Projo Weekend/ EMS / Undersink Filter / Truck Charging

[carlrx7]

1.I started the day with a Power Watchdog EMS. Picked up 5 ft of 6/3 at HomeDepot. Stuff was terrible to work with. I found a sweet location under the steps to still see the face/codes and still get to the back to change out the surge card if it gets fried. I used some corner brackets to hold it in place. The Bluetooth app is nice/but annoying with "Bluetooth disconnect" notifications whenever i walk 40 ft from the rig. For some reason I thought this was wifi when I bought it, oh well.

2. soft close toilet seat... mucho bueno

3. Under sink filter (0.01 micron) I have this to supplement the 2-stage at the hose, 0.5 & 0.1. I could have used the include adapters and plumed it right into the cold line but I wanted it to also filter the water going to the fridge. I added two 1/2" pex - 3/8. 1/4 turn shut offs. I added a 3/8 - 3/8 extension hose just incase I need to bypass the filter for some reason as well. (supposed to last 2 years).

4. Truck charging. Picked up 2k pure sine inverter to mount in truck. Started with adding a plug to the gen prep box using 12/2 wire I had left over from a treadmill circuit install. I did a bench test with the inverter today with the following results.

With the invert on and plugged into the gen prep box, the transfer switch kicked over. It started powering the fridge and charging the battery at 20amps. A nice thing i noticed is that the inverter fans never came on in this config since the inverter will be mounted in the cab, behind the rear seats. I activated the Charge Wizard boost, total draw went to 93 amps and 50 amps into the battery. TEST OK!

I even did a test to disable the converter and just plug the gen prep plug into the built-in inverter. yep! powered everything.... (no hvac of course)

5. Maxxair fan cover (Smoked) no pics

6. Sanitation center. added tray and paper towel holder in the wet bay to do some preliminary cleaning prior to coming inside. (no pics)

7,8,9. 10. Wife added 1.5 million baskets to organize stuff.

11. Weighed empty .. Truck & Rv...

Time for some Aleve and a nap!

[Daryles]

#4, what inverter did you use?
I was wondering if it would support 1 air conditioner if you installed an Easy start ( or a soft start) in the ac unit.

[carlrx7]

This is the one I picked up.

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/205431...66f412dbz9xrBm

Since it’s a HF inverter and only 2k watts I wouldn’t try to start an A/C. Mine pull 25 amps (3000 watts) starting up.

[hemiallen]

Nice upgrades

On the bulldog, did you discard or keep the surge protection that came with the Montana? I've read up on their differences, and that Bulldog seems like a nice addition to have, and great location for visual and to, Ahem, replace the chip if needed.

And the 120v yellow 12-2 you temporarily connect to the factory inverter, is that just for testing, or do you use it for other reasons? I don't follow where the truck's inverter power enters the system. Information overload.

I wish I had my rig. With my limited understanding of the charging system components, I can't follow the flow of what you did. The 4 square box, I assume you added that, but assume the orange wire is factory and part of the Gen prep. ?

Thanks

Allen

[carlrx7]

Allen

I kept the factory transfer switch because it also has surge protection, even though its reliability is poor.

The yellow 12/2 wire next to the inverter will have a 12 awg extension cord connected and run out through the pin box following the 7-way wiring. I decided to put a plug there just incase i wanted to apply power to all the outlets. Just need to be sure not to use the high surge appliances.

The truck inverter will be mounted behind my rear seats in the cab. I will install a covered outlet next to the 7-way.

The four square box is included in the gen prep. The orange wire going to the other input of the factory transfer switch.

.cb

[hemiallen]

Thanks Carl

The inverter in the truck is a very cool way to get a 120v energy source from the truck's system both in the bed of your truck and to recharge the batteries of the trailer vs 12v all the way back to the rv to either a DC-DC inverter or the BIM device. I post the below solely to show what options I have considered, before seeing your option. Hope it's ok, if not I can edit it out.

BB website Q&A suggests:

"In motorized RVs, vans and skoolies, very often the alternator will charge lithium batteries at the proper voltage (14.2 to 14.6 V), but we recommend not to exceed a 50% charge rate, this means a max of 50 amps for each 100 Ah battery.

An example would be a high 220 amp alternator putting out its full charge to the electrical system. An alternator charging the starter battery, running the electronics in the vehicle, and if wired with thick enough cables, might have around 150 amps leftover to charge your Battle Born Batteries. In this instance, three of our batteries would be a good match for the alternator’s charge.

Some things to consider when connecting a starter (lead acid) battery to a lithium battery bank:

2 lithium batteries or less, you will probably want to use a battery to battery charger such as the Sterling product on our website:
30 amp version
60 amp version
Higher amp units charge the batteries faster. These devices will not only regulate the charging current but also replace your existing isolator.
For 3 or more lithium batteries connected to a starter battery we recommend our Li-BIM."


My 180A alternator has me concerned with video's of overdrawing and overheating the Alternator. I plan to finalize my choice of 270Ah or 300Ah of BB batteries soon, lol, and do have a 1/0 12v + and negative wires at my bumper, but I am still stuck on which of the 3 routes to recharge while driving, or as a failsafe if dry camping and the portable generator fails me.

Thanks again for the upgrades.

Allen

[carlrx7]

You just need to size your wires to limit your charge.

https://www.calculator.net/voltage-d...=29&ctype=size

In the screenshot, you will only get 40 amps when at 13.6 volts with a truck voltage of 14.2

The current will continue to reduce. At 13.9 pack voltage it will only pull 20 amps.

This is using 30 ft of 4awg wire.