Hey man. I have been watching your videos. Awesome job. You are local for me I think. Was wondering if you would be ok with linking up somehow and chatting. I’m wanting to build a skoolie! Thanks.
Hey! I'd love to chat! I actually just made an official 'consulting' page on my site for folks who are interested in this. If you'd like to check it out, that'd be the best way to go about it! I'd also appreciate your feedback on how the process works so I can make it work more smoothly: www.colaventures.co/consultation/
Starting from scratch but having a plan. I like your approach and I had the same setup in mind. Shore, alternator. But on the video, >time stop at 5:30, there is this short sequence where you show the back of the invertor. +/- is shown. 2 for each. The back panel says - left, + right, two each again. Your wiring: On the PLUS side top RED, bottom BLACK, on the MINUS side, top RED, bottom BLACK?! Pls explain, thanks!
I think what happened is that the wire lengths were wrong so i had to switch them up. So the polarities are right but the colors of the wire are wrong. Sorry about the confusion!
Probably need to update this or remove it. I saw the tiny homes interview where you took everything off battery bank and went completely to shore power. Before that i was going to base my build on this video. Glad i didnt. Not mad at you or anything just trying to help. Thanks for the inspiration otherwise.
Yea I think most of the info in the video is still good. We took out our system mostly because we didn't need it anymore. Our inverter was underpowered for the AC Unit we were trying to run off of it but I think all the concepts still hold true. They can be expanded upon and modified to fit different needs like solar or more batteries or a bigger inverter.
All you need is isolators so you can go from the alternator...and it will also keep you from killing your battery that starts it...I also think the battery wire you ran from the back to charge them when you are driving is to small a gauge.and you should also fuse that wire going back just in case something goes wrong...you may have done of these things..but you went thru that pretty fast...lol...just trying to keep you and your family safe...godbless
I love your videos, you show me that I can do it too. Watching all these youtube videos is a bit intimidating since everyone that does this is seemingly perfect, and you had an electrician.
We killed it by running AC off of it all summer :( which I now know you aren't supposed to do :) You live and learn! We are currently parked at our house hooked up to 50amps so we haven't replaced the powerjack yet. Actually we bought one other inverter to test out... The Gilandel and it seemed to be a lot more reliable. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CTGJ46T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The power jack seemed pretty cheaply made.
Dude points for trying you have a lot of amps going on to a lug on the old inverter you fried you always hook up the inverter first then you hook up the negatives cables then the positive cable last it will spark and pop but that's normal the way you did it you were welding with all the amps glad you got it running do you have and amp meter so you know not to run the batteries past halfway? Also one with a volt meter is best knowing the voltage so you don't hurt the inverter or the batteries and if the inverter doesn't have a low battery shut down you can hurt your electronics. Best of luck on your quest.
Do you know how much wattage the alternator is charging the battery when you are idling and driving? Also, I think you need a charge controller between the alternator and house batteries. you don't want to over charge your batteries. I'm just going to hire an electrician when the time comes. Buy all the parts ahead of time and let him do all the work. There are just some things you just need to let more practiced hands do for you.
We aren't actually charging the house batteries from the alternator. We left the start up batteries untouched so the alternator just charges those. In between our house and start up batteries we have something called a battery separator. The separator regulates the charge between the two battery banks. When one gets low it opens up the flow from the other to help supplement the charge. Hiring an electrician is not a bad idea either! I had friends at Interstate Batteries that helped me out.
Alternators and solar chargers have regulators built in and keep the voltage under 14.5 volts, you can't overcharge a battery as long as the volts don't go above 14.5 v , it will take what it needs and then stop drawing amps once full.
We bought a isolator and a separator. The isolator didn't work with the type of alternator we had. It was missing a lug for a wire connection. So we sent that back and got a separator. I feel like the separator is the better way to go because it shares power between the two banks instead of just charging both from the engine. This is the one that we bought. Make sure you get either a 6v or a 12v depending on your system and I think the amperage is important to check as well! www.waytekwire.com/item/80003/EATON-s-Sure-Power-1315-200-Battery-Separator-/
what you have showing is a 24 Volt system unless those are 6 Volt batteries, if 12 volt pos to neg in the middle of the drawing pos on top and neg on bottom. you are going to mess it all up. if the charge converter is 12 volt you're going to blow that also, and mess up you buss system. lot's of vids out there on shore power / inverter systems. ruclips.net/user/results?search_query=inverter+system
I hope some my comments help's i am a former electrician. i did a lot of background lookups on inverters back in 08 for me as a driver in big rigs and trying to get my computers to work with sensitive electronic's and i can tell you cheep ones suck and the modified sine wave inverters suck. never worked right besides about 80 volts of power can travel back down the pos and neg legs of the inverters on the modified sine wave one and if you drop the neg leg or pos leg from the dc side the ground takes over and wreaks havoc on the system batteries. info keep the house batteries separated for the couch with a battery isolator. they make them for several app outputs for the alternator output size. i am also a amateur radio operator also. well 73 and safe travels.
They work great for us! We stay plugged in all the time though and we don't use that much power. If you are planning to live off the grid for a while, you might want more. But we have a fridge, microwave, stove and AC and our batteries power em just fine! We obviously don't run all that at the same time :)
What was the cause of that "meltdown"? What comments did the electrician have on what happened? It looked like you were putting the lug on the proper terminal.
My cousin maxed out his credit when they received a massive power bill and started making his own electricity supply. The answer ended up being the Papziati Energy online course. It is a fantastic way to create your own energy source.
I forgot to add that y'all need to ground the battery bank to the chassis of the bus from the neutral lug on the batteries!
Has this caused you any issues?
Awesome job with the diagram. Huge help.
This is the best video I have seen for wiring up the power supply. Well done for a newbie.
It’s makes lots of sense
Im assuming you had to ground the battery bank to the frame? In order for the alternator to charge, the ciruit would need to be completed.
Hey man. I have been watching your videos. Awesome job. You are local for me I think. Was wondering if you would be ok with linking up somehow and chatting. I’m wanting to build a skoolie! Thanks.
Hey! I'd love to chat! I actually just made an official 'consulting' page on my site for folks who are interested in this. If you'd like to check it out, that'd be the best way to go about it! I'd also appreciate your feedback on how the process works so I can make it work more smoothly: www.colaventures.co/consultation/
Best explanation I have seen thanks for doing it in such easy to understand terms!!
Starting from scratch but having a plan. I like your approach and I had the same setup in mind. Shore, alternator. But on the video, >time stop at 5:30, there is this short sequence where you show the back of the invertor. +/- is shown. 2 for each. The back panel says - left, + right, two each again. Your wiring: On the PLUS side top RED, bottom BLACK, on the MINUS side, top RED, bottom BLACK?! Pls explain, thanks!
I think what happened is that the wire lengths were wrong so i had to switch them up. So the polarities are right but the colors of the wire are wrong. Sorry about the confusion!
Probably need to update this or remove it. I saw the tiny homes interview where you took everything off battery bank and went completely to shore power. Before that i was going to base my build on this video. Glad i didnt. Not mad at you or anything just trying to help. Thanks for the inspiration otherwise.
Yea I think most of the info in the video is still good. We took out our system mostly because we didn't need it anymore. Our inverter was underpowered for the AC Unit we were trying to run off of it but I think all the concepts still hold true. They can be expanded upon and modified to fit different needs like solar or more batteries or a bigger inverter.
@@cola-creative so are you saying that your setup will not run your AC unit
Thank you!
All you need is isolators so you can go from the alternator...and it will also keep you from killing your battery that starts it...I also think the battery wire you ran from the back to charge them when you are driving is to small a gauge.and you should also fuse that wire going back just in case something goes wrong...you may have done of these things..but you went thru that pretty fast...lol...just trying to keep you and your family safe...godbless
I love your videos, you show me that I can do it too. Watching all these youtube videos is a bit intimidating since everyone that does this is seemingly perfect, and you had an electrician.
i got everything until you said the panel was in the "house." you meant the bus?
Yea I bet that is what I was talking about. lol
Is this not a 24 volt the way you have it wired? I'd like to see a multimeter reading
No its a 12v system. They are 6v batteries I believe.
it would be 24v were all the batteries in series. he's got 2pair of series but the pairs are parallel to one another, making it 12v
Great vid with a lot of detail! been lookin for someone to break it down as simple as you did. SUB TIME!
I'm glad it was helpful!
Fuses?
awesome good job bro!
How is the powerjack inverter holding up?
We killed it by running AC off of it all summer :( which I now know you aren't supposed to do :) You live and learn! We are currently parked at our house hooked up to 50amps so we haven't replaced the powerjack yet. Actually we bought one other inverter to test out... The Gilandel and it seemed to be a lot more reliable. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CTGJ46T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The power jack seemed pretty cheaply made.
@@cola-creative thanks for the update appreciate it
Dude points for trying you have a lot of amps going on to a lug on the old inverter you fried you always hook up the inverter first then you hook up the negatives cables then the positive cable last it will spark and pop but that's normal the way you did it you were welding with all the amps glad you got it running do you have and amp meter so you know not to run the batteries past halfway? Also one with a volt meter is best knowing the voltage so you don't hurt the inverter or the batteries and if the inverter doesn't have a low battery shut down you can hurt your electronics.
Best of luck on your quest.
Do you know how much wattage the alternator is charging the battery when you are idling and driving? Also, I think you need a charge controller between the alternator and house batteries. you don't want to over charge your batteries.
I'm just going to hire an electrician when the time comes. Buy all the parts ahead of time and let him do all the work. There are just some things you just need to let more practiced hands do for you.
We aren't actually charging the house batteries from the alternator. We left the start up batteries untouched so the alternator just charges those. In between our house and start up batteries we have something called a battery separator. The separator regulates the charge between the two battery banks. When one gets low it opens up the flow from the other to help supplement the charge. Hiring an electrician is not a bad idea either! I had friends at Interstate Batteries that helped me out.
Alternators and solar chargers have regulators built in and keep the voltage under 14.5 volts, you can't overcharge a battery as long as the volts don't go above 14.5 v , it will take what it needs and then stop drawing amps once full.
I have a quick question for you. Do all your incoming power source go directly to the batteries? Or is there kind hub or panel?
Reverend TCJ Williams it goes into a smart charger. This guy... www.amazon.com/Powermax-Supply-Converter-Charger-Pm3-55/dp/B00F8MC440
Are these 6volt batteries wired to make a 12 volt system? Or are they 12 volt batteries wired in parallel to increase amp hours?
Thanks for your help. So where did you wire your plug port to?
We used this plug amzn.to/2to0R38 It is basically an extension cord that can be mounted to the bus. Then the charger just plugs right into that.
Where did you get the isolator I think you called it a (separater)?
We bought a isolator and a separator. The isolator didn't work with the type of alternator we had. It was missing a lug for a wire connection. So we sent that back and got a separator. I feel like the separator is the better way to go because it shares power between the two banks instead of just charging both from the engine. This is the one that we bought. Make sure you get either a 6v or a 12v depending on your system and I think the amperage is important to check as well! www.waytekwire.com/item/80003/EATON-s-Sure-Power-1315-200-Battery-Separator-/
Thank you...
what you have showing is a 24 Volt system unless those are 6 Volt batteries, if 12 volt pos to neg in the middle of the drawing pos on top and neg on bottom. you are going to mess it all up. if the charge converter is 12 volt you're going to blow that also, and mess up you buss system. lot's of vids out there on shore power / inverter systems. ruclips.net/user/results?search_query=inverter+system
They are 6 volt batteries. I'm not sure if I specified in the video. Good catch!
I hope some my comments help's i am a former electrician. i did a lot of background lookups on inverters back in 08 for me as a driver in big rigs and trying to get my computers to work with sensitive electronic's and i can tell you cheep ones suck and the modified sine wave inverters suck. never worked right besides about 80 volts of power can travel back down the pos and neg legs of the inverters on the modified sine wave one and if you drop the neg leg or pos leg from the dc side the ground takes over and wreaks havoc on the system batteries. info keep the house batteries separated for the couch with a battery isolator. they make them for several app outputs for the alternator output size. i am also a amateur radio operator also. well 73 and safe travels.
How do you find the return batteries for sale?
I asked them if they had any Costco returns at Interstate Batteries. I'm not sure if they do it at every store or not!
ColaVentures awesome I will ask. Are they working fine? Would you go bigger?
They work great for us! We stay plugged in all the time though and we don't use that much power. If you are planning to live off the grid for a while, you might want more. But we have a fridge, microwave, stove and AC and our batteries power em just fine! We obviously don't run all that at the same time :)
0:13 I just ordered food and was smiling 😆
What was the cause of that "meltdown"? What comments did the electrician have on what happened?
It looked like you were putting the lug on the proper terminal.
😄your separator i.e. Called an isolator
WAIT!! You can see me?
Nobody died in the videos? Not even an animal? Jk
My cousin maxed out his credit when they received a massive power bill and started making his own electricity supply. The answer ended up being the Papziati Energy online course. It is a fantastic way to create your own energy source.
Clicked off this video as soon as I saw sparks. Folks this is not the guy to take electrical advice from. Keep looking.