Hi everyone! Just wanted to give y’all an update. First I have my positive cable coming from the first battery (closest to the left) and the negative wires coming from the third battery (closest to the inverter)... Our batteries got down to 70% camping one weekend and we couldn’t start the hot water heater to shower due to a voltage drop... So I upgraded the 2/0 wire to 4/0 wire (actually I did 2 - 2/0 wires) for each location. I also switched the thickness of the copper bar from 3/4 inch in height to 1.5”. I'm creating a blog post with pictures to document it on the following link www.mathersonthemap.com/our-camper-vans-diy-electrical-system/. The picture is above the header "1. Batteries". If you have decided to get the 3000-watt inverter then get 4/0 wire. If you have a 2000 watt inverter and below then I think 2/0 is sufficient. Remember I’m not an electrician and this is just our experience!!
Thank you so much for these Vids so Helpfull- Just got my Van today! so getting into it! I'm freaking out- Love you electricity video- Did you document your new set up somewhere? Thanks again you guys rock!
Nice vid bro! I am a little confused though. 2awg wire is bigger than 4awg wire. Also, did you guys consider daisy chaining your two fuse boxes? I was thinking and wondering if you had any info in reference. I really like your set up. I also like the way you guys did your plumbing. Thanks again.
I just want to say thank you so much for all of the work you have put into documenting your van conversion. Although I will hire someone to build out a van for me, I've been using much of your info to build an estimate and budget. Your info also helps me to understand (at least a little) the "nuts and bolts" of a conversion. Hopefully, I will be better able to discuss with a builder what I need, want, and why.
Very impressive!! Great job!! Can't wait to see the video on charging from the alternator. Thanks for taking the time to produce and post this video, it's well done and very helpful!! Safe Travels!!
this is the best video so far mainly because my system I am just getting started on is exactly the same except the extra dc block which I will use now I think. I have been looking for a diagram for the layout and wiring and what is connected to what for a while and finally you have done it. Great job
forgot to ask you I could not find the size of the copper needed from Nate but how big are your two pieces? I had ordered a 12" so I need to cut them yet.
Good job. You're right about the stranded wire. The reason is the vehicle moves and every time it moves, the wires wiggle and bend a little. This hardens the copper wire and makes it brittle and prone to cracking and breaking. It's for houses. The stranded wire bends more easily, having multiple thinner wires, and if one is damaged, there are several more. The controversy is how the wire is attached to things. A solid wire can be bent around a screw or stabbed into the back of an outlet, and it will stay. Stranded wire needs to have crimps put on the ends to attach it to a screw and can't be stabbed. Back-wired receptacles are not as safe or efficient as side wired because the wire can be pulled out and has less surface area contacting the wire. The screws are always better. You want to be careful with that drawer outlet. Even if you used stranded wire, that's a dangerous situation moving the receptacle so far back and forth which also puts a strain on the connections, but the code book doesn't specifically address drawers. It does require stranded. SEC Electrical code section 551 explains Recreational Vehicles rules, but only for AC, like no face-up receptacles, the use of GFCI outlets and separating ground and neutral wires in the panel for example. Your setup is good. The white 14ga wire going across the Inverter needs to be stapled down every 18" or so though.
You've got your positive lead laying across your negative, vibration abrasion could potentially wear away at the wire coating and cause a fire. I'd recommend extending that cable a few inches so they don't directly touch each other.
You got it Peter thanks for watching, really appreciate it. Also I updated the pinned comment, we added 2/0 wire to the inverter and wires between batteries if you’re going 3000 watt inverter take a look at the comment
Well done! Also good that you gave a safety warning. I've seen setups that looked perfect from the outside but still catching fire. Because of stuff like bad quality wires etc. So even if you copy someone to the T go to a electrician to have it examined properly :)
Great job! Very “entertaining and educational! Thanks again for always taking the time to make such detailed videos!! I just used your Roof Rail video to help me put the roof rails on my van, it helped so much to see how it was done!!
I would suggest changing out the metal strapping holding the batteries down with ratchet strap material. You just don’t want any shorting possibilities on those batteries.
@@MathersOnTheMap Perfect. I'll likely add an outlet in the garage, since we plan to hold two electric bicycles there and need a place to charge them. I can't wait to get on the road. Thank you so much for all of your help.
a nice job-looks really good/having it 100 percent protected/what about the fire extenisher/you know for safety/yea-yea/where did you get all the knowledge from/thanks much
Super cool and clean video. I learned a lot, Thanks a lot to share. I have a question: Why need turn off the Victron multiplus when is not use? Thankssss
Wondering if you know about the Bluettie AC300 - I'm trying to learn and am brand new to all of this. I am currently converting my 2015 Ford Transit to a Tiny Home/Office. I will be using the following items 500w Desktop computer (2-4 hrs/day), and charging cell phones, cameras, laptop, dry flush toilet. 12v DC Fridge 12v DC Dometic A.C. 12v DC Maxx Air Fan 7000 12v puck lights (4) 12v (?) water heater and aggregator(?) Also would like to be able to charge from DC/DC van battery, maybe that DC Charging Enhancer. So my question - do you think the AC300 with 2 B300 with a 400w Solaria monocrystalline solar panel is doable? Is this practical? Will this recharge properly with this kind of set up. OR AM I WAY OFF? Thanks.
Great informative video. Just curious how you came up with the 300A terminal fuse? How did you know you needed a 300A? Thank you for taking the time to help us out. Thanks!!
Could you share a close up of how you installed the terminal fuse on the positive terminal of the battery? I can’t figure out how to install it with the sideways mount!
I have a few questions regarding your build: Is your electrical (120v) through your van without conduit? Where is your BMS for your lithium batteries? Why mix victron and renogy?
Hey Troy, answers below! Is your electrical (120v) through your van without conduit? - yep Where is your BMS for your lithium batteries? - Battle Born Batteries have built-in BMS. Why mix victron and renogy? - I don't have a good reason for this other than Renogy makes solar easy with their kits.
Hi again Kevin. Another fantastic video! Thanks for all you and Taylor do, I think it's safe to say the community appreciates your contribution and dedication to creating fun, entertaining and educational content. I was wondering if you forgot to link the 6 gauge wire for the fuse blocks in your links. Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks man~
One last question... when you gave your update in the pinned comment, did you mean to say that you upgraded the 2/0 wire to 4/0 wire in the entire system? So you did not use any 2/0 wire throughout? Can you clarify that one part? Thanks again~
I added a 2/0 wire to every location where a 2/0 wire already was. So two 2/0 wires between batteries, batteries to bus bar, and busbar to inverter. Also, we upgraded the bus bar to a thicker bar of 4/0 equivalent
@@MathersOnTheMap oh I see. Any chance you uploaded pics on the blog? I didn’t see anything about that but maybe I just didn’t click the right page. At any rate, thanks a lot for clarifying that! I will try to add two 2/0 wires per location as well then.
Amazing work! I'm working on smaller box and am wondering if you have any vents or fans in there to keep space from heating up. Idk if that can happen? Please excuse me if I missed part of video where you explained this.
For the inverter wire sizing question, I believe you want to look at your inverter wattage vs your battery bank voltage and calculate for amperage. Then you can just check a wire size chart to get the amperage you'll need. A certified electrician will tell you to go to 125%, basically size up your wire. I'm not sure this is really necessary if your inverter isn't really capable of running over it's specified wattage. Most inverters will have safety features to prevent that, plus most people will install breakers somewhere on the line side... And in all honesty, the components in the inverter will blow well before your feeder wires catch fire in the case of a short. I'm not certified electrician, but I imagine if one comes along and wants to be very honest he'll more or less agree with me.
@@brucec4518 that's a really good point. A lot of charts will show both but if there's no mention one way or the other, they mean solid wire. Stranded you do have to size up a tad
You wanna make sure to read the manual for the inverter. It is not recommended to be placed the way you have it. It has vents on both dies, and you are covering one of them. Good luck!
Hi Mario, thanks for the feedback I really appreciate it! I read the manual and agree it needs to be well ventilated. It does say you can mount the inverter horizontally and to have 10cm clearance on all sides (which I know I don't have). I do have clearance below the inverter as it's not sitting on the bottom of the box but I know it's not 10cm. Anyway again thanks for the comment and ill be sure to monitor it!
Excellent walkthrough! As far as you know, is the digital multi controller required for this setup? I know it’s designed to set load limits, but could you theoretically install a regular switch for the inverter?
Not sure about a regular switch but I would definitely recommend the multi controller otherwise you have to switch the inverter manually which is a pain if it’s buried
If I am seeing that right, it looks like your kill switch will not kill your option to start your vehicle using the momentary switch and Lithium batteries. Seems reasonble in one sense but you still have the Isolator which is fused toward the battery side of things but not on the Isolator side of things. Your thoughts for doing it this way, is appreciated.
Honestly, i built my electrical system off nate’s incredible content on his blog explorist.life which I highly recommend. But my thought would be that I want to have the kill switch separate from everything to ensure nothing is connected (technically solar is still connected but that’s easy to shut off by unplugging a wire from the solar charger). I’m not sure I’m following your comment about the fuses
Hi Kevin... I am installing a DC to DC charger by Renogy. Do you think it is better to buy 1 roll of black 30 foot wire or combo of 15 ft red/15 ft black? What do you do? I was thinking it would be better with just 1 roll black because then I would have 1 remaining left over piece rather than 2 .
Hey Jack, I don't think you can really go wrong, at the end of the day it's the same copper metal on the inside of the insulation. If you need to use more of one color and you ran out, you can always put the correct color heat shrink over the insulation.
Hi Kevin... I have purchased the copper bus bar and going to do a similar application. Instead, I will be using a Renogy 60 amp DC to DC charger. For the DC to DC charger, I am going to place a 60 amp ANL fuse next to the starter battery which is recommended. My question to you is: When I connect the wire for the DC to DC charger to the bus bar, would I need to add an additional 60 amp ANL fuse at the bus bar or would I just connect the wire with out one since I have one located at the starter battery?
Thanks! Check out our cost video (this was built in 2019-2020 though so I'm assuming it's cheaper back then .... ruclips.net/video/0ldnK-3wruE/видео.html
Hey so im midway through my first build and have an almost identical setup only difference is our inverter size and im currently running 2x 200ah agms. Everything is framed out in the van so ive been testing out the electrical system and i notice during the day i have no problems whatsoever but at night the batteries drain incredibly fast(obviously right, no solar charge lol) but its Fast enough that it seems like it would be a stretch to run the 10x 3w led puck lighting at 100% for even an hour I cant find much info online as to what people generally run at night with no solar. Is this to be expected or do i have some issues on my end? Definitely expecting to add another 200ah agm for a total of 300ah usable but im curious to hear your take.
Hi Kevin ... Is it essential to have a 300 amp terminal fuse on the battery pack? I assume it is to protect the wire going to the bus bar in case there is a battery short circuit or something.
It's (terminal fuse) the best way to protect the cable and the rest of the system. But a short cable between the plus pole of the battery bank and a proper sized fuse will also work fine. Just make sure then that nothing else is connected to the battery pole, everything must be connected after the fuse, with a bus bar. The advantage compared to the terminal fuse is that you will have the same style of fuse for the whole system (terminal fuse is an odd form, compared to the midi blade fuses).
Hello! What a great video! I’m sure this is going to sound like a foolish question, but I ordered the Kill-switch that you had in your link and I was connecting it to my bus bar (the same way that you have in your video) however it appears that the input and output is opposite of what you have shown? I’m supposed to connect the battery to the input on the kill-switch. Is that correct?
Hey Kevin....Is it ok to connect the end of the positive cable of the solar charge controller to the busbar instead of the end of the positive battery cable? ... And then attach the positive cable of the battery to the other end of the ANL fuse?
it's definitely ok to put the positive cable from the solar charge controller to the busbar absolutely. Not folllowing the "attach the positive cable of the battery to the other end of the ANL fuse" where is that anl fuse?
@@MathersOnTheMap Well I have since been advised by Blue Sea Systems not to attach the battery cable on the the other end of the fuse where the solar cable is attached, which makes sense to me now. I was trying to attach the cables on the opposite ends of the fuse as compared to you and Nate, due to space constraints. But the solar charge cable has to be attached on the fuse where you and Nate have it attached, which is the only way.
How do you like your Seaflo water pump so far? I would be considering between this Seaflo water pump and the Shurflo Revolution which is at about the same price and specs except that the Seaflo has an amperage max of 6 amps and the Shurflo is 7.5 amps.
How much of an area did you retain for the electrical equipment? Primarily, the area with the batteries and the invertor. I will likely have a similar set up but in a different location.
Also. Lately you see more couples travel in their own rig and convoy together. You can poop in your own rig. But sleep in the same rig with the bigger bed. And space issues are easier. Storage, clothing, gear issues are simpler. Each person has room in their rigs for bikes, and inflatable kayaks, instruments, tools, etc. And showering inside.
Hey Mathers I have a question. I have the same Victron Inverter and it is the last part of my electrical setup. Here is what I don't get...in this video you "turned Off the Inverter", but I don't have that box that disconnects. From what I can tell there is a switch on the box, but I don't want to go to my electrical (in my garage area) to turn off the inverter. Can you give me a suggestion on what i am missing? Thanks, Greg!
Need to move your ground wire to feed off the back battery… opposite of your positive feed… it actually makes a difference in how they charge and discharge
Hi Kevin... What length and gauge of an extension cord would you recommend for a 2000 watt inverter charger when I want to charge up from a pedestal at a campground or an outlet at friend's house?
If you are saying this cable is to be used from an AC supply to a 2000w charger - just go to your DIY store and look at the extension cables. They should say on the label/ box what watts they can handle. As it is AC not DC cable length isn't that important an issue. Short cables are only important on DC cables. The specific (large) gauge and requirement for short as possible cables are only an issue once you step down to DC. Your vacuum cleaner or Hair drier will use 2000w AC and look at those cables - normal standard extension lead size
I'm a little confused about the battery cable being connected to the 40a fuse for the charge controller. Is that fuse also protecting the battery cable? In addition, I have a 360ah battery bank. Do you think it would be alright to use that same 300a terminal block fuse on my larger battery bank? Thanks for this video. It's clarified a lot of confusion.
Hey Zack I thought I responded to this, sorry. That fuse protects the charge controller. You can put it on either side of the kill switch many people are moving it to the positive bus bar 300 amp fuse is for the accessories, fuse block inverter, etc not the size of your battery bank. If you have 3000 watt inverter 300 is good Not an electrician just answering based off my setup
@@MathersOnTheMap Thanks much for answering my questions, really appreciate it. I kind of go overboard with questions sometimes. I'm kind of thinking about just adding a 400a ANL fuse next to where your 40a charge controller fuse is instead of using the blue sea terminal fuse. I think 400a is recommended for 4/0 cable and size system (2500w inverter). Do you think this would be alright?
Thanks Zianny! I haven’t uploaded it to my blog but maybe I’ll get around to doing that. Explorist.life is arguably the best resource online for electrics
Can you explain why/ what the “jumper cable” is or point me in the direction of the resource/ info you used for that part? I can’t see in the video but it looks like you have a 6g cable just connected to both of the positive terminals on the box?? I am mirroring your inverter / fuse box setup and am stumped on this part.... thank you so much for all this info it’s been a great help
If I’m understanding correctly there is a hot pole for each fuse/ breaker in the box (2 total for the two slots) and the “jumper” cable is what links them together ?
Yea I’m not sure where I said jumper but hopefully I’m understanding right... you have the hot wire from inverter going to the breaker hot pole which powers only one breaker. So you need to have a connecting hot wire from the pole to the other one to power the second breaker
At 12:12, but this helped a lot. Thanks again for all this info- you da man! Unfortunately this Murray breaker box didn’t come with any labeling/ diagram or this would have been a bit easier.... thanks again 🙌
If you are still using the 300ah bank, what does taking a shower/ the Bosch water heater draw from your system? How long is the shower? Currently doing a similar setup
Shower is short with water on and off as you soap up and rinse. But it usually drops 10% when we run the heater for 20mins 300amp hour is plenty if you have an isolator and solar
You'll probably need to replace that 10 ga Romex sooner than you think. Keep a close eye on when it's in use as if that single strand starts to break it will get very hot and could melt and possible start a fire. Single strand wire has no tensile strength and will break due to vibration. I believe it's actually illegal to use in the boating industry.
Thanks John! I will definitely monitor it, it sucks that I learned about Romex vs stranded wire after I was too far in the build to swap it out. I don't plan to use shore power too often but will check it out when I do.
@@MathersOnTheMap Yea if you ck it everytime you use shore power you should be fine. You might want to get a digital thermometer that way when any electrical connection is under load you can tell if there is a problem if it's generating a lot of heat. I ck all my connections occasionaly even the MC4s just to be safe.
Hi! Love your video’s! Can you give me a bit of advice about how many feet/meters of cable you used (especially the 12gauge wire (which is 1.5mm2 in europe btw))
Tough question, I would simply go through your wiring diagram and just imagine where you’re going to run your wires and measure the distance. If you have a similar design to mine easily over 50ft
Although, I am not an electrician (sorry I need to say it) I think agree, I need to swap the ANL fuses for a lower one. I think I am going to add up the total amps on the fuse block and base it off that.
The fuse must be the weakest link in the chain. If there's a short circuit it must go out first. If your wire's maximum capacity is 55A, then your fuse must be lower than 55A, lets say 50A, so the fuse goes out (burn) first if a higher current than the cable's 55A current (for example 60A or more) goes through that part of the system. The maximum for the fuse block is equal or less than the maximum of the wire. So they would go out (burn) together or first the fuse block and then the wire. A wire or cable fire is always the worst. The total Amps of the fuse block must be less than the amp rating of the fuse first, but also less than the Amp rating of the wires and fuse block. So the design process goes as follows: 1 Add up total amps on the fuse block 2 Choose fuse based on a little bit more than that total on the fuse block 3 Choose a fuse block rated a little more than the amp rating of the fuse 4 Choose wire rated equal or a little more than the amp rating of the fuse block (as well as of the fuse).
It may be months since you did the video. Never attach your positive and negative wires to the same battery. Put positive on first battery and negative on last battery. Doing so allows all batteries to share the work. With positive and negative on the same battery, it does most of the work providing power. Shortest path between the single battery. Path should be between all batteries in the group of batteries. The way you wired it is going to result in battery imbalance ànd a shorter operation time.
with that inverter, do you have to disconnect the battery from the battery when you plug in to the wall outlet? or the inverter knows to charge the battery and energize the 120v outlets in the van simultaneously?
Great video and always get great ideas from your build. I’m tackling my primary power system this week (using EXPLORIST.life) however I had a question on your 12v cabling. I planned on using all 12GA instead of switching between 12GA/14GA/16GA.. Any concerns you can think of as long as it’s fused properly? I have 250 feet of 12GA and would prefer using a thicker GA if possible.
Great video! love the big set up! just a question, am I right (tell me if I'm not ) you connected your mppt before the big switch? and why did you do that? Cause for my thoughts I would put everything behind the big kill switch to switch off every connection whith the batteries while working on any kind of electronics. Looking forward to your reply and keep up the nice videos! you guys did an amazing job!
Hey Garry, I think it’s a personal preference. The reason I think is that we could shut down the van with the kill switch but maintain a source of power to charge the batteries if we decide to not use the van for a bit
@@MathersOnTheMap Yeah makes sense though! I'm starting a build next month, so looking at different methods and ways of construction. Soooo Excited though!! might tag you at some point along the build and might ask for some more details in other vids. thnx for the reply! All the best fromthe Netherlands
Great video! Can you tell me how I can wire my stereo in my conversion so when I'm parked it can draw from my solar battery bank. Right now it's just wired like a regular car stereo.
Hello, you done a great job, looks good, except one thing, the way you have connected your battery,s right now, that,s wrong, like this they want survive long, , using battery,s in parallel, never pull out of one battery. Connect your plus (hot) from the first battery, and your minuscable from the last battery, this Will keep you voltage in level,
@@MathersOnTheMap thanks. for getting back to me. yes I did do I have to get another bar at 7.5" and do that one over or can the blocks be connected together?
Ron Shaw sorry mean copper bar not aluminum although you can use aluminum if you want. Im not an electrician so I’m not really sure if it’s a good idea to put two fuse blocks on one ANL fuse...But I honestly would just redo it since it‘s not too expensive to get a new bar. I wouldn’t mess around with electricity ya know?
I just finished up my electrical same way as you and noticed I did not have much battery power left after a little bit and inverter would not start up until I started van so wonder if you leave your power switch on or off when your not in van?
hey Ron you have the exact components as well? 3 - 100 amp hour Battleborn batteries and 3000 watt inverter? To answer your question, we do not turn off the switch and rarely see our battery % below 80%
Onlinemetals.com check out my pinned comment! If you’re using a 3000 watt inverter get a 1.5” x .25” x 24” bar You could probably get a way 12” but I like more Incase ya make a mistake Also all 2/0 wire should be 4/0 (isolator can still be 2/0
@@MathersOnTheMap Cool. Thanks for the advice. I have the same exact Inverter/Charger from Victron and thinking of doing the same kill switch/copper bus bar design.
ok, looked a few times…pretty sure your +/- in and out of battery bank should not be on the same battery…essentially, they should be opposite. one of explorerlife vids shows 4 bank wirings…
I just recently got a 1993 Fleetwood Bounder Double Axle, and everything was working fine, three days ago the batteries went dead so I took a closer look at the hood, and noticed the battery connections, the hood has 3 batteries, two deep cycle and one start battery(note theres two solar cells on the roof wired to one of the cabin batteries) but im not sure how its all wired. I know the motor only needs one 12v start battery and the cabin needs 2 or more deep cycle batteries and im aware that the solar cells need a storage battery. If someone that can help would be great!
We’re the batteries under a heavy load and was there sunshine or overcast? If the batteries are solely reliant on solar alone and under a constant load, they can drain out. Lots of variables in trying to figure this out need more details
Explorist warns against the intallgear anl fuses, saying quality has gone way down hill. Blue Sea anl fuses are ridiculously expensive. Do you know of any quality ones?
Hey Zack unfortunately I don’t, I’ve hadn’t had any issues with mine but I do trust Nate. I’d just buy fuses with a lot of quality reviews and monitor them if blue sea is out of budget
@@MathersOnTheMap I thinking about using the blue sea terminal block fuse. They only make up to 300a it looks like. I have a 360ah battery bank, do you think it would be alright to round down with the 300a terminal fuse?
@@meowzic I think the terminal fuse isn't there to match the size of your battery bank, it's to amps do not go over the recommended amount for your accessories, inverter in particular. But I am not an electrician, these are just my thoughts
yes it can be mounted horizontally. Victron recommends 10 cms on all sides which I am clearly falling short of, but may drill ventilation holes as Greg suggested in another comment
Hi everyone! Just wanted to give y’all an update.
First I have my positive cable coming from the first battery (closest to the left) and the negative wires coming from the third battery (closest to the inverter)...
Our batteries got down to 70% camping one weekend and we couldn’t start the hot water heater to shower due to a voltage drop...
So I upgraded the 2/0 wire to 4/0 wire (actually I did 2 - 2/0 wires) for each location. I also switched the thickness of the copper bar from 3/4 inch in height to 1.5”. I'm creating a blog post with pictures to document it on the following link www.mathersonthemap.com/our-camper-vans-diy-electrical-system/. The picture is above the header "1. Batteries".
If you have decided to get the 3000-watt inverter then get 4/0 wire. If you have a 2000 watt inverter and below then I think 2/0 is sufficient.
Remember I’m not an electrician and this is just our experience!!
Thank you so much for these Vids so Helpfull- Just got my Van today! so getting into it! I'm freaking out- Love you electricity video- Did you document your new set up somewhere? Thanks again you guys rock!
Hi! Where can i find the pictures/blogpost about this? Is it possible to make an update video?
Nice vid bro! I am a little confused though. 2awg wire is bigger than 4awg wire. Also, did you guys consider daisy chaining your two fuse boxes? I was thinking and wondering if you had any info in reference. I really like your set up. I also like the way you guys did your plumbing. Thanks again.
This is very important to know! Thank you.
After editing the pinned comment is automatically unpinned by RUclips.
I just want to say thank you so much for all of the work you have put into documenting your van conversion. Although I will hire someone to build out a van for me, I've been using much of your info to build an estimate and budget. Your info also helps me to understand (at least a little) the "nuts and bolts" of a conversion. Hopefully, I will be better able to discuss with a builder what I need, want, and why.
You got it glad it helped!!!
Thank you for watching and best of luck with your build!
Great video. Thank you.
You've done an amazing job, we're basically following you step by step. Thank you so much for such detailed videos.
Thank you!!! I appreciate it and thanks for watching!!!!
What van are you converting? and how far have you got, I will be following this build guide as well :)
Very impressive!! Great job!! Can't wait to see the video on charging from the alternator. Thanks for taking the time to produce and post this video, it's well done and very helpful!! Safe Travels!!
Thank you really appreciate it and stay tuned!
Excellent Job👍......
I just started watching this. I already know that i’ll be using this setup for my electrical system!
Glad to hear Jessica! Let me know if you have any questions
this is the best video so far mainly because my system I am just getting started on is exactly the same except the extra dc block which I will use now I think. I have been looking for a diagram for the layout and wiring and what is connected to what for a while and finally you have done it. Great job
Glad to hear Ron! Thanks for the feedback! best of luck with your build
forgot to ask you I could not find the size of the copper needed from Nate but how big are your two pieces? I had ordered a 12" so I need to cut them yet.
Very neat job. Lovely video. Greetings from Jamaica.
Thank you so much Lawrence!
Good job. You're right about the stranded wire. The reason is the vehicle moves and every time it moves, the wires wiggle and bend a little. This hardens the copper wire and makes it brittle and prone to cracking and breaking. It's for houses. The stranded wire bends more easily, having multiple thinner wires, and if one is damaged, there are several more.
The controversy is how the wire is attached to things. A solid wire can be bent around a screw or stabbed into the back of an outlet, and it will stay. Stranded wire needs to have crimps put on the ends to attach it to a screw and can't be stabbed. Back-wired receptacles are not as safe or efficient as side wired because the wire can be pulled out and has less surface area contacting the wire. The screws are always better.
You want to be careful with that drawer outlet. Even if you used stranded wire, that's a dangerous situation moving the receptacle so far back and forth which also puts a strain on the connections, but the code book doesn't specifically address drawers.
It does require stranded. SEC Electrical code section 551 explains Recreational Vehicles rules, but only for AC, like no face-up receptacles, the use of GFCI outlets and separating ground and neutral wires in the panel for example.
Your setup is good. The white 14ga wire going across the Inverter needs to be stapled down every 18" or so though.
Thanks for the info- getting ready for Transit Van Build
Excellent. Great design and explanations.
Thank you appreciate it!!!
Good job! I look forward watching your battery isolator installation: I have the same to install in my travel trailer build project.
Thank you! Stay tuned im going to start editing it soon
You've got your positive lead laying across your negative, vibration abrasion could potentially wear away at the wire coating and cause a fire. I'd recommend extending that cable a few inches so they don't directly touch each other.
Thank you I need to do that!!!
Thank you for your detailed video and updates. I am confident I can wire my van now. Thank you very much!
You got it Peter thanks for watching, really appreciate it. Also I updated the pinned comment, we added 2/0 wire to the inverter and wires between batteries if you’re going 3000 watt inverter take a look at the comment
Well done! Also good that you gave a safety warning. I've seen setups that looked perfect from the outside but still catching fire. Because of stuff like bad quality wires etc. So even if you copy someone to the T go to a electrician to have it examined properly :)
I agree!!!! And thank you!! I’m definitely not a professional
Thank you from an electrician.
Looks really clean! Don't forget to mount a smoke alarm under the seat, I hear the tooth fairy requires that! :)
Thanks for the useful info and tips! Solid work.
you got it thanks for watching Tony!
Great job! Very “entertaining and educational! Thanks again for always taking the time to make such detailed videos!! I just used your Roof Rail video to help me put the roof rails on my van, it helped so much to see how it was done!!
Thank you that’s our goal!!
Great job. Loved watching this.
Thanks Mike!
I would suggest changing out the metal strapping holding the batteries down with ratchet strap material. You just don’t want any shorting possibilities on those batteries.
Hey Randy! Thank you! It’s plastic strap holding the batteries down maybe it looks metal in the video! Unless I’m looking at the wrong spot
Great job man, thanx for posting the video.
You got it chip! Thanks for watching
You've been a great help with all of your videos. Would you mind sharing the wiring diagram?
thanks Mike! warning it's not the best...www.mathersonthemap.com/sprinter-van-wiring-diagram/
@@MathersOnTheMap Perfect. I'll likely add an outlet in the garage, since we plan to hold two electric bicycles there and need a place to charge them. I can't wait to get on the road. Thank you so much for all of your help.
a nice job-looks really good/having it 100 percent protected/what about the fire extenisher/you know for safety/yea-yea/where did you get all the knowledge from/thanks much
Explorist.life is a great resource!!!
Great video, very informative. I am wondering why you are using 2 shunts, positive and negative. Thanks
There is only 1 shunt on the negative, what are you referring to on the positive?
Very helpful. Thanks bro
Awesome setup guys 👍
Thanks George really appreciate it!
Super cool and clean video. I learned a lot, Thanks a lot to share.
I have a question: Why need turn off the Victron multiplus when is not use? Thankssss
Thank you!! Having the inverter on requires energy so you'll be using 4-6 Amps just leaving it on
Wondering if you know about the Bluettie AC300 - I'm trying to learn and am brand new to all of this. I am currently converting my 2015 Ford Transit to a Tiny Home/Office. I will be using the following items
500w Desktop computer (2-4 hrs/day), and charging cell phones, cameras, laptop, dry flush toilet.
12v DC Fridge
12v DC Dometic A.C.
12v DC Maxx Air Fan 7000
12v puck lights (4)
12v (?) water heater and aggregator(?)
Also would like to be able to charge from DC/DC van battery, maybe that DC Charging Enhancer.
So my question - do you think the AC300 with 2 B300 with a 400w Solaria monocrystalline solar panel is doable? Is this practical? Will this recharge properly with this kind of set up. OR AM I WAY OFF?
Thanks.
Great informative video.
Just curious how you came up with the 300A terminal fuse? How did you know you needed a 300A?
Thank you for taking the time to help us out.
Thanks!!
is due to you having 300AH of batteries?
Put a small computer fan in the box wall to allow fresh air movement .
Solid idea!
Could you do an update/remake video to show what has changed and what your experience was the past few months?
Yes maybe I’ll do it over the holidays!
Your battery cables should be off set, one cable on one battery and the second battery cable on the other battery.
Thanks David, check out the pinned comment where I updated that a few months ago
@@MathersOnTheMap Beautiful and neat layout of the electrical.
The pinned comment is gone?
....thanks for this man! For real!
You got it!!!
Could you share a close up of how you installed the terminal fuse on the positive terminal of the battery? I can’t figure out how to install it with the sideways mount!
I have a few questions regarding your build:
Is your electrical (120v) through your van without conduit?
Where is your BMS for your lithium batteries?
Why mix victron and renogy?
Hey Troy, answers below!
Is your electrical (120v) through your van without conduit? - yep
Where is your BMS for your lithium batteries? - Battle Born Batteries have built-in BMS.
Why mix victron and renogy? - I don't have a good reason for this other than Renogy makes solar easy with their kits.
Hi again Kevin. Another fantastic video! Thanks for all you and Taylor do, I think it's safe to say the community appreciates your contribution and dedication to creating fun, entertaining and educational content. I was wondering if you forgot to link the 6 gauge wire for the fuse blocks in your links. Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks man~
Nevermind, I figured it out! It's in the same listing, lol.
One last question... when you gave your update in the pinned comment, did you mean to say that you upgraded the 2/0 wire to 4/0 wire in the entire system? So you did not use any 2/0 wire throughout? Can you clarify that one part? Thanks again~
I added a 2/0 wire to every location where a 2/0 wire already was. So two 2/0 wires between batteries, batteries to bus bar, and busbar to inverter. Also, we upgraded the bus bar to a thicker bar of 4/0 equivalent
@@MathersOnTheMap oh I see. Any chance you uploaded pics on the blog? I didn’t see anything about that but maybe I just didn’t click the right page. At any rate, thanks a lot for clarifying that! I will try to add two 2/0 wires per location as well then.
@@perrychancenyc nah not yet I need too. Spread to thin at the moment!
Ps looking forward to your alternator video!!?
I gotta get working on it!
Mathers On The Map please! 🙏🏻😂
Amazing work! I'm working on smaller box and am wondering if you have any vents or fans in there to keep space from heating up. Idk if that can happen? Please excuse me if I missed part of video where you explained this.
I don’t have any vents but it’s best practice to have some
For the inverter wire sizing question, I believe you want to look at your inverter wattage vs your battery bank voltage and calculate for amperage. Then you can just check a wire size chart to get the amperage you'll need. A certified electrician will tell you to go to 125%, basically size up your wire. I'm not sure this is really necessary if your inverter isn't really capable of running over it's specified wattage. Most inverters will have safety features to prevent that, plus most people will install breakers somewhere on the line side... And in all honesty, the components in the inverter will blow well before your feeder wires catch fire in the case of a short. I'm not certified electrician, but I imagine if one comes along and wants to be very honest he'll more or less agree with me.
Keep in mind that stranded wire doesn't handle as much current as solid wire and most of the amperage charts refer to solid wire ratings.
@@brucec4518 that's a really good point. A lot of charts will show both but if there's no mention one way or the other, they mean solid wire. Stranded you do have to size up a tad
You wanna make sure to read the manual for the inverter. It is not recommended to be placed the way you have it. It has vents on both dies, and you are covering one of them. Good luck!
Hi Mario, thanks for the feedback I really appreciate it! I read the manual and agree it needs to be well ventilated. It does say you can mount the inverter horizontally and to have 10cm clearance on all sides (which I know I don't have). I do have clearance below the inverter as it's not sitting on the bottom of the box but I know it's not 10cm. Anyway again thanks for the comment and ill be sure to monitor it!
Excellent walkthrough! As far as you know, is the digital multi controller required for this setup? I know it’s designed to set load limits, but could you theoretically install a regular switch for the inverter?
Not sure about a regular switch but I would definitely recommend the multi controller otherwise you have to switch the inverter manually which is a pain if it’s buried
If I am seeing that right, it looks like your kill switch will not kill your option to start your vehicle using the momentary switch and Lithium batteries. Seems reasonble in one sense but you still have the Isolator which is fused toward the battery side of things but not on the Isolator side of things. Your thoughts for doing it this way, is appreciated.
Honestly, i built my electrical system off nate’s incredible content on his blog explorist.life which I highly recommend.
But my thought would be that I want to have the kill switch separate from everything to ensure nothing is connected (technically solar is still connected but that’s easy to shut off by unplugging a wire from the solar charger). I’m not sure I’m following your comment about the fuses
What was your total cost of materials to do the full electrical system good sir
Hi Kevin... I am installing a DC to DC charger by Renogy. Do you think it is better to buy 1 roll of black 30 foot wire or combo of 15 ft red/15 ft black? What do you do? I was thinking it would be better with just 1 roll black because then I would have 1 remaining left over piece rather than 2 .
Hey Jack, I don't think you can really go wrong, at the end of the day it's the same copper metal on the inside of the insulation. If you need to use more of one color and you ran out, you can always put the correct color heat shrink over the insulation.
Hi Kevin ... How did you cut your ANL fuse holders so nicely?? I will be doing this step soon.
Grinder!
Hi Kevin... I have purchased the copper bus bar and going to do a similar application. Instead, I will be using a Renogy 60 amp DC to DC charger. For the DC to DC charger, I am going to place a 60 amp ANL fuse next to the starter battery which is recommended. My question to you is: When I connect the wire for the DC to DC charger to the bus bar, would I need to add an additional 60 amp ANL fuse at the bus bar or would I just connect the wire with out one since I have one located at the starter battery?
I’m not an electrician and don’t have that model so I’m not entirely sure but I think you would yes
What would be the cost to copy your build? That is to buy every thing u listed for the electrical system u have?. Thanks. Great video.
Thanks! Check out our cost video (this was built in 2019-2020 though so I'm assuming it's cheaper back then .... ruclips.net/video/0ldnK-3wruE/видео.html
Hey so im midway through my first build and have an almost identical setup only difference is our inverter size and im currently running 2x 200ah agms.
Everything is framed out in the van so ive been testing out the electrical system and i notice during the day i have no problems whatsoever but at night the batteries drain incredibly fast(obviously right, no solar charge lol) but its Fast enough that it seems like it would be a stretch to run the 10x 3w led puck lighting at 100% for even an hour I cant find much info online as to what people generally run at night with no solar. Is this to be expected or do i have some issues on my end? Definitely expecting to add another 200ah agm for a total of 300ah usable but im curious to hear your take.
That’s odd puck lights shouldn’t deplete your batteries like that. Are you leaving your inverter on? Do you have a battery monitor?
How much 4/0 wire did you buy and did you have any left over?
good job
Thanks Rafik!
Hi Kevin ... Is it essential to have a 300 amp terminal fuse on the battery pack? I assume it is to protect the wire going to the bus bar in case there is a battery short circuit or something.
Hey Jack, Not sure, I followed explorist.life a great resource for electricity, it’s what he recommended
It's (terminal fuse) the best way to protect the cable and the rest of the system.
But a short cable between the plus pole of the battery bank and a proper sized fuse will also work fine.
Just make sure then that nothing else is connected to the battery pole, everything must be connected after the fuse, with a bus bar.
The advantage compared to the terminal fuse is that you will have the same style of fuse for the whole system (terminal fuse is an odd form, compared to the midi blade fuses).
Thanks for all this info, could you link where you got your 6/3 cable (the run from inverter to breaker box) ?
We got it from Home Depot but I’d probably order stranded wire for my next build off amazon or something since Home Depot’s is solid core wire
@@MathersOnTheMap thanks 🙏
water heater I 'd use propane water heater. save electric power for something else. Nice battery/power supply box.
Thanks for the informative video. Question: Why 2 grounds? Wouldn't that create a ground loop?
Not sure Mark but I do know vehicle batteries are grounded to the chassis as well
Hello! What a great video! I’m sure this is going to sound like a foolish question, but I ordered the Kill-switch that you had in your link and I was connecting it to my bus bar (the same way that you have in your video) however it appears that the input and output is opposite of what you have shown?
I’m supposed to connect the battery to the input on the kill-switch. Is that correct?
The input output is irrelevant (same thing for me). The switch simply is two copper bars touching, doesn’t matter which direction it comes from
Thanks Kevin. Greatly appreciate the advice and my wife and I LOVE your videos!
Stay safe!
Hey Kevin....Is it ok to connect the end of the positive cable of the solar charge controller to the busbar instead of the end of the positive battery cable? ... And then attach the positive cable of the battery to the other end of the ANL fuse?
it's definitely ok to put the positive cable from the solar charge controller to the busbar absolutely. Not folllowing the "attach the positive cable of the battery to the other end of the ANL fuse" where is that anl fuse?
@@MathersOnTheMap Well I have since been advised by Blue Sea Systems not to attach the battery cable on the the other end of the fuse where the solar cable is attached, which makes sense to me now. I was trying to attach the cables on the opposite ends of the fuse as compared to you and Nate, due to space constraints. But the solar charge cable has to be attached on the fuse where you and Nate have it attached, which is the only way.
How do you like your Seaflo water pump so far? I would be considering between this Seaflo water pump and the Shurflo Revolution which is at about the same price and specs except that the Seaflo has an amperage max of 6 amps and the Shurflo is 7.5 amps.
Yep! No issues with it and I’d get it again
How much of an area did you retain for the electrical equipment? Primarily, the area with the batteries and the invertor. I will likely have a similar set up but in a different location.
Also. Lately you see more couples travel in their own rig and convoy together. You can poop in your own rig. But sleep in the same rig with the bigger bed. And space issues are easier. Storage, clothing, gear issues are simpler. Each person has room in their rigs for bikes, and inflatable kayaks, instruments, tools, etc. And showering inside.
Great video! any problems with having your Victron multi plus on its side? This is what we want to do but have read it might not cool properly.
Thank you!! Nope no issues!! Make sure ya use 2-2/0 or 4/0 wires for it!
@@MathersOnTheMap awesome thanks! Plan on using 4/0. Such good news.
Kevin, for the chassis ground did you use the chassis grounding point underneath the van?
Nope right to the chassis itself I have a grounding the chassis video, it’s an early van build episode!
Hey Mathers I have a question. I have the same Victron Inverter and it is the last part of my electrical setup. Here is what I don't get...in this video you "turned Off the Inverter", but I don't have that box that disconnects. From what I can tell there is a switch on the box, but I don't want to go to my electrical (in my garage area) to turn off the inverter. Can you give me a suggestion on what i am missing? Thanks, Greg!
Hey Greg! Ya gotta get the victron digi multi controller! Link should be in the description and super easy to setup!
Need to move your ground wire to feed off the back battery… opposite of your positive feed… it actually makes a difference in how they charge and discharge
Check out the pinned comment 👍🏻
Hi Kevin... What length and gauge of an extension cord would you recommend for a 2000 watt inverter charger when I want to charge up from a pedestal at a campground or an outlet at friend's house?
If you are saying this cable is to be used from an AC supply to a 2000w charger - just go to your DIY store and look at the extension cables. They should say on the label/ box what watts they can handle. As it is AC not DC cable length isn't that important an issue. Short cables are only important on DC cables. The specific (large) gauge and requirement for short as possible cables are only an issue once you step down to DC. Your vacuum cleaner or Hair drier will use 2000w AC and look at those cables - normal standard extension lead size
Dude, your videos are the SH*T!! I pretty much have the same electronics waiting to be installed... I've it off for way too long.
Thanks Eric, really appreciate it! Best of luck with your build and set up!
I'm a little confused about the battery cable being connected to the 40a fuse for the charge controller. Is that fuse also protecting the battery cable?
In addition, I have a 360ah battery bank. Do you think it would be alright to use that same 300a terminal block fuse on my larger battery bank?
Thanks for this video. It's clarified a lot of confusion.
Hey Zack I thought I responded to this, sorry. That fuse protects the charge controller. You can put it on either side of the kill switch many people are moving it to the positive bus bar
300 amp fuse is for the accessories, fuse block inverter, etc not the size of your battery bank. If you have 3000 watt inverter 300 is good
Not an electrician just answering based off my setup
@@MathersOnTheMap Thanks much for answering my questions, really appreciate it. I kind of go overboard with questions sometimes. I'm kind of thinking about just adding a 400a ANL fuse next to where your 40a charge controller fuse is instead of using the blue sea terminal fuse. I think 400a is recommended for 4/0 cable and size system (2500w inverter). Do you think this would be alright?
Great video like always. Did you have the electric diagram?
Thanks Zianny! I haven’t uploaded it to my blog but maybe I’ll get around to doing that. Explorist.life is arguably the best resource online for electrics
Can you explain why/ what the “jumper cable” is or point me in the direction of the resource/ info you used for that part? I can’t see in the video but it looks like you have a 6g cable just connected to both of the positive terminals on the box?? I am mirroring your inverter / fuse box setup and am stumped on this part.... thank you so much for all this info it’s been a great help
If I’m understanding correctly there is a hot pole for each fuse/ breaker in the box (2 total for the two slots) and the “jumper” cable is what links them together ?
Yea I’m not sure where I said jumper but hopefully I’m understanding right... you have the hot wire from inverter going to the breaker hot pole which powers only one breaker. So you need to have a connecting hot wire from the pole to the other one to power the second breaker
At 12:12, but this helped a lot. Thanks again for all this info- you da man! Unfortunately this Murray breaker box didn’t come with any labeling/ diagram or this would have been a bit easier.... thanks again 🙌
If you are still using the 300ah bank, what does taking a shower/ the Bosch water heater draw from your system? How long is the shower? Currently doing a similar setup
Shower is short with water on and off as you soap up and rinse. But it usually drops 10% when we run the heater for 20mins
300amp hour is plenty if you have an isolator and solar
Thanks for all the info 🙌🤘
You got it! Thanks for watching Christian!
You'll probably need to replace that 10 ga Romex sooner than you think. Keep a close eye on when it's in use as if that single strand starts to break it will get very hot and could melt and possible start a fire. Single strand wire has no tensile strength and will break due to vibration. I believe it's actually illegal to use in the boating industry.
Thanks John! I will definitely monitor it, it sucks that I learned about Romex vs stranded wire after I was too far in the build to swap it out. I don't plan to use shore power too often but will check it out when I do.
@@MathersOnTheMap Yea if you ck it everytime you use shore power you should be fine. You might want to get a digital thermometer that way when any electrical connection is under load you can tell if there is a problem if it's generating a lot of heat. I ck all my connections occasionaly even the MC4s just to be safe.
Love that idea I gotta get one...thank you for the tips!
Hi! Love your video’s! Can you give me a bit of advice about how many feet/meters of cable you used (especially the 12gauge wire (which is 1.5mm2 in europe btw))
Tough question, I would simply go through your wiring diagram and just imagine where you’re going to run your wires and measure the distance. If you have a similar design to mine easily over 50ft
Thanks for the video....ready to start my electrical...isnt a 100amp fuse too big for six gauge wire?
Although, I am not an electrician (sorry I need to say it) I think agree, I need to swap the ANL fuses for a lower one. I think I am going to add up the total amps on the fuse block and base it off that.
@@MathersOnTheMap thanks for the quick response....yes I was thinking 80 amp fuse for my setup also using 6 gauge wire.
The fuse must be the weakest link in the chain. If there's a short circuit it must go out first.
If your wire's maximum capacity is 55A, then your fuse must be lower than 55A, lets say 50A, so the fuse goes out (burn) first if a higher current than the cable's 55A current (for example 60A or more) goes through that part of the system.
The maximum for the fuse block is equal or less than the maximum of the wire.
So they would go out (burn) together or first the fuse block and then the wire. A wire or cable fire is always the worst.
The total Amps of the fuse block must be less than the amp rating of the fuse first, but also less than the Amp rating of the wires and fuse block.
So the design process goes as follows:
1 Add up total amps on the fuse block
2 Choose fuse based on a little bit more than that total on the fuse block
3 Choose a fuse block rated a little more than the amp rating of the fuse
4 Choose wire rated equal or a little more than the amp rating of the fuse block (as well as of the fuse).
It may be months since you did the video. Never attach your positive and negative wires to the same battery. Put positive on first battery and negative on last battery. Doing so allows all batteries to share the work. With positive and negative on the same battery, it does most of the work providing power. Shortest path between the single battery. Path should be between all batteries in the group of batteries. The way you wired it is going to result in battery imbalance ànd a shorter operation time.
Hey David, thank you! I pinned a comment with the updates I made to the electrical system since posting, but thank you!!!
with that inverter, do you have to disconnect the battery from the battery when you plug in to the wall outlet? or the inverter knows to charge the battery and energize the 120v outlets in the van simultaneously?
you don't have to disconnect the batteries, the inverter can charge and generate AC power (120v) simultaneously!
Great video and always get great ideas from your build. I’m tackling my primary power system this week (using EXPLORIST.life) however I had a question on your 12v cabling. I planned on using all 12GA instead of switching between 12GA/14GA/16GA.. Any concerns you can think of as long as it’s fused properly? I have 250 feet of 12GA and would prefer using a thicker GA if possible.
Not at all!!! I wish I did 14 gauge instead of 16 for the higher voltage looking back. 12 ga is just a little stiffer when running wires
Great video! love the big set up! just a question, am I right (tell me if I'm not ) you connected your mppt before the big switch? and why did you do that? Cause for my thoughts I would put everything behind the big kill switch to switch off every connection whith the batteries while working on any kind of electronics. Looking forward to your reply and keep up the nice videos! you guys did an amazing job!
Hey Garry, I think it’s a personal preference. The reason I think is that we could shut down the van with the kill switch but maintain a source of power to charge the batteries if we decide to not use the van for a bit
@@MathersOnTheMap Yeah makes sense though! I'm starting a build next month, so looking at different methods and ways of construction. Soooo Excited though!! might tag you at some point along the build and might ask for some more details in other vids. thnx for the reply! All the best fromthe Netherlands
Sounds good Garry, best of luck with your build build! Taylor and I visited Amsterdam in 2019 I wish we got to see more of the country!
Great video! Can you tell me how I can wire my stereo in my conversion so when I'm parked it can draw from my solar battery bank. Right now it's just wired like a regular car stereo.
Hello, you done a great job, looks good, except one thing, the way you have connected your battery,s right now, that,s wrong, like this they want survive long, , using battery,s in parallel, never pull out of one battery.
Connect your plus (hot) from the first battery, and your minuscable from the last battery, this Will keep you voltage in level,
Thanks Henk! Check out the pinned comment for updates on this video
I have the same set up at Nate with the 3 slots to the right of bus bar so how else can hook up two dc blocks to each other?
Did you already cut your aluminum bar and drill your holes for only 3 spots?
@@MathersOnTheMap thanks. for getting back to me. yes I did do I have to get another bar at 7.5" and do that one over or can the blocks be connected together?
Ron Shaw sorry mean copper bar not aluminum although you can use aluminum if you want. Im not an electrician so I’m not really sure if it’s a good idea to put two fuse blocks on one ANL fuse...But I honestly would just redo it since it‘s not too expensive to get a new bar. I wouldn’t mess around with electricity ya know?
@@MathersOnTheMap thanks I think I have to replace my copper bar for what you have.
Hopefully that circuit doesn't blow up, because if you isolate it wrongly it will pop the breaker.
I just finished up my electrical same way as you and noticed I did not have much battery power left after a little bit and inverter would not start up until I started van so wonder if you leave your power switch on or off when your not in van?
hey Ron you have the exact components as well? 3 - 100 amp hour Battleborn batteries and 3000 watt inverter?
To answer your question, we do not turn off the switch and rarely see our battery % below 80%
@@MathersOnTheMap yes the same inverter and batteries, with same bus bar setup
@@ronshaw6464 Interesting what's the typical amp draw throughout the day?
where did you buy your copper flat bar and what size and thickness are those?
Onlinemetals.com check out my pinned comment! If you’re using a 3000 watt inverter get a 1.5” x .25” x 24” bar
You could probably get a way 12” but I like more Incase ya make a mistake
Also all 2/0 wire should be 4/0 (isolator can still be 2/0
@@MathersOnTheMap Cool. Thanks for the advice. I have the same exact Inverter/Charger from Victron and thinking of doing the same kill switch/copper bus bar design.
CyberOne604 sweet check out explorist.life who is a great resource for electrical too!!
CyberOne604 definitely 4/0 and a 1.5” bar then!
@@MathersOnTheMap Can the isolator be 4/0?
How did you wire the different ac sockets together? in parallel?
Sweet you found the video! Wired In series 👌🏻
ok, looked a few times…pretty sure your +/- in and out of battery bank should not be on the same battery…essentially, they should be opposite. one of explorerlife vids shows 4 bank wirings…
Maybe a stupid questions, but how do you size your fuse? How do I know which fuse size to use?
A lot of components have recommended fuses within the manual! Other than that I just googled to try and figure it out
Curious would you recommend the Renogy charge controller over the Victron?
I feel like victron is the best, but depends on how big you want to scale your system, the renogy setup we have perfect for our needs.
Is the 40a fuse connected to the battery cable for the charge controller only?
yep but you could move that to the other side of the kill switch if ya preferred
I just recently got a 1993 Fleetwood Bounder Double Axle, and everything was working fine, three days ago the batteries went dead so I took a closer look at the hood, and noticed the battery connections, the hood has 3 batteries, two deep cycle and one start battery(note theres two solar cells on the roof wired to one of the cabin batteries) but im not sure how its all wired. I know the motor only needs one 12v start battery and the cabin needs 2 or more deep cycle batteries and im aware that the solar cells need a storage battery. If someone that can help would be great!
We’re the batteries under a heavy load and was there sunshine or overcast? If the batteries are solely reliant on solar alone and under a constant load, they can drain out. Lots of variables in trying to figure this out need more details
your battery cables should be One(1) on each battery. Example: place the negative on one(1) battery and the positive on the other.
Hey David, yes I agree check out the pinned comment where I made a few updates
What toe kick LED lights did you go with?
Hey Mark it’s this one amzn.to/3goIrWv (it’s an affiliate link but if ya don’t want to use it just search Pangton Villa led strip on amazon)
basically, the majority is energy is gonna run thru that first battery.
Explorist warns against the intallgear anl fuses, saying quality has gone way down hill. Blue Sea anl fuses are ridiculously expensive. Do you know of any quality ones?
Hey Zack unfortunately I don’t, I’ve hadn’t had any issues with mine but I do trust Nate. I’d just buy fuses with a lot of quality reviews and monitor them if blue sea is out of budget
@@MathersOnTheMap I thinking about using the blue sea terminal block fuse. They only make up to 300a it looks like. I have a 360ah battery bank, do you think it would be alright to round down with the 300a terminal fuse?
@@meowzic I think the terminal fuse isn't there to match the size of your battery bank, it's to amps do not go over the recommended amount for your accessories, inverter in particular. But I am not an electrician, these are just my thoughts
wanted ask you how much solar do you have for your system?
400 watts!
@@MathersOnTheMap o.k thanks I have 330
Ah, you can put the victory on it side... no cooling problems..?
yes it can be mounted horizontally. Victron recommends 10 cms on all sides which I am clearly falling short of, but may drill ventilation holes as Greg suggested in another comment
These wires have coil inside their rubber.
How many kwh of storage in batteries?
not sure, 300 amp hours so however that is converted?
idk where you live, but you can make a solar water heater that will save you trouble. might not fit your van's aesthetic though.
(but i am amateur just studying this job to do myself now…so…)
How much did that set up cost?
Check out our van build cost video 👌🏻ruclips.net/video/0ldnK-3wruE/видео.html