XPLOR Hull# 634 - (2) Epoch 300ah batteries and complete Victron System Install

[Patriot]

 

***Long Post*** XPLOR Hull #634 Victron 3000 watt inverter, Victron 12v DC to DC charger and Epoch lithium battery upgrade.

Note: To discuss options and pricing, please contact Jordan Hall at Inverter Services, White House, Tenn. 

Our OEM AGM batteries were getting long in the tooth and it was time to upgrade our batteries to a complete lithium battery system on our 2020 Oliver LE2. Our good friend, and former Oliver owner Jim Posey, highly recommended we speak with Inverter Services in White House, Tennessee. I called and spoke with Service Manager Jordan Hall and discussed our needs and options. Jordan and his team at Inverter Services were excellent to work with and have a lot of experience working on Oliver travel trailers. 

Our tech/installer, Easton Ford, kept us updated on our install progress with photos and discussions as needed. We found Easton to be extremely detail-oriented and dialed in and focused on our project. We were originally scheduled to have this work done next March. After returning from our 54 day New England and Canada trip, I decided to call Inverter Services and ask if they had any cancellations. They did and we immediately took the cancellation. They are typically booked 6-7 months out. So we hitched op Oliver and headed to White House, Tenn to leave our Oliver with the team for 2 weeks.

Important note: Inverter Services supports the RV and Marine industry in ALL things lithium battery and electronics.

This is one of the most detailed and thorough, cutting-edge companies we have ever done business with. I chose Inverter Services to do this install because this is not my area of expertise and it absolutely is theirs. These guys are experts in their field and I admittedly am still in the learning process. 

Based on our excellent experience, we highly recommend Inverter Services in White House, Tenn if you are considering a lithium upgrade.

We chose all Epoch & Victron following products for this install.

(2) Epoch 300ah lithium batteries (internal heating elements) -https://www.epochbatteries.com/.../12v-300ah-heated...

*Victron MultiPlus-II 3000w Inverter/charger

*Victron GX 70 Touch Screen

*Victron Smart Solar MPPT

*Victron Orion XS DC-DC Battery Charger

**We also had the RV Soft Start installed on our Truma Aventa AC.

Inverter Services provides tech guidance/support/firmware updates as long as we own our Oliver. I cannot stress enough the pride this company takes in their work. As I think most would agree, Victron components are a class all their own and leaders in the Marine and RV industry.

Post install, we have on board 600ah of lithium battery power, and with our extra 90W Zamp panel now configured to lithium, we have approx 410 watts of solar. This will certainly give us more options on the roads less traveled and boondocking. Still lots to learn on this new system. Now having the 12v DC -DC charger I don’t think we will see a need to carry a generator any longer. Thanks to all those on the forum who made the Lithium upgrade happen. ⚡️

The information gleaned here helped me decide the direction I wanted to take this install. 

⚡️Happy Camping and Safe Travels! ⚡️

A few install pics-

 

 

 

The Victron GX 70 touch screen fit the existing opening with no cutting or trimming of the fiberglass. 

Very happy with the touch screen and the Victron app. We can set the screen to time out at 5 or 10 min or longer and then go dark for sleep mode.

Zamp 90W suitcase. 

12v DC to DC Andersen connector.

On our way home we camped at Cumberland Mountain SP in Tenn and gave our new system a shake down. It’s nice to not have to plug in. 😊 

Edited yesterday at 01:44 PM by Patriot

[Mike and Carol]

David, great write up!  Looks like they did a great job.

We’ve stayed at Cumberland Mountain State Park a bunch of times, one of our favorites.  Mike

[Patriot]

9 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

David, great write up!  Looks like they did a great job.

We’ve stayed at Cumberland Mountain State Park a bunch of times, one of our favorites.  Mike

Thanks Mike, 

We were due for the upgrade and this system gives us many more options. Cannot say enough about Inverter Services. 

Cumberland Mountain SP is well kept, with level sites and it was super quiet which we like with only a handful of late fall campers. 

David

Edited Saturday at 11:57 PM by Patriot

[rideandfly]

David, 

Great looking installation, looks like you picked a quality company, too. Looking forward to seeing this installation learning more about it!

[Steve Morris]

Very nice? How long did they have your trailer? We already have the lithium package, but at some point, I'd like to swap in the Victron inverter, Cerbo GX, and DC-DC system.

Did you bring along the Truma soft start for them to install? I'm assuming they don't stock these.

[Patriot]

31 minutes ago, Steve Morris said:

Very nice? How long did they have your trailer? We already have the lithium package, but at some point, I'd like to swap in the Victron inverter, Cerbo GX, and DC-DC system.

Did you bring along the Truma soft start for them to install? I'm assuming they don't stock these.

Thanks! Plan on 1-2 weeks depending on what you’re having done. They had the SoftStartRV in stock  for our Truma.

They typically have a 6-7 month wait time for an appointment, they are that good and 💯worth the wait based on our experience. 

I happened to a call and ask if they had a cancelation, they did. I was originally scheduled for March. 

Edited Saturday at 03:53 PM by Patriot

[Patriot]

31 minutes ago, rideandfly said:

David, 

Great looking installation, looks like you picked a quality company, too. Looking forward to seeing this installation learning more about it!

Thanks Bill, 

We will set a time up for you to come by for sure! 👍🏻

[Steve Morris]

24 minutes ago, Patriot said:

Thanks! Plan on 1-2 weeks depending on what you’re having done. They had the SoftStartRV in stock  for our Truma.

They typically have a 6-7 month wait time for an appointment, they are that good and 💯worth the wait based on our experience. 

I happened to a call and ask if they had a cancelation, they did. I was originally scheduled for March. 

Thank you!

[Geronimo John]

David:
Where did you have the Inverter/Converter installed?

John

[Patriot]

41 minutes ago, Geronimo John said:

David:
Where did you have the Inverter/Converter installed?

John

John, 

Under the rear street side bed right where the former Xantrex 2000 was installed by Oliver. A custom platform was added to secure the longer a heavier Victron Inverter/charger.  

 

Edited Saturday at 05:28 PM by Patriot

[Patriot]

1 hour ago, Steve Morris said:

Thank you!

Steve, glad to pass it forward. If you go with Inverter Services, I  think you will be happy with their work. Jim Posey whom I think you have seen on the Oliver FB page referred me to this company. He has had a lot of work done by them on different RVs over the years and believes they are one of the best. I agree.

Edited Saturday at 05:32 PM by Patriot

[Patriot]

Looking to find a new home for my gently used Xantrex Freedom XC 2000 I/C. If there are any takers that may have sorta of a use for it, send me a PM to discuss price. Shipping is on your dime if interested. The Zamp solar charge controller goes with it.

 

Edited Sunday at 10:53 PM by Patriot

[mossemi]

@Patriot 

I have a couple of questions about your Victron/Epoch installation.

Do you know what the black material is that they used for mounting the Victron equipment and Andersen connector?

I also noticed that you have both an Orion XS 1400 DC/DC charger and an Orion-Tr 12|12 - 9  DC to DC converter.  You mentioned that the Orion XS 1400 DC/DC charger was part of the lithium upgrade, so what is the purpose of the Orion-Tr 12|12 - 9  DC to DC converter?

Mossey

[Patriot]

5 hours ago, mossemi said:

so what is the purpose of the Orion-Tr 12|12 - 9  DC to DC converter?

Here are my thoughts:  edited- 

We previously owned an Overland Trailer (which had a Max Air fan).  We experienced a voltage issue so I had the Orion-Tr 12/12-9 installed to stabilize and maintain 12v power to the fan. Now I do not have to be concerned about possible spikes or a malfunctioning control board. Max Air Fans operating above 13.8v can damage the fans control board. This will prevent damage to the sensitive control board. 

The black plastic board material used to secure all components is called Starboard or Black HDPE and I can tell you it’s super tough and used in Marine grade applications. Inverter Services uses lots of this material during their installs. Here - https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08M6DJNH4/?_

 

Open Source info on Max Air Fans- 

*** MaxxAir fans are designed for a 12 Volt DC system, operating within a voltage range of approximately 10.6–13.6V, with an optimal test voltage of 12.8V. Operating above 13.8V can damage the fan's control board and void the warranty, especially if the system is charging. To prevent issues from voltage spikes, a DC/DC voltage regulator is recommended for stable power, especially when the vehicle's charging system is active.

Edited 1 hour ago by Patriot

[rideandfly]

2 hours ago, Patriot said:

Let’s see, in my best kitchen english my thoughts as I am not an electrician or electronics wiz, but am learning - 😊

From previous experience from an Overland Trailer we owned which had Max Air fan and we had  a voltage issue with, I requested the Orion-Tr 12/12-9 install to stabilize and maintain 12v power to the Max Air Fan and not to be concerned about possible spikes and a fried or wonky control board. Max Air Fans operating above 13.8v can damage the fans control board. This will prevent damage or ward off the potential electrical gremlins to the sensitive control board.

Open Source info on Max Air Fans- 

*** MaxxAir fans are designed for a 12 Volt DC system, operating within a voltage range of approximately 10.6–13.6V, with an optimal test voltage of 12.8V. Operating above 13.8V can damage the fan's control board and void the warranty, especially if the system is charging. To prevent issues from voltage spikes, a DC/DC voltage regulator is recommended for stable power, especially when the vehicle's charging system is active.

I'm not familiar with factory solar/lithium systems installed from Oliver and like David, still learning about electrical/electronics.  We installed Battleborn Lithium battery with Renogy Solar controller that we use with up to two solar suitcases, and an onboard progressive Lithium charger.

We had issues with our MaxxAir fan. It started beeping and a green light on the unit started flashing. Checked internet and found Lithium batteries can cause high voltage issues with MaxxAir fans, when we had the issues we were on shore power, the Progressive lithium charger had our 12V system at 14.4V DC. Also gave MaxxAir/Airxcel technical support a call and they confirmed lithium battery higher voltage can cause the problem we were having with the MaxxAir fan. 

This had me wondering if the  higher lithium voltage would cause issues with other 12V components, checked with Jensen and they said our TV was tested to 16 to 17V without issues. I don't know about other 12V components on Ollie, yet.

We installed a DC to DC converter (12.3V output) from Amazon, secured with Velcro. Also replaced the fan's circuit board with one from Amazon, probably unnecessary.  It's working OK now.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081RG8XP5?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Found this on YouTube:

 

Edited 2 hours ago by rideandfly