51 replies to this topic

[pvstoy]

At some point in time a battery replacement will be required. You'll have a opuntunity to upgrade to new technology or keep it simple as it is working. You have been keeping good care of that yellow top to last that long. I feel the newer blue and yellow tops are not the same as the older ones were. Take your time and maybe embrace new technology to the point you don't get dizzy;)

PV, thanks. You are correct, I did upgrade my alternator. I will probably be buried in my Camper! I love my 1986 Toyota Turbo pickup/ Ranger II!
 .......
 
.....My battery is old and I was thinking about replacing it with a bigger one. Maybe even a lithium to save weight, but I don't want to get into all of the extra stuff.

[Beach]

On my 06 tundra I wired the camper 12v pos straight to the truck battery through a Bluesea 40 amp breaker mounted under the hood that I manually closed when I needed to charge the camper battery. System worked fine until the day I retired the Tundra from camper. So if you want simple, it will work just fine.I highly recommend you mount a digital volt meter to monitor the battery voltage though.

Edited by Beach, 26 August 2019 - 12:57 AM.

[So Cal Adventurer]

If I understand your original post, you have questions about how the wiring inside your cabinet, from your isolator inward to your camper batteries, is routed.

 

I have the same questions.  Without pulling the cabinet apart it would be nice to know, generally, how things are routed in there.  

 

Exactly!! 

[muttmaster]

Advise needed on inside wiring. I have hooked up 2 gauge from truck battery to camper bed ending with Anderson plug. Now I am finally ready to finish the connection inside the camper, but need some advise.
I am finally trying to finish my wiring upgrade because I discovered how inefficient the 10 gauge from the truck was charging up my camper battery. I thought I never needed to finish the 2 gauge upgrade as my two solar panels was more than satisfactory...until one of them died on trip to the desert, with my new compressor cooler drawing a bit more juice than I had anticipated.

My dilemma after looking inside is... should I continue with 2 gauge to the isolator? How do I use such large lug needed in 2 gauge to connect to negative bus bar and the isolator? And should I upgrade the battery connector wiring too to 2 gauge? It looks like 8 gauge was used to serial connect the two AGM.

Can I step down to 4 or 6 gauge from camper isolator and neg bus to outside camper with Anderson plug that can connect to the big A plug 2 gauge from truck? Do they make a step up or down A plug from 2 gauge to 4 or 6?

Also, since I have both 10 gauge hooked up right now to Trolling motor plug with three wires and the 2 gauge with A plug to camper bed already. Can I still keep the 10 gauge connection once the upgraded wiring is somehow installed inside. The reason I am not sure if Taking out the existing wiring will affect any thing else as the blue/ green wire just before the isolator is tapped into for water tank sensors? It looks like it was heading down that away.
Thanks for any input.

[klahanie]

muttmaster, there are some reducing bushings avail for the A powerpole contacts

https://powerwerx.co...ducing-bushings

 

or what I have done is use the matching plug and contact and on the reduced wire side folded to small ga wire over and/or filled the space with wire strands. This I've done when soldering rather than crimping.

 

For lugs, there are often a few sizes made for different stud sizes.

http://www.genuinede...le-lugs?cat=199

 

I don't claim to fully understand your system but I would prob run the heavier ga completely from truck battery/alternator to house batts. With the same ga inter connecting the house batteries if there are more than one.

 

HTH

[muttmaster]

Thanks HTH for the links. My system is the stock 2016 Grandby side dinette. I have folded over the smaller gauge wire ends to fit into larger Anderson plug tangs to mate with larger gauge A plug in the past with smaller gauge cables. I may give that a try as I already have a A plug to mate with the 2 gauge from the truck. Maybe fold over the ends of 6 gauge to solder and crimp into the larger A plug tangs. That way I may find 1/4 lug ends to fit onto the 1/4” attachment bolt on the bus bar and the isolator. Or maybe install a breaker inside as many have suggested and in coming side still using 2 gauge and the other side reduced to 4 or 6 gauge.

[So Cal Adventurer]

Well, for starters, if you go to the Blue Sea website, and read the instructions for wiring the ACR, it literally says right in the instructions it should be wired with 2awg.  So theres that.

 

Ill post what i did and my results in a few.

[So Cal Adventurer]

Thanks HTH for the links. My system is the stock 2016 Grandby side dinette. I have folded over the smaller gauge wire ends to fit into larger Anderson plug tangs to mate with larger gauge A plug in the past with smaller gauge cables. I may give that a try as I already have a A plug to mate with the 2 gauge from the truck. Maybe fold over the ends of 6 gauge to solder and crimp into the larger A plug tangs. That way I may find 1/4 lug ends to fit onto the 1/4” attachment bolt on the bus bar and the isolator. Or maybe install a breaker inside as many have suggested and in coming side still using 2 gauge and the other side reduced to 4 or 6 gauge.

 

Easier, safer, and more secure to just make new cables, its fairly easy and everything will fit and look better

[ntsqd]

It goes against convention, but the way that I see it is each cable is its own conductor with its own inherent Voltage Drop. Say that you bring 2ga. to the ACR/VCR that is 1 foot (of cable) from the battery(ies) and that is good for 100A at less than 3% Voltage Drop to that point. How big does a 1 foot long jumper cable have to be to conduct 100A at less than 3% Voltage Drop? It does not need to be 2ga., though it can be.

 

I contend that for short jumpers you can go smaller than what is needed in the whole circuit. It complicates the calculation, but can simplify the install.

This concept falls apart if you attempt to use a sequence of isolated studs with short jumpers between each as an attempt to use (& justify) a smaller wire size for the whole circuit, but for a single or just a couple short jumpers I see no fault in the logic. I'm quite sure that there are those who will disagree with this and insist on using the same large gauge in the whole circuit. That is fine and it certainly the easiest way, especially when trying to help someone who is "electrically challenged."

[muttmaster]

Thanks all for suggestions. My other question was whether I should keep the 10 gauge connection via trolling motor connector and just use the 2 gauge via Anderson plug just when I really need a boost from the truck. Got new solar panel coming and it always was never a issue until I got a new compressor fridge that uses more juice than I had hoped and the older semi flex panel died and my 3 way camper fridge not cooling due to oil plugged propane controller.... all on same trip In DV at that.

Now on quest to do it right and be prepared.