Search results

Try not to get frustrated. I think once you have a well-thought-out LiFePO battery system installed you will be very happy with it. I really like that I don’t even have to think about electrical power when I camp. I occasionally check my battery level out of curiosity (hmm, it’s noon, am I back...

The relative wire length probably doesn’t matter, but I’m not sure I understand exactly what wire lengths you are saying would be different. If your new batteries are matched and behave like every battery I’ve read about other than your LiTimes, you should not need to fuse the inter-battery...

You should be careful about connecting two batteries in parallel when one has a significantly higher level of charge. You should understand and build for the possible current between the batteries to avoid damage to your wiring or batteries, Make sure you select your transfer switch carefully...

If you have two batteries that do not have a BMS that independently connects and disconnects the cell set from the terminals, you would fully charge both batteries before connecting them, and then connect them without a fuse using a wire size based on anticipated peak charging and load currents...

During camping season my goal is to keep it ready and packed with everything but clothes, bedding, and planned meal food and drinks. Water is kept empty until night before departure. (Back up dehydrated food, some canned food, and some dry staples live in the camper.) For winter storage pretty...

My system is much better this year (year 4 since new) than it was last year. I’m thinking one of my treatments early last year (leaving chlorine mix in too long, or vinegar) damaged the inside of the PVC flex lines making them continue to release afterwards offending molecules of some kind, and...

Probably another concern with a manufacturer like this is that using batteries from different production batches may mean the batteries have significantly different battery cells installed. This could cause some of the same problems that are talked about for connecting batteries of significantly...

Limiting to one month apart in age is very conservative. Maybe in addition to cell age concerns they have BMS software version compatibility concerns given the odd BMS behavior we’ve read about in other threads?

I suggest first place to check would be FWC support or ATC (All Terrain Campers).

I would be running away from that company’s products regardless of what it cost me. Their responses are nonsensical. This is a life-safety related product when used in a confined sleeping space; and everything about their responses suggests to me that they don’t know what they are doing with...

My Grandby has a 12vdc/120vac compressor fridge and it has one of those fans on a switch at the door as you described. Same function - assists the fridge on warm days, especially if sun is on that side.

Wouldn’t fan wires be smaller, a different color, and run to the fuse panel area rather than the battery compartment?

My first guess would be they come from the solar panel connector(s). The solar connection wire provisions in my 2021 looked like that at delivery.

Aha! That sounds to me like your BMS is either malfunctioning or protecting you from some real problem in the battery assembly. I would describe that behavior to the LiTime people and ask for a warranty replacement battery.

Hi WS. While I share your preference for symmetry in electrical layouts, I don’t think even large differences in the positive and negative wires from the battery bank to the bus bars matter with respect to balancing battery current. With the battery bank wire arrangement we are discussing...

I like that they are simple, passive, are not significantly affected by long term extreme environmental exposure (other than corrosion potentially causing them to open prematurely), and they blow quickly with overcurrent if you size them for that. Plus Blue Sea fuse holders are pretty!

The plus or minus tells you current direct for DC. For AC, it should give you RMS (root mean square) current, with no sign or direction because it’s alternating direction.

An inexpensive meter may not have the best absolute accuracy, but it’s relative accuracy when comparing measurements probably should be pretty good. I would assume that those two current measurements you took are fairly accurate and you do have a small amount of current coming from the second...

Good post, DesertDog! This is one of several reasons I prefer fuses for RV and boat electrical power system protection.

FYI I weighted my GMC HD Multipro tailgate a while back and it was roughly 75 lbs.

I will let others comment on the charging questions, and will just try to help on your in-line fuse questions. The fuse in the solenoid negative wire for the Blue Sea ACR apparently needs to be at least one amp to allow the required solenoid current. It can be bigger than that if the wire is...

I wonder if it might be easier to try to make a stairway or ladder you put in place at night that helps you get in and out of the cabover bed safely and more easily. That probably only could work if your toilet enclosure is at the rear of the camper, though. It would save you a lot of money if...

I would still suggest running what you are doing by the service department at FWC asking them via email if they see it as acceptable. If they say yes, great, then save that response email in your file in case your mounting method is questioned in making any kind of insurance claim.

Hi Vic. My understanding is the Iota already has an internal fuse on its output. I assume it’s a 35 or 40 amp fuse on the DLS-30. If the Orion output delivers 60 amps into a short, then a 40 amp fuse on its output would allow it to deliver 30 amps in bulk charging but blow in a short. I think...

I’m glad it helped, and thanks for the nice feedback.