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Best Location for Battery & Inverter in Travel Trailer?

acolunga07

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Jul 24, 2022
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It seems the obvious place to install the inverter, battery, and chargers, etc. would be in the pass through storage but then I lose critical storage space (especially for wet/dirty stuff I don't want to bring "in" to the trailer) and it moves too much weight to the tongue of the trailer.

For reference, I have a Micro Minnie 2100bh.

Unless someone talks me out of it, I am strongly considering installing everything under the stove. Currently there is a large drawer with stuff that I could easily relocate into one of the bench seats. And the 2nd drawer is a false cabinet that has all the breaker/fuse panel for the trailer. Part of the reason I want to put the battery/inverter/etc here is that it is already the place where all the wiring is centralized. I will have to make some custom supports/brackets but I have the tools to do that out of wood/steel/aluminum. I am leaning towards moving the currently breaker/fuse panel up and installing it in a such a way that allows it to swing open so that I can access the inverter behind it. The battery (4P4S made from EVE304 cells) would be on the ground level due to weight. You can see the space I am planning to use in the pictures I took with the drawer removed.

Thoughts/ideas/concerns?
 

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More info..

So yeah, the elephant in the room is of course safety considerations with putting so much electrical in close proximity to propane and water lines. I have multiple propane sensors and could install another one in that specific area just in case. I generally have the house propane supply valved off while not in use or actually traveling. I was planning to elevate the batteries via 3/4" plywood and then a sheet of plastic so that if there were any leaks, the batteries wouldn't be sitting in a puddle.

Keep in mind, all the electrical is already centralized here and its a small travel trailer. There isn't much room/space that doesn't have gas, water, electrical and or sewage lines.
 
More info..

So yeah, the elephant in the room is of course safety considerations with putting so much electrical in close proximity to propane and water lines. I have multiple propane sensors and could install another one in that specific area just in case. I generally have the house propane supply valved off while not in use or actually traveling. I was planning to elevate the batteries via 3/4" plywood and then a sheet of plastic so that if there were any leaks, the batteries wouldn't be sitting in a puddle.

Keep in mind, all the electrical is already centralized here and its a small travel trailer. There isn't much room/space that doesn't have gas, water, electrical and or sewage lines.
having lived on medium sized boats and RVs for over 20 years of my life and always doing all my own work, I can only offer what I think I see when looking at your pics… A lot is not easily seen proportionally as to it’s fit and access.

1. “ Appears “ to be too confined an area .. hard to work on easily… or inspect readily ….possibly a heat and ventilation concern too…..I had similar issue in my RV and added a 6 inch whisper fan …worked perfect.

2. A SINK….WATER-PROPANE LINES - STOVE and COOKING LIQUIDS ETC.. all around and above your electrical gear… jus sayin…

3 ) I like the overall RV…it looks to be a great size for some fun times.. But the very nature of driving one around will cause things to loosen or come off or pop free , hoses leak or spray around… Accidents are called accidents because they happen accidentally…

I would try to utilize PART of that pass- through if possible …Maybe partition it off and prep it for dual purpose use. Steal part of a closet or locker or under the bed…???…or even just mount it on a visable wall and put a tinted sheet of plexiglass over the front with stand offs and two hinges so it can open. Maybe build a nice cabinet for the stuff.

I do know this , if it were my RV ,all my solar equipment would not be installed under that stove and sink…I would find another place somehow.

just my opinion… good luck…J.
 
I have a Minnie 2201DS. The front pass thru storage had a Battery Switch and wire pass thru. So I put my power panel there. Added plywood, Solar controller, Shunt and fuses. Put a removable half box around it to keep storage stuff out.
I did not put the batteries in the pass thru storage. Size and mounting was an issue. Placement for sudden stops was also an issue.
I placed the batteries (LiFePO4) in the Under Bed storage which is on the other side of the the Pass Thru Storage wall. Drilled wire holes thru the wall and use some rubber grommets.
 
Just curios, is there any stow and under the bed? or even under the hide-a bed

sean
If you have time to check out the link to the RV, you'll get a better sense of the layout but yeah essentially I have several areas to chose from:

  1. Under the bench seats in the dinette
    • The dinette is in the pop out part of the trailer. It seems moving it back and force could possibly/eventually damage one of the many wires to it.
    • Speaking of wires, how would I even get them into/out of that area?
    • The slide out mechanism/motor is barely strong enough to move the dinette with the inverter and batteries in there. It would not be able to handle additional weight from other devices and wiring.
  2. Under the bottom bunk (back right corner of trailer)
    • near electrical entrance/connection (shore power)
    • plenty of space
    • this is where we store vs things needed for hook ups (water hoses, 30A electrical connection, various adapters, propane hoses and fittings, tool bag, etc.)
    • this is immediately below where two of my kids sleep
  3. Under the main bed up front
    • This is the largest storage area where we keep folding tables and chairs as well as towing/parking/leveling accessories. When we go to the beach, this is where bodyboards, tents, and other stand stuff goes. Although it is a large area, it is not accessible from the inside with the exception of a small door in the middle under the bed. I could modify the cabinetry so that I could possible lift up the mattress and the plywood and have direct access to it but that seems like a lot of work.
    • It is some distance away from the current breaker/fuse panel. I could route kind of long/heavy gauge wire through the floor, under the trailer and back up through the floor into that area.
    • My wife and I both sleep over this
  4. The area under the stove, NOT the sink
    • The area is a bit tight but would fit everything in there. As mentioned in my OP, I would put the breaker/fuse panel on a swing door
    • There is no heat into that area from the stove above. It turns out heat rises and there is a sheet metal guard of sorts that acts as a redundant barrier (all modern stoves are built this way).
    • Currently all the electrical (both AC and DC) is centered there already. This is was probably makes me more comfortable with adding more electrical to the area. Under the sink (in the area I do NOT plan to use for this) is the water heater, pump and wiring to exterior GFCI plug as well as the bulk of the wiring to the instrumentation cluster at the entrance of the trailer. I was going to add some additional removable plexiglass shields/separators/guards around plumbing connections that I could see might spring a leak one day and elevate the wiring a little (maybe an 1") above the floor so that when/if something like that does happen, I don't have anything (including OEM wiring) sitting in a puddle. I was going to add one of those water leak sensors in there because that just seems like a good idea regardless of whether or not I install my additional stuff in the compartment next to that (under the stove).
It might help to visualize the space if you check out these videos I made when I first bought the trailer:
Dimensions:
Accessories (this is a little outdated, but it gives you an idea of the amount of crap I pack into the various storage areas):
 
having lived on medium sized boats and RVs for over 20 years of my life and always doing all my own work, I can only offer what I think I see when looking at your pics… A lot is not easily seen proportionally as to it’s fit and access.

1. “ Appears “ to be too confined an area .. hard to work on easily… or inspect readily ….possibly a heat and ventilation concern too…..I had similar issue in my RV and added a 6 inch whisper fan …worked perfect.

2. A SINK….WATER-PROPANE LINES - STOVE and COOKING LIQUIDS ETC.. all around and above your electrical gear… jus sayin…

3 ) I like the overall RV…it looks to be a great size for some fun times.. But the very nature of driving one around will cause things to loosen or come off or pop free , hoses leak or spray around… Accidents are called accidents because they happen accidentally…

I would try to utilize PART of that pass- through if possible …Maybe partition it off and prep it for dual purpose use. Steal part of a closet or locker or under the bed…???…or even just mount it on a visable wall and put a tinted sheet of plexiglass over the front with stand offs and two hinges so it can open. Maybe build a nice cabinet for the stuff.

I do know this , if it were my RV ,all my solar equipment would not be installed under that stove and sink…I would find another place somehow.

just my opinion… good luck…J.
It is tight, but I don't there is any place I could put this all in and it not be tight.

Just to be clear (see my previous post), I am NOT putting anything under the sink. Additionally, I would put a "water wall" (think firewall but for water) between the space under the sink and where I am planning to add the electrical equipment. That being said, there are two water lines going from there to the bathroom. They are PEX flexible lines so I am not worried about them popping or anything like that, but I guess something could fall on and pinch/cut a line? I am planning to add a plexiglass shield over these lines.

The solar charge controller as well as the DC/DC charger to be able to charge from the tow vehicle alternator will probably be located in the pass through storage because that is where the power is currently routed through. The current small (single panel) charge controller is located there as well, so it would be easy to replace with the Victron one.

I have no additional lockers or closets.

What is a whisper fan? Is that a particular brand/model or just a really quiet one? I was planning to put a thermostatically controlled quiet fan. I did the same thing when I built in cabinets for my A/V equipment in the my living room (in my house, not RV).
 
the elephant in the room is of course safety considerations with putting so much electrical in close proximity to propane and water lines
The elephant in the room is that in certain situations form follows function is the rule of the day. Do not put your panel on hinges and don’t put stuff where it fits.
do know this , if it were my RV ,all my solar equipment would not be installed under that stove and sink…I would find another place somehow. just my opinion…
Put the facilities where it makes operational sense, not where it satisfies preference.
might help to visualize the space if you check out these videos I made when I first bought the trailer
I installed some 12V facilities in one of these a couple years back. Customer. Also changed battery cables iirc because they were 6ga and had optioned a 3000W inverter which constantly was disconnecting with faults. Hmm.
moves too much weight to the tongue of the trailer.
How much battery do you have?

The weight is better from axles forward rather than cantilevered off the back.

If tongue weight exceeds the 10-15% or 800lbs that is about maximum to be “right” for that trailer then move rearwards in that compartment as much as possible and evaluate the distribution of weight with other items.

It looks like that trailer has 3750 axles and a 5500gvwr so you have 1500# to play with. Many campers have this issue:
Have your dealer change out the cheapo C tires for the proper D tires to get what the 7000lbs the axles should do. It says it has 3750 axles, so unless that’s heavy deception it should have 3750 springs not 2750 springs but camper companies are cheap. Hence the cheapo tires I’m betting you have. Worked on a lot of campers over the years…

Anyway, 120VAC can be plumbed from anywhere, and a fat cable to your 12VDC fuse block won’t ‘lose’ enough to bother anything; with lithium “you have an extra volt” over fla batteries so nothing will care.

Imho. Ymmv.
 
My thoughts: the front pass through does make the most sense for access and weight distribution. If this were my rig, I would do an audit of all the things I use that I don’t need to access from the interior and group the lightest items together. Then I would find a way to mount a lightweight (ABS, structural foam, etc.) storage box to the back of the trailer (on the ladder, on the spare tire, or a custom mounting location), and I would put my lightest items in there. Some things, like tarps and poly rope, are bulky but light, so this could free up a lot of room for your electrical system.
 
If you have time to check out the link to the RV, you'll get a better sense of the layout but yeah essentially I have several areas to chose from:

  1. Under the bench seats in the dinette
    • The dinette is in the pop out part of the trailer. It seems moving it back and force could possibly/eventually damage one of the many wires to it.
    • Speaking of wires, how would I even get them into/out of that area?
    • The slide out mechanism/motor is barely strong enough to move the dinette with the inverter and batteries in there. It would not be able to handle additional weight from other devices and wiring.
  2. Under the bottom bunk (back right corner of trailer)
    • near electrical entrance/connection (shore power)
    • plenty of space
    • this is where we store vs things needed for hook ups (water hoses, 30A electrical connection, various adapters, propane hoses and fittings, tool bag, etc.)
    • this is immediately below where two of my kids sleep
  3. Under the main bed up front
    • This is the largest storage area where we keep folding tables and chairs as well as towing/parking/leveling accessories. When we go to the beach, this is where bodyboards, tents, and other stand stuff goes. Although it is a large area, it is not accessible from the inside with the exception of a small door in the middle under the bed. I could modify the cabinetry so that I could possible lift up the mattress and the plywood and have direct access to it but that seems like a lot of work.
    • It is some distance away from the current breaker/fuse panel. I could route kind of long/heavy gauge wire through the floor, under the trailer and back up through the floor into that area.
    • My wife and I both sleep over this
  4. The area under the stove, NOT the sink
    • The area is a bit tight but would fit everything in there. As mentioned in my OP, I would put the breaker/fuse panel on a swing door
    • There is no heat into that area from the stove above. It turns out heat rises and there is a sheet metal guard of sorts that acts as a redundant barrier (all modern stoves are built this way).
    • Currently all the electrical (both AC and DC) is centered there already. This is was probably makes me more comfortable with adding more electrical to the area. Under the sink (in the area I do NOT plan to use for this) is the water heater, pump and wiring to exterior GFCI plug as well as the bulk of the wiring to the instrumentation cluster at the entrance of the trailer. I was going to add some additional removable plexiglass shields/separators/guards around plumbing connections that I could see might spring a leak one day and elevate the wiring a little (maybe an 1") above the floor so that when/if something like that does happen, I don't have anything (including OEM wiring) sitting in a puddle. I was going to add one of those water leak sensors in there because that just seems like a good idea regardless of whether or not I install my additional stuff in the compartment next to that (under the stove).
It might help to visualize the space if you check out these videos I made when I first bought the trailer:
Dimensions:
Accessories (this is a little outdated, but it gives you an idea of the amount of crap I pack into the various storage areas):
1. You are so right about the slide out mechanism being barely strong enough. Mine got stuck closed and got unstuck after travel. Also removed weight from that storage. I now spray the bottom rollers with WD40 Silicone before sliding in. Lube the side white rollers every year. Still makes a knuckle cracking noise.
2. I don't have back bunks. Bathroom, Wardrobe, with outside kitchen below it.
3. Under the bed (front). For me, base is plywood on a hinge that attaches to storage ceiling. I keep heavy stuff here and 2 large LifePo4 batteries.
4. For me I have some dead space behind stove to 1/3 of sink area. Not worth it. I would have to cut a hole add a Storage Door. Did that on my old A-Frame. Don't care to, I'm too close to upgrading to a new TT.
BTW: Electronic Stud finder is not very useful, a cheap magnetic toggle works better. Works on the inside wall, but not outside wall of pass-thru storage.
 
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Sticker on TT:
"SAFETY BREAK-AWAY SWITCH WILL NOT OPERATE unless connected to a power source equivalent to or greater than an automotive type 12 volt, 12 amp hour wet cell battery."

IMHO: An LiFePO4 at 20F cutoff is not equivalent. You could be towing in the cold.
The breakaway switch wiring is typically not fused and does not run near flammable material. A wire from the LiFePO4 could get red hot or be fused. Any modification can cause legal liability.
I wish I knew what the RVIA required, but you need to spend hundreds and get training to see their codes.
IMHO: Recreational Vehicle Industry Association engages in an unsafe practice by restricting access to their codes.

I left one AGM battery on the tongue for Breakaway Switch and Tongue Jack. An A-B-Both battery bank switch keeps the circuit isolated but allows occasional charging to higher voltages. Typically the Tow Vehicle keeps it charged.
 
common locations for the battery and inverter in a travel trailer include:

  • Dedicated battery compartments: Many travel trailers have dedicated compartments or storage areas designed to accommodate batteries, making it a convenient and secure location.
  • Under seating areas: Depending on the layout of your trailer, you may find suitable space beneath seating areas to house the battery and inverter while maintaining proper ventilation and accessibility.
  • Storage compartments: If you have a large storage compartment that meets the ventilation and accessibility requirements, it can be a viable option for installing the battery and inverter.
 
wish I knew what the RVIA required, but you need to spend hundreds and get training to see their codes
A little SLA battery, box, wiring that is safe and legal is ~$40. Two-three year max lifespan if you keep it charged.
 
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