We have been full time going on 4 years in a 39ft dp. We have loved the inverter system using 4 6V golf cart batteries, and the Magnum power managment controller. After the purchase of a "winter" home in the SW, we are moving back to a 5th wheel, as leaving the DP sitting for 4/6 months makes little sense. We purchased a used 5th wheel with a 5500 LP gennie and my questions are as follows.I would like to have similar system in the 5th wheel. Battery bank, inverter/charger etc. I'm getting bits and pieces here and there on the net, forum boards utube etc. Does anyone know of a comprensive book that can walk me through what I need to do. I have wired several houses, and wires electricity does not scare me.Thanks in advance for any help.If I'm on the page please dear moderator move my post.I can't begin to tell all how the place has helped me since 07!

Do you know what size inverter you had in the DP? If that worked for you then install the same brand and size along with four 6 volt GC batteries. You did not say if you plan on installing solar panels. Four 160 watt panels work nice for you.

I found the instruction manual for my Prosine was rather complete.. Still I had it installed by Camping world ... THey only screwed up two things on that install and two more on the oil change they did at the same time.. I AM NOT KIDDING.THe install is very basic, with only a few "TIPS" not in the manualFirst.. LOCATION LOCATION LOCASTION Since a big inverter draws BIG TIME 12 volt current you want it close to the batteries,, but NOT breathing the same air (Battery fumes bad for inverter)Next Whatever size cables they say to use (12 volt side) UPGRADE one or two sizes and for as much of the run as possible tape the positive and negative cables side by side (or use a split loom) I suggest red for the positive and black for the negative (Wire insulation color)So much for the 12 volt side of life.. Now the 120Determine what circuits you want INVERTER powered.. IN my RV that is the Televisions and related electronics,, GFCI chain and MIcrowavePut in a SUB PANEL and transfer these circuits to it,, IN many cases you can actually use the same breakers.. NOTE: Sub panels generally do NOT have a main breaker and also do not bond Neutral and Ground (Ever on that).. NOTE 2: In some cases the sub panel may be part of the inverter itself. Mine is not, I like mine better, If I trip a breaker I DO NOT need to go outside to reset.Replace one of the now unused breakers (or moved breakers) with a 30 amp, if you moved them block off the others for safety (Gorilla tape works well).10 Ga (or 8) from that 30 amp breaker in the main box to a 2,000 watt inverter/charger.. and a 2nd 10ga back to the sub panel. Use a sharpie to label them IN and OUT at the inverter.. And that's all folksOh Batteries.. One Pair GC-2 per Kilowatt of inverter, DO NOT FORGET THE FUSE

prstlk wrote:I would like to have similar system in the 5th wheel. Battery bank, inverter/charger etc. I'm getting bits and pieces here and there on the net, forum boards utube etc. Why ??That is, what do you need or want to do that the generator will not do for you......without ANY extra hassle and expense, except keeping your propane tanks filled that is ??This is a serious question, especially since you already HAVE a generator and that option costs you ZERO dollars up front.

Good morning,First, let me introduce myself. I’m a refugee from RORT on Usenet. I just joined this forum and this is my first post. I’m a retired nuclear engineer and electronic design engineer.I just bought a new to me (‘05 model Tioga Walkabout) and as I did on my last rig, I’m equipping it with a large battery and charging system. My ultimate goal is to be able to spend quiet hours with an AC running from batteries. I’ll be chronicling this on my blog, http://www.johndearmond.com.I don’t like the combined chargers/inverters for the simple reason that if one part fails, the whole unit is out of service. Therefore I am using a separate inverter and charger.BatteriesAGMs are the way to go. Wet cells are so last century. I have some AGM traction batteries (100 amp-hours, over 100 lbs of lead.) from the old AVS electric bus company in Chattanooga. They’re over 10 years, yet they discharge test at about 90% of rated capacity. I’m probably not going to use these because they are so large for the amp-hours. I’m currently looking at this battery, specifically 5 of them:https://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/ups-telecom/universal-12v-110-ah-deep-cycle-sealed-agm-battery-ub121100-d5751.htmlI have experience with this battery. Though it is made by the chicoms, it is a quality product. I’m still shopping for a better price for that class of battery.The Tioga layout is incredibly wasteful of space but by removing a panel and replacing it with a door, I’ve found room for 5 batteries. Conveniently, this compartment sits directly on a frame rail so no reinforcing is required.The batteries should be inside the living spaces where they are protected from weather extremes. The LAST place for the house battery is under the hood - the way Tioga did it.CablesI use #2 welding cable for the battery to inverter wiring and #4 welding cable for the other connections.Charging. The rig has one of the old Magnetek 6300 charger/converters which outputs a screaming 5 amps of charging current. I’ve replaced the converter part with a Progressive Dynamics PD4655V 55 amp insert.http://www.progressivedyn.com/pd4600_converter_replacement.htmlThis is a combination smart charger and 12 volt power supply to the rig.Because my theory is that the batteries should be charged as fast as possible to minimize generator run time, I’ve also installed a PD 9280 80 amp converter that I had laying around from another project.http://www.progressivedyn.com/rv_converter_pd9280_2.htmlI’ve tested the two and they work well in parallel. That is a total of 135 amps of charging capacity.Inverter.If you need pure sine wave (I don’t), use one of the ProSine inverters from Xantrex. I’ve used the modified sine wave inverters that Harbor Freight sells for years with never a failure. This is the 2kW one that is going in my rig.https://www.harborfreight.com/2000-watt-continuous4000-watt-peak-power-inverter-69662.htmlIt is on sale for $130 right now. I carry a Remington electric chain saw (about $40 from wallyworld). The two work together wonderfully. I live at the end of a 25 mile winding mountain road so I have to cut my way in or out fairly frequently.SwitchingI wanted the switching from shore power to generator to inverter to be automatic so I installed two Parallax ATX 301 (30 amp) automatic transfer switches. I give top priority to the generator, next priority to the inverter and finally last is shore power. The reasoning for this is simple. If I’m in a campground and the power becomes marginal, I want to be able to turn on the inverter or start the generator to override shore power. I want starting the generator to cause the generator to assume the load from the inverter. The wiring for this will be detailed in my blog as soon as I can get it posted.AlternatorThis rig is built on a Ford E350 van cut. It has a 100 amp alternator but as-received, it squealed the belt at full load. The solution is NAPA’s highest quality replacement serpentine belt. I’ve never found another belt to compare. I'm looking into higher capacity alternators but for now the stock one will do.That’s about it for now. Questions are welcome.John

You should have started a completely new thread for this postAnd five batteries are niceI have five big Telcom AGM batteriesStill a no go for A/C, oh a big inverter will start itBut for a roof to unit your looking at 100 amps or more to the inverter to get the 1400 Watts for the a/c, that means approx 2 hours runtime to 50 percent battery chargeWelcome and have fun

inverter, charger, battery bank add on for 5th whell

wa8yxm
Explorer III
Jun 27, 2017
I found the instruction manual for my Prosine was rather complete.. Still I had it installed by Camping world ... THey only screwed up two things on that install and two more on the oil change they did at the same time.. I AM NOT KIDDING.

THe install is very basic, with only a few "TIPS" not in the manual

First.. LOCATION LOCATION LOCASTION Since a big inverter draws BIG TIME 12 volt current you want it close to the batteries,, but NOT breathing the same air (Battery fumes bad for inverter)

Next Whatever size cables they say to use (12 volt side) UPGRADE one or two sizes and for as much of the run as possible tape the positive and negative cables side by side (or use a split loom) I suggest red for the positive and black for the negative (Wire insulation color)

So much for the 12 volt side of life.. Now the 120

Determine what circuits you want INVERTER powered.. IN my RV that is the Televisions and related electronics,, GFCI chain and MIcrowave

Put in a SUB PANEL and transfer these circuits to it,, IN many cases you can actually use the same breakers.. NOTE: Sub panels generally do NOT have a main breaker and also do not bond Neutral and Ground (Ever on that).. NOTE 2: In some cases the sub panel may be part of the inverter itself. Mine is not, I like mine better, If I trip a breaker I DO NOT need to go outside to reset.

Replace one of the now unused breakers (or moved breakers) with a 30 amp, if you moved them block off the others for safety (Gorilla tape works well).

10 Ga (or 8) from that 30 amp breaker in the main box to a 2,000 watt inverter/charger.. and a 2nd 10ga back to the sub panel. Use a sharpie to label them IN and OUT at the inverter..

And that's all folks

Oh Batteries.. One Pair GC-2 per Kilowatt of inverter, DO NOT FORGET THE FUSE
corvettekent
Explorer
Jun 27, 2017
Do you know what size inverter you had in the DP? If that worked for you then install the same brand and size along with four 6 volt GC batteries. You did not say if you plan on installing solar panels. Four 160 watt panels work nice for you.

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