Ronbrink

After much thought and further iterations, hopefully with this final prototype, as installed, I will “achieve satisfaction”!

Thank you for the detailed assessment, much appreciated! I am mostly concerned with keeping the battery bank adequately charged when in storage on shore power, which seems to be the issue with Xantrex in general. However, you shed some light on the draw a PD or like would have on generator power, something I hadn’t thought about. Since I use my small generator primarily for A/C, I would need to be able to easily turn the charger Off to prevent an overload situation.

Thanks for the clarification! I’m thinking of bypassing the Xantrex ‘converter’ and adding a separate PD, maybe the 80A model specific to lithium.

These batteries have a good reputation and come with a 5-year warranty. Can’t beat the price, mine came in at $1364, tax included, no shipping. I also bought the LiTime 100Ah ‘mini’ to replace a problematic Renogy battery in a portable power station, also made in China. Just know that these batteries do not have built-in heaters, which makes them less expensive; however not a concern living in the deep South. Of course there are other ways to heat batteries, if need be. Only time will tell regarding longevity of these LiTime batteries, but I am pleased with their performance thus far!

I must say the length of the rope handles was just right to be able to utilize them in this manner. I initially did so to keep the newly installed LFPs from shifting fore and aft while taking time to refurbish the original Oliver straps. Seems the former ‘wet’ Trojans deteriorated the plastic strap clips, as well as the thread stitching. The new clips and improved stitching should last much longer with this setup. That said, the batteries are now properly secured and the rope handles still being put to good use helping to keep tension on the slide knobs to hopefully prevent inadvertent movement.

I soiled my myself and clothing many times from residual grease on the hitch ball before addressing the issue. I really, REALLY like this product, mostly because it is clear and won’t stain!

Does the 300W inverter you installed have charging capability, as well? Wondering why the PD charger is needed.

It’s hard to believe there were no responses to your post! Since recently upgrading my 2020 OLEll, 579 (no solar) to LFPs and installing a Victron SmartShunt, I found that the Xantrex does not provide any charge once an initial charge cycle is completed following connection to shore power. Thus, a steady battery discharge occurs and will eventually deplete them to a harmful level unless the charge cycle is ‘manually’ restarted. Your statement regarding setting #26 leads me to believe the Xantrex charger can be disabled and perhaps a separate charger, specific to lithiums, could be installed to continuously maintain the battery bank, if desired. I also learned that the Xantrex draws 1Ah when in the Off position, which would explain your observation expressed. Overtime you have probably reached an understanding of your system and how to manage it. However, if you or others can confirm the use of a dedicated battery charger for continuous battery maintenance, I would very much appreciate any information on the matter.

Agree, had to configure the five dip switches to charge lithiums with the Renogys, the Victron may have something similar to set in the Smart app.

Here’s a screenshot of the Victron app showing 43.29A with the engine held slightly above idle, with some fluctuation to 40A. At idle the value settled down into a range of 33-36A. The next screenshot was taken 14 minutes later with a 1% increase in charge.

I recently replaced my Renogy 20A DC-DC charger with a Renogy 40A model to accommodate a new 460Ah LFP house battery bank upgrade. With the original install, the recommended 4AWG cable, specified for use of a 40A charger, was used in anticipation of this charger upgrade when a switch to lithiums occurred.

Actually, this quote “we decided to go with the Victron 12/24 350 amp” was that of MAX Burner. I too questioned this, he replied it referenced the charger model. This was obviously a typo and edited to 12/12 350 amp, but his pic shows the charger as a 12/12-30. This should ease any concerns of a “PeterBuilt” signature OTT out there! As for the “tag line”, I need to figure out how to add that, but for now: 2012 Chevy 1500 Silverado 4x4; 2020 OLEll, 579, Twin.

All or part of the issue I experienced may have also been due to the quality, or lack thereof, of the breaker initially installed. To that point, I had another breaker tripping at the DC-DC after switching from a 20A to 40A charger. Upon research, I learned that this was a common occurrence with use of ‘cheap Chinese’ breakers and the remedy was installation of a ‘quality Blue Sea’ breaker, which resolved that problem. I should mention that with the 20A charger install, I took cable size into account to adequately accommodate any future upgrade in house battery amp hours and thus, a step-up in charger output.

Right, the extreme summer heat here in Texas this summer was a bit too much! Just know the fuse option is a good fix.

I originally had a breaker at the battery on the cable leading the rear bumper Anderson, but excessive engine heat oftentimes would cause it to overheat and trip. Resorted to an ANL fuse, problem solved.

What is this referencing?

Join the club!

Real bummer!

Very impressive setup, I like your install criteria! I recently upgraded from four 6V Trojans to two LFPs and a Smart Shunt, but really like the cutoff switch you installed. Yet another project on the horizon!

The run time using propane to fuel a generator depends on the genset size with regards to wattage output. As I understand it, the new Truma a/c requires at least 3000W, whereas the former Dometic Penguin only 2000W. If you want to operate other loads simultaneously, one must plan accordingly in their genset selection. As a fuel consumption reference, my 2200W dual-fuel genny will provide a/c for approximately 16 hours on a single 30# propane tank; my unit is a Dometic Penguin 11,000 btu with EasyStart. That’s roughly two nights of a/c when overnighting boondock-style while traveling to a camp destination with full hookups. The equivalent run time on a 20# tank would be ~1/3 less. I did not opt for solar in my 2020 Ell; thus the generator was considered a ‘must have’’ at the time. To save money on the initial purchase, I did not opt for the 30# propane tank upgrade. My thought was to purchase the larger tanks aftermarket and use the stock 20# tanks for other purposes. The Oliver tanks were US made Manchesters and bought same brand at both Tractor Supply and Ace Hardware; three to be exact, two for the Oliver and one to carry undercap in reserve. All said, ended up with five tanks for about the price of the 30# upgrade offered by Oliver. By the way, Tractor Supply is my go-to propane supplier. As some have expressed the 30# tanks are heavier and thus, difficult to lift over the front housing. Personally, I made the chore easy by installing a hoist to wrangle them, as well as my dual-zone cooler, e-bikes and gensets. As for running the a/c on house batteries, generally not recommended with any other than lithiums. I recently ditched my four 6v Trojans for LFPs and added a transfer switch just so I could operate the a/c on battery. In doing so, nearly 150 lbs of weight loss and double the amp hours; anticipated run time 2-3 hours with safe margin. Now I don’t have to use the genny at the storage facility for a/c when needed; or more importantly during brief travel stops for meals, rest or other occasions. When back underway, a 40A DC-DC charger was installed in the Oliver for battery rebound. Regardless of my current setup, the generators are coming with! As previously mentioned, solar was another option I decided against, mainly due to the added cost and awkward appearance. I am however, making my Oliver ‘solar capable’ by adding a solar port fore and aft for eventual use of portables, but to begin with a 200W array atop my TV cap will suffice.

Even if I had solar, I keep my ‘COW’ in a fully enclosed storage facility which would nuke that option to keep the house batteries topped off. Been thinking the solution is to install a separate dedicated battery charger, set the ‘Inverter Ignition Control’ to AUTO as you stated, and thus, not rely on the Xantrex charge function.

Thanks for the detailed response! I did not opt for solar, but did get the Xantrex Freedom X 2000 being offered at the time, as well as four 6v Trojans. With the recent upgrade to lithiums, I’ve been dialing in the Xantrex settings to best suit them, and installed a Victron shunt for better monitoring. There is a charge cycle when first on shore power, but the batteries will continue to discharge until manually instigating the charge cycling again. From what I understand, that is ‘normal’ for Xantrex.

What are you using to charge to 14.4v, my inverter/charger won’t completely top-off my LFPs. 2020 OLEll, 579

To topgun2’s point, I make use of a digital water flow meter connected directly to the dump station’s water spigot, next a hose valve to control flow, then a dedicated 25’ Zero-G hose with a quick disconnect to the black tank rinse-out port inlet. This assembly is rolled up and stowed within the rear bumper compartment when not in use. Prior to dumping the black tank, I setup this rinse hose assembly; the dump station hose is removed from the spigot regardless of condition. Once the black tank is initially dumped, the black tank valve is closed. I then zero out the meter, open the hose valve, then measure 10-12 gallons before dumping the rinse water; the hose valve remains open during this rinse dump process. When complete, the black tank dump valve is again closed, the meter is zeroed out and water allowed to fill to the measured amount. This rinse cycle is repeated up to three times. The use of the meter does not require having to go in and out of the OTT to monitor the tank level, which is not accurate, especially with the tongue raised to better hasten the dump.

Here’s a pic with the sewer hose attached. When I stated “just enough room”, the rear bumper when closed does not press against the hose when attached. It could probably be compressed into a smaller space with a tighter install, but that’s not ideal. Personally, having the hose connected when not is use has no benefit, in fact there may even be undue stress at that bend in doing so. I showed in another comment the end cap used, maybe you should consider doing the same if the WM appeals to you. I can see where the male CAM lock to bayonet adapter could work in your desired application.