amp feed without going through a breaker panel. just my 2 cents......
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  3. #3
    Seasoned Camper goodoz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by traveldawg View Post
    It sounds like you removed the 12v feed to the front of the rig that was for all those things that don't have power.

    Can't you just reconnect it to where it was originally in the 12vdc part of the service panel?

    Since you removed the WFCO converter wire and added a new wire from the new converter I think you should have left the connection to the front end loads.

    One more comment.... normally (at least in my normal world and experiences with putting loads on inverters in present and past campers) you feed power to your I/C from a circuit breaker in your main panel and then put in a sub panel for the I/C circuits and feed them from that sup panel. That way you can sit off power to the I/C when/if needed. Not sure I like the idea of splitting out one leg of a 50 amp feed without going through a breaker panel. just my 2 cents......
    That's exactly what I did...I will put it back in the next time I bring the rig home. My bad...I just assumed everything was tied to the 12V fuse block (I guess their fuses are somewhere up front too). Hopefully that 12V (+) is run to the bus bar I can see!

    As for the leaving the leaving one leg in place and taking the other to the inverter pass thru, there is a 50A circuit breaker in place right before it enters the Victron unit. It then returns to the original 50A breaker in the service panel. And I agree about the sub panel (have one at my home for my generator plug) but there's just not enough room to work with the space behind the breaker panel.

    Thanks for your response!
    GoodOz

    2019 Reflection 297RSTS
    2018 F250 6.7 w/2219 available payload

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