EPro 19FBS Recent Mods and Repairs

[CJGray]

Hey All! It's been a while.since I updated.

We've done a few more modifications as well as some minor repairs.

But first, Iast year, it failed inspection because there was a crack in the frame. We took it to the dealership after confirming that our warranty was still in effect. They re- inspected it, contacted Forest River, and our baby ended up being sent back to Indiana. We had not backed into anything, had not been rear-ended. There was no damage to the camper body at all. We were not overweight with cargo- in fact, we dropped weight when we removed the microwave and converted it to a cabinet. The failure happened in a place it never should have happened. Forest Rever was awesome and covered the entire replacement of frame and axel under the warranty andthe shipping and tolls! The dealership - Stoltzfus RV in Brownstown, PA - was also amazing and super helpful throughout the entire process.

Ok, on to updates.

For those who might not know, while the 19 FBS comes "Solar ready" on the second solar port (on the side of the unit ), you need to install a controller if you want to see what the draw is and confirm it's working,. We did that, hard-wiring it inside the pass-through.

We also installed a 12 volt on / off "kill switch" to the entertainment center. The furion screen was bright and drained a bunch of power even when off, so the switch was installed behind the tv. Now we don't have to keep pulling that fuse when it's not in use. 👍

And, most recently, we upgraded from the two marine batteries that came with the camper to a 200 amphour Lithium battery. The new battery wouldn't fit in the existing boxes, and It would be a pain to access if we managed to find an insulated battery box that could fit in the same spot on the trailer tongue. Our solution was to install it on the slide-out, under the sofa.

We installed battery tie downs into the floor and one into the wall (there's a wooden support under the sofa) to keep it from bouncing around, installed junction boxes for the wires that ran to the original batteries and kept them in the battery box, pulled the 2g negative wire up and ran a new 2 gauge (grounded) wire to the 100 Amp fuse from new battery, and ran an additional 8gauge wire from the new battery to the 12 volt junction. This means the battery will be more secure from theft, and temperature controlled when we cold weather camp in late fall. It also is closer to the solar charger and not losing as much wattage due to wire Iength.

For ease of access for emergencies or removing it for winter, we attached a 67" piano hinge on a custom wooden "L" bracket and to the panel below the sofa that hides the wheel well. We can easily lift it to get to the battery, and it sits snugly enough that it won't be swinging freely when travelling. It also stopped the panel from dragging when the slide out was moving.

We should now have zero power issues being off-grid in cloudy or shaded conditions for several days. 😁

[NJKris]

Nice job! Adding my LiFePO4 to my existing battery bank is my next project. I don't have the pass through, but do have space beneath sofa it will go. Just have to run the heavy gauge cables from the existing Gopower controller to a battery bank switch I will install.

[CJGray]

Originally Posted by NJKris

Nice job! Adding my LiFePO4 to my existing battery bank is my next project. I don't have the pass through, but do have space beneath sofa it will go. Just have to run the heavy gauge cables from the existing Gopower controller to a battery bank switch I will install.

Thanks! I will say, our original GoPower controller is the older one and doesn't support LiFePO. We'll be swapping that out shortly, but for now it's fine, since you don't want to store those at 100% when not in use. We're just letting the OG controller maintain up to 13.6/13.7V. If you have the newer GoPower controller, you should be fine.

[CJGray]

Correction to original post, because even though I thought I proofread, I missed them.

*Forest River, not Forest Rever 🤣🤣
*Stoltzfus RV is in Adamstown, not Brownstown.

[Jfkmk]

Originally Posted by CJGray

Correction to original post, because even though I thought I proofread, I missed them.

*Forest River, not Forest Rever 🤣🤣
*Stoltzfus RV is in Adamstown, not Brownstown.

Happens to me all the time. Keeps things interesting!

Stoltzfus in Adamstown is a great RV dealer. We bought our last camper there and wouldn’t hesitate to buy from them again.

[CJGray]

Originally Posted by Jfkmk

Happens to me all the time. Keeps things interesting!

Stoltzfus in Adamstown is a great RV dealer. We bought our last camper there and wouldn’t hesitate to buy from them again.

They really are fantastic! I have no problem at all recommending people go to them, and will certainly use them again if we ever upgrade or need anything.

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by CJGray

Thanks! I will say, our original GoPower controller is the older one and doesn't support LiFePO. We'll be swapping that out shortly, but for now it's fine, since you don't want to store those at 100% when not in use. We're just letting the OG controller maintain up to 13.6/13.7V. If you have the newer GoPower controller, you should be fine.

You have same model year as mine, unless they switched something mid year, the Go Power controller does have LiFePO4 capability, and you can even set different battery profiles for 2 separate battery banks.

To select the battery charging profile, press and hold the B Button. This will cause the current battery type to flash.

Then, press the B Button to toggle through the profile options: Sealed/Gel, AGM/Lithium (LFP) or Flooded.

To confirm the battery profile, press and hold the A Button for 3 seconds.

You would choose (LFP) setting. I guess that stands for lithium iron (f) phosphate.

[CJGray]

Originally Posted by NJKris

You have same model year as mine, unless they switched something mid year, the Go Power controller does have LiFePO4 capability, and you can even set different battery profiles for 2 separate battery banks.You would choose (LFP) setting. I guess that stands for lithium iron (f) phosphate.

I didn't realize AGM would be the same as the Lithium. Ours did have the AGM option, but nowhere did it say Lithium on either the panel or in the manual for the panel. I'll have to check that out. Thanks!

[DJ252]

Originally Posted by CJGray

I didn't realize AGM would be the same as the Lithium. Ours did have the AGM option, but nowhere did it say Lithium on either the panel or in the manual for the panel. I'll have to check that out. Thanks!

AGM is not the same as lithium.

The manufacturers are in a sort of transition period. There have been changes recently. Your Go Power controller may, or may not have a generic lithium setting, or ideally, even allow a custom setting.

If you've checked the manual and it isn't there, it probably isn't.

Gives you a good reason to upgrade to an MPPT controller and move it closer to the battery.

[CJGray]

Originally Posted by DJ252

AGM is not the same as lithium.

The manufacturers are in a sort of transition period. There have been changes recently. Your Go Power controller may, or may not have a generic lithium setting, or ideally, even allow a custom setting.

If you've checked the manual and it isn't there, it probably isn't.

Gives you a good reason to upgrade to an MPPT controller and move it closer to the battery.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I know AGM and Lithium batteries are different things. I meant that I didn't realize the AGM setting on the charge controller would work for the Lithium battery and was the same setting on the panel. My husband is reluctant to spend the money to upgrade the controller to the MPPT type at the moment.

[NJKris]

Sorry for any confusion, I found a 2018 manual online that says use the 'blank' selection for LFP (what they use for LiFePO4). From that manual:

Next, select the charging
profile of Battery 1 by
pressing the B Button to
toggle through the profile
options: Sealed/Gel,
AGM, Flooded, or blank
which represents LFP.

I'm in no hurry to change out my controller.

[CJGray]

Originally Posted by NJKris

Sorry for any confusion, I found a 2018 manual online that says use the 'blank' selection for LFP (what they use for LiFePO4). From that manual:



I'm in no hurry to change out my controller.

Thanks! I double checked and it doesn't give us a "blank" option in the battery selection. I saw another thread where someone with the same issue talked to a GoPower rep, who told them to leave it on the AGM setting after they upgraded from AGM to LiFePo4. I'm going to see if that works.

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by CJGray

Thanks! I double checked and it doesn't give us a "blank" option in the battery selection. I saw another thread where someone with the same issue talked to a GoPower rep, who told them to leave it on the AGM setting after they upgraded from AGM to LiFePo4. I'm going to see if that works.

You are correct! I just went out and checked mine, and the hardcopy manual dated 2018. Looks like the AGM setting will deliver the same 14.4vdc for bulk and absorption stages and only difference is it will not go into cell equalization mode. So AGM setting it is when I get that battery hooked up! Let me know how well your LiFEPO4 charges on this setting, sounds like it will do the trick to get it up to 100% charged.