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  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by COGrandDes View Post
    Good morning! Thanks. I did not change the routing that came from the factory with the battery disconnect switch. I have a disconnect on my battery to inverter feed, solar panels to solar controller box, 120V converter power, and each of my Big Battery LiPO4 batteries has an on-board shut off switch on them. I can quickly isolate any of the feeds and camper power. It goes to show you can do this control stuff reasonably or go full-bore if you have the $$$$$. I have way more hobbies and other things competing for the funds so I went low dollar on the controls and added $$$ into the batteries so that we can boondock longer without concern.

    I did not feel like climbing all the way into the basement area under the stairs to completely remove my old converter so I left it there for now as a backup I guess. I have disconnected the 12v wires from the old converter to the OEM bus bar for now. That section of the original camper wiring is not as clean as I would like but I have left most of it in tact as it's hidden when I have my lithium batteries in their space. Hope that helps!
    Quote Originally Posted by COGrandDes View Post
    Yes---I believe those were the two wire colors. Basically it's the positive and negative feeds from the converter/charger to your bus bar/battery. It's been a couple months since I did that piece. I would have to check for sure on the colors and location of the wires.
    That checks from what I recall seeing last time i went back there. Thanks again, I appreciated hearing about your project.

    And thanks to all you guys that responded, it’s great to have forums like this to ask questions and get real answers.

  2. #22
    Site Sponsor jlspence99's Avatar
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    I have a 2019 303 RLS, with 4 100 Ah Battleborns in the forward bay charged by a PD 9160 ALV. My problem has been that unless the battery bank is almost completely discharged, I never get more than 35 amps to the batteries. I know other 303 owners with this charger get similar results. I’ve been on the line a couple of times with PD tech support and we’ve eliminated all causes except inadequate wiring (6 gauge) between the converter and the batteries. I’m about to re-wire this to 1/0 wire to reduce voltage drop. Just adding this because you state the existing wiring is suitable. It may not be depending on your rig and desire to achieve full charge capacity of your charger.

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by jlspence99 View Post
    I have a 2019 303 RLS, with 4 100 Ah Battleborns in the forward bay charged by a PD 9160 ALV. My problem has been that unless the battery bank is almost completely discharged, I never get more than 35 amps to the batteries. I know other 303 owners with this charger get similar results. I’ve been on the line a couple of times with PD tech support and we’ve eliminated all causes except inadequate wiring (6 gauge) between the converter and the batteries. I’m about to re-wire this to 1/0 wire to reduce voltage drop. Just adding this because you state the existing wiring is suitable. It may not be depending on your rig and desire to achieve full charge capacity of your charger.
    Interesting, I imagine that our converters are in a relatively similar spot as well: under the stairs, accessed by taking down the false wall in the pass through? Have you figured out how you are going to run the new wires?
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  4. #24
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    I should be OK with putting the new converter where the old one is. I'm only going to the one LiFePo battery and putting it where the old battery is.
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  5. #25
    Site Sponsor jlspence99's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mudhendriver View Post
    Interesting, I imagine that our converters are in a relatively similar spot as well: under the stairs, accessed by taking down the false wall in the pass through? Have you figured out how you are going to run the new wires?
    Correct, same location. I’m still researching and reading threads. Some here have left the existing wiring in place and run a second set of wires from the second set of lugs on the 9160 directly to the battery bank. That may be the way I go. We boondock a fair amount and it takes a long time to charge the battery bank at 25 to 35 amps versus 60 amps.
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  6. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by jlspence99 View Post
    Correct, same location. I’m still researching and reading threads. Some here have left the existing wiring in place and run a second set of wires from the second set of lugs on the 9160 directly to the battery bank. That may be the way I go. We boondock a fair amount and it takes a long time to charge the battery bank at 25 to 35 amps versus 60 amps.
    Good call on the second set of dc output, I will have to think on that one. So no issues with running two different sets and gauges of wire to the same battery bank?

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by jlspence99 View Post
    I have a 2019 303 RLS, with 4 100 Ah Battleborns in the forward bay charged by a PD 9160 ALV. My problem has been that unless the battery bank is almost completely discharged, I never get more than 35 amps to the batteries. I know other 303 owners with this charger get similar results. I’ve been on the line a couple of times with PD tech support and we’ve eliminated all causes except inadequate wiring (6 gauge) between the converter and the batteries. I’m about to re-wire this to 1/0 wire to reduce voltage drop. Just adding this because you state the existing wiring is suitable. It may not be depending on your rig and desire to achieve full charge capacity of your charger.
    When you installed the PD converter, did you wire it exactly the same as the original? The reason I ask is that the stock wiring goes from converter to DC panel to battery adding an additional 6 feet of 6awg cable (12 feet of circuit - positive and negative). Since the PD9160AL has two positive and two negative terminals, you should be able to make the battery run directly from the converter and eliminate that extra 12 feet. Remove the cables that go from DC panel to battery, cut off the excess, and connect to the converter. You also reduce the number of physical connections between the converter and battery that way (probably more responsible for voltage drop than the cable size).

    Where/how are you measuring the 35 amp output? Since the total output is 60 amps, any load on the DC panel will reduce the output to the battery - especially the way it comes wired from the factory. Load first, then battery charge.
    Last edited by Jomani; 03-23-2023 at 08:09 PM.
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  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jomani View Post
    When you installed the PD converter, did you wire it exactly the same as the original? The reason I ask is that the stock wiring goes from converter to DC panel to battery adding an additional 6 feet of 6awg cable (12 feet of circuit - positive and negative). Since the PD9160AL has two positive and two negative terminals, you should be able to make the battery run directly from the converter and eliminate that extra 12 feet. Remove the cables that go from DC panel to battery, cut off the excess, and connect to the converter. You also reduce the number of physical connections between the converter and battery that way (probably more responsible for voltage drop than the cable size).

    Where/how are you measuring the 35 amp output? Since the total output is 60 amps, any load on the DC panel will reduce the output to the battery - especially the way it comes wired from the factory. Load first, then battery charge.
    You will have to forgive my ignorance on this one, but if you get rid of the connection from the panel to the battery, how does the RV get dc power back to the dc panel when the converter isn’t running? My understanding is that connection from the panel to the battery is the conduit for the battery bank to power the main DC distribution panel when on battery only.
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  9. #29
    Site Sponsor jlspence99's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jomani View Post
    When you installed the PD converter, did you wire it exactly the same as the original? The reason I ask is that the stock wiring goes from converter to DC panel to battery adding an additional 6 feet of 6awg cable (12 feet of circuit - positive and negative). Since the PD9160AL has two positive and two negative terminals, you should be able to make the battery run directly from the converter and eliminate that extra 12 feet. Remove the cables that go from DC panel to battery, cut off the excess, and connect to the converter. You also reduce the number of physical connections between the converter and battery that way (probably more responsible for voltage drop than the cable size).

    Where/how are you measuring the 35 amp output? Since the total output is 60 amps, any load on the DC panel will reduce the output to the battery - especially the way it comes wired from the factory. Load first, then battery charge.
    When I installed the 9160 I simply removed the old converter/charger and hooked up the PD 9160ALV exactly the same as the old unit. I changed none of the wiring.

    Regarding the wiring from the converter/charger to the DC panel and the DC panel to the battery bank, a couple of months ago I lowered the coroplast belly from the front axle forward to the front bay (to change out a stuck gray tank gate valve) and noticed coils of 12 volt wire going from the middle of the rig to the front bay. I didn't have time to trace the wiring down to its termination points but I wondered if this was part of my problem if these did indeed go to the battery. There had to be an extra 10 to 15 feet of 6 gauge wire wrapped up in loops down there.

    You're saying the OEM connection was converter/charger to DC panel, DC Panel to battery bank. The new installation would be converter/charger to DC Panel (via OEM connections), remove OEM terminations from DC Panel to battery bank, cut OEM cables to length, then reconnect to the second set of lugs on the converter/charger. I can try that and see what it does for my charge rate. If I'm still not getting full charge rating of the 9160 I can always swap in the larger gauge wire from the 9160 to the battery bank.

    I'm reading directly off of my Victron BMV 712 and confirmed the reading with a clamp meter off the charger output.

    Thanks for the reply and help.
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  10. #30
    Seasoned Camper
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    Quote Originally Posted by jlspence99 View Post
    You're saying the OEM connection was converter/charger to DC panel, DC Panel to battery bank. The new installation would be converter/charger to DC Panel (via OEM connections), remove OEM terminations from DC Panel to battery bank, cut OEM cables to length, then reconnect to the second set of lugs on the converter/charger. I can try that and see what it does for my charge rate. If I'm still not getting full charge rating of the 9160 I can always swap in the larger gauge wire from the 9160 to the battery bank.

    I'm reading directly off of my Victron BMV 712 and confirmed the reading with a clamp meter off the charger output.

    Thanks for the reply and help.
    That is correct. Below is a picture of the connection on the back of my panel. You can see both of the 6awg cables terminating there. I have to believe GD did this because their go to converter/charger, WFCO only had a single set of terminals. When your rig was equipped with a single lead acid battery, the primary purpose of the converter/charger was to supply 12 volts to the DC panel - battery charging would have been minimal. With 400ah of lithium and boon docking, charging the battery bank quickly becomes the priority.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Click image for larger version. 

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