jd1923
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Posts posted by jd1923
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44 minutes ago, T-Oliver said:
What could be improved or what is absolutely wrong?
Looks good to me! I moved our 6 AWG cables inside, but I do like the extra terminals you added. Only detail it's better to connect the + cables first and lastly connect the final ground. This way you cannot accidentally short the + while connecting. Not a change in wiring, just your order or assembly. You should add a heat shrink and optional wire loom to the main positive cable like you did the others.
Ours is very similar. Both arrangements work fine since the main positive is connected to one battery and the main negative is on the other.
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Thank goodness, our 10-year-old OEM Dometic “absorption” fridge is still working like a champ!
God bless one past forum member, @John E Davies, argued emphatically that we all must replace these or likely when the trailer was not perfectly leveled, it would blow the side of our trailer clean off! (he showed pics of 100 occurrences). 🤣
Please notice the picture of our Ruuvi sensors last week while camping not far from home. We get better numbers most of the time (was near zero before we refilled an ice cube tray). I installed the Beech Lane dual fan system for when it’s hot and the numbers are equally as good when hot out!
When anybody finds a modern compressor fridge with a full, left-to-right freezer, let me know! This freezer holds 2 full ice cube trays, 2 steaks, 2 chops, some vacuum-sealed veggies and a half gallon of ice cream, that it keeps frozen!
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9 minutes ago, topgun2 said:
cleaned them VERY well...
For sure Bill, and you and I are good ol' school restorers! If you were to paint this part, I would suggest removing the lid to paint and just mask the surround and paint it attached. Removing it and remounting was truly a pain!
In this case, paint would not help. The threads were bad and would stick. Also, check out my cropped pic. There were chips and scrapes in the plastic and a 1" x 1/4" gash in the top opening, just left of the word "close!" 🤣 This part had seen its better days!
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1 hour ago, dewdev said:
What are "speed clips"?
Click on my second Amazon link for an example. Just like dum-dum the term speed clips is shop talk I learned from other automotive installers in Chicago during the 70-80s. 🤣
They help to install parts faster where you would otherwise have to get a nut behind the item. You can clip these onto sheet metal and they are ready to be screwed down.
However, in the case of this hatch plate, I did not clip them on as that would not allow for a flat seal. I just held the clip on the underside to thread the screw. On the doghouse with 3/16" thick fiberglass you can hardly put a lb-ft of torque to the screw. Turn it more and the fiberglass will crack or shred. With these clips you can torque them down and they will hold tight. OTT made up for the weak screws with extra sealant and caulk.
These clips are great to have on-hand. I was getting low on parts I've had for 40 years and when I found this Amazon listing, I purchased all 3 sizes; #8, #10 and 1/4-20!
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Our hull is near 10 years old. The PVC was dried out, chalky to say the least and I wanted to replace it last year but never got around to it.
It took me over an hour on Amazon to find one with exact measurements. Most important is the diameter of the screw hole pattern. I found this and after installing it, I like it's better than the OEM. The threads are much larger, easier to turn with less/wider threads, and it seals better.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H4HX29J?ref=fed_asin_title&th=1
As with all things OTT installs, it took me a full hour of labor to remove the silicone caulk. I installed the new one with dum-dum ONLY (what us installers called butyl tape back in the day). Why would you caulk something that does not have to be waterproof anyway? The bottom side of the doghouse is wide open, right? And butyl when squeezed out is waterproof enough.
The original hatch had tiny screws, maybe 1/2" #6 screws. I upped the size to 3/4" #8 screws, drilled the holes out to 9/64" and on the back side I used speed clips on the underside to hold them tight. This way you can torque the 6 screws tightly and evenly to squeeze the butyl.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08H8STNFJ/?th=1
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3 hours ago, Ronbrink said:
Mechman specifies the 1/0 Gauge copper wire for ‘return ground’ and ‘alternator charge’ cables to battery with their 250-400 amp rated alternators, and a battery fuse size of 400A. They also recommend increasing the B- to body wire size, which could explain the extra wire from my previous install. Thanks again for your input!
When you word it this way, it certainly makes sense. That's a lot of amps! I upgraded the stock 130A alternator to 180A, so I figured adding additional 4 AWG cables was sufficient. The manufacturer had not suggested upgrading the wiring in their first level upgrade.
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11 minutes ago, Ronbrink said:
Would there be any benefit or need for another ground from alternator mount to body?
Your 1/0 cable is huge. I added 4 AWG B+ to alternator and B- to frame for the addition of the DC-DC charger.
An automotive alternator is already grounded through the engine and the engine has ground strap(s). My batteries only had a 6 or 8 AWG ground wire and same lighter gauge for the alternator connection to B+. Yours should be excellent as-is!
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7 hours ago, Ronbrink said:
Mechman alternator a perfect fit. Note additional grounding cable at the mounting bolt.
Very nice Ron! You can see the smaller pulley will spin the HO alternator twice as fast. Also, the additional ground will provide less overall resistance for your DC-DC charger!
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2 hours ago, Tideline77 said:
I’m still learning but every time I turn on the outside water heater switch an$ then go inside and turn on the inside switch it always starts on propane. How does one go about getting the water heater running on shore power? 😕
The interior switch turns the HWH on LP only (located under the pantry, in our hull).
To turn the Suburban HWH on by 120VAC shore power, there is a switch outside. You have to open the exterior cover plate and you should find it in the lower left corner, a bit hidden by other hardware. See @Mike and Carol's post above. He leaves it on and when connected to shore power it would automatically turn on by electric power. When they boondock, then he would would flip the interior switch to power by LP.
Nobody has been able to explain on this forum how OTT wires the Lithium Platinum package which I assume includes the 3KW Xantrex inverter/charger. Is it wired to ALL 120VAC circuits? If so, and if you have the Suburban HWH with dual AC/LP capability, then YES, you can run it off inverter as I explained in my first post above.
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22 hours ago, Gliddenwoods said:
Quick question. When not connected to shore power will the Dometic water heater operate off the lithuim batteries?
Yes, given you have a 3KW inverter wired to all circuits, including the hot water heater (HWH). If I remember correctly, OTT wires the 2KW Xantrex inverters to 110 outlets only, which includes the microwave, but not the fridge, A/C or the HWH.
Our 3KW Victron inverter is wired to all AC circuits, so I've done this a few times when we first get to a campsite when battery SOC% is high. If I remember correctly, it takes 20+ minutes to heat up the 6-gal Suburban. Ours SOC decreased 8% and based on our total 600Ah that comes to 48, call it 50Ah of power used. Don't run the HWH and A/C on inverter at the same time!
Then I suggest switching the HWH to run on LP. If it's windy out the HWH can cycle often. We turn ours off after dinner dishes and back on again in the morning. I do not like hearing it turn on while in bed (or wasting energy). When on LP you can certainly hear it fire up. When on 120VAC power it is much quieter, just a soft whine.
I leave the outdoor AC switch always in the ON position and unless we want it on AC, we leave the breaker in the 120VAC power panel OFF. This keeps from having to go outside and take down the awkward panel to access the switch. And of course there is the interior switch to power the HWH on/off by LP gas.
Hope this helps. Best wishes, JD
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6 minutes ago, Teaney Hull 292 said:
JD, went to get it and it says need a password and only for Victron trained Professionals???
Password = ZZZ
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1 hour ago, Teaney Hull 292 said:
Have a mobile RV guy coming out to install.
He is saying 3 to 5 hours for install. Seems fair to me, since I don’t have a clue. He says it might also take an hour to configure the Multiplus.
Good to read this Gary. You've really made progress here! Having the mobile guy come out was the #3 option I suggested in another thread. 3 hours would be amazing (don't count on it) and get him to do the 5 hours max with Multiplus configuration which should only take 20 minutes.
The Multiplus requires setting physical dipswitches (this was replaced by software in the MP2). You want LiFePO4 settings of course and for Epoch batteries I set bulk charge to 14.2V and all other charge settings to 13.6, but check for these numbers in the user manual for your specific battery choice.
I'm not seeing any reason for external Zamp ports unless at some point you add portable solar (and when you do, add one Zamp/SAE or other port without drilling 5 holes into your hull like OTT does)!
This guy has thorough Victron installation and configuration videos. He shows the Mk-3 USB interface I mentioned previously. I purchased the newer USB-C version which is the next-gen interface, given your laptop has a USB-C port (standard USB ports will soon not be offered on laptops. My new Dell Latitude 9330 has 3 USB-C ports only).
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After 3 days out boondocking, I tested the Orion XS 50A DC-DC Charger while driving 90 minutes to return home. SOC increased from 57% to 66% (9% of 600Ah). Ahs gained were 53.8Ah (271.8 - 218.0) or 36Ah per hour (pic1). I'm assuming the 10-12A generated from the solar charger covers the fridge on DC and +2A for our Inverter on standby, etc. It was a mostly sunny day with some haze.
We started back on 20 miles of dirt roads, some washboard, then 20 miles paved roads. Our speed ranged from 10 to 50 MPH. I would consider it more equivalent to suburban driving, certainly not highway driving. The highest output charge rate observed was 47.8A early but most of the time it sat somewhere in the 30s. Battery voltage started at 13.10V and 13.35V ninety minutes later. Highest output charge voltage was 13.7V (pic2), even though it was configured up to 14.2V in the setup.
I have an accurate voltage gauge in the truck measuring voltage at the starter batteries. With any amount of fuel pedal, it will most often read 14.2V. After I connect the DC-DC charger this reading drops to 13.8, then 13.7 and back and forth. Let's call it 13.75V. The difference between this and the input voltage of 13.1V (on Orion charge screen) shows a 0.65V voltage drop (TV batteries to input side of charger). This is likely normal for the length 65' of 4 AWG copper wire and 16' of the TV frame.
That's all I got for now. In 3 weeks we are heading to Albuquerque and with some boondocking on the way home. It should be about 1,000 miles total. The real test will be in June, 4,000 miles in a big loop from AZ to MN and back! This is sure a great investment at $540 parts plus a day of labor.
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We hiked just a mile or so towards the Juniper Mesa Wilderness (not even close). You would have to hike overnight and tent camp to actually get up into it. The woods here have been in drought for a while and not so just 45 miles SE in Prescott. Look closely, zoom-in on the trunk of this Alligator Juniper, one of many we found on the trail. This beast has grown right out of the granite boulders of the mountain. There must be millions of these trees in this wilderness area. We walked by hundreds today.
The Alligator Juniper is the iconic tree of the Prescott NF. The trees in this area have seen a harsh climate (pic1). Closer to Prescott another Alligator Juniper has had a better life, some 100s of years of it. What an amazing tree with Chris in the picture! And btw, the Ponderosa Pine in the post above ain't bad either!
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It's been quiet on this most important thread... Thanks @Mike and Carol for starting this!
I have the week off and we wanted to get away. It keeps me from workin' on stuff and I need more of that.
Almost 2 hours NW of us we can drive to the far NW corner of the Prescott NF. What a wonderful forest it is! At about 5600 ft elevation and little to no rain or snow in this area it's really dry here. We had a dry year, just 2 years ago we had a super-blossom, wild flowers everywhere this time of year but not this year. It's so dry the birds are scarce but Chris recorded a few chirps and pics . At dinner by the fire ring, we noticed a large southwestern jack-rabbit though, as big as a 20 lb tomcat. He came by and came by again later just to see us. At dusk jack-rabbits and great owls surround the woods.
We found jeep trails every direction and are thinking of coming out here again next week with our son Adam and one of his friends. We'll also bring another TV with my flatbed trailer, towing our Havoc side-by-side, Adams KFX400 sport quad and my Honda CRF230, an old mans dirt bike (that means it's closer to the ground with electric start)! The boys can tent camp up on the mountain and we will camp here again, in this beautiful place and the luxury of our Oliver with Chris' great food! The Oliver makes traveling so easy.
Check out our pics. The first is where Williamson Valley Rd, 20 miles NW out of Prescott where it turns to dirt. Then the Walnut Creek bridge made of bridge steel moved from the Gila River in S AZ over 100 years ago and then our weekend campsite where I am writing this from bed tonight, connected our first time with a Starlink Mini. Leaving tomorrow after another great breakfast and on our way home we will check out a few more forest roads. Is everybody else still stored for the winter? I wish you a great spring and summer travels! 😂
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3 hours ago, Teaney Hull 292 said:
JD Great News. Cancelled Xantrex. Ordered Victron MP with Cerbo GX and GX 5” Touch screen. It will arrive Wednesday. Pulled the plug on 3rd 280/300 LOL Watt Cycle Lithium and I’m in process to Boondock. Thanks again for getting me on the right path. Gary
You're welcome Gary. Keep in mind there is the original Victron Multiplus (MP) and more recently the Multiplus II (MP2). Mike who started this thread and I both went with the MP2. One member who was first went with the older model MP since the MP2 had not yet been on the market. They are both very good, but the MP2 is more efficient and uses less power on standby. I supplied a link before for the MP2 and I believe you went that way. Earlier I explained that you did not need the UL tested model required for residential. The MP is shorter but comes off the wall 9-10" The MP2 is 20" long and about 6" deep making it a good fit for under the bed sideways.
Mike and I installed under the streetside bed. Another member installed, I think the MP (vs. MP2) under the front dinette seat. In our hull the front dinette is for Chris where she keeps dogfood and coffee, TP and other stuff. Mike used adhesive to glue a mounting board as you can see in the first 1-2 pages of this thread. I built a foundation as you can see in the link below.
Mike and I believe everybody else added the Cerbo and touch screen. I went without it and ordered this simple Bluetooth device. The screens are cool, but I went without the extra costs and drilling more holes in the hull. You can connect to a screen AND/OR use this to connect by Bluetooth. Either will allow you to turn on/off the MP2. Once installed and confugured there is no need to touch the hardware again unless make future mods.
https://www.amazon.com/Victron-VE-Bus-Dongle-Multiplus-Inverter/dp/B07FCV43LQ/-
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1 hour ago, Zodd said:
It seems I need a 3/4 socket
I did not find an Oliver supplied socket when we purchased our older hull used. It certainly 3/4” for our wheels.
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@Teaney Hull 292 yes you could mount them all sideways. When I thought of mounting 3, I was thinking the first two in with terminals out may be easier to wire vs. having the first pair of terminals deep inside. Either way fits, you’ll figure it out.
I’m not knowledgeable enough on Xantrex to suggest cancelling your order. There are many others here with the 3KW Xantrex who could chime in on their benefits. I read here about others that moved to Victron and their good reputation in the boating world. Now that I have one, it’s been flawless and quiet (under my bed)! It can withstand providing 120V output way greater than the spec numbers too. Like when I turned the A/C on while the hot water heater was also running on 120VAC. It kept both running, no blown fuses! We also like having an all Victron house (see app picture).
Either choice, the wiring is the same. Xantrex would not be easier than Victron unless its size is smaller, don’t know. The Victron MPII is 20” long, must be mounted sideways. I removed the same Xantrex 2KW inverter-only model that you have now.
You’re Learning a lot and also getting a lot done! Best wishes, JD
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We received our Mini a few days ago and started service on Friday. It's amazing that a DeWalt 20V battery is all you need to power up to use Starlink with its internal Wi-Fi. I have 5 DeWalt batteries 2-6AH, a Dewalt charger mounted in the Oliver Attic and we always bring 3-4 batteries and several DeWalt cordless tools with us. (They make a Milwaukee 18V battery connector too.) Just moved this out on our deck pointing north and it connected quickly. Created our $50 account and quickly configured the Starlink Wi-Fi. Ran a few Ookla speed tests at home and got 120-130 Mbps down and 15-20 up, certainly acceptable!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DM1T6VX2?ref=fed_asin_title&th=1Yesterday we drove to the far NW corner of the Prescott NF west of Walnut Creek. There was no cell service the last 20 miles of dirt road. Again, it connected quickly and is so easy to align with the Alignment feature. I wasn't too fond of the Obstructions feature since with the bright sun it's hard to see your phone screen, but obstructions are obvious. For now it's just sitting on the truck toolbox, but if you look closely at the cables going up to the roof, you can see I've already wired the truck, but I still have work to do on the rooftop mount. I will start a build thread on all that when finished.
The Mini does take some juice. I started with a 4AH battery which it consumed in a couple of hours. Then I connected my big HD 20/60V 6AH battery and it lasted for over 5 hours streaming TV, battery dead when I got back out in the morning. With a bit of camping usage, 2 phones, my laptop and TV, I figure we will use 10 GB per 24 hour day out on the road.
So the $50 package will be fine when we camp for a week or a couple of 3-day weekends and not bad when over at $1/GB. For the month-long trips the unlimited package would be the way. Out here with minimal radio waves (only a couple of strong FM stations come in) and no electrical interference, I'm getting 140 Mbps down and 22 up on a bright sunny day in the forest. Very nice!
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Update on my installation of the Victron Orion XS 50A DC-DC charger.
I believe this suggests frame mounting the ground on the TV works fine and saves purchase of another 15-20 ft of expensive 4 AWG copper!
The picture tells the whole story. The charger set to the max 50A charge setting outputted 47.4 amps.
I took this picture just 50 yards out of our driveway, climbing up our steep road as soon as the RPMs got up to the high teens. 40A at idle and near the full 50A while towing! Our batteries were near full SOC so the charger soon geared down to less than 10A.
After 3 days Boondocking in the Prescott NF, batteries at a lower SOC, we’ll see how many AHs are gained driving home, a 90+ minute drive. Solar should handle the Dometic fridge on DC and the Orion should produce a net increase in SOC.
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5 hours ago, Teaney Hull 292 said:
JD, I got these off Amazon after I saw a Will Prowse review with his cut out.
WattCycle 2 Pack 12V 300Ah（280Ah） LiFePO4 Lithium Battery Mini Size, Built-in 200A BMS, EVE A+ Rated Cells, Low Temperature Protection, Up to 15,000 Cycles(2 Pack). With the Battery Tray out there is room for a 3rd battery. With the possible Tariff excitement, I’m thinking of ordering the 3rd, before the prices go up 50%. Your thoughts. I also have read if adding a 3rd battery, it should be within 3 months of the first batteries. Don’t know if that is true, or not.Your link was not working for me but I did find the Amazon listing for these WattCycle batteries. I had seen them before, nor the Will Prowse video. Now I get why sometimes you wrote 280AH and other times 300AH! https://www.amazon.com/WattCycle-280Ah-LiFePO4-Lithium-Battery/dp/B0DS48GH5F/?th=1
The 2-pack is a good savings over buying two individually. The 3-pack is the same price as buying 3 singles. If you go for 3, buy a 2-pack and an extra single! Who knows about the effect of tariffs, but all LiFePO4 components even in the "assembled" in USA batteries come from China, and China has had steep tariffs since the first Trump Admin (was 25% now adding another 10%? something like this). China manipulates their currency anyway to be competitive in pricing.
These batteries are 15.1" long, 7.6" wide, so two of these will not fit in the 14x21" battery tray. For this reason and reputation many of us have gone with the 300AH Epoch that are 13.6" long which fits in the tray. Your choice is half the cost though.
Without the tray, my battery bay floor is 18x24" but certainly measure yours as it could be different! Without the tray you could fit three, two put in first length-wise and the third sideways. Running the cables to 3 will not be fun without the tray and you will need to make custom length cables. You'd have to wire and tighten up the bolts on the first two, push them in and then mount and wire the third.
You will also have to figure out a way to strap them down OR cut spacers to fit around and snug them like I did with wood studs. Others prefer using plastic so to have no wood in the Oliver except for the kitchen drawers! The ONLY install we've seen installing batteries without the tray is Mike's @rideadeuce where he installed 2 HUGE 460AH special Epochs which filled every available square inch in the bay, where they have no possible room to move. I forget if he added anything extra to secure them, but you would have to with 3 batteries not filling the space. Maybe you could find a metal or plastic tray just less than the 18x24" space to help. At least line the shelf bottom with rubber as Mike did. Hope this helps and do have fun!
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5 hours ago, Teaney Hull 292 said:
JD, I’m about to install the Xantrex 3000 with my 2 new 280ah Lithiums. To run the AC off the inverter I saw I needed the KIASE TS20 Transfer Switch. When I went on their website, it says max 2000 inverter. Is there a KIASE transfer switch for a 3000 watt inverter. My search only shows their inverter with the Transfer Switch.
Thanks GaryWondering why you're thinking Xantrex now vs. you had an earlier interest in Victron. Why? Oliver owners that have the 3KW Xantrex have them because OTT installs them exclusively. I know of 5 Oliver owners on the forum who have replaced the 2KW Xantrex inverter with the 3KVA Victron Multiplus II. I have never read of any Oliver owners who have upgraded from the 2KW to 3KW Xantrex. I'm not sure of all the reasons why, but Victron has a Power Assist option that allows those on less powerful generators or mooch-docking power less than 15A to still run A/C by combing some battery amperage.
So, there are a lot of Oliver owners and forum members that can help you with configuration of the 3KW Xantrex, but I do not know of any with actual Xantrex installation experience.
I'm glad that I went with Victron since we now have 6 Victron devices! 🤣 This includes Victron 30A MPPT solar chargers, an Orion 50A DC-DC chargers, SmartShunt and more devices all integrated on one network, viewable on the Victron Connect app.
Now to answer your question:
When moving up to any 3KW inverter the KISEA 20 Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) will NOT be needed. This ATS is used as a work-around allowing the 2KW inverter to add a separate 20A circuit to run Air Conditioning (A/C). The 3KW inverters have a built-in 30A ATS that can run your entire 120VAC power panel so that the inverter supplies AC power to all 120V breakers including A/C.
When you remove the old Xantrex, you will also remove the attached 15A Xantrex external ATS and a funky residential junction box, with a maze of wires and wire nuts inside. OTT rigs this instead of the preferred route of installing a split-bus AC panel, allowing them to install the same panel in Olivers with or without an inverter.
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5 hours ago, Geronimo John said:
JD:
SOME mfg, like Battle Born, specifically warn not to keep their batteries on charger at 100% for long durations. You may want to verify what your MFG says.
GJ
I certainly believe that to be true for converter/chargers connected to shore power (reason why ours is only plugged in at home during August for A/C). When parked ours stays in the 90s SOC most of the time from solar charger only. Solar is naturally OFF all night long! 🤣 So the batteries should stay healthy.
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15 hours ago, JT Long said:
Installed and tested. Works as intended.
Excellent JT! Great build shown in your photos. It's cool that you started this thread just 4 weeks ago, and today you have the setup you wanted working well! 😂
Thank you for getting me started on ours. We received our Mini recently and activated our account today. Easy setup and more to come soon...
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Shelf under dinette
in General Discussion
Posted · Edited by jd1923
Wow Bill, this looks great! I'm not a woodworker so this would take me a bit of time!
Two 1" squares of 3M 4950 VHB tape on the lower back sides would keep it there nicely.
BTW, if you save your photos as .jpg vs .heic files, they will show on the page and not have to be downloaded.