Big Eats
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2021
- Messages
- 39
Greeting all!
I own a Safari Trek motorhome which currently has 50A service and uses a 2000w Xantrex modified sine wave inverter along with two FLA 12v batteries. The inverter feeds one leg of the panel which, with no surprise, does not feed the microwave or single AC unit. 50A service is clearly overkill for this coach - but that's how they built it.
I am planning on doing an unconventional upgrade to the coach - I'm going to add ~11kW of LiFePo4 batteries in a 8s2p configuration; a Samlex EVO-4024 inverter; and two separate converters (likely the AIMS Power CON120AC1224DC)... and none of this is to be permanently installed or replace my existing system - it will simply augment what I have with the existing system as a backup as I need to make sure some medical devices can always be powered.
The idea is to have sufficient ability and capacity to run the AC in the evening without being connected to shore power nor running the generator - and when I am connected to shore power (almost exclusively at friends and relatives homes) I can be recharging the LiFePo4 bank with a predictable (and controllable) amount of power while the coach can use whatever it needs at any given time. Think of it like a hybrid electric car that uses a small ICE to charge the batteries while the batteries supply the necessary power needed to run the vehicle at meet any demand asked of it.
I plan to come out of the inverter into a 30A receptacle - and then using a dog bone adapter to connect to my 50A shore cord. This way - the legs get connected together and everything gets power from the inverter until the generator is started... at that point the transfer switch will disconnect the inverter - and one of the converters will charge the battery bank. When I want to rapid charge the bank while connected to shore - I can run the generator to power one converter while using the shore power to power the other. For a small price - I get redundancy on the converter (which I need with only one 300w solar panel) and faster charging of this relatively large battery bank when I need it.
Because of my health, I probably won't be able to keep my RV for more than another two years... so I wanted to design a system that I could remove and use in a backup system at the next home of which is yet to be determined - or I could sell it with the RV if the buyer was willing to pony up the cash to buy it.
I'm open to questions and opinions on this setup, as I've just ordered my batteries through Michael Caro (16 x 270ah Lishen cells) and need to finalize my component acquisition prior to their arrival in a few months. Overkill is the intended 24v BMS. I'm also open to any suggestions regarding preparing for readying the cells for their installation.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions and comments!
I own a Safari Trek motorhome which currently has 50A service and uses a 2000w Xantrex modified sine wave inverter along with two FLA 12v batteries. The inverter feeds one leg of the panel which, with no surprise, does not feed the microwave or single AC unit. 50A service is clearly overkill for this coach - but that's how they built it.
I am planning on doing an unconventional upgrade to the coach - I'm going to add ~11kW of LiFePo4 batteries in a 8s2p configuration; a Samlex EVO-4024 inverter; and two separate converters (likely the AIMS Power CON120AC1224DC)... and none of this is to be permanently installed or replace my existing system - it will simply augment what I have with the existing system as a backup as I need to make sure some medical devices can always be powered.
The idea is to have sufficient ability and capacity to run the AC in the evening without being connected to shore power nor running the generator - and when I am connected to shore power (almost exclusively at friends and relatives homes) I can be recharging the LiFePo4 bank with a predictable (and controllable) amount of power while the coach can use whatever it needs at any given time. Think of it like a hybrid electric car that uses a small ICE to charge the batteries while the batteries supply the necessary power needed to run the vehicle at meet any demand asked of it.
I plan to come out of the inverter into a 30A receptacle - and then using a dog bone adapter to connect to my 50A shore cord. This way - the legs get connected together and everything gets power from the inverter until the generator is started... at that point the transfer switch will disconnect the inverter - and one of the converters will charge the battery bank. When I want to rapid charge the bank while connected to shore - I can run the generator to power one converter while using the shore power to power the other. For a small price - I get redundancy on the converter (which I need with only one 300w solar panel) and faster charging of this relatively large battery bank when I need it.
Because of my health, I probably won't be able to keep my RV for more than another two years... so I wanted to design a system that I could remove and use in a backup system at the next home of which is yet to be determined - or I could sell it with the RV if the buyer was willing to pony up the cash to buy it.
I'm open to questions and opinions on this setup, as I've just ordered my batteries through Michael Caro (16 x 270ah Lishen cells) and need to finalize my component acquisition prior to their arrival in a few months. Overkill is the intended 24v BMS. I'm also open to any suggestions regarding preparing for readying the cells for their installation.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions and comments!