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Finally! My Batteries and Inverter Now Run My AC!


Spike

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  • 2 weeks later...
22 hours ago, Southbird401 said:

How much trouble was involved in installing the Zamp portable hookup plug, or was that already wired into your system?

My RV tech, Mat, did the install, but I think that it was no sweat for him. Other aspects of the upgrade did pose some bigger challenges. 

As I stated in my original post, "I still have very little technical understanding about how this system functions and how the components and wiring fit together, so I will not be the one to answer many, if any, technical questions, but I know that on this forum, if you ask, you receive. There are some good posts on this forum involving the Houghton AC and related issues, so take a look around, and don't hesitate to submit your questions on this forum. Doing so paid off big time for me!"

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On 2/11/2022 at 3:35 PM, Spike said:

I finally achieved my goal of being able to run my AC off of my 2000-watt inverter and my new battery bank: 4 100ah Battle Born lithium batteries. 

This may be of interest: I just estimated the weight reduction by replacing my 4 6-volt AGM batteries with the Battle Borns, and replacing the Dometic AC with the Houghton. Our Ollie may have lost about 300 lbs (along with about 1 inch of height).

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  • 2 months later...

@Spike do you know any of the specifics regarding wiring the Emerson non-programmable thermostats? I have just replaced my Dometic AC  with the low profile Houghton. The AC is running great using the remote but I now need to rewire/install the Emerson Tstat.  Anyone that can provide wiring information would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

2019 Elite II Hull 435, 2022 Toyota Tundra

 

 

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25 minutes ago, wolfdds said:

do you know any of the specifics regarding wiring the Emerson non-programmable thermostats?

wolfdds--

As I wrote about my upgrade, my RV tech did all of the work, but I DID pass along this information from Minnesota Oli, who apparently got it from katanapilot. I hope it helps.

 

Here's a paragraph from Got Earplugs by katanapilot from My version of the Houghton AC install posted May 27.
As a sidenote halfway through the install I thought of a different way of doing the wiring for the thermostat. If a person replaced the LCD thermostat with a older manual style you could do away with the LCD relay board. If you look at the first picture that shows a group of wires that are in a black sheath, these are the control side of the wiring for the AC. In that group of wires there are two blue wires one with a white stripe. The one with the white stripe is hot 12 volts DC and the solid blue is the wire that goes to the furnace relay board. So re-allocate the existing thermostat wires by doubling them up ,two of them hooked to the solid blue and the other two hook to the blue with the white stripe. Then at the wall hook the two thermostat wires that are hooked to blue with white stripe to the power in on the new manual thermostat and the other two to the power out. The reason I would double them up is because of they're small gauge. This would do away with having to pull wires and using the LCD relay board. Also save you having to toggle through the unusable modes (heat strip, cool)  on the LCD thermostat to get to the furnace mode.
 image.thumb.png.eb71ea497bc4a7bd18775a0cca05bc49.png
 By re-allocate the existing thermostat wires and doubling them up ,two of them hooked to the solid blue and the other two hook to the blue with the white stripe. Now you are able to utilize wires that are already there saving you having to run new ones. Simply switch out the thermostat with one that does not need a control board.


 

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1 hour ago, wolfdds said:

@Spike do you know any of the specifics regarding wiring the Emerson non-programmable thermostats? I have just replaced my Dometic AC  with the low profile Houghton. The AC is running great using the remote but I now need to rewire/install the Emerson Tstat.  Anyone that can provide wiring information would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

What year is your trailer? Mine is a 2021 and the wire colors were different than Minnesota Oil’s.  
FE06E6B6-42CB-450A-BCB6-B3F419B7A320.thumb.jpeg.51a3188a87cdf90f5b0523df0e2a95f9.jpeg

the green and blue wires on the left of the control box go to the heater.  These wires were spliced to the wires coming out of the heater.  You can find the splices right below the heater to identify which wires they correspond to.  See pic below.

AF79BDCC-179C-4217-9E4B-DEF4B8B76D51.thumb.jpeg.8c31742fdc044192d2dea795ea95f99a.jpeg
 

John

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John and Kim

2021 GMC Sierra 2500 AT4 6.6L Duramax 11350 GVWR  3048lb Payload

2021 Oliver Elite II.   Hull #887

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@Jps190 My trailer is a 2018. I could not find the spliced wires under the heater that you show in your picture. I am going to post a picture of the wires that were cut from the AC and the current thermostat wiring. @Minnesota Oli or anyone else can you confirm which wires to splice together to eliminate the LCD control and wire the simple Emerson Thermostat. Thanks.

The wires shown here pretty much the picture from Minnesota Oli with the exception the red connected to the white/red. Also he describes doubling up the wires from the thermostat but my thermostat only has three wires (yellow, red, green). It looks like only the green and yellow Tstat wires are in the wiring harness that is at my AC end. 

tstat1.thumb.jpg.def7128ef0ff3064f33abcde83a90de3.jpg

 

tstat2.jpg

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2019 Elite II Hull 435, 2022 Toyota Tundra

 

 

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I believe the sold blue wire heads to your relay board on the furnace. I believe the blue with the white stripe is 12 volts hot. Check with a voltmeter to verify with fuse for furnace in place. If you touch those two wires together it will start the furnace, you will have to let the furnace time out before it will shut back down. If that checks out then you will splice one unused thermostat wire to blue and another unused thermostat wire to the blue with white stripe. Then back at where the thermostat wires come out of the wall you will use those two newly allocated thermostat wires to hook up the new single mode thermostat.

Hope that helps.

Paul

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here are the photos of the final wiring. I used the Red (spliced on AC side to white) and Yellow (spliced on AC side to orange) thermostat wires. As you can see in the photo the blue/white was the 12 v and the solid blue was the wire to the heater as @Minnesota Oliconfirmed. I checked with a volt meter and connected them at the AC side to confirm the heater would turn on. On the Tstat side the wiring is self explanatory from the picture. The only casualty in the install was blowing the 7.5 A fuse which is located under the dinette. After closing everything up and THEN putting in the new fuse so I would not blow it again everything is working great. What an excellent upgrade the low profile inside portion along with the reduction in operating noise was well worth it. BTW: if you are in the metrowest Boston, MA area and need any RV repairs; I used TRIC Mobile RV to do the heavy lifting to remove and replace the actual AC unit. https://tricmobilervrepair.com/ They did a fantastic job so I would definitely recommend them.

acside.jpg

tstat4.jpg

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2019 Elite II Hull 435, 2022 Toyota Tundra

 

 

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Spike, was the Kisae transfer switch installed in addition to an existing one? I just upgraded my 2020 OLEll (no solar) to lithium, but the Dometic a/c only works on shore power. As I understand, the Kisae TS will allow me to operate the a/c via the 2000w inverter. 

2020 OLEll, Twin, 579

No installed solar, Renogy 40A DC-DC charger, 460Ah LFP battery bank/Victron SmartShunt, Hughes Autoformer, dual Lagun tables, auxiliary Cerbo-S GX/Victron 30A Blue Smart IP22 Charger combo, Dreiha Atmos 4.4 a/c upgrade.

2012 Silverado 1500 4x4

A.R.E. truck bed cover/BedRug bed liner, 200W solar array/Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 and 100Ah potable power station, Rancho QuickLIFT front suspension strut/coil spring upgrade, Advanced Technology vented/slotted disc brake rotor upgrade, Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 Air Suspension/wireless remote controller, Mechman 320A High Output alternator/upsize cables.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/21/2023 at 7:24 AM, Ronbrink said:

was the Kisae transfer switch installed in addition to an existing one?

Yes, you need a second transfer switch.

GJ

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TV:  2019 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat, 3.5L EcoBoost, Max Tow, FX-4, Rear Locker      OLLIE:  2018 OE2 Hull 342, Twin Bed.    OLLIE DIY’s: Timken Bearings, BB LiFePO4's, Victron 712 Smart, 350 Amp Master Switch, Houghton 3400, Victron Orion DC - DC, 3000-Watt Renogy Inverter, P.D. 60-amp Converter, Frig Dual Exhaust Fans, Kitchen Drawer Straps.    TV DIY’s:  2 5/16" Anderson System, Nitto recon’s, Firestone Rear Air Bags, Bilstein 5100’s, Mud Flaps & Weather Tech all, installed Ham Radio (WH6JPR).

  image.jpeg.9633acdfb75740f0fd358e1a5118f105.jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

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Gj, thanks for your response! Can you provide any details on the additional TS install? I have reached out to Oliver for a more detailed and comprehensive wiring schematic, but they have yet to respond to the request.

2020 OLEll, Twin, 579

No installed solar, Renogy 40A DC-DC charger, 460Ah LFP battery bank/Victron SmartShunt, Hughes Autoformer, dual Lagun tables, auxiliary Cerbo-S GX/Victron 30A Blue Smart IP22 Charger combo, Dreiha Atmos 4.4 a/c upgrade.

2012 Silverado 1500 4x4

A.R.E. truck bed cover/BedRug bed liner, 200W solar array/Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 and 100Ah potable power station, Rancho QuickLIFT front suspension strut/coil spring upgrade, Advanced Technology vented/slotted disc brake rotor upgrade, Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 Air Suspension/wireless remote controller, Mechman 320A High Output alternator/upsize cables.

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On 7/30/2023 at 7:29 AM, Geronimo John said:

Yes, you need a second transfer switch.

GJ

Gj, please see my last response addressed to you. My son is a retired Naval electronics tech and asked me obtain the aforementioned wiring schematics for use in wiring in the additional transfer switch. He knows his stuff, so any informational details from you or any other knowledgable individual on how to properly complete the install would be greatly appreciated. My goal is to briefly run the A/C off the lithium batteries (460Ah total) during stops, and fully understand the inherent limitations of my system. Given the competence of my son, I feel he can perform this task in a safe manner. Thank you

2020 OLEll, Twin, 579

No installed solar, Renogy 40A DC-DC charger, 460Ah LFP battery bank/Victron SmartShunt, Hughes Autoformer, dual Lagun tables, auxiliary Cerbo-S GX/Victron 30A Blue Smart IP22 Charger combo, Dreiha Atmos 4.4 a/c upgrade.

2012 Silverado 1500 4x4

A.R.E. truck bed cover/BedRug bed liner, 200W solar array/Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 and 100Ah potable power station, Rancho QuickLIFT front suspension strut/coil spring upgrade, Advanced Technology vented/slotted disc brake rotor upgrade, Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 Air Suspension/wireless remote controller, Mechman 320A High Output alternator/upsize cables.

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There is a post on our site from another owner that installed one with pictures.  Likely was John D., but I may be foggy on that.

GJ

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TV:  2019 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat, 3.5L EcoBoost, Max Tow, FX-4, Rear Locker      OLLIE:  2018 OE2 Hull 342, Twin Bed.    OLLIE DIY’s: Timken Bearings, BB LiFePO4's, Victron 712 Smart, 350 Amp Master Switch, Houghton 3400, Victron Orion DC - DC, 3000-Watt Renogy Inverter, P.D. 60-amp Converter, Frig Dual Exhaust Fans, Kitchen Drawer Straps.    TV DIY’s:  2 5/16" Anderson System, Nitto recon’s, Firestone Rear Air Bags, Bilstein 5100’s, Mud Flaps & Weather Tech all, installed Ham Radio (WH6JPR).

  image.jpeg.9633acdfb75740f0fd358e1a5118f105.jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

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When I upgraded my batteries from flooded cell lead acid batteries to three Battle Born batteries a few years ago, I also made a few electrical upgrades as well. One upgrade was to clean up/simplify the DC wiring and the other was to add a new 20 amp transfer switch to allow me to run the air conditioner on the batteries by way of the inverter. In the photo the new 20 amp Kisae brand transfer switch needed is on the right and the various wires are labeled. The black wire has a 20 amp plug on it and just simply plugs into the inverter. The two yellow wires (12 gauge wires) are the ones that you’ll need to cut. The one on the right comes from the air conditioner breaker in the power distribution panel and the wire on the left goes up to the air conditioner. The correct diagram is printed on the transfer switch cover. I hope this helps.

IMG_1235.thumb.jpeg.8a6cb65c5830dd4cf9d2aa4274374ff4.jpeg
 

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2017 Elite II, Hull #208

2019 Chevy HD 2500 Duramax

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Something that should be mentioned in running the air conditioner on the batteries is that the older inverter is 2,000 watt capacity and according to the manufacturer it will safely handle 1,800 watts continuously. FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURER SPECS! Something else that should be noted here and may have already been mentioned is that the air conditioner should have the easy start module installed and really no other DC loads or AC loads can be running. Especially no other AC loads as the 2,000 watt inverter will be very close to maximum capacity running the original Dometic unit. Additionally, all of the high amperage DC lugs and connections should be checked to make sure that they are tight. I found one factory crimped lug to very warm while running the air conditioner on the batteries so I needed to re-crimp it. My air conditioner draws on average over 100 amps DC and that is dependent on cabin temperature. As the trailer cools down the DC amp draw goes down a bit (less compressor head pressure).

Edited by mountainoliver
Clarification added, correction
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2017 Elite II, Hull #208

2019 Chevy HD 2500 Duramax

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