Lithium upgrade and relocation

[Kenny Ray]

I recently purchased a 2024 Grand Surveyor 253RLS. I have added 2 100ah lithium batteries, removed the lead acid and relocated everything inside the pass thru storage area. I also added a Renogy 2000 watt inverter and a LiTime shunt. I am 90% complete on this project and it seems to be functioning as advertised. I am trying to find if there is anyone on this forum or in the Pinellas county Florida area that I can pay to come by and assess the project and give some advice on improvement and or mistakes. I live in St Petersburg and am full time in this RV.

 

[tomkatb]

Things to know.

The two batteries are good for an hour or more dependent on what is running. Use carefully. While operating there is a 10-20% loss in the conversion.

Wires from the battery to the inverter should be 2/0. Then the microwave will work. Not the air conditioner.

Fuse in the line from the batteries to the inverter should be 200 amps. Check the instructions.

There should be a convenient switch to turn the inverter off in the rv. They consume 1-2 ah per hour on standby. So it needs to be off when not used.

If you use the simple extension cord from the inverter to the shore power then be sure to turn the converter off. Otherwise there is a loop to discharge the battery trying to charge using the converter.

My son did a lot of testing on a similar setup.

 

[Kenny Ray]

I probably should have mentioned the trailer came equipped with 400 watts of solar, a 30 amp controller and an AD converter. Any input is greatly appreciated as this is all new to me.

 

[Kenny Ray]

Thanks for the info. I used the cables that came with the inverter to go to the shunt and the battery. The cables that parallel the batteries together are 1/0. The trailer is "inverter prepped" which I understand only runs the outlets over the kitchen counter which is all I need. The fridge is 12v and the water heater is on demand. I relocated the battery switch into the pass through also. The inverter and batteries are only inches apart.

 

[Aussieguy]

bring it up to Tarpon and make me a coffee

I got a quiet road at my place.... you can park for hours without problems

 

[Aussieguy]

Thanks for the info. I used the cables that came with the inverter to go to the shunt and the battery. The cables that parallel the batteries together are 1/0. The trailer is "inverter prepped" which I understand only runs the outlets over the kitchen counter which is all I need. The fridge is 12v and the water heater is on demand. I relocated the battery switch into the pass through also. The inverter and batteries are only inches apart.

cables that came with shunt may be CCA copper coated aluminum
I went to west marine for my battery cables ... they are much better than the auto parts stores


for good performance ... the cables for paralleling the batteries together and for the inverter needs to be your focal point.

skimp on the cables and lugs is not the best idea

 

[jlankford]

cables that came with shunt may be CCA copper coated aluminum
I went to west marine for my battery cables ... they are much better than the auto parts stores


for good performance ... the cables for paralleling the batteries together and for the inverter needs to be your focal point.

skimp on the cables and lugs is not the best idea

LiTime doesn't provide cables with their shunt. The cables Renogy provides with the 2000W inverter are 1/0 AWG, and presumably all copper. Looks like they are pre-crimped with presumably quality lugs. I would prefer 2/0 AWG, but if the Renogy cables are well constructed they should be enough. I agree the parallel jumpers need to be good quality. Since I haven't invested in a good crimping tool, I like buying pre-crimped cables from Windy Nation on Amazon.

 

[Aussieguy]

West marine allows you to use their crimping tools
buy the wire and lugs and then crimp them yourself

they have a better range of pre-made cables too
marine graded tinned wires .. I bought ONE 36inch length then cut it in half and added a lug on each end

Was more for convenience... same day not having to wait, not a lot of savings to be had for short cable runs..
The marine grade wires are real flexible ..... just like multi strand welding wire

Looked at welding wire from hardware but settled on west marine more so they had excellent LUGS

Automotive stores ... YUK very little selection and lugs were very poor on surface area

------------------------------------------------------------
bought cable and lugs online from windynation
when I added a power anchor winch to my boat , real good price for long runs of cable

 

[tomkatb]

Only one safety concern is the fuse between the inverter and the battery.

American made welding wire is commonly used. Any welding shop would make up wires for you. Any wire purchased from Amazon is suspect.

West Marine is a good plan.

 

[MR.M]

I probably should have mentioned the trailer came equipped with 400 watts of solar, a 30 amp controller and an AD converter. Any input is greatly appreciated as this is all new to me.

With 400 watts of solar i would use a 50 amp mppt controller . Just got done with 4 months of boondocking 400 watt solar , 2 100 ah lithium , 2000 watt inverter left on all the time . ran micro, tv , toaster , coffee pot , never needed a gen . also use the inverter to charge my 60ah lithium trolling motor battery .. unit was fully charged everyday by noon even when cloudy . in fact some times i would charge the trolling motor battery after dark taking power from the 2 100ah lithium and still a non issue on the batteries being fully charged by noon everyday .

 

[jlankford]

Only one safety concern is the fuse between the inverter and the battery.

American made welding wire is commonly used. Any welding shop would make up wires for you. Any wire purchased from Amazon is suspect.

West Marine is a good plan.

The large-gauge wire sold by the vendor Windy Nation on Amazon is high quality fine-strand welding wire. I wouldn't buy from any other Amazon vendors.

 

[jlankford]

With 400 watts of solar i would use a 50 amp mppt controller . Just got done with 4 months of boondocking 400 watt solar , 2 100 ah lithium , 2000 watt inverter left on all the time . ran micro, tv , toaster , coffee pot , never needed a gen . also use the inverter to charge my 60ah lithium trolling motor battery .. unit was fully charged everyday by noon even when cloudy . in fact some times i would charge the trolling motor battery after dark taking power from the 2 100ah lithium and still a non issue on the batteries being fully charged by noon everyday .

Which model of inverter do you have, that you leave on all day? All the 2000w inverters I've looked at consume more power than my 12V fridge. My WFCO inverter uses about 48 Ah per day in idle... not sure why you'd want to leave that on.

 

[darrellr]

WFCO

Found your problem. Sorry, I have developed a strong dislike of WFCO over the years.

 

[jlankford]

Found your problem. Sorry, I have developed a strong dislike of WFCO over the years.

Mine has worked fine for over a year now. It was factory installed - when it dies I probably won't replace it with another WFCO due to price.

I'd still like to know the model of Mr. M's inverter so I can look up the specs.

FWIW...


Inverter idle current consumption
WFCO 2000w 1.7A (measured) = 40Ah/day
Renogy 2000w 2A (spec) = 48Ah/day
LiTime 2000w 0.7A (spec) = 17Ah/day
Victron 2000w 0.9A (spec = 22Ah/day
Vevor 2000w 1.2A (spec) = 29Ah/day

 

[Kenny Ray]

Thank you for all the info. I am still studying a bit. I prefer to make my own cables for everything except the inverter. The ones that came with it look like quality pieces. I appreciate the offer Aussieguy and may take you up on it later, I do make some dang good coffee.

 

[PhilFromMaine]

Only one safety concern is the fuse between the inverter and the battery.

American made welding wire is commonly used. Any welding shop would make up wires for you. Any wire purchased from Amazon is suspect.

West Marine is a good plan.

I got mine through Windy Nation via Amazon. It was high quality and I highly recommend it.

 

[MR.M]

Which model of inverter do you have, that you leave on all day? All the 2000w inverters I've looked at consume more power than my 12V fridge. My WFCO inverter uses about 48 Ah per day in idle... not sure why you'd want to leave that on.

A power max 2000 watt with auto built in transfer switch . never measured the draw but it was minuscule . I have it mounted less then a foot away from the batteries . micro, tv powered 24/7 coffee maker on about an hr in the morning and toast a couple times a day . 10amp noco lithium battery charger for the trolling motor battery when plugged in to the inverter the fans would never come on and still watched tv but would shut off charger if i needed the micro . in fact I'm parked at my sons house now with vent fan on full 24/7 along with inverter powering tv and micro in stand by mode [not in use] stilll check batteries in the am and batteries stay fully charged along with staying plugged into truck which keeps that fully charged. just looked up the power max 2000 watt 1.5 amp in stand by mode x 24 is 36 amps in a 24 hr time frame . the 4 100 watt panels supplied way more power then needed

 

[Finchsd43]

Lithium batteries fire danger

I saw a TV news story about lithium batteries overheating and catching fire. A fire fighter was interviewed and said that there isn’t any effective fire fighting technology for lithium battery fires. They can burn a home to the ground in minutes because of the intense heat generated by batteries burning. The program showed a lithium powered car that burned to the frame in seven minutes. I don’t think we know enough about the technology to subscribe to systems in highly flammable recreational vehicles.

 

[SuperJoe303]

Andre the battery/solar guru

I am a little late to the party. I would recommend checking in with The Yacht Rigger there in St Pete. Yes they mainly do yachts, but they know how to do it right and do quality workmanship. Andre there is an expert in battery and solar.

 

[darrellr]

I saw a TV news story about lithium batteries overheating and catching fire. A fire fighter was interviewed and said that there isn’t any effective fire fighting technology for lithium battery fires. They can burn a home to the ground in minutes because of the intense heat generated by batteries burning. The program showed a lithium powered car that burned to the frame in seven minutes. I don’t think we know enough about the technology to subscribe to systems in highly flammable recreational vehicles.

Welcome to the forum. Hopefully you will spend a little time reading posts on the forum and learn a little about LFP batteries.