Mounting Victron DC to DC charger on firewall

[TCharles]

I currently have a battery separator model 1315-200 mounted on the firewall on my 2013 Roadtrek Ranger, that is defective. As I intend to replace my 100ah AGM house battery with a lithium in the future, I want to install a Victron smart DC to DC 12/12v non isolated charger where the separator is mounted.

Question: can I safely mount the victron on the firewall? (see pic) also, Is the 12/12v 30 adequate?

 

[FilterGuy]

can I safely mount the victron on the firewall?

Good Question. I would be concerned about engine heat. Victron tends to build for operating in hot environments so it is probably safe (They have people putting their gear in the engine rooms of boats where it gets really hot. However, you should definitely read the manual and see what it says.

Is the 12/12v 30 adequate?

My short answer is YES. But that is because I am not a fan of putting a large drain on alternators. I think 30A is about as much as a design should draw from the vehicle system. My personal opinion is that if you are tapping the stock alternator for power, it should be viewed as a small bonus top-off charging while driving but should not be considered a major charge source for the system. A high constant draw on the alternator can stress it and the last thing you want is a burnt-out alternator on a road trip.

Having said all that, asking if 30A is enough is kinda like asking if a 12-inch piece of string is long enough...... it all depends on what it is going to be used for and how it is going to be used. Have you done any kind of energy audit/survey of your needs?

 

[TCharles]

Thank you for your reply. According to reviews on Amazon, the unit runs very hot. but Reliable reviews are not always available there. Some concern about a dry environment under the hood, though.

My power requirements are minimal, main goal is to power a 40w 12 VDC refrigerator while driving and keeping it running overnight w/o shore power, during multi day road trips. I do have 300w of solar, and 100ah AGM.

Being it’s 30amps, I thought I would use 8 gauge wire for a little margin and perhaps a 50 or 60 amp in line fuse. What do you thinK? Thanks again.

 

[FilterGuy]

Being it’s 30amps, I thought I would use 8 gauge wire for a little margin and perhaps a 50 or 60 amp in line fuse. What do you thinK?

Definitely use the largest wire you can. One common problem with alternator charging systems is voltage drops. I helped a guy with a Van conversion a while back and by the time he snaked down from the battery under the van and back up to where his Orion TR smart was it came to over 20ft one way. Voltage drop became a big problem for him. If you have the Orion in the engine compartment, you might want to put in a Smart Shunt and/or battery sense and network them on Bluetooth. This will allow the Charger to know the 'real' battery voltage after the voltage drop.

BTW: I love Victron gear, but I have given up on the automatic engine detection on the Orion TR Smart, Even with all of its adjustability, it gets nearly impossible to dial the engine sense in and have it detect reliably. Consequently, I insist on using an external connection to ACC to turn the Orion on and off. I then use the engine sense as a second indication the engine is running.

 

[MisterSandals]

BTW: I love Victron gear, but I have given up on the automatic engine detection on the Orion TR Smart, Even with all of its adjustability, it gets nearly impossible to dial the engine sense in and have it detect reliably. Consequently, I insist on using an external connection to ACC to turn the Orion on and off.

Thats unfortunate. I installed one for a friend and she says it works flawlessly (ProMaster van). I was expecting to use the external connection but found i did not need it... i even ran the wire.
What voltage is the Orion getting?

 

[FilterGuy]

What voltage is the Orion getting?

It has been long enough ago that I no longer remember.

Interesting that it worked well for your friend. I have failed to get it working well on 2 separate systems...... hmmm.... maybe it's me...???

What I do now is a two factor turn on. I run the ACC as the Matster on-off. If there is no ACC, the Orion will not turn on regardless of the voltage. I then set the engine-detect to turn on at around 13.25 volts. This is low enough that it is not impacted by voltage drops but high enough that it won't turn on if the alternator is not running. This means that if the key is on (ACC is on) but the engine is not running, the Orion will not turn on.

 

[MisterSandals]

I then set the engine-detect to turn on at around 13.25 volts.

Its been a couple years but i am sure i ran it without any changes other than selecting lithium charge profile. I was impressed and relieved.
I think the detect was 14.x volts (by default and as i left it).

 

[TCharles]

Thanks. I do have the Victron smart shunt installed at the house battery location, works well, except the Bluetooth range not great, sometimes the driver seat is out of range.

 

[FilterGuy]

Thanks. I do have the Victron smart shunt installed at the house battery location, works well, except the Bluetooth range not great, sometimes the driver seat is out of range.

Dang!!!

 

[TCharles]

Dang!!!

Maybe it’s my iPhone. I’ll try my iPad.

 

[FilterGuy]

Maybe it’s my iPhone. I’ll try my iPad.

Give it a try but it is probably not your phone. I recently installed a Victron BMV712 (Similar to the smart shunt) and it had a poor Bluetooth range.

 

[HRTKD]

The operating range for that DC-DC converter is -4°F to 131°F and derates 3% for every degree above 104°F. I don't think you're going to get very good results with mounting it in the engine compartment unless you can shield it from the heat of the engine.

See the Victron data sheet for more details.

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-Orion-Tr-Smart-DC-DC-chargers-non-isolated-360-400W-EN.pdf

 

[TCharles]

The operating range for that DC-DC converter is -4°F to 131°F and derates 3% for every degree above 104°F. I don't think you're going to get very good results with mounting it in the engine compartment unless you can shield it from the heat of the engine.

See the Victron data sheet for more details.

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-Orion-Tr-Smart-DC-DC-chargers-non-isolated-360-400W-EN.pdf

Thank you, I was concerned about the heat as well as the possibility of the unit getting wet.

 

[TCharles]

Dang!!!

FYI. I installed a Victron VE Direct Smart Dongle ($50) on my Victron Smart Shunt and increased the Bluetooth range by 50 feet.

 

[TCharles]

Give it a try but it is probably not your phone. I recently installed a Victron BMV712 (Similar to the smart shunt) and it had a poor Bluetooth range

 

[rhino]

Cerbo is same way. Victron even states that you need to add an external bluetooth module in order to take advantage of those bluetooth ruuvi temp sensors they support now.

 

[TCharles]

FYI. Your BMV712 should have a VE Direct comm port. If so, the VE Direct smart dongle ($50) should increase your Bluetooth range. I added the dongle to my smart shunt and increased the range by 50+ feet.

 

[Oldwave]

Cerbo is same way. Victron even states that you need to add an external bluetooth module in order to take advantage of those bluetooth ruuvi temp sensors they support now.

True but the Bluetooth dongle is 10.00