jd1923

Good plan in general Dave. It's a good simple solution. I always enjoy hand-drawing plans on good old-fashioned graph paper! First, do not mount +positive buses, breakers or other connections to a conductor, e.g. aluminum. Simply dropping a tool could touch a hot connection to the grounding conductor. Use some kind or plastic, PVC, or other non-conductive mounting board. 1/4" HDPE, or thicker if preferred, would work well: Amazon.com: HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) Sheet, Opaque White, Standard Tolerance, 1/4" Thickness, 12" Width, 12" Length by Technology Island (12" X 12") : Industrial & Scientific This may not make sense initially but turn your 50A breaker the other direction. DC breakers are polarized and work on magnetic force and have to be in the direction of current flow. They are marked BAT on one side and AUX (load) on the other side. Normal use is that the battery supplies current through the BAT side of the breaker to the load. In the case of the charger, current is pushed the other direction, from charger to battery, so the directional breaker must be wired in reverse; charger to BAT post and batteries to the AUX side as they are the physical load when charging. The copper bar is a good idea but will not easily fit given one post needs dual connections. You could easily make a short U-shaped jumper cable with either 4 or 6 AWG wire. Lastly, the BAT post of the 40A breaker needs to be connected to the batteries without passing through the 50A breaker as in your drawing. It will still be on the AUX post but after you have switched the direction of the 50A breaker it will be on the right side of the breaker in your drawing so that power to the +tive bus is not going through both breakers. If you like, post a revised version of your drawing and I'll take a look to see if you if you understood my suggestions. Thanks for doing this, because in advising you, I just reviewed the wiring in my recent upgrade and found I had a directional mistake. Easy to change and I will correct ASAP, thanks again.

The Renogy 400W Suitcase specifies 11A short circuit amperage and Max Series fuse rating of 15A, listed on product label. Use fuse rating per solar panel specifications.

This is the advertised special: "Charge your lithium batters from your tow vehicle. *Camper system only. Truck must be outfitted by automotive shop for system to fully operate. Limited Supply. Sale Price: $1,350.00" I zoomed in on the picture and can just see the '30' for the 30A on the charger. These go for $204 on Amazon: Amazon.com: Victron Energy Orion-Tr Smart DC to DC Charger (Bluetooth) - 12/12-Volt 30 amp 360-Watt - Battery Charger for Dual Battery Systems - Non-Isolated : Automotive OTT will likely add a Bussman breaker (about $40, not shown in the picture). Say $100 for 4 AWG cable and parts (trailer side only), so they are charging about $1000 for labor! You would still have to wire the TV to connect at the hitch. You really want this charger instead, for greater charge rate and less heat (watch the video in the link supplied above): Amazon.com: Victron Energy Orion XS Smart DC to DC Charger 12/12 50A (700W) - Advanced Battery Protection : Electronics There are a couple authorized sellers on eBay that accept $300 offers on this same charger for greater savings. If I could not do this myself for <$500 in parts, I would purchase the components and get a trusted local installer or truck service company to install both sides at the same time. There are so many great examples here in mod postings from @Snackchaser, @Ronbrink, @MAX Burner, @rideadeuce, demonstrating this installation. Don't forget an alternator upgrade! (also not included)

And the travel season is just starting for us down here!

Great work Ron! You have so many great upgrades and this is one, as you know, I’ve been waiting to observe! Got me thinking and will soon get on a ladder to see if hull 113 has that strange “landing.” I’m going to read this again and follow your thread. Sometime late winter we will work such upgrade. Thank you my friend! 😂

Epoch Supp just replied to my request, "You can safely run up to 200A continuous." "Recommended" charging spec for these batteries is 50A and "Maximum" is 200A. Your Xantrex max charge rate is 150A and our Victron MP2 is 120A, so either full charge rate is fine for these Epoch batteries. What is the advantage? I do not like to run any motor or other equipment at the max rate unless required. A 50A charge rate (which will be our default), will cause less heat, less charger and fan noise and simply be safer. If we are going to plug into shore power overnight there is no reason to rush the charge at 150A, adding 150AH per hour. If we are making a short stop and we need to charge more quickly, I can connect laptop to the Victron ethernet/USB-C interface and quickly change the charge rate, if/when needed. You can choose any charge rate you prefer.

Batteries should not be dead yet on a 2021 Oliver! Though Florida weather, Sulphur in the water and air in some parts, will cause corrosion. When your batteries need replacing, check the second post in this thread:

The charger should be set to the battery manufacturer spec “Recommended Charge Rate.” On my Epoch 300AH recommended is 50A. I have two batteries in parallel. I set our Victron MP2 to 50A and it does just that. When rooftop solar is adding 12A, I see 62A total on the SmartShunt readout. I have a message into Epoch tech support asking, can I double the charge rate for the two batteries? Max charge rate is listed at 200A. I also asked them, what is the harm in going over recommended when less than Max charge amperage is applied? I will post their answer. You should check the user manual for your batteries to determine recommended and maximum charge rates. We all want our expensive LiFePo4 investment to live the 11 year warranty period!

Glad our old hull has the left/right switches. I find we rarely if ever use the street-side light. If all else fails, just pull the light, remove and tape wire to disable the one side.

Me too, we have MANY Klein tools, many Made in USA. I just bought one of these. This eBay item is at a great price and the Seller has 100% feedback with over 5000 sales. I wanted a clamp meter. Only the Klein CL390 and CL800 models are clamp meters that read DC Amps. At this price, I went for the CL800 since it has the rugged casing. Same item on Amazon is $110. Klein Tools CL800 AC/DC True RMS Auto-Ranging Digital Clamp Meter 731215049170 | eBay

Not sure what this means. We travel with everything ON! Of course not running high amp appliances while towing. End of your video shows 9.5V which means dead batteries. You would have to explain your battery kind and specs, inverter? What did or did not work? Taillights have nothing to do with the Oliver, powered by the tow vehicle. Give us a lot more info to help. And yes, test battery voltage. Also see if batteries are charging when reconnected to shore power.

Sitting on our deck, having’ a drink before dinner, our Oliver some 60 ft away, and “Honey she’s still level!” 🤣

I would buy a new 50A Bussman breaker (check PD manual for correct breaker amperage) between the new charger and the batteries on the new 4 AWG B+ Red cable. You can add a bus or merely connect the current 6 AWG wire to either end of your new 4 AWG cable (at battery or charger) to the current 40A busman which feeds all DC fuses, fuses for stabilizer jacks etc. This way the 50A breaker governs the charging only and the original 40A breaker governs 12VDC use in the trailer. If you need more help, post pics. I used our 40A Bussman as described above and I have additional breakers for each solar charger. Note when wiring, the breakers are marked battery and load sides. OTT had some wired backwards in our hull.

Your math is close enough in theory. Though roof-mounted panels, flat to the horizon, are not getting near 340W. Ours often charge at net 12A, even in the Arizona sun. Our new 400W Renogy Suitcase when aimed directly at the sun got 366W at best one time and more often was between 200 and 300W. The Victron 30A SC has showed 20+ amps charging, where theoretical max is 33A. Starlink and other electronics, and the Oliver LED 12V lighting take so little power. Running cooking appliances, the A/C and a blow dryer is another story. I've been running A/C all week on only rooftop solar, but fall has broken up here at 5400 FT and the weather is wonderful lately. We do want to run A/C on inverter when it's hot after an efficient A/C upgrade. Running A/C when towing is a lot of drain, given sun and wind pulling the cool in your wake down the highway! I worry about charging via the TV. I would only do so with the kind of upgrade that Ron made. OEM alternators are not designed to push out another 30-50A. Trucks today have complex ECUs and you don't want voltage-related error codes affecting fuel injectors and ignition. @Snackchaser I read your DC-DC upgrade post (very nice work). I believe at the start of 2024 only the Victron 30A was available. The newer 50A is much more efficient, producing less heat, half the size, no large heat sink attached and likely no need for adding a fan. See video @rideadeuce added to my question post: Choosing a DC-DC Charger - Ollie Modifications - Oliver Owner Forums (olivertraveltrailers.com) Lastly when traveling, we I go out of our way to drive only 2-3 hours between stops and generally not more. We like to maximize time at the campsite vs. time on the highway. Some of you drive a lot of hours in a day where this is more useful. I will likely add a DC-DC charger but went the suitcase route first because of this. When adding this capability, you should consider the cost of the charger, another $150+ for 4 AWG cables and connectors, plus the cost of an aftermarket high-output alternator, to do it right. Victron Energy ORI121217040 Orion XS 12/12-50A DC-DC battery charger | Powerwerx

Good choice, given the new PD charger is 45A. I believe the original ones were 30A and ours usually read between 20-25A when plugging into shore power. The Blue Sky SC is 25A so 6AWG is just fine. When I upgraded, I found the ground bus (the one on the floor with many yellow jacketed wires connected) only had one 6 AWG connection to the batteries. Our new inverter/charger is rated at 120A, but i have it set for 50A. Instead of replacing the 6 AWG, I merely added a second 6 AWG wire. Together two 6 AWG cables are equal to one 3 AWG cable. This may be an option for you too. You need 4 AWG (or 2x 6 AWG) wire size on both sides, the B+ Red and B- Yellow connections from your new charger to your new Epoch battery. See these links the first one is to calculate wire size, and the second one allows you to calculate the combined AWG of multiple wires: 1) Wire Size Calculator (wirebarn.com) 2) Wire Combination Calculator (wirebarn.com)

Do what I do. Always leave the sewer hose attached while on the road! 🤣 Put the cap on the end of the hose. It must still be a reach with a big-a basket like this one. Nice product, but the back of my 8 ft pickup truck bed would have to get awfully full, for us to spend this kind of money for extra storage, and with the extra weight behind the trailer.

Just found this today and could have used it yesterday! To grease the inner tie rods on my truck, I had to turn the steering all the way left to get the driver side and then all the way right to get the passenger side. I really dislike crawling under a truck and not having everything I need. Crawl out, back in, again and again. It's getting harder on the older body! Next time, I'll have this and perhaps it will allow me to grease the Oliver with the wheels on. Glad to see LockNLube makes this. Just bought one! Amazon.com: LockNLube 90 Degree Grease Coupler Adapter : Automotive

This weekend I installed a HP Billet Alum water pump on our Ram. The WP is one known weakness of the stock Cummins. New antifreeze, changed oil and filter, new air filter too. Jacked up the front to make getting under her easier. Lastly, I greased the front end using the new Dewalt with LockNLube fitting. Adam walked by, “what’s that?” (He has a half dozen Dewalt power tools.) nothing cooler than a power grease gun, btw. TV ready to head to Tejas! 🤣

Dave, 6 AWG is all you need. The ONLY reason for anything heavier is when running an inverter. OTT uses 6 AWG to connect the PD charger, the 12VDC fuse panel and everything else. Make sure all B+ and B- connections are clean and tight. I cut 1/2” off each end to bare new copper in the buses, but if you have good eyelets to the batteries, just steel brush them Blue Sky SC in our hull also uses 6 AWG in and out. Check my upgrade link re configuring the Blue Sky for LiFePo4. Good battery choice, btw! 🤣

That’s all it needed. Bad Q on installation!

Yes, every time I open the LP valve after parking at our campsite, Chris is inside, and our first step is to light a gas burner to prime the main line. We change fridge to LP and start the HWH afterwards and the furnace should be ready to fire up overnight.

Wow, never seen such a thing and your Oliver is only 1 year old! I'm assuming your inverter was charging previously. Could something have been pulling on the 10/3 cable from outside the inverter? Anything loose or stored in that basement area?

Cool, thank you! Btw, if you are a Zoom presenter, which is the vehicle of my parttime semi-retirement job, you are pushing more data up vs. down, and upload latency is an issue in all Sat connections. On all technology platforms, download speeds are 5-10x upload speeds, np for streaming movies, or if you must the Presidential Debate (oh 'twas so painful). 🤣 One part of me wants to be able to do my work on the road, so to travel more often. The other side says screw that and it's a GREAT day boondocking when in a deep canyon we're not connected!

I have ONLY heard the "clicking noise" when the LP valve is turned OFF.

My sediments exactly! When looking for fridge, or an upgraded A/C, anything but! I'm looking forward to your thread! The compressor fridges I've seen here so far do not enough freezer space to keep a half bag of ice, let alone a couple of fine steaks frozen, PERIOD! We need at least the same CF in freezer space, though this may not be one of your criteria. I would love a RV fridge that is literally 25% freezer or more. You can keep water bottles, condiments, beer and most things on ice, but you CANNOT keep frozen items properly frozen unless a freezer is less that 10F (speaking from many years in the restaurant industry). Anybody need an ice pack to apply to a injured joint? I sure do! You need freezer space. I will likely add a freezer to my truck bed, but...