Has anyone relocated their converter closer to the batteries?

BeerBrewer-MGRV

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NY, Suffolk County, Long Island
We own a 2023 Imagine 2670MK. I'm in the process of converting over to Lithium batteries and I'd like your opinions on if I should relocate with the WFCO 55 amp converter closer to the new batteries. I'm told that the closer it is, the better it works.

I'm installing two 12V LiTime 100AH Lithium batteries into the front storage area (there is room for growth) and I'm also thinking about relocating the WFCO 55 amp converter from the bedroom to much closer to the batteries. I'm considering moving the converter for two reasons. First, it is currently installed just under the dresser in the bedroom and the fan can get quite noisy. Second, the wire that GD installed to battery (it also powers the jack) is only 8 ga and I estimate it to be about 10 to 15 ft long. According to the charts that I've seen an 8 ga wire (assuming 10% voltage drop) that is less than 20 ft long can only carry 40 amps and our converter can put out 55 amps. If I assume only 3% drop the allowable the allowable current drops to between 30 and 40 amps (depending upon the actual distance).

I'm using busbars to collect the positive and negative leads from the batteries. I'm also installing a 250A master switch, Victron fuse unit and Victron shunt as part of battery upgrade. I'm thinking about relocating the converter from the bedroom and installing it right next to the batteries. I'd connect the DC power leads using at least 6 ga (maybe even 4 ga) wire. I'd also remove the short red and black wires that currently go between the converter the DC power panel. I'd also run a 14 ga Romex wire from the new converter location back to the AC panel and wire it to the same AC breaker that it's wired to now. While I'm doing that I'd also pull in a second Romex wire for a future inverter install. Then I am planning to reuse the 8 ga wires that currently feed the lead acid battery. I'd connect them into the new busbars so that they can used to feed 12V DC power into the DC power panel.

Has anyone relocated their converter? If so, how did it go?

Thanks!

Bob
 
I moved mine when I built my DIY 302AH LiFePO battery and then switched to a Converter/Charger (C/C) that would work for the LFP battery. On the Momentums, the C/C is located behind a wall in the baggage compartment, very close to the front door of the trailer. I moved it to the ceiling of the baggage compartment, which was a shorter run from the C/C to the 12VDC fuse panel and a shorter run to the new larger LFP battery. I left the 6ga wire that goes to the 12VDC fuse panel (I did shorten it by about 3 feet as the length was no longer needed), and then ran #2 welding cable from the C/C to the battery. I also replaced the OEM battery disconnect with a newer one that could carry more amps, all new cable and crimp connectors, I added 300A buss bars and finally a piece of 1/0 cable from the buss bars to the actual battery. Here is a picture of the new C/C mounted overhead in the baggage compartment. The wall to the left of that compartment is where the OEM C/C was at, and almost all the way over on the street side of the area. The 12VDC fuse panel is on the curbside of the trailer, so the C/C is much closer to it and I probably eliminated another 5 feet or so of wiring that went from the C/C to the battery.....
PXL_20220813_230247865.MP.jpg

Here is a pic of the front baggage compartment to show you how far forward that area is It is the larger door that is next to the outdoor spray port and the 120V electrical recept. The battery is in the front compartment (not seen) that also has the onboard generator and hydraulic pump and valves.....
PXL_20220813_230215512.MP.jpg
 
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When I "upgraded" my charger/converter (CC), I kept the PD unit that came with the coach. The new WFCO converter was supposed to be autodetect for lithium. As discussed in several threads on the forum, it doesn't. On my to-do list is to reinstall the PD CC since it is much quieter. I then plan to mount the WFCO (after installing the always lithium jumper) in the front battery compartment. When I need more charge than the PD can supply, I'll simply plug in the WFCO to top off the batteries.
 
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I did a host of electrical upgrades to my 303RLS about a year and a half ago. My upgrades included the following:

--Remove the lead acid batteries and upgrade to 560aH of Big Battery LiP04 lithium batteries. Added bus bars, fuses, and new wiring as needed.
--Add additional solar panels to the Grand Design OEM 165 watt panel. I now have 565 watts of solar.
--Removed the Furrion Solar Controller and replaced with Victron Solar Controller with Bluetooth.
--Added shunt monitor.
--Added Auto Transfer Switch (ATS) and utilized the inverter prep capability of the 303RLS which now powers all of my circuits via the ATS except for both my AC units and my fireplace.
--Added 2000 watt inverter which powers all my 120v plugs.
--Upgraded my converter/charger to 120A Lithium capable unit and remoted the power to the front compartment. Added a lighted switch to enable powering the charger/converter when I desire and am plugged into shore power which is not very often.
--Added solar disconnect breakers.
--Installed Starlink power components and router---also in the front compartment and converted them to 12v battery power.
NOTE: all my electrical items are not spread across the front wall in the front compartment. This allows easy of access, maintenance and troubleshooting.

We are completely jazzed with our setup and can go for days without any solar power. We use approx 15-20% of our battery capacity per day to include powering the 12V DC 16 cu ft fridge, the Starlink, and other things like the TV and DVD player when camping. On a normal day, it takes less than 90 mins to fully charge the batteries back to 100%. We haven't run our generator now since the upgrades. Good luck. Lots of pros for centralizing the power items, keeping cabling short, and enabling easy of access.
 
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I believe, for me, it much more important to keep the loads on the shortest runs [and largest cables]. That means, it's more important to have the batteries next to the inverter. Having the converter close to batteries is not a bad idea. The further away from the batteries means the voltage drop will be more. That may effect the speed of charging, but probably not by a lot.

I did not move my converter close to the batteries, but the batteries closer to the stock converter location. My DIY batteries are located the entire width of the 29RS, from the Nautilus system to the stairs. The DIY route is not for everyone, but one advantage is that I can build these to fit the space I had. Not certain I could put 1200ah with stock sizing batteries that are available on the market.
 
All great information here! As the owner of a 260RD, I'm in the process of upgrading. Already have a 280Ah LiPo Battery, upgraded 60A solar inverter, and replaced the existing converter with PowerMax 60A. After reviewing the basement wiring "mess" and converter location, I also was looking to relocate to close by battery/shunt.

Any suggestions on heavier buss bars to accomplish this?

Also, in factory setup on our rig, wiring from converter (in basement) connects directly to 12V fuse panel by stairs. There is a 12V + return that goes thru the factory battery cut-off switch to existing buss bar. 12V - lead on the other hand goes to a local ground point on chassis, and does not have a direct run back to shunt (there is a 6ga wire off shunt that goes to another ground location below buss bar by battery).

Am I wrong to think that it would be beneficial to have a larger direct ground strap back to shunt, with continued ground strap use?

Sincerely,

David
 
All great information here! As the owner of a 260RD, I'm in the process of upgrading. Already have a 280Ah LiPo Battery, upgraded 60A solar inverter, and replaced the existing converter with PowerMax 60A. After reviewing the basement wiring "mess" and converter location, I also was looking to relocate to close by battery/shunt.

Any suggestions on heavier buss bars to accomplish this?

Also, in factory setup on our rig, wiring from converter (in basement) connects directly to 12V fuse panel by stairs. There is a 12V + return that goes thru the factory battery cut-off switch to existing buss bar. 12V - lead on the other hand goes to a local ground point on chassis, and does not have a direct run back to shunt (there is a 6ga wire off shunt that goes to another ground location below buss bar by battery).

Am I wrong to think that it would be beneficial to have a larger direct ground strap back to shunt, with continued ground strap use?

Sincerely,

David

Take a close look at the pics I posted. There are two cables on each connection point on the converter/charger. One of the Red wires feeds back to the 12VDC fuse panel, the other feeds over to the battery disconnect switch then on to the battery. Same with the Black leads for the Neg.....one to the 12VDC fuse panel and one on over to the neg. buss bar. Here are the buss bars that I bought when I redid mine.....

PS.......not every converter/charger will facilitate being able to connect two wires directly to it like mine is, and if that is the case, you may have to add a large terminal strip or add another set of buss bars.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C6483RC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
 
Take a close look at the pics I posted. There are two cables on each connection point on the converter/charger. One of the Red wires feeds back to the 12VDC fuse panel, the other feeds over to the battery disconnect switch then on to the battery. Same with the Black leads for the Neg.....one to the 12VDC fuse panel and one on over to the neg. buss bar. Here are the buss bars that I bought when I redid mine.....

PS.......not every converter/charger will facilitate being able to connect two wires directly to it like mine is, and if that is the case, you may have to add a large terminal strip or add another set of buss bars.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C6483RC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

Much appreciated! I had started to look at options including the Victron Power-In Connector with mod for fuse integration.

Sincerely,

David
 
Below are a two pics of what I've done thus far. I built a backer board, with a tray at the bottom that will hold the two batteries. I am planning take the board and mount in the storage bay behind the utility area (where the pump, cutoff switch and valves are located). If I install an inverter it will be located close by and will be cabled to the Victron fuse unit and the black Victron busbar (both mounted veritically). The two red and black busbars mounterd horizontal (that each have one 1/0 cable hanging off of) will only be used for batteries and the shunt power (the tiny red wire). I used 1/0 cable for the batteries and 6 ga for the converter (which was sent back the WFCO for a software upgrade). When I install it in the trailer I will attach the 8 ga old battery cables to the two Victron busbars and fuse unit. These 8 ga leads will be used to feed 12v back to the fuse panel in the bedroom. The battery tray will be lined with a 1/4" rubber pad to help dampin vibrations. The batteries will each be strapped down with two 1" wide straps. All of the busbars have plastic covers for protection, I just haven't installed them yet. I'm considering mounting a plexi-glass cover the whole thing for added protection. The pic below is of my two LiTime batteries. One of which "fell asleep" while in storage (my fault) and took me a while to get charged. Litime tech support was very helpfull with that. They have just been fully charged and I linked them together in parallel so their voltages can equalize.


image.jpg
image.jpg
 
Below are a two pics of what I've done thus far. I built a backer board, with a tray at the bottom that will hold the two batteries. I am planning take the board and mount in the storage bay behind the utility area (where the pump, cutoff switch and valves are located). If I install an inverter it will be located close by and will be cabled to the Victron fuse unit and the black Victron busbar (both mounted veritically). The two red and black busbars mounterd horizontal (that each have one 1/0 cable hanging off of) will only be used for batteries and the shunt power (the tiny red wire). I used 1/0 cable for the batteries and 6 ga for the converter (which was sent back the WFCO for a software upgrade). When I install it in the trailer I will attach the 8 ga old battery cables to the two Victron busbars and fuse unit. These 8 ga leads will be used to feed 12v back to the fuse panel in the bedroom. The battery tray will be lined with a 1/4" rubber pad to help dampin vibrations. The batteries will each be strapped down with two 1" wide straps. All of the busbars have plastic covers for protection, I just haven't installed them yet. I'm considering mounting a plexi-glass cover the whole thing for added protection. The pic below is of my two LiTime batteries. One of which "fell asleep" while in storage (my fault) and took me a while to get charged. Litime tech support was very helpfull with that. They have just been fully charged and I linked them together in parallel so their voltages can equalize.


View attachment 51487
View attachment 51486

The one suggestion that I would make is this. The battery Neg. lead should go DIRECTLY to the shunt. Then, off of the other side of the shunt put a short lead to the Black (Neg) terminal strip. Doing that will ensure that absolutely nothing is connected on the negative side BEFORE it goes through the shunt. That is the idea of the shunt.....to measure ALL power going into and out of the battery. It would be a very easy swap to do, just move the shunt over to the left and place it between the two buss bars.
 
First, all of the battery Neg. leads do go directly to the shunt, but they are joined at the black busbar (mounted Horizontal) first. Remember I've got 2 batteries and will probably have a third real soon. The two batteries negatives will terminate on the black bar, (again it is mounted horizontally ). Only that battery neagatives will terminate on this bar, it is basically used a collection point. The only other connection on that bar (besides the batteries negatives) is the connection to the shunt. The shunt is then connected to the black busbar that is mounted vertically (It's next to the inverter). That is where all of the negative loads will be connected. The conerter negative lead is connected to this bar. Also, all of the battery leads are the same length. I used busbars to tie the batteries together so it will be easier to add another battery in the future.
 
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First, all of the battery Neg. leads do go directly to the shunt, but they are joined at the black busbar (mounted Horizontal) first. Remember I've got 2 batteries and will probably have a third real soon. The two batteries negatives will terminate on the black bar, (again it is mounted horizontally ). Only that battery neagatives will terminate on this bar, it is basically used a collection point. The only other connection on that bar (besides the batteries negatives) is the connection to the shunt. The shunt is then connected to the black busbar that is mounted vertically (It's next to the inverter). That is where all of the negative loads will be connected. The conerter negative lead is connected to this bar. Also, all of the battery leads are the same length. I used busbars to tie the batteries together so it will be easier to add another battery in the future.

OK, sounds like you've got it figured out. I just wanted to make sure that you knew to not connect any load drawing device on the horizontal buss bass and bypass the total current that goes through the shunt. Carry on!
 
On the Solitude 310GK that had a generator prep I did the following.
1. Since I found one Yamaha 2200 watt generator adequate for most situations and I have a second one if needed that runs in parallel for 4400 watts, I removed the generator housing from the front compartment. I carry the generator(s) on racks on the back of the trailer or front of the truck.
2. I removed the generator transfer switch and combined the 120V input source to the control panel power cable and the generator power cable that goes to the front storage compartment where is was designed to connect to the generator.
3. I installed and connected a circuit breaker box with a 15A circuit breaker to the cable that connects the cable to the front compartment to the input 120V input power that was supposed to be the generator cable.
4. I connected a duplex box to the output of the circuit breaker box, 12/3 AWG.
5. I put an insulated aluminum lockable box in the pass through storage and now have 4 lithium BB 100 amp heated batteries (4 batteries fit exactly in the box) in the aluminum box.
6. I put a Fuse A3T/Class T 350A fuse on the positive lead in the aluminum storage box.
7. All battery wiring from the aluminum box in the pass through to the bus bars on the back wall of the front compartment is 4/0 cables are cut to length and appropriatly sized screw connectors, crimped, soldered and heat shrunk.
8. Like other folks I found the converter output to the batteries had a totally unacceptable voltage drop. In addition it couldn't hold the lithium setting so i had to remove the panel and watch the light until I could get it set to lithium each time.
9. I purchased a 60 amp lithium only converter and installed it on the back wall of the front compartment. The connection to the bus bars was now 15 inches and over the 4/0 cables to the 4 batterie pack, about 2 ft. This permitted charging the lithium batteries as indicated on my Victron meter to 100%.

I left the solar 300 Watt system as installed by GD since it was charging the batteries nicely to 100%. The Norwood electric/propane refrigerator works supprisingly well compared to others I've read about.

The only excuse I have to do any more electrical work is to move the microwave from the primary control panel to the secondary inverter panel.
 

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